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Michael Freund

Michael Freund

Michael Freund, the founder and chairman of Shavei Israel, served as the deputy director of communications under Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. An ordained rabbi, he has lived for the past 25 years in Israel.

The origins of Jewish life date to the late 19th century, when a handful of Sephardic families from Egypt, Iraq, Syria and Yemen settled in Omdurman and Khartoum during the Anglo-Egyptian period.
One is compelled to ask: What exactly does the Communist Party fear from a few hundred people in the city of Kaifeng?
Nearly all of the Nordic country’s Jewish citizens survived World War II, and communal life there was never dismantled.
Though small in number, the community represents a striking continuity—a visible presence in a land where Jewish identity once survived only in whispers.
It is a remarkable example of continuity in a place where Jews have now lived for nearly two centuries.
Diplomatic relations between the island nation and Israel were formally established in 1965, and cooperation has grown steadily in fields such as tourism, education and trade.
The roots of the Jewish presence in the region stretch back over a millennium. And the story continues to be told, with growing Israeli involvement in the region.
In the 1930s, as Nazi persecution spread across Europe and countries slammed their doors shut to fleeing families, this Latin American nation became an unlikely sanctuary.
Both are democracies navigating complex regional environments. Both are societies shaped by faith and anchored in family.
Eager to develop the area economically, the English were willing to tolerate Jewish settlement in ways Catholic empires rarely were.
Modern political and cultural ties remain underdeveloped; more needs to be done to raise awareness about them.
For Jewish leaders accustomed to measuring allies by size or strategic utility, it is a reminder that principled support for Israel often comes from unexpected quarters.