International

My Dad, Nathan Drazin, was a Hero

The board of Shaarei Tfiloh begged Dad to allow the synagogue to move uptown, but Dad said it was wrong; it was immoral and disrespectful. By the early 1960s, after many Jews fled to the suburbs, there were only about 500 congregants on the High Holidays, down from 1500. Dad’s salary was severely reduced, but he still refused to move. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Obituaries & memorials, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Jewish rescuers recognized during Yom HaShoah ceremony in Jerusalem

During the ceremony, the “Jewish Rescuer Citation” was presented to four rescuers who operated in the Netherlands, Poland and France. The citation—a joint program of the B’nai B’rith World Center-Jerusalem and the Committee to Recognize the Heroism of Jewish Rescuers during the Holocaust—has recognized 667 heroes since its inception in 2011. The awards were presented to the rescuers’ family members by Alan Schneider, director of the B’nai B’rith World Center; Katz; and Gerbi. [Press Release]

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Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish History, Press Release

Anti-Israel protester stickered matzah box at grocery store

A small square sticker had been placed in the center of the box: “ZIONISM IS FACISM.”

My mind started to spin, my arms moved in slow motion as I tapped my card and walked out of the store. After sitting outside for a few minutes, I went back in, still holding the box, now damp from my tears. I found the manager, a young woman wearing a large gold cross around her neck. I didn’t know exactly what to say, so I just showed her. She gasped and was immediately apologetic …” [Karen Klein]

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Antisemitism, California, Israel, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA

Pacific Beach has ‘rising star’ in Mission Bagel – an award-winning sandwich too

Is it possible for a sandwich to be “sinus and soul clearing”? The meal in question, a gefilte fish bagel sandwich from Pacific Beach’s Mission Bagel, earned that high praise at BagelFest West as one of the standouts at the Los Angeles competition to crown the best bagel makers “west of the Rockies.” [Noah Perkins]

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Business & Finance, California, San Diego County, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA

Mideast War report: April 13, 2026

Israel & the United States at War with Iran Special Update from Israel Prepared by and sent from Jewish Federations of North America’s Israel Office Ceasefire between Iran and Israel + the US holding, even as negotiations break down Fighting with Hezbollah continues as talks between Israel and the Lebanese Government begin Unrelenting rocket attacks

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Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Press Release, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Trump lauded for signing legislation making it easier for families to recover art seized during the Holocaust

RJC CEO Matt Brooks said: “It is deeply meaningful that on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Day, President Trump signed the HEAR ACT—landmark legislation to extend and improve the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery Act of 2016—into law. The HEAR Act empowers family members, who have fought for decades, to recover artwork stolen from Jews by the Nazi regime during the Second World War.  (Press Release)

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Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Opinion, Press Release, USA

An excellent book about Maimonides

Maimonides composed his landmark philosophical work, The Guide for the Perplexed (Moreh Nevukhim in Hebrew), in Judeo-Arabic, written in Fustat (Old Cairo), Egypt. The treatise aimed to reconcile Jewish theology with Aristotelian philosophy and was addressed to his student, Rabbi Joseph ben Judah of Ceuta. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Israel, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

I’ve seen this before: When old hatreds find new voices

I was not born carrying hatred; it was placed gently in my hands, like an heirloom no one thinks to question. As a child in Morocco, I inherited stories about Jews long before I ever met one. They were shadows in conversations, warnings disguised as wisdom, conclusions handed to me without evidence. I accepted them the way a child accepts the horizon, distant, unquestioned, and always there. [Mustapha Ezzarghani]

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Antisemitism, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

AI utilized to mass-produce online antisemitic messages

“Generative AI has dramatically lowered the barrier to producing and distributing antisemitic content,” said CyberWell Founder & CEO Tal-Or Cohen Montemayor. “What once required coordination, creativity, basic technical skills and time can now be created instantly and shared at scale. …” [Press Release]

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Antisemitism, International, Israel, Middle East, News Media, Press Release, USA

Shiite Islam practices taqiyya (deception) when dealing with non-believers

“Let not the believers take the disbelievers as allies instead of the believers. Whoever does so will have no relationship with Allah – unless you take precautions against them”. (Quran 3:28; 2:173; 2:185; 4:29; 22:78; 40:28.) [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Israel, Lifestyles, Middle East, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA