As 2025 blessedly comes to a close, it’s time once again to count down our top 10 most-read articles of the year. I’ve come to enjoy this annual exercise as a chance to dive into what most grabbed your attention, often resurfacing reporting gems I’d forgotten about.
So without further ado, according to our analytics (and with some item-combining chicanery from me), here are our 10 most-read stories of 2025:
10. First female professor at UC Berkeley was an academic powerhouse
It’s great to see culture editor Maya Mirsky’s “From the Archives” column here in the top 10. In October, she wrote about Jessica B. Peixotto, who was the second woman to earn a Ph.D. at UC Berkeley, the first woman professor at UC Berkeley and the founder of the university’s social welfare school.
(On a similar note, I recently wrote in our Archive column about Madam Julie Rosewald of Emanu-El, the world’s first woman cantor.)
9. UCSF professor calls out Israeli med student — who may not exist
Dr. Rupa Marya, vociferously anti-Zionist and previously a faculty member at UCSF medical school, has been in our pages before, with reporting by news editor Gabe Stutman. But this time — well, these three headlines tell a story in three acts:
UCSF professor suspended for post calling out first-year Israeli med student
UCSF professor who maligned Israeli student says she may be fired
Israeli medical student targeted by UCSF professor may not exist
8. OPINION: Why this county treasurer divested from Caterpillar
We had multiple news stories covering the Alameda County treasurer’s decision to divest the county from Caterpillar, whose equipment is used by the IDF — but nothing grabbed readers’ attention like this op-ed from Henry Levy himself.
7. Dance scholar denied job at UC Berkeley because she’s Israeli
We first covered this story in August, when Gabe reported that an Israeli dance scholar was suing UC Berkeley, alleging that she was denied a guest teaching position because she’s Israeli. Earlier this month, we reported that the university has agreed to apologize to her and offer her a new position.
6. Attendees wrangle protesters at Israel Philharmonic Orchestra concert
When protesters began to disrupt a performance by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra at San Francisco’s Davies Symphony Hall in March, security was nowhere to be seen, some attendees told staff writer Emma Goss. Four different times, protesters rose to shout over the music, leaving audience members to grapple with them themselves, as the orchestra played on.
5. In Oakland, a gay Orthodox rabbi is paving the way for Jews like him
Gay rabbis are far from a novelty in the Bay Area in 2025 — but an Orthodox one? In June, contributing editor Alix Wall wrote about Rabbi Shua Brick, who is openly gay and serves as resident scholar at Beth Jacob Congregation, a Modern Orthodox synagogue in Oakland. “Our synagogue is not an activist community,” Senior Rabbi Gershon Albert said. “We’re just trying to live our values, and accept every Jew for who they are.”
4. May their memories be a blessing
It’s a sad truth that reporting on the deaths of beloved members of our own community is part of the job here at J. This year, three tragic deaths touched our readers and drew their attention:
Tad Taube, donor to causes from Bay Area to Poland, dies at 94
Jenny Circle, Kehillah basketball coach and fundraiser, remembered as exuberant mentor
Olive Koren, 14, killed in Marin crash; rabbi calls her ‘fun-loving’
3. OPINION: As a Zionist and lifelong advocate, I believe Israel has gone too far
Over the summer, when a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war looked like an increasingly remote possibility, Rabbi Doug Kahn wrote an op-ed that got a lot of attention in the Bay Area Jewish community. As it turns out, when the widely respected longtime former leader of the Jewish Community Relations Council criticizes Israel publicly — even when, as in this case, he’s speaking on his own behalf — people listen.
2. Gluten-free apple cake
It’s not often that a recipe ends up among our highest traffic stories, but this one is just that good. Apparently, at Rosh Hashanah, what people really wanted more than anything else was gluten-free apple cake, from recipe developer Micah Siva.
1. Students form ‘human swastika’ on San Jose high school football field
And finally, our top story of the year, a late-breaking contender, is our recent reporting on a viral image of students at a San Jose high school lying in the shape of a swastika on a football field. It’s so horrifying and absurd that the story, which J. staff writer Lea Loeb broke and has continued to follow, was instantly picked up by larger media outlets, from the San Francisco Chronicle to the U.K.’s Guardian, ensuring its spot here at the top of this list.
Here is all our coverage of this story so far:
‘Human swastika’ at San Jose high school prompts investigation
Students who formed ‘human swastika’ at school to face ‘full scope’ of law
What motivated the teenagers who made the ‘human swastika’ in San Jose?
At first school meeting since swastika post, speakers share concerns, solidarity
Elected officials join event condemning ‘human swastika’ at San Jose high school
This was far from the only story of antisemitism in public schools that grabbed your attention, and ours, this year. Here are two more notable examples that drew high traffic:
Marin teacher told class there were ‘too many Jews’ in the district
Investigation finds Oakland teacher created ‘unwelcoming’ environment for Jews
May 2026 bring us only good news.