Monday, March 02, 2026
Man Wanted Over Argentina Jewish Center Bombing Now Leads IRGC
On March 1, Ahmad Vahidi was named the new Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), replacing Mohammad Pakpour, who was killed in Saturday's Israeli strikes after serving in the role for less than a year.
Vahidi had been introduced as Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC in early January. His final words in that role were: "The enemies must review their calculations over and over again, for a miscalculation will cause them immense trouble." Previously, he had dismissed the buildup of Western naval forces in the region, stating: "The presence of these carrier groups is nothing new; we evaluate it as part of the enemy's psychological operations, which should be ignored."
To Interpol, Vahidi is a fugitive under a "Red Notice"; to Argentina, he is the alleged mastermind of a "crime against the Jewish people"; and to Tehran, he is an iron-willed operative who has never faltered during days of brutal suppression and crisis. After decades of operating in the shadows of the intelligence and security apparatus, Vahidi has now emerged from the ashes of the June 2025 and March 2026 attacks to lead the IRGC during its most complex existential crisis. However, he has inherited an extremely precarious position; his own assassination could occur at any moment. Given his alleged direct involvement in the killing of Jews in Argentina, his continued survival remains a significant question mark.
A Path of Suppression to the High Command
Ahmad Vahidi, born Vahid Shahcheraghi in 1958 in Shiraz, aligned himself with the IRGC early in life. He joined the force in 1980 and fought throughout the eight-year Iran–Iraq War, rising to the rank of field commander. In 1988, he became the first commander of the Quds Force, the IRGC's overseas operations arm, a position he held until 1997. Since then, he has remained a central figure in shaping the Guard's operations beyond Iran's borders.
He later served as Minister of Defense under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. However, in 2006 - three years before joining the cabinet - Interpol placed him on a "Red Notice" list. After his ministerial term, he became a member of the Expediency Discernment Council.
During that period, while holding positions in both the Council and the Guard, his name became closely associated with the crackdown on the 2022 nationwide protests - a time when security forces were reported to have shot demonstrators not only in the head but also in the legs. He was also a firm supporter of the mandatory hijab policy, backing the use of warning text messages as a tool of enforcement. In January 2023, he stated: "Those who wear abnormal, inappropriate clothing or lack a hijab will receive warnings; submitting to the mandatory hijab law is a matter of citizenship rights." Furthermore, during the wave of mysterious schoolgirl poisonings in March 2023, he claimed: "Suspicious samples are being analyzed in reputable labs and results will be announced soon" - yet no convincing answer was ever provided.
Vahidi then became Minister of Interior in the government of Ebrahim Raisi. His tenure was marked by multiple controversies. In June 2023, a directive from his political deputy regarding restrictions on interaction between governors and parliament members during an election year sparked outrage. One MP stated on the floor: "This directive effectively limits a parliamentary term to three years and is an insult to the Majlis." Despite a massive push for his impeachment by over 100 MPs, he remained in his post.
Vahidi's ascent within the IRGC accelerated in 2025. A massive Israeli strike in June killed Commander-in-Chief Hossein Salami, who was succeeded by Mohammad Pakpour. On December 31, 2025, Vahidi was named Deputy Commander. Many described this appointment as "strategic and surprising," as it coincided with the popular protests of January 8 and 9, 2026, which resulted in a massacre in which the IRGC played the leading role. The peak of his career occurred in March 2026, when Pakpour was killed alongside the Supreme Leader in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes, and Vahidi was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC.
His career reached its highest point in March 2026, after Pakpour was killed alongside the Supreme Leader in joint U.S.-Israeli strikes. In the aftermath, Vahidi was named Commander-in-Chief of the IRGC.
Unlike figures such as Qasem Soleimani, Vahidi has largely remained out of the public spotlight, working behind the scenes rather than cultivating a public profile. Notably, some of his family members live in the United States and Canada - a detail that has fueled speculation about possible external connections and prompted questions about why he has not been targeted. His appointment at this critical moment suggests that, as the leadership structure weakens, the regime is turning to someone with deep experience in managing both internal unrest and external confrontations.
The mention of family members living in the West is a common point of contention for Iranians. Many high-ranking officials who chant "Death to America" have children living, studying, or investing in the very Western countries they claim to despise.
Vahidi: The Code Name for International Terror
Vahidi's activities beyond Iran's borders began with his role in establishing and leading the Quds Force, and many international observers see that period as laying the groundwork for Iran's asymmetric operations abroad. The most contentious allegation tied to his record is that he planned and oversaw the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The attack, which killed 85 people, remains one of the deadliest unsolved terrorist incidents of the 20th century. Argentine prosecutors, referring to judicial documents, say that Vahidi - who was serving as commander of the Quds Force at the time - played a central role in coordinating the operation through proxy networks.
In July 2024, Argentina issued an official statement during Vahidi's trip to Pakistan and Sri Lanka, asking Interpol and the host countries to arrest him for his alleged participation in the bombing. Furthermore, Argentina's Criminal High Court issued an unprecedented ruling describing Iran as directly responsible for the attack and labeling it a "crime against humanity." This international request is based on the "Red Notice" that has been active since 2006.
The growing judicial pressure over the past two years reflects the strategy of Argentina's right-wing President, Javier Milei, to bring an end to three decades of stalled progress in the AMIA case. Marking the 30th anniversary of the attack, Milei described the Iranian government as "terrorist" and proposed that suspects including Vahidi, Mohsen Rezaee, and Ali Akbar Velayati be tried in absentia.
Although the Islamic Republic has consistently denied the accusations and refused to extradite its officials, the contrast between Vahidi's high-ranking position at home and his legal standing abroad has turned him into one of Iran's most diplomatically isolated figures - while at the same time remaining one of its most powerful security strategists, known for operating in the shadows where the lines between formal diplomacy and covert action often blur.
0 comments
NYPD enhances patrols due to Jewish holiday, security concerns after Iran attack
The NYPD is on high alert in response to the attacks on Iran and police are stepping up patrols at houses of worship and other sensitive locations.
Adding to the tension is the fact that Monday marks the start of the Jewish holiday of Purim and synagogues across the city will host celebrations.
The NYPD said Monday it would maintain "enhanced high visibility patrols" due to the heightened threat environment.
Experts believe the Iranians will continue to hit back at targets around the world and they say the risk here in New York is real.
"We're looking really carefully at any threats and following up on leads and making sure that we're staying ahead of any threat that might materialize here in our city," said NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner.
The attack on Iran has killed hundreds of Iranians, including the nation's Supreme Leader and key commanders. But Iranian missiles continue to rain down on Israel and several Gulf states.
Local and federal law enforcement must assume that Iran can coordinate terrorist attacks and conduct cyber warfare.
Power grids and water supply infrastructure and among many likely targets.
"This is all in the mode of prevention and preemption, but if there is a specific or credible threat that requires us to message to the public to avoid an area, then we will certainly do that," Weiner said.
The NYPD is stepping up security at a number of locations throughout the city -- from the Israeli Mission to the UN, to prominent synagogues and transportation hubs.
A high-profile presence is intended to deter an attack or to respond quickly should one take place.
Over the weekend, a man opened fire in Texas, killing two people and wounding 14 others. Authorities say the gunman may have been inspired by the US attack on Iran.
"The resources that we're deploying, again this is to deter any would-be bad actor whether it's a 'lone wolf' type of person who's inspired by what's happening overseas and wants to take action here or something that's more concerted or planned," Weiner said.
Authorities say there are no credible threats in New York City, but they're urging the public to stay vigilant.
0 comments
Thursday, February 26, 2026
Jewish congressional candidate Lander and Mamdani condemn AIPAC in campaign video
New York City politician Brad Lander and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani condemn AIPAC in a video for Lander's congressional campaign.
Lander is running to represent New York City's 10th Congressional District against incumbent Dan Goldman.
Lander and Goldman are both Jewish progressives who are largely in line in their opposition to issues like the Trump administration's immigration crackdown and other issues.
Lander is to the left of Goldman, though, particularly on Israel. Goldman is a critic of the Netanyahu government, but Lander goes further, such as charging Israel with genocide. Lander, the former city comptroller, is also marked by his alliance with Mamdani, whom he backed in the mayoral campaign.
"I'm Brad Lander, a lifelong progressive, and I'm running for Congress," Lander says in the kitschy campaign video while walking alongside Mamdani.
"A lifelong progressive? You mean you haven't sold out to special interests?" Mamdani says.
"Or AIPAC either," Lander says.
"That's impressive, though it shouldn't be," Mamdani responds.
AIPAC is the sole target mentioned in the brief clip.
AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby, has become a ubiquitous subject of derision on both the left and right.
0 comments
Wednesday, February 25, 2026
City lawyer suspended after alleged antisemitic slurs and harassment at work events
Ryan Williams, formerly a partner at SBP Law, was accused of making racist comments, engaging in unwanted sexual contact and becoming severely intoxicated at firm gatherings in London.
According to documents filed before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, Mr Williams allegedly told a Jewish colleague at a summer party in north London in 2021 that antisemitism "doesn't exist", adding: "You're all on top".
The tribunal also heard claims that he repeatedly used a racist slur at the same event and later became "incredibly drunk", at one point urinating on his clothes and being unable to stand.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), which brought the case, said Mr Williams became "increasingly loud and aggressive" during the evening, throwing pizza around a pub garden before an Uber driver refused to take him home.
Further allegations relate to comments made while Mr Williams was working on a case involving a Jewish security charity. A Jewish colleague told the tribunal that Mr Williams said antisemitism "did not exist" and claimed there was only security outside synagogues "because they have lots of money".
At the firm's Christmas party later that year, Mr Williams is alleged to have told the same colleague: "You only got your job because you are Jewish" and "you Jewish people think you're better than everyone else". He is also said to have referred to another colleague's "big Jew hands".
The tribunal also heard allegations of sexual misconduct. Following a Christmas lunch at the Dorchester Hotel, Mr Williams is accused of slapping one female colleague on the inner thigh and touching her and another colleague on the bottom while in a bar later that day.
The SRA said the behaviour amounted to bullying, harassment and discrimination, and accused Mr Williams of failing to uphold public trust and confidence in the legal profession.
It is understood that the tribunal has imposed a 12-month suspension, with a full judgment yet to be published.
Mr Williams, now a partner at Healys, denied making any antisemitic comments or ever using the racist slur. He admitted suggesting that two colleagues should sleep together, but said he did not recall using the words alleged and had no recollection of touching anyone inappropriately.
A spokesman for SBP Law said: "Immediately these events were brought to our attention, we suspended Mr Williams, and upon our investigation of matters, he resigned from the practice. We do not tolerate such conduct."
0 comments
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
One of the youths arrested in Bnei Brak riot is grandson of two Hasidic leaders
A senior Agudat Yisrael source confirms that a minor arrested on suspicion of overturning a police car during a riot in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak earlier this month is the grandson of two senior Hasidic leaders, both of whom are members of the faction's ruling Council of Torah Sages.
According to Channel 13 reporter Yoeli Brim, the unnamed 15-year old suspect is the grandson of both Rabbi Eliezer Hager, the Rebbe of Seret-Vizhnitz, and Chaim Shaul Taub, the Rebbe of Modzitz.
"It is true that he was arrested," the source tells The Times of Israel, adding that "he denied any connection with the matter" and was subsequently ordered released from custody by the court.
The riot, during which a patrol car was overturned and a police motorcycle was set ablaze, saw police rescued two IDF servicewomen from a mob of hundreds of Haredim.
Most of those arrested following the riot were released the next day, although according to the ultra-Orthodox news site Kikar Hashabbat, the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court on Sunday extended the remand of one another suspect in the overturning of the car, who remains in custody.
The involvement of the grandson of two of the Agudat Yisrael party's spiritual leaders would appear to undercut Haredi politicians' claims that the rioters were from an extreme minority that does not represent the mainstream ultra-Orthodox community. Critics have linked the violence to increasingly harsh rhetoric by mainstream Haredi leaders, although several prominent rabbis have banned attending demonstrations.
0 comments
Miracle Amid Flames: Fire Erupts at Rabbi Elimelech's Tomb in Lizhensk, No Injuries Reported
A fire broke out earlier today at the tomb of Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk in Leżajsk (known as Lizhensk in Yiddish), a revered pilgrimage site for Hasidic Jews worldwide.
The incident occurred during an educational tour involving approximately 300 girls, leading to panic but miraculously resulting in no injuries despite the large crowd present.
Reports indicate the blaze was triggered either by gas-filled balloons exploding unexpectedly or by hundreds of candles lit in a nearby hospitality tent set up for visitors.
The fire caused severe damage to an adjacent guest housing structure and a tent providing food and refreshments, but emergency responders arrived swiftly and contained the flames.
Baruch Hashem, all individuals escaped unharmed, with many describing the outcome as a "miracle" given the potential for catastrophe amid the crowded site.
While today's event was not during the yahrzeit peak, the site remains a focal point for prayer and tours year-round.
Similar fires have occurred in the past, including a 2018 incident during the yahrzeit caused by candles, which also resulted in damage but no injuries.
Local authorities are investigating the exact cause, with initial assessments pointing to the hazards of open flames or flammable decorations in enclosed spaces.
The community has expressed gratitude for the swift response and the absence of casualties, viewing it as divine protection at this holy site.
0 comments
Wednesday, February 18, 2026
Mayor warns ultra-Orthodox mall owners against undermining city’s secular identity
The mayor of the southern city of Arad issued a formal warning to the new owners of the city's main shopping mall on Monday after reports that tenants were asked to remove images of women from storefronts and kiosks.
Mayor Yair Maayan sent a letter to members of the Ger Hasidic community — an ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect known for its strict religious observance — who recently purchased the mall.
In the letter, he said the municipality "views with severity the attempt by the buyers to change the character of a mall that serves a secular city, in an effort to alter the city's character. An attempt to exclude women from the public sphere in violation of the law."
For years, Arad, a small desert city in southern Israel, has been the site of tensions between members of the Ger community and longtime secular residents over the city's identity, land use and political influence.
Last month, the dispute intensified after Arad Mall was sold in a 40 million shekel (about $13 million) deal from the Ashtrom Group and a group of local shop owners to businessmen Menachem Kain and Simcha Greenboim, who are affiliated with Ger.
Soon after the sale, shop owners reported that images of women were removed, mannequins were dressed more modestly in line with ultra-Orthodox standards of dress and the background music was changed.
In a warning letter to mall management, the city's legal adviser, attorney Haim Shiman, wrote that any demand to remove images of women constitutes a "serious, improper and unlawful instruction."
"The municipality or anyone on its behalf will not ignore this," Shiman wrote. "This directive directly harms human dignity, gender equality and the fabric of public life in the State of Israel in general and in the city of Arad in particular, which is a secular and liberal city."
Shiman added that "systematic exclusion of women from the public sphere, whether under the guise of sensitivity, modesty or any other euphemism, is not an innocent cultural matter but severe discrimination." He said such actions normalize the erasure of women and subject public space to extremist interpretations that conflict with Israeli law and democratic values.
Under Israeli law, businesses that provide services to the public, including shopping malls, are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of gender. The municipality demanded that mall owners rescind any such instructions, restore any visual materials removed for those reasons and clarify that the new management does not promote gender-based exclusion.
0 comments
Monday, February 16, 2026
Suspect in mass shooting at Bondi Beach Jewish festival appears in court
A man accused of killing 15 people in a mass shooting at a Jewish festival on Sydney's Bondi Beach appeared in court Monday for the first time since his release from the hospital.
Naveed Akram appeared in Sydney's Downing Center Local Court via a video link from the maximum security Goulburn Correctional Center 200 kilometers (120 miles) away.
He did not enter pleas to the charges against him, including murder and committing a terrorist act. The brief court appearance focused on extending a gag order that suppresses the identities of victims and survivors of the attack who have not chosen to identify themselves publicly.
Defense lawyer Ben Archbold told reporters outside court that Akram was doing as well as could be expected and it was too early to indicate any intention of pleas.
Akram, 24, was wounded and his father Sajid Akram, 50, was killed in a gunbattle with police after the attack on a Hanukkah celebration at the beach Dec. 14.
The younger Akram is next scheduled to appear in court April 9.
0 comments
Holocaust survivor ordered to leave Spanish museum
Three elderly Israeli women, one of them a Holocaust survivor, were escorted out of Madrid's Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía on February 14 after other visitors verbally confronted them for visibly identifying as Jewish, according to the Spanish news outlet Okdiario.
Okdiario reported that tensions began when museumgoers noticed the women carrying a small Israeli flag and wearing a Star of David necklace.
Several visitors reacted angrily and shouted insults at the women, including accusations that they were "crazy child killers."
Rather than removing those who initiated the harassment, museum staff instructed security personnel to escort the Israeli women out of the building.
During the exchange, a security guard told the women they had to leave because "some visitors were disturbed that they are Jewish," according to accounts of the incident.
The guard also instructed them to hide their Jewish symbols, saying such items could not be displayed inside the museum.
The women were accompanied by a Spanish companion who disputed that claim.
She argued that Spanish law permits the wearing of religious symbols and the carrying of national flags in public institutions, and said the women had not violated any museum rules.
"It is unacceptable for someone to be punished in this way without having broken any law, in an official institution supported by the Spanish government," she later said.
The Reina Sofía operates under Spain's Culture Ministry and is one of the country's most prominent state-affiliated cultural institutions.
During the Israel-Hamas war, the museum presented an exhibition titled "From the River to the Sea" in solidarity with Palestinians and has also hosted anti-Israel demonstrations.
No action was reported against those who allegedly shouted insults or initiated the confrontation.
The museum has not publicly detailed any disciplinary measures taken against the visitors who allegedly shouted insults at the women.
0 comments
Thursday, February 12, 2026
Trump invited to Jerusalem to receive Israel Prize
Minister of Education Yoav Kisch on Tuesday invited U.S. President Donald Trump to attend the Israel Prize Award Ceremony in Jerusalem on April 22, at which he will be awarded the Israel Prize for Lifetime Special Contribution to the State of Israel and the Jewish people.
"This evening I sent a formal invitation to the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to participate in the Israel Prize ceremony," Kisch posted to X.
He included a copy of the letter in his post.
Kisch's ministry oversees the prizes, which are awarded annually on Israel's Independence Day.
On Dec. 29, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Trump would receive the Israel Prize in the category of "Unique Contribution to the Jewish People."
It is the first time a foreign leader will receive the award.
"[It was] a historic decision that expresses recognition of his extraordinary contribution and its lasting impact on the Jewish people in Israel and around the world," Kisch posted.
"Your presence in Jerusalem to personally receive the Israel Prize would be a moment of profound significance for the people of Israel and a powerful expression of the deep and enduring friendship between our two nations," Kisch wrote in the letter.
"On behalf of the Government of Israel and the citizens of the State of Israel, I would be deeply honored if you would accept this invitation," he continued.
0 comments
Monday, February 09, 2026
ADL Rebukes Dr. Oz Over Claims Tying Hasidic Jews to Health Fraud
The ADL is sharply criticizing Dr. Mehmet Oz after comments he made about New York State's Chasidic community in a recent television interview, saying his remarks reinforce classic antisemitic themes at a time of rising hate crimes.
In a discussion about health care fraud investigations, Oz, who currently leads the federal agency overseeing Medicare and Medicaid, cited cases in Minnesota and then pointed to Hasidic Jews in New York as an additional example. The comparison was framed as an effort to show that fraud is not limited to one state. However, the group says the way he singled out a visible religious minority effectively cast Hasidic Jews as uniquely tied to criminal schemes rather than as full and ordinary participants in American life.
Advocates argue that portraying Hasidic communities as foreign, suspect, or collectively responsible for wrongdoing mirrors long-standing antisemitic narratives. They warn that such messaging can fuel bias and harassment, especially against visibly Orthodox Jews who already face elevated levels of street harassment and violence.
The organization linked Oz's comments to a broader climate in New York City, where police data for January show a dramatic year-over-year rise in reported antisemitic incidents. Jewish community leaders contend that when public figures highlight specific Jewish groups in the context of crime, it can help normalize hostility and make members of those communities feel less safe in their own neighborhoods.
Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon and former Republican Senate candidate, has increasingly used his platform to weigh in on political issues. His critics say that taking on a senior federal health role brings added responsibility to speak carefully about vulnerable populations, particularly when discussing law enforcement and fraud. They are calling on him to clarify or retract his remarks and urging other officials to avoid broad generalizations about religious or ethnic communities when debating policy.
0 comments
Wednesday, February 04, 2026
Haredi Jew assaulted in Zurich
A 26-year-old Haredi man was the victim of an antisemitic attack in Zurich on Monday night. Around 8:15 PM, Zurich city police received a report that a Haredi man had been attacked by another individual.
Officers who arrived at the scene found several people preventing a man from fleeing. The detained man had attacked the 26-year-old Haredi Jew with his fists without any provocation from the victim. Thanks to the help of several passersby – including a Hasidic man and another non-Jewish individual – the attacker was held until Zurich police arrived. The attacker repeatedly shouted offensive and antisemitic remarks, even in the presence of police officers. The Haredi victim sustained minor injuries in the incident.
The 40-year-old Muslim man from Kosovo, known to police and without a permanent address in Switzerland, was arrested. Additional police investigations are currently underway. After an initial investigation, the suspect was transferred to the Zurich Public Prosecutor's Office.
In a police statement, officials said, "The attack was not random but specifically targeted a Jewish person." This incident is part of a series of antisemitic attacks that have increased in Switzerland since October 2023. Jews are suffering from insults and physical violence solely because of their Jewish identity.
According to a report by the Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities (SIG), the victim suffered abrasions on his body and neck.
0 comments
Monday, February 02, 2026
Hasidic World Mourns as Lelov-Piotrkow Rabbi Yissachar Dov Biderman Dies Suddenly in Mikvah
Shock and grief swept through the Hasidic community on Sunday following the sudden passing of Rabbi Yissachar Dov Biderman, the Lelov Rebbe, who collapsed inside a mikveh in Jerusalem and could not be revived. He was 84.
The incident occurred at a mikveh in Jerusalem, where concerns were raised after the Rebbe remained inside longer than usual. Community members entered and found him unresponsive. Emergency medical teams from Magen David Adom rushed to the scene and carried out prolonged resuscitation efforts, but he was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
Rabbi Biderman was born in Tel Aviv and was the son of Rabbi Moshe Mordechai Biderman of Lelov. After the passing of his brother, Rabbi Avraham Shlomo Biderman, he assumed leadership of the Lelov Hasidic dynasty, heading the Kedushat Mordechai Lelov beit midrash on Bar Ilan Street in Jerusalem.
Known for his quiet devotion, humility, and steadfast leadership, Rabbi Biderman was regarded as a central spiritual figure within the Lelov community. Tributes and condolences have continued to pour in as preparations for his funeral and succession arrangements move forward.
0 comments
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
NY judge cuts sentence of Hasidic therapist imprisoned for child sex abuse
Nechemya Weberman, an unlicensed therapist in the New York City Hasidic community who was imprisoned for abuse in 2013, has his sentence cut.
Weberman was initially sentenced to 103 years in prison in a high-profile case for the city's Jewish community. The sentence was reduced months later to 50 years.
Weberman was convicted of 59 counts, including sustained sexual abuse of a child, endangering the welfare of a child and sexual abuse.
Judge Matthew J. D'Emic of the Kings County Supreme Court in Brooklyn cuts that sentence further, resentencing Weberman to 18 years in prison, meaning he can be released five years from now.
Weberman also admitted to his crimes and apologized to the victim for the first time.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez backed a move to issue a new sentence for Weberman last year. An array of Jewish leaders also backed his release in a letter to New York Governor Kathy Hochul that was first reported by The Times of Israel in November.
The letter argued against Weberman's "excessive sentence" and said he was a "scapegoat," while condemning his crimes.
The Brooklyn district attorney's office said last year that his sentence was "wildly outside the range for other defendants convicted of the same crimes."
"This was a horrific case and we stand by the conviction, which warranted a significant prison term. But the extreme 103-year sentence in a politicized environment was excessive and unjust, and with today's proceeding the defendant admitted his guilt, apologized to the victim for his crimes, and the court resentenced him within the normal range for this type of criminal conduct," a spokesperson for the district attorney's office says.
"Accountability does not end upon the defendant's eventual release: he will be a registered sex offender for the remainder of his life and subject to monitoring for a decade to ensure community safety. We will continue to vigorously prosecute sex offenders and stand with survivors, mindful to do equal justice based on the facts of each case," the spokesperson says.
Za'akah, a nonprofit that supports Jewish community survivors of abuse, expresses "outrage" over the resentencing and adds that Weberman's victim opposed the move.
"This decision is a devastating betrayal of survivors. It tells them that the system meant to protect them is willing to prioritize their abusers over their safety and justice. Nechemya Weberman's early release endangers the community," says the director of Za'akah, Asher Lovy. "Justice must never be compromised by community pressure or political considerations. We are outraged by this decision."
0 comments
Tuesday, January 27, 2026
NYC DA appears poised to try to help free infamous pedophile, critics claim
Brooklyn DA Eric Gonzalez appears poised to try to help free a convicted pedophile from the Hasidic community, critics say — and things got so heated about it at the State of the State address that he and a foe had to be separated.
Activists opposing the upcoming resentencing of disgraced former prominent Hasidic school mental-health counselor Nechemya Weberman said they fear that the DA will ask for a new sentence of time served, effectively freeing the convicted sicko.
Hasidic victim-advocates claimed that Gonzalez is clearly showing his hand about what he intends to do by posing for pictures with Weberman supporters and icing out the victim so harshly that she was forced to hire her own advocate lawyer.
Weberman, a former counselor at a Williamsburg Yeshiva, was convicted on 59 counts and originally sentenced to 103 years in prison for repeatedly sexually abusing then-12-year-old Rivky Deutsch for three years.
0 comments
Leading Hasidic rabbi tells followers to stop taking part in anti-draft protests
A leading Satmar rabbi has instructed his followers to stop taking part in protests against military conscription, after two ultra-Orthodox teenagers were killed this month when they were struck by buses during demonstrations.
Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum, one of the two spiritual leaders of the Satmar Hasidic movement, told followers that participation in protests and road blockages posed a serious danger. Speaking over the weekend to community members, he said students from Satmar institutions in Jerusalem, Bnei Brak and Beit Shemesh must not join such demonstrations.
0 comments
Thursday, January 22, 2026
Hasidic Dean Twerski of Hofstra Law Wins At JITC’s 2nd Jewish Media Awards
At JITC's 2nd Jewish Media Awards, we were proud to honor Hasidic Jew Professor Aaron D. Twerski with a Jewish Media All-Star Award.
A leading legal scholar and educator, Professor Aaron Twerski is the Irwin and Jill Cohen Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School, a former dean at Hofstra University School of Law, and one of the most influential voices in tort law today.
In his acceptance speech, he spoke candidly about breaking stereotypes — challenging assumptions about what Orthodox Jews look like, how they think, and where they belong.
0 comments
Brooklyn judge allows Hasidic school principal’s discrimination case to proceed against NYC Department of Education
A longtime New York City school principal's lawsuit alleging religious discrimination will partially move forward after a federal judge ruled that parts of her case against the Department of Education (DOE) can proceed to trial.
U.S. District Judge Brian M. Cogan issued the decision in Gahfi v. New York City Department of Education et al., granting in part and denying in part the defendants' motion for summary judgment. The plaintiff, Hadar Gahfi, who practices Hasidic Judaism, alleges that DOE officials discriminated against her because of her faith and retaliated against her following a workplace injury.
Gahfi has worked for DOE for more than 25 years, including 15 years as assistant principal of P.S. 191 in Brooklyn's District 17. In 2018, she was promoted to principal and began a mandatory probationary period under New York education law. During her tenure, Gahfi claims that DOE failed to replace her former assistant principal position, leaving her without necessary administrative support.
The dispute escalated after Gahfi sustained an injury at work and later applied for paid leave under the city's Line of Duty Injury (LODI) policy. Community Superintendent Shenean Lindsay, a named defendant, denied the request, citing Gahfi's failure to report the injury within 24 hours as required by policy. Instead, Gahfi was placed on unpaid leave and forced to use hundreds of accrued vacation days to maintain her salary.
While on leave, Gahfi received two letters from Lindsay extending her probationary period by one year, citing concerns about her leadership effectiveness. Gahfi contends that these actions were discriminatory and retaliatory, linked to her religious identity and medical condition.
Judge Cogan previously dismissed some of Gahfi's claims, including her federal hostile work environment and state retaliation allegations. However, in the latest ruling, he found that sufficient factual disputes remain for a jury to consider on certain discrimination and retaliation counts under federal and state civil rights laws.
0 comments
Tuesday, January 20, 2026
The Hasidic chicken man of Crown Heights
The chicken coop is located about 300 feet from Lubavitcher World Headquarters in Brooklyn. It's part of The Crown Heights Homestead, which, according to Google Maps, is "permanently closed,"
Don't believe everything you read on the Internet. The Hasidic homestead was very much in operation when I visited on a recent frigid weekday afternoon. Emerging from the Kingston Avenue subway station, I walked over to the four-story building that is home to Daniel Yeroshalmi and his family. Yeroshalmi, 21, is a member of Chabad.
He showed me the 20 hens he keeps in his cement backyard and I watched as he retrieved a single egg from the chicken coop he built.
"I got a lot more eggs when they were younger," Yeroshalmi told me. "But as they get older they lay a lot less."
Built from bookshelves Yeroshalmi salvaged from a yeshiva renovation, the chicken coop is a demonstration of his tech chops, which extend into video production, social media and security surveillance. The insulated coop has an automatic door that goes up in the morning and down at night.
As I stood next to him and marveled at the chickens scurrying about, I felt my foot sink into something mushy. It turned out to be a huge piece of squash that had been left on the ground for the chickens to eat.
A local yeshiva donates squash and other produce that he feeds to the flock.
"Whatever they have that's going bad, they give to me," Yeroshalmi explained.
The urban homesteader also composts the yeshiva donations, as evidenced by a huge pile of eggplants and cucumbers decomposing in his yard. At the base of the compost pile on the day I visited were several esrogim, the yellow citron used during the holiday of Sukot.
"A lot of Crown Heights people don't know what compost is. They just wonder why I'm piling up vegetables in my front yard," he said.
His homestead may be Hasidic but the soil is too acidic to grow corn and wheat. Yeroshalmi tried.
He did grow 10-foot tall sunflowers. And his garden has yielded tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, a veritable Israeli salad. There are cherry and fig trees, some of which were propagated from the branches of fig trees his family brought to America from Iran over the years. One of the fig trees is a variety known as the Chicago Cold Hardy Fig, but Yeroshalmi, who davens three times a day, is following the commandment known as orlah that forbids consuming a tree's fruit during the first three years.
Yeroshalmi's quest to make green things flourish in this Kings County soil started early. A 2012 Google Maps photo shows him planting radishes in the front lawn when he was seven.
"I think there's more of a connection between Judaism and plants than people think about," he told me.
0 comments
Monday, January 19, 2026
Antisemitic abuse hurled at Jewish teens as ute chases boys through St Kilda East
A group of Jewish teenagers were forced to flee through the streets of St Kilda East after a white ute allegedly pursued them while its occupants shouted Nazi slogans and threats.
The confrontation unfolded about 9.50pm on Monday near the intersection of Glen Eira Road and Hotham Street, a short distance from the Adass Israel Synagogue, which was firebombed just over a year ago.
CCTV footage shows the boys waiting to cross the road as a white ute pulls up nearby.
0 comments
Thursday, January 15, 2026
Senior Hasidic Rabbis Join Search for Missing Boy
Intense searches continue for a missing teenager from the Boyan Hasidic community, two days after he disappeared while immersing in a stream. This morning, senior figures from the Boyan Hasidus, ranging from prominent leaders to community members, joined the efforts alongside the boy's parents and extended family, all hoping for positive news.
"Where is Moisehle??" this question echoes through the community as the search enters its third day. Moishele went to immerse in a stream near Modi'in Illin and was swept away by flash floods.
After two days filled with fervent prayers and personal commitments to good deeds, the atmosphere remains tense but hopeful. Rescue forces have been combing the area nonstop, and today saw a significant reinforcement: Boyan Hasidic activists, from the most senior to the youngest, united with the distraught parents and all family members in the field operations.
Community leaders have called on the public to intensify prayers for Moshe ben Reizel, emphasizing unity and faith in the face of this ordeal.
0 comments
Tuesday, January 13, 2026
Pennsylvania man pleads guilty to threatening to kill Jewish official
A Pittsburgh-area man pleaded guilty on Monday in U.S. District Court to making an antisemitic threat against a local public official.
Edward Arthur Owens Jr., 30, of Elizabeth, Pa., admitted to making a threat to injure a local public official and making false statements to government agents, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
Owens used a social media app to tell the unnamed official that he should "go back to Israel or better yet, exterminate yourself and save us the trouble."
The message also said, "We will not stop until your kind is nonexistent" and used the phrase "109 countries." The Justice Department said the latter was used by antisemites to claim that Jews have been expelled from 109 countries and to call for their continued expulsion.
In an interview with the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle following Owens' arrest, the unnamed official cited the murder of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington, D.C., following an American Jewish Committee event.
"Public discourse needs to change, because threats of violence are not acceptable in our society," the official said. "Who wants to live in a country where people want to execute each other? And it's happening, like at that AJC event—the perpetrator wanted to kill Jews. And, you know, he was successful. Who wants to live in a society where that happens?"
The false statement charge stemmed from Owens telling FBI agents that his mother had his guns and that he didn't know where they were, nor could he get them. In fact, he had a pistol with him in his car, the Justice Department said.
Sentencing was scheduled for April 13. Owens faces a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 or both.
0 comments
Jewish MP banned from visiting Bristol school to avoid angering teachers, fellow lawmaker says
An anti-Israel campaign to prevent a pro-Israel Labour Parliament Member from visiting a school was revisited with outrage at the Sunday Jewish Labour Movement Conference, when MP Steve Reed related that a Jewish MP had been banned from visiting the institution to avoid angering teachers.
Reed said during a panel that he had a "colleague who is Jewish" who had been "refused permission to visit a school in his own constituency in case his presence inflames the teachers."
"That is an absolute outrage that that could have possibly ever happened, and they will be called in, and they will be held to account for doing that because you cannot have people with those kinds of attitudes teaching our children," said Reed.
0 comments
Woman arrested for attacking Jewish father in Brooklyn, threatening to kill his children
A 35-year-old woman was charged with four hate crimes and a series of additional offenses after allegedly attacking an Orthodox Jewish father in Brooklyn's Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood while shouting antisemitic threats at him and his family. The incident occurred on Friday night at approximately 11:20 p.m., when the father was walking with his wife and their four young children, ranging in age from six months to six years.
According to the indictment and police reports, the suspect, Ishaara Summers, began following the family while shouting statements such as "I'm going to kill all the Jews," "I will strangle your children," and "Tonight your children die." After a foot chase that lasted several minutes, the suspect attacked the father and struck him in the head and chest, causing pain and swelling.
The 26-year-old father told local media outlets that he initially tried to ignore the shouting, but the threats intensified as the woman approached him and his children. He said that at one point, he felt genuine danger to his family's safety and decided to confront her verbally to distance her. Shortly afterward, he was struck. "When she said she was going to strangle my children, I was genuinely afraid," he said.
The family, which belongs to the Orthodox community, made their way back home during Shabbat. Police forces were called to the scene, and the suspect was arrested shortly after the attack. The New York Police Department stated that she was charged with assault, attempted assault, aggravated harassment, making threats, endangering the welfare of a minor, and four counts of hate crimes.
At a hearing in Brooklyn Criminal Court, Summers denied all charges against her. The prosecution requested that she be held on $50,000 bail, but the judge ordered her release under restrictive conditions without financial bail.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez's office stated, "This is a shocking attack against a Jewish family walking home. Every person in this city should be able to practice their faith safely, and this kind of antisemitic violence will not be tolerated in Brooklyn. The defendant is charged with hate crimes, and we will pursue full accountability."
The incident joins a series of cases of antisemitic violence and threats in New York. According to recent data released by the city's police department, Jews were the target of more than half of the reported hate crimes in the city in 2025, more than all other groups combined.
0 comments
Monday, January 12, 2026
NYC Jews line up for Israeli bakery after employees’ charges of ‘genocide support’
Sabrina Naimark, a Jewish Panamanian living in Manhattan, had been a longtime fan of the city's Israeli-owned Breads Bakery chain when she saw news that employees were rebelling against its ownership.
Some of the company's workers voted to unionize this week, and among their demands was that Breads halt its "support of genocide," citing offenses such as partaking in a Jewish food festival.
Naimark's brother used to work for Breads and she adores its babkah and labneh, she said. When she saw a call in the Jewish community to support the bakery after the employees' accusations, she headed to the chain's Upper West Side branch with an Israeli flag on her shoulders.
"Because of October 7th, there's a family that has been created and every single time we come with our flags to help companies that are being boycotted, to counter protests and celebrate Jewish pride," Naimark said. "It's a reminder that we're always going to be here, stronger together."
Naimark was one of hundreds in line on Friday afternoon to support Breads as the city's Jewish community rallied behind the beloved bakery. The line stretched the length of the block on Broadway, with customers wearing stickers that said "Zionist," chatting, and holding Israeli flags.
The crowd gathered in response to a call from Shai Davidai, a Jewish community activist who came to prominence with his harsh criticism of antisemitism at Columbia University, where he was a professor until he resigned in July.
Davidai circulated his call to gather at the Upper West Side location on Friday afternoon online, saying, "We need to show Jewish businesses that we have their backs." The initiative was part of a project Davidai is launching called Here I Am, he said.
"It's just nonviolent, peaceful activism. Everyone here basically came and said, 'Here I am. There's a problem, I got the call, and here I am to help solve it,'" Davidai told The Times of Israel, calling the union demands a "dangerous precedent" and an attack on Jews and Israelis.
"We came as a community, not just to support them financially, but to show them that the Jewish and the Zionist community is here," he said. "Zionism is normal. We're not these evil warmongers like we've been portrayed and only if we all come out of hiding together, that's how we're able to do that."
"No hate, no anger, no arguments, just a show of solidarity and support," he said.
0 comments
Thursday, January 08, 2026
Before Israel’s recognition, two Chabad emissaries carried out a quiet mission in Somaliland
Several weeks before Somaliland made headlines following Israel's historic recognition, two Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidim from Miami were already there on an unusual mission: printing an ancient Jewish text. Attorney Mendy Lieberman and businessman Yanki Rubin, members of the Chabad community in Florida, traveled to the African territory not to tour, seek business opportunities or join an official delegation, but to print the Tanya, a foundational Hasidic work.
In an interview with the Chabad newspaper Kfar Chabad, they said this was part of an unconventional personal mission: entering countries considered sensitive or hostile to Israel and attempting to print the Tanya there. They have done so in Iraq, Kuwait, Somaliland and South Sudan.
0 comments
Wednesday, January 07, 2026
BBC apologizes for purging Holocaust story of references to Jews
Britain's national broadcaster issued a clarification this week after the outlet faced criticism for airing a Christmas special on the Holocaust-era evacuation of Jewish children from Europe that removed all references to Jews.
On December 26th, the BBC show The Repair Shop aired a special segment devoted to the Kindertransport, the evacuation of some 10,000 children, nearly all of them Jewish, from Nazi-controlled territory in 1938 and 1939.
The segment centered on a 19th-century cello which had been damaged by the Nazis, and was brought to Britain aboard a Kindertransport convoy.
Shortly before the convoy's departure, Nazi guards smashed the cello, which remained damaged until it was repaired for the segment.
Critics pointed out, however, that nowhere in the segment was it mentioned that the children evacuated to Britain during the Kindertransport were Jews fleeing Nazi persecution, or that the owner of the cello, Martin Landau, who fled to Britain at age 14, was Jewish.
Despite 16 minutes of the hour-long program being dedicated to the cello's history and the context of the Kindertransport, the BBC segment made no mention of Jews, and reportedly purged a reference to the word "Jew" made by actress Helen Mirren, who presented the cello to the show's repair team.
According to a report by the London-based Jewish Chronicle, Mirren's reference to Jews was edited out of the aired version of the segment.
Amid a backlash over the purging of any reference to Jews, the BBC issued a clarification to the episode's iPlayer page, noting that "the Kindertransport was the organized evacuation of approximately 10,000 children, the majority of whom were Jewish."
Despite this, however, the BBC's official website still does not note the Jewish nature of the story or Landau's Jewish heritage.
0 comments
Tuesday, January 06, 2026
Torah, work and the IDF: the Hasidic sect embracing modern Israeli life
One by one, striking booths were set up, each showcasing the work of business owners from the Karlin Hasidic community. A carpenter who builds ornate Torah arks, a printer who manufactures shtreimels and many others not necessarily tied to Jewish tradition, real estate developers, mortgage advisors, massage therapists, dessert table stylists and more.
This was the scene at the Karlin Hasidic sect's massive employment fair at Jerusalem's International Convention Center, intended to introduce community members to the range of services offered by fellow Hasidim and to encourage business connections within the sect. Attendees, all dressed in identical Hasidic garb, strolled between booths, mingling and engaging in conversation, almost all, notably, with smartphones in hand and no effort to hide them.
"The Rebbe told me to have one," said Yitzhak, a 22-year-old man operating one of the more impressive booths. "In a lot of Hasidic or Haredi communities, people carry a 'kosher' phone just to get their kids into school, but they also secretly have a smartphone for work. That's not how we do things. The Rebbe said, 'If you need it for work, have it, and don't put on a show.'"
He added that many community members use filtered smartphones without access to typical apps, reflecting a grounded, realistic approach. "He understood people already have them, so better to use them mindfully and with supervision, rather than hiding it while everyone knows anyway."
It's a refreshingly pragmatic, even innovative stance, especially coming from the leader of one of the most rooted and widely recognized Hasidic sects. Karlin's Shabbat melodies are the soundtrack of many religious homes, and the movement is considered a longstanding Hasidic brand. But under its current leader, Rabbi Baruch Meir Shochet, the sect is undergoing notable change.
Ad
"You won't see politics here," Yitzhak added. "Our Rebbe isn't officially part of Agudat Yisrael anymore and doesn't attend the Council of Torah Sages. If anything, he's closely connected with Bezalel Smotrich, but also with Haredi Knesset members and politicians from non-religious parties. There's no directive on who to vote for, some vote Haredi, some vote religious Zionist."
0 comments
Friday, January 02, 2026
Mamdani deletes social media posts about Israel, Jew-hatred from mayoral account
Mark Goldfeder, director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center, wrote to Zohran Mamdani on the latter's inauguration day as mayor of New York City, informing him that he was violating city records law by deleting posts from his predecessor about Israel and about Jew-hatred.
"At a moment of unprecedented antisemitic intimidation, violence and exclusion in the city, the decision to erase official statements affirming the safety and protection of Jews is not merely tone-deaf; it is shameful," Goldfeder wrote on Jan. 1.
After the official mayoral account transitioned from Mamdani's predecessor, Eric Adams, screenshots circulated showing Mamdani's name appearing over Adams-era posts supporting Israel and condemning antisemitism. These posts were later deleted from the account.
Goldfeder noted that posts from the mayor's official social media account "are not personal commentary, they are official city records," adding that, under New York law, "public records may not be destroyed or otherwise disposed of except pursuant to an approved records-retention schedule."
He called on the mayor to affirm the city's commitment "to protecting Jewish New Yorkers, not as a favor, but as a fundamental obligation of office."
"Your first days in office will define your administration," Goldfeder wrote. "This is not how that definition should begin."
U.S. Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon wrote in response to Goldfeder's letter that the attorney general's office "will be extremely vigilant as to any and all violations of religious liberties in NYC."
"We will investigate, sue and indict as needed," she stated.
Along with the deletions, one of Mamdani's first actions in office was to revoke all executive orders issued since Sept. 26, 2024, which included the city's formal adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism and an order barring the city from participating in boycotts of Israel.
0 comments
Thursday, January 01, 2026
Gaza-Wounded IDF Reservist Rabbi Assaulted in Jaffa Street Attack
A rabbi from the Hesder Yeshiva in Jaffa, Nataniel Avitan, was assaulted on Yefet Street when an Arab assailant allegedly punched him in the face, knocked him to the ground, cursed him, and fled while shouting "Allahu Akbar," according to the yeshiva and local reports.
The rabbi filed a police complaint and was treated in light condition before being taken to Ichilov Hospital. Police say they launched searches to locate the suspect and are examining the circumstances, as the yeshiva demands immediate action to restore security for Jewish residents in Jaffa. The rabbi is an active reservist who was recently wounded in Gaza.
0 comments
Wednesday, December 31, 2025
The Book Tanya Was Printed In Somaliland
On 19 Kislev a truly historic event took place in Somaliland: the Tanya, the foundational work of Chabad Hasidism, was printed there for the first time.
This event was part of the Rebbe King Moshiach's global initiative to have the Tanya printed in every corner of the world — even in the most remote places, seemingly far removed from Jewish life.
The choice of 19 Kislev is no coincidence. This day commemorates the release of the Alter Rebbe from imprisonment and is considered the spiritual source of the spread of Hasidism throughout the world. The printing of the Tanya in Somaliland on this date underscores the connection between the liberation of Hasidic teachings and their actual spread to the farthest reaches of the globe.
It is noteworthy that just two weeks after this event, Israel officially recognized Somaliland. In the Hasidic view, such coincidences are not accidental: the spread of the inner light of the Torah in a new place prepares the ground for changes in material reality as well. The appearance of the Tanya in Somaliland became a spiritual prologue to its international recognition.
The world is gradually filling with the light of Hasidism, bringing closer the time when the earth will be filled with the knowledge of G-d, as the sea is covered with waters, with the coming of the righteous Moshiach — immediately and in our time.
0 comments
Monday, December 29, 2025
The Belz rebbetzin's surprising message
Rebbetzin Sarah Rokach, wife of the Belzer Rebbe, recently published an exceptional letter of blessing addressed to the women of the Belz hasidic community, urging them to strengthen their commitment to modesty, particularly in changing their head covering from a wig to a scarf.
"I come to bless you," she wrote, "that anyone who accepts upon herself to switch from a wig to a scarf will merit, G-d willing, salvation in all matters of help and healing, with blessings of children, long life, and abundant sustenance, with all the interpretations."
Rokach also added many more blessings for those who strengthen themselves, including "success in all matters, health in every part of the body, abundant and prosperous livelihood, and much Jewish joy" from their children.
0 comments
Thursday, December 25, 2025
Rabbi's Car Firebombed in Melbourne
The Jewish community left shaken after a Rabbi's car was targeted by a firebombing in Melbourne.
0 comments
Wednesday, December 24, 2025
British police drop case against Bob Vylan for ‘Death to the IDF’ chant, sparking outrage from Jewish groups
British police ended an investigation into the British punk band Bob Vylan, months after the rap duo led thousands of Glastonbury music festival attendees in chants of "Death, death to the IDF."
"We have concluded, after reviewing all the evidence, that it does not meet the criminal threshold outlined by the CPS for any person to be prosecuted," wrote Avon and Somerset Police in a statement Tuesday. "No further action will be taken on the basis there is insufficient evidence for there to be a realistic prospect of conviction."
Following the rap duo's incendiary chant at Glastonbury, the pair were condemned Jewish leaders in the United Kingdom, and had their U.S. visas revoked by the State Department. In October, one of the band's members, Bobby Vylan, doubled down on the anti-Israel chant in an interview with documentarian Louis Theroux.
"Simply because there is a high threshold for criminal conviction should in no way minimise the concerns raised by many sectors of society around the nature of the comments made," the police statement continued.
0 comments
Tuesday, December 23, 2025
Man arrested for assault on Jews in New York City subway
A suspect was arrested on Thursday for assaulting Jews on a New York City subway earlier this week in an incident caught on video.
Xeryus Mack, from Brooklyn, was charged with attempted assault, menacing and attempted harassment, the NYPD said.
Mack, 28, was arrested on Thursday afternoon in northwest Brooklyn.
In footage of the Monday night incident, two men approach a group of Hasidic men, hurl insults at them, grab a Jewish man's neck and threaten to kill him.
The incident took place Monday at around 8:40 p.m. on a southbound 3 train near the Nostrand Avenue station in Brooklyn. There were no injuries, the NYPD said.
A man identified as Xeryus Mack has been arrested three other times in the past year for charges including intent to damage property, burglary, trespassing, larceny, resisting arrest, assault and harassment, court records showed.
0 comments
Monday, December 22, 2025
Federal judge allows lawsuit by Hasidic sex-abuse whistleblower against NYC to proceed
A federal judge in Brooklyn has denied a bid by New York City and the estate of former Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes to throw out a civil-rights lawsuit brought by Hasidic sex-abuse whistleblower Sam Kellner, clearing the way for a jury to hear claims that top prosecutors helped engineer his arrest to benefit a convicted child molester.
The 82-page ruling, by Judge Nina R. Morrison of the Eastern District of New York, is significant, as it effectively strips both the district attorney and the city of the legal immunity they would normally enjoy. Typically, absolute immunity protects prosecutors from civil suits over decisions about whether and how to bring criminal charges, while qualified immunity shields government officials from paying damages unless they violate clearly established legal rights.
"Justice for Sam has been a slow train coming. That train is now about to arrive," said Niall MacGiollabhui, Kellner's attorney, in a statement to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
The long saga leading to the judge's decision began in 2008, when Kellner, a Borough Park resident, defied communal norms and reported his son's sexual abuse by a prominent community member, Baruch Lebovits, to secular authorities. Working closely with a detective in the NYPD's Special Victims Unit, Kellner helped locate and bring forward other alleged victims of Lebovits. His cooperation ultimately helped lead to Lebovits' 2010 conviction on multiple counts involving another boy, identified as Y.R.
0 comments
Thursday, December 18, 2025
‘I’ll kill you’: NYPD investigating attack on Hasidic Jews on subway
The NYPD said Tuesday that officers were investigating an attack on Hasidic Jews on a New York City subway car in the US, in an incident captured on video.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams said the incident was being investigated as a hate crime.
In the footage from Monday, which has circulated on social media, two men approach a group of Hasidic men and begin hurling insults at them.
One of the Jewish men then appears to step in between the two aggressors and the other Jewish men, at which point the assailants turn on him and threaten to "teach [him] a lesson," before one grabs him by the neck.
"The fuck you doing?" the attacker can be heard demanding of the Jewish man as he pushes him backwards. "I'll kill you!"
"I'll kill one of [you]," the attacker says again, before letting go of the man's neck.
Several people can be heard shouting in the background for the men to "chill" and "calm down," but nobody takes any other steps to stop them.
0 comments
Monday, December 15, 2025
After the synagogue was burned, holy books were buried
Hundreds of sacred Jewish books that were damaged and burned in a fire at the historic Sadigora Hasidic synagogue in Ukraine were laid to rest this week in a special burial ceremony held in the city.
The blaze erupted last week at the synagogue known as the "Kloiz Kadisha," a 200-year-old structure that served for generations as a central spiritual hub of Hasidic life. Initial findings raised suspicions that the fire was the result of an antisemitic arson attack.
An emergency delegation led by the Rebbe of Sedigora, Rabbi Mordechai Shalom Yosef Friedman, arrived at the site following the fire. Together with members of the local Hasidic community, the remains of burned Torah scrolls and other holy books were gathered and buried near the synagogue, in a solemn ceremony accompanied by prayers and supplications.
"These scenes are reminiscent of the Holocaust," participants in the ceremony said.
Moshe Kreiz, a Jewish resident who lives nearby, described the devastation. "The arsonist did not steal the charity box, which was full of money. His only goal was to harm us," he said. "He came to carry out a pogrom. Everything is completely burned. The synagogue will have to be rebuilt from scratch."
0 comments
Thursday, December 11, 2025
Threats Against Jewish Academics Raise Alarms at City, University of London
The recent return of Israeli hostages and the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas has offered a brief glimmer of relief to Jewish students across UK campuses. But the recent disruptions to learning and calls for violence on the City, University of London's campus reminds us that the battle is far from over.
As reported by British media, masked thugs stormed into Professor Michael Ben-Gad's lecture and sought to create a threatening and hostile environment in order to pressure the university into taking action against him. A member of the security team at the event independently verified that one of the protesters threatened to chop off the professor's head.
Despite being employed by the university since 2007, the professor has only recently been targeted by the non-university affiliated group, 'City Action for Palestine'.
The intruders claimed Ben-Gad was 'part of the genocide in Gaza' and chanted slogans including the infamous' From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free'. This phrase has been widely condemned since October 7th as grossly antisemitic and calls for Israel's destruction. The phrase denies the right to self determination for Jewish people and does a disservice to all those in the region who seek peace.
The most concerning element of this saga is their justification. The masked thugs deemed him a 'terrorist', because he was a soldier as a young man in the early 1980s, earned an academic degree at one Israeli university and taught at another. Due to the many existential threats that Israel has faced since its inception and continues to this day, national and/or military service is mandatory for all citizens. By their definition, every single Israeli adult "deserves" to be murdered in cold blood and threatened in public. This is not a legitimate moral position; it is a precursor to another genocide of Jews.
Ben-Gad is not the only victim of these vicious campaigns at City, University of London. Prof Sir Anthony Finkelstein was also targeted by the same group despite not having any direct ties to any Israeli institutions. In his case, the stated reason was that he oversees the institution's multi-million pound investments in Israeli companies and happens to be Jewish. What an interesting coincidence.
0 comments
