WE REMEMBER

IDF Soldier Killed in Combat

Warrant Officer (res.) Alexander Glovanyov, 47 years old, from Petah Tikva, a driver in the Transport Center's 6924th Battalion

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To see the faces of the soldiers who have lost their lives while defending Israel since October 7th, Click Here

MAY THEIR MEMORIES BE FOR A BLESSING

By Our Rabbis

This week we feature a column written by ZRC Board Member, Rabbi Scott Roland

During recent testimony before the Ohio Senate, Khalid Turaani, the Ohio regional executive director for the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), made a claim so grotesque that it cannot be ignored. 

While speaking in opposition to Senate Bill 87, which would see Ohio adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, Turaani claimed that, “Israel has the largest human skin bank in the world. Where do you think they got all this skin from?” He continued by alleging that Israel is “literally skinning the dead bodies of my brothers and sisters in Palestine. That’s where they are getting the human skin from.” He then declared, “And if I call them Nazis, your law is going to punish me.”

None of this is true.

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Rabbis Must Be On The Front Line Of Israel’s Eighth Front

During this time of unprecedented challenges for Israel and the Jewish people, discourse on Israel has become toxic and increasingly polarized.  Both the far left and the far right have united in this vitriolic union.  The once bipartisan consensus on Israel has collapsed under media assauly on Zionism.

To read the rest of Rabbi Weinblatt’s column featured in today’s EJPhilanthropy, Please Click Here 

Hannah Levitt: ZRC Nationwide Essay Contest Winner

The Zionist Rabbinic Coalition recently held a nationwide essay contest for Jewish high school students titled My Israel, My Voice. Students were invited to reflect on what Israel means to them, why they feel committed to Israel’s future, and how they envision standing up for Israel as they move through high school and college.

We received a number of thoughtful submissions from across the country and are proud to announce this year’s winner, selected by a panel of ZRC board members: Hannah Levitt, an 11th-grade student from the suburbs of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Her essay focuses on her journey toward reclaiming her Jewish identity and personal responsibility to Israel as her spiritual homeland, moving from a place of resentment and peer pressure to a deep-seated connection rooted in both Torah and human relationships.

As the winner, Hannah received a cash prize and the opportunity to direct a donation to an Israel-connected tzedakah of her choice. She selected the NOAM Masorti Youth Movement, and a donation has been made in her honor.

CLICK HERE to read Hannah’s essay

This initiative highlights the voices of the next generation of Israel advocates and offers a meaningful way to engage Jewish teens nationwide. We congratulate Hannah and look forward to continuing this contest in the years ahead.

Maine Senate Candidate Normalizes Antisemitism In The Democratic Party

In not so recent times, "Punch a Nazi" was a cornerstone of moral progressive politics. That has disintegrated into Anti-Zionism quickly becoming a mainstream idea within the Democratic faction. This phenomenon was sadly and clearly demonstrated by the presumptive Democratic nominee for United States Senate from the State of Maine, Graham Platner.

Hitler's Words And Ideas Are Mirrored In Palestinian Propaganda

The narratives about Jews, Israel and Israelis that plague social media and the world today are deeply reminiscent of the words and propaganda spewed by Hitler and the Nazis. Claims of Jews being the archenemy to demands to "strike the aggressive Jews, count them and kill them one by one, and do not leave even one.”

Debunking the Myths

Click on the image below to watch Shabbos Kestenbaum debunk the antisemitic/anti-Zionist tropes and myths that are so prevalent today.

Study Definitively Calls For An End To The Denial Of October 7 Atrocities

Similar to the phenomenon of Holocaust denial, the denial of the Hamas's October 7 sexual atrocities has been rearing its ugly head. An international independent investigation by the Civil Commission on October 7th Crimes by Hamas against Women and Children led by Dr. Cochav Elkayam-Levy, the 2024 Israel Prize laureate, and supported by a team of legal giants has synthesized over 430 testimonies, 1,800 hours of visual analysis, and 10,000 photographs. The findings reveal the absolutely undeniable truth of the atrocities and demands the lies of denial must be replaced by accountability and a powerful commitment from the international community to honoring the memory of those who suffered the unthinkable.

Largely Democratic Group of Lawmakers Call Out Antisemitism

A group of mostly Democratic leaders called out the growing antisemitism in the US. In a dire warning, they state that there have been two places where Jews have felt safe, the US and Israel. Our country is currently in a sad state of affairs as antisemitism explodes in the US. Rep. Friedman, tells her party that no one "can sit this out" and must be here to combat antisemitism.

Click on the images below to watch Noam Bettan's winning performance at the Eurovision Semi final. He donned tefillin prior to his powerful performance in Vienna on Tuesday, May 12

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