Diaspora news
Mamdani Refuses to Back Israel as Jewish State in ABC Interview
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani told ABC's Jonathan Karl that he supports Israel only as a state with equal rights and could not support any state that privileges one religion, including Israel. The ABC and NYC.gov transcripts show he was pressed after the Democratic Socialists of America moved away from a two-state solution and after candidates he backed won New York Democratic primaries. Israeli Consul General Ofir Akunis answered that Israel's Declaration of Independence guarantees full equality for all citizens, while UN Ambassador Danny Danon tied the remark to earlier anti-Israel rhetoric. For Jews in New York and Israel, the issue is not equality against Judaism: Israel is the democratic nation-state of the Jewish people and protects equal civil rights.
Primary:(1)(2)(3)(4)Secondary:(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)Canadian Museum Opens Nakba Exhibit as Minister Urges Fixes
Canada's national human-rights museum in Winnipeg opened "Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present" on June 27 despite sustained objections from Jewish organizations, including CIJA, and the resignation of Jewish trustee Mark Berlin over what he called a one-sided exhibit. Canadian Heritage Minister Marc Miller told Canadian Press the museum made an error and should correct wording that fails to identify Hamas as a terrorist organization and leaves out needed context before 1948. The museum says it is reviewing feedback while defending the exhibit's framing. Jewish voices are right to demand historical accuracy, including the truth that Israel's birth came after Arab rejection and war, not in a vacuum.
Primary:(1)(2)(3)Secondary:(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)Sixth Arab-Israeli Killed in 30 Hours as Crime Wave Hits Yafia
A 30-year-old Arab Israeli, identified by Ynet as Adnan Riahana, was shot dead in his car overnight in Yafia near Nazareth, and Magen David Adom medics pronounced him dead at the scene. Police opened a criminal-background homicide investigation; reports say another man, 50, was seriously wounded in Barta'a after returning from a wedding. The killing came less than a day after five Arab Israelis were killed in car bombings and shootings across central Israel, raising the 2026 Arab-community violence toll to 142, according to Hebrew reports. The state has a duty to restore deterrence and protect law-abiding Arab citizens from organized-crime networks terrorizing their towns.
Secondary:(1)(2)(3)Five Arab Israelis Killed in Hours as Car Bombings, Shootings Rock Central Israel
Five Arab Israelis were killed within hours on Sunday in a surge of underworld violence across central Israel. A car bomb detonated in Jaffa at about 7:30 a.m., killing Iyad Raab, 38, and moderately wounding his 6-year-old son, who was rushed to Wolfson Medical Center. A second car bombing in Holon killed a man of about 30, while overnight shootings in Taibe claimed 19-year-old Bakr Nuseirat and seriously wounded another man, and gunmen in Kafr Qasim killed Adnan Ghanem and Ghaleb Abu-Ras. Israel Police, which has expanded operations against Arab-sector crime networks, is investigating whether the Jaffa attack was revenge for last week's killing of a local teenager.
Secondary:(1)(2)(3)(4)(5)Cabinet Approves NIS 200 Million Plan with Jewish Federations to Bolster Diaspora Jewish Education
Israel's cabinet unanimously approved a NIS 200 million ($59 million) national initiative on June 28, 2026, proposed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Minister Amichai Chikli together with the Jewish Federations of North America. The plan, to be led by the Prime Minister's Office and Chikli's ministry, aims to expand enrollment in Jewish schools and strengthen Jewish identity abroad, with a particular focus on the roughly 1.8 million school-age Jewish children in the United States, only a small fraction of whom currently attend Jewish institutions. Officials framed the program as a strategic response to the surge in antisemitism since October 7, addressing barriers such as tuition costs, geographic accessibility, and support for students with learning needs. JFNA Chairman Gary Torgow and President Eric Fingerhut welcomed the partnership, with Netanyahu calling it a major investment in the next generation's identity, values, and connection to the State of Israel.
Secondary:(1)(2)(3)Two car bombings in Jaffa and Holon kill two amid wave of Arab-community crime
Two suspected mob-hit car bombings tore through Jaffa and Holon on Sunday morning, killing a 38-year-old man and a 30-year-old, with a six-year-old child moderately wounded in the Jaffa blast. The Jaffa vehicle drove roughly 100 meters before detonation; police recovered around half a kilogram of explosives placed beneath it. The Holon explosion followed hours later. Police suspect both attacks are linked to organized-crime rivalries inside the Israeli-Arab community and may be revenge strikes tied to the murder of a child in Jaffa last week. Five people were killed within twelve hours in shootings and car bombings, the deadliest stretch of 2026 to date, intensifying pressure on the coalition to expand Israel Police's Lahav 433 organized-crime task force.
Secondary:(1)(2)(3)(4)(5)Project 720 rolls out AI-assisted English instruction in 180 Israeli middle schools
Prime Minister Netanyahu and Education Minister Yoav Kisch announced 'Project 720' and 'English for Everyone,' a NIS 130 million initiative bringing AI-assisted English instruction to 180 middle schools amid a severe teacher shortage. Only 22% of Israeli ninth-graders met the English curriculum requirements on last year's national assessment. The program will later extend into math and science classrooms.
Secondary:(1)(2)Ben Gurion Airport posts busiest day since the Iran war as summer aliyah surge gets under way
Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport recorded over 75,000 passengers in a single day, the highest since Operation Roaring Lion began February 28, as international carriers resumed full service and Israelis returned for summer travel. The rebound coincides with Nefesh B'Nefesh's summer aliyah surge, with approximately 2,300 North American olim expected between June and September across 47 group flights coordinated from New York, New Jersey, Miami, Boston, and Los Angeles.
Secondary:(1)(2)(3)Nefesh B'Nefesh tallies 550 North American olim since start of 2026
Nefesh B'Nefesh reported approximately 550 North American olim arrived in Israel since January, with over 1,300 aliyah files opened since the launch of Operation Roaring Lion. The figures build on a 12% year-over-year increase in 2025 (4,150 olim from the US and Canada) and continued strength in young families, professionals, and Orthodox households relocating to Jerusalem, Modi'in, and Bet Shemesh.
Secondary:(1)Beit Shemesh nears 200,000 residents, fastest-growing city in Israel
Beit Shemesh's population reached approximately 176,380 with an annual growth rate near 6% — among the highest in Israel. The Haredi community makes up about half the city, with Ramat Beit Shemesh now Israel's third-largest ultra-Orthodox center after Jerusalem and Bnei Brak. Combined, Jerusalem, Bnei Brak, and Beit Shemesh host the lion's share of Israel's 1.35 million Haredim.
Secondary:(1)Mir Yeshiva enrollment tops 9,000 as draft crackdown intensifies
Mir Yeshiva, a flagship Jerusalem institution affiliated with the Lithuanian branch of ultra-Orthodox Judaism, claims enrollment of over 9,000 students. Times of Israel reported from the yeshiva as students dismissed the danger of arrest while the IDF increased enforcement against Haredi draft evaders.
Secondary:(1)Survey shows 81% of Haredi women in workforce, parity with non-Haredi Jews
The Israel Democracy Institute's latest report found that 81% of ultra-Orthodox women were employed, up from 71% in 2015 and close to the 83% employment rate for non-Haredi women. The same coverage noted that Haredi men's employment growth had stalled and income gaps with mainstream Israeli society remained wide.
Secondary:(1)(2)Record 1,200+ British Jews attend London aliyah fair
Some 1,200 British Jews attended the Aliyah Day fair in north London, a record turnout for the event. Times of Israel tied the surge of interest to rising antisemitism in the UK and cited research showing younger people, Orthodox Jews and those most affected by antisemitism were among the groups most likely to consider moving to Israel.
Secondary:(1)Bnei Menashe arrival count surpasses 600 olim from India
The first Wings of Dawn flight brought 240 Bnei Menashe immigrants from northeastern India to Israel, with about 600 expected across three flights over the following weeks. The Aliyah and Integration Ministry and Jewish Agency are coordinating absorption in northern communities including Nof HaGalil and Kiryat Yam.
Secondary:(1)(2)(3)Government announces five-year tax exemption for olim arriving in 2026
Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the government's intention to grant a five-year income-tax exemption to new immigrants and returning residents who relocate to Israel in 2026. The proposal would apply to Israeli earned income from 2026 through 2030, subject to annual caps, and the Knesset advanced the bill.
Secondary:(1)(2)British aliyah hits 40-year high, JPR says not an exodus
The Institute for Jewish Policy Research said 742 British Jews moved to Israel in 2025, the highest number since the mid-1980s and up 19% from 2024. The study described aliyah as a steady stream rather than an exodus, noting stronger interest among younger and Orthodox British Jews.
Secondary:(1)(2)(3)Israel marks 78th Yom HaAtzmaut with 12-torch Mount Herzl ceremony
Israel opened its 78th Independence Day festivities with the annual state torch-lighting ceremony at Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. The ceremony featured torch-lighters including Argentine President Javier Milei, a disabled IDF veteran and an Iranian former judicial official, while Prime Minister Netanyahu delivered a pre-recorded speech focused on Israel's military achievements.
Secondary:(1)(2)(3)March of the Living draws 7,000 from Auschwitz to Birkenau on Yom HaShoah
On Yom HaShoah, 50 Holocaust survivors aged about 80-98 led 7,000 participants from dozens of countries on the 2026 International March of the Living from Auschwitz to Birkenau. Organizers separately noted that another 50 Israeli survivors who had been scheduled to travel were unable to march because of the conflict in the Middle East.
Secondary:(1)(2)Wings of Dawn brings over 250 Bnei Menashe immigrants from northeast India
A group of over 250 Bnei Menashe immigrants from Manipur and Mizoram in northeast India landed in Israel as part of Operation Wings of Dawn. The government program aims to relocate the remaining roughly 6,000 members of the community to Israel by 2030.
Secondary:(1)ICEJ reports Western aliyah at record numbers, France leads at 219% surge
ICEJ reported record Western aliyah numbers, with France leading: 3,357 French Jews made aliyah in 2025, more than triple the 1,051 in 2023, a 219% surge. Combined Western Europe and North America accounted for over 9,000 new immigrants in 2025, nearly double 2023 levels.
Secondary:(1)Golan Druze adoption of Israeli citizenship surges
Times of Israel reported that roughly one in five Golan Druze held Israeli citizenship, about 6,000 of more than 29,000 residents, while later Globes reporting put the share above 35%, with most new citizens under age 30. Both sources described citizenship applications as reaching historic highs against the backdrop of war and uncertainty in Syria after the fall of the Assad regime.
Secondary:(1)(2)Israel crosses 10.178 million population at start of 2026
The Central Bureau of Statistics reported Israel began 2026 with 10.178 million residents: 7.771 million Jews and others (76.3%), 2.147 million Arabs (21.1%) and about 260,000 foreign citizens. About 182,000 babies were born in 2025, 76% to Jewish mothers, while immigration fell to roughly 24,600.
Secondary:(1)(2)Government launches 'Aliyah of Renewal' plan targeting 30,000 olim in 2026
The Ministerial Committee on Immigration and Absorption activated 'Nevertheless – Aliyah of Renewal,' a flagship program targeting 30,000 new immigrants in 2026, with focused outreach to France, Britain, Canada, and Australia amid the surge in diaspora antisemitism. The plan offers shorter waiting times, financial grants, employment placement, and housing assistance in designated absorption cities.
Secondary:(1)(2)Israel remains OECD's fertility outlier with birth rate near 2.9
A Taub Center analysis of OECD and Israeli data found Israel's total fertility rate at about 2.9 children per woman, far above the OECD average of roughly 1.5. The study noted that Israel's fertility remains unusually high even among secular and traditional Jewish women, while Haredi fertility has declined but remains much higher than other groups.
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