In Jewish News This Week

duda • May 16, 2025

Check Out What's Going on In the World

Hamas Releases Edan Alexander, Last Living American Hostage - Joy, tears, and jubilation—this was the environment in which Edan Alexander, a dual Israeli-American citizen held hostage by Hamas, returned to this week. Edan was kidnapped during the Oct 7. attacks, and he had been in confinement for over a year-and-a-half. We highly recommend watching the video of his homecoming; it will likely move you to tears. While the Jewish community celebrates Edan’s return, our hearts and prayers turn to the 58 remaining hostages held in the Gaza strip. We await their return as we continue to mourn the loss of all life in this terrible conflict.

Worldwide Jewish Community Celebrates Lag BaOmer - Today, Jewish communities from around the world celebrate Lag BaOmer. Lag BaOmer marks the 33rd day of the 49-day Omer count between Passover and Shavuot. The Omer count commemorates the 49-day period between Passover and Shavuot—during which Jews count each day as a reminder of the time spent in the wilderness before arriving at Mount Sinai.

Lag BaOmer is a break from the period of semi-mourning observed during the Omer count, and is meant to be a day of joy. One iconic custom is to light bonfires to symbolize the light of Torah. In fact, a Lag BaOmer celebration is happening in very own community tonight: Chabad of Maine is presenting a Jewish Family Festival complete with all-you-can-eat BBQ, a petting zoo, and a bonfire. You can register for the event, which is open to all, here.

Pesach Sheni - This week also marked the commemoration of Pesach Sheni, or “Second Passover.” Pesach Sheni, meaning "Second Passover," is a Jewish holiday observed exactly one month after the main Passover (Pesach). In the time of the Temple, it provided a second opportunity for individuals who were unable to observe Passover due to ritual impurity, distance from Jerusalem, or other circumstances. While Pesach Sheni is not widely observed today, it has become an “unofficial holiday” promoting LGBTQ+ acceptance within Jewish communities. You can read more about the transformation of Pesach Sheni in The Times of Israel.

Israel-Hamas War Continues - Israel held its breath this week upon reports that the IDF may have killed Muhammad Sinwar, the brother of Yahya Sinwar and an architect of the 10/7 attacks. Muhammad Sinwar became the militant group’s de facto leader after the Israeli military killed his brother, Yahya Sinwar, last October.

In a statement, the IDF said it carried out a strike on the European hospital in Khan Yhounis—beneath which it believed Hamas had created a “command and control center,” purposefully using the hospital as a large human shield. In response to the news, former US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro said “There is little chance the war can end before [Muhammad Sinwar] dies….his removal could open the door for the release of all hostages and beginning to move toward a post-war future for Gaza without Hamas.”

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National Diaper Need Awareness Week 2026

September 15, 2026

The Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine Marks National Diaper Need Awareness Week, Celebrating Community Support for Maine Families As Maine recognizes National Diaper Need Awareness Week, September 14–20, Michael Klahr Jewish Family Services (KJFS) at the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine (JCA) is highlighting the ongoing challenge of diaper need and the extraordinary network of volunteers, donors, funders, and community partners who make the KJFS Diaper Bank possible. Across the country, one in two families with young children struggles to afford enough diapers to keep their children clean, dry, and healthy. Diapers are a basic necessity, but they are also an economic issue for families: many childcare and early education programs require parents to provide an adequate supply of diapers, meaning diaper need can create another barrier to parents’ ability to work. Here in Maine, the KJFS Diaper Bank works to ensure that families throughout the state have access to this essential resource. As an essential component of the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine, KJFS approaches this work in the spirit of Jewish values—the belief that caring for our neighbors and helping people meet their most basic needs is a responsibility we share. The Diaper Bank puts those values into action by serving families of all backgrounds throughout Maine. In 2025, the JCA distributed 290,050 diapers to an average of 965 children each distribution month. Currently, the Diaper Bank serves clients in Lewiston, Gray, Raymond, Mechanic Falls, Brunswick, Saco, Biddeford, Gorham, Windham, Standish, Buxton, Steep Falls, Scarborough, South Portland, Portland, and Westbrook. As we continue to see the impacts of inflation, diapers continue to be a barrier for families, and without clean diapers, babies are exposed to potential health risks and toxic stress, and mothers are at risk for increased maternal depression. In a letter recognizing National Diaper Need Awareness Week, Maine Governor Janet Mills thanked the state’s diaper banks, staff, volunteers, and donors for their service and specifically recognized the JCA among the trusted community-based organizations working to distribute diapers to families throughout Maine. “We thank Governor Mills for recognizing the work of so many across our community to address diaper need,” said Susan Cohen, CEO of the JCA. “Jewish tradition reminds us that we are responsible for one another, and that caring for our neighbors is both an obligation and an expression of our deepest values. Through this work, we seek to ensure that every family has the dignity, resources, and opportunity they need to thrive.” The work of the KJFS Diaper Bank is only possible because of the community behind it. In 2025, the Diaper Bank had over 80 volunteers, including 50 individual volunteers as well as many corporate and student volunteer groups who donated over 700 volunteer hours. Volunteers help receive, organize, package, deliver, and prepare diapers for distribution, while individuals, businesses, foundations, government partners, and community organizations provide the financial and material resources needed to keep shelves stocked. Margaret Mailander, Director of Michael Klahr Jewish Family Services shares that "addressing the immediate diaper need is important and as the National Diaper Bank Network has made clear through their research, diaper need is a systemic issue caused by economic and social systems and therefore requires our collective support to find solutions that are structural." During National Diaper Need Awareness Week, KJFS encourages Mainers to learn more about diaper need, organize diaper drives, volunteer, and support the continued availability of diapers for families throughout the state. Please donate to the Jewish Family Services Diaper Bank at Diaper Bank . About Michael Klahr Jewish Family Services KJFS is the social services department of the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine, providing programs and resources that support individuals and families and strengthen communities throughout Maine. Guided by Jewish values and open to people of all backgrounds, KJFS works to meet immediate needs while fostering dignity, connection, and well-being. About the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine The Jewish Community Alliance (JCA) is a central hub for Jewish life, education, and community support. We provide meaningful programs, essential services, and opportunities to connect. Rooted in Jewish values, history, and our connection to Israel, the JCA cultivates and sustains a welcoming and thriving Jewish community in Maine and strives to build a better world for all.

A Call for Peace and Responsible Rhetoric

July 31, 2026

A Call for Peace & Responsible Rhetoric

Remembering, Rebuilding, and Resilience: JCRC Hosts Eugene Damlich

July 15, 2026

Last week, the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine welcomed Eugene Damlich, a survivor of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda, for a special lunch and community dialogue. Eugene shared the story of losing his family, surviving unimaginable violence, and rebuilding his life in the years that followed. The only surviving child in a family of five children, Eugene later immigrated to the United States, where, as an adult, he found love and belonging with a Jewish-American family. The gathering was not simply a testimony program, but a genuine exchange between communities. Eugene asked participants how the Jewish community has preserved Holocaust memory while helping survivors and their descendants live with hope, dignity, and purpose. He also invited discussion about forgiveness, justice, healing, and the responsibility to transmit memory across generations. Several people at the table were children of Holocaust survivors—one JCRC member, Anna Wrobel, shared that her mother was also the sole survivor of her family—profoundly relating to Eugene in a way that few others can. In preparation for the lunch, the JCRC held its first movie night, where participants watched Sometimes in April, a 2005 historical drama about the Rwandan Genocide. Last week’s lunch also built upon the JCRC’s participation in this year’s Kwibuka, which annually commemorates the Rwandan Genocide; JCRC members walked in the memorial procession, and a post-Kwibuaka gathering for Maine’s Tutsi community was held at the JCA. We are deeply grateful to Eugene for sharing his testimony, and we look forward to continuing to strengthen the relationship between Maine’s Jewish and Tutsi communities.