Synagogue

Love at 85, 93: Rosh Hashanah romance that began at shul

A Rosh Hashanah moment in shul sparked a late-life romance in Jerusalem’s French Hill.

Rabbi Hayyim Halpern and Margie Tutnauer
Declaration of Independence of the United States. New Canaan, 1950. Featuring George Washington.

Looking back at George Washington’s 1790 letter, the root of American religious freedom

Synagogue security funds and practices can come with tradeoffs, Jewish leaders say.

US synagogues face a terrible choice: Collaborate with ICE or risk our own safety - opinion

This photograph shows a French flag fluttering with the La Defense business district in the background skyline, in Paris, on December 5, 2025.

Jewish boy tripped, punched, held at knifepoint on way to Paris synagogue


Israel Police arrest suspect in arson attack on Jerusalem synagogue

Shas spiritual leader and former chief rabbi Yitzhak Yosef's home synagogue was set ablaze early Sunday morning.

 Head of Shas party Aryeh Deri and Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef visit at the scene of suspected arson and vandalism at a Jerusalem synagogue which is often frequented by Rabbi Yosef, June 8, 2025.

Arson attack highlights IDF draft law, calls for unity

A rabbi added, “This will not divide us; no one will ever divide us. We are one nation. We have faced many challenges and will face more, but we will get through this by loving each other.”

 Head of Shas Aryeh Deri and spiritual leader of Shas Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef arrive at the scene of suspected arson and vandalism at a Jerusalem synagogue which is often frequented by Rabbi Yosef, June 08, 2025.

Police probe as Jerusalem synagogue blaze deemed 'unequivocally' arson, cross sprayed on door

The police discovered images of Christian crosses, spray-painted onto the door of a house near the scene.

 Image showing the damage caused by a fire at a Jerusalem synagogue in the Sanhedria neighbourhood on Sunday, June 8, 2025.

Drunk man arrested after climbing French synagogue, removing Israeli flag

Poissy mayor Sandrine Dos Santos condemned "in the strongest terms the incident that occurred in a synagogue in Poissy."

 French police work near a door with the Jewish Star of David symbol after officers shot dead an armed man earlier who set fire to the city's synagogue in Rouen, France, May 17, 2024.

Israel's Bnei Menashe community finds a home in Sderot synagogue

The Alfei Menashe Synagogue in Sderot and its spiritual leader, Rabbi David Lhungdim, are building a community.

 AT THE Bnei Menashe Gallery exhibition (L to R): Rabbi Menachem Listman; Rabbi David Lhungdim; and Asher Misao

Grapevine, May 30, 2025: Lives in limbo

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

 DEMOCRATS PARTY chairman Yair Golan leads a faction meeting at the Knesset this week.

How can we connect and nurture Jewish communities outside of major cities? - opinion

When Jews living in small, rural, and remote communities don’t feel connected to the larger community, they are often left with a worrying sense of alienation.

 CONGREGATION B’ER CHAYIM in Cumberland, Maryland, is one of the 10 oldest to be continuously used in the US, the writer notes.

Shame on us: When Jews attack synagogues in the name of religious purity - opinion

When we attack other Jews, even in other factions of Judaism, the Jewish soul dies a little bit more.

 THE BUILDING of Natan Ya Congregation, a Reform synagogue in Netanya, is defaced with hateful graffiti last week. This is not just a crime – it’s ‘chilul Hashem,’ the desecration of God’s name, committed on the walls of the house of God, the writer charges.

Federal security grants to synagogues are resuming after two-month Trump freeze

The news comes after a group of more than 130 House lawmakers signed a letter obtained by Jewish Insider urging House appropriators to allocate $500 million to the program for 2026.

A member of the New York Police Department patrols in front of the synagogue Congregation Bais Yaakov Nechamia Dsatmar on October 13, 2023.

Herzog condemns attack on Ra’anana synagogue: ‘Hatred and violence have no place here'

After extremists disrupt Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day ceremony, Herzog speaks with Reform rabbi to express solidarity and urge national unity.

 President Isaac Herzog attends a state memorial ceremony for victims of terror, at Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, April 30, 2025.