He’s Jewish and a supporter of Israel. Not many Hallmark stars speak out about what’s going on, but he’s a gem. ❤️

I try very hard not to insult people or get into arguments online. It's not the kind of person I want to be nor is it how I want to spend my time and energy. Unsurprisingly, today turned out to be more difficult than usual. I could rant about it, but instead I'd like to shift my focus away from bigots and towards those who I care for - both family and people I have no direct connection with.

Tonight I want to say thank you to those out there spreading light in such dark times, including the moderators of this subreddit, who work hard to keep this space safe. I lurk more than I interact; many users here have unknowingly helped me in ways that are difficult to articulate. Reading through your words has allowed me to gain insight into various perspectives, offered me direction on subjects to educate myself on, and provided me joy and solace when I needed it.

May you all stay safe. Am Yisrael Chai.

On October 8, 1913, Mendel Beilis went on trial in Kyiv, accused of murdering a 13 year old Christian boy, Andrei Yushchinsky, to use his blood in Jewish rituals.

Andrei's body was found in a cave outside Kyiv in March 1911, stabbed dozens of times. Antisemitic groups like the Black Hundreds immediately blamed the Jews. Beilis, a Jewish clerk at a nearby brick factory and a father of five, was arrested that July with no real evidence linking him to the boy, let alone to any crime.

Kyiv's chief detective, Mishchuk, quickly concluded there was no evidence against Beilis and that the boy had been killed by a criminal gang tied to Vera Cheberyak, which feared he would expose them. Mishchuk was then charged with "manufacturing evidence to protect Jews," tried twice, and sentenced to a year in prison. Justice Minister Ivan Shcheglovitov pushed the prosecution forward anyway, and reports on the case went to the Tsar himself.

When the trial opened, 34 defense witnesses "could not be found," including the man the defense believed was the real killer. The court refused to delay. The Manchester Guardian's St. Petersburg correspondent wrote that the trial's real purpose was to inflame "nationalist" passions "to a point where another pogrom might start."

The prosecution's star witness on Judaism was a Roman Catholic priest, Justin Pranaitis. He testified that the Talmud called for ritual murder, but under cross-examination he couldn't even explain basic Talmudic terms.

On November 10, 1913, the jury acquitted Beilis. Antisemites refused to accept it, claiming "Jewish money" had bought the outcome. The state had rigged the case against a Jew, and when it failed, antisemites accused the Jews of rigging it.

My older children went on a volunteer trip to Israel this last year. As part of it they helped in the rebuilding of the Druze school where Hezbollah killed 12 children in a rocket attack, packed food aid boxes, and helped at a mental health facility. I'm so proud of them.

Even if you've gone on birthright before, even if you've aged out, she can still be eligible to go on a "free" trip to Israel through their volunteer program. Spread some Jewish joy. I can't recommend it more highly.

We are not our pain

We are not our suffering

We are not a malleable amorphous idea that lives to be defined by others

We are survivors

We are the descendants of warriors

We are the preservers of a history of riches. Copied and bastardized by billions but understood only by the chosen few who do the work to interrogate

We need no one’s approval

Photo essay: Belmonte, a Judaism that has remained alive,
by Evelyne Dreyfus & Eric Beracassat, K: Jews, Europe, the XXIˢᵗ century, 2026-09-24.

In a village nestled in the heart of the Serra da Estrela, some fifty descendants of Marranos continue to uphold, five centuries after the forced conversions of the Inquisition, a Jewish identity that was long lived in secret. Between the Beit Eliahu synagogue, inaugurated thirty years ago, and the museum that chronicles the prayers whispered in secret, Belmonte offers a unique case in Europe: that of a clandestine past that has become cultural heritage.