World News
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With 1.6M followers, TikTok influencer Miriam Ezagui teaches the masses about her Orthodox lifestyle
(JTA) — “Hi my name is Miriam,” the video begins. “I’m an Orthodox Jew, and I share what my life is like.” So opens a typical TikTok post from Miriam Ezagui, a 37-year-old Brooklyn-based labor and delivery nurse who has amassed 1.6 million followers on the social media platform. Users who make their way to…
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Israel bombs Gaza as new military offensive begins
This is a developing story. (JTA) — Israel bombed Gaza early on Tuesday, killing three senior members of a terror group and marking the launch of a new military offensive in the coastal territory. Thirteen people in total were killed in the strike. The bombing comes a week after a brief but heavy exchange of…
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U.S. ambassador to Israel Tom Nides is resigning
(JTA) — Tom Nides, the gregarious U.S. ambassador to Israel, is resigning this summer, at a time of unresolved tensions in the U.S.-Israel relationship he strove to uphold. An administration official confirmed to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that Nides would be gone by this summer. The report first appeared in Axios on Tuesday morning. Axios…
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Gunman in Texas mall shooting reportedly posted antisemitic rhetoric on social media
(JTA) — The suspect in the shooting Saturday at a mall in Texas appears to have posted antisemitic, anti-LGBTQ and misogynist messages to a social media account. According to researchers at the Anti-Defamation League, as well as a report in NBC News, the gunman, a 33-year-old who killed eight people at an outlet mall in…
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As an American rabbi in King Charles’ court, I’m learning to love the king (in addition to the King)
(JTA) — Perhaps the strangest part was sitting through a Sunday service in the 1,000-year-old nave of St. Albans Cathedral (the longest nave in England!) and hearing the Hebrew Bible (specifically I Kings 1:32-40) read aloudt in English. Maybe stranger yet was hearing part of that passage set to the music of 17th-century maestro George…
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Jewish Council for Public Affairs names Amy Spitalnick, who sued Charlottesville rally organizers, as its CEO
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The Jewish Council for Public Affairs has tapped Amy Spitalnick, who spearheaded a successful multimillion-dollar lawsuit against neo-Nazis, as its next CEO. The decision is a sign that the group, called the JCPA, is pursuing a more assertively liberal approach. For nearly 80 years, it was an umbrella for local Jewish community…
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European Union embassy cancels event where far-right Israeli politician was slated to speak
(JTA) — The European Union’s embassy in Israel canceled a party celebrating Europe Day on Tuesday in order to prevent Itamar Ben-Gvir, the Israeli far-right national security minister, from attending and speaking. Ben-Gvir had volunteered to address the event, and insisted on coming after EU officials asked him not to attend because, according to an…
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Jewish Federations to hold online rally for Evan Gershkovich, Jewish journalist jailed in Russia
(JTA) — The Jewish Federations of North America is holding an online rally for Evan Gershkovich, the Jewish Wall Street Journal reporter detained in Russia on espionage charges, the latest in Jewish community advocacy on behalf of the young journalist. The rally to take place on Monday will include remarks from Sen. Robert Menendez, the…
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Jewish weavers craft their own heritage at this New Jersey synagogue’s ‘Loom Room’
(JTA) — Some farms allow visitors to pick their own fruit. Some franchises let you make your own pizza. At a synagogue in New Jersey, you can make your prayer shawl and other woven Judaica items, drawing on an ethos that the most meaningful religious pieces are created by family members and friends. Neve Shalom,…
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A Jewish journalist takes sides in America’s ‘slow civil war’
(JTA) — Jeff Sharlet admits up front that his book about what he and others call the “Trumpocene” epoch is not objective. “Transparent subjectivity is a virtue for this kind of reporting,” he said. “I am trying to understand the proliferation, which is very real, of fascist flags [across America]. I don’t like it when…
