Dear Friends,
In late December I like to reflect on the Gregorian Year gone by. 2025 was another painful year for the Jewish people — there is no denying it. But the headlines, which can be scary and demoralizing, also tend to skew our perception of the big picture. So, I am proud to present my top ten good, perhaps overlooked, Jewish News Stories of 2025.
1. A ceasefire is in place and all of our living hostages have been released. We do not know what the future holds, but this alone is reason to rejoice!
2. Palestinians protest Hamas in Gaza in a rare move. In March, Gazans organized to chant, “Shame, shame—you sold Gaza for dollars,” according to video posted on social media. “Hamas is a terrorist (group)”. “For the sake of God, Hamas Out.” “Stop the War.”
3. Gal Gadot Wins the Genesis Prize. Israeli-born actress Gal Gadot was awarded the prestigious 2025 Genesis Prize (often called the “Jewish Nobel”) for her advocacy for Israel and Jewish values during turbulent times. She pledged to donate her $1 million award to organizations supporting recovery and healing in Israel. (AP News)
4. A monumental Hellenistic‑era pyramid complex was unearthed in the Judean Desert north of Nahal Zohar, with papyri, coins, weapons and thousands of artifacts that illuminate life in the region ~2,200 years ago. Read more about this one in Archaeology Magazine.
5. And related Chanukah-adjacent news, Archaeologists completed excavation of a long, intact section of a Hasmonean‑era city wall in Jerusalem — a find tied to the Hanukkah era that offers new material links to the Maccabean period. Read more at Fox News.
6. Across the pond, two major UK Jewish movements — Liberal Judaism and Reform Judaism — voted to merge into a single Progressive Judaism movement, marking historic unity and expanded collaborative vision. (The Guardian)
7. World’s First Human Spinal Cord Transplant Scheduled. In a historic medical milestone, researchers at Tel Aviv University and the biotech firm Matricelf announced the scheduling of the world's first human spinal cord transplant. The procedure uses a patient's own engineered cells to repair damaged tissue, offering unprecedented hope for reversing paralysis.
8. Locally, the Connecticut House of Representatives passed legislation by an overwhelming vote of 128-30 to create a government working group to address Antisemitism in K–12 public schools. Seven of our State’s Jewish Federations have taken the lead on the bill.
9. Red Sox Star Projected to Sign Massive 5-Year, $155M Deal after Huge Year. After securing Alex Bregman with a record $200M+ 3-y ear contract after free agency, the Red Sox are likely to go big or go home on their All-Star third baseman, who sported a Jewish star on his cap after October 7th.
10. Mossad kills bad guys with toilet paper.* I am not making this one up, although I have my suspicions as to its credulity. I have therefore included it with an asterisk. Israeli intelligence has claimed that dozens of Hamas and Hezbollah agents have died after allegedly coming into contact with toxin-treated toilet paper. Even if it’s not true, the real story of exploding pagers is unbelievable enough.
As we close out the year, none of these stories erase the grief, fear, or uncertainty that have shaped Jewish life in 2025. But they do remind us that even in a difficult season, there is resilience, creativity, courage, and unexpected light. Progress happens quietly. Headlines often gloss over hope. And our community — across continents, denominations, and generations — continues to build, to heal, and to insist on a future worth believing in.
May the coming year bring more stories like these!
Shalom,
Rabbi Moss