Jerusalem

When the swine flu broke out in spring 2009, Israeli Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman suggested Israel call the outbreak “Mexican flu” to avoid mentioning the non-kosher animal. After a complaint from the Mexican embassy, the Israeli government distanced itself from Litzman’s anti-swine suggestion. (Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

Sydney, Australia

Thanks to the persistence of two Aussie Hasids, a rare ceremony took place this past May when a first-born donkey was ritually redeemed with a sheep. The ceremony is based on a biblical commandment.  (Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

Las Vegas

Detective and Orthodox Jew Steve Riback successfully sued his employer, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, for the right to wear a short beard and hat while on the job. (Las Vegas Sun)

Cusco, Peru

Shalom Dovber Kripor became the first Jewish boy to have a bris in the Andes Mountains in southeastern Peru. The mohel, who came in from New York, had to take precautions to ensure the high altitude would not give him headaches or dizziness during the ceremony.

(Chabad.org)

The Hague, Netherlands

Tuvit Shlomi, a 28-year-old Orthodox Jew, won a poetry contest designed to promote the culture of Arabic-speaking immigrants in the Netherlands. She submitted her work under the pseudonym Wallada bint al-Mustaqfi to avoid any bias. (Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

Berlin, Germany

The first Shabbat dinner ever held in the German Reichstag building, which was burnt down by Nazis in 1933 and reconstructed after WWII, occurred in February 2008. (For security reasons, information was not released until May.)  About 200 people attended the celebration. To accommodate observant guests, the kitchen was made kosher and the metal detectors were switched off.  (Jewish Telegraphic Agency)

Text By: Ben Goldberg