Ron Kampeas

Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California arrives as the House Judiciary Committee holds its first meeting under the Republican majority to set its operating rules, at the Capitol in Washington, February 1, 2023. (AP/J. Scott Applewhite)

February 8, 2023, 9:13 am

Top Democrat Adam Schiff fears judicial shakeup will ‘make Israel less democratic’

Pro-Israel US congressman voices concern over coalition partners who ‘expressed bigotry and divisive policies,’ laments that Washington guided autocratic leaders under Trump

By Ron Kampeas

Joe Rogan is seen during a weigh-in before UFC 211 on May 12, 2017, in Dallas before UFC 211. ( AP Photo/Gregory Payan, File)

February 8, 2023, 4:11 am

Joe Rogan: ‘The idea that Jewish people are not into money is ridiculous’

Popular podcast host defends Rep. Ilhan Omar’s 2019 tweet saying pro-Israel votes in Congress were ‘all about the Benjamins,’ for which she has since apologized

By Ron Kampeas

Police and Emergency Medical Services respond to a shooting at a business park in the Edgewood area of Harford County, Maryland, Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2017. (Matt Button/The Baltimore Sun via AP)

January 30, 2023, 6:42 pm

‘Get him for Kanye’: Man wearing Star of David necklace beaten at DC-area grocery

Victim taken to hospital with concussion and broken nose; police holding 19-year-old suspect on assault and robbery, may add hate crime charges

By Ron Kampeas

Then-US president Donald Trump meets with rapper Kanye West in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, October 11, 2018. (SEBASTIAN SMITH / AFP)

January 30, 2023, 1:17 pm

In implied rebuke to Trump, GOP slams Kanye West and Nick Fuentes for antisemitism

Republican Party resolution names rapper and white supremacist as it opposes ‘all forms of antisemitism,’ but doesn’t explicitly mention US ex-president who invited them to dinner

By Ron Kampeas

The Kohelet Policy Forum, a right-wing Israeli think tank, released an English-language video arguing for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's proposed judicial reforms. (Screenshot via JTA. Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

January 29, 2023, 10:31 am

Advocates for Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul reach out to English-speaking audience

Amid mounting opposition abroad, defenders of planned changes, including powerful Kohelet Policy Forum and right-wing influencer Ben Shapiro, are pressing their case in English

By PHILISSA CRAMER and Ron Kampeas

Rep. Adam Schiff, Democrat-California, during a hearing at the Capitol in Washington, on June 21, 2022. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

January 29, 2023, 9:14 am

Staunch pro-Israel Democrat Adam Schiff declares Senate run for California

In announcing campaign, Jewish lawmaker who led impeachment of former president Trump warns ‘democracy is under assault from MAGA extremists’

By Ron Kampeas

Screen capture from video of former Washington Director of Human Rights Watch Sarah Margon, January,2020. (YouTube. Used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

January 26, 2023, 8:51 am

Jewish nominee quits bid for US human rights post amid scrutiny of Israel comments

Sarah Margon, who voiced support for disinvestment from West Bank settlements, says she can’t see path to confirmation with Republican senator determined to block appointment

By Ron Kampeas

Mazi Melesa Pilip appears at a press conference in Mineola, New York on January 29, 2023. (Office of Mazi Melesa Pilip via JTA)

January 21, 2023, 5:21 am

As Santos pressed to resign, Black Jewish GOP lawmaker in NY emerges as contender

Mazi Melesa Pilip, who was airlifted to Israel in Operation Solomon before later moving to Long Island, says she’s focused on current post in Nassau County and not US House seat

By Ron Kampeas

Thousands of people participate in the Tel Aviv Pride Parade, June 10, 2022. (Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images via JTA)

January 18, 2023, 2:45 pm

Could the new government endanger Israel’s status as an LGBTQ haven?

Netanyahu and others in his coalition say they are committed to protecting gay rights, but the volatile political situation makes the future hard to predict

By Ron Kampeas

A before and after photo depicting how a painting of Jesus at the US Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York, is now obscured by a curtain. (Before: US Coast Guard; After: US Merchant Marine Academy via JTA)

January 18, 2023, 8:14 am

US Merchant Marine Academy covers huge Jesus painting after religious freedom outcry

Jews were among those who complained about painting’s location in a room where events with mandatory attendance are held

By Ron Kampeas

Democratic Governor Josh Shapiro waves after a ceremony to become Pennsylvania's 48th governor at the state capitol in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, January 17, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

January 18, 2023, 4:06 am

Josh Shapiro’s inauguration symbolizes a new age for Jewish politicians

New governor, who defeated rival accused of antisemitism, provides a fresh archetype for Jews by unabashedly incorporating identity into his politics

By Ron Kampeas

Brian Boatright, the chief justice of the Colorado Supreme Court, at right, swears in Gov. Jared Polis, on the left, while Polis's husband, Marlon Reis, holds a Hebrew bible, in Denver, Jan. 10, 2023. (Gov. Jared Polis Facebook page via JTA)

January 12, 2023, 11:16 am

When Colorado governor needed a Tanach for swearing-in

Jared Polis lost his Hebrew Bible, but after a number of frantic calls, one was found at nearby annual national conference of Jewish day school network Prizmah

By Ron Kampeas

File: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks on a video from Israel to the 2019 American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference, at Washington Convention Center, in Washington, DC, on March 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

January 10, 2023, 10:57 pm

AIPAC gathering aims at 2024 game plan for electing pro-Israel candidates

Two-day meeting of 1,000 political leaders, lobby’s first in-person confab in DC since COVID, intended to discuss strategies ahead of next major election cycle; closed to press

By Ron Kampeas

The icon for TikTok phone app, taken in New York, February 25, 2020. (AP Photo)

January 6, 2023, 8:19 am

Jan. 6 commission: Average TikToker sees Nazi content after 75 minutes

Experiment by committee finds it takes just over an hour for new users to be directed to right-wing extremist content without actively searching for it

By Ron Kampeas

Flowers surround a photo of 32-year-old Heather Heyer, who was killed when a car plowed into a crowd of people protesting against the white supremacist Unite the Right rally, August 13, 2017, in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP)

January 4, 2023, 6:53 pm

US judge cuts damages owed by Charlottesville rally organizers from $26m to $2.35m

Judge Norman Moon hews to Virginia law that caps punitive damages at $350,000, leaves in place $2 million in compensatory damages tied to deadly 2017 white supremacist rally

By Ron Kampeas