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Israel & The Middle East
The major news issues included Operation Protective Edge, increased funding for Iron Dome, the collapse of the peace talks, and the failure to reach an agreement on Iran's nuclear weapons.
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Anti-Semitism & BDS
The worldwide Jewish community stood in solidarity against the increased incidents and threats of anti-semitism. Violence erupted across Europe and even here. Israel saw a record number of new immigrants as Jews fled their communities. Meanwhile, college campuses saw more anti-Israel rallies and efforts to force universities to divest from their financial holdings with companies that conduct business with Israel.
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Reproductive Rights
Women's reproductive freedom was attacked from every level of government. Abortion clinics closed across the country and many states passed increased waiting periods to receive an abortion. But, most of all, this year will be remembered for the Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby decision.
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Separation of Religion & State
States across the country tried - some successfully- to weaken the separation between religion and state by mandating religious teachings, while the U.S. Supreme Court said it was ok for local government to open their meetings with a religious prayer.
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Beyond the Core
School shootings and gun violence continues to dominate our culture, yet efforts to pass common sense gun laws still were blocked in Congress. Keystone Pipeline passed the House, but not the Senate. Even China recognized their global responsibility to fight climate change. The weeks leading up the Midterm election saw lots efforts to suppress voter turnout -- an issue that will continue to dominate the electoral process.
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Political Byte
The Midterm elections changed the face of Congress for at least the next several years. JAC said goodbye to many friends -- and even welcomed a few new ones. Remember: Elections Matter; every vote counts.
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