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Monthly Archives: November 2024

Pope Francis with Italy's President Sergio Mattarella in 2022. Credit: Quirinale via Wikimedia Commons.

The pope’s embrace of evil discourse

Op-Eds
By
Melanie Phillips
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With just a few words, Pope Francis has plunged relations between Jews and Catholics into their worst crisis for decades and undone years of delicate rapprochement. In a new book published for the Catholic Church’s...
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A view of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Photo by Arie Leib Abrams/Flash90.

House passes resolutions to combat Jew-hatred, strip funding from terror-linked nonprofits

News
By
Andrew Bernard
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0
The U.S. House of Representatives passed resolutions this week condemning antisemitism and moving to strip the tax-exempt status from organizations that provide material support to designated terrorist organizations. A resolution “Condemning the global rise of...
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International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Karim Khan during an interview in Paris, Feb. 7, 2024. Photo by Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images.

Israeli politicians condemn ICC warrants against Netanyahu, Gallant

Israel
By
JNS
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0
Israeli politicians from across the political spectrum condemned the International Criminal Court’s decision on Thursday to issue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar...
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Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir attends a committee meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, Nov. 20, 2023. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.

Three Palestinians charged in plot to kill Ben-Gvir, son

Israel
By
Jewish Website
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0
Three Palestinian terrorists from Hebron have been charged with plotting to murder Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and his son, the Israel Police and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) announced on Thursday following...
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Freedom Party chief Geert Wilders speaks with Caroline van der Plas, the leader of the Farmer–Citizen Movement, at the House of Representatives in The Hague, Sept. 18, 2024. Photo by Sem van der Wal/ANP/AFP via Getty Images.

After Amsterdam pogrom, Dutch lawmakers vote to close antisemitic mosques

News
By
Akiva Van Koningsveld
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The Netherlands' House of Representatives on Tuesday passed a motion calling to shutter mosques whose leaders preach the destruction of Israel. The motion, submitted by the leader of the coalition's Farmer–Citizen Movement and titled, "The...
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Sgt. Gur Kehati, 20, was killed battling Hezbollah terrorists in Southern Lebanon, Nov. 20, 2024. Credit: IDF.

IDF names soldier killed alongside civilian in Lebanon

Israel
By
Jewish Website
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The Israel Defense Forces on Thursday morning identified the soldier killed in Southern Lebanon on Wednesday alongside a civilian researcher as Sgt. Gur Kehati, 20, of the Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion, from Nir Banim. He...
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President-elect Donald Trump meets with President Joe Biden in the Oval Office of the White House, Nov. 13, 2024. Photo by Cameron Smith/White House.

Will Biden act against Israel during the lame-duck period?

Op-Eds
By
Yaacov Lappin
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0
The final two months of the Biden administration may see diplomatic actions taken against Israel, although the White House has neither confirmed nor denied assessments on the issue. One scenario could see the administration consider...
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On several recent flights in the United States, I was rather surprised, and somewhat bemused, to see full-page ads in the airline magazines for a matchmaking service. In fact, there was more than one such service being advertised. Who would believe that in the sophisticated 21st-century, old Yente—the matchmaker from “Fiddler on the Roof”—is being resurrected? “Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match, find me a find, catch me a catch.” Oh, the ad was very slick and professional, but essentially, it was Yente all over again. Frankly, I must admit to feeling gratified seeing that the old shidduch system is alive and well in modern, corporate America. For decades, cultured Jews in the United States and elsewhere looked down upon the shidduch system still practiced in the religious community. It was considered archaic and outdated in the new age where everyone was marrying for love. It was beneath these moderns to rely on a shadchan, a “matchmaker,” to find one’s partner in life. But when you think about it, how many people find their marriage partners completely on their own? Most are introduced by a friend, given a telephone number or invited to a party where the host’s express intention is to introduce a certain man and a woman to each other. It’s probably the exception where two people happen to meet on their own and go on to marry each other, unless they were high school sweethearts who kept up the relationship. If a mutual friend who knows both parties thinks it’s a good match, it stands a far better chance of success than a random meeting at a bar, where one’s judgment is often blurred by the beer. How many people have met their bashert online on the many dating services available today? I don’t know the number, but there are a great many who have. It may be online, but it’s basically a shidduch service. I think there was always a misunderstanding of the shidduch system by people on the outside. Many thought that it was the parents choosing a match for their son or daughter, and the couple themselves had no choice in the matter. Not true! A matchmaker, shadchan, only makes a suggestion. If the couple agrees to meet, there is no coercion to marry. Millions of young religious men and women have gone on one or two dates and decided it’s not for them. End of story. Back to the drawing board until the right person comes up. How different is that from the dating sites or the socialite shadchan-like advertising in the airline magazine? Even in the religious community, parents and mentors always advise young people that there must be chemistry between a couple before they should commit to marriage. When comparing his and her résumés and profiles the union may appear great on paper, but the human element must never be compromised. The couple themselves must feel attracted to one another. As a rule, rabbis or rebbetzins who are asked for advice by indecisive, tentative men and women will always ask if there is an attraction, a vibe, a good feeling between the parties. There’s a lot to be said for the shidduch system, even with its inherent problems, which it does have. Still, the numbers don’t lie, and generations of happy, content, loving families speak for themselves. Yes, in the observant community parents are usually involved in helping their children decide who to date. But that’s nothing to be ashamed of. Parental guidance can be very helpful. Too often, I’ve been asked to counsel families where a son or daughter wanted to marry someone the parents felt was inappropriate. I can confirm that in cases where the young person defied their parents’ objections to the union, the marriage usually didn’t last. Infatuation often gets in the way of logical reasoning. While it is their decision alone, young people would be well advised to listen very carefully to their parents’ opinions and loving advice. This week’s Torah portion, Chaye Sarah, records the very first shidduch in the Bible. Abraham dispatches his trusted servant, Eliezer, to Abraham’s hometown with the singular mission of finding a wife for his son, Isaac. Eliezer meets young Rebecca at the well ... and the rest is history. She is beautiful, exceptionally kind and generous, and she is from the same family as Abraham, his great-niece, in fact. The shidduch is made, and Isaac and Rebecca marry. This match was clearly ordained by heaven, and there wasn’t much dating before it came to pass. But ever since Eliezer—the first shadchan in history—successfully concluded the deal, the shidduch system has served us well. So whether it’s from an ad in a magazine, an online dating service or your local Yente, don’t be shy to look for your bashert through the agency of an intermediary. May all our single men and women who are looking in earnest find their own bashert ASAP.

The very first ‘shidduch’

Jewish World
By
Rabbi Yossy Goldman
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On several recent flights in the United States, I was rather surprised, and somewhat bemused, to see full-page ads in the airline magazines for a matchmaking service. In fact, there was more than one...
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Glass shards amid the memorabilia collection highlighting Israel's history. Photo by Hadi Orr.

A collection of Israel’s history becomes history

Jewish World
By
David Matlow
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We collectors are an odd but determined group. We latch on to a story and spend countless hours finding tangible items that tell it. We are determined that the story will never be forgotten....
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Tzav 9 activists block the entrance to Ashdod Port during a protest against aid trucks entering the Gaza Strip, Feb. 1, 2024. Photo by Chaim Goldberg/Flash90.

Tzav 9 to resume protests against aid to Hamas

Israel
By
Jewish Website
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Israel's Tzav 9 ("Order 9") protest group that opposes humanitarian aid going to Hamas terrorists in the Gaza Strip announced on Wednesday the resumption of its activities after a five-month hiatus. "Tomorrow, Thursday, 411 days...
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