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Paula Slier reporting during the Yellow Vest protests in Paris, 2018-2019, as a fire burns in the street behind her. (Personal archive)

Paula Slier

France is burning and immigrants are being blamed. I’ve seen this before

I saw looters ransack Paris shops 8 years ago. Now, amid fresh riots and claims of antisemitism, the rush to judgment feels familiar

Party head Moti Leitner greets supporters at an election campaign rally of the Charedi Public party at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem, ahead of Israel’s upcoming general elections, October 17, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/ Flash90)

Yehuda L. Oppenheimer

Fear is silencing the Charedi Public’s attempts at discussion

I’m running for Knesset and want to explain my passion for the new Haredi party, but it’s inviting threats. That’s coercion, not the Torah’s model of dispute

(Getty Images via JTA)

Jonah Platt

Jewish nonprofit leaders should be paid like corporate CEOs

High NGO salaries have sparked outrage. But why should serving the Jewish community mean accepting less?

An election campaign billboard for the Likud party is displayed along a roadside in the northern Israeli city of Nahariya, ahead of Israel’s upcoming general elections, October 16, 2026. (Sharon Leibel/Flash90)

Aron Heller

Vote right, if you wish. Just don’t vote for Bibi

Make no mistake, this election is not about right versus left. It’s about right versus wrong

Ruby and Hagit Chen (center), the parents of slain IDF soldier Itay Chen, attend an event at the State Department honoring the US citizens killed on October 7, along with Secretary of State Marco Rubio (left) and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick (right), October 14 2026. (Courtesy)

Ruby Chen

What Washington expects from Israel’s next government

While in the US capital to honor my son’s memory, I heard a clear message: Israel must change course, rebuild regional trust, and restore American public support

Olives aplenty. (All photos courtesy of the author)

Susannah Schild

The worst deal I make every year for the oldest harvest in the land

After last year’s poor olive yield, we were somehow certain this year would be plentiful. And so we hunted (and hunted) for the best trees for our oil

Michael Herman speaks at a campus rally. (Courtesy of Aaron Herman)

Aaron Herman

A person should own the algorithm: Watching ‘The Social Reckoning’ with my son

My 8th grader joined social media to fight antisemitism. When we saw the new film about Facebook, I discovered he understands something Mark Zuckerberg has forgotten

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Oct 22, 2026, 3:10 AM

What It Takes for Universities to Address Antisemitism: Lessons From 5 Campuses

Calls to cancel controversial speakers are often loud on college campuses across the country. But a few years ago, one college proved there’s an equally effective response that doesn’t require canceling anything. A student group at Queens College had invited...

Oct 22, 2026, 3:09 AM

For Albania, Rejecting Antisemitism Is Obvious

As an Albanian, I take pride in my country’s history of protecting Jews during the Holocaust. We are a small nation, but our history contains an extraordinary example of moral courage. At a time when much of Europe was surrendering...

Silas Anastacio

Oct 22, 2026, 3:08 AM

Children’s Day Celebration at the Fortunée de Picciotto Israelite Association

The Fortunée de Picciotto Israelite Association held its traditional Children’s Day celebration on October 16. The event featured recreational activities and treats that delighted the children. Afterwards, they took part in an oral hygiene activity guided by dentists, since...

Justine Johnston Hemmestad

Oct 22, 2026, 3:07 AM

Israeli Passengers Save Flight

A flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv on Sept. 30, 2026, became a terrifying struggle for survival when the co-pilot of Flydubai Flight FZ1073 attacked the captain and attempted to take control of the Boeing 737 MAX 8. The aircraft,...

Oct 22, 2026, 3:03 AM

The Blood Has Not Ceased to Speak

From my vantage point—even as an outsider who has long supported Israel and the Jewish people—it is still October 8th. Three years have passed. The blood has not ceased to speak, nor have the dead bodies gone cold. Tens, if not...

Howie Beigelman

Oct 22, 2026, 3:02 AM

Elections 2026: Interview: Ha’Tzibbur Ha’Charedi

This is a restart of this blog, as we now “settle” into year two of our Aliyah. This will be our first Israeli election, which seems hard to believe. As a lobbyist in the States, I would reach out...

Oct 22, 2026, 2:58 AM

In Praise of Folly

In 1511, Erasmus of Rotterdam published The Praise of Folly (Moriae Encomium), an oration that Folly herself delivers in the first person and in which she casts herself, without a shred of modesty, as the deity who gladdens gods...

Ibrahim Mukherjee

Oct 22, 2026, 2:57 AM

One Idea Tafsir No.1 – Check the Boarding Gate.

One-Idea Tafsīr No. 1. Why this series? We live in perhaps the most information-rich—and attention-poor—period in human history. A person can scroll through a war, a football result, a joke, a financial crisis, somebody’s wedding and an advertisement for trainers in less...

Oct 22, 2026, 2:56 AM

A Legacy of Faith and Community: Temple B’nai Israel of Laconia, New Hampshire

Temple B’nai Israel of Laconia New Hampshire (Source: Temple B'nai Israel of Laconia New Hampshire)

Nestled in Laconia, New Hampshire, Temple B’nai Israel has been a hub of Jewish life in central New Hampshire for more than 100 years. Named the Lakes Region’s “Best Place to Worship” for seven consecutive years, the temple is...

Oct 21, 2026, 11:17 PM

The warning came after the explosion

Galina stopped speaking. We were in the middle of our weekly Zoom call with Ella and Galina, my colleagues in Ukraine, when a missile exploded in Galina's neighborhood. The explosion was loud. There were several aftershocks. There had been no warning. And then,...

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