The leaders of France, Germany, Britain, Italy and Spain ratcheted up the pressure Thursday on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, saying that Egypt's political transition "must start now." The German Chancellor also insisted that Mubarak’s government put a stop to attacks against anti-government protesters and journalists. According to Reuters, at least 10 people have been killed during violent clashes between pro- and anti-government demonstrators in a Cairo Square. Meantime, members of the local Jewish community are closely watching the unrest and how it may affect Israel.  Rabbi Jay Shupack says its tough for many of us in the United States and western world to truly understand the depth of what's going on in Egypt. "We don't live there; it’s not a place that we live.  We have our jobs, our lives, our houses, our pets, our friends, our careers, our schools, there are very few things that engage America on a deep passionate level. And if we're lucky we still feel that way about freedom, and we still feel that way about democracy."  Shupack lived in Israel for five years and came to Central Oregon in 2000. He’s the Rabbi for the Jewish Community of Central Oregon. 

We're monitoring the situation in Egypt and will break into regular programming with big developments or important breaking news keep tuned to KBND radio news.