The Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine (JCA) announced today that following the passing of Suzi Osher, a long-time Maine resident and philanthropist, on Saturday, June 28th, the organization will be receiving a transformative gift from an Alfred Osher trust. The gift, to be received in the newly-established Alfred and Dorothy Suzi Osher Charitable Fund, will be held in a new entity under the auspices of the JCA. The fund is to be used explicitly for Jewish education, Jewish social and welfare programs, and outreach programs to promote Jewish traditions and values. According to Leslie Kirby, the JCA’s Chief Executive Officer: “This gift, the largest donation in our organization’s history, will make possible incredible growth throughout our community and region. We are fortunate that Dr. and Mrs. Osher made their Estate intentions clear to the JCA in a way that allowed us to anticipate this transformational moment over the course of time. More information regarding the specifics of the bequest will be shared within the coming months.” This is not the first time the Oshers have extended their generosity to the JCA. Mrs. Osher was the lead benefactor of a 2015 capital campaign, which allowed the organization to build its state-of-the-art center on Congress Street in Portland. In gratitude, the facility, which opened in 2017, is known as the Alfred and Suzi Osher Campus of the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine. This gift is in furtherance of the spirit of philanthropy both within and beyond the Jewish community that animated the Oshers’ lifetime of giving. The couple’s philanthropic endeavors have benefited numerous educational and healthcare institutions, including Maine Medical Center, the Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine, the YMCA, the Dr. Alfred and D. Suzi Osher School of Music at the University of Southern Maine, and Tufts Dental School. Long-standing JCA Board of Directors member Rachael Alfond has been selected by the board to chair the committee overseeing the formation and management of the Fund. “An opportunity like this only presents itself once in a lifetime,” Alfond said. “I am honored to carry on the legacy of the Oshers and their mitzvot - good deeds - that will have a ripple effect for generations.” Dr. Osher, who passed away in 1999, was an oral surgeon and orthodontist who practiced in Biddeford, Maine. Supporting their community was always top of mind. In Suzi’s words: “When I make a gift, I always follow it.” Suzi established the Dr. Alfred Osher and D. Suzi Osher Scholarship at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine to honor her late husband, a long-term clinical faculty member. Suzi Osher was the daughter of French-Canadian immigrants, who faced substantial hardships weathering the Depression as a child in Biddeford, Maine. Mrs. Osher learned to value education and hard work. “My first job was playing the piano at a local music store when I was just 10,” she once recalled. “At 15, I was working for the government Census Bureau.” After high school, she worked as a bookkeeper for Alfred Osher, a local oral surgeon. Several years later, she completed a course in anesthesiology at Boston City Hospital and began assisting with procedures. In 1962, Dr. Osher completed the Tufts postgraduate program in orthodontics and became the first board-certified orthodontist in Maine. After the couple married, Suzi Osher pursued her interests in business and fashion, opening a specialty clothing store in Biddeford, a venture she called “my real career.” Even as she managed her own successful business, she stayed involved in her husband’s growing dental practice. “We were one of those rare couples who enjoyed working together,” she said. The JCA is honored to have been chosen and entrusted with this ultimate act of generosity from the Oshers, and we look forward to facilitating its continued impact over the coming years. For more information about Mrs. Osher’s life and philanthropy, please read her official obituary . 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. Formed in 2000, the JCA is the result of a merger of three institutions: the Jewish Community Center, the Jewish Federation of Southern Maine, and Jewish Family Services, which combined the programming and fundraising arms of the Jewish community.

Washington, DC — Pentagon leaders pulled back the curtain on “Operation Midnight Hammer,” confirming that six B-2s dropped 30-ton bunker-busters on Iran’s Fordow and Natanz enrichment sites last weekend, while a seventh bomber struck backup targets. Officials hailed the raid as a “historic success,” yet acknowledged early intelligence shows Iran’s program may be set back only months, not years. Tehran answered with ballistic missiles aimed at a U.S. base in Qatar and fresh salvos on Israel, even as President Trump and Iranian diplomats traded signals about a phased cease-fire. Read more at The Washington Post . Buenos Aires, Argentina — Three decades after the AMIA Jewish-center bombing, an Argentine federal judge invoked a new “trial-in-absentia” law to prosecute seven Iranians and three Lebanese suspects linked to the Hezbollah-planned attack that killed 85 and wounded 300. Judge Daniel Rafecas said the unprecedented move seeks “truth and justice” despite the fugitives’ absence, and reflects backing from President Javier Milei, the United States and Israel. Families of the victims welcomed the step, while Tehran again denied involvement. Read more at The Times of Israel . Jerusalem, Israel — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is weighing snap elections to capitalize on a post-Iran-offensive polling bump. Allies say a fall ballot could let him campaign on closer ties with Saudi Arabia and opposition to a Palestinian state, before coalition rifts over the budget and Haredi draft exemptions resurface. Polls last week showed Likud regaining the top spot with 27 seats after months of trailing rivals. Read more at The Times of Israel . Pittsburgh, PA — At the American Jewish Press Association’s annual conference, 70 Faces Media—parent of JTA, Kveller, My Jewish Learning and others—captured 18 Simon Rockower Awards , including 11 first-place honors for reporting and commentary published in 2024. Winning entries ranged from investigative coverage of antisemitism to a podcast on Iranian-Jewish music, underscoring the group’s breadth amid a turbulent news year. The accolades come as Jewish journalism faces both booming readership and financial headwinds. Read more at The Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Background Did you know the first Jewish “Messiah” was an Iranian king?  Before we dive into the current war, it is incredibly important to lead with the long history of friendship between Iranian (Persian) and Jewish people. This current conflict is not a war between Jewish and Persian people, but a war between the state of Israel and the government of Iran. In fact, many Jewish Mainers have deep connections to the Iranian community, including friendships with Iranian refugees (i.e. members of the Bahá’í Faith), Persian Jews, and others. Just like Jewish history, Iranian civilization is ancient, vibrant, and world-influential. The Achaemenid Empire, also known as the “First Persian Empire,” was the very first “world empire,” stretching from Greece to Israel to the borders of India all the way back in ~500 BC. Moreover, the Hebrew Bible refers to Cyrus the Great, who founded the Achaemenid Empire, as the first “messiah.” This is because Cyrus decreed that the Jews—who were then in captivity in Babylonia—could return to their ancestral homeland of Israel and rebuild their Temple. This was an act of kindness which the Jewish people are still grateful for today. In fact, Cyrus is the only non-Jewish person to ever have been called messiah! Cyrus’ humanitarianism laid the foundation for two millennia of Jewish-Persian friendship. Before the 1979 Iranian revolution, more than 100,000 Jews called Iran home, contributing to its culture, economy, and civic life. Iran even had diplomatic ties, and direct flights, to Israel. We begin with this information because it is Cyrus the Great’s legacy, not the current Iranian regime’s twisted inversion of it, that should define the relationship between Jewish and Iranian peoples going forward. The 1979 Iranian Revolution An oppressive regime takes power… The current regime in Tehran, borne from the chaos of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, is built on a theocratic, totalitarian ideology. It claims a divine mission to redeem Islam through confrontation with the West. In the Iranian regime’s eyes, America is the “Great Satan”; Israel is “Little Satan.” Their stated goal is Israel’s destruction—not as a slogan, but literal policy. Older Americans remember the cost of Iran’s brutality: from the 1979 U.S. embassy hostage crisis in Tehran, where 52 Americans were held for 444 days; to Hezbollah’s 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut that killed 241 American service members; to the Iranian roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan that maimed and murdered thousands. Iran’s revolutionary ideology has also inflicted devastating harm across the Arab world—and upon its own people. With funding, weapons and training from Tehran, proxies like Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis have fueled violence and instability, leaving Palestinians, Syrians, Lebanese, Yemenis and Iraqis trapped in cycles of war. Inside Iran, the regime has gutted a country rich in talent and natural resources by pouring billions into terror proxies and a rogue nuclear program. Repression is constant, targeting women, members of the Bahá’í faith, journalists, and other minorities. In recent years, brave Iranians have taken to the streets with chants like “No Gaza, No Lebanon, My life for Iran”—rejecting the regime’s obsession with exporting conflict — and “Woman, Life, Freedom,” the rallying cry of a movement demanding basic dignity and human rights. These protests reflect a simple truth: Iranians want to rebuild their country, not see it sacrificed for an ideological crusade against Israel. Before continuing, it’s also important to acknowledge the West’s own actions in radicalizing Iran. In 1953, intelligence agencies from the USA and Great Britain overthrew Iran’s democratically-elected Prime Minister, Mohammad Mosaddegh, in order to install a pro-Western leader, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. Pahlavi turned out to be an unpopular leader whose autocratic policies led to the Iranian Revolution. This should serve as a warning against externally forcing regime change in Iran: as wicked and repressive as Iran’s regime is, it is ultimately up to the Iranian people to determine their own destiny and leadership. The Current Israel-Iran War When “Death to Israel” is finally taken seriously as a threat… On June 21, the US took military action to eliminate Iran’s nuclear threat by bombing three facilities: Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. This strike occurred just over a week after Israel began a preemptive military campaign against Iran’s nuclear program. These actions were in direct response to Iran’s rapid acceleration of its nuclear weapons program and unwillingness to engage in a diplomatic solution. The situation is unfolding fast and unpredictably. Just yesterday, Iran retaliated by striking a US base in Qatar. Shortly afterwards, Trump declared he had negotiated a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. As of this writing (June 24), it is unclear if the the ceasefire will hold. We will continue to show solidarity with the people of Israel as they fight a regime hell-bent on their annihilation. We also stand with the people of Iran who have been oppressed by their government for decades. You can follow live updates on the conflict at The New York Times, The Times of Israel, and other outlets. We’ve also attached key talking points below. Key Points about the Israel-Iran War The International community overwhelmingly agrees that we cannot tolerate a nuclear Iran, which would pose a direct threat to Israel, the United States, our allies in the region, other Arab countries in the Middle East, and global peace. In December 2024, the head of the IAEA noted that Iran was “dramatically” enriching uranium to 60%, close to weapons-grade. In February 2025, U.S. intelligence observed Iranian efforts to accelerate its pathway to a nuclear bomb and in May 2025, the IAEA reported that Iran had conducted undeclared nuclear activities at three previously unknown sites. A nuclear capability would render Iran—the chief sponsor of terrorist groups including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis—unacceptably dangerous. This action is not solely about Israel’s future—it is about the safety and security of the United States and the broader international community. The Iranian regime is directly responsible for the deaths of over 1,000 Americans and hundreds of thousands across the Middle East. Israel did not begin this war ; Iran has for decades called for the destruction of Israel (“Death to Israel”) while funding and training proxy terror groups to attack Israelis and Jews worldwide, culminating in the vicious October 7th attacks by Hamas. Iran trained, supplied and funded Hamas, resulting in the bloodiest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Saeed Izadi, the head of the Palestine Corps in the IRGC Quds Force, recently killed in an Israeli strike, was an architect of the October 7th attacks. In the months following October 7, Israel faced a surge in coordinated attacks from Iranian-backed terror groups across multiple borders—Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, militias in Syria and Iraq, and the Houthis in Yemen. These attacks intensified in scale, coordination, and frequency, signaling a broader Iranian strategy to encircle and weaken Israel. Despite international diplomatic efforts, Iran continued to escalate its rhetoric and provide military support to its proxies. Calls for de-escalation and diplomacy were met with rocket fire, drone attacks, and cross-border incursions—pushing Israel (and eventually the US) to act decisively.

Brick Reading “Free Palestine” Thrown Through Window Of Boston’s The Butcherie Boston, MA — Police in Brookline, Massachusetts, are investigating after a brick with “Free Palestine” written in red paint was thrown through the window of a kosher grocery store. The Butcherie, which often serves families in Maine, is one of the Boston area’s only kosher grocers. Police Chief Jennifer Paster said in a statement that a preliminary investigation showed that at least two people wearing masks approached the store and threw the brick just after midnight on Sunday morning. She said her department was investigating the attack as a hate crime. “This was not simply an act of property damage, and it is not plainly vandalism,” Paster said. “This was a targeted, hateful message meant to intimidate a Jewish-owned business and our broader Jewish community Brookline is a place of inclusion, dignity, and respect. Let me be clear: There is no room for anti-Semitism, hate, or political violence here in Brookline.” Read more at the Jewish Telegraphic Agency and s upport the Butcherie by placing a summer order. Place your order by next Sunday 6/29 for pick up on Tuesday 7/1 at the Westgate Shopping Plaza. Hate Crime Case Against Boulder Suspect Can Go Forward, Judge Rules Boulder, Colorado — A federal judge has ruled there is enough evidence to proceed with a hate crime case against a man accused of injuring more than a dozen people after lobbing Molotov cocktails at people in Boulder, Colorado, who were supporting Israeli hostages in Gaza. Fifteen people ages 52 to 88 were injured with burns ranging from serious to minor when Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, launched the attack, authorities say. He lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado, after coming to the United States on a tourist visa in late 2022 and staying after it expired. Soliman faces a maximum sentence of life in prison if he's found guilty of the federal hate crime charges against him. The native of Egypt has also been charged in state court with 118 criminal counts, including attempted murder and other offenses. Read more at USA Today. Israel-Iran War Continues Middle East — The Israeli military said Friday that it had conducted another wave of airstrikes against military and nuclear sites in the Iranian capital Tehran overnight. The latest targets included missile production facilities and the headquarters of the S.P.N.D., an advanced research institute connected to Iran’s nuclear program, the Israeli military said. On Thursday, an Iranian missile slammed into the Sororka Medical Center, the main hospital in southern Israel. Israeli media aired video of blown-out windows and heavy black smoke pouring from upper floors of the hospital, but a spokesperson for the facility said there were no serious injuries to patients or staff, as the part of the hospital that was hit directly had already been evacuated. Significantly, President Trump said on Thursday that he would decide whether the United States will attack Iran “within the next two weeks,” pivoting from recent comments that suggested an American strike might be imminent and raising the possibility of revived negotiations on the future of Iran’s nuclear program. In a statement released by the White House announcing Mr. Trump’s new timeline, he said that “there’s a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future.” Follow live updates on the Israel-Iran War at The New York Times , The Times of Israel , and other media outlets.

A Ketubah In Shanghai

Israel Strikes Iran; Middle East Braces for Conflict