World Roundup – 70 cities celebrate European Day of Jewish Culture

This week we’ve got secret airlifts, intelligence tip-offs and food-tasting (no trio is complete without food…) in our infamous weekly round-up of news from the Jewish world – dated 30 September.

Yemen

Jewish Agency officials have revealed details of a clandestine operation in August to airlift some of Yemen’s last Jews to Israel. The two states have no diplomatic relations so the operation to smuggle 17 Yemeni Jews out was covert. Less than 90 Jews remain in the semi-lawless country.

Denmark

A ceremony has been held marking 70 years since the evacuation of 7,300 Jews to prevent their deportation to a Nazi concentration camp. The October 1943 operation in Nazi-occupied Denmark dodged German patrol boats to deliver the Jews across a waterway to neutral Sweden.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong magnate Li Ka-shing has said he will donate $130 million to an Israel’s Technion to help establish a joint academic venture with a university in China. University leaders say the new school and technology park in Guangdong will give Israeli start-ups a beachhead in China.

Kenya

Reports are emerging of an Israeli tip-off to Kenyan authorities ahead of the recent attack on a shopping centre by jihadist group. Anonymous officials have said that Israeli warnings of a pending attack on a Kenyan centre of commerce were “tossed from one office to another”.

United States

The former chancellor of Yeshiva University, which is facing a $380 million lawsuit from past students alleging they were sexually abused for decades, has been found to be unfit to stand trial. Rabbi Norman Lamm, 85, retired in July, acknowledging his mishandling of the abuse allegations.

Italy

The Italian president helped celebrate the European Day of Jewish Culture in Naples on 29 September, with the annual event taking place across two dozen countries and over 70 cities. Giorgio Napolitano was one of many taking part in concerts, lectures, performances, food-tastings and book fairs.