Asaf Elia-Shalev
Pastor Mike Evans of the Friends of Zion Heritage Center speaks to more than 1,000 Christian influencers on a delegation organized by his group and the Israeli Foreign Ministry, Dec. 3, 2025. (Amir Levy/Getty Images)
April 29, 2026, 2:13 pm
Israel just quadrupled its PR budget to $730M. Experts say it won’t work.
Spending on image should be “like investing in jets, bombs and missile interceptors,” Israel’s foreign minister says.
By Asaf Elia-Shalev
Pinchas Cohen speaks at the USC Asian Health and Longevity Symposium on Feb. 27, 2026. (Courtesy)
April 16, 2026, 12:57 pm
Many peptides sound like Yiddish words. Here’s why.
Pinchas Cohen is the Jewish USC researcher behind discoveries like SHLP (“schlep”), SHMOOSE and MENTSH.
By Asaf Elia-Shalev
A large crowd of demonstrators gather near the Federal Building in the Westwood area to celebrate and call for freedom for the Iranian people in the wake of U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran that killed Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on March 1, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Qian Weizhong/VCG via Getty Images)
March 3, 2026, 10:42 am
For Iranian Jews in US, war brings jubilation, unease and dreams of a future visit
The emotional intensity comes at a season already dense with symbolism: This week Jews around the world celebrate Purim, and soon after comes Nowruz, the Persian New Year.
By Asaf Elia-Shalev
President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the chambers of the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, DC on Feb. 24, 2026. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
February 25, 2026, 4:31 pm
Trump highlights last year’s Iran strikes in State of the Union delivered as US forces prep for possible new ones
The speech did not address domestic antisemitism or political fractures tied to Israel.
By Asaf Elia-Shalev
The pro-Palestinian encampment at UCLA was erected after the Oct. 7. 2023 attacks in Israel. (Jacob Gurvis)
February 25, 2026, 4:23 pm
Trump administration files lawsuit against UCLA, saying it failed to protect Jewish and Israeli employees
The lawsuit, filed on the day of Trump’s State of the Union address, follows years of federal scrutiny and earlier campus legal battles.
By Asaf Elia-Shalev
Leslie Wexner, left, and Jeffrey Epstein were close for years. Epstein's scandal has dogged the billionaire Jewish philanthropist. (Laura E. Adkins/Getty Images)
February 22, 2026, 5:08 pm
Les Wexner testifies that he was ‘conned’ by Jeffrey Epstein and did not know of his crimes
Democrats who received Wexner’s deposition from the Jewish philanthropist’s home in Ohio said they were skeptical.
By Asaf Elia-Shalev
A security camera hangs across the street from the Park East Synagogue, in New York City. Jewish institutions are tightening security amid rising threats. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
February 5, 2026, 10:52 am
Jewish leaders concerned about unclear political conditions on federal security grants
After months of inquiries from Jewish groups and lawmakers, the federal government has yet to clarify whether immigration and DEI policies could affect synagogue security funding.
By Asaf Elia-Shalev
The 16-story building at 9911 W. Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles that Chabad plans to convert into the Chabad Campus for Jewish Life after a $100 million gift from real estate investor Alon Abady. (Chabad.org)
January 13, 2026, 4:31 pm
LA real estate investor gives Chabad $100M to build one of the world’s largest Jewish centers
The 16-story Pico-Robertson tower will become a global hub for Jewish worship, education and social services.
By Asaf Elia-Shalev
Extensive damage to the Beth Israel Congregation synagogue after an arson attack in Jackson, Mississippi, Jan. 10, 2026 (Beth Israel Congregation)
January 11, 2026, 3:51 pm
Suspect charged in arson that damaged Jackson, Mississippi’s only synagogue
The Jackson synagogue was also bombed by the Ku Klux Klan in 1967 after its rabbi spoke out for civil rights.
By Asaf Elia-Shalev
A person wears a pride-themed yarmulke in the West Village in New York City, on June 26, 2020. (Noam Galai/Getty Images)
December 20, 2025, 7:34 pm
A Wider Bridge, a pro-Israel advocate in LGBTQ spaces, is shutting down
The organization said financial challenges forced the decision to close after 15 years.
By Asaf Elia-Shalev
A chuppah for a Jewish wedding (Getty images).
December 18, 2025, 9:04 pm
Judaism’s Conservative movement apologizes for decades of discouraging intermarriage, signals new approach
A new report embraces engagement with interfaith families while leaving the ban on clergy officiation in place.
By Asaf Elia-Shalev
Rabbi Eli Schlanger, at right, participates in his son's bris several weeks before his murder at Bondi Beach on Dec. 14, 2025. (Facebook)
December 14, 2025, 4:25 pm
These are the victims of the Bondi Beach Chanukah celebration shooting in Sydney
The dead included a rabbi serving the popular beach community.
By Philissa Cramer and Asaf Elia-Shalev
Inside a synagogue sanctuary, as new research sheds light on how fewer rabbis are choosing pulpit life. (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
November 12, 2025, 10:47 am
Empirical study of US rabbinate finds ‘shortage’ is more about fit than numbers
The rabbinate is older, happier and more diverse than previously known, according to the study.
By Asaf Elia-Shalev
Then-Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, left, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu inspect honor guards during their meeting in Astana, Kazakhstan on Dec. 14, 2016. (Ilyas Omarov/AFP via Getty Images)
November 6, 2025, 6:44 pm
Kazakhstan set to join Abraham Accords
U.S. officials reportedly hope move builds momentum ahead of Saudi crown prince’s visit to Washington later this month.
By Asaf Elia-Shalev
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison speaks during a news conference with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Roosevelt Room of the White House on January 21, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
October 31, 2025, 9:17 am
Oracle poised to run TikTok, raising hopes for tougher rules against antisemitism
U.S. officials say a deal giving Oracle control of TikTok’s American operations has won Beijing’s approval.
By Asaf Elia-Shalev
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