Local -

A century-old Zionist group is being rebooted — and wants Jews to ‘fight back’ on the street

February 11, 2025February 11, 2025Sara Wood

The video appeared on Instagram in October. A man, in the dark of night, is spray-painting over a mural in New Orleans depicting a large pair of eyes with the Palestinian flag incorporated into their pupils, paired with text reading “All Eyes on Gaza.” “What are you doing, defacing our local art here?” the person […]

The abuse of Israeli hostages shocks a ‘bring them home’ movement that feeds on hope

February 11, 2025February 12, 2025Sara Wood

When four young Israeli soldiers were released in Gaza last month, Jewish activists on behalf of all the hostages held by Hamas indulged in something that looked like hope. The four women appeared outwardly healthy, and made defiant gestures in front of their captors. Videos of their reunions with family were joyous, and even their […]

3 of the largest Jewish denominations are suing the Trump administration over ICE raids

February 11, 2025February 15, 2025Sara Wood

Three major Jewish religious denominations are suing the Department of Homeland Security to stop immigration raids at houses of worship. The suit, filed Tuesday in federal court in Washington, D.C., was brought by dozens of religious groups including the governing bodies of the Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist movements. The other groups represent a range of […]

HIAS sues Donald Trump over refugee freeze

February 10, 2025February 11, 2025Sara Wood

HIAS, the Jewish refugee aid and advocacy group, is suing President Donald Trump over his freeze on refugee admissions. The lawsuit, announced on Monday, is a return to the group’s playbook during Trump’s first term, when HIAS took the Trump administration to court over its 2017 travel ban, temporarily delaying its implementation. This time, HIAS […]

A Supreme Court case could pave the way for publicly funded Jewish day schools

February 10, 2025February 10, 2025Sara Wood

After Oklahoma approved a request by the Catholic Church to open a charter school in 2023, lawsuits quickly followed. Courts at both the state and federal levels ruled against the church, finding that a publicly funded school promoting religion would be unconstitutional. Now, the U.S. Supreme Court has taken up the case, signaling that the […]

Super Bowl performer ejected after displaying Palestinian/Sudanese flag that said ‘Gaza’

February 10, 2025February 10, 2025Sara Wood

A performer unfurled a banner showing the Sudanese and Palestinian flags and the words “Sudan” and “Gaza” during Kendrick Lamar’s halftime show at Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans on Sunday. The performer, who was not immediately identified, was detained on the field and will be barred from all NFL stadiums for the rest of […]

34 liberal Jewish groups sign statement defending DEI as an ‘invaluable tool’

February 7, 2025February 7, 2025Sara Wood

Dozens of liberal Jewish groups have signed a letter defending Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives at a time when such efforts are under fire from the Trump administration, and after some Jews have accused DEI programs of fueling antisemitism. “Jewish tradition teaches of the Divine spark in every person,” the statement begins. “As Jewish groups […]

Kanye embarks on a new antisemitic spree on X, saying, ‘I’m never apologizing for my Jewish comments’

February 7, 2025February 7, 2025Sara Wood

Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, flooded the social network X with antisemitic comments early Friday morning, in a repeat of the spree that cost him his fashion deals and public esteem two years ago. In dozens of tweets to his 32 million followers, Ye praised Hitler, called himself a Nazi and said […]

Jews have long been strong advocates for immigrants. Is that changing under Trump 2.0?

February 6, 2025February 6, 2025Sara Wood

The mood was bittersweet recently when Rabbi Dan Kaiman headed to the local airport to welcome an Afghan refugee about to be reunited with her sister. On the one hand, the arrival would add to a string of happy reunions facilitated by his synagogue, Congregation B’nai Emunah in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a partner of an official […]

In the post-Oct. 7 world, this summit on fighting antisemitism aims to equip attendees with information and real-world tools

February 6, 2025February 7, 2025Sara Wood

When ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt spoke in December at an event in New York, he told the audience, “If you ask me today’s date, I would tell you it’s October 8.” The leader of ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) was discussing the coordinated attacks on Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam in early November following a match […]