Like most synagogues, Congregation Beth El in South Orange, New Jersey added new rituals after the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks that killed 1,200 in Israel, saw another 251 taken hostage and launched a grinding war between Israel and Hamas. The Conservative congregation hung a “bring them home now” sign out front on behalf of the […]
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Jewish organizations across the ideological spectrum offered cautious optimism following the announcement of the first phase of a Gaza peace agreement, expressing profound relief at the planned return of hostages living and dead and tentative hopes that the plan might lead toward lasting regional peace. As for what such a last peace might look like, […]
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In the two years since the attacks of Oct. 7, the Jewish discourse over the war in Gaza has been agonizing and polarizing. Jews have argued over the Israeli government’s military aims, over what it means to “bring the hostages home,” over the left’s betrayal of its Jewish allies and over the influence of Israel’s […]
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This article was produced as part of (JR)’s Teen Journalism Fellowship, a program that works with Jewish teens around the world to report on issues that affect their lives. When Guy, a 15-year-old Israeli, arrived at Camp Ramah, a Conservative movement camp in Ojai, California, in July, it didn’t take him long to pick up on […]
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Elana Sztokman said there was no one event that led her to use the term “genocide” to describe Israel’s escalation of its war against Hamas in an essay she sent to her Substack subscribers. An American-born writer living in Israel for the past 30 years, she recounted the daily toll of Israel’s campaign in Gaza […]
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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 […]
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Hersh Goldberg-Polin and Yuval Shoham were childhood friends, having grown up together in Jerusalem’s Baka neighborhood, where both their families were involved in the egalitarian prayer community Hakhel. When Hersh, a 23-year-old American-Israeli, was taken hostage from the Nova music festival on Oct. 7, 2023, Yuval was among the soldiers tasked with finding him, shouting […]
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The Israeli army substantially loosened its rules of engagement in the weeks immediately following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack, according to a new investigation by the New York Times. A seven-member reporting team, interviewing more than 100 people including senior military officials, documented that the Israel Defense Forces suspended or relaxed rules meant to limit […]
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A multi-front war, in which Israel is facing both Hezbollah and Iran, could have severe implications for the country’s economy, according to a report from Reichman University’s Aaron Institute for Economic Policy published late last month. A full-blown war with Hezbollah would also have significant implications, the report said. The report laid out two possible […]
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The mental toll the war has taken on Israelis has led to a significant increase in the likelihood of purchasing short-term anti-anxiety medication, a new study based on 19 years of data revealed. During times of heightened national security tensions in Israel, people are more likely to purchase the medications, researchers from the Kahn-Sagol-Maccabi (KSM), […]
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