Trump is spending time with critics of Israel. His Jewish supporters aren’t concerned.

WASHINGTON — A candidate listens attentively as a supporter laments that “Palestine is being erased” and that “No amount of money or power should be prioritized over human life.”  The same candidate praises a mayor who says Israel is committing genocide, calling him “great.” The candidate in question was not Kamala Harris, whose interactions with […]

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How rabbis in battleground states are approaching a razor-close election with enormous implications for Jews and for Israel

Ahead of the High Holidays this year, Rabbi Abe Friedman heard from a congregant who was unsure about renewing their synagogue membership. The uncertainty had nothing to do with the dues, the religious school or the divides plaguing some Jewish communities over the Israel-Hamas war. It was because of comments Friedman had made about the […]

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Hymie’s, the Philly Jewish deli featured in a Trump ad, is now the setting for a Harris spot

Hymie’s, a popular Philadelphia Jewish deli, raised some Jewish hackles when it served as the scene of the Republican Jewish Coalition’s closing ad — featuring Jewish actors playing older women who, after supporting Democrats, were switching their votes to Donald Trump. So 10 days later, a Democratic organization stepped in to film a pro-Kamala Harris […]

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A Holocaust exhibit — and Jewish staffer — are involved in a controversy over the National Archives

In early 2017, a Jewish government employee and former Democratic congressional aide named Ellis Brachman shared a Facebook post featuring a short BBC interview with a Holocaust survivor.  Brachman shared the post one day after International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and as the newly inaugurated Trump administration was facing blowback for issuing a statement commemorating the […]

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California law against special education funding for religious schools violates constitution, court rules

As Orthodox Jews, Chaya and Jonathan Loffman were deeply committed to having their 3-year-old son educated at a religious school. But when he was diagnosed with autism, they discovered that California law bars religious schools from receiving government funding for special education needs. Faced with this dilemma, the Loffmans enrolled him in Maor Academy, an […]

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Ahead of election, Jewish security groups are monitoring conspiracy theories, Jewish polling sites and foreign interference

Conspiracy theories. Bomb threats. Anti-Israel protests. Street violence.  Jews have been the targets of all these things this year, as reports of antisemitism have spiked during the Israel-Hamas war. Now, less than a week before Election Day, security analysts say those same factors could put Jews at risk during and after the voting — especially […]

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