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From Patagonia to Paris, here are 10 Jewish destinations that JTA reporters visited in 2023
(JTA) — Providing a window into Jewish communities across the globe, on the ground — from European metropolises to more isolated outposts — has always been part of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency’s mission.
This year, our reporters ventured into places where Jews and Jewish life are at risk, including Ukraine — where we sent several reporters — and Ethiopia. They also headed to places where Jewish life is vibrant and colorful, from the southernmost region of South America to the melting pot of Paris. They even found exciting Jewish stories in places with few Jews, such as Guyana.
Here are 10 stories that took JTA readers off-the-beaten path in 2022. To follow along in 2023, make sure to sign up for our weekly Around the World newsletter.
Yilan, Taiwan
A Taiwanese dance teacher practices Israeli folk dance in Yilan, Taiwan. (Jordyn Haime)
Folk dance is a national pastime in Taiwan — and Israeli songs are a big part of that tradition. Why? Our correspondent investigated.
Venice, Italy
A guard climbs stairs by the entrance to the Campo di Ghetto Nuovo, or former Jewish Ghetto, in Venice. (Orge Castellano)
The city’s former Jewish ghetto, which became one of Europe’s leading Jewish cultural centers, is badly in need of renovations. Our reporter strolled through it, hitting sweet shops, historic synagogues and artisanal craft stores along the way, showing that it’s still a hub of Jewish life.
Guyana
Andrea de Caires, left, shown with her husband Salvador, is one of two known Jews in the English-speaking nation. (Courtesy of de Caires)
At least two Jews live in this tiny English-speaking South American nation, and both of their stories capture the dynamics that define the country.
Irshava, Ukraine
Akivah Artamonov clasps his prayer kit while having coffee at the Jewish refugee camp in Irshava, Ukraine, April 5, 2022. (Cnaan Liphshiz)
Our former European correspondent visited a Jewish refugee hub for people fleeing the war’s violence in the east. It happened to be situated in a former 4-star resort.
Uman, Ukraine
The joyous gatherings of Hasidic pilgrims have gone on as planned in Uman, Ukraine, for those who made the trip into the war-torn country. (David Saveliev)
Later in the year, for Rosh Hashanah, thousands of Jewish pilgrims visited the grave of a revered rabbi in this small city as usual, despite wartime restrictions. The party went on (almost) as planned.
San Martín de los Andes, Argentina
Claudio Ploit seen holding a Torah scroll with members of the San Martin de los Andes Jewish community. (Gustavo Castaign/ Courtesy Comunidad Hebrea San Martin de los Andes)
Patagonia is known as one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places on earth. This year, a new synagogue set up shop in the Argentine part of the expansive region for the first time in decades.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Ayanawo Ferada Senebato, right, and his family shown in Ashkelon, Israel, holding an ancient Orit book that they retrieved near Gondar, Ethiopia, in February 2022. (Yossi Zeliger)
When they flew out of this country for Israel three decades ago, Askabo Meshiha’s family left a valuable Jewish text behind. Here’s the story of how they risked everything to get it back.
Paris, France
Mabrouk serves “Sephardic dishes with a modern French twist.” (Cnaan Liphshiz)
North African cuisine has been trending for years in the French capital. But Mabrouk may be the only outspokenly Jewish player in the culinary new wave, with a menu that reflects the habits and sensibilities of North African Jews.
Punta del Este, Uruguay
A view of the beach in Punta del Este, Uruguay. (Mariana Suarez/AFP via Getty Images)
This coastal oasis is a vacation hotspot, but it’s growing a year-round Jewish community due to a variety of socioeconomic factors.
Budapest, Hungary
Students and faculty attend a graduation ceremony at Milton Friedman University in Budapest, Hungary, July 23, 2019. (Courtesy of Milton Friedman University)
Half an hour up the Danube River from the city’s center sits a small campus that looks on the outside like a normal European university, with students picnicking and smoking outside. But Milton Friedman University, named for the Jewish Nobel Prize-winning economist, has ambitions to become a major hub of Jewish-themed scholarship.
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Downed Planes Raise New Perils for Trump as Tehran Hunts for Missing US Pilot
Traces of an Iranian missile attack in Tehran’s sky, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, April 3, 2026. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Two US warplanes were downed over Iran and the Gulf, Iranian and US officials said on Friday, with two pilots rescued and a third still missing and being hunted by Tehran’s forces.
The incidents show the risks still faced by US and Israeli aircraft over Iran despite assertions from US President Donald Trump and his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that their forces had total control of the skies.
The first plane, a two-seat US F-15E jet, was shot down by Iranian fire, officials in both countries said.
The second plane, an A-10 Warthog fighter aircraft, was hit by Iranian fire and crashed over Kuwait, with the pilot ejecting, two US officials said.
Two Blackhawk helicopters involved in the search effort for the missing pilot were hit by Iranian fire but made it out of Iranian airspace, the two US officials told Reuters.
The degree of injuries among the crew of the aircraft remained unclear. The status and whereabouts of the missing F-15E crew member was not publicly known.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said it was combing an area near where the pilot’s plane came down in southwestern Iran and the regional governor promised a commendation for anyone who captured or killed “forces of the hostile enemy.”
Iranians, who have been pummeled by American air power for weeks, posted gleeful messages celebrating the plane downings. Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said on X that the U.S. and Israel’s war had been “downgraded from regime change” to a hunt for their pilots.
Trump has been in the White House receiving updates on the search-and-rescue operation, a senior administration official told Reuters. The Pentagon and US Central Command did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
NO SIGN OF END TO WAR
The prospect of a US service person being alive and on the run inside Iran raises the stakes for Washington in a conflict with low public support and no sign of an imminent end.
Iran has officially told mediators it is not prepared to meet with US officials in Islamabad in coming days and that efforts to produce a ceasefire, led by Pakistan, have reached a dead end, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
The US and Israel opened the campaign with a wave of strikes that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28. The war has killed thousands and threatened lasting damage to the global economy.
So far, 13 US military service members have been killed in the conflict and more than 300 have been wounded, according to the US Central Command.
Iran has rained down drones and missiles on Israel. It has also taken aim at Gulf countries allied to the US, which have so far held back from joining the war directly for fear of further escalation.
In a security alert on Friday, the US embassy in Beirut said Iran and its aligned armed groups may target universities in Lebanon and urged US citizens in the country to leave while commercial flights are still available.
Israel has been waging a parallel campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon after the militant group fired at Israel in support of Iran.
TRUMP THREAT TO STRIKE BRIDGES, POWER PLANTS
On Friday, as Trump threatened to hit its bridges and power plants, Iran struck a power and water plant in Kuwait, underlining the vulnerability of Gulf states that rely heavily on desalination plants for drinking water.
On Thursday, Trump posted footage on social media showing dust and smoke billowing up as US strikes hit the newly constructed B1 bridge between Tehran and nearby Karaj, which was due to open this year, and said more attacks would follow.
“Our Military, the greatest and most powerful (by far!) anywhere in the World, hasn’t even started destroying what’s left in Iran. Bridges next, then Electric Power Plants!” he wrote in a subsequent post.
On Friday, a drone hit a Red Crescent relief warehouse in the Choghadak area of Iran’s southern Bushehr province.
Kuwait Petroleum Corporation said its Mina al-Ahmadi refinery had been hit by drones. Other attacks were also reported to have been intercepted in Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi. Missile debris landed near the Israeli port of Haifa, site of a major oil refinery.
Oil markets were closed after benchmark U.S. crude prices gained 11% on Thursday following a speech by Trump that offered no clear sign of an imminent end to the war.
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US-Iran: Diplomatic Push Falters as Qatar Steps Back and Pakistan Talks Stall
Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani speaks after a meeting with the Lebanese president at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon, Feb. 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Emilie Madi
i24 News – Diplomatic efforts to secure a ceasefire between Washington and Tehran appear to have reached an impasse, as key regional mediators pull back and broader talks stall.
According to reporting by The Wall Street Journal, Qatar has informed US officials that it does not wish to take a central role in mediating between the two sides. Officials familiar with the matter said Doha has made clear it is “not willing” to lead negotiations or act as the primary broker.
At the same time, Pakistan-led efforts to bring Iranian and American officials together have also stalled. Mediators say Tehran has refused to attend proposed meetings in Islamabad, calling Washington’s conditions “unacceptable,” further underscoring the widening gap between the two sides and the growing difficulty of restarting dialogue.
Despite the deadlock, diplomatic channels have not fully closed. Turkey and Egypt are continuing parallel efforts to revive talks, with discussions underway about potential alternative venues, including Doha and Istanbul.
US President Donald Trump downplayed the impact of recent military developments on diplomacy, including the destruction of a US fighter jet during operations in Iran. Speaking in a brief exchange with an NBC News journalist, he said: “No, not at all. It’s war. We are at war.”
He further fueled speculation with a cryptic social media post on Truth Social, writing: “Keep the oil, anyone?” criticising international allies on Friday over rising fuel prices. Trump appeared to mock allies such as the United Kingdom, writing that they should “keep the oil.”
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Report: Iran Retains Significant Missile Capability Despite Weeks of US-Led Strikes
Iranian missiles are displayed in a park in Tehran, Iran, Jan. 31, 2026. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
i24 News – Despite weeks of sustained airstrikes by the United States and its allies, Iran has reportedly managed to retain a substantial portion of its military capabilities, particularly its ballistic missile arsenal.
According to a report by The New York Times citing US intelligence assessments, Tehran has developed methods to mitigate the impact of the strikes, allowing it to preserve and restore key parts of its missile infrastructure.
While the Pentagon has claimed responsibility for striking more than 11,000 targets over five weeks and reducing the rate of Iranian missile fire, intelligence officials now caution that the actual damage may be more limited than initially assessed. Iranian forces are reportedly able to rapidly repair or reactivate missile launchers stored in heavily fortified or underground facilities, sometimes within hours of being hit.
Analysts also point to the widespread use of decoy sites, which may have drawn strikes away from operational assets. Many of the targeted locations are believed to have contained dummy installations, complicating efforts to accurately gauge the degradation of Iran’s ballistic capabilities. Combined with deep underground bunkers and dispersed storage networks, this approach is seen as enabling Tehran to maintain a higher level of readiness than publicly estimated.
US intelligence officials assess that this resilience reflects a deliberate strategy: preserving a credible long-range strike capability as both a deterrent and a bargaining tool in any future negotiations, while ensuring regime survival and continued regional influence.
Despite sustained air dominance claimed by Washington and its allies, Iran’s adaptive tactics continue to complicate battlefield assessments, leaving the true balance of power in the conflict uncertain.