Thursday, March 06, 2025
A Chabad House for a Growing Family
In 2019, Rabbi Yanky Bell was on one of his annual pilgrimages to the Ohel, the resting place of Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson in Queens, New York, when he realized it was going to take him a while to write his petition.
Usually, Rabbi Bell's formal requests include blessings, spiritual guidance and inspiration from people back in El Cerrito, Calif., the small city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay where he and his wife, Shternie, run a Chabad House. (Rabbi Schneerson, who died in 1994, was a leader of the Chabad movement, a sect of Hasidic Judaism.)
But this time, Rabbi Bell came with a strong ask of his own: His family needed a new place to live and serve.
"We'd been looking for six or seven months," said Mrs. Bell, 31. "I'd already looked at about 20 to 30 houses."
It wasn't just that their family was expanding — their second son had just been born. Their community was growing, too. "When we had services," Mrs. Bell said, "we had people inside, outside, people everywhere."
They needed enough indoor space to accommodate an office for the rabbi and child care for at least 10 children — theirs and their supporters' kids — and to hold classes, meetings and other events. Outside, they needed space to build a sukkah, the temporary hut central to Sukkot, which celebrates harvests and gratitude.
For Rabbi Bell, 33, it was a complicated petition. "It took me about two hours to write," he said. "We really needed a blessing."
0 comments
Wednesday, March 05, 2025
New York’s Ultra-Orthodox Yeshivas Challenge New State Education Mandates
When Chaim Fishman left his Brooklyn-based secondary school at 16, he'd never heard of Mozart or Shakespeare.
"We were never taught about science or history or geography or civics," let alone English or math, which were considered "ethically wrong," said Fishman, who attended an ultra-Orthodox secondary school for boys — called a yeshiva — in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and is now a 26-year-old software engineer.
More than 50,000 male students are enrolled in New York's yeshivas, and a New York Times investigation found that many provided little instruction in core subjects, received some of the lowest standardized test scores in the state, and left their students unable to converse easily in English or find jobs after graduating. Even still, they received more than $1 billion in government funding over a recent four-year period.
A new state law set to take effect at the end of June seeks to hold these schools accountable by withholding millions in taxpayer funds if they don't provide an education ״substantially equivalent" to what's taught in the public schools. Ultra-Orthodox community leaders who have long advocated for autonomy are vowing to fight the new mandate.
And in a surprise move last week — well in advance of its June deadline for compliance — the state Education Department announced that after a six-year investigation it had pulled funding for two Brooklyn-based Hasidic yeshivas for failure to meet new secular education standards.
Along with termination of public subsidies starting June 30, their students were ordered to enroll in different schools starting this fall.
"The yeshiva system has been wildly successful and is largely responsible for the exponential growth of the Orthodox Jewish community in this country over the last 80 years," said Rabbi Yeruchim Silber, New York director of government relations for Agudath Israel of America, a national Orthodox advocacy organization.
"We have and will continue to advocate for educational autonomy for our yeshivas, whether through direct advocacy, legislatively and through the courts," Silber said.
In the past, Hasidic protesters have descended on the Capitol vowing to "sit in jail" before changing their educational system. How the upcoming debate shapes up will hinge on how New York politicians navigate their relationships with Hasidic leaders — and their thousands of voters, who often vote as a bloc.
0 comments
Tuesday, March 04, 2025
Man Kicked by Arab Owner Out of Oakland Café for Being Jewish Suing Owner
On October 26, 2024, Jonathan Hirsch and his five-year-old son entered the Jerusalem Coffee House, owned by Abdulrahim Harara, after dining at a nearby restaurant, Casper's. After the meal, Hirsch's son needed to use the restroom, but Casper's did not offer such facilities to customers and directed them to the coffee shop across the street. Hirsch was wearing a blue baseball cap with a white Jewish Star on the front, a recreation of a 1938 cap linked to the Hebrew Orphan Asylum, a Jewish charitable organization in New York that hosted Negro League baseball games. Hirsch ordered a latte, his son used the restroom, and they began playing chess while waiting for their drink.
Soon after, Harara approached Hirsch and asked if he was a "Zionist." When Hirsch refused to answer, Harara demanded he leave the establishment, threatened to call the police, and subjected him to both physical and verbal harassment. Harara raised his voice, and he, along with another employee, physically pushed Hirsch toward the exit. Harara also said, "This is a violent hat, and you need to leave."
Jonathan Hirsch is an American Jew and US citizen living in Oakland, California, with his wife and three children. The Star of David on Hirsch's hat is a symbol of Judaism and Jewish identity. It appears in Jewish synagogues, on Jewish tombstones, on the Israeli flag, and was used by the Nazis to identify Jews. The Star of David is deeply connected to the Jewish people and the Jewish religion.
An employee from the East Bay Community Space, which rents space to Harara, arrived and supported Harara's actions, saying, "The only reason they know you're a protected class is because of your hat. You chose to be in this situation." The police arrived shortly after, and Hirsch and his son stepped outside, with the child visibly frightened and in tears. Harara continued to yell, saying "[Expletive] Israel. [Expletive] Zionists," calling Hirsch a "bitch," and taunting his son with "Hey, your dad's a bitch. Your dad's a bitch."
Below is a video of the incident, where Harara verbally attacks Hirsch and demands he leave. Please do not click if you don't wish to hear the expletives. We should only point out that Hirsch had not discussed Israel, Zionism, Judaism, or any related subjects with Harara or anyone else in the coffee shop at any point. The only identifying feature on Hirsch's hat was the Jewish Star, with no other writing or symbols.
0 comments
Monday, March 03, 2025
Brooklyn Rabbi calls to pray for President Trump
Rabbi Moshe Landa of Williamsburg instructed his congregation to pray for President Donald Trump during Sabbath services, deviating from traditional political neutrality in the Hasidic community.
He highlighted Trump's support for the Jewish community, including pardons for Jewish prisoners and the repeal of policies he deemed detrimental to traditional values.
Last Sabbath, Landa referenced the recent assassination attempt on Trump: "We all saw how the president narrowly escaped death when the bullet missed its target by mere millimeters."
He added, "The president has already repealed the Sodom-like and unnatural laws, and has worked to bring additional salvations. Now, during the Sabbath before the month of Adar, we remember how in the days of Purim, the salvation came through King Ahasuerus and Esther – and so we too will pray that the Almighty uses every possible messenger to bring redemption and salvation."
0 comments
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
How a small delegation of US Jews got to Syria for the first time in decades
Even as tensions between Israel and Syria ramped up in recent days, a small group of Syrian Jews recently celebrated a milestone that once seemed unthinkable: a return visit to their home country.
Under the auspices of the new Syrian government, a small delegation toured Jewish heritage sites in and around Damascus last week, just two months after the fall of the dictatorial Bashar al-Assad regime. The group said it was the first official Jewish delegation to visit Syria, a country that once was home to as many as 100,000 Jews, in over three decades.
Visiting historic synagogues and praying with Torah scrolls that had remained intact through the country's brutal, 14-year civil war, these Jews were celebrating a homecoming. The visit could allow them and their descendants to imagine a potentially bright future in a place long thought lost to the many Jews who'd once called it home.
Days after the trip, Israel launched military strikes on Syria as the country's new leader and large numbers of protesters demanded Israeli troops withdraw from the country's southwestern region. Israel says it is occupying the area, the Syrian side of the Golan plateau, as a security measure amid instability in Syria.
0 comments
Monday, February 24, 2025
Suspect in Berlin Holocaust memorial stabbing sought to kill Jews
German authorities have arrested a 19-year-old suspect in a Friday stabbing attack at Berlin's Holocaust memorial.
The arrest of the suspect, a Syrian citizen who, according to police, said he wanted to kill Jews, came shortly after the Thursday arrest of another teenager, a Russian citizen accused of plotting an attack on the Israeli embassy in Berlin.
Both arrests occurred shortly before German elections on Sunday. The center-right Christian Democratic Union won the election, while Alternative for Germany, a far-right anti-immigrant party with a history of minimizing the Holocaust, came in second.
The stabbing incident at the Holocaust memorial seriously injured one victim, a 30-year-old Spanish tourist who was put into an artificial coma but whose life no longer appears to be in danger, according to news reports. Three hours after the attack, the suspect reportedly approached officers with blood on his hands and was arrested.
0 comments
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Second suspect, 19, arrested in connection with gunshots at Jewish school in Montreal
Montreal police said Wednesday that a 19-year-old man has been arrested in connection with gunfire targeting a Jewish school in the Côte-des-Neiges neighbourhood in November 2023.
The suspect was taken into custody Wednesday morning and was expected to appear before a judge at the Montreal courthouse later in the day. Police did not release his identity or specify what charges he faces.
His arrest comes months after a 20-year-old man was charged in May with discharging a firearm, theft and possessing stolen vehicles in relation to the attack. Investigators continued to probe the case and ultimately identified a second suspect.
0 comments
Thursday, February 13, 2025
Jewish slugger Bregman signs $120 million deal with Red Sox
Power slugging third baseman Alex Bregman agreed to a $120 million, three-year contract with the Boston Red Sox, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Wednesday night, making him among the highest-ever paid Jewish players in professional baseball history.
A two-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion during nine years with Houston, Bregman entered free agency coming off one of his poorest offensive seasons. He hit .260 with 26 homers and 75 RBIs in the final season of a $100 million, five-year contract with the Astros, also winning his first Gold Glove.
The 30-year-old has spoken proudly about his Jewish upbringing and maintained connections with Houston's Jewish community. Following the October 7, 2023, attack, Bregman drew a Star of David on his hat for an American League Division Series matchup against the Minnesota Twins, and proceeded to blast a homerun in the game's fifth inning, helping lead the team to a 9-1 win.
Bregman has 19 postseason home runs, tied for sixth in major league history, and the most ever by a third baseman.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/jewish-slugger-bregman-signs-120-million-deal-with-red-sox/amp/
0 comments
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
This Organic Farm is Run By Yiddish-Speaking Hasidic Jews in Upstate New York
Tu B'Shvat is an all year long celebration when you're working farmland, as Hasidic Jew Yisroel Bass does at the Yiddish Farm in Upstate New York. The farm was founded in order to "expand the role of the Yiddish language, serve as a bridge between Yiddish speakers of various backgrounds, and to promote environmental stewardship through organic farming."
Bass was born in Queens and grew up on Long Island in a Conservative Jewish home. When he was a child and explored his family history at school, he found that he wanted to connect more to his heritage. He relates, "One of the stories my mother told me which had a huge effect on me was that her mother, her sister and her aunts arrived at Auschwitz with her grandmother. When they were separated on the line, my great-grandmother gave one of her gloves to her granddaughters and said [they should keep it to remember] 'If you survive the war, you should remain Jewish daughters.'" Bass started thinking about what that meant. As the youngest of many cousins, he saw that Jewish engagement wasn't prioritized. Years later, around the time of his bar mitzvah, he went to get supplies in Queens. He picked up a Yiddish textbook then and was fascinated by it. That led to keeping kosher and taking other steps towards becoming religious. "It started by looking back at my family's history and became an active part of my identity."
It was Yiddish which drew Bass towards Chassidus. "[Yiddish speakers] have a way of communicating and a worldview that today's secular, assimilated Jew would never be able to have." Bass realized there was a lot to uncover. By the time he was eighteen, he was starting to keep Shabbos and looking for more guidance. "There was a learning curve getting from YIVO Yiddish to what is actually spoken today." He started taking Yiddish classes with a Holocaust survivor in Los Angeles and then moved to New York, looking for a community. He is mostly self-taught in Judaism but learns with mentors and chavrusas.
Bass studied philosophy at City College of New York. The farm opportunity came around as Bass tired of living in the city. He met a group of Yiddish-speaking people and realized that he wanted to find a way that "Yiddish was a means rather than an end to itself." Bass also discovered that he loved farming. He spent two summers farming with others before trying it on his own. "It was great to be busy, employing Jewish workers and doing something that not too many other people are doing [in our community]." Founded in 2012, the farm provided a place for students to learn Yiddish in an immersion environment and spend time working the land.
0 comments
Tuesday, February 11, 2025
6-year-old girl rescued from Lev Tahor and returned to her family
A 6-year-old girl was rescued from the Lev Tahor cult in Guatemala and transferred to the custody of her grandmother, who came especially from Israel.
This is the third case in recent weeks of children being reunited with their families.
Guatemala's Attorney General's Office confirmed that the girl was handed over to her grandmother after a comprehensive background check was conducted on the family. The grandmother will remain in Guatemala until the legal proceedings have been completed.
This rescue follows recent successes in closing down the cult. Last week, a Hasidic couple fled to the US with their children, and about three weeks ago, another family escaped from the cult.
This operation follows the authorities' raid last December on the cult compound, in which 160 abused and neglected minors were rescued. The children are still residing in the local welfare facilities.
This is the third case in recent weeks of children being reunited with their families.
Guatemala's Attorney General's Office confirmed that the girl was handed over to her grandmother after a comprehensive background check was conducted on the family. The grandmother will remain in Guatemala until the legal proceedings have been completed.
This rescue follows recent successes in closing down the cult. Last week, a Hasidic couple fled to the US with their children, and about three weeks ago, another family escaped from the cult.
This operation follows the authorities' raid last December on the cult compound, in which 160 abused and neglected minors were rescued. The children are still residing in the local welfare facilities.
0 comments
Thursday, February 06, 2025
Staff Admit Rabbi Was Barred From Kenya Airways For Looking Jewish: ‘It’s Not Good’ – The Airline Now Denies It
A Jewish Rabbi was denied boarding for a Kenya Airways flight from Johannesburg to Nairobi. He's told it's because he appeared visibly Jewish. The rest of his travel party is permitted to travel: "You can travel, he can travel, he can travel."
When asked if it's because of how the rabbi looks? "That's it, it's not good."
Kenya Airways responded this morning on Twitter, saying that "the group was behaving disruptively and appeared to be intoxicated." That is certainly not clear from the video. The airline says that since some members of the group were allowed to travel, it must not have been about their being Jewish. However the staffer suggests it is the visibly Jewish attire that not all were wearing that is the issue.
Last year, Lufthansa was fined $4 million for targeting Jewish passengers. In a 2022 incident, the airline banned Jews off of a New York JFK – Frankfurt flight from continued travel for a 24 hour period, after some passengers on board didn't comply with mask rules and other crewmember instructions. Non-Jews violating mask rules weren't prevented from taking their connections. And the ban included passengers who could be identified as likely Jewish, even if they hadn't broken any rules. The German flag explained at the time 'it's Jews that caused problems, so it's Jews who couldn't travel.'
Hardly an uncommon viewpoint! A year ago British Airways removed a Jewish sitcom from its inflight entertainment because it was Jewish, saying they didn't wish to take sides between Israel and Hamas, even though the sitcom had nothing to do with conflict (it simply had Jewish characters set in Israel).
I reached out to Kenya Airways for comment on Wednesday and will update if they respond. They did not respond to my inquiry, which came within minutes of the original video being shared. However I've added their public response to the post.
0 comments
Wednesday, February 05, 2025
Hasidic Jews gather to pray in southern Poland
This annual pilgrimage marks the 211th anniversary of Biderman's death.
Hasidic Jews believe that on the anniversary of his death, Biderman descends from heaven to collect their requests and deliver them to God.
These requests are written on small pieces of paper and placed on his grave.
The commemoration includes prayers, traditional dances around a bonfire, the singing of psalms and a feast, all lasting until midnight.
Michał Konieczny, director of the Leżajsk Hasidic Foundation in Poland, said that around 3,500 people could participate in the Lelów event.
Meanwhile, Leżajsk in southeastern Poland, another significant site for Hasidic Jews, is expected to attract up to 12,000 pilgrims.
Rabbi Biderman, also known as the Lelover Rebbe, is one of the most venerated figures among Hasidic Jews.
Various accounts say he was lame but, while dancing, he regained the use of his leg. He was also said to have the capacity to heal others.
The first written records of Lelów date back to the 12th century. Prior to World War II, Jews accounted for half of its population of 4,000. Most of them were killed by the Germans during the war.
0 comments
Tuesday, February 04, 2025
Man pleads guilty to federal charges for firing gun outside Jewish temple in upstate New York
A 29-year-old man pleaded guilty to federal charges Tuesday for firing a shotgun outside an upstate New York synagogue during the early months of the Israel-Hamas war.
Mufid Fawaz Alkhader was arrested in December 2023 after firing two shots in the air and shouting "Free Palestine!" outside Temple Israel of Albany. Alkhader's shotgun jammed before he could fire a third time. The Iraqi-born U.S. citizen was arrested soon after and complained about events in the Middle East, according to federal prosecutors.
The gunfire in New York's capital city happened on the first night of Hanukkah and two months after the surprise incursion by Hamas triggered the war. No one was injured, but 61 children attending preschool sheltered in place while police searched the area. Prosecutors said Alkhader took a ride-share vehicle to the temple from his home in nearby Schenectady.
Under a deal with prosecutors, Alkhader pleaded guilty to obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs by threat of force, brandishing a firearm during the commission of that offense and conspiring to purchase a firearm unlawfully.
"The defendant's violent, antisemitic and terrifying act targeted the Temple Israel congregation, the larger Jewish community, and the right of every person to practice their religion without fear of violence," U.S. Attorney Carla Freedman said in a prepared statement.
Alkhader, wearing orange jail clothes, said little in court beyond entering his pleas and responding to a series of questions from the judge with "yes" or "no" answers.
Federal prosecutors initially charged Alkhader with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person — a charge authorities said was related to his admitted use of marijuana. He was later charged with conspiracy to make a false statement during the purchase of a firearm.
Another man was sentenced in October to 14 months in prison for making a "straw" purchase of the shotgun for Alkhader.
Alkhader, who is being held in the county jail, faces at least 7 years and up to life in prison when he is sentenced June 6.
A group of people from the temple attended the court proceeding and declined to comment as they left.
0 comments
Monday, February 03, 2025
800-year-old Jewish Synagogue in Kochi accorded a lease of life after renovation and opened for public
It was a cultural chapter in the history of Cochin and Jews that was begun when the 800-year-old Ernakulam Kadavumbagam Synagogue has been accorded a lease of life. The fully renovated place of worship, on Market Road in Ernakulam was reopened today in the presence of a large number of people from across various parts of the state and the country.
The dilapidated structure was kept in the lurch for many years with no government support for its renovation and upkeep. However, when like-minded people and NGOs joined hands it was journey for a dream come true for many for whom wished the history of Cochin to come back to life.
Orli Weitzman, Israeli Counsel General to India while speaking on the occasion in a recorded video said that it is a historic moment for everyone to cherish.
"Today when the synagogue is opened for the public in the ancient history of Cochin where there is a rich Jewish history, there is a message that we are sending to the new generation. It is time for all religions and culture to join hands. Here people from every religion can come, pray and be together. I thanks all those who supported this and helped in becoming a reality", said Orli Weitzman.
Believed to have been built by Malabar Jews in 1200 AD, the structure, brimming with history, had remained stowed away from public view for nearly 53 years.
https://www.news9live.com/state/kerala/800-year-old-jewish-synagogue-in-kochi-accorded-a-lease-of-life-after-renovation-and-opened-for-public-2812842
0 comments
Friday, January 31, 2025
Hamilton man faces hate crime charges for online threats directed at Jewish community
A Hamilton man who was previously arrested for online posts, which police described as "threatening" towards the Jewish community, is now facing additional hate crime charges.
Investigators began monitoring the online activity of 32-year-old Harley Mitchell at the end of Sept. 2024 and placed him under arrest days later on Oct. 1. He was charged with two offences, including uttering death threats and failing to comply with probation.
Since then, authorities say they have continued to investigate Mitchell's online posts and made a request to the Office of the Attorney General to review and approve additional hate crime charges.
That submission was approved on Thursday and Mitchell was charged with advocating genocide, wilful promotion of hatred and antisemitism. Authorities say his initial charges will remain.
"Hate has no place in Hamilton," police said.
A representative for Mitchell was not immediately known.
https://toronto.citynews.ca/2025/01/31/hamilton-hate-crime-investigatio-jewish-community/
0 comments
Thursday, January 30, 2025
Jewish women are braiding challah and hair to mark the release of Israeli hostage Agam Berger
When four young Israeli soldiers were released in Gaza over the weekend, the first thing many people noticed about them was their defiant gestures in front of their Hamas captors.
The second was their braided hair.
Some close observers of the hostages concluded that the braids — also seen on some of the children released during a temporary ceasefire in November 2023 — were the handiwork of Agam Berger, who had become the only Israeli woman soldier left in Gaza.
Now, with Berger released Thursday after 482 days, her supporters are returning the gesture, crafting braids of their own to celebrate her freedom and inspiration.
Some Jewish day schools in the United States urged their students to wear braids on Thursday. At least one synagogue is holding a challah-braiding event. A wig store catering to Orthodox women braided all of its display models, while El Al said women who worked for the airline had all braided their hair on Thursday. And an array of "Braids for Agam" graphics have circulated on social media, in both Israel and abroad.
https://www.jta.org/2025/01/30/culture/us-jews-are-braiding-challah-and-hair-to-mark-the-release-of-israeli-hostage-agam-berger
0 comments
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
UAV strike leaves Rebbe Nachman's gravesite in darkness
A Russian drone attack left the city of Uman, Ukraine, and its environs without electricity - as hundreds of Jews made their way to the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov.
"There is no deadline for the electricity to reutrn," Rabbi Natan Bin-Nun, chairman of United Breslov, said.
The direct strike to the city's energy infrastructure took place at around 2:00 a.m. local time, despite the fact that the Ukrainian army succeed in intercepting most of the UAVs.
"The damage is very significant," local reports said.
On Wednesday, Breslov hasidim mark Rabbi Natan of Breslov's first visit to the gravesite of his teacher Rabbi Nachman.
"Because it is so close to Shabbat (the Jewish Sabbath - ed.), we expect that there will be an unusually high number of visitors this year," the gravesite's keeper, Rabbi Natan Tzemach, said.
"We are preparing to provide electricity to the areas of the gravesite, by using special generators," Bin-Nun promised. "In the meantime, the residents and visitors are forced to use emergency lights and means of warmth, just like at the start of the war."
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/403067
0 comments
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Jewish protesters for Gaza target Kindertransport memorial on Holocaust Memorial Day
On the day commemorating the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, North London Peaceniks and Jews Against Genocide placed effigies of murdered Palestinian babies at the sculpture in Liverpool Street to draw parallels between the Nazi genocide at Auschwitz with what they claim is a genocide in Gaza.
A plaque left beside the sculpture reads: "Mourning the millions of Jewish children not on the Kindertransport slaughtered in the Holocaust, and the many thousands of Gazan children slaughtered by Israel in the genocide."
They also laid a wreath for Gaza at the Cenotaph in central London alongside one with yellow stars labelled 'Juif', 'Jude' and 'Jood'.
Michael Newman, Association of Jewish Refugees chief executive, said: "The Kindertransport monument commemorates the lives of the mostly Jewish children who were given sanctuary in this country.
"It remembers the bravery of the parents who sent their children away and the altruism of the families who took in the youngest victims of Nazi oppression. As the national organisation supporting victims of Nazism, the AJR is highly offended by misusing Holocaust memorials to make political statements. It's a dangerous distortion and creates a false equivalence."
Designed by artist Frank Meisler, 'The Kindertransport – The Arrival statue' (2006), serves as a memorial to the thousands of unaccompanied European Jewish children who fled to London on the Kindertransport in the Second World War.
https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/jewish-protesters-for-gaza-target-kindertransport-memorial-on-holocaust-memorial-day/
0 comments
Monday, January 27, 2025
‘I fear for the future of my children here’, says Jewish protester dragged out of Irish Shoah event
The Jewish woman who was dragged out of Ireland's official Holocaust Memorial Day ceremony after she silently protested against a diatribe on Gaza by President Michael Higgins has told the JC she fears for the future of her children in the country.
Lior Tibet, 37, was forcibly removed from the event along with a pregnant Jewish friend by security staff after they – along with four other Jews – stood up and turned their back on Higgins when he spoke about the "thousands searching for relatives in the rubble" of Gaza.
"After what happened yesterday I'm really worried about how this will affect my kids. The atmosphere in Ireland is not what it used to be.
"When I first came here, I loved this country. But after October 7, it feels like I am having an existential crisis. It's hard to believe it's the same country," said the mother of two.
Tibet's pregnant friend, who wished to remain anonymous, accused Higgins of politicising the event.
She said: "It was horrible. I couldn't believe it. I told them I was pregnant, and the security guard continued to push me out with their bodies. It was so disrespectful."
The friend added that she was particularly shocked by the speech given that Holocaust survivors Tomi Reichental and Suzi Diamond had specifically asked Higgins not to bring up Gaza.
Tibet, who is from Israel but has lived in Dublin for seven years, said they were demanding a public apology from both the President and Holocaust Education Ireland.
When President Higgins began discussing Gaza, the two women silently turned their backs to him in protest.
Tibet said: "The moment I stood up and turned my back, they grabbed me and started dragging me out. They didn't ask, they just pushed. I'm a Jewish woman at a ceremony for my community. I have a right to be there."
https://www.thejc.com/news/world/i-fear-for-the-future-of-my-children-here-says-jewish-protester-dragged-out-of-irish-shoah-event-qs0rdfgy
0 comments
Thursday, January 23, 2025
Man accused of trying to enter Nashville Jewish Center in disguise appears in court
The man accused of disguising himself in an attempt to enter a Jewish community center in Nashville appeared before a judge for the first time Thursday morning.
A front desk employee, security guard and detective all testified at Travis Keith Garland's preliminary hearing before Judge Melissa Blackburn, who found there was probable cause for the charges against him. Now those charges — criminal trespassing and assault — will be heard by a grand jury, the next step in the criminal court process.
Garland, 31, is also facing an additional charge in connection to the case.
Attorneys said during the hearing that a grand jury on Wednesday indicted Garland for a civil rights violation.
Blackburn declined to reduce Garland's bond from $250,000, which was set when Davidson County District Attorney Glenn Funk appeared in night court himself after the defendant's arrest, an unusual action, to request a high bond.
After Garland's arrest, Jesse Feld, the Gordon Jewish Community Center's executive director, said they are "not intimidated by these bad actors."
"We are committed to continually providing a safe and secure environment for our vibrant Jewish community to continue to grow," Feld said last week.
The Gordon Jewish Community Center is a centralized, interdenominational institution for the Nashville area Jewish community through its many programs — camps, religious holiday celebrations and a film festival, among others — and its facilities for fitness and educational programs. Though many within Nashville's Jewish community are spread across five major congregations and other worship spaces to observe Shabbat, it often gathers as one for events at the Gordon JCC.
https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/crime/2025/01/23/man-accused-of-trying-to-enter-nashville-jewish-center-disguised-in-court/77874939007/
0 comments
Friday, January 17, 2025
Swastikas carved into wall at Whitby Library ‘direct attack’ on Jewish community: Mayor
An act of antisemitic vandalism at the Whitby Central Library last week, where several swastikas were carved into the wall of one of the washrooms, has Mayor Elizabeth Roy "deeply troubled" and vowing not to let the incident "divide our community."
"We are committed to ongoing dialogue and action to combat antisemitism and ensure that every resident feels safe and supported in Whitby," Roy said. "Acts of hate like this not only target specific individuals or groups but also seek to divide our community. We will not let that happen."
Staff at the library responded to the incident by immediately covering the graffiti and calling police, who responded to the scene.
"Such hateful symbols have no place in our community, especially not in a library, which should be a safe and welcoming space for all," says Rhonda Jessup, CEO and Chief Librarian.
This incident is all the more distressing, Roy said, following the "abhorrent act of hate" that happened last summer when a large swastika was burned into the grass at Prince of Wales Park.
"This incident is a direct attack on our Jewish community and the values of inclusion, respect, and safety that define our town."
https://www.insauga.com/swastikas-carved-into-wall-at-whitby-library-direct-attack-on-jewish-community-mayor/
0 comments
Thursday, January 16, 2025
'Jews are the evil of the world:' Slovenian synagogue vandalized
A medieval-era Slovenian synagogue was defaced with antisemitic graffiti on Sunday night, according to Maribor Synagogue director Boris Hajdinjak and German ambassador to Slovenia Sylvia Groneick.
"Jews are the evil of the world," graffiti spray-painted on the Jewish holy site read, according to photographs shared on Facebook by Hajdinjak. "Death to the Jews, Glory to Slovenia."
Other graffiti called on others to "read more of the Talmud," Jewish religious texts that often feature in claims made by antisemites and conspiracy theorists.
Hajdinjak said that law enforcement had been made aware of the vandalization of the national cultural site, which the synagogue claims on its Facebook page to be "the most important monument of Jewish cultural heritage on Slovenian soil."
"Jews have always been a small minority in Slovenian history. That is why it is exceptional that a medieval synagogue has been preserved in Maribor. Namely: there are not many European cities that have a preserved medieval synagogue," Hajdinjak said on Facebook Monday. "Truly strong countries are countries that include all their inhabitants, including the smallest minority. I believe that the majority of the inhabitants of the Republic of Slovenia agree with this opinion."
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/article-837876
0 comments
Wednesday, January 15, 2025
Man arrested after threatening to behead, kill Jews in Bellaire
A man from Spring, Texas, was arrested on Jan. 9 after making online threats to kill Jewish people in Bellaire.
Saif Tajiran, 33, has been charged with making a terroristic threat, enhanced to a hate crime.
Houston Jewish Funerals in Bellaire received a disturbing email with the subject line, "Beezlebub," on Oct. 29.
The email read: "I would like to help bury jews so speed the process to bury more jews. Could I get a job? If you hire me I can work fast and I will save you jews money. Think of how great this could be! I will save us more time to bury more [jews!] If you want I can behead more [jews] and we can become rich together. You know us [jews] have no morals, values and that we only care about ourselves! Yeshua Yahweh it will be perfect!"
Tajiran used his own email address, even including his own phone number.
A Bellaire police officer called the number, and when a man answered, the officer told him he was calling about an email he received. Police say the man began telling the officer the same statements that were in the email.
On Jan. 9, thanks to the collaborative efforts of Bellaire CID, traffic units and remote operations, Tajiran was located and arrested without incident. His bond was set at $50,000.
"This situation is a disturbing reminder that hate exists, even in a welcoming city like Houston," Houston Jewish Funerals owner Andrew Starr told the JHV.
"However, we must stay strong and resolute in our sacred mission to help Jewish families honor their loved ones who have passed in the traditions of our faith."
https://jhvonline.com/man-arrested-after-threatening-to-behead-kill-jews-in-bellaire-p34407-89.htm
0 comments
Tuesday, January 14, 2025
'I'm a soldier in the Jewish army:' Hasidic Rebbe's son shares excitement at joining IDF
Hasidic musician and singer Mendel Roth posted a video summarizing his first hours as a new IDF recruit in the new haredi "Hashmonaim" brigade.
"I am a Jewish soldier of the Jewish army in the Holy Land," Roth, the son of the Shmore Emunim Rebbe, said in the video he filmed with excitement from his room at the brigade's base in the Jordan Valley.
"I want to say that I am very excited," he added and shared about his roommates with whom he will spend the next eight months of basic training.
He was impressed by the army and said: "This is a serious business, from the few hours I have been here, it is a historic feeling, we are making history, doing something great, we are going to fight for the people of Israel, to unite the people of Israel."
In conclusion, he said, "There are sweet guys here, souls sweet as honey, with fear of God, pure souls, how wonderful it is that I took this step. "Am Yisrael Hai."
On Sunday, a day before his enlistment in the IDF, Roth published a new song with a message to his brothers from the haredi community, stating that it is important to join forces together, defend Israel and enlist in the IDF. About a month ago, he announced in a post that received thousands of likes and hundreds of comments that he was enlisting for combat service in the IDF.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/401997
0 comments
Monday, January 13, 2025
British authorities chastise a Jewish charity for fundraising for an Israeli soldier
British authorities told a London Chabad center to refrain from fundraising for the Israeli military because doing so is against the law, according to an official warning issued Wednesday.
The Chabad Lubavitch Centres North East London and Essex raised about $2,300 for a soldier in the Israel Defense Forces in late 2023. The group's modest fundraiser was one of countless such efforts organized by Jews around the world on behalf of Israeli soldiers fighting in Gaza.
But raising money for a soldier of a foreign military is illegal under U.K. law. Members of the public opposed to the fundraising effort filed 180 complaints against the organization, according to the Charity Commission, which began investigating in December 2023.
"It is not lawful, or acceptable, for a charity to raise funds to support a soldier of a foreign military," Helen Earner, director for regulatory services at the Charity Commission, which oversees charities in England and Wales, said in a statement.
She added, "Our official warning requires the charity to set things right and is a clear message to other charities to stay true to their established purposes."
The trustees of the Chabad center, which is affiliated with the worldwide Jewish outreach movement based in Brooklyn, called the commission's findings "regrettable" but did not dispute them.
"We acknowledge that in facilitating a campaign to provide warm clothing and the like, however briefly and however modest its results, the charity exceeded its purposes and we are grateful for the guidance provided by the Charity Commission to ensure that this won't happen again," the center told the Jewish Chronicle.
The case marks the first time that the Charity Commission has chastised an organization over its fundraising for the Israeli army, but it may not be the last. The commission has taken on 200 regulatory cases since the war between Hamas and Israel broke out and has made 40 referrals to law enforcement, it said in a press release, which also noted that those cases involve organizations with a variety of different viewpoints on the conflict.
Last July, the commission announced an investigation into the humanitarian relief agency World Aid Convoy after it raised money through Gaza Now, a media outlet that supports Hamas, which is designated as a terror organization by the British government. A few months earlier, Al-Manar Centre, an Islamic institution in the city of Cardiff, was targeted by the commission for posting to its Facebook account a video "that could suggest support for Hamas."
Regulators in other countries are also contending with a large number of fundraisers for Israeli troops that may skirt or run afoul of local laws. Jews across the Diaspora have donated hundreds of millions of dollars worth of equipment to IDF units and individual soldiers. In the United States and France, where the bulk of fundraising has taken place, pro-Palestinian voices have criticized this use of tax-exempt dollars, calling for government action against it. Some countries, including Canada, have bans on charitable support for foreign militaries in their legal codes, though they are not always well enforced.
The regulatory battles come as the Israeli military has heavily relied on grassroots donations from around the world since the war with Hamas broke out in Oct. 2023. Following its nearly unprecedented mobilization of hundreds of thousands of troops, the Israeli military did not possess sufficient protective gear, and masses of individual soldiers took to social media to solicit donations to make up for shortages. The military officially denies any shortages but demand for items such as tactical helmets and combat boots has remained high 15 months into the fighting, and as reserves units return to the frontlines.
Of all the countless fundraising efforts since Oct. 2023, the one launched by the London Chabad center is not very large or prominent: a small fundraising page set up to support a single soldier.
"In the immediate aftermath of 7 October, there was concern, fuelled by social media reports, that due to the haste and sheer numbers of reservists being called up, there was not anything like enough winter clothing and protective gear to keep these young people safe from harm," the center told the Jewish Chronicle. "Understandably, our community wanted to help."
https://www.jta.org/2025/01/13/global/british-authorities-chastise-a-jewish-charity-for-fundraising-for-an-israeli-soldier
0 comments
Thursday, January 09, 2025
Norwegian teen kicked out of convenience store 'for being a Jew' - interview
A Norwegian teenager was physically removed from a Bergen convenience store on New Year's Eve after a clerk learned he was a Jew and a Zionist, the 19-year-old shared in an interview with The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.
Nataniel Elpeleg was headed into town with friends to celebrate the new year when they stopped at a Narvesen convenience store to buy hot dogs.
The teenager reportedly struck up a conversation with a clerk, who told him he was from Yemen and the Palestinian territories. Elpeleg said he was naively excited and told the clerk he was half-Israeli.
"I really want to have peace with you guys. I hope we can be friends in the future," Elpeleg recalled.
https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-836884
0 comments
Wednesday, January 08, 2025
Historic Jewish synagogue built over 80 years ago destroyed by Eaton Fire in Pasadena
One of the three fast-moving wildfires in southern California has destroyed a historic Jewish synagogue near Los Angeles.
The Eaton Fire, which began on Tuesday evening, engulfed the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center in suburban Los Angeles overnight. Photos and videos shared by local news media and residents show the synagogue in flames, with a bright orange sky as the backdrop.
Several neighboring temples have expressed their condolences for the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, whose congregation has ties to the region that date back more than 150 years.
"Our hearts go out to the entire community and particularly those members of the Pasadena temple (who) have been so directly impacted, many of whom also have lost or are still in danger of losing their homes," Temple Beth Israel, located in Pomona, California, wrote in a Facebook post. "We will, of course, open our hearts and our resources in anyway that we can be helpful."
Neither the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center nor the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection immediately responded for comment when contacted by USA TODAY on Wednesday.
0 comments
Tuesday, January 07, 2025
Orthodox Jewish group asking again to build synagogue in one N.J.’s wealthiest suburbs
A proposal to construct an Orthodox Jewish synagogue and daycare is again facing opposition in the latest round in a decades-long fight to build the house of worship in one of Essex County's wealthiest suburbs.
The Chai Center for Living Judaism is asking the Millburn Township Planning Board to approve construction of a two-story, 21,027-square-foot synagogue at 165 Old Short Hills Road in the township's Short Hills section.
The synagogue would seat 275 people in a building that would also include classrooms and office space, according to documents filed with the township.
Classrooms on the second floor would be used for students attending Hebrew school on Sunday mornings, and the building's basement floor would include classrooms for a 50-student daycare, according to previous planning board meeting minutes and a traffic study.
The plans also call for a playground and 95 parking spaces.
The construction was proposed by the same Orthodox Jewish group that previously proposed building a synagogue in Short Hills in several applications dating back to 2000. In 2023, the group sued Millburn after an application to build on a neighboring property was rejected. The court case is still pending.
The latest application for the 3.32-acre property on Old Short Hills Road was first submitted in August. It was discussed at several township planning board meetings, but has not been voted on by the board.
The application is scheduled to be discussed again at the planning board's meeting on Wednesday. The planning board's attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
A flyer opposing the project was posted on social media, encouraging residents to attend a previous planning board meeting in December. The synagogue project could have a "significant impact" in the neighborhood, including on traffic, security, parking and property values, according to the flyer.
"This is not a small community center, it's a campus that's being proposed on a road that's already busy, already crowded, and already under strain," one resident said during the public comment period at a December township committee meeting.
The man said he is Jewish and opposes the project for logistical reasons, not religious ones. He said he was concerned about increased congestion, noise and light pollution and an impact on nearby property values.
"What happens to that investment when a massive development is dropped in the middle of a quiet residential area? Do we shrug our shoulders and hope for the best?" he asked. "Or do we stand up and ask the hard questions?"
0 comments
Monday, January 06, 2025
‘F*** the Jews’ Vandalized Car Shakes Sydney to its Core
Antisemitism has reared its ugly head once again in the land down under.
On Monday morning, Jewish residents in Sydney's Queens Park woke up to a white car on Henry Street vandalized with "F*** the Jews" spray-painted in bold black letters. Initial reports suggest that the car was vandalized sometime between 7am Sunday and 5:45am Monday. Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command has since launched an investigation and is urging witnesses to come forward with any information that might help identify the perpetrators.
Surprisingly, the targeted vehicle's owner isn't even Jewish.
"My neighbours, they'd be disgusted. There's no place for that in this community or anywhere in Australia," owner Stuart Veron tells ABC News
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese quickly condemned the violence during his press conference from Queensland today.
"There is no tolerance for antisemitism in Australia, from my government, nor should there be tolerance from anyone else," Albanese stated. "Antisemitism is a scourge, and any event such as this, targeting people because of who they are, is not the Australian values that I hold dear, and the Australian values that are held dear by the overwhelming majority of Australians."
Australia has seen an alarming sequence of antisemitic violence in the past few months. During the early hours of November 21, vandals torched a vehicle and defaced others with anti-Israel graffiti in nearby Woollahra. On December 6, Melbourne's Adass Israel Synagogue was set on fire as worshippers arrived for morning prayers. Finally, another car was set ablaze and two homes in Woollahra were targeted with antisemitic slurs just five days later.
David Ossip, who heads the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies, expressed growing alarm at the increasingly violent pattern of Jewish hatred.
"It is unacceptable that Jewish Australians and Australians of all backgrounds have had to wake up yet again and see messages of hate prominently displayed in their neighborhood," he said. "We cannot allow ourselves to become desensitized to acts of Jew-hatred and allow illegal conduct such as this to become normalized.""
0 comments
Friday, January 03, 2025
Inside the matchmaking crisis rocking the US Orthodox community
With their long marriages that rarely end in divorce and their large families, you'd be forgiven for thinking it's easy to find love in the Orthodox Jewish community.
As birthrates fall among the secular and rise and rise among the devout, it seems impossible to consider that chassidim would find their centuries-old system of matchmaking not up to scratch.
But, a recent study on dating among American Orthodox Jews by the Orthodox Union's (OU) Center for Communal Research has revealed the depth of the challenges faced by those in the community as they try to find a partner.
Rabbi Moshe Hauer, Executive Vice President of the Orthodox Union, told the JC that the impetus for the study came from the significant number of single Orthodox men and women striving for marriage but unable to find their appropriate match, a phenomenon which many in the community have already labelled a crisis.
"It's on the minds of the single men and women of our community. It's on the minds of all who care about them and all who care about the future of the Jewish community. What else should we be focusing on if not the issues that are weighing on people and are concerning them?"
Between 5 February and 6 March 2020, the OU surveyed more than 2,300 single Orthodox Jew from 18 to 82 years old who were users of eight Jewish dating apps or part of singles' groups. It also features interviews with 41 single Orthodox Jews, 25 shadchanim or matchmakers, and 21 communal leaders.
The report found that almost 90 per cent of respondents said they believe that marriage would make their lives happier and fuller. So, what's keeping Orthodox men and women from tying the knot?
According to the report, many of the singles surveyed don't feel like they can find a partner on their own and have instead turned to matchmaking services – whether they be apps or community matchmakers – to find their beshert for them.
"They've been told that they can't find a partner on their own," said Aleeza Ben Shalom, a shadchan (matchmaker) best known for her turn on Netflix's Jewish Matchmaking. "That's the message from the beginning, right? 'We need to do it for you.' 'We know you better than you know yourself.' 'You need to go to a shadchan.' And the community's not really set up for them to find a partner on their own."
Ben Shalom, who works with both frum and secular singles, added that the communal lifestyle of Orthodox Jews as well as the habit of separating men and women makes it that much more difficult for singles to take initiative and find their own matches – while the emphasis on families over the individual increases the pressure to pair up.
"Often, singles will share that they don't feel like a full-fledged member of the community or that their full value is seen unless they're in a relationship," Ben Shalom said. "Religious singles are very involved in their communities and have a communal lifestyle, so living single in a community is very difficult because the communities mostly cater to couples or families, so there's a tremendous amount of pressure on a single to move from single to community."
But the report found that many of those surveyed had negative experiences with matchmakers and Ben Shalom, who has trained over 350 matchmakers and dating coaches, is not ignorant of the potential downsides of her trade:
"I've had singles come to me and say, '[the matchmaker] tells me I have to change my clothes, change my attitude, change my job, change my location, I have to do all these things, or I'll never find a match, or they have talked down to me, or they tell me nobody will ever want me.' There's a lot of negative interactions with Shadchanam, where the Shadchanam, unfortunately, are pointing the finger and telling a single everything that's wrong with them as opposed to just saying, 'here's how I can help you.'
"We shouldn't be giving them advice to change who they are. We should be giving them advice to empower them to be their best selves and put their best foot forward whatever that is and I think that that's what's really lacking," Ben Shalom said.
Within the report's sample, more than a third (male 35 per cent, female, 36 per cent) of respondents met someone they dated in the last six months through friends and family, well over the 20 per cent who said they met through a matchmaker. Friends and family therefore play more of a pivotal role in helping single men and women find a suitable partner.
For Ben Shalom, the OU's report is just a confirmation of what she already knew to be true about the challenges of dating in the Orthodox community and, with the survey data having been collected back in 2020 and only being published last year, she's concerned it's too little too late – at least for those unlucky surveyed singles still waiting to find their perfect match.
"I'm interested in solutions. Questions and challenges, of course, always exist, and they've always been present within dating. I don't think that I'm terribly surprised about any of the information. I'm more curious – great, now we have this data – what do you want to do with it? Because I think that there's a lot of information that we often know, and we just don't know where to move forward with it," she said.
But Rabbi Hauer disagreed.
"The OU created the Center for Communal Research not for the purpose of academic research - it was in order to be able to really inform the community regarding issues that the community is grappling with, to provide them with data so that it's not simply just speculation, but that it's as driven as it can possibly be by real data," he said.
"The role of education is making people aware of and sensitising them to an issue and to its challenges. Education has a core role in helping people do things better."
0 comments
Thursday, January 02, 2025
Suspect At Large After Firebombing Chabad Synagogue in Ukraine
A firebomber struck a Chabad synagogue in Ukraine late Tuesday night as Jews across Mykolaiv gathered for public Hanukkah celebrations. Thankfully, no one was hurt in the attack. Police are reportedly still hunting for the suspect, who fled the scene after throwing the explosive.
Rabbi Sholom Gottlieb, who leads the Mykolaiv Jewish community, described how the attacker scoped out the building before striking.
"Last night, just before midnight, an unknown individual approached the synagogue door," he said in a statement to local media. "After checking that there were no people around, he threw the firebomb."
Ukraine's Jewish community, now numbering around 45,000, ranks as Europe's fourth-largest. But those numbers tell a story of decline, as before the Soviet Union fell in 1991, nearly half a million Jews called Ukraine home. Many fled to Israel, America, and Europe after communism's collapse. Russia's illegal 2022 invasion of Ukraine continues to spark further Jewish emigration from the country.
Though Ukraine is led by Jewish president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, its soil witnessed some of history's worst antisemitic atrocities, including the Babyn Yar massacre during the Holocaust. Disturbingly, some Ukrainians still celebrate Nazi collaborators like Stepan Bandera as national heroes.
Bandera led the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) during WWII. While he advocated for Ukrainian independence from Soviet rule, he also collaborated with Nazi Germany by ordering pogroms and ethnic cleansing against both Jews and Poles.
After the war, Bandera lived in exile in West Germany, continuing to lead the Ukrainian nationalist movement from abroad and working against Soviet influence. A KGB agent named Bohdan Stashynsky killed him on October 15, 1959, by using a cyanide gas gun in the stairwell of his apartment building.
0 comments
Monday, December 30, 2024
Illinois city councilman apologizes after claiming Jewish group controls media, food, music
An Illinois city councilman apologized last Tuesday for a council meeting speech in which he accused a cabal of Jewish people of controlling food, media, and music, as well as elements of Jewish faith informing a supposed genocide in Gaza.
Champaign District One Councilman Davion Williams apologized to Jewish leaders, according to a Friday statement from Champaign-Urbana Jewish Federation, Illini Chabad, Illini Hillel, and Sinai Temple after his comments at the end of a December 17 City Council meeting.
In response to a series of public comments demanding the city call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, Williams said in a convoluted speech that "there's Jews, they're gentiles, who believe in peace, but there's a small group of people of have a lot of control over a whole lot. Over music, over our food, over media, over a whole lot of things."
0 comments
Friday, December 27, 2024
Jews visiting Uman subject to significant restrictions
Thousands of Breslov hasidim arrived this week in Uman, Ukraine, to celebrate the traditional Hanukkah weekend.
The arrivals, however, are now subject to extremely strict security precautions. Among other things, the hasidim were warned that photographing security forces, checkpoints, or military facilities may be viewed as espionage and lead to arrest.
Despite the lack of flights from Israel and the ongoing war, 3,000 hasidim arrived in Uman.
United Breslov, which prepared in advance to absorb the visitors, succeeded in reducing the electricity outages in the area and even succeeded in reopening the large mikvas (ritual baths) in the "Kloiz area."
Rabbi Natan Bin-Nun, chairman of United Breslov, is in constant contact with authorities in eastern Europe, in order to ensure safe passage for the hasidim. In addition, the authorities are careful to enforce a nighttime curfew between midnight and 4:00 a.m., and demand visitors carry passports every time they exit their lodgings.
In addition to the photography ban, the hasidim are forbidden to use any kind of fireworks, and are required to enter protected spaces during air raid sirens.
The authorities also warned that expressions which may come across as support for an enemy or as mocking Ukraine, even if they were said jokingly, may lead to removal from Ukraine and an extended ban on re-entry.
0 comments
Thursday, December 26, 2024
Ultra-Orthodox Hasidic group mulls enlistment for its youth amid blacklash
In recent weeks, the IDF has launched talks with the ultra-Orthodox Karlin Hasidic sect on creating a tailored military enlistment program where adult men from the sect would undergo professional training and serve in the military in the field they studied.
These Haredi soldiers would be able to use their training for employment after their discharge. The program is set to start with about 200 members, allowing them to serve without military uniforms, in women-free environments, with kosher food and other accommodations.
0 comments
Tuesday, December 24, 2024
Jewish professor sues Hunter College over pervasive antisemitism
The director of the Jewish Studies Center at Hunter College in New York City has filed a federal lawsuit against the institution, alleging that pervasive antisemitism on campus has created a "hostile work environment" for Jewish faculty and students.
Professor Leah Garrett claims that the administration's lack of response to anti-Israel demonstrations following the October 7 attacks has exacerbated the issue, leaving her and others on the campus vulnerable.
Hunter College, part of the City University of New York (CUNY) system, the largest urban university system in the United States, has faced scrutiny for its handling of similar issues in the past. A spokesperson for the college declined to comment on the ongoing litigation but emphasized that the institution "does not tolerate antisemitism or hate of any kind."
The lawsuit details how, in the aftermath of the October 7 attacks, protests erupted across the Upper East Side campus, where participants displayed posters depicting blood dripping from a Star of David and chanted slogans calling for the expulsion of Zionists. Garrett alleges that, despite repeated pleas to the college administration to address these incidents, no meaningful action was taken.
Garrett, who has served as the center's director since 2018, describes the environment as one where Jewish students and faculty feel increasingly unsafe. One incident cited in the lawsuit involved swastikas scrawled on posters of Israeli hostages displayed around campus in November 2023. Garrett claims that, while she immediately reported the graffiti, the administration delayed removing it for hours, citing bureaucratic and legal hurdles.
Adding to the hostile climate, Garrett's photograph was reportedly circulated on social media by an anti-Israel student organization. The lawsuit also mentions threatening messages she received, including one stating that "Satanists are more moral than Jews." Garrett contends that the administration failed to take adequate steps to ensure her safety or to address the rising tensions on campus.
According to Garrett, the administration's inaction has left her to navigate the challenges alone, forcing her to act as the primary advocate for Jewish students and faculty in an increasingly adversarial environment.
"I was horrified and distraught to see that immediately after October 7, there was a pervasive and constant series of antisemitic incidents that my students, my faculty, and I had to endure," she said.
The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan federal court on Tuesday, accuses the college of violating Garrett's civil rights and breaching her employment contract. It seeks damages, with the amount to be determined at trial. Garrett is represented by the Lawfare Project and the law firm Alston & Bird.
The situation has drawn attention from local leaders, including City Councilman Kalman Yeger, who recently co-authored a letter to CUNY Chancellor Felix Matos Rodríguez, criticizing the university system for its handling of antisemitism on its campuses.
"Hopefully, this lawsuit will shine a bright light on yet another CUNY dumpster fire", Yeger remarked.
0 comments
Monday, December 23, 2024
Irish comments on Israel leave Scottish Jews terrified as 'identity' comes under attack
Last week, Israel's Foreign Minister announced that its Embassy in Ireland would be closing "in light of the extreme anti-Israel policies of the Irish government". The timing of Jerusalem's decision comes just a few days after Ireland's Foreign Minister, Micheál Martin, announced Ireland's plan to intervene in the proceedings against Israel, brought by South Africa to the International Court of Justice.
Announcing Ireland's intervention, Martin wrote that "Ireland will be asking the ICJ to broaden its interpretation of what constitutes the commission of genocide". If there was ever an admission that Israel is absolutely not committing genocide in Gaza it would be this.
Micheál Martin, on behalf of the Irish government, has essentially acknowledged that genocide is not being committed by Israel in Gaza and, unsatisfied by this, is asking the Court to change the definition of genocide so that the world's only Jewish state can be found guilty of the ultimate crime. It beggars belief.
Israel is completely justified in its decision to close its Embassy in Dublin. It seems to me that repeated Irish governments have a fundamental prejudice against Israel and so there is little that could be gained from having an embassy in Dublin.
0 comments
