International

Hispanic Heritage Month Includes Many Jews

Mexico has had a Jewish population since the early Colonial Era. Many individuals could not openly worship as they would be persecuted for practicing Judaism. Mexico eventually adopted freedom of religion and began receiving Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazis. [Cailin Acosta]

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Cailin Acosta, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Obituaries & memorials, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

OpEd: Praise for Trump’s Role Ending Gaza Fighting; Criticism for His Domestic Policies

We watched with interest as President Trump addressed the Knesset, and cringed at his self-aggrandizing remarks. Only Donald Trump could make this joyous and historic moment about himself; his hyperbolic claims of forging a regional peace that has evaded civilization for hundreds or thousands of years are patently false. The ceasefire agreement reached between Israel and Hamas is historic and important, though it is also tenuous and incomplete. [Halie Soifer]

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

Jewish Cuban Practice of ‘Lo Que Sea’ Highlighted in Children’s Book

– Romi has outgrown her childhood dress. Her arbuelita (grandmother) , the town seamstress in Santiago de Cuba practices a philosophy of waste not, want not. Materially poor, spiritually rich Jewish Cubans make do with what they have to create what they need, a practice encapsulated by the Spanish idiomatic expression lo que sea. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food

Alliance Formed by Anti-Defamation League and National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

Through this new collaboration, the organizations will co-develop resources including faith-based educational content, digital campaigns, and launch advocacy efforts to counter antisemitism in all its forms—online, in the pews, and in the public square. [Press Release]

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Antisemitism, Press Release, USA

Protecting Jewish Students or Chilling Speech? Inside California’s ‘Hardest’ Fight over Antisemitism

At issue was Assembly Bill 715, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law this month after it went through multiple major, sometimes last-minute rewrites during months of political tussling. [Yue Stella Yu and Mikhail Zinshteyn]

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Antisemitism, California, Holocaust, Israel, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

A Jewish War that Lasted Two Centuries

The two centuries were marked by Judean hatred toward Rome due to its conquest and control of Judea in 63 BCE. There were three pivotal violent rebellions against Rome: the Great Revolt of 66 to 74 CE, which resulted, among other calamities, in the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE; the Diaspora Revolt of 116 CE; and the Bar Kokhba Revolt of 132 to 136 CE. There were also many more minor battles before and sandwiched within these three. In each struggle between Judeans and Rome, thousands of Judeans fought alongside the Romans against their brothers. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Israel, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Israel Mesmerized by Videos of Hostages Returning to Their Families

And so a whole nation, and possibly a whole world, watched with bated breath and swelling hearts as returning hostages ran into the arms of their waiting mothers and fathers, embracing siblings, friends, and even in some exceptional cases their own young children. It was impossible not to be moved at the sight, and not to share in the joy and relief of all concerned. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Israel, Jewish History, News Media, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Technology, USA

Flesh and Sacrifice: Iba Ndiaye at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

The centerpiece of the exhibition is Ndiaye’s Tabaski III (1970), explicitly depicts the aftermath of ritual sacrifice. The ram’s body, twisted and half-abstracted, glistens in layers of crimson and ochre, its form dissolving into painterly matter. The flesh here is not symbolic—it is the subject, the drama, the philosophy. [Sam Ben-Meir]

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International, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Sam Ben-Meir, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Reactions to a Historic Day in the Saga of the Middle East

After 738 Days, Hostages are Freed.  7+3+8 = 18, Life! Here in alphabetical order are the reactions from a variety of perspectives to Hamas freeing its hostages; the prospect of peace in the Middle East; and the role of U.S. President Donald J. Trump in achieving this blue-ribbon moment. [SDJW staff]

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California, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

OpEd: This Day Belongs to the Hostages and Their Persistent Families

The truth of this moment does not belong to any one man or office. It belongs to the hostages themselves—to the quiet resilience that sustained them through hunger, darkness, and fear; to the families who refused to let the world forget; and to a nation that, even through its grief and anger, never stopped believing in the sanctity of life. [Shahar Masori]

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Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Opinion, Shahar Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Hostages are Free, Free at Last

We have collectively been holding our breath, waiting for this moment. The images leave us speechless – filled with relief and joy at their return, burdened by the painful knowledge that their healing will be long and difficult, and grieving for the 28 who did not survive captivity. [Heidi Gantwerk]

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