(SRN NEWS) – French President Emmanuel Macron says his government will recognize a Palestinian state in coming months.  In an interview with French TV Five, Macron said his decision is designed to bolster “collective security in the region”, suggesting that if Palestinians have a state they will stop attacking Israel.  At the moment, Israel is involved in a war with Hamas in Gaza, which was sparked by an attack by that Palestinian terrorist group in October of 2023.  France is home to the largest Jewish community in Europe and Macron’s announcement will likely be unwelcome to most Jews.

The California Department of Education has ruled that teachers in Branham High School in San Jose discriminated against Jewish students enrolled in the Ethnic Studies program.  An investigation revealed that teachers were presenting high schoolers with only the Palestinian perspective in discussions of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  The Bay Area Jewish Coalition filed a complaint about the lessons which sparked the state investigation.  Critics say there were many instances of anti-Semitic bias in the teaching at Branham High.

More pro-life legislation advancing at the state level.  The Kansas legislature has overridden Democratic Governor Laura Kelly’s veto of a bill to require that child support payments cover unborn babies.  The measure also grants an income tax break for a pregnancy.  In Florida, lawmakers are advancing a measure that would permit parents to seek civil damages for the wrongful death of an unborn baby.  So far, 17 states have adopted laws that give children in the womb the same rights as all other American citizens in criminal or civil law.

Members of a 104-year-old Pasadena synagogue that was burned down in the Los Angeles fires in January are celebrating Passover as best they can.  Many community members lost more than just their homes in the fires.  They also lost special items such as kiddush cups and Seder plates that are commonly used during the traditional holiday dinner.  Another synagogue in the area and a nonprofit have launched efforts to replace these items for fire victims.  In many cases, these were heirlooms brought over by family members who survived the Holocaust.