Diaspora Jewry
Will its new mission and its fundraising dollars, especially during a time of global uncertainty and rising anti-Semitism, detrimentally affect the Jewish people?
“We are doing the best we can to help process everyone,” said Yael Katsman, vice president of public relations and communications at Nefesh B’Nefesh.
Thirteen men and a woman are being charged with the murders that killed 17 people in Paris.
“As Jews, we know how dangerous this is: when politicians target Jewish people and blame us for problems, it leads directly to violence against us,” they state. “When black movements are undermined, it leads to more violence against black people, including black Jews.”
The Bnei Menashe have continued to practice Judaism just as their ancestors did, including observing the Sabbath, keeping kosher, celebrating the festivals and following the laws of family purity.
The threats came less than four months after the deadly attacks on Jews in Jersey City, N.J., and in Monsey, N.Y., in December 2019, and during a time of significant uptick in anti-Semitic activity online.
“Here, I feel truly at home,” said Miriam Mercado. “In Mexico, we are always viewed as ‘those Jews’ and never felt safe to go out with a ‘kipah.’ We knew we would always be a minority.”
“I feel as if I were reborn today,” the father of the family says. “I am so happy to have met all my children and grandchildren.”
Nearly half of the new arrivals are children under the age of 18.
“We pride ourselves on our history, where we once lived together, and are obligated to rescue the story that was once buried,” said Murcia President Fernando López Miras.
Tzachi Hanegbi is expected to replace Hotovely as settlement affairs minister.
The majority of the new arrivals hailed from New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Illinois and California.
