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WJC President Ronald S. Lauder condemns attack in Elad

“Terror has struck at the heart of Israeli society yet again. This latest attack, which comes on the heels of Yom Ha’atzmaut [Israel Independence Day], is a stark reminder that even in times of joy the people of Israel can never afford to drop their guard," said WJC President Ronald S. Lauder. Read More...

WJC deplores remarks by Russian FM Lavrov

“I join Israeli Prime Minister Bennett and Foreign Minister Lapid in deploring Foreign Minister Lavrov’s unfortunate comments as being beyond any legitimate and permissible rhetoric," said WJC President Ronald S. Lauder. Read More...

Reviving the Renaissance temples of Venice’s Jewish Ghetto | New York Times

An $11 million project is underway to restore three decaying synagogues and preserve the city’s history of harboring European Jews. The project’s supporters include Ronald Lauder, the Jerome Levy Foundation, British and French members of the Rothschild family, Save Venice, the World Monuments Fund and smaller contributors. Read More...

Ukraine Crisis Update – Week of May 2nd

Thanks to the dedication of our WJC staff, working together with the VAAD, we were able to provide matzah to Jews in many parts of the country for Pesach, and a further shipment of food has arrived this week. Read More...

Members of the Ronald S. Lauder Fellowship reflect on state of antisemitism

With many Jewish communities across the globe still facing serious threats and requiring significant support, members of the Ronald S. Lauder Fellowship shared their experiences facing anti-Zionism, white supremacy and other forms of antisemitism on campus. Read More...

A talk with God about the Holocaust

"When I talk about ghosts, I talk about images in my mind of those who perished. And it can be the image of a child going into the gas chamber and trying to relate to his pain, his agony, or what happened to his soul afterwards," said WJC Associate Executive Vice President Menachem Z. Rosensaft. Read More...

The former dissident who heads Ukraine’s Jewish community wants his country to ‘learn to live during this war’ | eJewish Philanthropy

“Of course our community will decrease largely in number. I understand that,” said Association of Jewish Organizations and Communities of Ukraine Chair and WJC Vice President Josef Zissels. “Even after the war, there will be a major Jewish community here, and I hope that we’ll eventually come to the stage when we’ll be 100% independent financially and when we’ll be able to provide financial help to Israel and to other communities.” Read More...

Putin apologized for "Hitler" claim, PM Bennet says | Axios

The Prime Minister accepted President Putin's apology for Lavrov's remarks and thanked him for clarifying the President's attitude towards the Jewish people and the memory of the Holocaust," Bennett’s office said in a statement. Read More...

OAS Secretary at LAJC Conference: “Violent extremism must be confronted”

"We reiterate our deep concern about how dictatorships in this hemisphere have transformed into terrorist organizations like Hezbollah and of countries like Iran that actively promote antisemitism,” said Organization of American States Secretary General Louis Almagro. Read More...

European Parliament condemns the Palestinian Authority for funding more violent and hateful textbooks | European Jewish Press

The resolution adopted by the EU parliament during its plenary session in Strasbourg demands that the Palestinian Authority be “closely scrutinized,” that the curriculum be modified “expeditiously,” and reiterates previous motions adopted by the Parliament insisting that funding to the PA “must be made conditional” on teaching peace and tolerance in compliance with UNESCO standards. Read More...

‘Arguments fall silent in cemeteries’: Herzog calls for unity in Memorial Day speech | Times of Israel

“Our sons and daughters, who fell in defense of our state, fought together and fell together. They did not ask, nor did anyone ask them, who was right-wing and who was left-wing. Who was religious. Who was secular. Who was Jewish and who was not Jewish,” President Isaac Herzog said. Read More...

‘Our ties are unbreakable’: Biden, world leaders share Israeli Independence Day messages

“A long and close friendship between our countries began the moment the United States became the first country in the world to recognize Israel as an independent state just 11 minutes after it was founded,” President Biden said.  Read More...

US envoy: I give Israel ‘a lot of credit’ for its handling of Jerusalem tensions | Times of Israel

US ambassador to Israel Thomas Nides credited Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Yael Lempert and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Israeli and Palestinian Affairs Hady Amr, who came to the region last week and met with all the sides in an effort to ensure calm. Read More...

Netherlands rejects Amnesty report accusing Israel of apartheid

“The cabinet does not agree with Amnesty’s conclusion that there is apartheid in Israel or the territories occupied by Israel,” Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra  wrote. “In light of the above, the cabinet also rejects the recommendations made by Amnesty in the report.” Read More...

OpEd | I Am a Crimson Editor and I Stand with Israel

Responding to the Crimson’s Editorial Board announcement support for the BDS movement, Natalie L. Kahn, president of Harvard Hillel, writes "Israel is not perfect, nor is any other country. But this editorial is part of a larger trend of singling out Jews, conveniently neglecting our half of the story — and by extension our right to self-determination — while claiming to “oppose antisemitism.” Read More...

Defining antisemitism: Double standards against the State of Israel 

For thousands of years, a clear signal of antisemitism was treating Jews differently than other citizens. Similarly, today we must be aware of when criticism of Israel is being applied selectively and a double standard if being implemented. Read More...

Romania agrees to pay new reparations to Holocaust survivors in deal with Israel | Haaretz 

Romania will pay reparations worth up to 2,500 shekels ($745) a month to Romanian Holocaust survivors for the rest of their lives, following an agreement between the Israeli and Romanian governments. Read More...

 OpEd | Diary of a journey: An Arab-Israeli delegation to Auschwitz

"Eighty years ago, Jews marched hopeless to their deaths; we marched together, Jews and Arabs, all of us full of hope and singing “Hevenu Shalom Aleichem” (“We come to greet you in peace”)," writes Together - Vouch for Each Other CEO Yoseph Haddad. Read More...

 5 May 1945 | Mauthausen concentration camp liberated  

It is estimated that at least 190,000 people were imprisoned at Mauthausen between 1940 and 1945; of those, at least 95,000 people, including no less than 14,000 Jews, were murdered there. Read More...

Honoring the brave women protecting Israel

More than 500 female soldiers have been killed in combat operations in Israel over the past 50 years. On Yom HaZikaron, Israel's Memorial Day, we honor all the brave soldiers who fell serving and protecting the country. May their memory be a blessing. Watch Now...

Happy 74th birthday, Israel!

For Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel's Independence Day, these 74 photos both define and celebrate the country we love so much. Happy 74th birthday, Israel! Watch Now...