International

AJC Report: After Violent Antisemitic Attacks, 91% of American Jews Feel Less Safe

American Jewish Committee’s State of Antisemitism in America 2025 Report found that the vast majority (91%) of American Jews say they feel less safe as a Jewish person in the United States as a result of the arson attack during Passover on the Pennsylvania Governor’s residence, the murders of Sarah Milgrim (z”l) and Yaron Lischinsky (z”l) outside the Capital Jewish Museum following an AJC event, and the firebombing of a Boulder, CO, march in support of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. [PRESS RELEASE]

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Antisemitism, Press Release, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Technology, USA

Parshat Mishpatim 2026

This week’s Torah portion focuses on an old but familiar theme: the social laws known as Mishpatim.  In this Parsha, we discover that the God of Exodus is the God of history and of political liberation more than he is the God of nature. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Opinion, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Does a vegetarian upbringing stunt growth? Israeli study suggests not

While the global shift toward plant-based living continues to accelerate, a critical question has lingered for parents and pediatricians: Can a vegan or vegetarian diet support the rapid growth required in the first two years of life? [Ben Gurion University Negev]

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International, Israel, Jacob Kamaras, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Technology

Rep. Sara Jacobs: Did you change your name when you got married?

In the U.S., eight in 10 women who marry change their last name. That means there are more than 60 million women in this country whose birth certificates may not have their current legal last names — and thanks to legislation the GOP is pushing this week, that could put their voter registration at risk. [Sara Jacobs]

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Lifestyles, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Bad Bunny and the Goodness of Resistance

Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio – Bad Bunny – broke out and broke it down at the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show. All in Spanish, all proudly Puerto Rican. All-American. He showed the world – and it was the world watching that we are still here (seguimos aqui) despite all the horrific things being done to harm people and break their spirits. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Barrett Holman Leak, California, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Opinion, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Jewish Biography: Claude Vigee: the wandering Jewish poet

Claude described himself as a “Jew and an Alsatian, thus doubly Alsatian and doubly Jewish”. He associated the wanderings of the Jewish people with the suffering of the inhabitants of Alsace, a land of discord between France and Germany. [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Jewish Book Review: Hitler’s Canary tells of a daring wartime adventure

The year was 1940, and the Germans were starting to invade Denmark, and 10-year-old Bamse was just as confused as all the other Danes.
Bamse is Danish for Teddy. Bamse’s older brother, Orlando, becomes involved in the resistance and eventually goes to jail. As he was in the hospital, Bamse brought him clothes, and he escaped. [Cailin Acosta]

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Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Cailin Acosta, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Something neither of us could build alone

This brief story captures the heart of the Jewish value of arevut, shared responsibility. In life, we often imagine that we are accountable only for ourselves, that “our seat” is private. Judaism insists otherwise. What we do affects those around us. Our fates are intertwined. We rise or fall together. [Betzy Lynch]

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

The Old Canterbury (U.K.) Jewish Cemetery Behind the gate – an entire world

The gate opened.  I chose to go in. Nathaniel Isaacs led me to Alan Barnett, the Chairman of the Canterbury Jewish Historical Society. The gate opened wider. I encountered Henry Hart, Jacob the Jew, and Isaac Nathan in political and social controversy. I encountered P.C. challenges, sadly not overcome, and opportunities to respond to antisemitism by doing what the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation does best: creating and placing permanent Jewish historical markers that affirm Jewish presence, contributions, and commonality. [Jerry Klinger]

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International, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Obituaries & memorials, Staff and Bylined Contributors

With Support from Adelson Family, Bar-Ilan University Establishes Israel’s First Institute for the Synthesis of Smart Materials

Bar-Ilan University President Prof. Arie Zaban: “Science contains countless dimensions that we have yet to fully grasp—and that is the story we are building here today. The ability to produce multidimensional ‘smart’ materials represents a transformative step forward. [PRESS RELEASE]

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Israel, Jacob Kamaras, Press Release, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Technology

Parshas Yisro – Here Comes the Sunshine

Fast forward fifty years, and our Tu B’Shvat experience is quite different. Here in Eretz Yisrael, not only are the major holidays celebrated throughout the country and across all lines, but even the minor festivals have been transformed into major events. [Rabbi Avraham Bogopulsky]

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

OpEd: Jewish forces are ready to confront the perceived enemy

New York City’s new mayor faces two initiatives aimed at precluding any of his actions that Jewish leaders fear might harm Israel or their fellow Jews in the Big Apple. Predictably, the 34-year-old Mamdani will face a firestorm if he does anything that is perceived as damaging. [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Antisemitism, Bruce Ticker, Israel, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Light Amidst the Pyres: A Review of Richard Zimler’s The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon

Richard Zimler’s 1996 debut, The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon, is a towering achievement in this genre. It is a work that breathes life into the suffocating atmosphere of 16th-century Portugal, weaving a narrative that is simultaneously a grisly locked-room mystery, a pulse-pounding thriller, and a profound meditation on Jewish mysticism. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Staff and Bylined Contributors