Israel’s Oct. 27 election may be inconclusive, deadlocked

There are heated debates among Israelis over who is right, but at the same time, all parties are contributing to the creation of a new political impasse—even those calling for unity while excluding those who governed the country on October 7, 2023, that is, the current governing coalition. (Alex Gordon)

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Alex Gordon, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Jewish fiction so improbable it’s likely to have a counterpart in real life

It’s not strange in the “look how clever we are” way. It just keeps sliding between things , a little mystery, a little romance, a synagogue power struggle, a scene that’s straight-up funny, and about a third of the way in I gave up trying to guess where it was going. (Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D.)

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Fiction, Michael Mantell, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire

The fight against terrorism and antisemitism: Oct. 11, 2026

President Donald Trump may be backing off Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s plan to livestream the Dec. 3 firing squad execution of Nidal Hasan, who has been paralyzed in a wheelchair since the 2009 Fort Hood, Texas, shooting for which he was convicted of killing 13 people and wounding 32 others. [SDJW staff report]

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Israel, News Media, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Resilience from mass shootings a stop and go process

I have wondered about the spiritual significance of October 7 occurring on Simchat Torah. Not because I believe G-d intended this tragedy, but because our calendar now brings these moments together, asking us to hold grief and renewal in the same sacred space. (Betzy Lynch)

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Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

‘The Children’s Train’ probes displacement in post-WWII Italy

In the aftermath of World War II, a train carries children away from the poverty of southern Italy toward the possibility of a better life. For one young boy, the journey brings opportunity, but it also forces him to confront difficult questions about family, love and where he belongs. [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food

The fight against terrorism and antisemitism: Oct. 10, 2026

This year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner, Navi Pillay, on Saturday said the sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday were unheard of and unacceptable. [SDJW staff roundup]

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Antisemitism, International, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA

Remembering my Great Uncle Jacob

Let me introduce you to my Great Uncle Jacob. I am alive today, along with thousands of my relatives who now reside in Mexico and the United States, because Hashem chose Uncle Jacob to take us out of Triisk, Ukraine, and bring us to Mexico. As a result, we were all saved from the Nazi invasion of Ukraine in 1941, except for one sibling who chose to stay in Triisk. [Avraham Dimensteim]

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Business & Finance, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Obituaries & memorials, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA

Do Jews believe in angels?

Do Jews believe in angels? The Hebrew word for angel, mal’ach, means “messenger,” and in biblical sources, angels deliver specific information or carry out particular functions. In the Torah, an angel prevents Abraham from slaughtering his son Isaac. An angel appears to Moses in the burning bush and gives direction to the Israelites during the desert sojourn following the liberation from Egypt. Angels are associated with visions and prophecies. [Cailin Acosta]

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animals, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cailin Acosta, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Obituaries & memorials, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food

B’nai B’rith International: Navi Pillay choice for Nobel Peace Prize is appalling

B’nai B’rith International is appalled and dismayed by the selection of Navi Pillay for the Nobel Peace Prize. This choice is not only unwarranted but offensive and damaging. It cheapens the world’s leading prize for peacemaking and further reinforces a sense of isolation by Jews facing a surge in global antisemitism. (Press Release)

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Antisemitism, International, Israel, Jewish History, Opinion, Press Release

Public executions, rhetorically sacrificing two U.S. cities signs of Trump administration’s depravity

This week, the Trump administration announced it was bringing back public executions by firing squad and plans to livestream it, joining only Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, and Saudi Arabia in allowing executions in the public square. (Halie Soifer)

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Jewish History, Middle East, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA