Israel Museum show in Chicago
The Israel Museum in Jerusalem is bringing their gift shop to the U.S., and the only place they are stopping in the Midwest is North Shore Congregation Israel, 1185 Sheridan Road in Glencoe, Illinois,
The Trunk Show will be open to the public on Sunday, Nov. 16, noon to 3:00 pm. Glencoe is located in the North Suburbs of Chicago, about 75 minutes from Milwaukee, according to a news release from the congregation.
Just in time for Chanukah, the museum will be bringing their unique array of menorahs and dreidels, ritual items, jewelry, and sterling silver, for both contemporary and traditional tastes. The Israeli people and their cultural institutions need our support. Those who can’t actually visit Israel right now can shop locally at the Trunk Show and know that their purchases will benefit Israeli artists and the larger Jewish community, according to the release.
The Trunk Show is presented in conjunction with the Women of North Shore Congregation Israel Judaica Gift Shop.
Israel Bonds sees record $5.7 billion
NEW YORK — Israel Bonds has raised a record $5.7 billion in global investments in the two years since the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks, which represents an unprecedented show of global support for the Jewish state, according to a news release.
“As we welcome home the hostages, Israel Bonds’ achievement signals the enduring commitment of Israel’s supporters around the world and the strength of the Jewish state,” said Dani Naveh, President and CEO of Israel Bonds. “The outpouring of support since Oct. 7 has been extraordinary — so many answered the call in Israel’s hour of need. What’s even more inspiring is that, two years later, many of those same individuals have chosen to reinvest yet again, and to play an important role in building Israel’s tomorrow.”
In the immediate aftermath of Oct. 7, Israel Bonds mobilized its global network of investors, generating $1 billion in sales within 30 days. Driven by unprecedented support and participation from individual buyers, institutions and governments, this momentum has continued through 2024 and 2025, with year-to-date sales more than doubling compared to previous years, according to the release.
During periods of market volatility and geopolitical uncertainty, Israel Bonds has played an especially crucial role in providing Israel access to capital while maintaining strong and steady returns for investors, according to the release.
Fellowship open for high-school students
The Bronfman Fellowship is accepting applications for its 40th cohort.
Every year, The Fellowship selects twenty-six North American teenagers from a wide range of Jewish backgrounds for a free, intellectually challenging year of programming, beginning with an immersive summer experience in the U.S. and Israel in between the Fellows’ junior and senior years of high school.
For nearly 40 years, the program has educated and inspired exceptional young Jews to have a significant impact on the world as community builders, deep thinkers, moral voices, and cultural creators, according to a news release. The nonprofit Fellowship was founded by Edgar M. Bronfman, z”l, formerly CEO of the Seagram Company Ltd. and a visionary Jewish philanthropist.
Applications for the 2026 Fellowship are due Dec. 2, 2025, and are available online at bronfman.org. High school students in the U.S. and Canada who identify as Jewish and who will be in 11th grade in the fall of 2025 are eligible to apply. The Bronfman Fellowship is a pluralistic program for Jews of all backgrounds; prior Jewish education is not required.
Children attacked in Skokie
SKOKIE, Ill. — Five Jewish children were threatened and shot with gel pellets in an antisemitic attack at Shawnee Park on Oct. 7, Patch reported.
The children, ages 12 to 14, were playing basketball when a group of teens called them “baby killers” and threatened to kill them, according to the Chicago Jewish Alliance. Police identified everyone involved and closed the case, referring it to the village’s Human Relations Commission.
Mayor Ann Tennes condemned the attack, saying, “There is no place for hate in Skokie.”
Vance: Israel is not a ‘vassal state’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Oct. 22 dismissed claims that Israel is a protectorate of the United States, as U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance visited the country to monitor the fragile ceasefire with Hamas.
“One week they say that Israel controls the United States. A week later, they say the United States controls Israel. This is hogwash,” said Netanyahu beside Vance in Jerusalem. “We have a partnership, an alliance of partners who share common values, common goals.”
Vance arrived in Israel on Oct. 21 amid reports that the White House was concerned that Netanyahu would seek to resume the war in Gaza, also rejected the idea that the United States wanted Israel to become a “vassal state.”
He said the goal was to be in “partnership” with Israel in preserving the ceasefire, which he said his visit was part of an effort to monitor.
“This thing takes monitoring, and it’s going to take a lot of work,” Vance said. “It’s not about monitoring in the sense of, you know, you monitor a toddler. It’s about monitoring in the sense that there’s a lot of work, a lot of good people who are doing that work, and it’s important for the principles of the administration to keep on ensuring that our people are doing what we need them to do.”
As the ceasefire deal progresses following the release of the remaining 20 living hostages in Gaza, Vance said he hoped the deal could serve as an “opportunity to build on the Abraham Accords,” a set of deals that established diplomatic ties between Israel and several Arab nations during the first Trump administration.
The leaders also discussed future governance in Gaza, which is supposed to be negotiated following the first phase of the ceasefire deal, the release of hostages and prisoners and the retraction of Israeli troops from some parts of Gaza. Netanyahu said he had “very strong opinions” about the prospect of Turkish involvement in Gaza as part of a proposed international security force, but he said Israel would be “flexible to accommodate” American interests in the region.
“A strong Israel serves America’s interest in stabilizing this very unstable region, and you can’t stabilize it without a strong Israel,” said Netanyahu. “So we make the decisions for the security of Israel, but we make common decisions for the region, which I think can service both, and that’s what we discussed today.”
– JTA/Grace Gilson
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