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Yeshiva University students launch ‘Day of Loving-Kindness’ to counter Hamas ‘Days of Rage’
(New York Jewish Week) — Yeshiva University’s campuses have been somber since the devastating Hamas attack on Israel earlier this month, and Jewish communities worldwide were left anxious after terror groups declared days of protests opposing Israel.
A group of YU students decided to offer a riposte to the perceived threats, as well as an opportunity to unite the Jewish community, by declaring a “Global Day of Loving-Kindness” on Sunday. The team of undergraduates hopes to inspire 1 million acts of kindness around the globe, urging participants to share their good deeds online to spread the Jewish concept of “chesed,” or benevolence.
“We saw that Hamas and now Hezbollah have been having these ‘Days of Rage,’ so we looked at that and said, ‘That’s not how we operate,’” said YU student Abe Schoen, one of the project’s organizers. “The supporters of Israel, Jews, we spread loving-kindness in the world.”
Hamas and Hezbollah have both called for mass worldwide protests against Israel, including a planned “day of rage” on Friday, nearly two weeks since the Hamas attack on Israel that killed 1,400 and injured thousands more. Demonstrations planned for last Friday, Oct. 13, sparked fear in Jewish communities, but did not result in any major security incidents in the U.S.
The student-led team of mostly YU students came up with the idea for the loving-kindness project about a week ago, and began enlisting support through their personal connections. Schools, summer camps and Jewish organizations backed the initiative, including Hillel International, Orthodox Union and UJA-Federation of New York. Around 80 institutions in nine countries, and hundreds of student volunteers, have signed onto the project, organizers said.
New York Rep. Ritchie Torres, a staunch supporter of Israel, shared the project on X, but almost all other backers have been in the Jewish world so far.
Too much hate on our feeds, let’s flood it with love. Share the movement, and share your acts of kindness this Sunday #FightingHateWithLove #DayofLovingKindess pic.twitter.com/hQi2FEU3D3
— Global Day of Loving-Kindness (@GlobalDLK) October 18, 2023
Another group, the Jewish Service Alliance, is also holding a “National Day of Jewish Service” on Sunday focused on providing food to the needy. Organizers said around 5,000 people will join the events through dozens of organizations, and that they had decided to go forward with the previously scheduled project as an opportunity for people to come together. The YU group said the two initiatives were unrelated.
Schoen said some YU students plan to give treats such as donuts or pizza to the police and security guards on campus to thank them for keeping the students safe. Other students are packing gift bags of candy to give to friends to “brighten their day,” he said. A campus club that packs food for the needy in Upper Manhattan, where the Modern Orthodox flagship is located, has partnered with the project.
Other suggestions from organizers include smiling at strangers, visiting a hospital, tutoring a peer or donating blood. Both individuals and organized groups are expected to partake in the initiative.
Participants were encouraged to share their good deeds on social media using the project’s hashtags to spread loving-kindness and counter hatred online.
“Ultimately the goal is to put more ‘chesed’ out in the world and showcase that to the world,” Schoen said.
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The post Yeshiva University students launch ‘Day of Loving-Kindness’ to counter Hamas ‘Days of Rage’ appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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US Kicks Out South Africa’s Hamas-Linked Ambassador
Marco Rubio speaks after he is sworn in as Secretary of State by US Vice President JD Vance at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC, Jan. 21, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
i24 News – US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday designated the South African ambassador to Washington Ebrahim Rasool as a Persona Non Grata, branding Rasool a “race-bating politician.”
The decision comes after Rasool made the inflammatory allegation that Trump was “leading global white supremacist” movement.
A known supporter of the genocidal Palestinian group Hamas, Rasool even boasted that he owned a keffiyeh signed by late Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh.
South Africa filed a claim with the International Court of Justice, alleging that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza during its ongoing war against Hamas, a charge both Israel and the US regard as slanderous and antisemitic.
The post US Kicks Out South Africa’s Hamas-Linked Ambassador first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Palestinians Report 9 Dead as IDF Strikes Drone-Operating Terror Squad in Northern Gaza
Illustrative. A drone that Israeli troops recovered in southern Israel that the military said entered Israeli airspace from the Gaza Strip two days earlier, on August 13, 2021. Photo: Israel Defense Forces.
i24 News – An Israel Defense Forces spokesperson confirmed on Saturday a strike targeting a Gazan terror squad in Beit Lahiya; Palestinian sources claimed that at least nine people were killed.
The IDF’s statement says the incident started with the identification of “two terrorists operating a drone that posed a threat to IDF troops in the area.”
Following the elimination of the two jihadists in a targeted strike, “several other terrorists gathered up the drone operating equipment and entered a vehicle,” according to the IDF.
The remainder of the terror squad was then targeted by an additional strike.
The post Palestinians Report 9 Dead as IDF Strikes Drone-Operating Terror Squad in Northern Gaza first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Syria: At Least 3 Dead in Blast, Cause Unclear
Illustrative. A man inspects a damaged car in Latakia, after hundreds were reportedly killed in some of the deadliest violence in 13 years of civil war, pitting loyalists of deposed President Bashar al-Assad against the country’s new Islamist rulers, Syria, March 9, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Haidar Mustafa
i24 News – A blast occurred in Syria’s coastal city of Latakia on Saturday, killing at least three people and leaving 12 others wounded, local media reported. The cause was unclear.
“The blast in the Al-Rimal neighborhood of Latakia city has so far resulted in three deaths and 12 injured,” state news agency SANA cited provincial authorities as saying, adding that “civil defense teams and residents are still searching for others injured and missing.”
While Latakia has been the target of Israeli strikes against Hezbollah and Iranian terrorists, there were no early indications that Saturday’s incident represented an IDF attack.
The post Syria: At Least 3 Dead in Blast, Cause Unclear first appeared on Algemeiner.com.