Diaspora

President Isaac Herzog brings Israel’s embrace to Australian Jews as protests rage outside

DIASPORA AFFAIRS: Despite protests, Herzog’s trip to Australia underscored Israel's solidarity with the Jewish community following the Bondi Beach massacre.

|ByHERB KEINON
'We are one big family, and when one Jew is hurt, all Jews feel their pain.’ President Isaac Herzog used his trip to Australia to act as Israel’s comforter-in-chief for the stricken community after the Bondi Beach terrorist attack in December.
Demonstrators hold US and Israeli flags during a rally in Central Park marking 150 days since hostages were taken in attack on Israel on March 10, 2024 in New York City.

We backed Birthright. Now it’s time for more big ideas for a post-Oct. 7 world - opinion

Not long ago, it felt as if we were in a Jewish golden age. Now, we must face the realities of our time and take action to ensure the continued vitality of the Jewish people.

|ByCHARLES BRONFMAN/JTA, JEFFREY R. SOLOMON/JTA
Synagogue security funds and practices can come with tradeoffs, Jewish leaders say.

US synagogues face a terrible choice: Collaborate with ICE or risk our own safety - opinion

Synagogues must decide whether to comply with ICE's terms tied to DHS security grants or uphold their values by refusing to cooperate with enforcement actions.

|ByRABBI ARI LEV FORNARI/JTA, JON ARGAMAN/JTA
THE ANNUAL Celebrate Israel parade takes place along Fifth Avenue in New York City, in 2017.

US Jews need an Identity Zionist intervention - opinion

American Jewish leaders, teachers, rabbis, and parents must go back to basics – learning what Zionism means, then teaching it to the next generation.

|ByGIL TROY

Josh Shapiro: Return of America’s oldest antisemitic trope - opinion

Josh Shapiro’s experience shows that Jews are still suspected of divided loyalties in US politics.

FEBRUARY 1, 2026ByURI PILICHOWSKI
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is seen speaking to suppporters. The Harris campaign’s suspicions of Shapiro’s loyalty is nothing new for Jewish Americans, the writer says.

From ‘hasbara’ to cognitive warfare: Why responsibility must be reframed - opinion

Antisemitism today is not only hatred of Jews: It is a tool for destabilizing democratic societies, eroding confidence in information, and turning identity itself into suspicion.

FEBRUARY 1, 2026ByJEFFREY KAHN
Demonstrators hold a banner in relation to group "Palestine Action" and flags in support of Palestinians during a national protest, ahead of the two year anniversary of the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas from Gaza, in Dublin, Ireland, October 4 2025.

Israel launches gov't initiative to bring home, reunite Bnei Menashe community

DIASPORA AFFAIRS: Under the government-led effort, Bnei Menashe families receive comprehensive support to facilitate their integration, with guidance from social workers and community mentors.

JANUARY 31, 2026ByBATSHEVA SHULMAN
THE KHONGSAI family in front of their sukkah, one of the families in Kibbutz Maoz Tzur. The kibbutz is home to more than 100 people across 21 families and is largely self-sustaining through basic farming, with residents maintaining Jewish traditions while awaiting their journey to Israel.

Jewish seniors rally behind their caregivers as 350,000 Haitians are set to lose legal status

At Sinai Residences in Boca Raton, Florida, for example, 9% of staff members are Haitians with Temporary Protected Status, and they won’t be able to work after Tuesday.

JANUARY 31, 2026ByANDREW LAPIN/JTA
A staff member assists a resident of the Sinai Residences in Boca Raton, Florida, on June 6, 2025.

Josh Shapiro’s new memoir puts his Jewish identity at the center of his political vision

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro asserts that Judaism is not a sidebar to his public life, but one of its central organizing principles.

JANUARY 31, 2026ByANDREW SILOW-CARROLL/JTA
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro speaks at Pennsylvania Department of State’s press briefing, after polls close, on the day of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Ritchie Torres challenger takes aim at Bronx 'Zionist millionaires' in campaign video

Political organizer Jose Vega claimed Ritchie Torres was "bought and controlled by Zionist influencers and millionaires" in a new congressional campaign video.

JANUARY 31, 2026ByJOSEPH STRAUSS/JTA
Congressional challenger Jose Vega, left, tells anti-Israel influencer Erik Warsaw that Rep. Ritchie Torres is controlled by "Zionist influencers and millionaires" living in Riverdale, a heavily Jewish Bronx neighborhood.

Shabbat candle lighting times for Israel and US

See Shabbat times for your area.

JANUARY 30, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Shabbat candles

Editor's Notes: Even after his death, Rabbi Sacks' idea of antisemitism stays dangerously relevant

In Sacks' European Parliament speech, he described antisemitism as a virus that defeats the immune system by constantly changing its structure.

JANUARY 30, 2026ByZVIKA KLEIN
Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, 1948-2020.

My four-year-old says the most precious thing in our home is our passports - opinion

Friday night, reading the newsletter at the Sabbath table, I asked her why. She said, “Because we keep them hidden in the safe, and they let us travel if we ever have to leave.”

JANUARY 30, 2026ByRABBI YAACOV BEHRMAN
Passport in man's back pocket, ready to head out of the country for an adventure.

Aliyah surge seen as strategic opportunity for postwar recovery, says Director General Kahana

With applications doubling worldwide, Aliyah and Integration Director General Avichai Kahana says reducing bureaucracy and ensuring Olim success is key to strengthening the state.

JANUARY 29, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
New Olim landing in Israel