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As more Jews acquire guns, a Jewish security group urges stronger regulations for synagogues

September 9, 2025September 12, 2025Sara Wood

The Jewish mother in Cleveland was always uncomfortable with guns and never imagined owning one herself — but that was before Oct. 7. After Hamas’ 2023 attack on Israel spurred a surge in antisemitism, the 53-year-old mother of teenaged twins was so frightened by the prospect of danger for her family that she joined a local […]

Ahead of mayoral election, Brooklyn synagogue demands voter registration to attend High Holiday services

September 8, 2025September 8, 2025Sara Wood

Congregation Shaare Zion, a large Orthodox synagogue serving the Syrian-Jewish community in Brooklyn, is taking an unprecedented step in the run-up to New York City’s mayoral election: Members and their spouses must show proof of voter registration before they can secure seats for the High Holidays. One of the largest Sephardic synagogues in the country, […]

LA Holocaust museum retracts social media post that said, ‘Never again can’t only mean never again for Jews’

September 8, 2025September 8, 2025Sara Wood

Amid sharp criticism, Los Angeles’ Holocaust museum deleted an Instagram post over the weekend that proclaimed, ”’Never again’ can’t only mean never again for Jews.” The museum apologized for the post and shot down speculation that it had been intended to suggest that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. The post showed six interlocking arms, […]

Trump says US in ‘deep negotiation’ with Hamas ahead of impending Gaza City takeover

September 5, 2025September 5, 2025Sara Wood

President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office Friday evening that the administration was in “deep negotiation” with Hamas, adding that some of the remaining living Israeli hostages held in Gaza may have “recently died.” “We’re in very deep negotiation with Hamas. We said, let them all out right now, let them all out, […]

Northwestern University’s Jewish president resigns amid pressures over handling of campus antisemitism

September 4, 2025September 4, 2025Sara Wood

After more than a year of strife over his handling of campus antisemitism, the Jewish president of Northwestern University says he is stepping down weeks before the start of the school’s fall semester. Michael Schill’s resignation announcement Thursday comes after the Trump administration has frozen nearly $800 million in federal grants to the private Evanston, […]

Clock ticking on California’s K-12 antisemitism bill as legislative session nears end

September 4, 2025September 5, 2025Sara Wood

Time is nearly running out for California lawmakers to pass a signature bill aimed at curbing antisemitism in K-12 education. If AB 715 becomes law, it will mark the first time a state creates an antisemitism watchdog for public schools, potentially setting a template for others. The bill is also a major test case for […]

Judge overturns Trump administration’s Harvard funding freeze tied to antisemitism allegations

September 3, 2025September 3, 2025Sara Wood

A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the Trump administration had illegally frozen more than $2.6 billion in federal funding to Harvard University over claims of antisemitism. In her 84-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs wrote that the Trump administration had used allegations of antisemitism at top U.S. universities as a “smokescreen” for advancing its […]

Jewish Studies faculty at U of Oregon rally to protect their jobs from feared budget cuts

September 3, 2025September 3, 2025Sara Wood

Dozens of Jewish studies scholars from across the world have kicked off the fall semester by sending an unusual letter to leaders of the University of Oregon, one with a stinging accusation. “Why don’t UO’s administrative leaders want UO students to learn about Jews?” the scholars wrote to Oregon’s president, provost and board of trustees […]

Federal judge reinstates Students for Justice in Palestine at University of Pittsburgh

September 3, 2025September 4, 2025Sara Wood

A federal judge ordered the University of Pittsburgh to reinstate Students for Justice in Palestine after suspending its chapter earlier this year, saying that the school was unfairly restricting the group’s right to recruit students at the start of a new school year. The decision comes as the school year kicks off with multiple battles […]

Major Jewish groups urge synagogues to seek federal security grants despite Trump’s terms

September 2, 2025September 2, 2025Sara Wood

Six major Jewish organizations that have pushed to expand federal funding for synagogue security are urging Jewish institutions to apply again for the grants despite any concerns about the Trump administration and its terms for grantees. In an unusual joint statement, the groups say they are confident that receiving funds from the Nonprofit Security Grant […]