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World Jewish Congress mourns the loss, celebrates the life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder: “Justice Ginsburg was a trailblazer on behalf of gender equality, and she paved the way for women in the law and on the courts. She fought fiercely and unflinchingly to advance and defend the rights of women and minorities, and, in the tradition of Justices Louis D. Brandeis and Benjamin Cardozo, embodied the principle of equal justice for all under the law, as well as the Jewish value of ‘tzedek, tzedek, tirdof’ – ‘justice, justice shall you pursue.’” Read More... 

WJC President Ronald S. Lauder addresses Jerusalem Post Annual Conference

As a featured speaker at the Jerusalem Post Annual Conference, World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder outlined several worrisome trends affecting world Jewry, namely, the growing antisemitism across the world, the divisions between Jews of different religious streams and Jews of the Diaspora and those living in Israel, and the lack of Jewish education compounded by a high rate of intermarriage that is leading many young people to leave Judaism. Read More... 

The Yom Kippur Attack | Halle: One Year After

Last Yom Kippur, Jews around the world were shocked to learn of an unfolding attack by a heavily armed, far-right extremist on the Synagogue in Halle, Germany. Unable to gain access the gunman then turned to a Kebab restaurant. Two people lost their lives. Join WJC representatives, the Jewish community, and government leaders for a commemoration event. Read More... 

WJC Executive Vice President Stern: TikTok poses a greater danger to younger generations than the other networks

"On TikTok, children are provided with this content via the algorithm without even having to search for it in between quite harmless dance videos. Children then absorb all of this subliminally, and that is fatal. This is why TikTok, for me, poses a greater danger than the other networks," WJC Executive Vice President Maram Stern told the Germany-based newspaper  RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland. Read More... 

Many young Americans don't know key facts about the Holocaust. Now is the time to fix the way we teach this history in the U.S.

“Not too long from now, we will no longer be able to depend on first-hand accounts of the atrocities Holocaust survivors suffered at the hands of the Nazis while many collaborated and others stood witness. Now is the moment to reflect upon the horrors they lived through and have shared with us so that the often-repeated admonition to “never forget” does not become an empty promise,” write United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Director Sara Bloomfield and Claims Conference Vice President Greg Schneider in Time. Read More... 

Asserting their Jewish Identity: My mother’s testimony in the first Nazi war crimes trial, 75 years ago 

“But on Sept. 21, the fifth day of the trial, this state of affairs changed dramatically. That was when my mother, Dr. Ada Bimko (who would go on to marry my father in 1946), took the stand. She was a 33-year-old dentist who had been an inmate at both Auschwitz-Birkenau and Belsen. When asked if she was of Polish nationality, she replied, according to transcripts, “I am a Jewess from Poland,” writes WJC Associate Executive Vice President Menachem Z. Rosensaft in Just Security. Read More... 

EU Commission President denounces antisemitism in State of the European Union address

In her remarks, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen referenced the antisemitic Aalst Carnival, rhetorically asking, “where is the essence of humanity when antisemitic carnival costumes openly parade on our streets?" President von der Leyen also announced that the European Commission will release a plan to combat racism. The plan will strengthen racial equality laws, extend the list of EU-level crimes to include all forms of hate crime and hate speech, as well as create the position of an anti-racism coordinator. Read Now... 

Labor leader Starmer reiterates commitment to ‘root out’ antisemitism | Jewish News

During his remarks, which were held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Starmer proclaimed, “as I promised on my first day as leader we will root out the antisemitism that has infected our party. We’re making progress – and we will root it out, once and for all.” Read Now... 

Holocaust monuments vandalized in Russia and Romania | Jewish Telegraphic Agency 

In Russia, police arrested a 30-year-old man for painting a cross and pouring yellow paint on a monument for Holocaust victims in Aksay, a village outside the city of Rostov-on-Don near the border with Ukraine. In Romania, unidentified individuals shattered the marble panels of a monument for about 7,500 Jews who were sent to be murdered from Târgu Mureş in the country’s north. Read More... 

Israel to reenter lockdown before Yom Kippur

This lockdown is expected to be more severe than others as there are strict guidelines over social distancing at synagogues during the Yom Kippur holiday. When sharing the final decision, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated, “the decisions are difficult, but as prime minister I must protect your lives.” The protocols will go into effect on Friday afternoon, and remain until at least the Simchat Torah holiday on 10 October. Read More... 

Honduras hopes to move Israel embassy to Jerusalem by end of year | Reuters

Honduran President Juan Hernandez informed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of the decision in a recent telephone conversation and announced the decision on Twitter, writing, “To strengthen our strategic alliance, we spoke to arrange the opening of the embassies in Tegucigalpa and Jerusalem, respectively. We hope to take this historic step before the end of the year, as long as the pandemic allows it.” Read More... 

Israel's new ambassador to Egypt finally assumes post | Al-Monitor

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received the credentials of the new Israeli ambassador to Egypt, Amira Oron, on Wednesday. Oron’s path to Cairo was a long one. The veteran diplomat was first selected by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the ambassadorship in 2018, but she was not approved until this past June. Read More... 

Netanyahu and Bahrain crown prince have ‘very friendly’ first call since accord | The Times of Israel

During the call, the crown prince, Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, “underscored the importance of securing regional and international stability and enhancing efforts to support peace in the region,” according to the state-run Bahrain News Agency. Salman further noted that “the agreement signed at the White House on September 15 will strengthen regional security, stability and prosperity.” Read More... 

More than one in 10 American young adults say Jews caused the Holocaust 

Almost two-thirds (63%) of young American adults are unaware that six million Jews were killed during the Holocaust, and more than one in 10 believe Jews caused the Holocaust, according to a recent report commissioned by the Claims Conference. According to the survey, nearly half (48%) of the respondents could not name a single concentration camp of the more than 40,000 camps or ghettos established during the Holocaust. Read More... 

Sweden announces plans to establish new state Holocaust museum, highlights importance of survivor testimonies

In a statement marking Rosh Hashanah and announcing the government’s move to establish the museum, Prime Minister Löfven also praised the contributions made by Holocaust survivors Elisabeth Citrom and Tobias Rawet who recently took part in a special interactive installation developed by the Shoah Foundation at the University of Southern California. The technological installation enabled exhibit visitors to have a “conversation” with the survivors, who pre-recorded hundreds of testimonial responses to questions about the horrors they endured. Read More... 

President of Greece to read last letters of Holocaust victim aloud at annual cultural festival

Greek Republic President Katerina Sakellaropoulou - the first woman to occupy this post - will read three letters written by Neama Cazes while she was in the ghetto of German Nazi-occupied Greek city of Thessaloniki at this year's Dimitria festival. The letters were written shortly before and during the deportations of the Jews of Thessaloniki and describe the climate of uncertainty, panic and anxiety that existed not only to Neama herself but to the Jewish community of Thessaloniki. Read More... 

UK Chief Rabbi Mirvis voices support of plan to close synagogues due to COVID-19  

In a statement reminiscent of the one he issued over Passover during the first lockdown, Chief Rabbi Mirvis pleaded with British Jews to remain vigilant in the fight against the coronavirus and obey the law, saying, "if we’re neglecting our health we could be posing a danger to the lives of others... As we enter into the forthcoming High Holy Days, sadly here in the UK, as is the case in many other places around the globe, cases of COVID-19 are on the rise and this is primarily due to irresponsibility – the responsibility that people have towards themselves and others.” Read More... 

Hearing in trial of Hyper Cacher store killings set for Yom Kippur, and court won’t change the date | Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Lawyers for the families of victims have asked for a postponement for the 28 September hearing, i24 News reported. According to the report, the court’s administration is reluctant to change the date of the hearing because of concerns connected to the separation of church and state. Read More... 

After Zoom deplatforms Leila Khaled event, Facebook and YouTube follow suit  | Jewish News Syndicate

Leila Khaled, who played a critical role in two airplane hijackings as a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine was scheduled to give a speech on Wednesday as part of an event organized by the San Francisco State University's Department of Arab and Muslim Ethnicities and Diasporas Studies on “Teaching Palestine.” Khaled, 76, was scheduled to give a discussion titled “Whose Narratives? Gender, Justice, & Resistance: A conversation with Leila Khaled,” and was billed as a Palestinian feminist, militant and leader. Read More... 

Germany pledges extra $26 million for Jewish security to Jewish umbrella organization | Jewish Telegraphic Agency

The announcement comes nearly a year after a violent attack on the synagogue in Halle, on Yom Kippur, which left two passersby dead. The alleged perpetrator, who attempted to enter the synagogue with a gun but was blocked, is currently on trial in Magdeburg. The attack “has drastically shown us that Jewish life needs massive protection,” Central Council of Jews in Germany President Josef Schuster in a statement after the security funding agreement was signed with the German government. Read More... 

British Jews show solidarity with Black, Asian communities in UK | The Jerusalem Post

The Jewish Council for Racial Equality (JCORE), an organization that focuses on social justice, in coordination with the Board of Deputies, signed a statement of solidarity with Black and Asian communities in the United Kingdom. President of the Board of Deputies Marie van der Zyl supported the initiative, saying "We are pleased to support this important statement of solidarity with Black and Asian communities. The Board of Deputies is clear that fighting the racism experienced by Black and Asian people must be a priority for the Jewish community, alongside tackling antisemitism." Read More... 

Bulgarian court hands down life imprisonment for Hezbollah terrorists | The Jerusalem Post

The convicted Hezbollah operatives orchestrated a suicide bombing killing five Israelis and their Bulgarian-Muslim bus driver in 2012. While the sentences may bring an end to a dramatic event that shook Europe to its foundations, it also left the families of the victims and Israel partially unsatisfied because Hezbollah itself was not formally indicted or convicted. Read More... 

UN General Assembly: Saudi Arabia's King Salman calls for Hezbollah to be disarmed | Arab News

In his remarks, King Salman said that Hezbollah had disrupted the constitutional state of Lebanon and vowed that the Kingdom would stand with the Lebanese people, particularly after the explosion that devastated large parts of Beirut and killed almost 200 people. Read More... 

Cairo’s ancient Bassatine Jewish cemetery completes first-of-its-kind restoration project | Al-Monitor​

The restoration project of Cairo’s Bassatine Jewish Cemetery, believed to be the second-oldest in the world, hopes to attract tourism while at the same time shedding light on Egypt’s dwindling Jewish community. Read More... 

Latin American Muslim leaders host virtual gathering with Jewish communities ahead of Rosh Hashanah

The meeting was facilitated by Omar Musa of the Muslim Arab Society, who wished the Jewish participants a “shana tova umetuka.” During the ceremony, Musa introduced Muslim leaders from across Latin America, who subsequently introduced their equivalent Jewish community counterpart, Rabbi Michel Schlesinger of São Paulo blew the shofar, and Rabbi Daniel Zang of Santiago explained how the Jewish calendar is calculated. Read More... 

23-24 September 1943 | Vilna Ghetto liquidated, thousands sent to death camps

The final liquidation of the Vilna Ghetto took place two years and three months after Nazi Germany’s 22 June 1941 invasion of Lithuania and was carried out with the support of local collaborators over the course of several months. Read More... 

21 September 1922 | US President Harding signs resolution calling for the establishment of a Jewish National Home

The resolution, introduced in June by Congressman Hamilton Fish III and Senator Henry Cabot Lodge, was unanimously approved by Congress despite lobbying from the State Department. Congressman James A. Gallivan (D-MA), a strong advocate for the resolution, expressed hope that it would “be a source of encouragement to the Jewish people to their struggle to repatriate themselves to the land from which they were exiled by force.” Read More... 

Ruth Bader Ginsburg's poignant teenage essay on the Holocaust

This week Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg became the first woman and Jew to lie in state at the US Capitol. As we mourn the passing of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, we reflect on her incredible legacy fighting for justice. Watch Now...