Last month the mayor of Portland, Maine, shocked Jewish communities in his backyard and beyond when he expressed full-throated support for his city council’s successful resolution to divest from companies linked to Israel. Now, Mayor Mark Dion is taking it all back. “Upon personal reflection and following many private conversations I have had with our […]
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For many Jews across the United States and globe, memories of last year’s Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah will forever revolve around grim phone alerts and hushed conversations in synagogue, tears, hugs and the dawning realization that an unfathomable number of Israelis had been killed or taken captive. Now, those communities face the challenge of […]
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For months, the United States has signaled that Yahya Sinwar was the biggest impediment to a ceasefire deal in the Israel-Hamas war, with the Hamas leader unwilling to consider any scenarios that would require his group to cede control over the Palestinian territory. But does that mean his death, announced Thursday, means the war could […]
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Yahya Sinwar, the architect of the deadliest attack on Israel in its history, was killed in a firefight with Israeli forces. “Yahya Sinwar planned and executed the October 7th Massacre, promoted his murderous ideology both before and during the war, and was responsible for the murder and abduction of many Israelis,” the Israeli army said […]
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EFRAT, West Bank — For the past year, I’ve worried about what I would do if air-raid sirens sounded while I was performing a brit milah, a ritual circumcision. Would I halt the proceedings and send everyone to the bomb shelters? Or, if the procedure was under way, would I send everyone else to the […]
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WASHINGTON — The Biden administration warned that it could restrict weapons transfers to Israel if the flow of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip does not increase. A letter sent Sunday by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin accused Israel of sharply reducing humanitarian assistance to Gaza Palestinians. The letter also […]
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TEL AVIV — When she was preparing her Passover seder in April, Shlomit Sattler set a symbolic seat place for Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who lived in her Jerusalem neighborhood before he was taken hostage by Hamas. Now, as she prepares for Sukkot less than two months after Goldberg-Polin was killed in captivity, Sattler is once again […]
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American troops will be stationed in Israel for the first time since Oct. 7, 2023, as the country prepares for ongoing conflict with Iran. The announcement that U.S. personnel would arrive came on the same day that a Hezbollah drone strike on a military base in Israel killed four soldiers and injured nearly 60. Sunday’s […]
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WASHINGTON — In a pre-election High Holidays call with Jewish voters, Vice President Kamala Harris vowed never to allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, saying she would prefer diplomacy but considers “all options are on the table.” The call Friday afternoon, just hours before Yom Kippur commenced, was a bid to place herself to […]
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WASHINGTON — The last time President Joe Biden helped Israel repel an Iranian missile onslaught, he advised Benjamin Netanyahu against retaliation, telling the prime minister to “take the win.” Now, after another barrage of missiles from Iran, things have changed: He’s giving Israel a green light — albeit with qualifications — to strike back. Last […]
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