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Changes in the growing conflict around Syria, with Iran withdrawing troops; Israel and the ICC; more support for Israel among the Sunni nations. A very nice blending of Hanukkah and Christmas messages, too. Don't be dismayed by what some see as the pagan aspects of Christmas. The true message is definitely there among the symbols if you see it.

Amazon has withdrawn a range of "Christmas ornaments" displaying images of a former concentration camp that sellers had posted on its website. The move followed a tweet from Poland's Auschwitz Memorial calling on the retailer to remove the "disturbing and disrespectful" merchandise. It included Christmas tree decorations, a bottle opener and a mouse-pad.

Hanukkah celebrates the miracle that oil thought to be enough for only one day burned instead for eight. So the Jewish festival of lights is also, in a way, a celebration of surprise. A temple in Queens got a small dose of surprise on Sunday - the final night of Hanukkah - when Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the New York Democrat with a knack for dramatic flourish, told those gathered to light the menorah that her ancestors were Jewish. ‘‘One of the things that we discovered about ourselves is that a very, very long time ago, generations and generations ago, my...

President Trump marked Hanukkah Thursday evening at a White House reception that included eight survivors of the Holocaust. In an East Room event, Mr. Trump recalled the fatal mass shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in October, calling it a “sinister anti-Semitic attack.” “In the aftermath of that wicked assault, we reaffirmed our solemn duty to confront anti-Semitism everywhere it occurs,” the president said. “We must stamp out this vile hatred from the world.” The president then introduced eight Holocaust survivors, calling the era “history’s darkest hour.” He told the survivors that they inspire the world with their courage,...

Eighty years after Kristallnacht, the “Night of Broken Glass,” in which Nazis terrorized Jews throughout Germany and Austria, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was lifted in a cherry picker crane alongside Berlin community Rabbi Yehudah Teichtal to kindle what is billed as the Europe’s largest Hanukkah menorah, located at the iconic Brandenburg Gate. Thanks to a misty rain, the first night of Hanukkah was especially sparkly in Berlin this year. Raindrops settled upon several hundred onlookers gathered for the 15th annual candle-lighting ceremony, refracting the lights of Berlin’s giant Christmas tree and the illuminated 18th-century monument, just east of where the...

What is the relationship between Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas? Much more than most might appreciate .....

In 165 BC, the City of Jerusalem was liberated by Judah Maccabee. In 1917 AD, the City of Jerusalem was liberated by General Edmund Allenby. In 2017 AD, the City of Jerusalem was finally recognized as the Eternal Capital of Israel by Donald Trump and The United States of America. Jerusalem will be liberated once more when the Jewish Messiah comes to finally delivery Israel from her enemies. Will it be 2018? Happy Hanukkah to my Jewish friends. Please consider this Hanukkah and Christmas how Jesus Christ fulfilled the many Jewish Prophesies concerning Israel's Messiah (Isiah 53, Daniel 9, Micah...

'Tis the season to be merry, and we need a little merriment this season. This year, the passage of time between two holidays of the spirit, Hanukkah and Christmas, is short, focusing attention once more on the Judeo-Christian moorings of America. Every year we honor the ways Christians and Jews appeal to what they hold in common in exhortations. But like so much else in our high-tech, 24/7 media world, differences are magnified and politicized. Political overtones have always influenced how we celebrate our holidays, but not until now has so much attention been paid. President Donald Trump is...

'Tis the season to be merry, and we need a little merriment this season. This year, the passage of time between two holidays of the spirit, Hanukkah and Christmas, is short, focusing attention once more on the Judeo-Christian moorings of America. Every year we honor the ways Christians and Jews appeal to what they hold in common in exhortations. But like so much else in our high-tech, 24/7 media world, differences are magnified and politicized. Political overtones have always influenced how we celebrate our holidays, but not until now has so much attention been paid. President Donald Trump is...

A person who gives a gift featuring his or her sacred religious iconography is reaching out, showing kindness and sharing his or her faith with others.For years I have been one of the only Jewish people at my places of employment. I am currently the only Jew who wears a kippah at my office every day. In my heavily Southern Baptist and rural town, one would think I would be quite familiar with the consequences of being such an outsider.But, as any honest minority will tell you, that singular idea of what America must be like simply is not accurate....

President Trump gave supporters of Israel an early Hanukkah present when he recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital on December 6th. This is very much overdue and recognizes the obvious reality. Moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem shows that at least America realizes that the nation of Israel should be allowed to determine its own capital. Presidents’ Clinton, Bush, Obama, and Trump all made the campaign promise to move the embassy and the current president was the only one of the four to make this significant move. Unlike the previous three presidents of both parties who only paid...

President Donald Trump declared Hanukkah 'especially special' this year because of his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital as he entered a White House celebration of the Jewish festival to whoops on Thursday night. He was cheered by a crowd which included his son-in-law and Middle East peace envoy Jared Kushner as he walked into the East Room, just a day after his declaration which has caused widespread protests in the Middle East. 'I know for a fact there are a lot of happy people in this room,' he exulted, adding: 'Jerusalem!' In a short speech in front of representatives...

A video of Muslims and Jewish people dancing together at a Hanukkah celebration in Bahrain has been condemned by Hamas as a “humiliating and disgraceful spectacle.”For the second year in a row, the Arab state hosted a candle-lighting ceremony marking the start of Hanukkah, Saturday. The event, hosted by King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, was attended by a selection of Bahrain’s tiny Jewish population as well as Jews from France. Later, a video was posted to YouTube showing Jewish men in kippahs and Muslim men wearing keffiyehs dancing together.That combination led to a furious reaction from the Palestinian Islamic...

The rabbi in charge of the National Hanukkah Menorah lighting used the ceremony, held Sunday just steps from the White House, to criticize the Obama administration's decision to allow the United Nations to pass a resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank and portions of Jerusalem as illegal. Rabbi Levi Shemtov, executive vice president of American Friends of Lubavitch, turned an Obama administration official's speech about "fighting darkness with light" on its head, evoking Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — who has had an antagonistic relationship with President Obama — and urging Jews not to despair about the "darkness"...

We were delighted with the "surprising" election outcome this year and look forward to a reawakened America under President Trump. He -- and the rest of us -- have an Augean stable to muck out. We hope for a revitalized and far better America than we have seen for the past eight years and for a better world for all, with no more disgraces of this sort: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crEicBxcfwA&t=0s Desire for a "two state solution" does not mean that there would be one state for the Jews and another for the Palestinians, living separately but in peace and harmony. Palestinian hatred...

I love this world leader. Bibi Netanyahu’s Christmas greeting warms the collective heart of Christians and Jews who cherish the bond of heritage. I’m reminded of the biblical teaching, “A three strand cord is not easily broken.” Israel – America – God. Our cord will strengthen in coming days. The Prime Minister’s gracious gesture is another branch of allegiance, a sure sign of respect for the Judeo-Christian heritage upon which our great nation was built. For so many of us, that respect is mutual. This is why we commit to Psalm 122:6, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” the rightful...

Target Corp. (TGT) recalled about 2,600 Hanukkah menorahs sold from October 2015 through December 2015 for about $20 , because of a fire hazard, according to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission . The clear acrylic menorahs, in a pyramid design and 10.5 inches long, can melt when the candles are burning, posing a fire hazard, the CPSC said. Target has received eight reports of melting, including three reports of fire, but no property damage or injuries. Target shares shed 1.9% in afternoon trade, and have edged up 0.8% year to date.

Every Obama event somehow has to offend Christians and Jews. Could Obama pull it off for Chanukah? Yes, he could. I already wrote about Susan Talve's bizarre pre-Menorah lighting rant at the White House Chanukah party. Then, not satisfied with having made a disgrace of the Chanukah ceremony, Susan Talve declared, "I stand here to light these lights to say no the darkness of Islamophobia and Homophobia and Transphobia." Talve babbled about insuring "justice for Palestinians" and began gleefully chanting, "Ins'Allah, Ins'Allah". Or "Allah Willing".

Leave to Barack Obama to turn what should be a celebration of the Jewish people’s survival in the face of adversity into a politicized rant celebrating the cause of the Palestinians, who want to “drive them into the sea,” as has been promised since the birth of the modern State of Israel. Daniel Greenfield reports on what should have been the highlight of this year’s White House ceremony at Front Page Magazine: …the White House chose Susan Talve to light the Menorah. Talve is a member of the anti-Israel group T'ruah which is currently promoting assorted "soft BDS" programs. She's...

"Ins'Allah!": Obama Chanukah Party Attacks Islamophobia, Calls for "Justice" for Palestinians "I stand here to light these lights to say no the darkness of Islamophobia" December 10, 2015 Daniel Greenfield Obama's Chanukah parties have had issues in the past. But this time it teetered over into full-blown violently offensive territory. Obama's own remarks were boilerplate inoffensive stuff. Israel's President Rivlin, a political hack who desperately sucks up to the media, was equally insipid. But the White House chose Susan Talve to light the Menorah. Talve is a member of the anti-Israel group T'ruah which is currently promoting assorted "soft BDS"...