NEW YORK (JTA) -- I have this internal iPod in my head that provides theme music for my life. Lately my theme song is “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles. Not only is it my theme song, but this year it is the theme song of the entire Jewish people.

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I stand here today moved and appreciative of the trust you have placed in me on behalf of our people. Your trust is of value to me, it places a great duty on me, one which I, as President of the State, will carry with reverence and a deep feeling of mission. click here for more

MOSCOW (JTA) -- Nadezhda Gerzhoy splays her jacket and plops down in the middle of the verdant park, taking in the bright blues and whites of Israeli flags fluttering around her. more...

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Israelis by a 4-to-1 margin are more confident than Palestinians in how President Obama handles his foreign policy, a poll found. The Pew Research Center poll released Thursday found that 61 percent of Israelis "express confidence in the American president to do the right thing regarding world affairs," as opposed to 15 percent of Palestinians. Obama's numbers numbers among Israelis are a 12 point increase over when the same question was asked in 2011. Notably, the poll follows Obama's visit in March, in which he emphasized Israel's security needs and the Jewish connection to the region while pressing for a revival of the peace process.

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Most members and friends of Chochmat HaLev, a Jewish Renewal-style community, had hiked a lot. Many had prayed or meditated. Some had done both together. more