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Eliana Rudee is a journalist and marketing professional based in Seattle. She spent nearly a decade working as a journalist in Israel, focusing on global Jewry and culinary arts. She is a trained culinary tour guide of Jerusalem, has led culinary workshops and retreats, and has written several digital cookbooks on the intersection of food, culture and Jewish peoplehood.

Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie of New York critiqued some of the discourse when Syrian and Palestinian delegates referred to “the Israeli occupation of Palestine” and the “Zionist entity’s aggression.”
Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev maintained that “electronic communications, social networks and mass media have created grounds to turn hatred to a widespread system around the world” with “hate speech provoking instability around, incites war crimes and genocide.”
According to the Jews of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the country is an “oasis of tolerance,” protecting all religious minorities in a world where persecution has become a norm.
“I tell students that school is giving them their playbooks of how to ‘win,’ with tests in history, language and math. I tell them that they must be a student first, then an athlete,” according to program founder Erez Lustig, who says football can be a vehicle for education.
“What happened here was tragic. The world recognized that; President Trump recognized that and has put a major focus on stamping out anti-Semitism wherever we find it, and supporting the Jewish people and Israel in every way we can,” said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
“In this place, thousands of Jews prayed. ... These walls speak of emotions, telling the story of a community that turned to ashes, and stood up again and was revived,” said Rabbi Yitshak Ehrenberg of the Central Orthodox Synagogue of Berlin.
“Every structure and neighborhood tells the unique tale of the city of Jerusalem,” said Mayor Moshe Lion.
The opening event offered fellows and alumni an opportunity to celebrate the organization’s impact in connecting world Jewry and Israel, as well as members of Masa’s diverse international community to one another.
This was the first time that the U.S.-based Jewish Foundation for the Righteous, which provides monthly financial assistance to more than 265 aged and needy Righteous Among the Nations living in 18 countries, has reunited Holocaust survivors and their rescuers in Israel.
“What is Judaism? Is it a religion, nation, culture or peoplehood?” posed one session.
The exercise was meant to test the ability, technology, professionalism and quality of care the organization can provide in a worst-case disaster scenario.
“What happened after the attack is testimony to the resilience of the Jewish community, as well as the community at large. We remember and repair together,” said Pittsburgh community leader and chair of United Israel Appeal Cindy Shapira.