On the steps of the U.S. Capitol on June 10, House Speaker

Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries held a vigil in memory of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, who were murdered last month outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C.

Jewish Insider photo

When Temple B’Nai Israel in White Oak, PA, held its final Shabbat service in April after 113 years, it felt like the end of the line. But for Nik Jakobs, a 40-year-old rancher from rural Illinois, it was a call to action.

Jakobs offered to relocate as much of the synagogue’s sacred materials as he could — the Torah, and even the stained-glass windows — to Sterling, Ill., where he’s planning to build a new synagogue on a two-acre cornfield next to a Lutheran church.

Alongside the synagogue, Jakobs also plans to erect a Jewish museum to honor his grandparents, who survived the Holocaust.

“If we build it, they will come,” Jakobs said.

Nik Jacobs holds the Torah from a century-old synagogue in White Oak, PA, to be moved to a new

synagogue he will build in Sterling, Ill. A moving truck is in the background.

Benyamin Cohen photo

For moving, inspirational writing, The Shofar can recommend none batter than an article by Isabel Kershner in the Wednesday, June 11, issue of The New York Times. Check your local library for an archived copy.

The story centers on Omer Shem Tov, who was 20 years old when gunmen seized him during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel. He had grown up in a largely secular home, and was captured while fleeing the Nova music festival. A few days into his captivity, he began to speak to God. “You  are looking for something to lean on, something to hold onto,” Mr. Shem Tov said in a recent interview at his home in Herzliya. He had been released after 505 days in Gaza.

For 50 of those days, he sat in a small stifling cell with hardly and food or water. It was pitch dark most of the time. But like many of the hostages have recounted, he clung to his newfound faith that he had survived so far.

Now home and recovering, he said that he prays daily in his bedroom with tefillin.

The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) announced on June 23 it would allocate $10 million in emergency funding to meet the needs of Israeli Jews.

The JFNA, the umbrella group for 141 Jewish federations across the United States and Canada, said that the money comes from its Israel Emergency Fund set up in the days after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attach on Israel.

Since that attack, the JFNA has raised $897 million from American and Canadian Jews to help Israel recover and rebuild. About 90% of that money has already been spent, Religion News Service (RNS) said, adding that the organization is now funding the more immediate needs of food and housing.

“We want every Israeli to know that the North American Jewish community will continue to step up to support hospitals, upgrade conditions in public bomb shelters and help evacuees and victims of terror,” said Jeff Schoenfeld, vice chair of the JFNA board of trustees.

Federations are far and away the largest source of philanthropic support for Israel, JNS said.

On Monday, May 26, the annual Memorial Day Parade in Orient took place under clear skies and a spirit of reverence and remembrance. The parade began at the Orient Fire Department and wound its way through the surrounding roads, drawing a strong turnout of local residents and visitors.

The event featured proud participation by the ROTC cadets, local clergy, and community leaders. Rabbi Gadi Capela offered a moving reflection at the World War II Memorial, honoring the legacy and sacrifice of those who served. It was a beautiful day marked by unity, gratitude, and solemn respect for those who gave their lives in service to our country.

Opening Reception: Sunday, June 8, at noon

Celebrate 150 years of Jewish Communal Life in Nassau and Suffolk counties by visiting this illuminating exhibit of historic Torahs, books, documents, and artifacts collected from synagogues and private donors around Long Island.

The exhibit is presented by the Jewish Historical Society of Long Island, and featured at the Suffolk County Historical Society Museum’s Weathervane Gallery, 300West Main Street, Riverhead, from June 8 through November 2025.