Dance has been part of Jewish life for thousands of years. The Bible describes dancing as an expression of joy and celebration. Jewish teachings also view dancing as a way to bring joy to others. The Talmud praises those who dance at weddings to make the bride and groom happy, showing that dancing can also be an act of kindness.

Last week, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) acknowledged that the organization should have done more, earlier, to help secure the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza. On October 10, 2026, the New York Times reported that Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, President of the ICRC, recently acknowledged in an interview that earlier pressure to release Israeli hostages from Gaza might have saved lives. Her exact words, as reproduced by The Times of Israel, were: “I personally think that pressure should have come earlier in the negotiations. We could have saved more lives.” For me, the timing of her disclosure was eerie: I heard about it on the way to Theresienstadt, the notorious Nazi camp outside of Prague. Terezín (Theresienstadt) was different from the more (in)famous camps like Auschwitz or Treblinka: it wasn’t built as a death camp. Rather, it was a garrison town re-designed as a ghetto and transit camp. In the end, tens of thousands of Jews (and others) were imprisoned, starved, abused, and deported to their deaths elsewhere. Tens of thousands died in the camp itself. And it was the site of one of the most shameful episodes in the history of the International Red Cross. read the full article here: aish.com/the-red-crosss-jewi…

📷 Jerusalemites: A Photo Essay An award-winning photographer’s love letter to the city of Jerusalem 👉 aish.com/jerusalemites-a-pho…

When Julia Blum was interviewing for Princeton, she was asked what should have been a very easy question: Tell me about yourself. Julia had been raised in Beverly Hills, studying music since she was three and performing professionally since she was twelve. She knew exactly who she was, or at least she thought she did. "I'm a singer. I'm a dancer. I'm an actor." Her interviewer stopped her. “Those are the things you do,” he told her. “But who are you?” Julia panicked inside for a split second. She didn't have an answer. Yet, somehow she openly explored the question with him for hours and successfully navigated the interview. That Princeton interview exposed something she hadn't really allowed herself time to think about. But she soon forgot about it. She was excited about her future and was thrilled to choose Yale University for college, knowing that she had so much she wanted to accomplish. She didn't know what she believed in but most of the time she was just too busy to let that matter. She knew she was Jewish and felt deeply connected to being Jewish, but when friends at Yale asked her what Jews actually believed, she couldn't really tell them. There was an entire "internal terrain" she had never explored. read the full story here: aish.com/the-princeton-inter…

Did They Really Find Noah's Ark in Turkey? There’s been a lot of excitement lately over claims that Noah’s Ark has finally been found. Is this proof that the biblical story is true? Or should we be a little cautious? A team of researchers says it has proven that a mound in the mountains of eastern Turkey, near Mount Ararat, is Noah’s Ark. The group, Noah’s Ark Scans, was founded by an American researcher named Andrew Jones. They recently announced that a radar survey confirms the site is “not geological” and that “an extraordinary man-made structure lies beneath the surface.” According to the team, the radar shows corridors, compartments, and even several decks. They have drilled up to 18 meters deep and sent a robot camera down the hole. One press release reported that a drill bit shattered on what might be a layer of petrified wood. The headlines wrote themselves: “Noah’s Ark Found.” Watch the full episode on aish.com/the-new-noahs-ark-c…

Omer Shem Tov, 23, spent over 16 months in the tunnels of Gaza. For over a year, he’s been sharing his story around the world — how he survived and the choices that sustained him through it all, including 450 days of total isolation, 50 of them in a pitch-dark dungeon where he couldn’t even stand up. How does a person stay sane in such an environment, let alone emerge to so grippingly share the profound insights of his ordeal and even write a book, as he recounts finding God in a place so dark it defies the imagination? Read the full article: aish.com/how-omer-shem-tov-f…

Tomorrow marks three years since October 7, 2023, where over 1,200 men, women, and children were murdered, and 250 were kidnapped from Israel by Hamas terrorists. What has three years since October 7 taught you about: -Being Jewish? -Your priorities? -The strength of the Jewish people? -Your friends? -College campus protests? -And more? Share below 💭⬇️

On Monday, thousands of Jewish people gathered at Jerusalem’s Western Wall for Birkat Kohanim, the Priestly Blessing. During this special prayer, Kohanim, descendants of the ancient Jewish priests, bless the Jewish people with words from the Torah asking God for protection, kindness, and peace. The mass blessing takes place during Sukkot, a holiday that commemorates God’s protection of the Israelites. 📍 Dan & Hytman Family Aish World Center @AishGlobal

The festival of Sukkot begins tonight 🌾 It's a weeklong Jewish holiday that celebrates the harvest and commemorates how God protected the Israelites after they were freed from slavery in Egypt. During Sukkot, Jews spend time in a temporary outdoor structure called a sukkah, which recalls the temporary shelters the Israelites lived in after being freed from slavery in Egypt. Happy Sukkot ❤️

What started as Macklemore’s hijacking of Ed Sheeran’s concert tour via a Free Palestine message has spiraled into international news, reigniting the Israel/Palestine debate, and almost canceling Ed Sheeran’s tour altogether. Patriots owner Robert Kraft tried to silence Macklemore. Ed Sheeran tried to remain silent. And Jewish singer/songwriter Pink inserted herself into the debacle commenting on social media via her Jewish experience. But whose efforts helped the situation and whose made everything blow cataclysmically out of proportion? Most importantly what do we have to learn in this ever-increasing controversy that is as personal as it is political? If you’re somehow not familiar with the events, here is a quick summary. At Ed Sheeran’s concerts on September 4th and 5th, rapper and master of poor fashion choices Macklemore delivered an extended political message about the war in Gaza, saying “Free Palestine,” playing his pro-Palestinian protest song “Hind’s Hall” while images of the destruction in Gaza played on a big screen. After the first night, Patriots owner Robert Kraft talked to Ed Sheeran, accused Macklemore of hate speech and insisted he not repeat the stunt. But on the subsequent night, Macklemore proved he wouldn’t be silenced. Shortly after, Robert Kraft rallied other stadium owners leading to Macklemore being kicked off the tour. Macklemore accepted the ban, made another statement on social media announcing he was donating his salary for the tour of $1 million to Gaza charities and challenged Kraft to do the same. Kraft didn’t just meet the pledge he doubled it, saying the $2 million he ultimately pledged "to aid in the region" didn't come from Macklemore's dare at all, but from a private call in which Sheeran asked him to match Sheeran's own $2 million commitment. Sheeran put out a statement saying it was not his decision to drop Macklemore but that he wouldn't abandon the tour. He insisted it was not a sign of being “complicit” and that there was suffering “on both sides.” This even but moderate response quickly led to Sheeran being in hot water. Opening acts of this tour as well as his touring band dropped out in solidarity with Macklemore, Sheeran became the focus of intense ridicule and criticism, and lost hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. He finally made another statement at his Philadelphia show condemning the suffering in Gaza (we’ll unpack that later). So what to make of it all? read the full story here: aish.com/the-macklemore-mess…

For six decades, Bob Mackie was one of the most influential costume designers in American entertainment, dressing icons like Cher, Diana Ross, Carol Burnett, Tina Turner, Liza Minnelli and Elton John. His designs defined what glamour looked like for generations. Bob died on September 14. His loss is deeply personal for me. This is the story of the man who changed the course of my life: aish.com/how-bob-mackie-chan…

Some days are just hard. Jewish wisdom teaches that you don’t have to understand why something is happening or how it will work out while you’re still going through it. “This too is for the good” is a reminder that what feels difficult today may look very different with time. ❤️

Tucker Carlson can rightfully be identified as one of those most responsible for normalizing antisemitism in America today. He regularly uses his platform of over 30 million listeners to promote conspiracy theories and falsehoods against Israel and Jews. Among his more shocking statements: - In a February 2026 episode, Carlson claimed that Israel is “the most violent country in the world by far per capita.” - In a March 2026 episode, he observed, ‘Oh, the dancing Israelis. They did it. Israel had foreknowledge of 9/11.’ There were text messages sent to Israel, warning of 9/11. All true, by the way.” - In a May 2026 New York Times interview, Carlson claimed the Iraq War was itself a “product” of “Israel's interests above America's interests.” He described President Trump as a “hostage” under Netanyahu’s “total control” and called his relationship with the Israeli prime minister one of "slavery." Carlson hosts antisemites and, using a "Just Asking" approach, lets his guests make antisemitic statements. He then defends himself by saying he didn't say anything. For example, he hosted white supremacist Nick Fuentes in October 2025. On the show, Fuentes claimed "organized Jewry" controls the world. Fuentes later posted a video saying, “Do us all a favor. We are done with the Jewish oligarchy. We are done with the slavish surrender to Israel, the wars, the foreign aid, the policing of antisemitism, the Holocaust religion and propaganda.” Carlson's response when questioned was to brush off Fuentes' comments, since he's "just a kid" who says "naughty things." In light of Carlson’s dangerous message and enormous audience, Vice President J.D. Vance's refusal to call out Tucker Carlson for his bigotry is concerning. Vance’s statement, when questioned about Tucker Carlson, that “I’m not going to play the game where I throw friends under the bus because I have political disagreements with them," might be a good response on the playground, but for a leading politician to say that is downright dangerous. J.D. Vance would do well to learn a lesson from another antisemite with a big audience, Father Coughlin. Read the full story of Father Coughlin and how he used his platform to blame Jews for communism, defend the Nazis after Kristallnacht, and accuse Jews of plotting World War II here: aish.com/a-history-lesson-on…

Here are three things to keep in mind about Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement.

Judaism sees every human being as a Godly soul. We are all born into this world uncontaminated, innocent, pure love and goodness. And that remains at the core of who we are for our entire life. This is our true nature. However, over the course of time, we stray from that. The power of our own thinking leads us to beliefs, feelings and ultimately choices that disconnect us from who we are. And we find ourselves lost and confused, not remembering who we really are. Teshuva is a return to that true self, a return to our true nature. Everyone who looks into the eyes of a baby sees only good, only love, only joy, only Godliness. It’s only once we get older, and our cognitive abilities develop, that we innocently find incredibly creative ways to lose ourselves in the distractions of our material world. Teshuva is a reawakening from that lostness. And it is one of God’s greatest gifts to humanity. After freedom of choice, I believe it is God’s greatest gift. There is the possibility of real change. Wiping the slate clean and starting over. This is the gift of teshuva. read the full article here aish.com/what-repentance-rea…