“A time for war and a time for peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:8 Why a time for war now? A long history binds Jews and Persians together: from Cyrus, who Isaiah called “the Lord’s anointed,” to the days of the Amoraim and the Geonim. Modern Iran and Israel have no inherent reason to fight: they share no […]
March 10, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – VOICES – STORIES Week 2 of the Iran War | Myths and Libels America and Israel are currently fighting against the Iranian regime on behalf of much of the world; Iran has murdered or maimed civilians from Bulgaria to France and from […]
March 3, 2026 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Iran has Waged 47 Years of Aggression Against America Decades of Iranian Hostility Against the United States The U.S.-Israel military campaign against Iran’s terrorist regime followed decades of Iranian attacks on Americans and an escalating risk to U.S. civilians, […]
March 1, 2026 With war now underway in Israel, our focus is squarely on supporting those in Israel under attack, as we also hold in our thoughts civilians and US and IDF troops in harm’s way. We wish healing to those injured, we mourn those who have been killed in the past day and extend […]
All of the hostages are home. Those are words we feared we would never have the chance to say. And now, finally, after 843 days we say again, all of the hostages are home. Master Sgt. Ran Gvili, z”l, whose body was the final one still held in Gaza, was located yesterday in a mass […]
MERCAZ USA Statement on the Bondi Beach Terrorist Attack Our hearts are broken by the horrific act of antisemitic terrorism in Bondi Beach, Australia, which has left at least 11 innocents dead and at least 29 injured – at the very moment we are meant to celebrate the triumph of light against overwhelming darkness by […]
October 28, 2025 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS When Anti-Jewish Hate Becomes Routine, Rhetoric Replaces Responsibility Gunshots rang out and moments later 11 American Jews lay murdered in their Pittsburgh synagogue. Now, seven years after the deadliest massacre of Jews in the U.S., hate against the American […]
October 21, 2025 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER Protecting Students, Confronting Hate: California’s Step Toward Improving Unbiased Education Most teachers in America remain deeply committed to helping students think critically. The U.S. public education system has always been held to high standards and played an important role for generations of students. However, troubling […]
October 14, 2025 STAY INFORMED – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS TO CONSIDER – STORIES MAKING NEWS Jubilation: The Return of Israel’s Living Hostages Every living Israeli hostage seized on Oct. 7 has been freed from Gaza to the jubilation of the nation. Families torn apart by terror are embracing once more, marking a moment of […]
הוֹד֣וּ לַיהֹוָ֣ה כִּי־ט֑וֹב כִּ֖י לְעוֹלָ֣ם חַסְדּֽוֹ Give thanks to God for God is good; God’s steadfast love is eternal Psalm 136:1 A Message from Rabbi Hillel Skolnik, President, MERCAZ USA These sacred words, chanted multiple times this morning as we mark the final day of Sukkot, were expressed with extra gratitude and thanks as we […]