Board of Rabbis of Greater Philadelphia

10/01/2026

This is what a hero looks like. 🇮🇱

On September 30, 2026, as the Flydubai flight to Israel plunged toward disaster, Yaniv Hayun stepped forward. Together with fellow passengers and crew, he helped overpower the attacker, then pulled back on the controls until another pilot took over.

In moments of terror, their courage helped save lives.

Yaniv, we salute you and everyone who acted alongside you. 💙

📷 Kobi Gideon / GPO

10/01/2026

We are in dire need of winter coats – especially men’s coats of all size and women’s XL and plus size coats! Help Our Closet In Your Neighborhood meet their goal of giving away over 1,000 winter coats to Philadelphians in need for our annual Coat Day in November.

Drop off your donations at 400 S State Rd, Ste 215, Springfield, PA 19064, any time from 9am to 7pm Monday to Friday. Entrance located around the back of the shopping center by the Planet Fitness entrance. Follow the signs to the second floor, and place all donations in the marked cart behind the double doors. Last day to donate is Monday, November 2!

Don’t have a coat to donate? Consider purchasing a coat directly through JFCS’ Giving Market!
$50 purchases an adult winter coat: jfcsphilly.link/Adult-Coat
$25 purchases a child’s winter coat: jfcsphilly.link/Childs-Coat

10/01/2026

in 1919, Black sharecroppers gathered at a church near Elaine, Arkansas, to organize for fair payment for their labor.

That night, gunfire outside the meeting sparked days of racial terror. Armed white mobs descended on the area, killing Black men, women and children. Federal troops were sent to Elaine, and historical accounts indicate some soldiers also participated in the violence. The exact death toll remains unknown, but estimates reach into the hundreds.

The Elaine Massacre was one of the deadliest acts of racial violence in U.S. history, fueled by white supremacy and efforts to suppress Black workers organizing for economic justice.

Today, we remember those whose lives were taken and the Black community that dared to organize for what it was owed.

10/01/2026

10/01/2026

“I could have been a contender.” These are the words of Terry Malloy, the boxer turned longshoreman in On the Waterfront, and they mean more once you know how he gets there. He had real promise, be…

10/01/2026

Jewish Federations of North America condemn the violent extremist attacks against the Palestinian village of Jalud in the West Bank. Those responsible must be apprehended and brought to justice. We stand in support of the Israeli Defense Forces and law enforcement and urge decisive action to prevent further attacks and protect innocent civilians. As the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, said, these acts are a “moral stain, a blow to the rule of law and our most basic values as a nation and country.”

10/01/2026

Captain Smit Machchhar was stabbed in the cockpit, but he kept fighting to save the lives of everyone on board. 🇮🇳🇮🇱

During a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv, he reportedly fought off his copilot after being attacked. The copilot allegedly tried to crash the aircraft, sending the plane into a terrifying descent.

Passengers and crew members rushed to help overpower the attacker. With Captain Machchhar injured, other pilots on board took control and safely landed the plane in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.

Captain Machchhar, we salute your courage and wish you a full recovery.

09/29/2026

Last Passover, Rabbi Levi Druin, the principal of Pardes Day School in Miami Beach, Fla., was debating a group of teachers on the potential of using artificial intelligence in the classroom.

“That’s not for me,” one said to him. “That’s too complicated.”

Druin yanked out his phone and showed them programs that he created using AI. One monitored student data; another tracked progress, and a third generated worksheets. The teachers sat stunned.

“They all love and care about their students,” he told eJewishPhilanthropy. “And now they know, ‘Oh my gosh, my students would love this.’”

From that interaction came an idea: a contest for educators using AI to create programs to support students. The contest would normalize the use of AI in education, inspire creativity and allow programmers — often everyday folks with little computer background — to share their work.

Full story: https://ejphil.com/5karx

09/29/2026

“I can’t think of many bar or bat mitzvahs that I’ve attended where these candies were not thrown and given out." https://www.jewishexponent.com/sunkist-fruit-gems-discontinued