Mourning together, worldwide: Tisha B’Av events reach beyond the synagogue this year

Tisha B’Av is the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. It marks the destruction of both Temples in Jerusalem, catastrophes that Jewish tradition holds occurred roughly 655 years apart on the same Hebrew date, along with a string of later tragedies in Jewish history that fell on the same day.
Malaysia vows to deport any Israeli found within its borders

Malaysia’s Prime Minister has built his tenure on an outspoken pro-Palestinian foreign policy and open contact with Hamas. After the October 7 massacre, Anwar telephoned Hamas’s then-political leader to express “unwavering support for the Palestinian people.”
AIPAC cuts off 15 House Democrats after they voted to strip Israel’s missile defense funding

An AIPAC spokesperson told the New York Times that the organization’s members are “deeply appreciative of their representatives who stand on principle” and are disappointed by those who do not.
Ambassador of Israel: “Israel is home for every Jew. We are one.”

“The establishment and protection of the State of Israel serves as a profound guarantor of Jewish culture in the Diaspora. Israel’s existence provides more than just a historical anchor and a safe haven. It acts as a cultural reservoir of collective memory.”
From Hollywood to the Holy Land: New podcast on Universal Zionism opens with interview you don’t want to miss

Zionism used to mean building a state. Then it meant building a religious homeland. Israel365 has a new podcast built around the argument that it now means something bigger: turning outward and becoming a light to the whole world
“Israel will not be a paradise for environmental offenders”: Law to combat illegal construction-waste dumping approved

The law takes a head-on, proactive approach to address one of the primary causes of environmental harm: the illegal dumping of construction waste in open areas, a practice that causes severe air, water and soil pollution.
The vessels of the Second Temple never disappeared. This Rabbi knows where they are.

Moskoff traced the vessels of the Temple, among them the menorah and the incense altar, through what he said is a well-documented path after the destruction in 70 CE, citing the ancient historians Josephus and Procopius of Caesarea.
Knesset enshrines Torah study as “foundational value” in new Basic Law, reigniting decades-old draft battle

The vote came after ten hours of speeches and opposition filibustering, and it lands the country squarely back inside a fight over military conscription that has simmered since the state’s founding in 1948.
Saudi Arabia tells Washington: No accords without Netanyahu’s exit

Saudi Arabia’s demand: PM Benjamin Netanyahu must no longer serve as prime minister after Israel’s October election, and policies advanced by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in Judea and Samaria over the past three years must be reversed.
Smotrich lays out Israel’s new doctrine: “Whoever attacks us loses land forever”

Israel Finance Minister said that territory, not body counts, is the only thing that actually defeats Israel’s enemies. He also revealed new details of a private meeting with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff