The Toronto International Film Festival briefly removed The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue, a documentary about Noam Tibon’s mission to save his family during the Oct. 7th Hamas attacks. After public pressure, the festival reinstated the film, which then won the People’s Choice Award for documentaries.
The United States Postal Service issued a new stamp honoring Elie Wiesel, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Holocaust survivor and humanitarian. Wiesel, who died in 2016 at age 87, is the 18th individual to be recognized in the USPS Distinguished Americans series. The stamp features a portrait of Wiesel and reflects his enduring legacy in promoting human rights and combating hate and antisemitism.
Keith and Aviva Siegel, who were abducted from Kibbutz Kfar Aza during the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and later released, walked their daughter Shir down the aisle at her wedding. During the ceremony, Shir prayed for the release of remaining hostages and for peace in Israel.
Rabbi Natan Levy has been announced as Syracuse Hillel’s new campus rabbi and the Jewish chaplain at Hendricks Chapel on campus. Rabbi Levy is an internationally respected religious leader and bridge-builder with extensive campus experience, having served as university Jewish chaplain for Western England and Wales. Levy looks forward to learning from his new colleagues and creating “spaces for transformation now and into the future.”
Binghamton University’s Jewish a cappella group Kaskeset, supported by Hillel International, gives students a safe place to express their Jewish identity and lean into tradition through music. For students like Jordi and Mya, Kaskeset is a “time capsule of Jewish joy, pride, and togetherness.” Kaskeset is releasing its first EP in five years, featuring songs in both Hebrew and English and contemporary hits.
Olivia Mitchel, a third-year medical student at the University of Arizona College of Medicine–Tucson, was awarded the Shirley D. Curson Medical Student Scholarship by University of Arizona Hillel, a two-year merit-based scholarship that recognizes Jewish students with a history of social or civic responsibility, community involvement, and service. Mitchel is considering a career in obstetrics and gynecology and was the lead coordinator for the Women’s Clinic at the College of Medicine, which offers free health care.