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Newscaster: A special Yom Kippur Mahzor has been released for the Brazilian Jews of the Amazon. Some 3,500 Sefardi Jews living in northern Brazil's Amazonian region will now be able to for the first time use a prayer book translated into Portuguese. The Mahzor uses the traditional Hebrew text of the Yom Kippur prayer services, which now has a translation and transliteration into Portuguese. It was made possible by "Shavei Israel", which provides assistance to different Jewish communities around the world. They're presently working in 9 far-flung Jewish communities. We spoke to Shavei Israel's founder, Michael Freund. Michael Freund: This was a process over a couple of years. The Mahzor, of course is a very comprehensive volume, and it required a great deal of effort in terms of translation. But we're very happy now that it's come to fruition, because there was a great need for it among the Jewish communities of the Amazon in Brazil.
In an unusual kind of pre-High Holy Days study seminar, 22 young Polish Catholics spent three weeks in Israel learning about their Jewish roots. They rank among the estimated tens of thousands of "hidden Jews" across Eastern Europe - people whose families hid their Jewish identity and in some cases subsequently forgot the fact they had Jewish lineage. In many cases their families began concealing their Judaism to avoid persecution by the Nazis and the Communists. Some "hidden Jews" were handed by their parents to non-Jewish individuals or institutions during the Holocaust and grew up not knowing they were born Jewish.
Among millions celebrating Rosh Hashana this week are some 1,000 residents of China's oldest Jewish community Among the many Israelis and Jews around the world who will welcome the Jewish New Year are also 1,000 residents of China's oldest Jewish community.

הרב אלישע סלס (53), יליד צ'ילה, הוא השליח החדש של ארגון "שבי ישראל" לקהילות צאצאי האנוסים בצפון פורטוגל. הוא ייכנס לתפקידו באופן רשמי...

Jerusalem - A group of 22 young Poles who recently discovered their Jewish roots arrived in Israel yesterday, August 15, 2010, for a special three-week educational seminar organized by Shavei Israel. The participants, most of whom were raised Catholic and are now in their 20’s, came from an array of cities throughout Poland, primarily Krakow, Katowice, Warsaw, Tychy, Gdansk and Cieszyn. For some of the participants, this marks their first time visiting Israel.
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