Shorts: U.S.

U.S. lowers travel warning to Israel

washington (jta) | The United States renewed its warning against travel to Israel and the Palestinian areas, but lowered the danger status in Israel's case.

The State Department travel warning issued this week urged Americans to "carefully weigh the necessity of travel to Israel" and to "defer unnecessary travel to the West Bank and avoid all travel to Gaza."

For the last two years, the warnings have recommended "deferring" travel to Israel, so "careful weighing" is an upgrade. "It's a first step in the right direction and we hope this will lead to the lifting of the travel warning," said Daniel Ayalon, Israel's ambassador to Washington.




Humanistic Jews honor Einstein

new york (jta) | Secular humanistic Jewish congregations across North America will light memorial candles marking the 50th anniversary of Albert Einstein's death.

The candlelighting ceremony will honor Einstein, who died on April 18, 1955. Humanistic congregations embrace a human-centered philosophy that celebrates Jewish culture and identity. They believe in the human capacity to create a better world without relying on supernatural powers.

"Albert Einstein was an ardent humanist who believed that human power and human responsibility were the foundations of moral life. He was an ardent Jew who found meaning in Jewish national identity and in the moral principles which were part of Jewish heritage," said Rabbi Sherwin Wine, dean of the Institute for Jewish Humanistic Studies.




Crown Heights victim's family sues

new york (jta) | The family of the rabbinical student killed during the 1991 Crown Heights riots is suing a New York City hospital.

The family of Yankel Rosenbaum is suing the hospital for failing to properly treat the 29-year-old for the stab wounds inflicted by Lemrick Nelson, according to the New York Daily News. Rosenbaum was killed in the anti-Jewish violence that erupted in the Brooklyn neighborhood after a Chassidic driver's car accidentally struck and killed Gavin Cato, a 7-year-old African American.

Rosenbaum's parents and brother, who live in Australia, are alleging that the city-run Kings County Hospital was negligent.




YWCA rejects report comparing Israelis to Nazis

new york (jta) | The YWCA USA has distanced itself from a report funded by the World YWCA movement that compared Israelis to Nazis.

The group passed a resolution this week rejecting the report "Witness to Palestine.' The move came after an earlier vote condemning the report failed because the YWCA USA's board felt it needed further study. The U.S. organization hopes to offer a more balanced resolution on the Middle East in 2007, the next time the World Council meets.




Umbrella group picks new leader

new york (jta) | Harold Tanner, a former president of the American Jewish Committee, was nominated to head U.S. Jewry's most powerful umbrella group.

Tanner was nominated to head the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Tanner headed the AJCommittee from 2001-2004. If approved, Tanner would succeed James Tisch, who will complete his second one-year term on May 31.




U.S. court revokes guard's citizenship

new york (jta) | A U.S. court revoked the citizenship of a former Nazi concentration camp guard. The court ruled last week that John Hansl had participated in persecution when he served in the SS Death's Head battalion at Natzweiler and Sachsenhausen.

His lawyer said she would appeal the decision.