In the News This Week

May 9, 2025

Check Out What's Going on In the World

A New Pope, Leo XIV, Has Been Elected – On May 8, white smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel chimney, signaling to the jubilant crowd outside that a new Pope had been elected. Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XI, is the first American pontiff in history. We here at the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine would like to warmly congratulate our Catholic friends and neighbors on this exciting new development. In the international Jewish community, observers have noted that Pope Leo XIV studied under a pioneer of Catholic-Jewish dialogue in Chicago, and are hopeful he continues to build on the interfaith groundwork of recent Popes. You can read the official congratulatory message of the Jewish Federations of North America here. 


38% of American Jews Believe in the Afterlife, Study Finds - Only 38% of American Jews believe in an afterlife, a new study by the Pew Research Center has found. This is lower than the 83% of US Christians, and 58% of Israeli Jews, who believe in an afterlife. Unlike the vast majority of Christian denominations, Judaism has no single doctrine about what happens after death—though the idea that the dead will be resurrected by God in a future Messianic age of is a core tenet of Orthodox Judaism (this is also why in Jewish cemeteries, graves are often oriented with their feet facing Jerusalem). The same study also found that 49% of American Jews, and 62% of Israeli Jews, perform religious fasts, which is the central observance of Yom Kippur.


Self-identified “Jew Hater” Charged With Multiple Hate Crimes in New York City - The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reports that Tarek Bazrouk, 20, has been arrested and charged with hate crimes in connection with three separate incidents over the course of the past year. In one incident, Bazrouk allegedly wore the green headband associated with Hamas and lunged at a group of pro-Israel protesters, kicking one in the stomach. In another, he stole an Israeli flag from a Jewish Columbia student, punched him in the face, and hurled antisemitic slurs at him. Text messages on his phone allegedly show him identifying as a “Jew hater” and labelling Jewish people as “worthless,” and that he was happy to learn his relatives were part of Hamas. Bazrouk is charged with three counts of committing hate crimes, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. In a statement by the Justice Department on Bazrouk’s indictments, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon stated that “The Civil Rights Division will continue to relentlessly pursue allegations of antisemitic violence and will not stop until justice is served for the victims and their families.”


Suspect Indicted For Making Terror Threats Against New York Synagogue - A suspect has been indicted for making terror threats against a New York synagogue, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced this week. Luis Ramirez, 23, from Utah, was arrested in February after making threats against Central Synagogue in Manhattan. Ramirez allegedly posted threats on X on February 14, including, “The Jews killed me in my past life if you try to kill me again today in NYC when I pull up to Shabbat I will kill you first.” Hours later, police in New Jersey arrested Ramirez as he drove toward the Lincoln Tunnel to New York. Ramirez has been charged with multiple felonies of making terroristic threats.

Other Articles

July 30, 2025
On July 1, the JCA’s Board of Directors notified staff that they had made the gut-wrenching decision to pause Federally funded HIAS/RRNS work at the end of September 2025. Our current Federal administration does not support refugee resettlement and is defunding the programs that have made it possible. Sarah discussed how working with refugee clients supports Jewish values and highlighted the “incredible, selfless and humanistic work of the RRNS staff.” We would like to take this opportunity to honor the story of volunteers’ participation in the RRNS program and address the impact of the program's pause on our volunteer community. In January 2022, when JCA began its partnership with HIAS to resettle refugees in Maine, we did not fully comprehend the scope of the endeavor we took on and found ourselves struggling to organize, manage, and administer the demands of the program. The resettlement process, beginning as the planes touched down at the Portland Jetport, was determined by Federal mandates, including required programs that had to be offered within specific timeframes. During this time, we turned to our volunteer community to assist our HIAS staff in a variety of impactful roles in the efforts to welcome these families to Maine. Volunteers did everything from helping to find suitable housing, picking up clients as they arrived, assisting them into temporary housing, preparing permanent housing, which included sourcing and moving furniture, cleaning, and transporting clients to their new homes. Volunteers also helped clients adjust to a culture very different from their own by assisting with grocery shopping and cultural orientation groups. Due to the nature of the work, there was often very little lead time. Emails alerting volunteers to various needs often occurring within that same week, and invariably, people would show up to help. When housing was no longer available in the Portland area, volunteers drove to Lewiston, Auburn, and Waterville to help clients with their moving and settling process. Volunteers’ passion, dedication, flexibility, and commitment were vital to the program’s success. Words like “amazing,” “awesome,” and “wonderful” can’t adequately capture the quality of our volunteers’ efforts on behalf of the JCA to carry forth its mission or on behalf of the refugees whom the program has served. People put their heart and soul into this endeavor in response to JCA embracing such a massive undertaking and in response to the refugees’ situations in their home countries and the courage and bravery they demonstrated in emigrating. And not surprisingly, many volunteers developed strong relationships with the refugee clients they served. The abrupt end to this funding and JCA’s struggles to provide as many services to as many people as possible since then have caused a type of emotional whiplash amongst the volunteer community. People have experienced many feelings, including shock, confusion, sadness, anger, and disappointment. It felt to many of the volunteers that the program was just starting to solidify. Services were being evaluated and improved. Communication was enhanced. In other words, just as the program was coming into its own, it was suddenly ground to a halt. It is painful for all of us to be in this current situation. However, JCA is hopeful that attitudes toward refugees will change in the future and that we will once again be able to help people from ravaged countries start new lives here. We all know that despite the prevailing environment, steadfast dedication can change the world, and JCA remains committed to providing what services we can. We will be forever grateful for our volunteers’ efforts in support of those goals. Please feel free to reach out to Adam if you have questions or want to talk about the end of the RRNS program.
July 24, 2025
America’s Largest Teacher’s Union Rejects Proposal to Ban ADL Materials In a positive development, the US’ largest teacher’s union, the National Education Association (NEA), has rejected a member-approved proposal to sever ties with the Anti-Defamation League. Just two weeks ago, NEA—which is also the teacher’s union of Maine—voted to cut all ties with the ADL: banning all their lessons on antisemitism, Holocaust education, and Jewish-American history. According to the rejected proposal, the “NEA will not use, endorse, or publicize any materials from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), such as its curricular materials or its statistics…NEA will not participate in ADL programs or publicize ADL professional development offerings.” This was an incredibly disconcerting development. While the ADL does not represent the views of the entire Jewish community, and has been a target of criticism by some, it has also put decades of work into Jewish-American education and funded widely respected curricula that are acclaimed for their effectiveness in progressive, right-leaning, and centrist spaces (such as Project Shema). Banning the ADL would eradicate a pillar of Jewish-American education and handicap the American Jewish community’s ability to fight rising antisemitism in schools. We here at Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine joined 378 other Jewish organizations in a joint letter to the NEA’s Executive Committee, strongly urging them to veto the resolution. We have heard that this letter, which showed in overwhelming force the American Jewish community’s condemnation of this proposal, was a direct factor in the proposal getting vetoed. We are grateful to our friends at the Jewish Federations for North America and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs as they coordinated a national response. You can read the communal letter with our organization’s name on it here , and learn more about the situation on Axios . Hundreds of Druze Cross the Israeli Border Into Syria to Defend their Brethren What is often missed in the Israel discussion is the fact that for many religious minorities in the Middle East, Israel is the single biggest guarantor of their security. This applies to our friends in the Bahá’í Faith, whose holy sites in Iran were razed to the ground and now only exist in Israel, as well as to our Druze allies. While the Druze (a secretive offshoot of Islam) only make up 1% of Israel’s population, Druze men have proudly served in the Israel Defense Forces in disproportionately high numbers since the nation’s founding in 1948. Many have risen to positions of command. Far too many have fallen in battle—and their sacrifice has forged a “blood covenant” with the Israeli people. Right now, Druze are being massacred in Syria: babies are being slaughtered, men are being humiliated via having their mustaches (a sign of honor) shaved off, women are being raped and killed. This past week, following days of fighting across southern Syria between the local Druze population and Bedouin militias backed by Syrian government forces, hundreds of Israeli Druzes stormed the border into Syria to aid their compatriots. They are currently petitioning the Israeli government to do more to help the Druzes in Syria (and Israel is responding—7 days ago, they bombed the Syrian Defense Ministry). This is a developing situation, but you can read a recent update on The Jerusalem Post . We’d like to send our prayers and support to the Druze community—as well as all innocent souls in the Middle East who are suffering from the ramifications of war. Five Hebron Sheikhs Break Away from Palestinian Authority and Call for Peace With Israel This month, five leading Hebron sheikhs, headed by Sheikh Wadee’ al‑Jaabari, asked Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat to let Hebron break from the Palestinian Authority and form an “Emirate of Hebron” that would fully recognize Israel as the Jewish state and join the Abraham Accords.The clan leaders have pledged zero tolerance for terror and proposed a joint economic zone that could employ tens of thousands of Palestinians inside Israel. The initiative has drawn cautious interest in Jerusalem, underscoring mounting frustration with the Palestinian Authority among many West Bank Palestinians. If it moves forward, Hebron could become the first Palestinian‑led experiment in clan‑based self‑rule and economic partnership under the wider Abraham Accords umbrella. Could this be a radical solution to bringing about peace in the Israel-Palestine conflict? Read more at The Times of Israel. The Largest Reconstructionist Synagogue Is Set to Cut Ties With the Denomination Over Israel Tensions The largest synagogue in Judaism’s Reconstructionist movement is moving to cut ties with its denominational body over what its leaders describe as a failure to confront hostility to Israel among affiliated rabbis and rabbinical students. The rupture is emblematic of a wider debate among American Jews about Zionism and the boundaries of legitimate criticism of Israel. In a letter, the synagogue’s leaders cited concerns over the rabbinical college’s ordination of students who hold anti-Zionist views, as well as tolerating a “hostile” atmosphere toward Zionism on campus. The congregation — whose membership numbers around 900 families — is now asking congregants to vote in favor of a bylaws change that would finalize the disaffiliation. Read more at the Jewish Telegraphic Agency .
July 18, 2025
Nation’s Largest Teacher’s Union Votes to Sever Ties with ADL, JCA Responds This month, the US’s largest teacher’s union, the National Education Association (NEA)—which is also the teacher’s union of Maine—voted to cut all ties with the ADL: banning their lessons on antisemitism, Holocaust education, and Jewish-American history. According to the proposal, the “NEA will not use, endorse, or publicize any materials from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), such as its curricular materials or its statistics…NEA will not participate in ADL programs or publicize ADL professional development offerings.” This vote will now head to the Executive Committee of the NEA for final approval. This is an incredibly disconcerting development. While the ADL does not represent the views of the entire Jewish community, it has built widely respected anti-bias and Holocaust education curricula that are acclaimed for their effectiveness in progressive, centrist, and right-leaning spaces. Banning the ADL will eradicate a pillar of Jewish-American education and handicap the American Jewish community’s ability to fight rising antisemitism in schools. We here at Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine joined 378 other Jewish organizations last week in a joint letter to the NEA’s Executive Committee, strongly urging them to veto this resolution. Along with our friends at the Jewish Federations of North America and Jewish Council for Public Affairs, we are closely monitoring this situation so we can best support Jewish parents and educators in Maine. You can read the communal letter with our organization’s name on it here , and learn more about the situation on Axios . New Polish Plaques Deny Complicity With Nazis When Jews gathered this week for the anniversary of a World War II massacre in the Polish town of Jedwabne, they saw a new installation—one that denied a historical consensus about the grievous events that unfolded there. At the same time, a far-right lawmaker interrupted the memorial gathering — and triggered a police investigation by calling the gas chambers at Auschwitz “fake.” Thursday marked 84 years since the crimes in Jedwabne, a town of less than 2,000 people northeast of Warsaw. In 1941, local residents killed hundreds of their Jewish neighbors, most of them in a barn where they were burned alive. An official investigation by Poland’s Institute of National Remembrance confirmed in 2002 that the murder was carried out by Poles. But Jedwabne has become a flashpoint in Polish politics, with some far-right politicians claiming it was Germans who perpetrated the massacre and characterizing research on Polish complicity as part of an effort to slander their nation. Read more about this disturbing controversy at the Jewish Telegraphic Agency . Five Hebron Sheikhs Break Away from Palestinian Authority and Call for Peace With Israel Five leading Hebron sheikhs, headed by Sheikh Wadee’ al‑Jaabari, have asked Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat to let Hebron break from the Palestinian Authority and form an “Emirate of Hebron” that would fully recognize Israel as the Jewish state and join the Abraham Accords. The clan leaders have pledged zero tolerance for terror and proposed a joint economic zone that could employ tens of thousands of Palestinians inside Israel. The initiative has drawn cautious interest in Jerusalem, underscoring mounting frustration with the Palestinian Authority among many West Bank Palestinians. If it moves forward, Hebron could become the first Palestinian‑led experiment in clan‑based self‑rule and economic partnership under the wider Abraham Accords umbrella. Read more at The Times of Israel.
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