Ron Kampeas

A portrait of the writer by sketch artist Emily Goff. (©Emily N Goff, 2023, all rights reserved.)

December 28, 2024, 7:32 pm

The blessing and burden of bearing first witness to Jewish history

A reflection at the close of two decades on the D.C. Jewish news beat

By Ron Kampeas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (right) and other Israeli officials at the Syrian border on Dec. 8, 2024. (Koby Gideon/Israeli Government Press Office)

December 17, 2024, 6:38 pm

Netanyahu visits IDF soldiers in Syria as rebel leaders call for Israelis to exit

Plus, the mother of an American missing in Syria exhorted Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu to stop bombing.

By Ron Kampeas

Yarden Gonen, whose sister Romi Gonen remains captive in Gaza, speaks at a rally in Central Park, New York, Dec. 15, 2024. (Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters)

December 16, 2024, 9:58 pm

A hostage deal by Hanukkah? Israel, US and Hamas indicate unusual optimism.

Rapid changes in the Middle East appear to have changed negotiations, which are still not assured.

By Ron Kampeas

A view of the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia (Shoot from WIthin)

December 14, 2024, 4:16 pm

Biden signs law that could lead to US Jewish history museum joining the Smithsonian

A new law may help ensure the survival of an institution that not so long ago faced bankruptcy.

By Ron Kampeas

December 9, 2024, 9:28 pm

Israeli troops cross into Syrian side of border buffer zone after Bashar Assad’s ouster

The incursion is not an attempt to influence the outcome of the uprising, the Israeli military said.

By Ron Kampeas

The Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea, Melbourne, Australia, April 12, 2018 (Darrian Traynor/Getty Images).

December 5, 2024, 11:09 pm

Melbourne, Australia, synagogue set ablaze, forcing congregants to flee

The attack comes as Australia has experienced a fourfold increase in antisemitic incidents.

By Ron Kampeas

Voting stickers at a polling station in Green Bay, Wisconsin, April 2, 2024. (Joshua Lott/The Washington Post via Getty Images)

December 4, 2024, 7:54 pm

Almost one month after Election Day, here’s what we know about how Jews voted

Donald Trump won a higher percentage of Jews than in 2020, but not by the margins he predicted.

By Ron Kampeas

First responders stand next to a crater where a rocket fired from Lebanon hit an area in northern Israel's Haifa district on October 31, 2024 (Ahmad Gharabli/ AFP)

November 26, 2024, 4:30 pm

Israel and Lebanon agree to ceasefire in war with Hezbollah

The deal — which would be the longest ceasefire Israel has agreed to since Hamas invaded from Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023 — signals a new phase in Israel’s multi-front war.

By Ron Kampeas

Since the United Arab Emirates made peace with Israel four years ago, Dubai has become an increasingly popular travel destination for Jews. (Envato)

November 26, 2024, 9:40 am

Killing of Israeli rabbi in UAE could strengthen ties between Israel and Arab neighbors, experts say

Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law who led the Abraham Accords negotiations, pledged $1 million to Chabad in UAE in memory of one of its emissaries.

By Ron Kampeas

A sparse crowd listens to Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer speak at a pro-Israel rally at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., Nov. 10, 2024. (Ron Kampeas)

November 13, 2024, 7:33 pm

A year after mass rally for Israel, turnout at its followup is sparse

Multiple factors could have contributed to the low turnout at the event, which was billed by organizers as a chance to “stand with Israel” and “strengthen our Jewish unity.”

By Ron Kampeas

A view of aid trucks carrying relief supplies from Turkiye have arrived in Gaza City as the Israeli attacks continue in Gaza City, May 8, 2024. (Mahmoud Issa/Anadolu via Getty Images)

November 13, 2024, 5:49 pm

US takes no action as deadline passes for Israel to meet Gaza’s humanitarian needs

In October, the Biden administration gave Israel 30 days to increase aid or risk cuts to military assistance.

By Ron Kampeas

Mike Huckabee at Trump Tower in New York City, Nov. 18, 2016. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

November 12, 2024, 4:53 pm

Trump taps Mike Huckabee, evangelical favorite, to be ambassador to Israel

If confirmed, Huckabee would be the first non-Jew to fill the role in 13 years.

By Ron Kampeas

HIAS Greece translator Jalal Barezkai, right, assists a Syrian refugee in an encampment near the Moria refugee camp on the island of Lesbos, Greece, May 9, 2018. (Bill Swersey/HIAS)

November 7, 2024, 9:40 pm

HIAS stares down 4 more years under Trump, a president hostile to the immigrants it aids

HIAS, formerly the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, saw its mission and fortunes shift after Trump slashed refugee resettlement during his first term.

By Ron Kampeas

U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu participate in a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House, Sept. 15, 2020. (Doug Mills/Pool/Getty Images)

November 7, 2024, 3:28 pm

Could Donald Trump’s win end the war in Gaza and bring the hostages home?

Whether Trump can bring an end to the war depends on specifics that Trump has not yet offered

By Ron Kampeas

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shares with former President Donald Trump his autobiography at Trump's estate, Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, Florida, July 26, 2024. (Amos Ben-Gershom, Israel Government Press Office)

November 6, 2024, 9:35 am

‘History’s greatest comeback’: Netanyahu congratulates Trump

“Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America,” he said. “This is a huge victory!”

By Ron Kampeas