The Jewish Chronicle

29/12/2025

Freed hostages Ilana and Matan are engaged!

Full story at thejc.com

https://vist.ly/4jy2b

28/12/2025

Spanning the gamut of Jewish religious practice – from humanist to Orthodox – and including participants of all ages, Shabbat saw around 850 people come together for prayer services, singing and speaker sessions, ending with a communal Havdalah – for many, a highlight of the festival.

By Saturday evening, the bar was packed as old-timers caught up with one another and newbies got their head around the programme, which includes a choice of several sessions per hour, running from 8am until just before midnight.

Chairs Jake Berger and Sarah Rose were delighted by how Limmud had kicked off. “We’ve had a brilliant Shabbat at Festival. Being here at the biggest event in the Jewish communal calendar is incredibly uplifting - all the more so as it has been created by our talented and creative team of volunteers. We can’t wait to welcome more participants today.”

Follow more stories from Limmud through the link in bio

28/12/2025

In an extract from his new book, Masorti's Rabbi Adam Zagoria-Moffet argues that Judaism takes a questioning rather than dogmatic approach to belief

The non-dogmatic basis of Jewish theology encourages freedom of thought, a new book argues

24/12/2025

Greta Thunberg has been arrested while protesting in support of the Palestine Action hunger strikers in London.

A video posted on the social media feed for Prisoners for Palestine shows the 22-year-old sitting on the ground holding a sign which read “I support Palestine Action prisoners, I oppose genocide”.

Thurnberg is then approached by two police officers who remove her poster and ask her to stand, which she refuses.

Pristoners for Palestine said “She was arrested under the Terrorism Act for holding a sign which read ‘I support Palestine Action prisoners. I oppose genocide’.

"Amongst their demands, the hunger strikers called for Elbit to be shut down and for the ban to be lifted. If the government won't listen, the people will.”

Prisoners for Palestine describes itself as “a prisoner-led collective in Britain representing all those detained under charges related to Palestinian liberation”.

Eight prisoners – all currently facing charges related to alleged break-ins or criminal damage carried out on behalf of Palestine Action – joined a hunger strike, beginning in November.

In recent days, three of the group have quit the strike, while another is now described by supporters as “intermittently refusing to eat” because of an underlying health condition. A number of the group have also been hospitalised since the strike began.

23/12/2025

‘The time has come’ said Foreign Minist Gideon Sa’ar in the wake of the Heaton Park and Bondi massacres.

"Jews have the right to live in safety everywhere. But we see and fully understand what is happening, and we have a certain historical experience," he said.

"[Israelis] are waiting for you here with open arms. With love. In the true home of the Jewish people. Why raise your children in this atmosphere?

Read the full story and more through the link in bio

22/12/2025

The Israeli government has announced 19 new Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

This includes 11 newly-built communities and eight formerly illegal outposts which will now be recognised under Israeli law.

A resolution supporting the project was backed by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Defence Minister Israel Katz, and was approved by the security cabinet earlier this month.

The move comes in a year that has seen a surge in settler violence, as well as attacks against settlements by Palestinians.

As of last month, Israeli authorities have recorded 704 incidents of “nationalistic crime” so far in 2025, compared to 675 in all of 2024.

Follow the story as it develops through the link in bio

22/12/2025

“Israel has continued its strong recovery from the chaos of 2023,” the British weekly stated in its annual report, concluding that Israel had moved up three places from last year to take third spot behind Portugal and Ireland.

The welcome news comes after significant economic turbulence following October 7.

In February 2024 it was reported that Israel’s economy had shrunk by nearly 20 per cent in the last three months of 2023, according to official figures.

The country’s GDP was “directly affected” by the October 7 massacre and subsequent conflict in Gaza, the Central Bureau of Statistics said.

Analysts predicted a contraction of around 10 per cent as a consequence of the war with Hamas, which took a toll on consumer spending, trade and investment, but preliminary figures showed a 19.4 per cent drop off in Israel’s annual GDP.

However by April, things were already looking up. During a visit to Jerusalem, the Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) offered a positive outlook for Israel's economic future, saying that the organisation expected Israel’s economic growth in 2025 to surpass both the global average and the performance of other OECD member states.

Find the full story through the link in bio

22/12/2025

On the 22nd October Professor Michael ben Gad was harrassed by pro-Palestinian protestors during his lecture at the City St George's, University of London. On the 29th of January he will be discussing whether British Universities are still a safe space for Jewish students and staff.

Joining him will be President of the Union of Jewish Students, Louis Danker. UJS represents 10,000+ Jewish university students in the UK & Ireland.

Be part of a thought-provoking and insightful conversation about universities today. They will be exploring culture, safety, challenges and opportunities facing Jewish life in higher education.

Get tickets through the link in bio.

22/12/2025

One for the Trekkies...

What made the show so groundbreaking was its insistence on inclusiveness and tolerance

22/12/2025

Merry Christmas, Schmistmas!

From ‘Elf’ to ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, we bring you the season’s most iconic Yiddishe movies

22/12/2025

The diagnosis has enabled patients to consider preventative treatments, which may be life-saving in some cases.

The scheme’s pioneer, Professor Ranjit Manchanda, has hailed the first results as a “tremendous success”.

The NHS Jewish BRCA Testing Programme had opened at the start of 2024, in partnership with community charities Chai Cancer Care and Jnetics.

Registration was open to anyone with at least one Jewish grandparent but closed two months ago.

Now the government has confirmed it will be resumed next year, with the exact date to be announced.

Women who are BRCA carriers have a lifetime risk of up to 79 per cent of developing breast cancer and up to 53 per cent for ovarian cancer, and male carriers of the BRCA 2 gene have up to 35 per cent risk of prostate cancer.

The scheme’s pioneer, Professor Manchanda, co-leader of cancer screening, prevention and epidemiology at the Wolfson Institute of Population Health, told the JC: “The programme has been a tremendous success. People were very engaged, and the collaboration between the health service and the community was very successful.

To follow this story and register for BRCA testing head to the link in bio

22/12/2025

Parents at an Edgware school revolt against new admissions proposals

The policy set out modest dress rules for women and would have required men to attend services at least six times a week at a local synagogue