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Rachael Fried, 36, Jewish Queer Youth executive director
Rachael Fried, 36, is the executive director of Jewish Queer Youth, a nonprofit that supports and empowers LGBTQ youth with a focus on those from Orthodox, Hasidic and Sephardic/Mizrahi homes. Under Fried’s leadership, the formerly volunteer-run organization has grown to a professional one with a team of seven salaried employees, a drop-in center in Times Square, and an operating budget of $1.5 million. “Many Orthodox schools are not willing to have official clubs or community-building types of groups that are LGBTQ-related,” the Yeshiva University alum, who lives in Washington Heights, told the New York Jewish Week last year. “We have become the ‘Official, Unofficial Pride Club’ for them.”
For the full list of this year’s “36ers” — which honors leaders, entrepreneurs and changemakers who are making a difference in New York’s Jewish community — click here.
Who is your New York Jewish hero?
All of the people who came before me! I stand on the shoulders of giants and I am only able to do this work now because of countless people — some of whom I know, and some of whom remain anonymous to me — who did this work before me. Working in and with the queer Jewish community used to be even more controversial than it is today and I am grateful to the people who fought for change regardless of whether it was considered acceptable or not.
What’s a fun/surprising fact about you?
A graphic I designed was once featured on “Weekend Update” on “Saturday Night Live.”
How does your Jewish identity or experience influence your work?
I wholeheartedly believe that I was put on this earth to create colorful resources for individuals who might otherwise fall through the cracks, especially queer youth from Orthodox homes. I believe it is our communal responsibility to make life better, even if just a little bit, for those who need it — and then to find those people and actually do it.
Do you have a favorite inspiring quote?
There’s a quote from Desmond Tutu that I heard recently and it resonated deeply with me: “We need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.”
What is your favorite place to eat Jewish food in New York?
Any kosher restaurant that serves pizza and sushi at once
Anything else you’d like us and our readers to know about you?
If I won the lottery and came into some free time, I would do the exact same thing I am doing today… but with more breaks in between for board games with my people.
How can people follow you online?
@therachfried on Instagram
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The post Rachael Fried, 36, Jewish Queer Youth executive director appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Italy Says It Stands Ready to Train Police in Gaza
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks during an interview with Reuters in Rome, Italy, April 15, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
Italy stands ready to help train police forces in Gaza and elsewhere in the Palestinian territories, its foreign minister said on Monday, as Rome aims to play a role in stabilizing the Middle East.
“We are ready to train a new Gaza police force, and we are also ready to train a Palestinian police force,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told a news conference in Rome.
He confirmed that Rome was ready to participate as an observer in US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace initiative, and Italy had been invited to attend a meeting of the group this week in Washington.
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Alleged Bondi Beach Gunman Makes First Court Appearance
People stand near flowers laid as a tribute at Bondi Beach to honor the victims of a mass shooting that targeted a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on Sunday, in Sydney, Australia, Dec. 16, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Flavio Brancaleone
A man accused of opening fire on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach in an attack that killed 15 people appeared in court for the first time on Monday, Australian media reported.
Naveed Akram, 24, faces 59 charges over the Dec. 14 attack, including 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of wounding with intent to murder, and a terror offense.
Police allege he carried out the mass shooting with his father Sajid, 50, who was shot dead at the scene.
During a brief status mention at a Sydney court on Monday, Akram appeared via video link from Goulburn Correctional Center, a maximum-security prison southwest of Sydney, where he is being held on remand, media reported.
Akram wore prison greens and sat mostly in silence during the proceedings. He spoke only to acknowledge that he heard a discussion about extending non-publication orders for the details of the victims.
Outside court, Akram’s lawyer Ben Archbold said his client was doing “as well as he can be” given the “very onerous conditions” in prison.
Archbold said it was too early to say how Akram would plead and that he had not discussed details of the alleged attack with him.
“I haven’t spoken to him about the attack in that regard,” he told reporters.
“All that we’re doing at the moment is starting the process … we’re waiting for the brief to be served; there’s nothing more I can say.”
Archbold added that he had visited Akram in prison.
“He’s just a client, and he’s a client that needs to be represented. And we don’t let our personal view get in the way of our professional obligations. The matter has been adjourned; I have nothing more to say.”
The case is expected to return to court in April.
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Israel Post-War Economy to Grow Further in 2026 After 3.1% Gain in 2025
Israeli national flags flutter near office towers at a business park also housing high tech companies, at Ofer Park in Petah Tikva, Israel, Aug. 27, 2020. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Israel‘s economy grew 3.1% in 2025, official data showed on Monday, rebounding from a 1% pace in 2024, with growth expected to accelerate sharply as long as a fragile Gaza ceasefire holds.
Growth last year was led by a 7.1% rise in investment and a 5.9% gain in exports, along with a modest uptick in consumer spending. Heavy state expenditure during the two-year Gaza war, particularly on defense, gave an added boost to the economy, economists noted.
“The economy is recovering,” said Yonie Fanning, chief strategist at Mizrahi Tefahot Bank. “The indications for the first quarter of 2026 are also positive – you see that in the trade balance data, etc. So, I think it … sets the basis for continued recovery.”
Israel‘s economy in 2025 outpaced an OECD average of 1.7% and 2% growth in the United States. It also was above the Bank of Israel‘s estimate of 2.8%. The central bank projects a 5.2% growth spurt this year.
“What you’re seeing now is excess demand coming after the war, which is coupled with an increase of supply also, for example, in real estate. And so, you see that in investment, and you should see that more going forward in 2026,” Fanning said.
Per capita growth was 1.7% in 2025.
In the fourth quarter, gross domestic product grew an annualized 4.0% from the prior quarter, powered by a 33% jump in exports following an October ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
“This is relatively robust print, especially the business sector activity, impacted by a strong contribution from net exports,” said Leader Capital Markets Chief Economist Jonathan Katz.
A Reuters poll of economists had forecast an annualized 2.6% rate in the final three months of 2025.
Third-quarter GDP was revised to an annualized rise of 12.7% from a prior estimate of 11.1%.
The GDP data follow data published on Sunday showing Israel‘s annual inflation rate eased to 1.8% in January – its lowest level since June 2021 – from 2.6% in December, increasing pressure on the Bank of Israel to lower short-term interest rates next week for a third straight meeting.
Following the inflation data, “most people [in the market] don’t expect it to stay on hold,” Fanning said.
The shekel was flat at 3.09 per dollar, close to a 30-year peak hit earlier in February. Tel Aviv share indices gained as much as 0.3%.