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Pope Leo XIV, left, is flanked by Monsignor Leonardo Sapienza, second from left, after his meeting with the College of Cardinals in the New Synod Hall at the Vatican, May 10, 2025. (Vatican Media via AP)

Leo XIV could be just the pope for the Jews

US Catholicism knows Jews well, and that familiarity may pave the way for the new pope to improve Jewish-Catholic relations, over time

Kids lying down on the ground because of a siren that went off just as everyone was heading to school. (Sar-El Ben Tzvi)

Bazy Swirsky Rubin

Rockets, resilience, and children during war

That time a siren rang out and we danced in the safe room… and that other time we were in the park and the 9-year-old made sure we were all safe

Bepi Pezzulli

Leo XIV: A papacy anchored in Israel’s embrace?

The Pope understands power and decline, and does not confuse the two: There will be no warm embraces for Hamas delegates under this papacy.

When a hostage becomes a stage prop for the state that funded his cage. Hostage soldier Edan Alexander seen in a propaganda video released by the Hamas terror group on April 12, 2025. (Courtesy)

Tani Burton

Edan’s pain, Qatar’s PR

After 584 days in hell, the freed captive is invited to go and thank the very regime that funded, sheltered, and protected his captors

Clear blue water on Koh Phangan, Thailand's fifth biggest island. August 13, 2017. (Nati Shohat/FLASH90)

Eliyahu Freedman

An Israeli journalist's healing journey

Others had it worse, so who was I to need help? But I too felt panic and grief; I too bore witness to atrocities; I too have trauma

Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via Reuters.

Steven J. Frank

Sorry, Israel – Trump needs a win!

Intransigent Hamas, defiant Iran and hostile Houthis are cramping the US president’s style. Guess who may pay the price.

J.S. Gold

Jewish masculinity, Trump and college antisemitism

We have put our faith in education. Yet fresh images of our dead children pile upon the old, and we wonder: why must it be their blood that teaches?

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May 14, 2025, 9:49 PM

In the Shadows of Terror: Strengthening the India–Israel Security Partnership

From Pahalgam to Re’im, the striking parallels in terrorist attacks demand a bold, coordinated security response between two democracies under siege. Israel and India, though separated by nearly 4,000 kilometers, face a shared affliction: cross-border terrorism aimed at undermining their...

May 14, 2025, 9:44 PM

The Echo of a Dream – Arab Nationalism

Arab Nationalism No Longer Dictates Politics -By Sahar Saeed Once, the Arab world pulsed with the fire of a single dream. It was the dream of unity — of lands stitched together by the common tongue of poets, prayers, and warriors. From...

May 14, 2025, 9:41 PM

“אמר” is not “לאמר”: Parshat Emor

The use of “אמר” vs “לאמר” The very word אמר “emor” for which this parsha is named, and which appears twice in the parsha, is unusual. The opening verse says; וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֱמֹ֥ר אֶל־הַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים בְּנֵ֣י אַהֲרֹ֑ן וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם לְנֶ֥פֶשׁ לֹֽא־יִטַּמָּ֖א...

Ya'aqov Shenkin

May 14, 2025, 9:38 PM

Lag B’Omer and the Fruitless Pursuit of Nationalism

Celebrations at Meron for Lag B'Omer, 1997. Photo Credit: Jajo Gluck. Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 2.0.

The Gemara in Yevamoth 62b informs us: "Ribbi Aqiva had twelve thousand pairs of students... and they all died in the same period, because they did not act with respect towards one another. And the world was desolate until Ribbi...

Alexandre Gilbert

May 14, 2025, 9:34 PM

John D. Caputo Interview | Alex Gilbert #274

John D. Caputo (copyright authorized)

John David Caputo is an American philosopher known for his work in continental philosophy and postmodern theology. He is Thomas J. Watson Professor of Religion Emeritus at Syracuse University and David R. Cook Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at Villanova...

May 14, 2025, 9:14 PM

The Case for the Jewish People

Every Yom Kippur we make our closing arguments to G-d to seal us and all of Israel in the Book of Life. It is a daunting task, trembling before the one true judge and humbly acknowledging your sins while...

May 14, 2025, 9:10 PM

The art of bowing out

The art of bowing out. Make no mistake - it is an art. Starting the next chapter of your life is an emotional moment that can resonate with many people around you. The way you decide to bow out...

May 14, 2025, 9:08 PM

Judaism Is About Love, Not Elitism

Judaism, like many ancient cultural and spiritual traditions, sees itself as the bearer of a sacred legacy—a divine inheritance rooted in covenant, memory, and mission. This self-understanding is not unlike other peoples who believe they have a unique relationship...

Mindy Rubenstein

May 14, 2025, 8:57 PM

Sensitivity as a Superpower

For years, I thought something was wrong with me. Lights felt too bright. Sounds too loud. I could only wear certain types of clothing. I cried or got overwhelmed easily. I felt everything—my own emotions and everyone else’s. When I walked...

Mordechai Silverstein

May 14, 2025, 8:56 PM

Beating Back the Ghosts and Spirits

The means by which the sages of the rabbinic period came by their messages has always fascinated me. As with all preachers, the messages that they thought their audiences needed to hear were always paramount, but their means for...

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