By RUTHIE BLUM (JNS) – Dozens of the 1,100 Israeli backpackers airlifted from Peru a few days ago threw a hissy fit upon landing at Ben-Gurion International Airport. Though greeted graciously by ground crew, the exhausted 20-somethings, who had begged the government to rescue them from their treks in South America when they were unable to find flights back home before […]

By MARCIE OSTER NEW YORK CITY (JTA) – The supply chain for kosher for Passover food has not been disrupted by the coronavirus crisis, the Orthodox Union kosher certification agency said. “Despite the long lines and panic shopping taking place at grocery stores around the country, there is an abundance of kosher food available for the upcoming holiday,” both in […]

In the 1990s, the great scholar and intellectual Ruth Wisse wrote a book questioning whether the liberal political tradition could withstand new forms of hostility to Israel, Jewish values, and Jewish continuity. The Tikvah Fund has invited her to revisit some of these arguments in a March 31 webcast, delivered via Zoom from Professor Wisse’s home in NYC. As she […]

(JNS) – The American Jewish Committee  has launched a new initiative called #BeAMensch to encourage and showcase “acts of kindness and decency” during the coronavirus pandemic. Mensch is Yiddish work that means “a person of integrity and honor” or just an overall good person. Each day, the initiative’s website and AJC’s various social-media accounts will feature stories from across America and around the […]

By DYLAN ADELMAN Assistant Director of the American Jewish Committee (AJC) Asia Pacific Institute. NEW YORK CITY (JTA) — In recent weeks, we’ve seen an unprecedented epidemic of the coronavirus spread across the world. Unfortunately, we’ve also seen a spike in anti-Asian violence and prejudice. In the U.S., racist and xenophobic outbursts, assaults and discriminatory practices against Asian Americans have been reported from coast to coast. Chinese restaurants […]

NEW YORK CITY (JTA) — The spread of COVID-19, a new coronavirus, is reshaping Jewish communities. JTA is  collecting the news flowing in from across the globe. Thursday, March 25 9:38 El Al to cancel all flights: El Al said it is considering cancelling all flights beginning tonight through April 4, Channel 12 reported. The airline will continue operating rescue flights and […]

By CNAAN LIPHSHIZ AMSTERDAM (JTA) – Our Sunday in the park with the kids felt so normal that it was eerie. My wife, children and I were among hundreds of people enjoying the first sunny day of spring at the Amsterdam Woods, a large patch of man-made forest in the Dutch capital’s south. There were new daffodils, the forest’s cherished […]

Members of the Jewish War Veterans (J.W.V.) joined with the First Reformed Church of Schenectady and more than 120 attendees in the church’s Clark Poling Chapel to honor Bill Schaaf of the Patriot Guard Riders as the 55th recipient of the Four Chaplains Brotherhood Award on Sunday, Feb. 23. “Albany Post 105 of the Jewish War Veterans has led the […]

DC Report By Douglas Bloomfield You don’t need a degree from Trump University to understand how the president’s campaign to blackmail the Ukrainian government into helping him smear former Vice President Joe Biden directly led to his impeachment. Donald Trump doesn’t get it. Instead, he seems intent on reopening that Pandora’s box. Nepotism On Trial He shouldn’t be surprised to […]

Individuals who have experienced hate crimes and bias-based incidents are encouraged to call the ongoing hotline at 1-800-771-7755, or e-mail Civil.Rights@ag.ny.gov  New York City – Attorney General Letitia James has announced the launch of a hotline for New Yorkers to report hate crimes and bias-based incidents. The hotline, which will continue indefinitely, comes in the wake of rising reports of harassment and […]