Calling Israel’s response in Gaza ‘over the top,’ Biden conditions defense aid on allowing humanitarian assistance

WASHINGTON ((JEWISH REVIEW)) — President Joe Biden is conditioning U.S. defense assistance on not impeding the delivery of humanitarian aid, a key point of tension between the U.S. and Israeli governments during the Gaza war. The policy announcement, made Thursday night, followed a trip by Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel that has put […]

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Israeli ballplayer Assaf Lowengart signs with MLB-affiliated independent team: ‘I’m trying to break as many ceilings as I can’

((JEWISH REVIEW)) — Assaf Lowengart’s introduction to American baseball didn’t go well: A fan accidentally doused him in beer when his family, having relocated from Israel to Milwaukee for a year, attended a Brewers game. Then in first grade, he cried. Yet Lowengart soon caught the baseball bug, rising in the ranks of Israel’s nascent […]

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Hostage expert Jared Genser explains why Israel’s hostage crisis is uniquely challenging

Jared Genser, a Washington, D.C.-based international human rights lawyer, has extracted hostages and political prisoners from some of the world’s worst dictatorships — usually in one-off deals following years of negotiation and on a rare occasion involving large sums of money.  But he’s concerned that piecemeal dealmaking with rogue actors encourages more kidnappings. So Genser […]

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Israel aid debate revealed differences among Jewish groups over immigration

WASHINGTON ((JEWISH REVIEW)) — As Congress debates various bills that would send emergency military aid to Israel, Jewish groups across the political spectrum have advocated for their passage.  But the push for aid ended up dividing those groups on another issue that often animates Jewish activism: immigration reform. Legacy Jewish groups parted ways over whether […]

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‘I want to get married before a rocket lands on my head’: War has amped up Israel’s passion for matchmaking

((JEWISH REVIEW)) — Katie Silver had already mastered volunteering and racing to safe rooms when she hopped on another Israeli wartime trend. Silver, a pilates instructor in Jerusalem, logged onto a Facebook group called Secret Tel Aviv and announced that she was looking for love. Like many single 30-somethings, Silver had tried dating apps but […]

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Hostage deal talks continue as Israel says more captives might be dead than previously known

((JEWISH REVIEW)) — Hamas delivered a long-awaited response to an Israeli proposal for a hostage deal on Tuesday, eliciting cautious optimism from some involved in negotiations even as Israeli officials dimmed hopes about how many hostages could ultimately return alive. Israel has not responded officially to the counterproposal, which reportedly lays out a 135-day path […]

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