What's New in the Jewish World this Week

duda • June 20, 2025

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 support 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.


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.
June 29, 2026
Camp is officially in session, and we’re so excited to welcome this year’s Israeli Shlichim to Center Day Camp. Each summer, our Shlichim (Hebrew for “emissaries”) travel from Israel to spend the season at camp—sharing their culture, traditions, language, stories, and everyday life with our campers and community. Through games, conversations, music, special programs, and lots of fun, they help create meaningful connections that bring Israel to life in authentic and personal ways. Wishing all of our campers, staff, and Shlichim an unforgettable summer ahead!
June 5, 2026
The JCA had a wonderful time hosting the Second Annual Jewish-Asian Friendship Dinner! This dinner brought together the Jewish community and nearly all major Asian organizations in Southern Maine. This year, we served Cambodian delicacies, Filipino comfort food, and Israeli falafel, with a special dish made for the event: a red onion curry challah created by Exile Bakery. Highlights of the night included honoring Manli Ho—the daughter of famous Chinese diplomat Dr. Feng-Shan Ho, who saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust—and a Hamotzi blessing & invocation from Rabbi Rachel Isaacs. We also heard a moving story on growing up Asian from former Portland City Councillor Tae Chong, a speech from community leader Marpheen Chann, an introduction from Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, and concluding remarks from Tam Huynh, Executive Director of the Holocaust & Human Rights Center of Maine. Our Jewish Community Relations Council also presented an original artwork to the Watt Samaki Buddhist Temple in honor of our past year of friendship. Thank you to more than 150 community members who packed the JCA to celebrate Jewish-Asian unity. These include our friends at Khmer Maine, the Maine Jewish Museum, Azerbaijan Society of Maine, Chinese Gospel Church of Portland, Watt Samaki Buddhist Temple, Filipino-American Samahan of Maine, Chinese-American Friendship Association of Maine, Maine Asian-American Community Center, and The LUNAR Collective.
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