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DC to declare an official Mimouna day to celebrate end of Passover
WASHINGTON (JTA) — It’s official: The mayor of the U.S. capital wants Washingtonians to celebrate the end of Passover with a traditional North African Jewish party.
In a proclamation set to be signed this weekend, Mayor Muriel Bowser will be urging her constituents to celebrate Mimouna, a feast that marks the end of the holiday and that has spread from North Africa to become popular in Israel and beyond.
“Now, therefore, I, the mayor of Washington, D.C., do hereby proclaim Sunday, April 16, 2023 in Washington, D.C. as ‘Mimouna – A Festival of Good Neighbors Day,’ and do commend this observance to all Washingtonians,” the proclamation says.
Bowser’s proclamation was shared with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency by the Washington D.C. chapter of Sephardic Heritage International, which has organized local events around the celebration in the past and is also doing so this year. Bowser made a similar proclamation in 2021, according to the group’s website.
The celebration will take place this year at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and will feature a musical performance and traditional North African cuisine. Last year, Israeli and Moroccan government officials attended the D.C. festival. The countries normalized relations as part of the 2020 Abraham Accords.
“The festival is inspired by the Moroccan Jewish and interfaith narratives of unity, commemoration, goodwill, and friendship of neighbors,” Bowser will say in her proclamation.
Mimouna is traditionally celebrated as Passover ends — this year in the Diaspora on Thursday night, and on Wednesday night in Israel. Bowser’s proclamation and the corresponding festivities are timed for a weekend day so more people can attend.
Mimouna festivities are food-centered and particularly feature leavened cuisine as a celebration of no longer having to ingest matzah. The offerings traditionally include mufleta, a crepe-like fried pastry. The celebrations have become more common in recent years in Israel, and presence at Mimouna festivities has become de rigueur for Israeli politicians, whatever their ethnic origin.
The name of the celebration is believed to stem from the father of one of the most influential Sephardic Jews in history, Rabbi Moses ben Maimon, known as Rambam or Maimonides. In addition to shaping Jewish thought and practice, the medieval scholar and philosopher lived part of his life in Morocco and was respected by Muslims as well as Jews. His father, Maimon ben Yosef, was also known for bridging Muslim and Jewish communities, and Muslims traditionally joined Jews in Mimouna festivities when Passover ended.
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The post DC to declare an official Mimouna day to celebrate end of Passover appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Trump Asks Herzog to Pardon Netanyahu in Letter, Israeli President’s Office Says
Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaks during a press conference with Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics in Riga, Latvia, Aug. 5, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ints Kalnins
Israeli President Isaac Herzog has received a letter from US President Donald Trump urging him to consider granting a pardon to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Herzog’s office said on Wednesday.
Netanyahu has been facing a long-running corruption trial, and Trump has repeatedly asked for a pardon for his close ally. Netanyahu denies the charges and has pleaded not guilty.
“While I absolutely respect the independence of the Israeli Justice System, and its requirements, I believe that this ‘case’ against Bibi, who has fought alongside me for a long time, including against the very tough adversary of Israel, Iran, is a political, unjustified prosecution,” Trump said in the letter shared by Herzog’s office.
The office said that anyone seeking a presidential pardon must submit a formal request in accordance with the established procedures.
During Trump‘s visit to Israel in October, he had also urged Herzog to pardon the prime minister in an address to parliament in Jerusalem.
Netanyahu was indicted in 2019 in three cases, including allegations of receiving nearly 700,000 shekels ($211,832) in gifts from businessmen.
Despite the largely ceremonial role of the Israeli presidency, Herzog has the authority to pardon convicted criminals under unusual circumstances.
However, Netanyahu‘s trial, which began in 2020, has not yet concluded, and he has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Netanyahu has cast his legal ordeal as a left-wing witch-hunt aimed at toppling an elected right-wing leader.
($1 = 3.3045 shekels)
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US Treasury Issues Iran-Related Missile and Drone Sanctions
People look at the apparent remains of a ballistic missile following a missile attack by Iran on Israel, in northern Israel, June 24, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Avi Ohayon
The US on Wednesday sanctioned individuals and entities in several countries related to their support of Iran‘s ballistic missile and drone production, in the latest attempt to pressure Tehran.
A total of 32 individuals and entities based in Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, China, Hong Kong, India, Germany, and Ukraine that operate multiple procurement networks are being targeted in Wednesday’s designations, the Treasury Department said in a statement.
“These networks pose a threat to US and allied personnel in the Middle East and to commercial shipping in the Red Sea,” the department said in a statement.
The US, its European allies, and Israel accuse Tehran of using its nuclear program as a veil for efforts to try to develop the capability to produce weapons. Iran says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes only.
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France to Help Palestinians Draft Constitution for Future State, Macron Says
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Nov. 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
France will help the Palestinian Authority draft a constitution for a future state, President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday after talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Paris.
A number of major Western nations including France formally recognized a Palestinian state in September, a move driven by frustration with Israel over its war against Hamas in Gaza and a wish to promote a two-state solution to the Middle East conflict.
A US-brokered, Israel-Hamas ceasefire took hold in October. Israel has rejected the prospect of Palestinian statehood at this time, arguing it would “reward” Hamas for its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that touched off the Gaza war. US President Donald Trump expressed similar sentiments after France, Britain, Canada, and Australia formally recognized a Palestinian state earlier this year.
Macron said France and the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited self-rule in the West Bank, would set up a joint committee to work on drawing up a new Palestinian constitution.
“This committee will be responsible for working on all legal aspects: constitutional, institutional, and organizational,” he told reporters.
“It will contribute to the work of developing a new constitution, a draft of which President Abbas has presented to me, and will aim to finalize all the conditions for such a State of Palestine,” Macron said.
He added France would contribute 100 million euros ($116.62 million) in humanitarian aid to Gaza for 2025.
Abbas said: “We are committed to a culture of dialogue and peace, and we want a democratic, unarmed state committed to the rule of law, transparency, justice, pluralism and the rotation of power.”
He said he valued efforts by US President Donald Trump and global partners to end the fighting in Gaza and bring about the next stage towards a durable peace with a disarming of terrorist groups including Hamas.
The US and Israel have castigated the Palestinian Authority, which has long been riddled with corruption, for maintaining a so-called “pay-for-slay” program, which rewards terrorists and their families for carrying out attacks against Israelis.
Under this policy, official payments are made to Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, the families of “martyrs” killed in attacks on Israelis, and Palestinians injured in terrorist attacks.
Reports estimate that approximately 8 percent of the PA’s budget is allocated to paying stipends to convicted terrorists and their families.