Latest Judaism News
4 men charged in a Brooklyn synagogue tunnel scuffle are awaiting trial in April
NEW YORK (AP) — Four men accused of damaging a Brooklyn synagogue during a melee that followed the discovery of a secret tunnel at the global headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement of Hasidic Judaism are set to stand trial after turning down a plea deal offered by prosecutors. ...
Who was Dietrich Bonhoeffer? An AP Explainer about the anti-Nazi pastor
Who was Dietrich Bonhoeffer? Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor and theologian from Germany executed by the Nazis in 1945 at age 39 for his role in a resistance movement that included attempts to assassinate German leader Adolf Hitler. Bonhoeffer was born in 1906...
Syria's dwindling Jewish community can visit one of the world's oldest synagogues again
JOBAR, Syria (AP) — In this Damascus suburb, the handful of remaining Jews in Syria can again make pilgrimages to one of the world’s oldest synagogues where people from throughout the region once came to pray. Syria’s 13-year civil war left the synagogue partially destroyed....
Pope calls for nations to overcome divisions in Christmas address as communities celebrate worldwide
VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis in his traditional Christmas message on Wednesday urged “all people of all nations” to find courage during this Holy Year “to silence the sounds of arms and overcome divisions” plaguing the world, from the Middle East to Ukraine, Africa to Asia. ...
How faith communities can be welcoming of believers with disabilities this holiday season and beyond
The Rev. Shannon Blosser sees how his son loves church — the music, the singing, the communion. But the United Methodist pastor said his family hasn’t always felt like 11-year-old Noah, who is autistic, has been welcome. At one point, Blosser’s wife and the couple’s two sons...
In a calendar rarity, Hanukkah starts this year on Christmas Day
Hanukkah, Judaism’s eight-day Festival of Lights, begins this year on Christmas Day, which has only happened four times since 1900. For some rabbis, the intersection of the two religious holidays provides an auspicious occasion for interfaith engagement. “This can...
What to know about Hanukkah and how it's celebrated around the world
Hanukkah — also spelled Chanukah or other transliterations from Hebrew — is Judaism’s “festival of lights.” On eight consecutive nightfalls, Jews gather with family and friends to light one additional candle in the menorah — a multibranched candelabra. In Hebrew,...
As wars rage around them, Armenian Christians in Jerusalem's Old City feel the walls closing in
JERUSALEM (AP) — As the war in Gaza rages, Syria's government transforms, and the Israeli-occupied West Bank seethes, Armenian residents of the Old City of Jerusalem fight a different battle — one that is quieter, they say, but no less existential. One of the oldest communities...
BYU quarterback Jake Retzlaff brings touchdowns and Jewish teachings to predominantly Mormon school
PROVO, Utah (AP) — Shortly after sunset on Saturday, Rabbi Chaim Zippel clasped an overflowing cup of wine and a tin of smelling spices as he marked the end of the Sabbath with a small Jewish congregation at his home near Provo, which doubles as the county’s only synagogue. The...
The Temple of Satan gains ground in Chile as faith in traditional religions wanes
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — It’s Friday night in Downtown Santiago, the capital of Chile, and a group of 15 people gather around a table, sharing a bottle of wine as the smell of tobacco and incense fill the air. Black candles burn on top of an altar decorated with chalices and knives. The members...
