Vandalism at Char Bar
This weekend, the windows were smashed at DC kosher restaurant Char Bar. This vandalism of a Jewish business is deeply disturbing on its own. Its timing on the 86th anniversary of Kristallnacht, "the night of broken glass," raises many more questions and concerns that must be answered. Federation's JShield security team moved immediately to engage with local authorities on this situation and remain focused on keeping our community secure.
The Washington Post and Fox 5 reported on the incident and Federation’s response
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| Lessons from Hostage Families
Yesterday, at the Jewish Federations of North America's General Assembly, Federation co-sponsored an exclusive hostage crisis briefing by hostage families and Middle East experts with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. We are grateful to Jonathan Dekel-Chen (father of Sagui Dekel-Chen), Dalia Cusnir (sister-in-law of Eitan and Yair Horn), Orna Neutra (mother of Omer Neutra), and Lihi Moskow (cousin of Arbel Yahud) for sharing their stories, and to Sarah Hurwitz for moderating this important discussion on how the American Jewish community can remain involved and support efforts to bring the hostages home.
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We stand with Amsterdam
Our hearts are with the 52 victims of last week's vicious antisemitic attacks throughout Amsterdam. We stand with Amsterdam’s Jewish community as the region continues to face antisemitic violence. As they begin the long road to recovery, we are thankful our longtime partners at The Jewish Agency for Israel are providing security at Jewish institutions and at hospitals where victims are being treated, as well as immediate financial and emotional support. Their swift response is thanks in large part to you — your gifts to Federation ensure that we and our partners can always be there for Jewish communities in need, wherever they may be.
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| Bsvhil Hamachar is grateful for you
It was an honor to host guests from Federation grantee Bshvil Hamachar last week, and to hear directly from three IDF reservists of combat unit 669. We were deeply moved by their emotional stories of how our community's support through the Israel Crisis Relief Fund is helping in their trauma recovery following long and repeated deployments in Gaza and Lebanon. In a particularly moving moment, one of the reservists shared that his healing retreat with Bshvil Hamachar allowed him to finally release the guilt he’d been carrying since October 7th, through a journey he calls, “life-changing” and “one-of-a-kind.”
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From surviving to thriving in community
The vibe at Crush Bar DC earlier this month was fun and lively, but our Next Gen division's first LGBTQ+ focused event also marked a meaningful moment for our Jewish community. As one attendee remarked, “There was a time when [the queer community] had to be entirely self-sufficient to survive. [Now] we have the support needed to thrive, and we aren’t alone.” We were proud to bring together our partners from Keshet, Edlavitch DCJCC’s GLOE, Bet Mishpachah, and NJB+ for this evening of networking, and to mark the opening of the Capital Jewish Museum’s exhibit on LGBTQ+ Jewish History in DC.
In your 20s, 30s, or 40s and want to get involved with Next Gen? Reach out to the team.
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