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.