Michele Chabin
Michele Chabin is an author at Religion News Service.
All Stories by Michele Chabin
Israeli Cabinet minister draws rebuke for saying he would build a synagogue at holy site
By Michele Chabin — August 28, 2024
JERUSALEM (RNS) — The far-right minister’s latest remarks have sparked outrage from Muslim authorities, concern from the U.S. State Department, and Israeli assurances that the ‘status quo’ will remain.
In win for non-Orthodox Judaism, Ugandan Jew set to receive Israeli citizenship
By Michele Chabin — August 14, 2024
(RNS) — It took Yosef Kibita four conversions to Judaism to receive Israeli citizenship.
Archaeologists discover ancient Jerusalem moat, solving 150-year-old mystery
By Michele Chabin — July 25, 2024
JERUSALEM (RNS) — A different piece of the ancient moat was discovered in the 1960s but mistaken as a natural valley.
Their son captive in Gaza, parents dedicate a Torah scroll to 120 remaining hostages
By Michele Chabin — July 19, 2024
JERUSALEM (RNS) — Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin dedicated the scroll to their son Hersh, the 23-year-old American Israeli wounded at the site of the Re'im music festival before being taken to Gaza by Hamas.
For Israel’s Reform Jews, no need to follow US peers in ordaining rabbis in interfaith marriages
By Michele Chabin — July 3, 2024
JERUSALEM (RNS) — 'In America there is a high rate of interfaith marriages. Here, that issue is irrelevant to us,' said Nachman Shai, dean of the HUC-JIR Taube Family Campus in Jerusalem.
Israel’s High Court rules Haredi men no longer exempt from mandatory military service
By Michele Chabin — June 25, 2024
JERUSALEM (RNS) — While the exemption of ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students has long been an issue of contention, it has taken on new urgency since Oct. 7.
Protests and antisemitic incidents prompt Jewish students to reconsider college choices
By Michele Chabin — June 4, 2024
(RNS) — The ADL’s Antisemitism Report Card gives failing grades to Harvard, MIT, Stanford, Michigan State,
and Northwestern, among others.
Israelis prepare for a Passover overshadowed by war and loss
By Michele Chabin — April 18, 2024
JERUSALEM (RNS) — Some households in Israel are limiting the number of Seder guests out of fear that Iran or one of its proxies will attack Israel during the Passover observance.
Avi Dabush survived Oct. 7; so did his commitment to peace
By Michele Chabin — April 8, 2024
JERUSALEM (RNS) — The longtime peace activist has ramped up his activism since the terror attack that threatened his family and killed 5 in his village.
Judge rules sex abuse lawsuits against Yeshiva University can proceed
By Michele Chabin — April 4, 2024
NEW YORK (RNS) — New York Supreme Court Judge Alexander M. Tisch rejected Yeshiva University’s motion to dismiss two lawsuits related to the allegations, opening the way for trial.
Jerusalem Palestinians prepare for Ramadan amid holy month’s uneasy politics
By Michele Chabin — March 7, 2024
JERUSALEM (RNS) — Ramadan will be more modest this year for Muslims conscious of the deprivation in Gaza and the lack of money in their own wallets due to the war.
Biden sanctions aim to curb Jewish settler attacks. Some Israelis fear a wider impact.
By Michele Chabin — February 19, 2024
JERUSALEM (RNS) — Though some say the sanctions will do little to end attacks by Jewish extremists, others say they may be used against anyone who supports the settlements in the West Bank.
Evangelicals venture to Israel in show of solidarity
By Michele Chabin — February 7, 2024
JERUSALEM (RNS) — Visitors to Israel have been few since its war with Hamas began. But in December, groups of evangelical Christians began to arrive on solidarity missions, say groups that promote links between Israel and evangelicals abroad.
Coexistence initiatives in Israel tentatively resume as Arabs and Jews live side by side amid war
By Michele Chabin — January 24, 2024
JERUSALEM (RNS) — Groups like the Good Neighbors Project are navigating wartime tensions, making good on years of work trying to foster mutual respect.
Stung by anti-Israel protests and hate, many Jews are reasserting their identity
By Michele Chabin — November 22, 2023
(RNS) — While some American Jews leave Star of David necklaces at home or remove mezuzahs from their doorposts, others have deepened their spiritual practices or taken to the streets and social media to shout their pride in their Jewish identity and the state of Israel.
Page 1 of 14
