This article is adapted from The Branch, a monthly podcast exploring individual relationships between Jews and Arabs, Israelis and Palestinians. The Branch is produced by Hadassah and created by Dina Kraft, a journalist based in Tel Aviv. Sign up here to listen to episodes and be notified when new episodes are published. On a recent…
According to Jewish scripture, after the prophet Jonah suffered his ordeal in the belly of the whale, he found himself in what is today called Mosul, in modern-day Iraq. Jews lived there in Biblical times, and continued to do so for nearly three millennia until the 1950s. Today, none remain. There is, however, one Iraqi,…
The first time Drew Binsky traveled abroad was when he went to Israel through Birthright in 2012. The second time was to Prague as part of a study abroad program during his junior year of college. That’s when the traveling bug hit him hard. After Binsky was graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, instead of…
A dispute between Black community organizers and a developer who is poised to buy a beloved shopping mall brought scores of protesters to a heavily Jewish neighborhood in Los Angeles on Sunday, where they gathered outside the developer’s home to pressure him to back out of the deal. The developer, Asher Abehsera of the real…
Alain Mentha, co-chair of the New Jersey Jewish Coalition for Refugees, watched with dismay last week as the board of Hudson County voted to extend a contract to hold Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees at the local jail. The board consists entirely of Democrats, many of whom had pledged to stop working with ICE during…
Dr. Taylor Nichols looked at the COVID-19 patient in front of him who was struggling to breathe. As he made preparations to provide emergency medical treatment, he paused. The man was covered in Nazi tattoos. “Don’t let me die, doc,” the man said to Nichols, breathlessly. Later, Nichols told the story on Twitter , and…
New data from researchers at Brandeis University show that participants in the Birthright program that provides young adults free trips to Israel continue even up to two decades later to be more likely to marry other Jews, raise their children Jewish and have a strong attachment to Israel than their peers. The study, which compares…
Before becoming a rabbi, Benay Lappe wanted to be a Buddhist monk. While Jews have often been drawn to Eastern traditions, few dedicate nearly a decade to becoming a devout Buddhist in Japan. Lappe is hardcore. But before making her final commitment, she consulted with a rabbi in Tokyo who gave her a copy of…
The coronavirus pandemic, which has shut down or slowed down so many aspects of Jewish life, may have sped up another: synagogue mergers. In one of the biggest consolidations of recent years, University Synagogue, a Reform congregation with declining membership in the West Los Angeles neighborhood of Brentwood, struck a deal this month with Wilshire…
The Supreme Court blocked government restrictions on houses of worship imposed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a late night ruling Wednesday. Deciding two cases at once — one brought by Agudath Israel, an umbrella organization representing and advocating for haredi Orthodox Jews, and one brought by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn —…
The Supreme Court blocked government restrictions on houses of worship imposed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in a late night ruling Wednesday. Deciding two cases at once — one brought by Agudath Israel, an umbrella organization representing and advocating for haredi Orthodox Jews, and one brought by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn —…
