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From Patagonia to Paris, here are 10 Jewish destinations that JTA reporters visited in 2023
(JTA) — Providing a window into Jewish communities across the globe, on the ground — from European metropolises to more isolated outposts — has always been part of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency’s mission.
This year, our reporters ventured into places where Jews and Jewish life are at risk, including Ukraine — where we sent several reporters — and Ethiopia. They also headed to places where Jewish life is vibrant and colorful, from the southernmost region of South America to the melting pot of Paris. They even found exciting Jewish stories in places with few Jews, such as Guyana.
Here are 10 stories that took JTA readers off-the-beaten path in 2022. To follow along in 2023, make sure to sign up for our weekly Around the World newsletter.
Yilan, Taiwan
A Taiwanese dance teacher practices Israeli folk dance in Yilan, Taiwan. (Jordyn Haime)
Folk dance is a national pastime in Taiwan — and Israeli songs are a big part of that tradition. Why? Our correspondent investigated.
Venice, Italy
A guard climbs stairs by the entrance to the Campo di Ghetto Nuovo, or former Jewish Ghetto, in Venice. (Orge Castellano)
The city’s former Jewish ghetto, which became one of Europe’s leading Jewish cultural centers, is badly in need of renovations. Our reporter strolled through it, hitting sweet shops, historic synagogues and artisanal craft stores along the way, showing that it’s still a hub of Jewish life.
Guyana
Andrea de Caires, left, shown with her husband Salvador, is one of two known Jews in the English-speaking nation. (Courtesy of de Caires)
At least two Jews live in this tiny English-speaking South American nation, and both of their stories capture the dynamics that define the country.
Irshava, Ukraine
Akivah Artamonov clasps his prayer kit while having coffee at the Jewish refugee camp in Irshava, Ukraine, April 5, 2022. (Cnaan Liphshiz)
Our former European correspondent visited a Jewish refugee hub for people fleeing the war’s violence in the east. It happened to be situated in a former 4-star resort.
Uman, Ukraine
The joyous gatherings of Hasidic pilgrims have gone on as planned in Uman, Ukraine, for those who made the trip into the war-torn country. (David Saveliev)
Later in the year, for Rosh Hashanah, thousands of Jewish pilgrims visited the grave of a revered rabbi in this small city as usual, despite wartime restrictions. The party went on (almost) as planned.
San Martín de los Andes, Argentina
Claudio Ploit seen holding a Torah scroll with members of the San Martin de los Andes Jewish community. (Gustavo Castaign/ Courtesy Comunidad Hebrea San Martin de los Andes)
Patagonia is known as one of the most breathtakingly beautiful places on earth. This year, a new synagogue set up shop in the Argentine part of the expansive region for the first time in decades.
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Ayanawo Ferada Senebato, right, and his family shown in Ashkelon, Israel, holding an ancient Orit book that they retrieved near Gondar, Ethiopia, in February 2022. (Yossi Zeliger)
When they flew out of this country for Israel three decades ago, Askabo Meshiha’s family left a valuable Jewish text behind. Here’s the story of how they risked everything to get it back.
Paris, France
Mabrouk serves “Sephardic dishes with a modern French twist.” (Cnaan Liphshiz)
North African cuisine has been trending for years in the French capital. But Mabrouk may be the only outspokenly Jewish player in the culinary new wave, with a menu that reflects the habits and sensibilities of North African Jews.
Punta del Este, Uruguay
A view of the beach in Punta del Este, Uruguay. (Mariana Suarez/AFP via Getty Images)
This coastal oasis is a vacation hotspot, but it’s growing a year-round Jewish community due to a variety of socioeconomic factors.
Budapest, Hungary
Students and faculty attend a graduation ceremony at Milton Friedman University in Budapest, Hungary, July 23, 2019. (Courtesy of Milton Friedman University)
Half an hour up the Danube River from the city’s center sits a small campus that looks on the outside like a normal European university, with students picnicking and smoking outside. But Milton Friedman University, named for the Jewish Nobel Prize-winning economist, has ambitions to become a major hub of Jewish-themed scholarship.
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The post From Patagonia to Paris, here are 10 Jewish destinations that JTA reporters visited in 2023 appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Hanukkah shooting leaves at least 10 dead at Australia’s most popular beach
A Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach turned deadly on Sunday with reports of at least 10 dead, including a Chabad rabbi, amid rising antisemitism in Australia.
One suspect was killed at the scene and the other was arrested, in what local police are calling a “terror incident.”
“This is an attack on the Jewish community that deeply that pains us,” said Robert Gregory, the chief executive of the Australian Jewish Association.
Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who worked with Chabad of Bondi, was killed in the shooting, Chabad’s media director told The New York Times.
“This is a targeted attack on Jewish Australians on the first day of Hanukkah, which should be a day of joy,” said Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. “An attack on Jewish Australians is an attack on every Australian.”
Earlier this month, a group of Jewish leaders from Argentina, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States met in Sydney to coordinate responses to rising antisemitism there and internationally.
In recent months, two synagogues have been attacked in Melbourne.
The post Hanukkah shooting leaves at least 10 dead at Australia’s most popular beach appeared first on The Forward.
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‘The Art of the Yiddish Monologue’ and other mini-courses in Yiddish
במשך פֿונעם חודש יאַנואַר 2026 וועט ייִוואָ פֿירן די ווײַטערדיקע מיני־קורסן אויף ייִדיש:
• „די קונסט פֿונעם ייִדישן מאָנאָלאָג“, וווּ מע וועט לייענען און אַרומרעדן מאָנאָלאָגן פֿון שלום עליכם, י. לץ פּרץ, דער טונקעלער, ב. קאָוונער, משה נאַדיר, רחל ברכות און יצחק באַשעוויס. מע וועט אויל אַרומרעדן די געשיכטע פֿונעם מאָנאָלאָג אין ייִדישן טעאַטער (שיין בייקער)
• שעפֿעריש שרײַבן, וווּ מע וועט אויפֿן סמך פֿון ליטעראַטור־מוסטערן באַטראַכטן די וויכטיקע באַשטאַנדטיילן פֿון פּראָזע — שפּראַך, סטיל, דיאַלאָג, געשטאַלט און פּייסאַזש (באָריס סאַנדלער)
• יצחק־לייבוש פּרץ און זײַנע באַציִונגען מיט די נײַ־געבוירענע ייִדישע סאָציאַליסטישע קרײַזן אין משך פֿון די 1890ער יאָרן (עדי מהלאל)
• די גרויסע אַקטריסע אסתּר רחל קאַמינסקאַ, וווּ די סטודענטן וועלן לייענען אירע זכרונות אויף ייִדיש (מיכל יאַשינסקי)
• די לידער פֿון דוד האָפֿשטײן, וואָס איז מערקווירדיק צוליב זײַן צונױפֿפֿלעכט פֿון דײַטשישע, רוסישע און אוקראַיִנישע ליטעראַרישע טראַדיציעס מיט תּנכישע און מאָדערנע ייִדישע השפּעות (יודזשין אָרנשטיין)
• די ייִוואָ־גדולים אין זייערע אייגענע ווערטער, וווּ מע וועט לייענען די שריפֿטן פֿון א. טשעריקאָװער, מ. װײַנרײַך, י. לעשטשינסקי, י. מאַרק, ש. ניגער, נ. פּרילוצקי, ז. קלמנאָװיטש, ז. רייזען, י. שאַצקי און נ. שטיף (דוד בראַון)
The post ‘The Art of the Yiddish Monologue’ and other mini-courses in Yiddish appeared first on The Forward.
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Suspect at Large in Brown University Shooting that Killed at Least Two, Injured Eight
Police vehicles stand near the site of a mass shooting reported by authorities at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, U.S., December 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Taylor Coester
Police in Rhode Island were searching for a suspect in a shooting at Brown University in Providence in which two people died and eight were critically wounded at the Ivy League school, officials said.
Providence Mayor Brett Smiley told a news conference that police were still searching for the shooter, who struck at Brown’s Barus & Holley engineering building, where exams were taking place at the time. Officials said police were looking for a male dressed in black and were scouring local video cameras in the area for footage to get a better description of the suspect.
Smiley said officials could not yet disclose details about the victims, including whether they were students. He lamented the shooting.
“We are a week and a half away from Christmas. And two people died today and another eight are in the hospital,” he said. “So please pray for those families.”
Brown is on College Hill in Providence, Rhode Island‘s state capital. The university has hundreds of buildings, including lecture halls, laboratories and dormitories.
President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House that he had been briefed on the situation, which he called “terrible.”
“All we can do right now is pray for the victims and for those that were very badly hurt.”
Compared to many countries, mass shootings in schools, workplaces, and places of worship are more common in the US, which has some of the most permissive gun laws in the developed world. The Gun Violence Archive, which defines mass shootings as any incident in which four or more victims have been shot, has counted 389 of them this year in the US.
Last year the US had more than 500 mass shootings, according to the archive.