Week of April 17, 2026
Week of April 17, 2026
Israeli troops have taken operational control of a destroyed stadium in southeastern Lebanon where slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah once threatened the Jewish state, the military said on Monday, confirming a major raid in the Bint Jbeil area. “Bint Jbeil in the year 2000. Someone stood here, in this field, and claimed that Israel is a cobweb filled with spiders that must be exterminated. Today, that man is gone, the compound is gone, and his words are worth nothing,” Brig. Gen. Guy Levy, commander of the 98th Paratroopers Division,...
(JNS, Israel Hayom) — Imagine you are a fighter in an elite unit of the Israel Defense Forces. In two days, a critical mission in Lebanon awaits. Before the operation, you are taken for a final drill at one of the military’s training grounds to sharpen your combat edge and make sure every shot you fire hits the enemy’s kill zone. You enter the training compound according to procedure. Everything is advancing smoothly. Then, in the very last room, a split second before the finish line, a...
(JNS) - Israel's Foreign Ministry on Thursday accused European countries of standing on the sidelines during the war with Iran while benefiting from the weakening of the Islamic Republic's military capabilities. In an X post, the ministry shared a CNN segment with NATO chief Mark Rutte, who praised U.S. President Donald Trump for degrading Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, which he said was "really very important for your and my safety, here in the U.S., in Europe, in the...
(JNS) - Fred Schoenfeld told an audience of several hundred at Temple Emanu-El on New York City's Upper East Side that he stood before them both as a Holocaust survivor and as "someone who carries the memory of many who are no longer here to speak." "I speak because memory matters," he told the audience on Sunday. "Now that responsibility is shared with you." Schoenfeld was one of several speakers at the Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust's annual remembrance event...
(JNS) — American military forces, ships and aircraft will remain deployed “in, and around, Iran” until a “real agreement” is fully implemented, U.S. President Donald Trump said on April 8. The U.S. military is “loading up and resting,” and its next action would be “bigger, better and stronger than anyone has ever seen before” if the deal is not complied with, Trump wrote on his Truth Social social media platform. He added that the agreement prohibits Iranian nuclear weapons and ensures the Strait of Hormuz “will be open...
(JNS) — A recently-launched E.U.-backed digital archive documenting the history of Greek Jews is offering free public access to more than 212,000 documents and over two million digital records, the European Jewish Congress said this week. The Iossipos (“Josephus”) project, named after the first-century Jewish historian Flavius Josephus, has been implemented by the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki with roughly €4 million ($4.3 million) in funding from Brussels’ National Strategic Reference Framework 2021–2027 program. Described by...
(JNS) — “The impacts in central Haifa are very close to the hospital. It feels like Russian roulette,” said Ahuva Tal, head nurse at Clalit Health Services’ Carmel Medical Center in Haifa, in an interview with JNS on Monday, a day before a two-week ceasefire paused 40 days of war against Iran. Carmel Medical Center, which has a capacity of 500 beds, began evacuating some patients on Feb. 28, when Israel and the United States launched a joint attack against Iran. Some patients were...
(JNS) — The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit has reinstated a $655.5 million judgement against the Palestine Liberation Organization and Palestinian Authority for supporting terrorist attacks and making payments to the perpetrators. In a March 30 decision, the three-judge panel reversed its previous decision to throw out the case following a 2025 Supreme Court decision in a similar suit and the passage of a 2019 federal law designed to enable the victims of terrorism to pursue civil court cases against the perpetrators. The...
(JNS) - KRAKOW, Poland-Scores of elderly Holocaust survivors from around the world, including a dozen from war-ravaged Israel, are in Poland this week for the annual March of the Living Holocaust memorial event, even as the war against Iran forced the cancellation of the official Israeli delegation. The annual event, expected to draw some 7,000 participants in one of the world's largest Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorations, takes place on Tuesday amid a surge in global antisemitism...
(JNS) - Israel is home to some 111,000 Holocaust survivors and victims of antisemitic persecution, according to new government estimates released ahead of Holocaust Remembrance Day 2026. Women make up about 63 percent of survivors, most of whom are in their 80s and 90s. Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics said on Sunday that the global Jewish population stood at 15.8 million at the start of 2025, including 7.2 million Jews in Israel, or roughly 45 percent of the total, and 6.3 million in the...
By Joshua Marks U.S. Central Command said on Sunday that its forces will begin blockading all maritime traffic entering or leaving Iranian ports on Monday, in line with a presidential directive. “The United States to Blockade Ships Entering or Exiting Iranian Ports on April 13 at 10:00 A.M. ET. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DJT,” U.S. President Donald Trump posted to his Truth Social platform on Monday, reaffirming CENTCOM’s earlier X post and his announcement on Sunday that the U.S. Navy would immediately begin...
(JNS) — Thousands of individuals across the United States, Canada, Israel and around the world will unite at private residences, synagogues and community centers on April 24 for “Shabbat for Israel,” a coordinated series of intimate Shabbat dinners hosted in honor of Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day. Spearheaded by Jewish National Fund-USA and chaired by philanthropists Sara Cannon, David Peskin and Alyssa Russo, what began in 2025 as a nationwide effort to unite Zionists...
(JNS) — At the Orchid Hotel in Tel Aviv, the bomb shelter on level minus one is filled largely with foreign voices, with little Hebrew heard. The space is occupied by tourists who arrived for short visits, but now find themselves stranded in Israel, with no clear departure date. Jacqueline Sanders, a headhunter from the Netherlands, arrived on Feb. 23 for what was meant to be a two-week Purim visit with a close friend and her 23-year-old son. “We are from the Jewish community in Holland and we come to Israel regularly. I knew it could...
Celebrate Israel’s Independence Day with an unforgettable, family-friendly experience. Travel Israel North to South — from the Golan Heights and Galilee to Tzfat to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, the Negev and Eilat — all at the Rosen JCC. The adventure is from 3:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. on April 26 and is free to attend, but RSVP is required. Presented by The Pargh Foundation, this cultural journey will explore six immersive stations, each highlighting a unique region of the country. Discover the richness and diversity of Israel through interactive...
Rabbi Shai of Southwest Orlando Jewish Congregation presents Sacred Cycles — Women, the Moon & the Wisdom of Jewish Time, with Na’amah, Mama Mazel. This course is offered online on Mondays, April 20, April 27 and May 4 at 8 p.m. on Zoom. Register at cognitoforms.com/SOJC1 Discover the spiritual power of Rosh Chodesh. Explore mazal and self-understanding through a Jewish lens. Learn how to align with your natural emotional and spiritual...
(JNS) — To mark his first 100 days in office, Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York City, talked about how many potholes he has filled. He should be focusing on mending his relationship with New York City’s Jews, according to Jewish leaders. “Unfortunately, in his first 100 days, Mayor Mamdani has done nothing to allay the concerns I expressed before the election regarding his stance on Israel and the safety of Jewish New Yorkers,” Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, who leads Park Avenue Synagogue, a Conservative congregation on Manhattan’s Upper...
JPMorgan Chase CEO warns of New York corporate ‘exodus’ over high taxes (JNS) — Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase & Co., is warning of an “exodus of people and jobs” from New York City due to high city and state corporate taxes, and individual income and state taxes. In his annual letter to shareholders released on Monday, Dimon, 70, wrote that JPMorgan Chase, which was formed in December 2000 with roots traced back to the Manhattan Company founded in 1799, has “shrunk our headcount in the city, from 30,000 a decade ago to 24,000...
(JNS) — You can’t simultaneously fan the flames of Jew-hatred, pose with a hose for a photo op and convince others that you’re serious about putting out the fire. To the surprise of at least some of this year’s religiously and politically diverse attendees at the annual Passover seder at City’s Winery in Manhattan, Zohran Mandani, New York City’s openly anti-Zionist mayor who has mischaracterized Israel as illegitimate, colonial, genocidal and apartheid, served as guest speaker. During his Passover address, he acknowledged “the...
(JNS) — You’d think that with 8 million Jews under fire in Israel from a country that screams “Death to Israel!” that Jews around the world would unite to support the U.S.-Israel war to defeat the Islamic Republic. It comes as no surprise that Jews in Israel overwhelmingly support this war of self-defense. But for American Jews, this solidarity drops precipitously, to only about half the tiny U.S. Jewish population. Whether you’re an American Jew who supports the war or one who does not, you have to ask, “Why this disparity?...
(JNS) — All the usual suspects are producing editorials, op-eds and podcasts that conjure up a host of problems that lurk around the next corner and are about to confront the United States and Israel in their conflict with Iran. We’re told that the United States and Israel have no end game prepared, that they’ve begun an open-ended conflict that might turn into (if it isn’t already) a quagmire, that they’re running out of munitions, that aerial bombing can’t cause regime change, that the closing of the Strait of Hormuz will cause...
(JNS) — It started with a sentence spoken in a classroom. A teacher told a group of students that Israel was bombing Iranian children. The statement was presented without context, without clarification and without any attempt to frame the complexity of what was being discussed. My son was sitting in that room. For him, this is not distant news. His family lives in Israel. They move in and out of shelters as missiles are intercepted overhead. This is part of their daily life, something I have experienced firsthand through my time being a...
(JNS) — Israel has agreed to explore a ceasefire framework directly with the Lebanese government, despite Beirut’s failure to uphold the 2024 agreement requiring Hezbollah to disarm and withdraw north of the Litani River. “In light of Lebanon’s repeated requests to open direct negotiations with Israel, I instructed at the Cabinet meeting yesterday to open direct negotiations with Lebanon as soon as possible,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on Thursday. “The negotiations will focus on the disarmament of...
(JNS) — College acceptances have been coming out, and final collegiate decisions are generally due by the end of April. For Jewish parents helping their children navigate the process of choosing a school, the most important question may not be how an administration handled the last incident of antisemitism, but whether there is a Jewish community strong enough to help their child build a Jewish life there. For many Jewish parents, the college search has changed. It is no longer only about academic rankings, internships, the beauty of the...
(JNS) - Ricky Mason remembers his first introduction to what was then known as the Boy Scouts. His mother told him when he was 7 years old that he would join scouting four years later and become an Eagle Scout. "My mother told me I was gonna do it, and so that was sort of enough for me," Mason told JNS. He's embarking on another scouting adventure 60 years later. Next month, Mason will become chair of Scouting America's national executive board, the first Jew to hold the volunteer post in...
On Shabbat March 14th an Iranian missile hit our house...a fragment...a big heavy metal thing shaped like a belt-that-fits-around-a-rocket. It hit our roof after a siren, after the booms we hear in the sky. We heard the warning, then upon the siren went to the hallway downstairs, which is our safest part of the house. Then after the siren ended, we heard the "boom - boom - boom" in the sky like always. Then, one or two minutes later, Jordan went upstairs to his office, Tzachi went to the salon...
Attending the first-night Seder for Passover this year, a light bulb went off as we read from the Haggadah. There are so many questions! The children’s Haggadah at the second Seder seemed to have even more. It is not just the Four Questions. The Haggadah keeps asking: Why matzah? Why bitter herbs? What does this service mean to you? Why the rush to leave Egypt? It even turns inward and asks something deeper: What does this story mean to me, right now? That was proof enough to me that Jewish children are trained early to ask, probe, compare,...
Back to our roots! Hello cousins! Maybe not all of you are; but many of us members of the tribe are somehow related. In fact, I must have more than 50 close cousins simply because that is what my mother and father were to each other. That's what motivated me to become the family researcher. I've subscribed to JewishGen and MyHeritage - among other platforms - and have held active membership in local genealogy groups. I have discovered relatives around the globe. Surprises often come along. I've...
Portuguese Meatballs Serves 4. These meatballs will freeze well for a quick dinner. 2 large eggs 1 lb. lean ground beef or chicken 1/4 cup panko or matzo meal 1 tsp. lemon zest or 1 tsp. fresh lemon juice 1/2 tsp. black pepper 1 tsp. ground nutmeg 1 T. minced garlic, divided 1 tsp. Kosher salt 2 T. olive oil or avocado oil 1 cup finely chopped yellow onion, fried in 1 T. oil until translucent. 1 T. tomato paste 1 tsp. sweet paprika 3/4 cup dry white wine 1 lb. plum tomatoes, finely chopped or 16 oz. canned tomatoes Dubai Simple Brownies Makes...
When someone living with dementia loses a spouse, families often face a heartbreaking dilemma: Should they repeatedly tell their loved one that their partner has died, even if the person may forget and ask again later? Professionals experienced in grief counseling and dementia care generally recommend that the person be told the truth at least once. Individuals with dementia or other neurological impairments still have the right to know when someone they love has died. Sharing the news respectfully acknowledges their relationship and their...
MORNING MINYANS Chabad of Altamonte Springs — Sunday morning minyan, 8 a.m. Weekday morning minyan 6:30 a.m., 407-720-8111. Chabad of South Orlando — Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. and 10 minutes before sunset; Saturday, 9:30 a.m.; Sunday, 8:15 a.m., 407-354-3660. Congregation Ahavas Yisrael — Monday - Friday, 7:30 a.m.; Saturday, 9:30 a.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m., 407-644-2500. Congregation Chabad Lubavitch of Greater Daytona — Monday, 8 a.m.; Thursday, 8 a.m., 904-672-9300. Congregation Ohev Shalom — Sunday, 9 a.m., 407-298-4650. GOBOR Community...
