International

Trump Meets with Netanyahu about Gaza, West Bank, Iran and Other Trouble Spots

That two Jewish leaders – Zelenskyy and Netanyahu – had back-to-back meetings with President Trump, selected Cabinet officials and White House aides, and with U.S. peace envoys Steve Witkoff and Trump’s  son-in-law Jared Kushner were remarkable occasions, sure to be mentioned in Jewish history books of the future. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

4,150 Americans Made Aliyah to Israel in 2025

Among the new immigrants who arrived this year are 297 families, 946 children, 1,476 single men and women, and 548 retirees. The average age of Olim over the last year is 31 years old, with the oldest being 96 years old, and the youngest being a four-month-old baby. The Olim come from all over North America, most notably New York, New Jersey, California, Maryland, Florida, and Illinois. [Press Release]

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Israel, Press Release, USA

Short Story: The Perfume Cabinet

In his free time from love, Daniel made cabinets. The cabinets were all different types – wardrobes, kitchen cabinets, bookshelves. He was a great cabinet designer. The factory’s products were popular. But Daniel didn’t stop there. He designed and manufactured new original cabinets. He loved his work very much, and his work loved him back, as he was constantly receiving new orders and designing ingenious cabinet models for various purposes. [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish Fiction, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Trump, Zelenskyy Optimistic about Peace Between Ukraine and Russia, but Offer Few Specifics at Mar-A-Lago

Trump identified one area still awaiting resolution as whether Russia or Ukraine would keep the land in the Donbas region in Eastern Ukraine that Russia now occupies. Another is the fate of a Ukrainian nuclear power reactor, which Russian troops captured and now occupy. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA

Film Review: ‘Marty Supreme’ is Supreme Cinema

Marty Mauser, the protagonist of Marty Supreme, is a plucky ping pong imp and shoe salesman, in addition to being a nimble and loquacious malarkey artist. He is also a shockingly-gawdawful, verbal bastard person to his mother, played by Fran Drescher, who left her specific, discount Phyllis Diller voice in the dustbin of screen history where it belongs, much to the contentment of my sensitive ears. [John E. Finley-Weaver]

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Lifestyles, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Holocaust Survivor Says Jewish Communal Disappointment with Australian Politicians Runs High

His opinions about Australia’s leadership should be given due weight in the wake of the Dec. 14 massacre of 15 celebrants at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on the first night of Chanukah and the Dec. 25 bombing in Melbourne of an unoccupied car toting a mobile billboard that said, “Happy Chanukah.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Antisemitism, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Opinion, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, Staff and Bylined Contributors

The Perry Twins: Rhythm, Resonance, and the Revolution of Joy

Collaborations with Tara Kemp and Niki Haris arrived not through strategy, but alignment. In Jewish mysticism, souls recognize each other across lifetimes. These partnerships feel like that. Voices that carry history, strength, and survival. Together, they are not chasing relevance. They are restoring lineage. [Michael Adam Cohen]

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California, Jewish Religion, Michael Adam Cohen, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Opinion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Global Pushback Against Radical Islamists

A notable shift has emerged among progressive, reformist, and moderate Muslim leaders worldwide. From 2023 onward, these voices have more openly condemned political Islam (or Islamism)—the ideology seeking coercive theocratic governance, supremacism, and authoritarian control—while distinguishing it from Islam as a personal faith. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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International, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Trump’s Cabinet Secretaries Send Christian Messages on Federal Websites

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claimed, “We are blessed to share a nation and a Savior.” Similarly, Defense Secretary Hegseth asserted, “Today, we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” The inherent problem with these messages is that they use a collective “we” to describe religious views and beliefs, as if these are views and beliefs that all Americans share. [Halie Soifer]

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Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Schiff Cosponsors Bill to Restrict Border Patrol Operations to Areas Within 25 Miles of the Mexican Border

U.S. Senators Adam Schiff (D-California) and Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut) have introduced legislation that, except under extraordinary circumstances, would confine Border Patrol law enforcement activities to 25 miles north of the international border with Mexico. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, International, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

StandWithUs CEO Roz Rothstein Sends ‘Open Letter’ to Vice President JD Vance

I appreciate you stating clearly in a recent interview that antisemitism has no place in your political movement. However, the notion that our concerns about this bigotry on the right are “overstated by people who want to avoid having a foreign policy conversation about Israel” does not align with facts. [Roz Rothstein, StandWithUs]

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Antisemitism, Israel, Jewish History, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Our Shtetl: Thoughts on a Drive Back to San Diego

Provisioned with a variety of tamales, bañuelos (crispy-thin dough sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, a typical Mexican holiday dessert, muy delicioso!), and my father-in-law’s “famous rum cake,” my family and I are heading back to “somewhat sunny” San Diego from El Paso. (Cailin Acosta)

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Cailin Acosta, California, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA