Israel

Israel’s foreign minister says UN ceasefire vote helps Hamas

Published by DPA International The UN Security Council’s demand for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza has strengthened the Palestinian militant Hamas movement and prompted it to reject a US compromise proposal on a new hostage deal, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday. Katz, speaking to Israeli Army Radio, said he was disappointed that […]

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International, Israel, Middle East, Nordot, USA

Steven Spielberg: ‘The echoes of history are unmistakable in our current climate’

Published by Euronews (English) “The echoes of history are unmistakable in our current climate.” Legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg said these words at a ceremony to honour the USC Shoah Foundation – a non-profit organisation he founded 30 years ago, which documents interviews with survivors and witnesses of the Holocaust. The 77-year-old director of Schindler’s List

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Antisemitism, California, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish Celebrities, Jewish History, Nordot, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Netanyahu cancels delegation’s US trip over UN Security Council vote

Published by DPA Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cancelled the planned trip of an Israeli delegation to the United States after the UN Security Council passed a resolution calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in the Gaza war, his office said on Monday. Israel’s minister for strategic affairs, Ron Dermer, and national security advisor, Zachi

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International, Israel, USA

UN Security Council passes resolution demanding immediate Gaza ceasefire

Published by ANI News New York [US], March 25 (ANI): The United Nations Security Council on Monday approved the resolution calling for an “immediate ceasefire” in Gaza and the “unconditional” release of all hostages held by Hamas following the October 7 attack on Israel, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. He asserted that the resolution

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International, Israel, Middle East, Nordot, USA

What are the Messages of Purim?

The story, with its depictions of grand feasts and complex administrative structures, resonates with the grandeur of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. Yet, elements of legend, such as the exaggerated descriptions of beauty treatments and gallows, interweave history with myth, painting a captivating picture that blurs the lines between reality and folklore. [Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel]

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Israel, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Harris says US not ruling out consequences in case of Rafah offensive

Published by DPA International The US government is not ruling out consequences for Israel if it goes ahead with plans for a ground offensive in Rafah, plans that the White House, Israel’s main backer, strongly opposes. “I am ruling out nothing,” US Vice President Kamala Harris said in an interview broadcast on Sunday when asked

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Israel, Nordot, USA

Our Shtetl San Diego County: Congresswoman Jacobs ‘Outraged’ By Aid Cutoff to UNRWA

Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-San Diego) says that she is “outraged” that a global assistance program recently approved by the House of Representative “excludes funding for UNRWA, which is delivering irreplaceable, life-saving aid to address the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza.  Palestinian children are starving and need relief and cutting off U.S. support for UNRWA will worsen their suffering.” [SDJW staff]

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International, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

Yom Kippur War Vet Compares Its Causes to Those of War in Gaza

I was a battalion physician in Sinai during the Yom Kippur War. Those who fought and survived the 1973 Yom Kippur War hoped that the bitter lessons of that war had been learned and that Israel would never experience a similar catastrophe. Tragically, one day after the 50th anniversary of that war, history repeated itself with the devastating Hamas attack of October 7. The similarities between these events are chillingly striking. [Itzhak Brook, M.D.]

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

An American Firefighter’s Gaza War Diary

We’re responding to a common call – kipat barzel interception – so we’re told to wear “flaks and Kevlars.” After parking the engine, we move quickly as a group toward the home which has been hit; it’s us firefighters, police, ambulance personnel (Magen David Adom), and IDF Homefront Command. Needless to say, as we enter, we overwhelm the residents of the apartment. [Dana Ben Kaplan]

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

Gaza death toll continues to rise as UN chief visits Rafah crossing

Published by DPA The Israeli army continued attacks on Hamas targets in Gaza and dozens more Palestinians were killed as UN chief António Guterres, on a visit to the Rafah border crossing on Saturday, once again demanded an “immediate humanitarian ceasefire.” The Israeli air force struck some 35 targets on Friday, including operational command centres,

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International, Israel, Nordot

Injection of Purim Joy So Needed in Our Lives

As we head into Purim this weekend, I am reminded that being Jewish is a gift; one that has so much to offer and brings such meaning and purpose to my life. It can also bring so much joy. So, this year, although I’m stretched, stressed and wildly busy, it feels more important than ever to make room for joy. [Heidi Gantwerk]

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Antisemitism, Heidi Gantwerk, Israel, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors

OpEd: During Purim Especially, Jews Should Speak Up for Israel

There is a chilling exchange in the Megillah when Mordechai charges Esther to intercede with the King. Esther demurs, fearing for her own life. Mordechai warns her, “Do not imagine that you, of all the Jews, will escape with your life by being in the king’s palace. On the contrary, if you keep silent in this crisis, relief and deliverance will come to the Jews from another quarter, while you and your father’s house will perish.” [Misha Galperin]

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Antisemitism, Israel, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Ron Hassner: UC Berkeley Has Accepted My Requests for Protection of Students

First, I asked that “all students, even the ones wearing Stars of David, should be free to pass through [Sather Gate] unobstructed. The right of protestors to express their views must be defended. It does not extend to blocking or threatening fellow students.” [Ron Hassner]

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Antisemitism, California, Israel, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA