Rabbi Jason Nevarez’s thoughts on Bad Bunny’s resonating message during the Super Bowl halftime perfomance
Benito is from Vega Baja – the very same town my father and family come from – so this was very personal for me. [Rabbi Jason Nevarez]
The Jewish People: Myth or reality? A lie with a purpose
While the Prime Minister is in Washington fighting for Israel’s survival, it is crucial to remember that the Jewish people’s attachment to their tiny land was continuous, documented, and unmatched by any competing national claim. It was also legally recognized. Opinion. [Alex Grobman]
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Antisemitism, Holocaust, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USAToday’s Jewish Birthday: Fredy Hirsch
Alfred Hirsch (February 11, 1916 – March 8, 1944) was a German-Jewish athlete, sports teacher, and Zionist youth movement leader, notable for helping thousands of Jewish children during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia in Prague, the Theresienstadt concentration camp, and Auschwitz. [Wikipedia]
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Antisemitism, Holocaust, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, Today's Jewish Birthday, WikipediaOur Shtetl: Super Bowl is over, now onto the Winter Olympics
As we finish up all the Super Bowl treats, the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina, Italy, have started and will continue for two weeks.
There are 16 Jewish and Israeli athletes to keep an eye on in the next two weeks. [Cailin Acosta]
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Antisemitism, Cailin Acosta, California, Holocaust, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USAJewish Day School and Yeshiva Heads From Around the Country Gather in Houston for Prizmah Retreat
Amid a continued surge in enrollment for Jewish day schools across the U.S. and Canada, 100 heads of school met in Houston for their exclusive biennial retreat, hosted by Prizmah, the network for Jewish day schools. [PRESS RELEASE]
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]
AJC Report: After Violent Antisemitic Attacks, 91% of American Jews Feel Less Safe Read More »
Antisemitism, Press Release, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Technology, USAMeta Expands Partnership with World Jewish Congress to Provide Reliable Holocaust Information Across Its Platforms
The World Jewish Congress (WJC) today welcomed the expansion of its partnership with Meta Platforms to provide social media users with reliable, authoritative information about the Holocaust across its core applications. [PRESS RELEASE]
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 ContributorsDoes 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]
Does a vegetarian upbringing stunt growth? Israeli study suggests not Read More »
International, Israel, Jacob Kamaras, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, TechnologyRep. 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]
Rep. Sara Jacobs: Did you change your name when you got married? Read More »
Lifestyles, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USAToday’s Jewish Birthday: Jerry Goldsmith
Jerry Goldsmith (February 10, 1929 – July 21, 2004) was an American composer, conductor, and orchestrator with a career in film and television scoring that spanned nearly 50 years and over 200 productions, between 1954 and 2003. [Wikipedia]
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Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Today's Jewish Birthday, WikipediaBad 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, USAOpEd: The Ad Fox News Doesn’t Want You To See
While I generally use this column to reflect on recent events, this week I’m giving you an inside scoop on what didn’t happen this week. Fox News refused to air JDCA’s new national ad focused on ICE. [Halie Soifer]
OpEd: The Ad Fox News Doesn’t Want You To See Read More »
Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USABrandeis Center Files Amicus Brief in Support of University of Florida Law Expelling Student for Violent, Anti-Semitic Posts
The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law today filed an amicus brief in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, in Damsky v. Summerlin, urging the Court to reverse a trial judge and vacate a preliminary injunction that required the University of Florida to reinstate Preston Damsky, a law student who posted racist, anti-Semitic and violent rhetoric on social media. [PRESS RELEASE]