RELIGION HEADLINES MON 12-15

Audio By Carbonatix

(SRN NEWS)-

(  )  A group of Syrian-American Jews has registered a nongovernmental organization in Syria.  It’s a bid to restore Jewish heritage in a country where the once-sizable religious minority has shrunk to almost nothing.  Syrian government spokesman Hind Kabawat says the establishment of the Jewish Heritage in Syria Foundation “is a step for us to tell the world that our country has room for everyone and is inclusive of everyone.”  The Jewish community in Syria numbered about 100,000 at the start of the 20th century.  A wave of emigration had already begun at that time and accelerated in the years surrounding Israel’s creation in 1948.

(  )  A growing number of European countries are boycotting the annual Eurovision Song Contest because Israel is participating.  Iceland is the latest to pull out, following in the footsteps of Ireland, Spain, The Netherlands and Slovenia.  The Israeli public broadcasting company, which will air the contest, says “A boycott may begin today with Israel, but no one knows where it will end or who else it may harm.”  Anti-Semitism has been surging around the world in recent years, accelerated by the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel.  That attack took the lives of more than 1,200 Israelis and left hundreds as hostages.

(  )  Eastern Orthodoxy in the U.S. is experiencing a surge in converts, partly due to online content.  Sometimes called America’s “best kept secret,” Orthodoxy is embraced by about one percent of adults, according to Pew Research Center.  But a heightened online profile has led to two waves of converts since the pandemic.  Young, single men are often cited as the driving force behind this trend.  But preliminary data suggests the most recent influx of converts is more diverse, with many black and Hispanic people, women and young families joining.  Clergy report people coming from a host of religious backgrounds including from Islam and witchcraft.