The Bulletin

1.30.2025


Bring Them Home

1.Hostages


Arbel Yehoud (29) returned home after being held hostage for 482 days. Kept in complete isolation (by Islamic Jihad not Hamas). Welcome home. Arbel was released today along with Agam Berger (20) and Gadi Moses (81) both from Nahal Oz. Five non-Israeli hostages who were also taken hostage 482 days ago were returned in today's exchange. Three more (no names yet) are scheduled to be released on Saturday. More from today's exchange in this Forward article, "Eight hostages were returned to Israel following chaotic scenes in Gaza."


"Condemning the chaotic scenes from Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered a delay in the release of the Palestinian security prisoners that Israel had committed to free in exchange for the hostages, until Hamas and mediators could assure him that hostages released in the future would be safe."

2.In Our Community This Week


On Monday we recognized the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz on International Holocaust Remembrance Day at UMass Dartmouth. Guest speaker Helen Jacobson talked about her family's experiences working for the "Joint" (American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee) and HIAS, assisting Jewish refugees following World War II.


Federation President Manya Bark opened the commemoration and said:


"Today is International Holocaust Remembrance Day. We mark 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz and 80 years since 6 million Jewish people were murdered. Each year we remember the massacre of Jewish, Roma, LGBTQ+, and disabled communities. We are just three generation away from our attempted extermination. The Holocaust is often treated as an event, a moment – but it wasn’t. The Holocaust was born from centuries of hatred and propaganda – culminating in a conspiracy so potent that it convinced half a continent of people that total elimination of the Jewish people was not only acceptable but a righteous endeavor. Millions of tiny flames of hate and propaganda lit the fires of Auschwitz. However, those fires were not extinguished by the Red Army when they liberated Auschwitz that cold day on January 27th, 1945. 


"As of 2024 nearly 1 in 4 Americans believe in 6 or more anti-Jewish stereotypes – that equals 84 million people. 63% of Millennials and Gen Z don’t know that 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. Just 2% of Americans are Jewish – that is only 8 million people. With coming generations, the threat only grows. Millennials and Gen Z agree with more anti-Jewish tropes than the average Gen X and baby boomers. And since October 7th, 2023, over 10,000 incidents of antisemitism have been recorded in the USA. Missing are those thousands that were not reported. The Holocaust is not ancient history – it happened in contemporary Europe. It was not perpetrated by faceless actors, but by parents, siblings, children – humans – just like you and me.


"We are the last generation to live with survivors. We are left with both a burden and a privilege: REMEMBRANCE. The responsibility to tell their stories is left to us – this is OUR challenge."


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On Tuesday, our leadership sat down for a chat with Benjamin Sharoni, the consul general of Israel to New England. Much of the conversation focused on antisemitism in the wake of October 7th. The consul was here to listen and promised to bring together Jewish representatives from throughout the region for more such conversations. He also said we will see him in New Bedford again soon. 



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3.Anywhere But Home


He will be the first foreign leader invited to 47's White House. Benjamin Netanyahu says he will meet Donald Trump there on February 4th.  Such is the discomfort for Netanyahu at home - (will he ever pay the political price for the country's greatest fiasco?) - running to uncle Don and maybe seeing his wife and son who now live in Florida (she escaped in November) might provide Bibi with a rare quiet moment. 


"The meeting will come more than two weeks into the Israel-Hamas ceasefire Trump helped broker. Trump has sent mixed signals about whether he expects the ceasefire, whose latter stages have yet to be negotiated, to last. In recent days, he has also discussed efforts to encourage Arab states to take in Palestinians from Gaza."

4.Worth a Watch


"Resistance: They Fought Back, a feature documentary about Jewish resistance, community and strength during the Holocaust, premieres on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Monday, Jan. 27, at 10 p.m. (check local listings) on PBS, PBS.org, the PBS App and the PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel.


"Longtime PBS NOVA executive producer Paula S. Apsell interviewed survivors, their children and expert witnesses from the U.S., Israel and Europe to shine a new light on Jewish perseverance and revolts, dispelling the myth of “sheep to the slaughter”—the falsehood that Jews didn’t fight back."

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5.Smashing!


PLNT Burger, the new kosher burger joint that opened in Coolidge Corner in December 2024, serves kosher and halal fast food. The brand has strong Jewish roots.


"Coolidge Corner was chosen for a reason. In addition to having a vibrant kosher population, the area swarms with students. 'Young people are a huge demographic for us. We want to empower them to understand how our dietary choices represent a huge part of our carbon footprint. This doesn’t have to be a downgrade. Rather, it can be an upgrade to enjoy planet-friendly, plant-based options,' Goldman says.


"The burgers use Beyond Meat. The plant-based vegan patties are then smashed and coated in a signature, browned caramelized onion schmear to ensure crackling juiciness."


While we might need to make a drive up the road to try a PLNT burger, we can make some at home now. Enjoy.

Blended Beef, White Bean and Squash Burgers

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Bánh Mì Turkey Burgers

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Copycat Big Mac

Visit our website

Shabbat Shalom and Am Israel Chai,


Amir


The Bulletin is a weekly email from Amir Cohen, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Bedford. I welcome your feedback at amir@jewishnewbedford.org. 

Jewish Federation of 
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