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U of Michigan apologizes after faculty chair praises pro-Palestinian students during commencement speech

May 4, 2026May 4, 2026Sara Wood

The University of Michigan has issued a formal apology after its faculty senate chair went off-script to praise pro-Palestinian student protesters during last weekend’s commencement address. Derek Peterson, who also praised the memory of the school’s first Jewish professor in his speech, had drawn criticism from Michigan Hillel and from major organizations including the American […]

Leon Botstein, Bard College’s pioneering Jewish president, to retire amid Jeffrey Epstein ties

May 4, 2026May 5, 2026Sara Wood

Leon Botstein will end his half-century tenure as president of Bard College following an investigation commissioned by the school into his ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, the school’s Board of Trustees announced late Friday. “Nothing that President Botstein did in connection with his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein was illegal, but President Botstein made decisions […]

Support for Iran war among ‘connected’ US Jews falls again, poll finds

May 4, 2026May 4, 2026Sara Wood

In the early days of the U.S.-Israel war on Iran, 68% of “connected” American Jews — those with ties to American Jewish institutions — supported the war, according to a poll taken by an Israeli public affairs institute. That proportion fell weeks into the war and fell further to 60% just after President Donald Trump unilaterally […]

After a Maryland teacher’s death, her 200-piece Judaica collection finds new life in a Jewish museum

May 1, 2026May 1, 2026Sara Wood

As Rae Ann Kaylie sat on her mother’s couch in the wake of her death, the Judaica felt overwhelming. Over 50 menorahs adorned the shelves. A dozen seder plates had been meticulously hung alongside a trove of Jewish art on each wall. And countless dreidels, kiddush cups and shofars filled every corner of the 1,100-square-foot […]

Sheryl Sandberg endows scholarship at Camp Ramah in California in honor of late husband

April 30, 2026May 1, 2026Sara Wood

Sheryl Sandberg, the former Meta COO, announced on Thursday that she is endowing a new scholarship fund at Camp Ramah in California in honor of her late husband, Dave Goldberg. “Camp Ramah is where Dave built friendships that lasted decades. It’s where he developed a sense of independence that shaped the rest of his life. […]

NH lawmaker reprimanded for ‘final solution’ joke aimed at Jewish colleague

April 30, 2026May 1, 2026Sara Wood

A Republican state legislator in New Hampshire faced a disciplinary hearing this week for having tweeted a “final solution” reference at a Jewish Democratic colleague. Last month, GOP state Rep. Travis Corcoran wrote on social media, “We need a final solution for theater kids in politics,” in response to state Rep. Jessica Grill’s bid to […]

A GOP lawmaker tried to put a Holocaust denier on New Hampshire’s Holocaust education board

April 30, 2026April 30, 2026Sara Wood

A Republican state lawmaker in New Hampshire partnered with a notorious German Holocaust denier in an effort to insert Holocaust denial into the state’s public education guidelines. Rep. Matt Sabourin dit Choinière successfully pushed the New Hampshire Commission on Holocaust and Genocide Education to hear testimony from Germar Rudolf, a German chemist who has previously […]

Attack on Jewish man outside Los Angeles synagogue investigated as hate crime

April 30, 2026May 2, 2026Sara Wood

A Jewish man was assaulted on Monday evening behind a Los Angeles synagogue in what police say is being investigated as a hate crime. The assault, which took place behind Adas Torah, an Orthodox synagogue, in the heavily Jewish neighborhood of Pico-Robertson, occurred after the victim says he was followed for a short distance by […]

Graham Platner, who opposes Israel and had a Nazi tattoo, set to be Maine’s Democratic Senate candidate

April 30, 2026May 2, 2026Sara Wood

Graham Platner, the oyster farmer and political neophyte whose past Nazi tattoo and current anti-Israel rhetoric have caused concern among some Jewish groups, has effectively clinched the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Maine after his primary opponent Janet Mills suspended her campaign Thursday. A key Jewish Democrat, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, said in […]

Jewish Theological Seminary ‘breaks mold’ in naming campus innovator Rabbi Mike Uram as next chancellor

April 30, 2026May 3, 2026Sara Wood

The Jewish Theological Seminary has named Rabbi Mike Uram as its next chancellor, elevating a Jewish educator best known for his time as executive director of the University of Pennsylvania Hillel to lead Conservative Judaism’s flagship university and rabbinical school. Uram, 49, will succeed Shuly Rubin Schwartz, who is stepping down at the end of […]