Jewish woman thrown off plane after Gaza row

The conflict in Gaza continues to dominate global news, with pro- and anti-Israel supporters clashing everywhere from Florida-bound planes to the mountainous region of Kashmir, itself disputed territory. Here, in this week’s round-up of Jewish news from around the world, we try to bring you a flavour of what’s going on – dated 21 July 2o14.

United States

A Jewish woman from New York was thrown off a JetBlue flight last week after accusing a female Palestinian passenger of having a bomb in her luggage. Dr Lisa Rosenberg had earlier claimed that she was the victim of verbal abuse, saying her fellow passenger called her ‘a Zionist pig,’ but reports later confirmed otherwise.

Ukraine

A Jewish mother and daughter in east Ukraine have been killed in fighting between government forces and Russian-backed rebels. Svetlana Sitnikov, 57, and her daughter Anna, 31, were going shopping and had been due to take Anna’s 4-year-old son, but at the last moment his grandfather took the boy.

France

Another Parisian shul was firebombed on Sunday after a riot broke out in Sarcelles, a heavily Jewish suburb. Several cars were also smashed or set alight. It came a day after 14 police officers were injured during violence at a much bigger anti-Israel rally in the city centre, with thousands protesting Israeli action in Gaza.

India

A 14-year old boy was shot dead by Indian police trying to control another anti-Israel demonstration in the mountainous border region of Kashmir. Hundreds of people attended the boy’s funeral after authorities used tear gas and batons to disperse earlier demonstrations. The police said the boy had thrown rocks.

Belgium

Bus drivers in Belgium have been reprimanded after flying Palestinian flags from their vehicles in a show of support for the people of Gaza. A spokeswoman for the Brussels-based Stib bus company said that while staff had the right to their opinions, they could not associate their views with the organisation.

Poland

The Jewish actor and director Szymon Szurmiej has died in Warsaw aged 91. Szurmiej served as head of Poland’s State Jewish Theatre for years, and was a leading Jewish figure during the communist era, after he survived the anti-Semitic purges of 1968. He became a member of parliament in the 1980s.