The JC - Jewish News, Comment & Culture

Yehonatan Perry and his mother in Israel, ready to cast their votes (Courtesy)

Israeli elections

‘I cast my first ever vote aged 17 in Israel’s most pivotal election… thanks to the Hebrew calendar’

By Jamie Shapiro

2 min read

Film

The small movies with big ideas at the UK Jewish Film Festival

By John Nathan

6 min read

Hamas fighters escort Israeli hostage Eli Sharabi on to a stage prior to his release in February 2025 and (foreground) Starmer and Zomlot (Images: Getty)

Letter from Jerusalem

Revealed: Israel begged UK to wait for hostages to be freed before recognition of Palestine

Jerusalem officials tell the JC how British government ignored warning

By Natalie Lisbona

8 min read

Chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, visits a printing factory in Kiryat Gat where ballot papers were being printed on October 5, 2026 (Flash90)

Israeli elections

Israeli election authorities ask Shin Bet to investigate Likud claims of ‘foreign power-backed’ voter fraud

By Jacob Jaffa

2 min read

Gal Gadot

Gal Gadot reveals plans to move back to Israel amid rising antisemitism

By Hayley Cregor

1 min read

Billy Crystal

Billy Crystal turns loss of house in wildfires into a ‘brilliantly funny’ show

By Hayley Cregor

3 min read

Opinion

Keith Black

Violent attacks on ‘Zionist’ targets are not legitimate protest – Palestine Action ban must remain

Stephen Pollard

Echoes of Brexit as pundits called it wrong in writing off Bibi prematurely

Dominic Green

How another election – in Michigan – may shape Israel’s fate

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Latest US news

Film

He’s passed the final frontier: Walter Koenig who played Chekov in Star Trek dies at 90

Jewish actor’s Russian navigator was mainstay of the original series and seven feature films

By JC Reporter

1 min read

Walter Koenig as Chekov (By NBC Television - eBay itemphoto frontphoto back, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19802343)

US Politics

Pro-Democrat campaign ad claims US gives Israel money ‘to kill Palestinians’

The clip, produced by an organisation linked to prominent leftist figures, suggests that the Gaza War is the reason for price increases in American shops

By Hayley Cregor

2 min read

A still image from an ad produced by Rebellion PAC in 2024 and aired during the 2026 Michigan Senate race (YouTube/NovaraMedia/CenkUygur)

US Politics

‘I don’t believe in voting blue no matter who’: Michigan’s Jewish Democrats waver over el-Sayed

The party’s candidate has a chance to become the first-ever Muslim US Senator, but his views on Israel have alienated part of its traditional base

By Hayley Cregor

2 min read

Former President Barack Obama stands with Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed during a rally in Detroit, Michigan, on October 24, 2026 (Getty Images)

Israeli Politics

Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have done ‘enormous reputational damage’ to Israel, says billionaire Bill Ackman ahead of Knesset election

The prominent investor and outspoken pro-Israel advocate has called for the two far-right leaders to be excluded from the next coalition government

By Hayley Cregor

1 min read

US hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, speaks during the Milken Institute Global Conference at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, on May 4, 2026 (Getty Images)

World News

Prosecutors ask for more time in Chanukah Bondi Beach terror attack case

By JC Reporter

1 min read

People help clear flowers and notes honouring the victims of the Bondi Beach mass shooting at Bondi Pavilion on December 22, 2025 (Getty Images)

Bondi Beach terror attack

Australian man charged with faking Bondi massacre injury claim to receive compensation

By Hayley Cregor

1 min read

Serbia

‘Islamic State’ knife attacker shot dead by police officer outside Israeli embassy in Belgrade

By JC Reporter

1 min read

The outside of a BBC building in central London (Picture: Getty Images)

BBC

BBC Verify accused of ‘bad faith’ in its reporting on alleged IDF misconduct

By Lorin Bell-Cross

4 min read

An Austrian Airlines plane takes off from the Schwechat airport near Vienna, Austria, on June 4, 2026. (Photo by MAX SLOVENCIK / APA / AFP via Getty Images)

Travel

‘We’re so lucky you’re all Israelis’, flight attendant tells passengers who helped man taken ill on jet

By Hayley Cregor

3 min read

Inside the newly-opened Jewish museum in Baghdad (Photo-Syriac Press/YouTube)

Iraq

Jewish heritage museum opens in Baghdad

By Hayley Cregor

3 min read

Eurovision

Netherlands backs out of Eurovision in apparent U-turn over Israel

The country had previously withdrawn from the contest, but then rejoined before pulling out once more, citing ‘sensitivities’ around the event

By Jacob Jaffa

1 min read

UK News

Hate crimes against Jews recorded as ‘antisemitic’ by prosecutors for first time

Former attorney general Sir Michael Ellis says: ‘Collecting this data is a vital tool for the CPS to recognise where it is failing’

By Jamie Shapiro

1 min read

Local residents look on from outside a cordoned off area in Golders Green, north London on April 29, 2026, following the stabbing to two people nearby (Image: Getty Images)

B'nai B'rith UK

B’nai B’rith urges UK to class antizionism as ‘extremist ideology’

The group’s report also recommended a permanent ban on London’s annual al-Quds Day march, restrictions on protests near Jewish sites and the proscription of the Muslim Brotherhood under the Terrorism Act

By Hayley Cregor

3 min read

Dr Jeremy Havardi speaks at the launch of B'nai B'rith UK's report on antizionist antisemitism at Portcullis House on October 20, 2026 (B'nai B'rith UK)

Pro-Palestine

Fifty peers urge government to ban anti-Israel rapper Macklemore from entering UK

Letter to Home Secretary comes ahead of Wembley concert by rapper, who is donating tour profits to pro-Palestine groups, including one that justified October 7 hostage-taking

By Jamie Shapiro

2 min read

Anti-Israel rapper Macklemore, real name Benjamin Hammond Haggerty (Images: Getty Images)

Palestine Action

Reversing Palestine Action ban ‘would threaten British national security’

Overturning ban could ‘open the floodgates’ for terror groups to seek deproscription, warn security experts

By Jane Prinsley

3 min read

Demonstration outside Royal Courts of Justice in support of Palestine Action last year (Getty Images)

Opinion

Will you join the Jewish response to the nature crisis?

From ancient Torah laws to international environmental cooperation, Jews around the world are putting our heritage of radical responsibility into action.

By Naomi Verber

2 min read

What we now call 'environmentalism' was built into the Torah more than 3,000 years ago (Photo: Getty)

‘For three years our streets have seen extremism normalised and terrorism celebrated’: Letters to the Editor, October 30 2026

3 min read

By The JC Leader

Supreme Court ruling on Palestine Action is critical not only for Jewish community but all of Britain

Reversing ban would embolden enemies of UK and imperil national security, warn Jewish News and Jewish Chronicle in joint leader ahead of next week’s hearing

2 min read

By Adam Louis-Klein

Palestinian flag on display in French riots has become an emblem of social breakdown

Core liberal values in Europe are coming under threat from an ever-expanding jihadist ideology bound up with antizionsim

3 min read

Sponsored

Delta sleep-inducing peptide (DSIP) in modern molecular science

By Zack Ford

4 min read

Sponsored

Moving home in North London? Some things are worth doing properly

By Dennis Rogers

3 min read

Photo of a young woman working on a landscape project in her backyard.

Sponsored

Tzedakah shouldn’t stop with us

By Anthony Broza

3 min read

Always on hand for advice: UJC chaplains and head office team, 2026-27. Photo by UJC

Sponsored

Real university starter pack, no £600 kettle required

By Sophie Dunoff

2 min read

Life

How a Jewish woman from northwest London became an acclaimed Thai chef

By Siam Goorwich

4 min read

Funny angles: Shuli Rand, Iris Bahr and Tzufit Grant in The Wedding Entertainer. Inset: Gidi Dar

Film

Meet Gidi Dar, the secular Israeli film director whose movies opened the door for Shtisel and other Charedi dramas

The film-makers’s latest film The Wedding Entertainer is set in the Chasidic community of Jerusalem. It makes its UK premiere at next month’s UK Jewish Film Festival

By John Nathan

6 min read

Books

Michael Douglas’s candid memoir really is ‘One Helluva Ride’

The Jewish Hollywood star’s autobiography is a captivating read that will be of interest to both film buffs and the general reader

By Robert Low

3 min read

Candid memoir: Michael Douglas's enthralling autobiography

Music

Arab-Jewish ensemble of the Israel Philharmonic strikes a chord in Britain

Shesh Besh, an offshoot of the main orchestra, will perform in London and Oxford next month

By Gaby Koppel

4 min read

Music to my ears: (from left) Gilad Rivkin, Boaz Meirovich, Sami Kheshaiboun, Uri Arbel, Michael Maroun and Aziz Naddaf

By Siam Goorwich

Will any Jews be watching this? Why the dilemma over Nobody Wants This is deeper than you think

Once again, something that should have been light and fun has become deeply problematic for proud, Zionist Jews

3 min read

Adam Brody and Kirsten Bell star in the Netflix show Nobody Wants This (Photo: Netflix)

JC recipes

Vegan pad Thai noodles (Photo: Phil Bekker)

Vegan recipe

Pad Thai noodles with vegan chicken or tofu

By Philippa Kingsley

Cook time: 10 mins

Coconut milk soup with vegan chicken or tofu: tom kha ga (Photo: Phil Bekker)

Vegan recipe

Thai coconut milk soup with vegan chicken or tofu (tom kha ga)

By Philippa Kingsley

Cook time: 25-30 mins

Vegetarian

Slow-cooked chickpeas with rosemary, sun-dried tomatoes and honey

By Odysea

Cook time: 1 hr 40 mins – 3 hours

Vegetarian

Roasted butternut and lentils with herb and tahini-amba dressings

By Silvia Nacamulli

Cook time: 45 minutes

The Jewish Chronicle

‘I cast my first ever vote aged 17 in Israel’s most pivotal election… thanks to the Hebrew calendar’

The small movies with big ideas at the UK Jewish Film Festival

Revealed: Israel begged UK to wait for hostages to be freed before recognition of Palestine

Israeli election authorities ask Shin Bet to investigate Likud claims of ‘foreign power-backed’ voter fraud

Gal Gadot reveals plans to move back to Israel amid rising antisemitism

Billy Crystal turns loss of house in wildfires into a ‘brilliantly funny’ show

Opinion

Violent attacks on ‘Zionist’ targets are not legitimate protest – Palestine Action ban must remain

Echoes of Brexit as pundits called it wrong in writing off Bibi prematurely

How another election – in Michigan – may shape Israel’s fate

Insights Delivered Daily

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Editor’s Picks

The Israel Briefing

Community Matters

Support the world’s oldest Jewish newspaper

Latest US news

He’s passed the final frontier: Walter Koenig who played Chekov in Star Trek dies at 90

Pro-Democrat campaign ad claims US gives Israel money ‘to kill Palestinians’

‘I don’t believe in voting blue no matter who’: Michigan’s Jewish Democrats waver over el-Sayed

Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have done ‘enormous reputational damage’ to Israel, says billionaire Bill Ackman ahead of Knesset election

World News

Prosecutors ask for more time in Chanukah Bondi Beach terror attack case

Australian man charged with faking Bondi massacre injury claim to receive compensation

‘Islamic State’ knife attacker shot dead by police officer outside Israeli embassy in Belgrade

BBC Verify accused of ‘bad faith’ in its reporting on alleged IDF misconduct

‘We’re so lucky you’re all Israelis’, flight attendant tells passengers who helped man taken ill on jet

Jewish heritage museum opens in Baghdad

Netherlands backs out of Eurovision in apparent U-turn over Israel

UK News

Hate crimes against Jews recorded as ‘antisemitic’ by prosecutors for first time

B’nai B’rith urges UK to class antizionism as ‘extremist ideology’

Fifty peers urge government to ban anti-Israel rapper Macklemore from entering UK

Reversing Palestine Action ban ‘would threaten British national security’

Opinion

Will you join the Jewish response to the nature crisis?

‘For three years our streets have seen extremism normalised and terrorism celebrated’: Letters to the Editor, October 30 2026

Supreme Court ruling on Palestine Action is critical not only for Jewish community but all of Britain

Palestinian flag on display in French riots has become an emblem of social breakdown

Sponsored

Delta sleep-inducing peptide (DSIP) in modern molecular science

Moving home in North London? Some things are worth doing properly

Tzedakah shouldn’t stop with us

Real university starter pack, no £600 kettle required

Life

How a Jewish woman from northwest London became an acclaimed Thai chef

Meet Gidi Dar, the secular Israeli film director whose movies opened the door for Shtisel and other Charedi dramas

Michael Douglas’s candid memoir really is ‘One Helluva Ride’

Arab-Jewish ensemble of the Israel Philharmonic strikes a chord in Britain

Will any Jews be watching this? Why the dilemma over Nobody Wants This is deeper than you think

JC recipes

Pad Thai noodles with vegan chicken or tofu

Thai coconut milk soup with vegan chicken or tofu (tom kha ga)

Slow-cooked chickpeas with rosemary, sun-dried tomatoes and honey

Roasted butternut and lentils with herb and tahini-amba dressings