Judaism

On the first night of Passover, the singsong of the Four Questions echoed from Jewish homes and gatherings around the world, including from unlikely, contested spaces: the center of pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University and other campuses where demonstrations are taking place.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has extended Hanukkah greetings to the Jewish community in Türkiye.

"The understanding of tolerance is one of the most valuable legacies of our deep-rooted history and civilization," Erdoğan said in a message shared by his office on Dec. 13, suggesting that the freedom for all citizens to practice their beliefs "will be safeguarded by our state."

The Union of Jewish Students of France posted photos of the homes that were marked and called for those responsible to be found and punished

Turkey's Jewish community celebrated Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, on Nov. 28 at major synagogues across the country.

"I hope and wish that Hanukkah will enlighten our souls and cause the feelings of love, respect and brotherhood among people to develop," İsak Haleva, the chief rabbi of Turkey's Jews, said in his message.

Half a year after the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain established diplomatic relations with Israel, discreet Jewish communities in the Gulf Arab states that once lived in the shadow of the Arab-Israeli conflict are adopting a more public profile.

Bucharest, Dec 23 /Agerpres/ - Israel's Ambassador, David Saranga, said on Monday that efforts must be made to remove xenophobia and anti-Semitism, attitudes he called "darkness". The diplomat spoke at an event organized at his residence, which celebrated the lighting of the second candle of Hanukkah. Hanukkah, the feast of lights, is the feast in which we are removing the darkness.

Authorities in Greece recorded 591 acts of violence against spaces of religious significance in 2018, an increase of 6 percent compared with the year before that, though incidents against Jewish spaces almost doubled.

Greece has condemned an anti-Semitic attack in which two people were killed in the eastern German city of Halle.
"Deeply shocked by the atrocious attack in the Halle synagogue, Germany. There is no place for antisemitism in Europe," the Foreign Ministry said in a tweet on Thursday.

Turkey has condemned a shooting rampage that killed two people on Oct. 9 near a synagogue in eastern Germany.

Turkey strongly condemned Israel on Feb.1 for its decision to terminate the mandate of international monitors in the West Bank town of Hebron.