Judaism

While expressing support for Israel and Ukraine, Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson also cautioned against “massive, ill-defined” aid packages that combine separate conflicts and stand to balloon the national debt. Johnson on Thursday joined Wisconsin Public Radio’s “The Morning Show,” where he said he wants to listen to what Israel needs in its fight against…

Every fall, Milwaukee’s Muslim and Jewish communities hold film festivals showcasing movies centered on their cultures. This year, the Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival and the Milwaukee Jewish Film Festival are coinciding with the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war and the strain and fear it is creating in both communities. Milwaukee Muslim Film Festival Janan Najeeb,…

Rabbi Josh Herman leads Hillel Milwaukee, an organization for Jewish college students. He and his staff have been working to support students who are grieving after Hamas militants killed hundreds of Israelis on Oct. 7, launching the ongoing armed conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. Herman, who has dual citizenship in the U.S. and…

Milwaukee religious leaders representing Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Roman Catholic and Unitarian congregations gathered Thursday to denounce the rise of Christian nationalism and its threat to democracy. About 75 clergy from the Milwaukee Inner City Congregations Allied for Hope, or MICAH, launched the “We All Belong” campaign with a rally and march. The event kicked off…

Antisemitic incidents in Wisconsin soared for the seventh consecutive year, according to an annual audit report. The report from the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Milwaukee Jewish Federation showed hate group activity, such as the distribution of leaflets that promote conspiracy theories, rose by 83 percent between 2021 and 2022. In all, there were…

About 18 months after Wisconsin added a law requiring the state’s middle and high schools to teach the Holocaust and other genocides, a group that trains teachers on the topic has covered more than half of the state’s districts. Samantha Abramson is executive director of the Holocaust Education Resource Center in Milwaukee. On Wisconsin Public…

The Milwaukee Health Department will not face charges after an investigation of its handling of the childhood lead poisoning prevention program found insufficient evidence the Health Department had violated the law. The Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office pointed to a lack of clarity in state law, unreliable Health Department records and conflicting witness statements, the…

Reports of antisemitism in Wisconsin remain near record-high levels in a trend advocates call “very concerning.” An annual audit released Thursday by the Milwaukee Jewish Community Relations Council found 95 reported incidents of antisemitism in 2021, just a 4 percent decrease from 2020’s record-high of 99. “This is all very concerning because whenever we see…

There’s a plaque that hangs outside the chapel at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Manitowoc. It commemorates another congregation that briefly called the building home. Anshe Poale Zedek Synagogue was founded more than 100 years ago. It moved into the chapel after selling its building — located right across the street — in 2016. It’s…

Six University of Wisconsin System schools are moving ahead with start dates on the Jewish holiday Rosh Hashanah despite calls for change. UW-Madison, UW-La Crosse, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Parkside, UW-Stout and UW-Superior all have scheduled classes to begin Sept. 7 or Sept. 8, the Tuesday and Wednesday after Labor Day. Rosh Hashanah, which marks the start of…