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1: Shocking footage emerged of guests at a Jewish wedding in Jerusalem appearing to celebrate the death of Palestinian toddler Ali Dawabesh. 2: The Israeli government approves a
compromise to expand the non-Orthodox Jewish prayer section of the Western Wall. 3: LeBron James and his Israeli-American coach David Blatt speak late in the fourth quarter of a
game against the Atlanta Hawks during the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals, May 26, 2015. Blatt was fired in January. 4: Géza Röhrig as Saul in Son of Saul (Courtesy of Sony Pictures
Classics) 5: Hundreds of protesters disrupt a gay conference in Chicago. (YouTube) 6: Sen. Bernie Sanders speaking at the Iowa Democratic Wing Ding in Clear Lake, Aug. 14, 2015. (Win
McNamee/Getty Images)

cease operations within 30 days,
the state Superior Court rules. In
a lawsuit filed in 2012, the group,
which claims to be able to elimi-
nate homosexual urges, was found
to be in violation of New Jersey’s
Consumer Fraud Act.
Violinist Itzhak Perlman is
named the third recipient of the
Genesis Prize. The annual $1 mil-
lion prize, dubbed the “Jewish
Nobel,” is funded by a group of
Russian philanthropists to honor
individuals who have achieved
international renown in their pro-
fessional fields and serve as role
models through their commitment
to Jewish values.
Brazil refuses to confirm Dani
Dayan, a former West Bank settler
leader, as Israeli ambassador to
the country because of his support
for the settlements. Following a
months-long standoff, Dayan, a
native of Argentina, is reassigned
as consul general in New York.
Samuel “Sandy” Berger, who
served as President Bill Clinton’s
national security adviser, dies at
70, succumbing to cancer. Berger
was a prominent player at the 2000
Camp David summit.

JANUARY 2016
In response to unspecified com-
plaints that products produced
in the West Bank are mislabeled
as originating in Israel, the U.S.
customs agency reiterates its policy

that any goods originating in the
West Bank or Gaza Strip be labeled
as such.
After decades of squabbling,
the Israeli government approves a
compromise to expand the non-
Orthodox Jewish prayer section
of the Western Wall. Under terms
of the deal, the size of the non-
Orthodox section of the Western
Wall will double to nearly 10,000
square feet, and both areas will be
accessible by a single entrance.
The Brown University chapter
of the historically Jewish fraternity
Alpha Epsilon Pi separates from
the international organization over
biases against non-Jewish members
as well as its handling of sexual
assault. In an op-ed in the Brown
student newspaper, chapter presi-
dent Ben Owens says the group
objected to the “demeaning way
that some representatives of AEPi
National treated our non-Jewish
brothers.”
The Cleveland Cavaliers fire
Israeli-American head coach David
Blatt, who led the team to the NBA
Finals in 2015. Blatt releases a
statement saying he was “grateful”
for the chance to serve as coach.
Led by LeBron James, the Cavaliers
go on to win their first NBA cham-
pionship under Blatt’s successor,
Tyronn Lue.
Rabbi Eugene Borowitz, an
influential thinker in Reform
Judaism, dies at 91. A longtime

faculty member at Hebrew Union
College-Jewish Institute of Religion,
Borowitz was the author of 19
books and hundreds of articles on
Jewish thought.
The Mount Freedom Jewish
Center in New Jersey announces it
has hired a woman using the title
“rabbi.” Lila Kagedan, a graduate of
New York’s Yeshivat Maharat, was
ordained in June as an Orthodox
clergywoman. The school permits
graduates to choose their title;
Kagedan is the first to choose
rabbi.
Hundreds of protesters at a gay
conference in Chicago, charg-
ing “pinkwashing” of Israeli
misdeeds, disrupt a reception for
Israeli LGBT activists, forcing the
event to shut down. The disrup-
tion is strongly condemned days
later by several leading gay activ-
ists, including former Rep. Barney
Frank and Edie Windsor, the
plaintiff in the Supreme Court case
that led to the legalization of gay
marriage.

FEBRUARY 2016
Sen. Bernie Sanders wins the New
Hampshire primary, becoming the
first Jewish candidate in American
history to win a presidential pri-
mary. The Vermont Independent,
seeking the Democratic nomi-
nation, handily defeats former
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton,
commanding 60 percent of the vote

to Clinton’s 38 percent.
The Hungarian Holocaust drama
Son of Saul wins an Oscar for best
foreign language film. Other Jewish
winners at the 2016 Academy
Awards are Amy, the documen-
tary about the late Jewish singer-
songwriter Amy Winehouse, and
Michael Sugar, who wins for best
picture as co-producer of Spotlight,
the story of the Boston Globe inves-
tigative team led by Jewish editor
Marty Baron that exposed sex
scandals in the Catholic Church.
The Canadian Parliament
formally condemns the Boycott,
Divestment and Sanctions move-
ment, saying it “promotes the
demonization and delegitimiza-
tion of the State of Israel.” Passed
by a vote of 229-51, the motion
was introduced by the opposition
Conservative Party but won sup-
port from the ruling Liberal Party
as well.
The Jewish Theological
Seminary announces the sale of
$96 million worth of real estate
assets and its intention to use the
funds to upgrade its New York
facility. The seminary, considered
the flagship institution of the
Conservative movement, says it
intends to build a state-of-the-art
library, auditorium and conference
facilities, and a new 150-bed resi-
dence hall on its main campus.
Republican presidential hope-
ful Donald Trump disavows the

Violinist Itzhak

Perlman is named

the third recipient

of the Genesis

Prize.

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