2025 (WAFA) — Armed Israeli colonists attacked Palestinian civilians last night in the Tel Rumeida neighborhood in the heart of Hebron city under the protection of Israeli occupation forces WAFA correspondent reported that the colonists and Ghrayib families near the illegal Ramat Yishai settlement which is built on confiscated Palestinian land in Tel Rumeida and attempted to steal belongings from the homes Residents of the Old City of Hebron and surrounding areas frequently face harassment and aggression from Israeli settlers and forces A new group of 12 ecumenical accompaniers was deployed on 17 April to serve in South Hebron Hills During the recent term of the outgoing accompaniers a series of alarming developments were observed in the West Bank and Jerusalem The accompaniers noted with deep concern a growing pattern of coordination between Israeli settlers and the Israeli Security Forces in actions that have directly targeted the Indigenous Palestinian population In two separate incidents in the South Hebron Hills forcibly seized livestock from local Palestinian families Israeli Security Forces imposed a blockade on a village effectively facilitating acts of settler vandalism while obstructing neighboring communities from providing aid The accompaniers also reported the construction of segregated roads around East Jerusalem amounting to a de facto annexation of approximately 3% of the West Bank These roads are expected to severely restrict the movement of Palestinian communities limiting their access to vital services such as healthcare This development is anticipated to intensify the systemic control over these communities and exacerbate existing hardships In a speech saying farewell to the outgoing group of accompaniers programme coordinator for the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel expressed deep joy and heartfelt gratitude "May this celebration be a sign of our common calling to be agents of reconciliation and justice in the world,” he said. “Let us enter this time with open hearts and humble spirits rejoicing in the gift of communion and the bonds that unite us in Christ.” Majlaton also acknowledged the current challenging times and the devastation of the prolonged and tragic war for over 19 months “While much of the world’s attention has shifted elsewhere and East Jerusalem have remained engulfed in violence and hardship,” he said. “While farewells are never easy it is with open hearts that we welcome new companions on the journey.” Majlaton urged all to lift their voices for a just and lasting peace for an end to the suffering caused by occupation and for the strength to live together in Palestine and Israel with dignity and thank those who have been ecumenical accompaniers during the past three months especially in these difficult circumstances,” he said. “The group managed to overcome the difficulties and restrictions of the field caused by the extremely tough security situation.” The latest group of accompaniers conducted 718 activities and documented 619 incidents with 828 human rights violations “The group's effectiveness is attributed to several factors and strong desire to support and stand up for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people while exhibiting teamwork and tolerance,” said Majlaton. “To be an accompanier is to take on a profound responsibility.” It means sharing your space and daily life with others noted Majlaton. “But the mission does not end when you return home,” he said. “In many ways Ecumenical accompaniers return to their home countries as ambassadors of peace. “You become advocates for the voiceless and for a future where dignity and peace replace occupation and fear,” he said Please fill in this form if you would like to receive news and updates from the WCC by email Ecumenical CentreKyoto BuildingChemin du Pommier 42CH-1218 Le Grand-Saconnex who participated in the BBC documentary The Settlers has reported that his Hebron home was raided by Israeli forces and settlers Amro shared footage of settlers harassing him and attempting to enter his home saying that they were seeking "revenge" for his participation in the film which examines the Israeli settler movement injured another activist and cut down a tree He added that Israeli soldiers threatened him against filing a complaint about the attack Copyright © 2014 - 2025. Middle East Eye Only England and Wales jurisdiction apply in all legal matters Middle East Eye          ISSN 2634-2456                      Along with the change in seasons comes new business happenings across Maryland's Lower Shore A new garden center is now open at 27720 Ocean Gateway in Hebron. Tidal Roots an inspired plant place with heart and soul is a dream come true for owners John and Erica Tilghman The garden center offers a wide selection of plants Tidal Roots also features a café with fresh beverages and baked goods BUSINESS HAPPENINGS: Berlin gets Nashville Hot Chicken Restaurant, Salisbury new Starbucks | What's Going There located mere steps from the resort town's historic Boardwalk and directly across from Fat Daddy's at 217 S celebrated its official grand opening May 1 the museum plans to welcome guest speakers and local authors as well as offer the preexisting Little Learners program and other well-established Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum programs OCMD SNAKE SIGHTING: 'It's a snake!' Ocean City, Md., sighting on beach becomes viral sensation The City of Salisbury is no stranger to ethnic eateries the city welcomed Wok N Bowl — a new authentic Asian-inspired restaurant located at 1311 S Wok N Bowl offers a diverse menu featuring hand-pulled noodles The restaurant is open all week from 11 a.m LOCAL HOSPITALS MERGE: Berlin's Atlantic General Hospital merges with TidalHealth: Official agreement signed Trinity Nails & Spa is officially open for business at 11021 Nicholas Lane in Ocean Pines run by a management team with 15-plus years of experience Per a recent Facebook post, Trinity Nails & Spa is now offerings clients 10% off all services through the month of May. More information about the spa's services can be found online at trinitynailsnspa.com FUN BOARDWALK HISTORY: Ocean City, MD, Boardwalk history: From small wooden walkway to commercial business hotbed Olivia Minzola covers communities on the Lower Shore. Contact her with tips and story ideas at ominzola@delmarvanow.com Real estate in Greater Cincinnati is booming we aim to bring you in-depth real estate coverage about the developments and neighborhood issues you care about the most That’s why our Going Up series provides details behind the design and construction of some of the region's most interesting projects Feel free to pitch us what we should cover next Submit suggestions to sfranklin@enquirer.com or tag @Enquirer on social media Please include the address or cross streets of the project you want us to look into Why in Hebron?Developer Brad Trauth lives in Hebron with his wife Lizzie Trauth and their three sons who are 12, 9, and, 7 years old. The family often finds themselves taking the nearly 40-minute drive to places like the Fifty West Brewing Company in Mariemont or the Loveland Bike Trail to spend time outside "Why is there nothing in Northern Kentucky like this Trauth has owned the land at Conrad Lane for about eight years When he found out the county was building a bike trail directly next to the property he had an aha moment: what if he built a sports complex where kids can play and a family can relax with a good meal and beer afterward "So that's really the heart in the vision of the whole place .. create this community amenity where it's just a very social atmosphere and people (are) up moving about and not just sitting in booths being served," Trauth said What you need to know: It will have room for pickleball and more.Trauth has four main areas planned for the development Details might change in the next few months The first building that will go up is a 30,000-square-foot building that will be home to five indoor pickleball courts and two indoor turf fields for 5v5 soccer The building will include bleachers and a mezzanine so people can watch the games Each end of the building will have space for two business tenants The site will be surrounded by 166 parking spaces The brew pub will be behind the complex in a roughly 10,000-square-foot building with outdoor seating That will likely begin construction his fall Trauth said he's talking to about half a dozen local brewers who are interested in the space The third area planned is a 22,200-square-foot athletic turf building that will be open to soccer and other sports teams that need a place to play He also envisions sports camps and tournaments there The final addition is a playground area and outdoor court for pickleball The project cleared a major hurdle Jan. 21 when the Boone County Fiscal Court unanimously approved a zoning change that makes way for the development the Trauth Property Group has submitted its site plan for review the indoor pickleball courts and turf field This work, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Town of Hebron Celebrate Groundbreaking for Water Infrastructure Improvements, by Emily Helton, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright Sign up to receive GPB Event announcements via Email Submit your video public service announcement today for your chance to win The Georgia high school football coaching landscape has seen significant shifts Jon and Hannah talk with three of the biggest names on the move New Northside Warner Robins coach Boone Williams and Prince Avenue Christian's Jon Richt discuss their transitions This episode highlights the 2025 GHSA Basketball Championships and features interviews with coaches Chaz Clark of Butler Clark discusses his team's victory and what it means to the Butler community Brown talks about the challenges of playing a familiar opponent in the championship game and Scott shares her experience as a head coach with a husband who is also a head coach Day 4: The final day of the GSHA basketball playoffs was a good one for first timers The Newton girls and BEST Academy boys each won their first state championship while Fannin County’s girls won for the third time.  It was also a good day for two old reliables as the Wheeler boys claimed the tenth state title in their storied history and the Houston County Sharks won their 12th wheelchair basketball title in 13 years — Wawa is planning to use a distributor based in Northern Kentucky announced it is expanding its partnership with Wawa to support new locations in the Midwest The company will open the McLane’s Bluegrass distribution center in Hebron It will serve the new Wawa locations in Kentucky “We’re proud to have served as a dedicated partner alongside Wawa over the years,” said Vito Maurici McLane’s chief customer experience officer we remain committed to supporting Wawa’s growth as a leader in convenience retail and food service through our robust network and product offerings.” Wawa recently opened its first Ohio store in Liberty Township and has more locations planned for the region. McLane's is a nationwide distribution network with more than 80 locations focused on convenience retail and food service the distribution company has worked with Wawa for 20 years and is now servicing more than 1,100 Wawa stores in Kentucky “It’s been 60 years since our first store opened and our vision then was a new kind of convenience store fulfilling lives by providing customers with fast friendly service and fresh products that deliver value,” said Brian Schaller our partnership with partners like McLane helps us scale our best-in-class foodservice program support our growth and fulfill our commitment to delighting customers.” National Church Residences announced breaking ground Monday on an affordable housing senior community project in Hebron to address the demand in Licking County for new homes is slated to have 42 units for people ages 55 and older The project’s estimated completion date is early 2026 senior project leader for National Church Residences told The Advocate rent for the units will vary The nonprofit anticipates releasing lease and application information in the summer Steffes characterized the organization's partnership with the village of Hebron as incredibly collaborative saying both sides worked through logistics for more than a year to ensure there was a fit "We know that the central Ohio area is growing rapidly especially in the Hebron and Licking County area," Steffes said "We know growth is coming and a need for safe We saw that play out in our market study as well and wanted to be a part of it." the development will feature one-bedroom apartments with amenities such as a full kitchen a fitness center and onsite service coordinator to connect residents to services in Licking County and assess their needs Coordinators traditionally help residents secure transportation The planned amenities are designed to "foster a sense of community and improve quality of life for residents," the nonprofit said in a news release National Church Residences anticipates the project will also provide housing for people who relocate to Hebron so they can remain close to family members who work at Intel’s plant site in New Albany "At the heart of our mission is the creation of lively affordable communities where older adults can truly flourish," National Church Residences Vice President of Affordable Housing Development Amy Rosenthal said in the release "Hebron Station marks a thrilling leap forward in addressing the rising need for quality affordable senior housing in Licking County We're incredibly proud to provide a welcoming home for older residents.”  The project's estimated cost is $8.7 million National Church Residences secured some funding to help pay for it including low-income housing tax credits from the Ohio Housing Finance Agency and a $1.1 million grant from Federal Home Loan Bank of Cincinnati The nonprofit is covering about $200,000 for the project Fifth Third Bank issued a construction loan for the development while the Affordable Housing Trust of Columbus and Franklin County gave the organization bridge and permanent loans Ruscilli Construction is the development’s contractor Rosenthal encouraged interested parties to visit the National Church Residences' website where it will post Hebron Station lease information when it is ready to do so In central Ohio, National Church Residences has 3,500 apartments in 46 communities, including Johnstown and Reynoldsburg. It owns and operates 360 senior housing complexes across 25 states, according to its website Advocate reporter Josué Perez can be reached at jhperez@newarkadvocate.com Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInHEBRON CT (WFSB) - A crash closed a portion of Route 66 in Hebron on Thursday morning The state Department of Transportation reported that the road is closed between Buck Road and Jennifer Drive The DOT said a driver crashed a vehicle in the area around 1:40 a.m For real-time traffic updates, check the Channel 3 First Alert traffic map here Optional area for headlines or alerts OR ALL CAPS HEADLINES OR ALERTS will go in here who led Trinity Christian to a Class A Private championship in 2021 is the new head coach at reigning Class 3A-A private champion Hebron Christian Hebron Christian made the announcement last week who led Hebron to a 12-2 finish and its first state championship last fall in his third year at the school in Dacula. Gess left Feb 19 to become head coach at Southside Christian in South Carolina Dallas was Gess’ associate head coach from 2014-16 while the two were at Eagle’s Landing Christian ELCA won state titles each of those three seasons Trinity Christian had little football success until Dallas led the Lions a state runner-up finish in 2017 in the Georgia Independent School Association (GISA) Trinity joined the GHSA the following year averaged 53 points per game and defeated Prince Avenue Christian 55-28 for the Class A Private championship Trinity defeated Gess’ ELCA team 48-45 in the semifinals “Very tough leaving Trinity after eight years,” Dallas told the AJC in a text message “Came here when there had only been six graduating classes and was still in GISA my family is 100% unified that this is the right next move for us So that has given me great confidence and peace.” quarterback David Dallas and receiver Josh Dallas were all-state players from the 2021 championship team who signed with Georgia Southern Dallas also was head coach at Landmark Christian from 2001 to 2017 and won six region titles Click here for a complete list of head coaching hires and openings Email GHSF Daily Staff Created by Ellen Kennerly — Made with Squarespace © 2025 Georgia High School Football Daily who led Hebron Christian to its first football state title last season announced Wednesday that he is taking the head coaching job at Southside Christian near Greenville Gess’s Hebron Christian team won the Class 3A-A private division last season Gess’ third with the Gwinnett County school The state title was Gess’ seventh after winning six at Eagle’s Landing Christian in Henry County Only Wright Bazemore (14) and Larry Campbell (11) have won more state titles in the Georgia High School Association “The past three years at Hebron Christian Academy have been truly special and I am deeply grateful for the incredible people I’ve met and the amazing opportunities I have experienced at HCA,” Gess said in a statement After 18 years of coaching football in Georgia I sense God calling me to prioritize my wife While it’s difficult to leave behind the success and community we’ve built we feel called to return to South Carolina a state where I grew up and we both attended college We feel like God has called us to Southside Christian School in Greenville and we look forward to what God has in store for us in this next chapter of our lives.” Hebron Christian defeated Prince Avenue Christian 56-28 in a December championship game that was a reversal of their regular-season matchup Prince Avenue Christian coach Greg Vandagriff left earlier this month to take a job at Lakeway Christian in Tennessee in perhaps the only offseason coaching surprise that rivals this one Gess became the 16th head coach to win championships at two schools He was a walk-on player and three-year starting center at The Citadel then went into the Air Force and was stationed at Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins he began helping coach at First Presbyterian Day He became Eagle’s Landing Christian’s coach in 2007 at age 27 Southside Christian has won three South Carolina state titles in the past 10 seasons but was 2-8 last season Myanmar earthquake: Working to meet the biggest needs 90% of our funding comes from individual donors. Learn how you can support MSF’s lifesaving care with a gift. We need your support to continue this lifesaving work Restrictions by Israeli forces have drastically increased in the West Bank limiting Palestinians’ access to health care while taking a deep mental toll The H2 area of Hebron, one of the most restricted areas in the West Bank, comprises about 20 percent of the city and is emblematic of the challenges faced by Palestinians living under Israeli control Home to approximately 7,000 Palestinians and several hundred Israeli settlers, this neighborhood is ruled by strict movement regulations, systemic road blockages Access to medical care should never be arbitrarily denied Alongside Israel’s war on the people of Gaza, restrictions by Israeli forces have drastically increased in the West Bank, including in Hebron Israeli authorities forced MSF teams to suspend activities for over five months in the Jaber neighborhood inside H2 MSF teams opened a mobile clinic close to Jaber which is accessible to people who can exit H2 but only a few people are able to reach it.  “Although we are now able to provide care in the MSF clinic in the Jaber neighborhood access remains challenging as our staff can be searched and delayed at the checkpoints to enter the H2 area,” says MSF project coordinator Chloe Janssen “Access to medical care should never be arbitrarily denied Since the beginning of the war on Gaza most of the Ministry of Health’s medical staff were unable to obtain the necessary permissions to cross Israeli checkpoints leaving only one MSF clinic operational during this period.  and my feet hurt,” shares an MSF patient and resident of the H2 area “Israeli forces prevent us from using vehicles so I hold my children’s hands and walk paths between houses to reach the clinic or any medical service.” MSF clinics provide not only essential medical care but also a rare space for social connection in an environment marked by isolation and restricted mobility offering physical care alongside mental health support to help residents cope with the ongoing trauma of their circumstances Between October 2023 and May 2024, three Palestinian schools in H2 serving at least 350 students remained shut, while over 13,000 students in the area missed in-person learning. Many students have since dropped out entirely due to the logistical and psychological toll of attending school in such conditions, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.  “We’ve seen a dramatic decline in children’s mental health,” explains Ola Jabari “Many of the children suffer from bed-wetting We also see symptoms of trauma like hyperactivity and difficulty concentrating all linked to the violence and restrictions they witness daily.” Palestine isn’t a case of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) They can’t provide for their children’s needs—economically MSF is also offering recreational activities to Palestinian women and children coming from across Hebron governorate “Participants appreciate having a safe place to meet and talk to other women,” continues Jabari these appointments are an excuse to escape a confined environment akin to a prison.” “Palestine isn’t a case of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) because the trauma never ends,” says Lucia Uscategui we’re talking about continuous and complex trauma Uscategui recounts the story of an 11-year-old boy who was forced to undergo a humiliating body search at a checkpoint “He refused to leave his home for weeks afterward,” she says but the trauma had deeply affected both of them This is the reality for many families in H2.” some in the community continue to show remarkable resilience Lucia notes a troubling rise in unhealthy practices or other quick fixes that offer short-term relief feel out of reach because people have lost hope for change.” “Even if the conflict and occupation ended tomorrow the consequences would linger for years,” Lucia reflects “But our work is about showing people they are not alone—that there is still some hope MSF calls on the Israeli forces to stop implementing restrictive measures that impede the ability of Palestinians to access basic services Israel must take all feasible measures to ensure that medical care remains unobstructed and accessible Access to medical care must never be arbitrarily denied Haiti violence pushes MSF trauma hospital to its limits South Sudan: MSF strongly condemns deliberate bombing of its hospital .. © Médecins Sans Frontières 2025 Federal tax ID#: 13-3433452 Unrestricted donations enable MSF to carry out our programs around the world we will reallocate your donation to where the needs are greatest Covestro is expanding production at its compounding facility in Hebron to meet demand for materials in the nation’s automotive, electronic and health care industries, the company recently announced Covestro said it plans to build multiple new production lines and extend its capacity in its solutions and specialties business as part of the expansion Construction is scheduled to begin in 2025 with Covestro anticipating them becoming operational before 2027 Facility employees heat and mix polymers to produce polycarbonate blends in pellet form Covestro spokesperson Russell Glorioso told The Advocate the company plans to hire 24 employees and 10 third-party workers because of the expansion Covestro CTO Thorsten Dreier said the decision "aligns with our strategy to produce (materials) in the region for the region to manufacture close to customers and ensure reliable supply compounding plant is an important component of our 'sustainable growth' strategy,” Dreier said we can meet our customers' growing demand for specialized polycarbonate materials grow together with our customers and strengthen our position as a leading provider of polycarbonate materials in North America.” In August, Covestro announced it is investing more than $40 million to upgrade its campus in Pittsburgh. The company, which also has sites overseas, is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of polymer materials, according to its website The Hebron site is one of 13 Covestro operates in the U.S Covestro in the release said future plans include having the Pittsburgh and Hebron sites work closer together to drive the “electrification and automation of mobility sustainable developments and digitalization,” among other plans “The expanded capacity of our polycarbonate compounding capabilities in Ohio will both help us better supply our customers as well as represent a commitment to our employees market as a whole,” Covestro Chairman and President Samir Hifri said in the release the company had 49 production sites across the world and employed around 17,500 people AJC is the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people and analysis you need to combat antisemitism and advocate for Israel and the Jewish people On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust the massacre was a chilling echo of the 1929 Hebron Massacre—the brutal slaughter of nearly 70 Jews incited by propaganda that Jews sought to seize the Al Aqsa Mosque she was deep into writing her first book, Ghosts of a Holy War: The 1929 Massacre in Palestine That Ignited the Arab-Israeli Conflict Yardena shares how history repeated itself how the October 7 attack reshaped her book and why understanding the past is essential to making sense of the present *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views or position of AJC Key Resources:Key Events in the Israel-Arab and Israeli-Palestinian ConflictRead:  Ghosts of a Holy War: The 1929 Massacre in Palestine That Ignited the Arab Israeli Conflict You can reach us at: [email protected] and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify brought to you by American Jewish Committee we take you beyond the headlines to help you understand what they all mean for America In October 2023 journalist Yardena Schwartz was in the middle of writing her first book exploring the rarely talked about 1929 Hebron massacre dozens more injured by their Muslim neighbors during riots incited by the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem who spread lies that Jews wanted to take over the Al Aqsa Mosque When she heard reports of the October 7 terror attacks by Hamas dubbed Operation Al Aqsa she realized just how relevant and prescient her book would be Yardena is with us now to discuss that book titled Ghosts of a Holy War: The 1929 Massacre in Palestine that ignited the Arab Israeli conflict So full disclosure to you and our audience You attended Columbia Journalism School 10 years after I did and you took Professor Ari Goldman's class on covering religions 10 years after I did and I had hoped it would be my ticket to go to Israel for the first time So it was in 2011 and we went to Hebron for one day out of our 10-day trip to Israel I was the only Jewish student in our class and I was the only one who had been to Israel an organization of former Israeli soldiers who had served in Hebron or in other parts of the West Bank and wanted Israelis to know what was happening in Hebron and how Palestinians were living there and the various restrictions that were put in place as a result of terrorist attacks those restrictions were extremely disturbing and that brief visit in 2011 made me really never want to go back to Hebron And when I moved to Israel two years later to become a freelance journalist there I didn't really go back to Hebron because I Hebron is kind of the main character in this book Tell us how you came to find out about this massacre Was it mentioned during that class visit in 2011 or was it later that you learned about it So that was one of the most interesting things about my early adventure into writing this book during that day that we spent there learning so much about the history of this place there was no mention of the massacre of 1929 the burial place of Abraham and the matriarchs and patriarchs of the Jewish people And you know the first place where King David established his kingdom before Jerusalem Yet I had no idea that this ancient Jewish community in Hebron had been decimated in 1929 in one of the worst pogroms ever perpetrated We all know about the Kishinev pogrom of 1904 perpetrated by the Muslim residents of Hebron was more deadly and more gruesome than the Kishinev pogrom and it effectively ended thousands of years of Jewish presence in this holy city.  Tennessee that had discovered a box of letters in their attic written by a young American man from Memphis who had traveled to Hebron in 1928 to study at the Hebron yeshiva the most prestigious yeshiva in the land of Israel in what was then British Mandate Palestine; and that this young man had been killed in that massacre; yet his letters painted this vivid portrait of what Hebron was before the massacre that took his life and see how I could bring the story to life And I was introduced to them by Yossi in 2019 I was still writing the book in 2023 on October 7 and this book I had been writing about this massacre nearly a century ago immediately became more relevant than I ever hoped it would be.  every Jewish family had locked their doors and windows They were cowering in fear as thousands of Muslim men rioted outside their homes breaking down their doors and essentially hunting down Jews Women and teenage girls were raped by their neighbors in front of their family members Infants were murdered in their mother's arms Children watched as their parents were butchered by their neighbors yeshiva students were castrated and Arabic-speaking Jews who composed about half of the Jewish population in Hebron at the time and were very friendly with their Arab neighbors they went to each other's weddings and holidays It wasn't just the yeshiva students who had come from Europe or from America to study there Arabic-speaking Jews whose families had been there for generations and had lived side by side in peace with their Muslim neighbors for centuries Why did their Muslim neighbors turn on them so suddenly and violently?  The rioters that day were shouting Allahu Akbar They claimed to be defending Islam and Al Aqsa from this supposed Jewish plot to destroy Al Aqsa in order to rebuild the Third Temple This is what they had been told by their leaders and by imams and their mosques and in Hebron That lie had also extended to the tomb of the patriarchs and matriarchs which is known in Arabic as the Ibrahimi Mosque Imams there had told Muslims in Hebron that the Jews of Hebron were planning to conquer Ibrahimi Mosque in order to turn it into a synagogue So this incitement and this disinformation that continues to drive the conflict today really began in 1929 The rumors about this supposed Jewish plot to destroy Al Aqsa that began in 1928 around the same time that David Shainberg arrived in Palestine to study at the yeshiva So in addition to the letters that David Shainberg wrote to his family back in Tennessee How else did you piece together this history How did you go about reporting and researching it because I was so surprised by the lack of literature on this really dramatic moment in history despite the fact there are really no books in English about the massacre and about these riots and what led to them The British carried out this commission after the riots that produced this 400-page report filled with testimony of British officials So there was just so much material to work with.  survivors ended up writing books about their experiences in Hebron because they wrote not only about the riots and the massacre itself but also what they experienced in Hebron before the relatively peaceful relations between the city's Jewish minority and the Arab majority.  And I also relied on archival newspaper reports The riots really occupied the front pages of American newspapers for about a week because it took about a week for the British to quell the riots They sent warships and warplanes from across the British Empire and sent troops from other parts of the British Empire Because one of the reasons the riots were so effective was because there was just no military force in Palestine the British did not have a Palestine military force and it was only after the 1929 riots that they did have troops in Palestine there were about 40 policemen under the stewardship of one British police chief and all but one of those policemen were Arabs Many of them participated in the massacre or stood by outside of Jewish homes and allowed the mobs to enter the homes and carry out their slaughter but what about the international community's response beyond the British Empire So there were actually protests around the world against the massacre in New York 35,000 people marched through the streets of Manhattan to protest the British failure to protect their Jewish subjects from these riots We didn't see anything like that after October 7 we saw the opposite –  people marching through the streets of New York and cities around the world supporting the massacre of October 7.  but similar protests were held around the world there were protests against the British failure to protect Jews in Palestine from these riots.  And the American government was livid with the British the British failure to protect the Jewish subjects and the American citizens who were in Palestine at the time There were eight Americans killed in Hebron on August 24 the underground Jewish Defense Force that would later become the nucleus of the IDF The Hebron Jewish community was very traditional and when Haganah came to Hebron two days before the riots erupted because they knew that these riots were going to happen – there had been calls from Arab officials to riot to attack Jewish communities across Palestine – the Haganah came to Hebron to warn Jewish leaders of Hebron that they could either come there to protect them or evacuate them to Jerusalem to safety until the riots subsided And the Jewish leaders of Hebron were unanimous in their opposition not only because they had such a good relationship with their Arab neighbors and friends but also because in previous outbursts of violence in other years when there were much smaller riots and much less deadly riots when those riots reached other parts of Palestine they didn't reach Hebron because of those relations and because they weren't fueled by incitement and disinformation which was what led the riots of 1929 to be so massive and so deadly and what led them to be embraced by previously peaceful neighbors How did that disinformation travel in 1929 How did it reach those neighbors in Hebron When we talk about disinformation and misinformation today and it also traveled through Arabic newspapers They were publishing these statements by Arab officials who was the leader of Palestinian Muslims under British rule He began this rumor that the Jews of Palestine were plotting to conquer Al Aqsa mosque to rebuild their ancient temple Al Aqsa is built upon the ruins of the ancient temples Temple Mount is the holiest place for Jews in the world Jews were forbidden from accessing the Temple Mount because it was considered But the closest place they could pray was the Western Wall And Jews who were demanding British protection to pray in peace at the Western Wall without being attacked by Muslims as a result of this disinformation campaign were then painted by the Arabic press as working to conquer the Western Wall So this disinformation traveled from the very highest of Muslim officials these lies about this supposed Jewish plot Those lies were then being published in flyers that were put in city squares Jewish officials were warning the British and telling they should have known and they should have done more to end this campaign of disinformation not only to achieve peace in this land that they were ruling over but also because they were responsible for installing Aminal-Husseini into his position they had chosen him for that position for all of these lies that he was spreading And yet they took no responsibility.  And even in the commission that they sent to Palestine from London to investigate the causes of the riots And it's so clear from all of these hearings that this disinformation campaign was very obvious very clear and very clearly to blame for the riots because saying so would have made the British responsible for so much death their conclusions in this commission was that it was Jewish immigration to Palestine and Jewish land purchases at the time that had sparked the riots peaceful demonstration at the Western Wall on to Shabaab in August of 1929 that had sparked these riots.  who retained his position and became even more powerful and more popular as a leader after these riots the Jewish victims were blamed for their suffering Jews were just 20% of the Palestinian population Israel is home to more than 10 million people And the Jews at the time were very peaceful more traditional Jews who had not joined the Haganah before 1929 had not really embraced Zionism before 1929 now agreed that if Jews were going to be safe in our homeland Can we talk a little bit about the turn toward radicalization and extremism during this time and what role that has played in the years since the Zionist leadership was very adamant that Jews in Palestine should not be carrying out attacks against Arabs in Palestine But as we've seen throughout the century of this conflict it is going to be used by the other side as well And so the rise of a more militant form of Zionism was a direct result of 1929 and this feeling of just helplessness and this feeling of relying on this foreign power and realizing that no foreign power was going to protect the Jews of Palestine and that Jews would have to protect themselves and the radicalism and the extremism within the Muslim population particularly the Muslim leadership of Palestine really just accelerated after the massacre the British punished the Jewish population of Palestine for the riots by vastly limiting Jewish immigration contrary to a lot of the disinformation we hear so much today It was being purchased by Jews from Muslim land owners Many of them were from the wealthiest families in Palestine who were then telling their own people that Jews are stealing your land and evicting you from your land it was these wealthy Arab landowners who were selling their land to Jews at exorbitant prices Did you establish a motive for the Mufti and what were his intentions spreading this disinformation but it was very clear what his motives were and that was to counter the criticism and accusations of corruption that had dogged him for years until he began this campaign of propaganda which led much of that criticism and much of those stories of his corruption within the Arabic press and among his Arab rivals to essentially disappear because now they had a much more threatening enemy and that enemy was the Jewish community of Palestine take over Palestine and his campaign worked after that propaganda campaign became so successful there were very few people willing to stand up to him and to criticize him because after 1929 when he became so much more powerful he began a campaign of assassinations and intimidation and violence used against not only his political rivals and dissidents but also just Anyone who favored cooperation between Arabs and Jews in Palestine So there were various mayors of Arab cities who wanted to work together with the Jewish community of those cities or with other Jewish leaders to bring about various economic initiatives And some of those mayors were assassinated by the muftis henchmen or they were just intimidated into silence and into kind of embracing his platform which was that Palestine is and has always been and should always be and that there is no place for any kind of Jewish sovereignty or Jewish power in that land.  in 1936 he ended up leading a violent rebellion against the British They realized it was much more work than they were interested in doing and they were interested in leaving Palestine handing over governance to the local population and they had been interested in figuring out what could be done Could there be a binational state with equal representation If Jews are 40% of the population and Arabs are 60% then there could be some kind of governance on those ratios which was presented in 1937 all of those solutions were rejected by the grand mufti and his platform was embraced by the other Arab officials within Palestine And he even rejected the idea of Jews remaining in Palestine under Arab rule so what will be done with the 400,000 Jews who are in Palestine right now So he didn't only reject the two state solution equal utopian society that we hear proposed by so many in pro Palestine movement today all of these solutions have been on the table for a century and always They have been rejected by Palestinian leaders whether it was the Grand Mufti or his apprentice finally wanted for arrest by the British after his rebellion claimed the life of a British official it had only claimed the lives of Jews and Arabs then the British had decided that they'd had enough of the Mufti where he was involved in riots there – the Farhud – in which many Jews were massacred if not over 1,000 Jews were slaughtered in Baghdad which was at the time home to about 100,000 Jews where he lived from 1941 to 1945 in a Nazi financed mansion and he led the Arab branch of Joseph Goebbels Ministry of Propaganda He was the Nazi's leading voice in the Arab world He spread Nazi propaganda throughout the Muslim world and recruited tens of thousands of Muslims to fight for the Nazis placed on the UN's list of Nazi war criminals where he continued to lead his people's jihad against the Jews of Palestine.  in 1947 when the UN voted to partition British Mandate Palestine into an Arab state and a Jewish state so that the British could finally leave Palestine along with every other Arab state which also rejected it He was kind of pulling the strings of that Jihad taking place in Palestine 1,000 Muslim men who he had recruited for the Waffen The Mufti helped create the army of the holy war.  He actually fought in the war that began in 1947 alongside the Muslim Brotherhood It continued to his dying day in 1974 and Arafat took over his mantle as the leader of the Palestinian people we see how the disinformation and incitement and rejection of Jewish sovereignty in any part of the ancient land of Israel has continued to be a prominent force in Palestinian politics no matter who was in charge They perpetuate the same denial of a Jewish right to live in peace in our homeland deny the history of Jewish presence in Israel it's really astounding to me how little is known about the Grand Mufti and how little is known about his impact on this conflict they met in 1941 shortly after the Mufti arrived He knew very well about the Final Solution Hitler himself considered the Mufti an honorary Aryan Hitler believed that Husseini had Roman blood and he saw him as someone who could lead the Nazi forces once they arrived in the Middle East He didn't just participate in the Nazis’ quest to eradicate the Jewish population of Europe and eventually arrive in Palestine the Mufti worked to convince various European leaders not to allow Jewish refugees from fleeing Europe and not allowing them to come to Palestine and he knew very well what was happening in Poland So I want to go back to this family in Tennessee David Shainberg’s niece said that at one point in the book so they sweep ugly under the rug in the south except we wouldn't say we sweep things under the rug and we move on from that pain and we build anew But is moving on really in the Jewish community's best interest Is that how we end up forgetting and letting this history and this very important history fade? It is possible to take great pride in our resilience and in our strength and our ability to experience so much devastation and suffering Survivors were discouraged from speaking about what they went through people who went like sheep to the slaughter And yet now we are able to hold both in both hands We're able to honor and commemorate the memory and speak about the atrocities that millions of Jews suffered during the Holocaust while also celebrating where we went after the Holocaust a remarkable symbol of our resilience and our strength as a people But I think the way we commemorate the Holocaust is a really great example of how we do both how we honor the memory and use that as a lesson so that it never happens again.  I think that when it comes to the conflict and the various forces that have led us to where we are today there is this tendency to kind of try to move on and not really speak about how we got here because I think that this is the only way we'll ever find a way out of this tragic cycle of violence the forces that continue to drive this conflict after a century the leaders today who are very much capitalizing on fear and religion and utilizing disinformation to remain in power we can't afford not to speak about these things and not to know about our own history where people know so much about Israel and about this conflict there is just a complete lack of knowledge of be sure to tune in for my conversation with Dr Laura Shaw Frank Director of AJC Center for Education Advocacy We discussed the delicate balance between combating antisemitism and ensuring campuses remain safe for all students.  Tag us on social media with hashtag People of the Pod and hop on to Apple podcasts to rate us and write a review to help more listeners find us Tune in next week for another episode of People of the Pod AJC's mission is to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world See what triggers an intervention and how supply and logistics allow our teams to respond quickly Discover our governance and what it means to be an association Find a quick visual guide to our offices around the world Read through our annual financial and activity reports and find out about where our funds come from and how they are spent and plans on how we address issues like racism and reduce our carbon footprint ensuring our actions align with the highest ethical standards Visit this section to get in touch with our offices around the world Médecins Sans Frontières brings medical humanitarian assistance to victims of conflict and where MSF teams respond to different diseases around the world and the challenges we face in providing treatment Learn about the different contexts and situations in which MSF teams respond to provide care including war and natural disaster settings and how and why we adapt our activities to each Learn about our response and our work in depth on specific themes and events Médecins Sans Frontières provides medical humanitarian assistance to save lives and ease the suffering of people in crisis situations We set up the MSF Access Campaign in 1999 to push for access to diagnostic tests and vaccines for people in our programmes and beyond CRASH conducts and directs studies and analysis of MSF actions They participate in internal training sessions and assessment missions in the field UREPH (or Research Unit) aims to improve the way MSF projects are implemented in the field and to participate in critical thinking on humanitarian and medical action ARHP documents and reflects on the operational challenges and dilemmas faced by the MSF field teams MSF Analysis intends to stimulate reflection and debate on humanitarian topics organised around the themes of migration health policy and the environment in which aid operates This logistical and supply centre in Brussels provides storage of and delivers medical equipment logistics and drugs for international purchases for MSF missions This supply and logistics centre in Bordeaux provides warehousing and delivery of medical equipment This logistical centre in Amsterdam purchases water-processing facilities and nutritional supplements BRAMU specialises in neglected tropical diseases This medical unit is based in Rio de Janeiro Our medical guidelines are based on scientific data collected from MSF’s experiences other renowned international medical institutions Providing epidemiological expertise to underpin our operations conducting research and training to support our goal of providing medical aid in areas where people are affected by conflict Evaluation Units have been established in Vienna assessing the potential and limitations of medical humanitarian action thereby enhancing the effectiveness of our medical humanitarian work MSF works with LGBTQI+ populations in many settings over the last 25-30 years LGBTQI+ people face healthcare disparities with limited access to care and higher disease rates than the general population The Luxembourg Operational Research (LuxOR) unit coordinates field research projects and operational research training and provides support for documentation activities and routine data collection The Intersectional Benchmarking Unit collects and analyses data about local labour markets in all locations where MSF employs people To upskill and provide training to locally-hired MSF staff in several countries MSF has created the MSF Academy for Healthcare and rules of humanitarian law in accessible and reader-friendly alphabetical entries The MSF Paediatric Days is an event for paediatric field staff policy makers and academia to exchange ideas inspire and share frontline research to advance urgent paediatric issues of direct concern for the humanitarian field The MSF Foundation aims to create a fertile arena for logistics and medical knowledge-sharing to meet the needs of MSF and the humanitarian sector as a whole non-profit drug research and development organisation that is developing new treatments for neglected diseases founded in 2003 by seven organisations from around the world Our digital portal dedicated to sharing the latest medical evidence from our humanitarian activities around the globe Noma is a preventable and treatable neglected disease but 90 per cent of people will die within the first two weeks of infection if they do not receive treatment The TIC is aiming to change how MSF works to better meet the evolving needs of our patients MSF's telemedicine hub aims to overcome geographic barriers for equitable the MSF Sweden Innovation Unit deploys a human-centered approach for promoting a culture of innovation within MSF Israeli authorities forced MSF teams to suspend activities for over five months in the Jaber neighbourhood our teams opened a mobile clinic close to the Jaber neighbourhood outside the checkpoint and in Tel Rumeida But only a few people could cross the checkpoint to reach the clinic.“Although we are now able to provide care in the MSF clinic in Jaber neighbourhood access remains challenging as our staff can be searched and delayed at the checkpoints to enter the H2 area,” says Chloe Janssen cutting off access to vital healthcare services MSF teams are seeing a dramatic decline in children’s mental health MSF psychologists are seeing children who are reporting symptoms of trauma nightmares and academic struggle. MSF calls on the Israeli forces to stop implementing restrictive measures that impede the ability of Palestinians to access basic services one of the most restricted areas in the West Bank comprises about 20 per cent of the city and is emblematic of the challenges faced by Palestinians living under Israeli control Home to approximately 7,000 Palestinians and several hundred Israeli settlers which is the only place in the West Bank where Israeli settlers have settled within a Palestinian city and continuous violence.“Palestine isn’t a case of post-traumatic stress disorder because the trauma never ends we’re talking about continuous and complex trauma,” says Lucia Uscategui Even if the conflict and occupation ended tomorrow But our work is about showing people they are not alone—that there is still some hope Your donations pay for millions of consultations Tom Stallworth ran for four touchdowns and Devon Caldwell ran for three scores to lead Hebron Christian to a 56-28 win over Prince Avenue Christian to win the Class 3-1A Private championship and earn its first state football title Hebron Christian (12-2) had 504 yards of total offense and punted only twice against Prince Avenue which won a state championship last year.  Stallworth ran 18 times for 84 yards and scored on runs of 7 He also completed 9 of 15 passes for 172 yards Caldwell ran 18 times for 180 yards and scored on runs of 40 Jarvis Mathurin caught six passes for 146 yards The Hebron defense was led by Albert Wilham with six tackles and Carrington Coombs with two tackles for loss and one sack Prince Avenue (10-4) could not overcome three turnovers including a costly bad snap on a punt that led to Hebron’s first touchdown Wolverines’ quarterback Ben Musser completed 15 of 23 passes for 159 yards and one touchdown He carried 13 times for 176 yards and three touchdowns The win avenged a regular-season 34-31 loss to Prince Avenue It was the seventh state championship won by coach Jonathan Gess who won six during his tenure at Eagle’s Landing Christian It is the first year the GHSA conducted a separate championship tournament for private schools in the three lower classifications.  GPB is committed to bringing you comprehensive news coverage from Georgia across the country and around the world.  Your support makes this possible.  Please consider making a gift today to support this vital public service Private: Prince Avenue Christian at Hebron Christian 1-ranked Wolverines (10-3) won the Region 8-2A championship Sophomore running back Andrew Beard (1,930 yards rushing 21 TDs) was voted the region player of the year and senior defensive lineman Christian Garrett (82 tackles six sacks) was voted the region’s co-defensive player of the year Other players named to the first unit of the all-region team were wide receivers Hudson Hill (44 receptions offensive linemen Jake Atha and Mason Townsend defensive lineman Jack Lanier (44 tackles) six sacks) and Kyler Giddens (108 tackles) and defensive back Judd Shoemaker (44 tackles 6-ranked Lions (11-2) finished second in Region 8-2A 21 tackles for loss) was named the region’s co-defensive player of the year Other first-round all-region selections were quarterback Thomas Stallworth (2,025 yards passing defensive lineman Carrington Coombs (44 tackles five passes defended) and Gerritt Kemp (30 tackles How they got there: Prince Avenue Christian def Championship history: Prince Avenue Christian has won the state championship the last two seasons and in three of the last four seasons The Wolverines finished second in 2021 and 2012 This is the first time Hebron Christian has reached the championship game Series history: The teams played during the regular season with Prince Avenue winning 34-31 on Nov Prince Avenue leads the series 10-1 and Hebron hasn’t won since their first meeting in 2010 A new group from the World Council of Churches Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel have released a report on incidents in Bethlehem Ecumenical Accompaniers pictured walking along a street in the wider Bethlehem area The latest group of ecumenical accompaniers marks the sixth successful implementation underway since the war started on 7 October 2023 The WCC Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine and Israel has managed 80 accompaniers since the war started and expanded to South Hebron Hills with the latest group.  ecumenical accompaniers carried out 3,296 activities and visits with 5,094 international humanitarian law violations out of which 2,590 cases were referred for immediate assistance by the International Committee of the Red Cross An example of an incident in Bethlehem: on 6 March a woman from Jubbet adh Dhib reported that she and her son were attacked by settlers as she was taking him to see a doctor.  The attack occurred at 2 am and now the woman is trying to take care of her son at home so they do not have to leave for medical treatment.  residents of Hizma village reported that their homes were raided by soldiers repeatedly at night and that belongings were destroyed.  The Palestinian families are focused on comforting each other and they feel that they have no one to report to.  six families of Ras ‘Ein al ‘Auja village reported that their sheep and goats were confiscated by Israeli security forces and settlers One man was arrested because he tried to protect his sheep and the residents know nothing about his whereabouts.  a Palestinian woman in the village of Umm Al Amad reported daily harassment by Israeli soldiers and settlers She also reported that soldiers vandalized a small shop that she owns The woman has a demolition order against her home.  “It is good that people here see and know about your presence and that someone from the international community cares,” said one resident during a visit to Wings of Hope trauma center in Bethlehem on 10 February Knowing that we have eternal life gives meaning to our life Helping others is the medicine that gives us power and makes us feel good in spite of everything that happens around us,” said the principal of Al-Khader School to the ecumenical accompaniers on 9 February. “God created in our hearts the will to help others and when you smile at me I smile at you.”  the presumptive winner of Hebron's village president race is seen on Monday To approve an extension of its contract with the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office to provide patrols in Hebron outgoing Village President Robert Shelton had to vote Monday which charges the village $70 an hour per officer with Shelton and Trustees Jonathan Mindham Mark Shepherd and Shirlee Correl voting in favor Trustees Josh Stevens and Dawn Milarski voted no Shelton typically only votes to break a tie but as the agreement would spend village money It offers sheriff’s deputies the opportunity sign up for one total four-hour patrol in Hebron each day Hebron Chief of Police Peter Goldman remains the only working officer at the department Goldman has not had an applicant for the advertised officer positions since February According to the apparent winner of this month’s Hebron village president election he would like to appoint an interim chief of police after he is sworn in “I want this to be more than just my decision,” Morris said prior to Monday’s Village Board meeting of a potential new chief of police adding that he had not spoken to Goldman but has asked he attend the May 12 swearing-in meeting Morris said he plans to put together a committee to interview candidates for the chief’s job “and present me with whoever is the best candidate,” Morris said He has spoken with former Hebron Chief of Police Juanita Gumble as well adding she may be the person appointed as interim chief Gumble was dismissed following a contentious meeting last July at which many residents protested the vote. She was the third Hebron chief of police since late 2022. Morris said he had hoped the county contract would be voted down. “We have spent a half-year’s normal police officer’s salary on this contract. We cannot sustain that,” he said. According to village records, Hebron was charged by the county $6,440 on March 18 for 92 hours of patrol, $735 on March 21 for responding to 10 dispatch calls and one “sex offender” call that month, $7,350 on April 3 for 105 hours of patrol, and $4,410 on April 4 for 62 dispatch calls and two sex offender calls. The contract charges Hebron $70 an hour per officer for the patrol hours, and $70 per call for dispatch calls when an officer is not available in Hebron. There is more to do in Hebron to fix its problems, Morris said, adding “Hebron has been a hot mess” since 2005. That was when Hebron chose to build a new $4.5 million wastewater treatment plant rather than spend $2 million to update the old facility. Kennedy Homes was set to bring 300 new houses to Hebron before that builder went bankrupt during the Great Recession. Sewer bills in the village “went from $40 to $50 to $200″ to pay off that loan, Morris said. “I think the next administration could not do worse unless we find a jackhammer and dig ourselves further into the hole we are trying to dig ourselves out of,” he said. Former Village President Frank Beatty – who also ran again for the position this month against Shelton and Morris – was followed by John Jacobson and Kimmy Martinez. Jacobsen had pending drug charges when he was elected, and opponents said Martinez overstaffed the police department. Shelton ran on a platform of defunding Hebron police. “This is not normal,” Morris said of the past 20 years of Hebron governance. “We can’t keep digging and digging. There has to be a bottom here.” Morris said he wants to advocate for change in Hebron, including enforcing property maintenance codes and business regulations, but without causing any of the pushback from swings too far in either direction. “We are 100% at square one. We need the trust back in trustee,” Morris said, repeating his campaign slogan. “We need to make our village reputable again and not the laughingstock of McHenry County. We need to have ethics and honesty brought back and, eventually, civility brought back to village politics.” Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network Dan Powell will set his two acres of woods along Route 124 alight with 62,070 LED bulbs worth of twinkling Yuletide cheer Unlike the hapless protagonist of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation setting his two acres of Hebron woods alight with 62,070 LED bulbs worth of twinkling holiday cheer Colorful string-light trees and an 18-foot-tall string-light snowman named Olaf Senior scale his home whose walls swim with laser-projected dots and snowflakes a glowing American flag is flanked by a 20-foot-tall conifer fashioned from lengths of red and blue bulbs and a “waterfall” of blinking blue lights flowing into a glittering blue “pond.” On the other side four-foot-tall wooden letters outlined in lights spell out JOY TO THE WORLD PEACE ON EARTH MERRY CHRISTMAS a row of string-light trees frames a bright-white cross and a luminous piano inside a shining purple heart a tribute to Powell’s late piano-teacher mother they included a wooden angel wrapped in blue lights to honor victims of the Lewiston mass shooting Powell completed his masterwork: 75 string-light trees that cascade from cables suspended between real trees and a pair of sheds on a cleared acre across the road “You can go inside and be totally surrounded by light,” he says His teenage son heads out to bask in the glow nearly every evening Powell was in high school when he first saw the potential for spreading joy through holiday lighting he decided to bedazzle his family’s Turner home with 8,000 colored lights Powell surprised her by illuminating the wraparound porch and fence on the property they were renting in Auburn “Why not make it bigger and better?” Over the next five years “I was really good friends with my landlord,” Powell says “There’s not a lot of cookie-cutter stuff out there when you’re going big like I do,” says Dan Powell who builds his own wooden and PVC forms to bedazzle with lights rather than purchasing ready-made decorations he begins unpacking two dozen bins of LED string lights testing each strand and replacing spent bulbs He also works on repairing existing props and constructing new ones he’s building a 14-foot-diameter PVC wreath to hang on his house.) On November 1 from lights shorting out on wet tree branches to nor’easters ripping through displays plunging half of the Forest of Lights into darkness for the remainder of the season wooded stretch of Route 124 that is hidden from motorists traveling in either direction until they round a bend just before his house He gauges the success of his displays by the number of cars that slow to a crawl in front of his property or people get out of their vehicles to wander among the lights Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More Ohio — Microsoft’s announcement this week that it is putting its $1 billion data hub in Licking County on hold is causing some concern among cities anticipating a big boost The company originally announced plans to build in New Albany Hebron Mayor Valerie Mockus is forced to regroup “This is just an opportunity to pivot and figure out how we’re going to move forward together,” she said This pause comes just weeks after Intel announced its $28 billion semiconductor plant won’t open until at least 2030. The delays are forcing communities to reevaluate their finances “My spent team spent any revenue 10 ways to Sunday as they were thinking about what would be coming with Microsoft,” Mockus said “So we are going to need to regroup on that and think about the future she said Microsoft still plans to fund roadways and utility upgrades near where the project will go but she said this pause may have some upsides “This gives us a moment to just take a step back,” she explained “and consider where we are and what we want it probably is a blessing for our village.” Microsoft’s pause also impacts its New Albany project New Albany Mayor Sloan Spalding declined an interview “we understand that large-scale projects like this require flexibility and we appreciate Microsoft’s continued engagement with the city throughout this process.” Mockus considers the possibilities — whether Microsoft moves in or not  “I’m hopeful they will work with us,” she said “but if they do decide to leave the project entirely JobsOhio also responded to Microsoft’s announcement saying it “means the buildout of these data centers will take more time Microsoft and other global leaders in tech innovation continue to look to Ohio as the sector rapidly evolves.” Virginia football lands two transfers who played in the CFP title game An organ concert scheduled for Sunday at Hebron Lutheran Church in Madison will explore the importance of rich musical traditions that have held the church together for three centuries making it the oldest Lutheran church in continuous operation by Lutherans in the U.S. and its congregation spent much of 2024 overseeing meticulous renovations to the portion of the church built in 1740 A deteriorating beam pulled away from the wall revealed extensive damage problems with a chimney had allowed water to get into the structure and cause more damage — though modern heating and air-conditioning technology made the chimney unnecessary The congregation held a rededication ceremony on Jan 19 and recognized the craftsmen who restored the sanctuary Sunday afternoon's concert will give the whole community a chance to see the restored space while listening to one of Hebron's national treasures: a David Tannenberg organ built in 1802 Hebron Lutheran Church is located at 899 Blankenbaker Road in Madison Many experts consider Tannenberg the most important American organ builder of his time Hebron's Tannenberg organ is not merely a decorative feature of a historic sanctuary but an instrument with a distinct voice that was designed to suit the musical needs of the space and its congregants organist Daniel Grotz told The Daily Progress Grotz will perform Sunday's program with vocalist Heather Hightower Grotz said that audience members will enjoy hearing the richness the organ brings to the sort of repertoire its earliest listeners would have heard "It's a very early 19th-century sort of German sound a Culpeper native who is pursuing a doctorate in musical arts in organ performance at the Cincinnati College Conservatory of Music because it was meant to support congregational singing It has a small number of stops that can be pulled open to achieve different colors of sound that is indeed where the term "pulling out all the stops" originates.)  "It doesn't have what I might call a lot of 'color stops,' like oboe or clarinet but you can do a lot of things with what it has," Grotz said I think [Johannes] Brahms's music may be the most wonderful music to hear on this instrument." To give audience members a chance to experience it for themselves Grotz will play Brahms's "Three Chorale Preludes," which includes "Deck thyself with gladness," "Lo how a rose e'er blooming" and "Oh but how blessed you are The 1802 Tannenberg organ at Hebron Lutheran Church in Madison is one of only nine surviving instruments created by organ builder David Tannenberg Also on the program will be works by Louis-Nicolas Clérambault Hebron's instrument is considered to be the largest and clearest example of the organ style Tannenberg designed for Lutheran and German Reformed churches which had different requirements for supporting worship music than the Moravian churches and chapels for which Tannenberg also built instruments Hebron's instrument remains basically unaltered over time; it's also distinctive for remaining in continuous use in its original location Six of Tannenberg's surviving organs can be found in Pennsylvania Each instrument is a destination for delighted organists and historians "We have had amazing organists from around the world who've come to play the Tannenberg," Judy Ann Fray who serves as chairwoman of Hebron's historical committee and as a docent at the church 'This is the last one on my bucket list.'" Tannenberg designed Hebron's organ and sent apprentice Johann Philip Bachmann to Madison to do the actual building Fray said that several church members traveled to Lidditz to bring the organ's components in ox-drawn carts to Hebron where the instrument was installed in November 1802 Hebron's organ was electrified soon after electricity became available in Madison County in the 20th century which meant church members no longer had to pump the organ's large bellows with their feet to provide the air needed to create and propel the sound initials and dates into panels on the back of the organ to document their service at the bellows "A lot of our adults remember pumping the bellows when they were young," Fray said George Taylor of Taylor & Boody Organbuilders in Staunton reconditioned the instrument in 1970 helping church members realize just what a treasure they had Organist Daniel Grotz and vocalist Heather Hightower www.hebronlutheranva.com and she's going to sing old Lutheran chorales a cappella," Grotz said Grotz also has included "curiosities" by 20th-century American composers Charles Ore and Emma Lou Diemer Grotz will demonstrate a 20th-century tradition by performing an organ improvisation of "A Mighty Fortress is Our God," a hymn by Martin Luther that'll be followed by the audience singing the hymn The organ is in a balcony above and behind the listeners seated in the sanctuary's pews but Fray said a screen in the front of the room will give audience members an opportunity to glimpse Grotz at work but donations will be accepted to help with future renovations jsathe@dailyprogress.com Receive the latest in local entertainment news in your inbox weekly Email notifications are only sent once a day Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account fires questions at Village President Robert Shelton Hebron Village President Robert Shelton ran in 2021 on a promise to downsize the police department which was expanded under the previous administration The department, which then had a mix of full- and part-time officers Police Chief Peter Goldman is the department’s only active Hebron’s lone sergeant is on medical leave after a fall at the station in December and the village’s community service officer resigned in early January But residents demanded more patrols – an activity some say they have not seen Goldman doing since becoming chief on Nov. 13 Goldman is “sitting on his tuchus getting paid his glorious salary, sitting there ... doing nothing,” resident Pat Tibbitts said at an at-times raucous meeting Monday evening, during which the Village Board approved a contract with the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office to provide occasional patrols Goldman did not attend the special meeting Monday at which residents demanded more patrols in the village Tibbitts and others in the audience Monday asked the board why the village continues to pay a chief’s salary if Goldman does not patrol or respond to calls for service Many of those residents continued to call out the board creating back-and-forth between the board and audience during discussion on the intergovernmental agreement The contract with the county allows sheriff’s deputies to volunteer via a sign-up sheet in the sheriff’s office for extra duty patrol in Hebron for $70 an hour If a sheriff’s deputy responds to a call other than during those pre-approved times by which time Shelton hopes the injured sergeant will return to duty or more officers can be hired Shirlee Correll and Mark Mogan voted in favor of the agreement Dawn Milarski and Jonathan Mindham voted no That vote mirrored the results from when Goldman was approved by the board and sworn in are running for three seats on the Village Board in the April 1 elections Shelton is seeking another term and faces a challenge by former Village President Frank Beatty and newcomer Steve Morris Those voting against the contract are not anti-police but they don’t want to spend additional money on the department if Goldman is not supervising any officers or performing adequate patrols “The chief makes a patrol twice a day typically,” Shelton said as members of the audience loudly responded with disagreement to the statement adding that at least 900 people had viewed the posting on a police job board four people had expressed interest and one person had applied The sheriff’s office contract allows for patrols “until the full-time officer comes back or we can get more” hired Residents in the audience and board members voting against the contract asserted that not only is Goldman not patrolling but he effectively prevented staff from doing so Sgt. Bruce Biancalana – who ran the tiny department after former Police Chief Juanita Gumble was ousted last year – was not allowed to answer calls but was told to clean the department instead 4 Biancalana reached up on top of a cabinet for a child safety seat and the cabinet fell on him Goldman later said said Milarski’s statement is not true He never told Biancalana not to answer calls he “expected [Biancalana] to answer calls as they came in,” Goldman said The only other recent full-time employee was community service officer Darrick Tomlin Tomlin told the Northwest Herald that of his 40-hour workweek under Goldman 35 hours were spent cleaning at the station “He may have possibly said that due to being disgruntled for the fact he was being held to a professional standard that wasn’t imposed upon him prior to me taking office.” Stevens read from an email that he sent to Goldman before the meeting where Stevens called the county contract an “outrageous request” and a “slap in the face of every taxpaying citizen in our community.” because Goldman filed a hostile work environment complaint against him Milarski said she received the same complaint Stevens – who also called for Goldman’s resignation – tried to table a vote to a future board meeting “I am embarrassed to serve under you,” Stevens said to Shelton “You said you were going to make change [when you ran for the village president role] You are a terrible leader and a terrible person.” In 2021, Stevens ran for village president before withdrawing to support Shelton. This story has been updated with comments from Chief Goldman.