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Israel is turning 75. For American Jews, planning the birthday party has gotten complicated.
(JTA) – Like many synagogues have done over time, Congregation Kol Ami in Seattle is partnering with local Israelis to celebrate Israel’s birthday — a big one this year.
But Kol Ami won’t be holding a straightforward celebration for Israel’s 75th. Instead, it’s working with UnXeptable, a group of expat Israeli activists who have been protesting for months against the Israeli government’s plan to overhaul the country’s judiciary, for what they are calling a “family gathering honoring Israel’s democracy.” There, congregants will study Israel’s Declaration of Independence then sign a new copy to “rededicate” it.
“Most cities are just going to do a pareve 75th anniversary of Israel and not recognize the emotional reality of a lot of Israelis right now,” said Rabbi Yohanna Kinberg, using the Jewish term for food that contains neither meat nor dairy — in other words, a safe option.
“We have all these people in our communities who are worried about their friends and family, and we’re just going to be folk dancing and eating falafel?” she asked.
Such is the dynamic at play as Israel celebrates a milestone birthday under the shadow of political and cultural turmoil that people on both sides of the judicial reform fight say could change the country’s character forever — and that has altered the relationship between American Jews and Israel.
Long hesitant to weigh in on Israel’s domestic affairs, many American Jewish groups and leaders, including rabbis, spent the past several months openly criticizing the country’s right-wing government for its effort to sap the power of the Israeli Supreme Court.
Now, with the judicial legislation on pause, many of those groups have turned their attention to Yom Haatzmaut, this year celebrated starting the evening of April 25, and the 75th secular anniversary of Israel’s independence on May 14. Jewish Federations of North America is supporting its 146 local federations in convening “Israel @ 75” programming, while synagogues of all denominations have planned an array of parties, study sessions and special events.
People gather to watch performers from the Independent Women Dance Troupe during celebrations marking Israel’s 73rd Yom Haatzmaut (Independence Day) in New York City’s Times Square, April 18, 2021.(Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
The question facing all of them: With even Israel’s president warning of possible political violence, just how festive can this year’s birthday feel?
For Kinberg, the answer is clear: An uncomplicated party would be “sort of like celebrating the Fourth of July if we’re in the middle of a civil war.”
American Independence Day offers an instructive example for Rabbi Erez Sherman of Sinai Temple in Los Angeles, too — but he has come to a different conclusion from Kinberg. He said his community celebrates Yom Haatzmaut the way most Americans mark the Fourth of July — without tailoring it to the current political headwinds.
“Are we going to spend it pointing at every challenge that Congress has?” he asked. “Or are we going to say, ‘This country is unique’?”
Temple Sinai is partnering with several local Jewish organizations, including the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, Pico Union Project and the Jewish Journal, for its weeks-long series of “Israel @ 75” events. Another sponsor is StandWithUs, a pro-Israel advocacy group that is involved in Israel-at-75 celebrations in several cities.
Together, the consortium will host concerts, history lectures, art exhibits and special Shabbat services — and even if the complicated present is expected to come up, it won’t be a focus.
“While we can understand challenges, there is also time for celebrations and birthdays,” said Sherman, who oversees Israel programming at his synagogue. “Israel is not perfect, but a world without Israel would be a lot less perfect than it is now.”
Thousands of Israelis protest against the planned judicial overhaul at the Azrieli junction in Tel Aviv, April 15, 2023. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
The balancing act has hit home this week for the umbrella group for North America’s Jewish federations, which is holding its annual convention in Israel next week — a plan that was set even before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was reelected and formed his right-wing government last fall. UnXeptable called for the group not to feature Netanyahu, who has sworn to restart his push to pass the judicial reform measures. But Jewish Federations of North America rejected the call on Monday, saying that “the opportunity to hear from Israel’s duly elected president and prime minister is a symbol of Israel’s achievement.”
What’s clear is that American Jews interested in engaging with Israel on its 75th birthday will have no shortage of options, from food festivals, children’s carnivals and concerts to headier fare. Experts on Israel are in high demand, with packed schedules of live and Zoom events offering up seemingly unending choices for people with all levels of familiarity with Israel’s history and politics.
For some American Jewish leaders, some of whom have expressed concern about Israel engagement in their communities, the very density and diversity of the offerings is itself a win.
“That’s great that we are in a Jewish community that has so many different forms of expression,” said Rachel Jacoby Rosenfield, executive vice president of the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, a think tank that is organizing its own series of Israel-at-75 events that begins with a talk at New York City’s Central Synagogue titled “Dispatches from an Anxious Nation.”
For some Jewish communal organizers, celebrating Israel and discussing its future as a democracy go hand in hand, a dynamic eased by the landmark year and its invitation to hold multiple events.
In Cleveland, for example, the Jewish federation is mounting an “Israel Fest” headlined by a concert from the Shalva Band, a group of musicians with disabilities who appeared on an Israeli talent show. But the community is also hosting Israeli journalist Matti Friedman, who has been critical of the judicial reforms, as a guest speaker.
The federation is offering small grants to any Jewish Clevelanders looking to host their own Israel at 75 events, too, and is placing very few stipulations on their content.
If grantees want to use the opportunity to talk about the fight for Israel’s democracy or even debate matters related to Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, they can, said Ilanit Gerblich Kalir, assistant vice president of external affairs at the federation. If they just want to host “blue-and-white-themed parties,” she said, they can do that too.
“We have to celebrate what we’re proud of Israel for. There’s a lot to be proud of,” Kalir said. “But at the same time, part of connecting with Israel and part of what’s going on is affected by this country right now.”
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82 years after his plane was shot down in China, Jewish WWII pilot Morton Sher is laid to rest at home
An American Jewish fighter pilot whose plane was shot down in the Chinese theater during World War II was given a proper burial 82 years after his plane went down, according to the United States Department of Defense.
The remains of Lt. Morton Sher, identified earlier this year, were buried in Greenville, South Carolina on Dec. 14 — what would have been his 105th birthday.
Sher was a member of the pilot group known as the “Flying Tigers” — formed to protect China from Japanese invasion following the assault on Pearl Harbor in 1941. He was piloting a P-40 Warhawk when he was shot down by Japanese bombers on Aug. 9, 1943. His mother Celia received Sher’s Purple Heart that same year.
Sher’s squadron put up a memorial stone at the crash site in Xin Bai Village, and a postwar army review in 1947 concluded that his remains had been destroyed and were assumed to be unrecoverable.
The remains of Morton Sher were returned to Greenville, North Carolina and buried on Dec. 14, 2025. (Courtesy Department of Defense)
Two attempts were made to locate his remains in 2012 and 2019, but neither was successful. A breakthrough came in 2024 when a Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency excavated a crash site in the province where Sher’s plane fell, and then in April 2025, when DNA analysis was conducted. The match was confirmed in June.
Sher was born in Baltimore, Maryland on Dec. 14, 1920, and his family later moved to Greenville where they became members of the Conservative synagogue Congregation Beth Israel. In high school, he was a member of the aviation club and enrolled in ROTC. Sher was a founding member of B’nai B’rith Youth Organization’s Aleph Zadik Aleph chapter in Greenville, according to the funeral home that organized his burial.
“He dreamed of being a pilot,” Sher’s nephew, Steve “Morton” Traub told Greenville’s local NBC station. “This guy did a lot for his country. He was my hero.”
Traub, who never met his uncle, but heard stories and read his letters, was raised by Sher’s father, David.
“I wish I had known him, but if he had, I wouldn’t have been named after him. I feel like I knew Mason because I knew Papa,” Traub said.
This article originally appeared on JTA.org.
The post 82 years after his plane was shot down in China, Jewish WWII pilot Morton Sher is laid to rest at home appeared first on The Forward.
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Trump administration Christmas messages emphasize Jesus in overtly religious terms
The Trump White House marked Christmas with a formal message that celebrated “the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” extending a week of overtly religious holiday communications from federal agencies and prompting renewed debate over church-state boundaries.
“The First Lady and I send our warmest wishes to all Americans as we share in the joy of Christmas Day and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ,” the presidential message, posted on the White House website on Thursday, began.
The statement went on to recount the Nativity story in devotional language, calling Jesus “the Light of the World, the source of eternal salvation, and the living Son of God,” and praising “the graces of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection.”
While previous presidents have routinely issued Christmas greetings, they have typically emphasized themes of charity, family and goodwill in language meant to include Americans of many faiths. The White House message this year asserted a specifically Christian vision of faith and national identity.
The presidential message followed a series of social media posts from federal departments that also invoked Jesus directly. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth wrote, “Today we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” The Department of Labor posted, “Let Earth Receive Her King.” A video from the Department of Homeland Security declared, “We are blessed to share a nation and a Savior,” alongside images of a Nativity scene and the American flag.
The president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Rachel Laser, who is Jewish, called the messaging “divisive” in a statement to The New York Times, saying that citizens “should not have to sift through proselytizing messages to access government information.”
Some Jewish commentators reacted with unease, saying the cumulative effect of the posts was to define the American “we” in explicitly Christian terms. Critics see something closer to Christian nationalism, the idea that the United States is fundamentally a Christian nation and should be governed accordingly.
“This is not a comforting message for American Jews,” one Jewish writer posted in response to the Homeland Security video.
Others emphasized that the objection was not to Christmas itself, but to the government’s role in promoting religious belief. Seth Abramson, an author and political commentator who is Jewish, wrote on X that while he enjoys celebrating Christmas with relatives, “separation of church and state is vital.”
The First Amendment prohibits the government from establishing a religion or favoring one faith over others. Jewish organizations have historically viewed that principle as a key protection for religious minorities. As of Friday afternoon, major Jewish groups had not issued statements specifically addressing the Christmas messages.
Supporters of the administration say its messaging is merely stating the obvious, and serving to restore space for faith in public life. According to an editorial in The Nevada Globe, “For many Nevadans — and millions of Americans nationwide — it was a welcome return to the simple truth of the season: Christmas is about Christ, family matters, faith still belongs in public life, and America is worth praying for.”
This article originally appeared on JTA.org.
The post Trump administration Christmas messages emphasize Jesus in overtly religious terms appeared first on The Forward.
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Mamdani Taps Anti-Israel Voices Ms. Rachel, Cynthia Nixon, Jewish Voice for Peace Director for Inaugural Committee
New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani attends a press conference at the Unisphere in the Queens borough of New York City, US, Nov. 5, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Kylie Cooper
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday unveiled the members of his inaugural committee, and the list includes a slate of anti-Israel appointments, sparking renewed concerns over the incoming administration’s commitment to protecting the Jewish community.
Among the most controversial appointees are high-profile activists and cultural figures who have taken public anti-Israel positions or are affiliated with organizations sharply critical of the Jewish state, such as children’s entertainer Rachel “Ms. Rachel” Accurso and actress Cynthia Nixon. Another controversial name on the list is Beth Miller, political director at Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), an organization that rejects Zionism and has defended protests targeting Israeli institutions.
In the two years following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, assault on Israel, Accurso has used her sizeable platform to launch an unremitting barrage of condemnation toward Israel, accusing the Jewish state of committing so-called “genocide” and starving children. She sparked backlash after posting about a three-year-old Gazan girl named Rahaf, who lost her legs in an Israeli airstrike. Accurso did not contextualize the situation by acknowledging that the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas often uses children as human shields during their operations, instead framing Rahaf’s injuries as a result of Israeli military malfeasance. She has also falsely accused Israel of purposefully triggering starvation in Gaza against the civilian population.
“We must not let one more baby or child die of starvation. This isn’t about politics, it’s about basic humanity,” she posted on Instagram.
Nixon has repeatedly lambasted Israel and signed a petition supporting South Africa’s genocide case against the Jewish state at the International Court of Justice.
Miller helps lead one of the most vocal anti-Israel organizations in the country. She recently shared a post on X which read that Israel has “starved, abducted, and displaced Palestinian children every day in 2025.” She also shared another post which characterized Israel’s military operations as “unfathomably evil” and wrote that Israel is “actively carrying out a genocide,” citing allegations from “Palestinian, Israeli, and international human rights organizations.” She even condemned outgoing New York City Mayor Eric Adams for visiting Israel, saying he “continues to demonstrate what it looks like to truly not give one single flying f–k about New Yorkers.”
Despite JVP’s name, a poll released earlier this year found that the vast majority of American Jews believe that anti-Zionist movements and anti-Israel university protests are antisemitic. The findings also showed that Jews across the US overwhelmingly oppose the views and tactics of JVP.
Meanwhile, StandWithUs (SWU), an organization which promotes a mission of “supporting Israel and fighting antisemitism,” released a report in January examining how the far-left JVP organization “promotes antisemitic conspiracy theories” and even partners with terrorist organizations to achieve its “primary goal” of “dismantling the State of Israel.”
According to the report, JVP weaponizes the plight of Palestinians to advance an “extremist” agenda which promotes the destruction of Israel and whitewashes terrorism, receiving money from organizations that have ties to Middle Eastern countries such as Iran.
JVP, which has repeatedly defended the Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre, argued in a recently resurfaced 2021 booklet that Jews should not write Hebrew liturgy because hearing the language would be “deeply traumatizing” to Palestinians.
Critics of the organization often point out that many JVP chapters do not have a single person of Jewish faith. The organization does not require a Jewish person to found a chapter and has even helped orchestrate anti-Israel demonstrations in front of synagogues.
The new appointments cast doubt over whether the Mamdani administration will protect the city’s Jewish population amid a record wave of antisemitic attacks in the city. The mayor-elect has vowed to defend Jewish New Yorkers and attempted to mend relations with outreach to Jewish leaders. He has also expressed public grief over the recent Bondi Beach massacre targeting a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia.
Mamdani, a far-left democratic socialist and anti-Zionist, is an avid supporter of boycotting all Israeli-tied entities who has been widely accused of promoting antisemitic rhetoric. He has repeatedly accused Israel of “apartheid” and “genocide”; refused to recognize the country’s right to exist as a Jewish state; and refused to explicitly condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which has been associated with calls for violence against Jews and Israelis worldwide.
Leading members of the Jewish community in New York have expressed alarm about Mamdani’s victory, fearing what may come in a city already experiencing a surge in antisemitic hate crimes.
A Sienna Research Institute poll released in early November revealed that a whopping 72 percent of Jewish New Yorkers believe that Mamdani will be “bad” for the city. A mere 18 percent hold a favorable view of Mamdani, according to the results, while 67 percent view him unfavorably.