Uncategorized
Modi Rosenfeld, 53, comedian and actor
Modi Rosenfeld is a stand-up comedian and actor who performs Jewish comedy around the world. Along with Dani Zoldan, he is a co-founder of the Chosen Comedy Festival, a celebration of Jewish humor and music that made its debut in Coney Island, Brooklyn, last summer. “I do comedy for Jews, but also when there are non Jews in the audience, it opens a window to them to see into the Jewish world,” says the Lower East Side resident, who frequently performs at Jewish fundraisers. “It’s very inclusive, but it has a Jewish flavor.” Over the past year, Rosenfeld, 53, has become more forthcoming about his sexual identity (he’s been married to his husband, Leo Veiga, since 2020), telling our partners at JTA: “Be a proud Jew and be you.”
For the full list of this year’s 36 to Watch — which honors leaders, entrepreneurs and changemakers who are making a difference in New York’s Jewish community — click here.
Was there a formative Jewish experience that influenced your life path?
When you get comfortable on stage, you begin to find your voice. My voice was very Jewish, and it came out proud to be Jewish — not making fun or deprecating. It was just very, very proud. When I do these amazing charity events to raise money and see Jews helping other Jews, I feel very proud. This is who I am. These are the people I’m from. It makes you proud. That’s how that voice grew.
Do you have a favorite recent experience as a Jewish New Yorker?
Not one in specific because I have one every day. I love everyone’s style in New York. Every day, you just see looks and events that can only happen in New York.
What is your favorite place to eat Jewish food in New York?
Second Avenue Deli. I don’t usually eat meat, but if I’m there, I’m gonna have the stuffed cabbage, maybe a pastrami sandwich — those are my two go-tos. Then whoever I’m with, depending on what they order, I’m going to be on their plates as well.
Who is your New York Jewish hero?
My hero — not in comedy, just in general in the big picture — is the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Even though he was from Europe, he was a New York staple and lived here for many years.
What are three spots in NYC that all Jewish New Yorkers should visit?
The Comedy Cellar and Second Avenue if they really want to experience a real deli. The third would just be to walk the streets of New York and look at the style — avoiding Midtown. Go to Washington Square Park and people-watch. The looks people pull are absolutely stunning. Trench coats, belts, clothes from the ’70s — the style of New York is unbelievable.
—
The post Modi Rosenfeld, 53, comedian and actor appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Uncategorized
IDF Nabs Islamic State Terror Suspect in Syria
Guns seized in the course of the operation. Photo: IDF Spokesperson via i24
i24 News – Israel Defense Forces soldiers conducted an operation on Wednesday in the area of Rafid in southern Syria to apprehend a suspected terrorist affiliated with ISIS, the military spokesperson said on Saturday.
The announcement comes as Washington announced a major operation to eliminated Islamic State terrorists in Syria after three Americans lost their lives in a jihadist attack in Palmyra.
The Israeli soldiers completed the operation in Syria “in cooperation with IDF intelligence,” the statement read, adding that “the suspect was transferred for further processing in Israeli territory.”
Additionally, during the operation, weapons were found and seized.
IDF troops “continue to remain deployed along the Golan Heights border in order to protect the State of Israel and its citizens,” the statement from the spokesperson concluded.
Uncategorized
Report: Trump Admin Envisions Transformation of Gaza into Chic High-Tech Metropolis
US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Washington, DC, Jan. 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
i24 News – The US administration of President Trump vision for the future of Gaza has it transformed into a high-end high-tech hub of luxury and innovation, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday.
A team of officials understood to be led by Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner and special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff developed a draft proposal to convert the war-ravaged Palestinian territory into a glittering metropolis, propelling Gazans from poverty to prosperity.
US officials with familiarity with the plan—pitched to foreign governments and delegations as a PowerPoint presentation— are cited in the report as saying that, understandable open-endedness of a project in its early phase notwithstanding, the blueprint has many lacunae and leaves crucial questions unanswered.
Critics cite the plan’s silence on the thorny question of disarming Hamas, the Islamist terror group that ruled Gaza for the past 15 years, and initiated the cross-border incursion and massacre of Israelis on October 7, 2023; the attack launched the devastating war that has left much of the coastal territory in ruins.
The plan’s projected cost is put at $112.1 billion over 10 years, with Washington prepared to commit support to the tune of some $60 billion in grants and guarantees on debt for “all the contemplated workstreams” in that time period.
The question of where two million Gazans would reside during the costly and lengthy rebuilding is also left unaddressed, it is understood.
Similar-sounding plans have been mooted by the Trump administration even before it managed to broker a ceasefire in October that paused the two year-long war.
Uncategorized
Lebanon Close to Completing Disarmament of Hezbollah South of Litani River, Says PM
FILE PHOTO: Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam speaks to journalists at the government headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, December 3, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo
Lebanon is close to completing the disarmament of Hezbollah south of the Litani River, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Saturday, as the country races to fulfil a key demand of its ceasefire with Israel before a year-end deadline.
The US-backed ceasefire, agreed in November 2024, ended more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and required the disarmament of the Iran-aligned terrorirst group, starting in areas south of the river adjacent to Israel.
Lebanese authorities, led by President Joseph Aoun and Salam, tasked the US-backed Lebanese army on August 5 with devising a plan to establish a state monopoly on arms by the end of the year.
“Prime Minister Salam affirmed that the first phase of the weapons consolidation plan related to the area south of the Litani River is only days away from completion,” a statement from his office said.
“The state is ready to move on to the second phase – namely (confiscating weapons) north of the Litani River – based on the plan prepared by the Lebanese army pursuant to a mandate from the government,” Salam added.
The statement came after Salam held talks with Simon Karam, Lebanon’s top civilian negotiator on a committee overseeing the Hezbollah-Israel truce.
Since the ceasefire, the sides have regularly accused each other of violations, with Israel questioning the Lebanese army’s efforts to disarm Hezbollah. Israeli warplanes have increasingly targeted Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and even in the capital.
Hezbollah, a Shi’ite Muslim group, has tried to resist the pressure – from its mainly Christian and Sunni Muslim opponents in Lebanon as well as from the US and Saudi Arabia – to disarm, saying it would be a mistake while Israel continues its air strikes on the country.
Israel has publicly urged Lebanese authorities to fulfil the conditions of the truce, saying it will act “as necessary” if Lebanon fails to take steps against Hezbollah.