Religious Freedom

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Consider serving on a committee or helping out in our office.

Today marks Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day.

We work hard every day to fulfill the promise world Jewry made after the war - to never forget those who perished nor abandon those who survived the Nazis' attempt to obliterate European Jewry. With so many survivors nearing the end of life, now is the time to act on our promise.

Today, there are more than 500,000 Holocaust survivors worldwide, about 80,000 of those in the United States, The remaining survivors live mostly in Israel and the former Soviet Union.

Following the recent political revolution in Tunisia, Jewish Federations are working with our international partners in their efforts to safeguard the historic Tunisian Jewish community.

Last week, protestors ousted Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, who had ruled the Mediterranean country for 23 years. Despite 78 reported deaths during the chaos that ensued, the Jewish community has remained unharmed, as the revolution has been populist, rather than religiously, motivated.

This news item is courtesy of our partner agency, Jewish Agency for Israel.

An explosive device was hurled into the courtyard of the synagogue in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on the first day of Rosh Hashanah (Thursday, Sept. 9). There were no injuries because no one was at the synagogue at the time of the attack, but there was damage to the walls of the synagogue from the shrapnel inside the explosive device, which included metal ball bearings and nails. The Jewish Agency for Israel is following the situation in Bishkek closely and is in touch with Jewish community leaders, standing ready to assist the community with whatever needs may arise.

The dust is starting to settle over the latest conversion skirmish.

The Knesset has gone into its summer hibernation, and the conversion debate that rocked the Jewish world over the past two weeks has gone quiet as well.

Looking back, perhaps it is now time to thank MK David Rotem, the initiator of the bill that sparked the controversy.

The Jewish Federations of North America, of which we are a part, hailed a new agreement to delay by six months any conversion bill in Israel, in exchange for a moratorium on any legislation by the liberal religious streams.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shown strong leadership in opposing the conversion bill as being damaging to the unity of the Jewish People. JFNA thanked Netanyahu for his advocacy on this issue.

Jewish Agency for Israel Chairman Natan Sharansky said he is deeply disappointed that conversion legislation proposed by MK David Rotem, which includes several controversial clauses, passed today (July 12) in Knesset committee.