What's New in Jewish News This Week

August 22, 2025

Important Note: The following articles do not represent an official position of the JCA, and are deliberately intended to mirror the wide range of diverse perspectives within Southern Maine’s Jewish community. Our goal is to deliver interesting news, reliable sources, and important perspectives on major Jewish issues.


In IDF-controlled Rafah, an armed clan’s school plants seeds of a Hamas-free future  (The Times of Israel)  The Palestinian Abu Shabab gang claims to have carved out an area where it is providing electricity, medical care and education for thousands of displaced Gazans under IDF protection. The school eschews Palestinian Authority textbooks previously prevalent in Gaza, with teachers apparently recruited from among displaced Palestinians living in a part of Gaza controlled by the Israel Defense Forces and appears to educate pupils along progressive ideas of pluralism and tolerance. “We want to create a generation of learners, not terrorists,” said Mohammed, a senior member of Abu Shabab’s forces, in a phone interview with The Times of Israel. Both initiatives appear to address longstanding Israeli concerns regarding Palestinian education, which critics say includes content that incites against Israelis and Jews, perpetuating narratives that fuel distrust and conflict rather than coexistence.


After decades of conflict, Armenia-Azerbaijan peace plan gives Caucasus Jews new hope  (Jewish Telegraphic Agency)  -  Two former Soviet republics that have been sworn enemies ever since the breakup of the USSR are suddenly on the verge of making peace. Since even before their independence in 1991, predominantly Christian, landlocked Armenia and mostly Muslim, oil-rich Azerbaijan have fought many wars over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region and accused each other of human rights abuses, ethnic cleansing — even genocide.


But now, their leaders say they have decided to bury the hatchet — and Jews in both countries could benefit.


Israel opens new embassy in Zambia, once home to a historic Jewish community  (Jewish Telegraphic Agency) - Israel has opened an embassy in Zambia, more than half a century after it was shuttered following the Yom Kippur war and as the African nation’s Jewish population has dwindled to near zero. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar and Zambian Foreign Minister Mulambo Haimbe opened the embassy together on Wednesday. “It’s an honor to be in Lusaka for the opening of Israel’s embassy,” Sa’ar tweeted, adding that the two countries were “enhancing our partnership in agriculture, health and much more.”


80 Modern Orthodox rabbis call for ‘moral clarity’ in the face of Gaza humanitarian crisis  (The Times of Israel) - Dozens of Orthodox  rabbis have issued “A Call for Moral Clarity, Responsibility, and a Jewish Orthodox Response in the Face of the Gaza Humanitarian Crisis,” in an addition to a recent cascade of open letters from Jewish voices responding to a hunger crisis in the Palestinian enclave nearly two years into the Israel-Hamas war.


Unlike some of the other letters, the new letter stresses condemnation of Hamas and does not call for Israel to end the war in Gaza. Instead, the rabbis write, “Hamas’s sins and crimes do not relieve the government of Israel of its obligations to make whatever efforts are necessary to prevent mass starvation." The Orthodox rabbis also lament the ascendance of extremist voices in Israel, the hardening of sentiments about Palestinians, and the explosion of settler violence in the West Bank — which they refer to using the Hebrew name for the region that conveys a historic Jewish connection to the land. “Hamas’s sins and crimes do not relieve the government of Israel of its obligations to make whatever efforts are necessary to prevent mass starvation,” the rabbis write.


Israel Claims UN’s Gaza Famine Declaration Based on ‘Biased and False’ Hamas Report  (The Media Line) - Israel has rejected a  global classification of famine in northern Gaza, accusing the international monitoring body behind the assessment of using flawed data sourced in part from Hamas-affiliated individuals and organizations. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification system (IPC), a widely used global hunger monitor, declared on Thursday that famine is occurring in the Gaza governorate, which includes Gaza City, and warned that conditions are deteriorating rapidly across the territory. The declaration prompted a sharp rebuke from the Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), a unit of Israel’s Defense Ministry that oversees humanitarian efforts in Gaza. In a counter-report, COGAT said the IPC’s findings were “biased and false” and accused the organization of relying on “severe methodological flaws.” 


Massachusetts Man Who Threatened to Kill Members of Jewish Community and Bomb Synagogues Sentenced to Prison  (Reuters) -  A Massachusetts man was sentenced on August 14 to more than two years in prison after he threatened to bomb synagogues and kill Jewish children in a series of calls he placed to two local houses of worship and the Israeli consulate in Boston after Israel and Hamas went to war in 2023. John Reardon, 60, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick in Boston to 26 months in custody after pleading guilty in November to charges related to what prosecutors said were dozens of violent and antisemitic calls and voicemails he placed to Jewish institutions beginning on October 7, 2023.


Other Articles

October 10, 2025
The Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine joins Jewish communities around the world in welcoming news of a ceasefire agreement that will bring all the remaining hostages home and move toward an end to the war. While this is cautiously being referred to as a “first phase,” it is the most optimistic development since the war began. For two long years, our hearts have ached as we watched this war. We have seen firsthand the pain and grief it has brought to our own community, and the extraordinary resilience and compassion of Jewish people around the world. Hamas’ terrorist attacks on 10/7 started a conflict that swallowed the entire region in blood and fire. Today, we pray, we finally begin to move forward towards lasting peace for all. We especially send our love and prayers to the families of the captives. May G-d comfort the families of the bereaved and support the healing of the wounded. We will remain devoted in our mission to support Maine’s Jewish community. We will continue our steadfast support for our brothers and sisters in Israel. And we will continue to pray for a future in which Israelis and Palestinians can live in safety, hope, and peace. Statement From Israel's President Isaac Herzog: “This is a morning of historic and momentous news. I give my full support for the agreement reached in Egypt. I express my thanks to Prime Minister Netanyahu and the negotiating team, the mediators, and all those involved in this vital effort…This agreement will bring moments of indescribable relief to the dear families who have not slept for 733 days. This agreement offers a chance to mend, to heal, and to open a new horizon of hope for our region. This is a time to honor the heroes among us: our sons and daughters who fought bravely to bring the hostages home; the bereaved families; the wounded in body and spirit; and all who have paid an unbearable price for this historic and vital moment.” What to Know: Israel and Hamas have agreed to a comprehensive end-of-war and hostage release deal, which is set to be signed in Egypt on Thursday afternoon. Israel’s security cabinet is meeting to vote on the prisoner release and a number of other aspects of the agreement, which are expected to pass. Following the government vote, the agreement will go into effect, halting all fighting and triggering the beginning of the 72-hour period during which all hostages must be released. All hostages—both living and deceased—are to be released within 72 hours of the signing. It is understood that the 20 living hostages will return home to Israel by Monday at the latest (and possibly as early as Saturday). Hamas has agreed to release the hostages without the humiliating ceremonies it held with many of the previously released Israelis. Hamas has cautioned that it may take additional time to locate and return the 28 bodies of those hostages who are no longer alive. There is speculation that the location of eight or nine of those bodies is not currently known to Hamas. The deal also includes the full disarmament of Hamas and the demilitarization of Gaza, including the destruction of tunnels, weapons factories, and military infrastructure under international supervision. There will also be amnesty for Hamas fighters who lay down arms or can be given safe passage to third countries. Under the agreement, Israel will maintain temporary security control of a security envelope until Gaza is declared “free of terror.” Later today, IDF forces will begin withdrawing from numerous Gazan population centers, but for now will continue to hold about half of the territory. The deal will also include the release of approximately 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including 250 serving life sentences (mainly for murdering Israelis) and at least 1,700 who were detained since October 7, among them women and minors. Israeli officials have indicated that the deal does not include members of Hamas’s Nukhba Force who took part in the October 7, 2023, massacre, nor the most prominent commanders described as “symbols of terrorist organizations,” such as Marwan Barghouti. As soon as the deal begins, there will be immediate and large humanitarian aid efforts for Gaza, including the restoration of water, electricity, hospital support, and a US- and UN-backed economic development plan. Oseh Shalom: A Jewish Prayer for Peace עֹשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם בִּמְרוֹמָיו הוּא יַעֲשֶׂה שָׁלוֹם עָלֵֽינוּ וְעַל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאִמְרוּ אָמֵן Oseh shalom bimromav hu ya'aseh shalom aleinu v'al kol Yisra’eil v'imru Amen May the one who creates peace on high bring peace to us and to all Israel. And let us say: Amen.
September 22, 2025
Rosh Hashanah is a time when we reflect on the past year and contemplate the ways in which we have grown, the mistakes we have made, and the opportunities we have yet to seize. As we engage in this sacred process of self-reflection, may we find the strength and courage to make amends, to learn from our experiences, and to grow into our best selves. As we welcome the new year 5786, we do so carrying the weight and wisdom of a year that has tested us in profound ways. This has been a time when our hearts have been stretched between grief and resilience, between fear and hope, between isolation and the deep human need for connection. We have witnessed antisemitism rise in our own communities here in Maine and beyond. We have seen violence and suffering that has shaken us to our core. We have grappled with complex questions about identity, safety, and belonging that have no easy answers. Many of us have felt the particular loneliness that comes from feeling misunderstood or unseen in our pain. Yet here we are, together. We continue to show up for one another. We continue to choose connection over isolation, dialogue over silence, and hope over despair—even when those choices feel impossibly difficult. Together, thanks to the hard work of our tremendously talented development team and the spirit of generosity and cooperation that is a hallmark of our community, the JCA has directly improved the lives of thousands of people locally and globally in the past year. We provided almost $400,000 in allocations to care for the most vulnerable among us, educate our children, strengthen Jewish identities locally, support Jews globally, and foster a thriving Jewish life. We distributed 259,050 diapers, 2,250 diaper wipe packs, and 43,248 menstrual pads through our diaper bank. We are starting a BBYO chapter to foster community and support Jewish identity among our local teens. We resettled 110 refugees from 9 different countries. We provided local school children with 510 pairs of boots through our Winter Warmth Drive. We greatly strengthened our antisemitic response protocol, developing a statewide incident response form and building key relationships with local, state, and national partners. We held our first Mitzvah Day, with 60 volunteers at 7 project sites, and subsequently created a mitzvah corps that comes together monthly to do volunteer work around the Portland area. We brought disparate voices together in dialogue to work toward shared understanding. And held space for our community to come together, to spread joy, to share pain, to remember, to hope for a brighter future, and to work to build a better world. The shofar calls us not to forget this year's trials, but to carry their lessons forward. It reminds us that we are part of an ancient story of perseverance, that we belong to a people who have always found ways to build meaning from brokenness, to plant seeds of justice even in the hardest ground. Every generation has faced its darkness and chosen to kindle light anyway. This is our moment to be ancestors to the future. Each conversation that builds understanding, each time we choose action over inaction and courage over fear—these become the foundation for the world we want our children to inherit. We plant trees whose shade we may never sit in, but whose shelter will comfort generations to come. As we stand at this threshold between years, we acknowledge what we've lost and what we've learned. We commit to continuing the sacred work of repairing our world—tikkun olam—knowing that this work is never finished, never perfect, but always necessary. We do this work not because we are certain of the outcome, but because hope is more than passive waiting—it is active faith in our ability to create change. Too often we are quick to call out the changes other people need to make, and shy away from taking account of the work we need to do internally. Our tradition emphasizes the critical principle of Kol Israel – that each Jew is responsible, one for the other. We can all benefit from reflection on the changes and repairs we need to make as individuals, looking inward before casting outward. We can also all benefit by affording others a little more grace to learn and grow and change, focusing more on building up instead of tearing down, of uniting rather than dividing. Given the host of ills in the world, it’s more important than ever that we stand together to confront the challenges we face as a community, as a nation, as a people, as human beings. May this new year bring healing to our community and our world. May we find strength in our traditions and in each other. And may we remember that even in the darkest times, we are never truly alone. Shanah Tovah u'Metukah. Leslie Kirby, Chief Executive Officer Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine 🍎🍯🍏
By Zach Schwartz, JCRC Director September 22, 2025
Did you know that there is a connection between Jews and the Tutsi people of Rwanda and Burundi? One member of Portland’s community, Paul Niyonizigiye, who immigrated from Burundi (a country in Africa), is passionately keeping that connection alive. While Paul’s faith is Unitarian Universalism, he donates regularly to Jewish causes, including the World Jewish Congress and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, and considers himself both to be an ally of the Jewish people and a supporter of Israel. “If I see Jewish people in the community, I see my brother or sister, even if I don’t know them,” Paul tells me during a recent visit to the JCA. Tutsi people and Jewish people have many similar customs , including not eating pork or mixing meat and milk, and some historians believe this points to a shared historical origin. Paul himself believes that Tutsis are descended from Ethiopian Jews who settled in the region millennia ago. But the connection between the Tutsi people and Jewish people doesn’t stop at mysteriously similar traditions or shared ancestry. Our modern histories are marred by tragedy: Tutsis were the primary victims of the Rwandan genocide, where 800,000 people were killed in 100 days. Many Tutsis after the genocide have looked towards Israel, and more broadly Jews, as an example of how to survive a horror and rebuild afterwards. In fact, while the blight of antisemitism spreads again throughout the world, many Rwandans and Tutsis continue to hold a positive perception of Jews, Israel, and the Jewish religion. We consider Paul a friend of the JCA, and we look forward to continuing to build with him and the Tutsi community in Maine. I interviewed Paul about his connection to the Jewish people, his thoughts on Israel, and his message to our community.
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