Friday, July 10, 2026
He was barred from hosting a home minyan now the Supreme Court will hear his case
Who gets to decide when a home is considered a synagogue?
A question fit for Talmudic scholars or, in this case, U.S. Supreme Court Justices.
The nation’s High Court effectively agreed to consider that question last month, after an Ohio city told an Orthodox Jewish man he needed a permit to host Shabbat prayers in his home.
The dispute began in 2021, when the plaintiff, Daniel Grand, invited 15 friends to his home in University Heights, Ohio, to mark the Sabbath. Neighbors — including some Jewish residents — complained to the city that the proposed gathering would turn Grand’s home into a synagogue, violating residential zoning laws.
The city quickly escalated the matter, sending Grand a cease-and-desist letter and telling him to apply for a special-use permit, according to court documents.
Outraged by the idea that he would need the government’s permission to pray in his own home, Grand sued the city in federal court. The lower court declined to hear Grand’s case, saying he first had to exhaust the city’s permit process before asking the courts to intervene. An appellate court upheld that ruling, with the Supreme Court now set to hear his case in its next term.
“This is not a Jewish issue. This is an American issue,” Grand told the Forward. “Next thing they’ll tell you is eight people sitting at a dining room table makes you an illegal restaurant.”
The case’s origins
When Grand moved into his home in 2019, he faced a recurring inconvenience: The nearest Orthodox synagogue was nearly a mile away.
In keeping with Jewish law, Grand doesn’t drive on Shabbat. With prayers held in the morning, afternoon and evening, that meant a six-mile round trip on foot if he went back and forth from his home to the shul for each service. In bad weather, the schlep could be taxing, he said, especially since Orthodox Jews do not open umbrellas on Shabbat.
In 2021, Grand, who lives with his wife and five children, began to explore another option: Could he gather a minyan — the quorum of 10 Jewish men required for certain prayers — in his home?
He emailed 15 of his friends.
“You are cordially invited to join us this Shabbos for the inauguration of the Shomayah Tefillah Beis Hakeneset,” Grand wrote, using Hebrew that roughly translates to “house of prayer and assembly.”
“You will see the shul entrance — keep a look out for the orange windows,” Grand continued. “And please spread the word to whomever you feel might be interested in coming.”
Grand noted a rabbi would be in attendance and wrote that “the shul” would be a place “where people come to really, seriously daven to Hashem.”
But before Grand had the chance to host, a neighbor thwarted his plans.
Ben Feldman, who identified himself as “a supporter of the Jewish community in town” and “a member of one of the official zoned synagogues,” forwarded the invite via Facebook Messenger to then-University Heights Mayor Michael Brennan.
Feldman expressed concern that “non-zoned makeshift synagogues” like Grand’s could harm “official synagogues.” It being 2021, he also alleged “they are not practicing any Covid protocols.”
“If there is anything you could do to put a stop to this, it would be greatly appreciated,” Feldman wrote to Brennan. Feldman did not respond to the Forward’s request for comment.
That same day, Brennan personally called Grand and told him the city would be sending a cease-and-desist letter, court documents allege. Grand said he was shocked that the mayor would intervene in what seemed like a private matter, and he pushed back on the idea that his residence had become a house of worship.
“I said, ‘You mean to tell me if 10 Jews come to my house, you classify that as a synagogue?’ And he says, ‘Essentially, yes,’” Grand said. “So I was taken aback.”
Brennan, who decided not to run for re-election after completing his second term in office last year, referred all questions to a lawyer who did not respond to the Forward’s request for comment.
The fallout
At first, Grand was willing to go through with the city’s permit process. He submitted an application seeking permission to use his soundproof music room, where he played drums during the week, for “periodic religious gatherings.”
A public hearing over the permit application followed, during which neighbors raised concerns about traffic and noise. Grand countered that those fears reflected a misunderstanding of Orthodox Jewish practice: Prohibited from driving on Shabbat, worshippers would walk to his home, so parking couldn’t possibly be an issue. And the Sabbath prohibits music and amplified sound.
But some neighbors like Adrienne Yelsky, who had lived in her house across the street from Grand’s for 46 years at the time of the hearing, expressed their concerns about changing the residential character of the neighborhood.
“We don’t want a bank on this block; we don’t want a car wash on this block,” Yelsky testified at the hearing. “We don’t want a grocery store on this block; we don’t want a church.”
Some comments turned ugly. One neighbor sent a letter to the University Heights Planning Commission with the following statement: “I am not Jewish and I do not want our neighborhood labeled as Jewish.”
“I felt very offended, and I felt very hurt,” Grand said. “I look at this as bigotry to me.”
But Yelsky, who is Jewish, rejected the characterization of the dispute as antisemitic across the board. Suspicious of renovations at Grand’s home that made room for extra parking, Yelsky said she didn’t buy that Grand only planned to hold services on Shabbat.
“Believe me, for us as Jews, it was very difficult to even participate in this, because you don’t want to look like you’re against your own people,” Yelsky told the Forward. “On the other hand, what’s right is right, and what’s wrong is wrong.”
After the hearing, Grand said he discovered another problem: The special-use permit prohibited “sleeping or residential use” on any property covered by the permit. In other words, if Grand wanted to convert his home into a house of worship, he could no longer live there.
Unwilling to move out of his home, Grand withdrew his application.
But the matter was far from resolved. The city Planning Commission held another meeting, during which then-Mayor Brennan issued a warning.
“To the community members who are here, let there be no question. There is no permission granted here to operate a house of assembly or conduct activities consistent with one,” he told the crowd on Zoom. “If you observe such activities — and I hope you do not — but if you do, you may report them to the city, and the city will enforce its laws, which exist for the benefit of the entire community, and we will seek all appropriate remedies in court.”
Grand said the mayor’s directive kicked off a campaign of surveillance and harassment.
According to the lawsuit, Grand’s neighbor installed surveillance cameras pointed at his house, and a police lieutenant instructed officers to “make frequent drive-bys” past Grand’s home and issue citations for any parking violations.
The complaint also alleges police twice approached a driver wearing a yarmulke sitting in a parked car outside Grand’s home and asked, “Are you here for the shul?”
“It was like all hell broke loose,” Grand said. “It was nightmarish. It was terrible.”
The legal issues
According to Michael Helfand, a professor at the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law who studies the intersection of law and religion, this isn’t the first time zoning laws have clashed with religious practice. For instance, Chabad houses have run into trouble with local municipalities who have alleged that the centers of Jewish life are synagogues, not homes.
In 2000, Congress responded to concerns that local governments were using zoning laws to restrict religious activities by passing the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act., known as RLIUPA.
The federal law prohibits zoning laws that substantially burden religious exercise. It also requires religious assemblies to be treated on equal terms with comparable secular ones. As Helfand put it, a city cannot prohibit 10 people from gathering for a minyan if it allows 10 people to gather for a yoga class.
But in Grand’s case, Helfand said, the Supreme Court will not directly decide whether the city’s zoning code violated federal law.
Instead, the justices will answer a procedural question: Did Grand have to exhaust the city’s permit process and receive a denial before he could bring his challenge to court? Or did the procedural hoops themselves constitute a violation of Grand’s religious liberty?
“You can see how procedure in these circumstances can really undermine somebody’s religious rights,” Helfand said. “Being stuck in the Kafkaesque process of a zoning board that goes on for years and years before you can ever walk into court.”
A lawyer for the City of University Heights did not respond to the Forward’s request for comment. In legal filings, the city has argued it never actually took an enforcement action against Grand because he abandoned his permit application before the city reached a final decision.
But Grand’s lawyers argue the cease-and-desist letter and subsequent surveillance of Grand’s home created a chilling effect, deterring Grand from hosting the Shabbat gatherings and thus violating his religious liberty.
Grand said he has been unable to observe Shabbat on several occasions since receiving the cease-and-desist letter. Even if he prevails at the Supreme Court, he said, he’s unsure whether he will resume inviting people over to pray because his friends are now “afraid of retaliation.”
Five years later, Grand said he’s stunned that an invitation to Shabbat has turned into a case before the Supreme Court.
“What was the city doing in my life at all? What did I ever do that they showed up at my door?” Grand said. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
A question fit for Talmudic scholars or, in this case, U.S. Supreme Court Justices.
The nation’s High Court effectively agreed to consider that question last month, after an Ohio city told an Orthodox Jewish man he needed a permit to host Shabbat prayers in his home.
The dispute began in 2021, when the plaintiff, Daniel Grand, invited 15 friends to his home in University Heights, Ohio, to mark the Sabbath. Neighbors — including some Jewish residents — complained to the city that the proposed gathering would turn Grand’s home into a synagogue, violating residential zoning laws.
The city quickly escalated the matter, sending Grand a cease-and-desist letter and telling him to apply for a special-use permit, according to court documents.
Outraged by the idea that he would need the government’s permission to pray in his own home, Grand sued the city in federal court. The lower court declined to hear Grand’s case, saying he first had to exhaust the city’s permit process before asking the courts to intervene. An appellate court upheld that ruling, with the Supreme Court now set to hear his case in its next term.
“This is not a Jewish issue. This is an American issue,” Grand told the Forward. “Next thing they’ll tell you is eight people sitting at a dining room table makes you an illegal restaurant.”
The case’s origins
When Grand moved into his home in 2019, he faced a recurring inconvenience: The nearest Orthodox synagogue was nearly a mile away.
In keeping with Jewish law, Grand doesn’t drive on Shabbat. With prayers held in the morning, afternoon and evening, that meant a six-mile round trip on foot if he went back and forth from his home to the shul for each service. In bad weather, the schlep could be taxing, he said, especially since Orthodox Jews do not open umbrellas on Shabbat.
In 2021, Grand, who lives with his wife and five children, began to explore another option: Could he gather a minyan — the quorum of 10 Jewish men required for certain prayers — in his home?
He emailed 15 of his friends.
“You are cordially invited to join us this Shabbos for the inauguration of the Shomayah Tefillah Beis Hakeneset,” Grand wrote, using Hebrew that roughly translates to “house of prayer and assembly.”
“You will see the shul entrance — keep a look out for the orange windows,” Grand continued. “And please spread the word to whomever you feel might be interested in coming.”
Grand noted a rabbi would be in attendance and wrote that “the shul” would be a place “where people come to really, seriously daven to Hashem.”
But before Grand had the chance to host, a neighbor thwarted his plans.
Ben Feldman, who identified himself as “a supporter of the Jewish community in town” and “a member of one of the official zoned synagogues,” forwarded the invite via Facebook Messenger to then-University Heights Mayor Michael Brennan.
Feldman expressed concern that “non-zoned makeshift synagogues” like Grand’s could harm “official synagogues.” It being 2021, he also alleged “they are not practicing any Covid protocols.”
“If there is anything you could do to put a stop to this, it would be greatly appreciated,” Feldman wrote to Brennan. Feldman did not respond to the Forward’s request for comment.
That same day, Brennan personally called Grand and told him the city would be sending a cease-and-desist letter, court documents allege. Grand said he was shocked that the mayor would intervene in what seemed like a private matter, and he pushed back on the idea that his residence had become a house of worship.
“I said, ‘You mean to tell me if 10 Jews come to my house, you classify that as a synagogue?’ And he says, ‘Essentially, yes,’” Grand said. “So I was taken aback.”
Brennan, who decided not to run for re-election after completing his second term in office last year, referred all questions to a lawyer who did not respond to the Forward’s request for comment.
The fallout
At first, Grand was willing to go through with the city’s permit process. He submitted an application seeking permission to use his soundproof music room, where he played drums during the week, for “periodic religious gatherings.”
A public hearing over the permit application followed, during which neighbors raised concerns about traffic and noise. Grand countered that those fears reflected a misunderstanding of Orthodox Jewish practice: Prohibited from driving on Shabbat, worshippers would walk to his home, so parking couldn’t possibly be an issue. And the Sabbath prohibits music and amplified sound.
But some neighbors like Adrienne Yelsky, who had lived in her house across the street from Grand’s for 46 years at the time of the hearing, expressed their concerns about changing the residential character of the neighborhood.
“We don’t want a bank on this block; we don’t want a car wash on this block,” Yelsky testified at the hearing. “We don’t want a grocery store on this block; we don’t want a church.”
Some comments turned ugly. One neighbor sent a letter to the University Heights Planning Commission with the following statement: “I am not Jewish and I do not want our neighborhood labeled as Jewish.”
“I felt very offended, and I felt very hurt,” Grand said. “I look at this as bigotry to me.”
But Yelsky, who is Jewish, rejected the characterization of the dispute as antisemitic across the board. Suspicious of renovations at Grand’s home that made room for extra parking, Yelsky said she didn’t buy that Grand only planned to hold services on Shabbat.
“Believe me, for us as Jews, it was very difficult to even participate in this, because you don’t want to look like you’re against your own people,” Yelsky told the Forward. “On the other hand, what’s right is right, and what’s wrong is wrong.”
After the hearing, Grand said he discovered another problem: The special-use permit prohibited “sleeping or residential use” on any property covered by the permit. In other words, if Grand wanted to convert his home into a house of worship, he could no longer live there.
Unwilling to move out of his home, Grand withdrew his application.
But the matter was far from resolved. The city Planning Commission held another meeting, during which then-Mayor Brennan issued a warning.
“To the community members who are here, let there be no question. There is no permission granted here to operate a house of assembly or conduct activities consistent with one,” he told the crowd on Zoom. “If you observe such activities — and I hope you do not — but if you do, you may report them to the city, and the city will enforce its laws, which exist for the benefit of the entire community, and we will seek all appropriate remedies in court.”
Grand said the mayor’s directive kicked off a campaign of surveillance and harassment.
According to the lawsuit, Grand’s neighbor installed surveillance cameras pointed at his house, and a police lieutenant instructed officers to “make frequent drive-bys” past Grand’s home and issue citations for any parking violations.
The complaint also alleges police twice approached a driver wearing a yarmulke sitting in a parked car outside Grand’s home and asked, “Are you here for the shul?”
“It was like all hell broke loose,” Grand said. “It was nightmarish. It was terrible.”
The legal issues
According to Michael Helfand, a professor at the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law who studies the intersection of law and religion, this isn’t the first time zoning laws have clashed with religious practice. For instance, Chabad houses have run into trouble with local municipalities who have alleged that the centers of Jewish life are synagogues, not homes.
In 2000, Congress responded to concerns that local governments were using zoning laws to restrict religious activities by passing the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act., known as RLIUPA.
The federal law prohibits zoning laws that substantially burden religious exercise. It also requires religious assemblies to be treated on equal terms with comparable secular ones. As Helfand put it, a city cannot prohibit 10 people from gathering for a minyan if it allows 10 people to gather for a yoga class.
But in Grand’s case, Helfand said, the Supreme Court will not directly decide whether the city’s zoning code violated federal law.
Instead, the justices will answer a procedural question: Did Grand have to exhaust the city’s permit process and receive a denial before he could bring his challenge to court? Or did the procedural hoops themselves constitute a violation of Grand’s religious liberty?
“You can see how procedure in these circumstances can really undermine somebody’s religious rights,” Helfand said. “Being stuck in the Kafkaesque process of a zoning board that goes on for years and years before you can ever walk into court.”
A lawyer for the City of University Heights did not respond to the Forward’s request for comment. In legal filings, the city has argued it never actually took an enforcement action against Grand because he abandoned his permit application before the city reached a final decision.
But Grand’s lawyers argue the cease-and-desist letter and subsequent surveillance of Grand’s home created a chilling effect, deterring Grand from hosting the Shabbat gatherings and thus violating his religious liberty.
Grand said he has been unable to observe Shabbat on several occasions since receiving the cease-and-desist letter. Even if he prevails at the Supreme Court, he said, he’s unsure whether he will resume inviting people over to pray because his friends are now “afraid of retaliation.”
Five years later, Grand said he’s stunned that an invitation to Shabbat has turned into a case before the Supreme Court.
“What was the city doing in my life at all? What did I ever do that they showed up at my door?” Grand said. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”
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Tuesday, July 07, 2026
‘Destroy Israel’ banner displayed at Spanish festival
Thousands of demonstrators displayed a banner reading “Destroy Israel” during the annual San Fermín bull-running festival in Pamplona, Spain, drawing a sharp rebuke from Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.
Footage shared by Al Jazeera showed the banner, which also featured the initials “EHKS,” held aloft amid large crowds attending the high-profile cultural event. EHKS refers to Euskal Herriko Kontseilu Sozialista, a Basque socialist organization.
“Five hundred years after the Inquisition, calls for the destruction of the Jewish state in the streets of Spain. Shame on you,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a post on X.
Footage shared by Al Jazeera showed the banner, which also featured the initials “EHKS,” held aloft amid large crowds attending the high-profile cultural event. EHKS refers to Euskal Herriko Kontseilu Sozialista, a Basque socialist organization.
“Five hundred years after the Inquisition, calls for the destruction of the Jewish state in the streets of Spain. Shame on you,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a post on X.
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Friday, July 03, 2026
Two men who filmed themselves abusing a Jewish man for TikTok learn prison fate
Two men who filmed themselves subjecting a Jewish man to antisemitic abuse in east London for social media content have been spared immediate imprisonment.
Adam Bedoui and Abdelkader Amir Bousloub, both 21, received a six-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, at Thames Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
The pair were convicted of an antisemitic hate crime, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed.
The incident occurred on 7 May when the duo travelled to a predominantly Jewish area of the capital, Clapton Common in Hackney, specifically to record antisemitic material for TikTok.
They pleaded guilty to religiously aggravated intentional harassment just days later.
Police were alerted around 9pm that evening after the men targeted a Jewish individual.
Bousloub approached the man, shouting abuse and filming the encounter on his mobile phone, while Bedoui stood by, laughing, and also harassed the victim, according to the Metropolitan Police.
Adam Bedoui and Abdelkader Amir Bousloub, both 21, received a six-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, at Thames Magistrates’ Court on Friday.
The pair were convicted of an antisemitic hate crime, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed.
The incident occurred on 7 May when the duo travelled to a predominantly Jewish area of the capital, Clapton Common in Hackney, specifically to record antisemitic material for TikTok.
They pleaded guilty to religiously aggravated intentional harassment just days later.
Police were alerted around 9pm that evening after the men targeted a Jewish individual.
Bousloub approached the man, shouting abuse and filming the encounter on his mobile phone, while Bedoui stood by, laughing, and also harassed the victim, according to the Metropolitan Police.
The pair attempted to flee upon the arrival of officers but were apprehended.
During interview, Bousloub told police he had gone to the Stamford Hill area to film with a fishing rod, aiming to provoke a reaction, emulating a video he had seen on Instagram.
During interview, Bousloub told police he had gone to the Stamford Hill area to film with a fishing rod, aiming to provoke a reaction, emulating a video he had seen on Instagram.
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Thursday, July 02, 2026
Jewish Realtor Brutally Attacked in Toronto as Antisemitic Violence Intensifies Across Canada
A Jewish real estate agent has been brutally assaulted while on his way to meet a client at a Toronto commercial center, marking the latest in a string of targeted antisemitic hate crimes as hostility toward Jews and Israelis continues to intensify across Canada.
In a Facebook post, Joseph Bitton described the incident, alleging that a man identifying himself as a Shiite Houthi Muslim from Yemen threatened to kill him, shouted antisemitic slurs at him over his Jewish identity, and then physically attacked him.
According to Bitton’s account, the suspect accused Israel of “killing babies and committing genocide against Palestinians” before launching into a barrage of antisemitic insults, issuing threats, and escalating the confrontation into a violent attack.
The assailant then allegedly threw a parking ticket dispenser, bricks, stones, and metal bars at Bitton, then struck him with a thick wooden branch.
Bitton said he sustained only minor scratches and physical injuries after escaping the attack, but noted that the experience left him shaken and deeply unsettled.
“This is not the Canada where I grew up and lived for the past 64 years,” he wrote in the Facebook post.
Local police responded after Bitton called for help, arresting the suspect at the scene and opening an investigation, with authorities treating the attack as a suspected hate crime.
Like most countries across the Western world, Canada has seen a rise in antisemitic incidents over the last two years, in the wake of the Hamas-led invasion and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Antisemitic incidents in Canada surged to a record high in 2025 for the second consecutive year, with 6,800 acts of anti-Jewish hate reported nationwide, underscoring a persistently hostile climate for Jews and Israelis across the country.
The Jewish advocacy group B’nai Brith Canada released its annual report on antisemitism in April, documenting a 9.3 percent increase in hate crimes last year that surpassed the previous record total of 6,219 set in 2024.
Early 2026 data already indicate the country is on track to see its most violent year against the Jewish community in recent memory, with more violent antisemitic attacks recorded so far this year than during all of 2025. In total, 11 violent antisemitic attacks have already been recorded across the country since the start of 2026, surpassing the 10 violent incidents documented during all of last year.
Last month, a gunman opened fire in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood, the heart of the city’s Jewish community, killing a police officer and a local rabbi in one of the latest violent attacks raising alarm over the safety of Jewish residents.
In May, a group of Jewish worshippers standing outside the Congregation Chasidei Bobov synagogue in Montreal was targeted in a drive-by shooting, leaving one person with minor injuries. A week earlier, three visibly Jewish residents were targeted in a separate antisemitic attack when suspects opened fire with a gel-pellet gun, causing minor injuries.
Two synagogues in Toronto were also targeted by gunfire earlier this year, marking the third shooting targeting Jewish institutions in less than a week and intensifying fears of a rapidly deteriorating security climate for Jews and Israelis across Canada.
In a Facebook post, Joseph Bitton described the incident, alleging that a man identifying himself as a Shiite Houthi Muslim from Yemen threatened to kill him, shouted antisemitic slurs at him over his Jewish identity, and then physically attacked him.
According to Bitton’s account, the suspect accused Israel of “killing babies and committing genocide against Palestinians” before launching into a barrage of antisemitic insults, issuing threats, and escalating the confrontation into a violent attack.
The assailant then allegedly threw a parking ticket dispenser, bricks, stones, and metal bars at Bitton, then struck him with a thick wooden branch.
Bitton said he sustained only minor scratches and physical injuries after escaping the attack, but noted that the experience left him shaken and deeply unsettled.
“This is not the Canada where I grew up and lived for the past 64 years,” he wrote in the Facebook post.
Local police responded after Bitton called for help, arresting the suspect at the scene and opening an investigation, with authorities treating the attack as a suspected hate crime.
Like most countries across the Western world, Canada has seen a rise in antisemitic incidents over the last two years, in the wake of the Hamas-led invasion and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
Antisemitic incidents in Canada surged to a record high in 2025 for the second consecutive year, with 6,800 acts of anti-Jewish hate reported nationwide, underscoring a persistently hostile climate for Jews and Israelis across the country.
The Jewish advocacy group B’nai Brith Canada released its annual report on antisemitism in April, documenting a 9.3 percent increase in hate crimes last year that surpassed the previous record total of 6,219 set in 2024.
Early 2026 data already indicate the country is on track to see its most violent year against the Jewish community in recent memory, with more violent antisemitic attacks recorded so far this year than during all of 2025. In total, 11 violent antisemitic attacks have already been recorded across the country since the start of 2026, surpassing the 10 violent incidents documented during all of last year.
Last month, a gunman opened fire in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges neighborhood, the heart of the city’s Jewish community, killing a police officer and a local rabbi in one of the latest violent attacks raising alarm over the safety of Jewish residents.
In May, a group of Jewish worshippers standing outside the Congregation Chasidei Bobov synagogue in Montreal was targeted in a drive-by shooting, leaving one person with minor injuries. A week earlier, three visibly Jewish residents were targeted in a separate antisemitic attack when suspects opened fire with a gel-pellet gun, causing minor injuries.
Two synagogues in Toronto were also targeted by gunfire earlier this year, marking the third shooting targeting Jewish institutions in less than a week and intensifying fears of a rapidly deteriorating security climate for Jews and Israelis across Canada.
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Sunday, June 28, 2026
Mark Dreyfus: Former Attorney General details ‘confronting’ anti-Semitism he has faced as Jewish politician
Labor’s former attorney-general Mark Dreyfus has detailed the anti-Semitic abuse he has endured as a prominent Jewish politician and called for a toughening up of the hate-speech laws he introduced to Parliament just two years ago.
In a submission to the Royal Commission on anti-Semitism and Social Cohesion, launched following the Bondi attacks, Mr Dreyfus has detailed his own experiences of being personally targeted and his Melbourne office vandalised over the war in Gaza.
“The repeated antisemitism directed at me since 2023 on social media, in public, and at my electorate office in the form of hostile accusations, moral condemnation, and antisemitic abuse has been confronting,” he writes.
“A man crossing Latrobe Street looked at me as he approached. I did not know him, but I cheerfully said, ’Good morning’. He responded with ‘You’re a genocidal Zionist.’ You should be ashamed of yourself’,” Mr Dreyfus says, recounting an incident in 2024.
“I found this shocking because in the 17 years I had by then served in the Federal Parliament, I had never experienced this kind of public abuse. Sadly, it has continued since then.”
During World War Two three of Mr Dreyfus’ great-grandparents were killed in the holocaust, while his father and grandfather were able to flee Nazi Germany and settle in Australia as refugees.
“I have been called a ‘Kapo.’ That word is not a general insult. It comes from the machinery of the Nazi concentration camps. It carries with it an allegation of collaboration in the destruction of one’s own people,” Mr Dreyfus reveals.
The former Attorney General has detailed how during a program on Sky News last year one of the presenters also accused him of being a ‘Kapo’, in the full knowledge of its meaning and “the deep historical pain it carries”.
“When language drawn from the Holocaust is knowingly exploited in mainstream political commentary against a Jewish Australian, antisemitism is not merely present. It is being permitted to enter public debate under the cover of political criticism.”
“That is how antisemitism becomes normalised: when words carrying the suffering, degradation, and murder of Jewish people are used publicly against a Jewish person as though they are an acceptable part of political debate. It is a vicious charge, because it casts me as a betrayer of the dead, of millions of murdered Jews.”
In 2024 while still serving as Attorney General, Mr Dreyfus introduced a bill to Parliament criminalise certain forms of hate speech or vilification based on a range of attributes, including race.
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Thursday, June 25, 2026
When a mayor calls Jews ‘monsters’
At his Brooklyn rally last week, Mayor Zohran Mamdani stood before a roaring crowd and reached for a word with a very long history. The pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC, he declared, was among “the monsters that we are up against,” an organization moving “millions in dark money” to “turn us against one another.” AIPAC is not a shadow cabal. It is a mainstream, bipartisan organization with a large and openly Jewish membership. To brand it a “monster” trafficking in secret money is to revive one of the oldest libels in the Western canon.
That word should chill anyone who knows the history. For a thousand years, Jews have been drawn as demons, beasts, and monsters, in medieval woodcuts, in blood-libel sermons, and most infamously in Nazi propaganda that rendered them as vermin and devils to make their slaughter thinkable.
Dehumanization is not a rhetorical flourish; it is the first step on a known road. So the question is not academic: how does the leader of one of the most diverse cities in the world, with an esteemed Jewish community, stand on a stage and cast an institution as a monster?
This was not a slip. It is the logic of a worldview Mamdani has been building for two decades. By his own account, co-founding the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at Bowdoin College was “the crux” of his political awakening. That movement’s character is no mystery. Days after the October 7 massacre — the largest mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust — National SJP distributed a “Day of Resistance” toolkit hailing the slaughter as “a historic win for the Palestinian resistance” and proclaiming, “Glory to our resistance, to our martyrs.” The chapter Mamdani founded once rallied for Rasmea Odeh, convicted in connection with a 1969 bombing that killed two students in a supermarket bombing, and later deported for immigration fraud.
The networks behind that movement are now under serious legal scrutiny. A federal court has allowed a lawsuit by October 7 victims to proceed against American Muslims for Palestine and National SJP, alleging they operate as American propaganda arms for Hamas, and a judge ordered AMP to disclose its funding sources. Congressional investigators allege that AMP, whose predecessor organizations courts have tied to a Muslim Brotherhood network, helped incubate the very campus movement that shaped Mamdani. The Muslim Brotherhood, at its core, has a political agenda to replace democracy with Islamic rule and to destroy the United States (the great satan) and Israel (the little satan or, you may perhaps say, the little monster). This describes the ideological environment in which Mamdani’s politics are formed, and he has never distanced himself from it.
This is the pattern of a radical political movement, some on the hard left, some among Islamist activists, that learned to launder its agenda through the language of justice while singling out one people for demonization. They refuse for months to condemn “globalize the intifada.” They call a Jewish advocacy group a monster. They are anti-democratic in method and corrosive in effect, and they have now found a foothold in City Hall.
People of good will across every faith and party, the very people who built the civil-rights tradition, should see this clearly. You cannot champion equality while dehumanizing your neighbors. A mayor who casts Jews and their institutions as monsters is not merely intemperate; he is a threat to the social trust that holds a diverse city together. Decent New Yorkers of every background should say so, plainly, and now, before that old, dangerous word is allowed to do what it has always done.
If this hate goes unanswered, the future of social cohesion and security for all New York citizens will not be guaranteed, and subsequently for all Americans, as we have taken for granted for decades. The time has come, regardless of our political perspective, the political parties we support, or the communities we are associated with, we must defend our democratic way of life. As the US celebrates 250 years of independence and democratic way of life, we must stand up, now, to this scourge of hate and the demonization.
That word should chill anyone who knows the history. For a thousand years, Jews have been drawn as demons, beasts, and monsters, in medieval woodcuts, in blood-libel sermons, and most infamously in Nazi propaganda that rendered them as vermin and devils to make their slaughter thinkable.
Dehumanization is not a rhetorical flourish; it is the first step on a known road. So the question is not academic: how does the leader of one of the most diverse cities in the world, with an esteemed Jewish community, stand on a stage and cast an institution as a monster?
This was not a slip. It is the logic of a worldview Mamdani has been building for two decades. By his own account, co-founding the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at Bowdoin College was “the crux” of his political awakening. That movement’s character is no mystery. Days after the October 7 massacre — the largest mass murder of Jews since the Holocaust — National SJP distributed a “Day of Resistance” toolkit hailing the slaughter as “a historic win for the Palestinian resistance” and proclaiming, “Glory to our resistance, to our martyrs.” The chapter Mamdani founded once rallied for Rasmea Odeh, convicted in connection with a 1969 bombing that killed two students in a supermarket bombing, and later deported for immigration fraud.
The networks behind that movement are now under serious legal scrutiny. A federal court has allowed a lawsuit by October 7 victims to proceed against American Muslims for Palestine and National SJP, alleging they operate as American propaganda arms for Hamas, and a judge ordered AMP to disclose its funding sources. Congressional investigators allege that AMP, whose predecessor organizations courts have tied to a Muslim Brotherhood network, helped incubate the very campus movement that shaped Mamdani. The Muslim Brotherhood, at its core, has a political agenda to replace democracy with Islamic rule and to destroy the United States (the great satan) and Israel (the little satan or, you may perhaps say, the little monster). This describes the ideological environment in which Mamdani’s politics are formed, and he has never distanced himself from it.
This is the pattern of a radical political movement, some on the hard left, some among Islamist activists, that learned to launder its agenda through the language of justice while singling out one people for demonization. They refuse for months to condemn “globalize the intifada.” They call a Jewish advocacy group a monster. They are anti-democratic in method and corrosive in effect, and they have now found a foothold in City Hall.
People of good will across every faith and party, the very people who built the civil-rights tradition, should see this clearly. You cannot champion equality while dehumanizing your neighbors. A mayor who casts Jews and their institutions as monsters is not merely intemperate; he is a threat to the social trust that holds a diverse city together. Decent New Yorkers of every background should say so, plainly, and now, before that old, dangerous word is allowed to do what it has always done.
If this hate goes unanswered, the future of social cohesion and security for all New York citizens will not be guaranteed, and subsequently for all Americans, as we have taken for granted for decades. The time has come, regardless of our political perspective, the political parties we support, or the communities we are associated with, we must defend our democratic way of life. As the US celebrates 250 years of independence and democratic way of life, we must stand up, now, to this scourge of hate and the demonization.
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Wednesday, June 24, 2026
Jewish educators from 16 countries unite in Budapest to confront rising antisemitism
More than 80 Jewish educators and community leaders from across Europe and Asia gathered in Budapest last week to exchange ideas on tackling antisemitism and strengthening Jewish identity.
The conference, organised by Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), took place from 18 to 21 June and brought together participants from 16 countries, including the United Kingdom, Scotland, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy and Russia.
Representing more than 60 Jewish educational organisations, youth movements and community groups, attendees took part in workshops, discussions and training sessions focused on the challenges facing Jewish communities and the role education can play in responding to them.
A central theme of the event was equipping educators with practical resources to help young people engage with Jewish identity, Israel and contemporary issues affecting Jewish life.
Participants explored a range of educational programmes and activities designed for use in schools, youth movements and community settings. The programme also included interactive learning experiences centred on Israeli history, leadership and decision-making.
The conference was attended by Moran Birman, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Israeli Embassy in Hungary, alongside KKL-JNF representatives from Israel and across Europe.
Sar-Shalom Jerbi, Head of KKL-JNF’s Education and Community Division, said: “At a time when many Jewish communities across Europe are facing a troubling rise in antisemitism, the role of educators is more important than ever. Education is one of the most important tools for strengthening Jewish identity, fostering a sense of belonging, and building community resilience.
“This conference brought together educators from different countries to learn from one another, share their experiences, and gain practical tools they can take back to their communities. For us at KKL-JNF, this is how we strengthen the next generation, deepen the connection to Israel, and help build Jewish communities that are safer, more connected, and prouder of their identity.”
Birman said: “Bringing together Jewish educators from across Europe here in Budapest highlights Hungary’s role as a vital, secure hub for Jewish life and the strong connection between Israel and Hungary. By partnering with KKL-JNF and their ‘Israeli Ambassadors’ program, we are building together a vibrant bridge between the European Diaspora and the State of Israel, ensuring our shared heritage and Zionist values continue to inspire the future.”
The Budapest gathering forms part of a wider KKL-JNF initiative bringing together Jewish educators from around the world to share best practice and develop new approaches to strengthening Jewish life in their communities.
The conference, organised by Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), took place from 18 to 21 June and brought together participants from 16 countries, including the United Kingdom, Scotland, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy and Russia.
Representing more than 60 Jewish educational organisations, youth movements and community groups, attendees took part in workshops, discussions and training sessions focused on the challenges facing Jewish communities and the role education can play in responding to them.
A central theme of the event was equipping educators with practical resources to help young people engage with Jewish identity, Israel and contemporary issues affecting Jewish life.
Participants explored a range of educational programmes and activities designed for use in schools, youth movements and community settings. The programme also included interactive learning experiences centred on Israeli history, leadership and decision-making.
The conference was attended by Moran Birman, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Israeli Embassy in Hungary, alongside KKL-JNF representatives from Israel and across Europe.
Sar-Shalom Jerbi, Head of KKL-JNF’s Education and Community Division, said: “At a time when many Jewish communities across Europe are facing a troubling rise in antisemitism, the role of educators is more important than ever. Education is one of the most important tools for strengthening Jewish identity, fostering a sense of belonging, and building community resilience.
“This conference brought together educators from different countries to learn from one another, share their experiences, and gain practical tools they can take back to their communities. For us at KKL-JNF, this is how we strengthen the next generation, deepen the connection to Israel, and help build Jewish communities that are safer, more connected, and prouder of their identity.”
Birman said: “Bringing together Jewish educators from across Europe here in Budapest highlights Hungary’s role as a vital, secure hub for Jewish life and the strong connection between Israel and Hungary. By partnering with KKL-JNF and their ‘Israeli Ambassadors’ program, we are building together a vibrant bridge between the European Diaspora and the State of Israel, ensuring our shared heritage and Zionist values continue to inspire the future.”
The Budapest gathering forms part of a wider KKL-JNF initiative bringing together Jewish educators from around the world to share best practice and develop new approaches to strengthening Jewish life in their communities.
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Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Three Israelis Killed in Bowie Plane Crash
Three Israelis were killed on Saturday night, June 20, when a light aircraft crashed at a park near Bowie. The plane crashed in a wooded area of Archer Park north of Bowie at around 11:30 p.m. while traveling to Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg from Ocean City, New Jersey.
As of Monday, the cause of the crash was unknown, according to the Maryland State Police. It occurred just feet from a townhome community, according to FOX 5 DC. The National Transportation Safety Board was leading the investigation as of Sunday morning.
“Israel’s Consul in Washington and the Department for Israelis Abroad at the Foreign Ministry are assisting the families during this difficult time, maintaining continuous contact with them and helping coordinate matters with the local authorities,” said Israel’s Foreign Ministry.
The victims include 26-year-old pilot Yoav Bomrind and 19-year-old David Rabinovitz, residents of Israel, and 20-year-old Elad Naidik of Toronto, Canada.
ZAKA North America, a regional branch of the Israeli humanitarian and emergency response organization ZAKA Search and Rescue, identified all three individuals as Israelis in a press release, saying that it moved quickly to help the families of the deceased, including the recovery efforts, handling of remains and the sensitive arrangements that were required following the tragic crash.
“From the moment we received notification of this tragedy, our volunteers mobilized to provide assistance and support,” said ZAKA North America Commander Yanky Landau.
“Together with our partners at Misaskim, our volunteers worked tirelessly to ensure that the victims were treated with the utmost dignity and that their families received the support they needed during an unimaginable moment of loss. These situations are never easy, but the responsibility we carry is clear — to honor the deceased and stand beside families when they need us most.”
The three were flying in a Piper PA-28 Cherokee registered to Washington International Flight Academy of Gaithersburg, Maryland. Officials received an iPhone crash alert at 11:45 p.m. Prince George’s County Fire Department, Maryland State Police assigned to the Special Operations Division, Criminal Enforcement Division and College Park Barrack, officers from the Anne Arundel County Police Department, Prince George’s County Police Department and the Bowie City Police Department responded. Officials said the plane was located at 3:45 a.m. near a residential area off of Scarlett Oak Court in Bowie, across the street from Archer Park.
According to Maryland State Police, investigators believe the aircraft may have been participating in a training flight.
In addition to the government agencies, ZAKA and partner organizations like Misaskim of Baltimore and Misaskim of Central Jersey have assisted with response efforts following the crash.
“Incidents like this demonstrate the importance of strong relationships between emergency organizations, community partners and government agencies,” said ZAKA North Executive Director Moshe Rozenberg. “The ability to mobilize and respond quickly, coordinate effectively and provide culturally sensitive support requires trust and preparation built long before tragedy strikes … our goal is always to bring dignity, compassion and support to families during their most difficult moments.”
“It was very rare to find someone like him, in today’s day and age, to be so dedicated to his family, so dedicated to the community, to have such a volunteer, kind spirit … He was always encouraging the people around him to be more kind, to be more welcoming, to be more accepting,” Rabbi Chezky Deren of the Chabad of Maple in Ontario, Canada, told ABC 7 News, describing Naidik.
WTOP quoted a nearby resident who said she heard a thunderous boom that shook the area and lasted about seven seconds. Another nearby resident told the radio station they heard trees crackling and snapping, but didn’t hear any loud noises that indicated a plane had crashed.
As of Monday, the cause of the crash was unknown, according to the Maryland State Police. It occurred just feet from a townhome community, according to FOX 5 DC. The National Transportation Safety Board was leading the investigation as of Sunday morning.
“Israel’s Consul in Washington and the Department for Israelis Abroad at the Foreign Ministry are assisting the families during this difficult time, maintaining continuous contact with them and helping coordinate matters with the local authorities,” said Israel’s Foreign Ministry.
The victims include 26-year-old pilot Yoav Bomrind and 19-year-old David Rabinovitz, residents of Israel, and 20-year-old Elad Naidik of Toronto, Canada.
ZAKA North America, a regional branch of the Israeli humanitarian and emergency response organization ZAKA Search and Rescue, identified all three individuals as Israelis in a press release, saying that it moved quickly to help the families of the deceased, including the recovery efforts, handling of remains and the sensitive arrangements that were required following the tragic crash.
“From the moment we received notification of this tragedy, our volunteers mobilized to provide assistance and support,” said ZAKA North America Commander Yanky Landau.
“Together with our partners at Misaskim, our volunteers worked tirelessly to ensure that the victims were treated with the utmost dignity and that their families received the support they needed during an unimaginable moment of loss. These situations are never easy, but the responsibility we carry is clear — to honor the deceased and stand beside families when they need us most.”
The three were flying in a Piper PA-28 Cherokee registered to Washington International Flight Academy of Gaithersburg, Maryland. Officials received an iPhone crash alert at 11:45 p.m. Prince George’s County Fire Department, Maryland State Police assigned to the Special Operations Division, Criminal Enforcement Division and College Park Barrack, officers from the Anne Arundel County Police Department, Prince George’s County Police Department and the Bowie City Police Department responded. Officials said the plane was located at 3:45 a.m. near a residential area off of Scarlett Oak Court in Bowie, across the street from Archer Park.
According to Maryland State Police, investigators believe the aircraft may have been participating in a training flight.
In addition to the government agencies, ZAKA and partner organizations like Misaskim of Baltimore and Misaskim of Central Jersey have assisted with response efforts following the crash.
“Incidents like this demonstrate the importance of strong relationships between emergency organizations, community partners and government agencies,” said ZAKA North Executive Director Moshe Rozenberg. “The ability to mobilize and respond quickly, coordinate effectively and provide culturally sensitive support requires trust and preparation built long before tragedy strikes … our goal is always to bring dignity, compassion and support to families during their most difficult moments.”
“It was very rare to find someone like him, in today’s day and age, to be so dedicated to his family, so dedicated to the community, to have such a volunteer, kind spirit … He was always encouraging the people around him to be more kind, to be more welcoming, to be more accepting,” Rabbi Chezky Deren of the Chabad of Maple in Ontario, Canada, told ABC 7 News, describing Naidik.
WTOP quoted a nearby resident who said she heard a thunderous boom that shook the area and lasted about seven seconds. Another nearby resident told the radio station they heard trees crackling and snapping, but didn’t hear any loud noises that indicated a plane had crashed.
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Monday, June 22, 2026
'Incredible' Archaeological Discovery Reveals Jewish Connection to Jerusalem's Ancient History
In Israel, it is said that each stone tells a story, and sometimes, the smallest discoveries speak the loudest. Now, A tiny 1,300-year-old artifact is shedding new light on a pivotal historic moment and the enduring faith of Israel's people.
Filip Vukosavović of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) told CBN News, "So, we're talking about something incredible, never discovered before in the history of archaeology."
In Israel, discoveries such as a small piece of jewelry can reshape how we understand the past.
Vukosavović described one piece recently discovered and its location: "An excavation right under the southwest corner of the Temple Mount...a pendant made out of lead, 100 percent, that depicts both sides of a Temple menorah.
For scholars at the Israel Antiquities Authority, this artifact offers a window into Jerusalem's history.
The IAA building itself is a marvel. We came into it on the ground level and stood under a giant canopy meant to duplicate what it's like to be inside of an archaeological dig. Inside, we found the national treasures of Israel.
Vukosavović directs the IAA's publications department and has spent his career studying rare artifacts.
We asked, “What does it mean to you as an archeologist when you find an item of this rarity?”
He replied, “It's such a small thing. It tells us a huge story.”
One must go back nearly 1,300 years to understand it.
Vukosavović noted, "Early 17th century A.D., the very late Byzantine Period, for approximately five hundred years, Jews were not allowed to dwell in Jerusalem by the royal decree."
He added, "At the very end of the Byzantine Period, the Jews were finally allowed, after a few hundred years, to come back. And where will they settle? Of course, next to the Temple Mount."
The pendant comes from a time of transition.
We traveled to the nearby Tower of David, near the Old City's Jaffa Gate, and talked with Dr. Oren Gutfeld, an archaeologist from Hebrew University.
He noted, "Here at the Tower of David, they have the best explanation of the different periods of the city of Jerusalem. Now, let's look at a map of the city. Notice the Temple Mount, but there are no structures during the Byzantine period because the temple had been destroyed."
Gutfeld continued, "But we fast forward to the Islamic period, and we have the Dome of the Rock, the Al-Aqsa mosque, and these right here, Umayyad structures, these are the palaces that were built right on top of the village where our menorah was found.”
Dr. Gutfeld explained that for centuries, life in Jerusalem was limited.
"We don't know much about Jewish life in Jerusalem in the late Byzantine period. Under the rule of Justinian, the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565, there are many, many restrictions about Jewish life in Jerusalem."
Archaeologists and researchers studying ancient artifacts continue to fill in the gaps of history.
Gutfeld observed, "From the lead pendant, we know that there is at least a community of people or Jews who came to pray in Jerusalem, to visit the holy places in Jerusalem. Outside of Jerusalem, prosperity, beautiful synagogues that were built all over the Galilee, and other places, but not in Jerusalem.”
However, the pendant suggests that the connection never disappeared, even in a time of uncertainty for Jews in Jerusalem.
Vukosavović told us, "You see that even though the Temple was destroyed almost 600 years earlier, before this was worn, still, that connection is so strong."
We asked Vukosavović how he responds, as a scientist with a PhD, to dubious online claims about Israel's history.
He answered, "As a scholar, I can say that archaeology is an incredible tool to show history." He added, "We document, we excavate, we publish, and anybody who wants to check anything from the modern times, all the way to ancient times."
We asked him why the lead pendant was housed in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, before he brought it for us to see.
He responded, "Jewish history, Jewish presence in this region for 3,000 years...all the way from the Old Testament period time to this very day...and these small items clearly show that."
As Israel makes headlines around the globe, the 1300-year-old pendant and the Israel Antiquities Authority continue to provide evidence of an ancient connection between the Jewish people and this land.
Filip Vukosavović of the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) told CBN News, "So, we're talking about something incredible, never discovered before in the history of archaeology."
In Israel, discoveries such as a small piece of jewelry can reshape how we understand the past.
Vukosavović described one piece recently discovered and its location: "An excavation right under the southwest corner of the Temple Mount...a pendant made out of lead, 100 percent, that depicts both sides of a Temple menorah.
For scholars at the Israel Antiquities Authority, this artifact offers a window into Jerusalem's history.
The IAA building itself is a marvel. We came into it on the ground level and stood under a giant canopy meant to duplicate what it's like to be inside of an archaeological dig. Inside, we found the national treasures of Israel.
Vukosavović directs the IAA's publications department and has spent his career studying rare artifacts.
We asked, “What does it mean to you as an archeologist when you find an item of this rarity?”
He replied, “It's such a small thing. It tells us a huge story.”
One must go back nearly 1,300 years to understand it.
Vukosavović noted, "Early 17th century A.D., the very late Byzantine Period, for approximately five hundred years, Jews were not allowed to dwell in Jerusalem by the royal decree."
He added, "At the very end of the Byzantine Period, the Jews were finally allowed, after a few hundred years, to come back. And where will they settle? Of course, next to the Temple Mount."
The pendant comes from a time of transition.
We traveled to the nearby Tower of David, near the Old City's Jaffa Gate, and talked with Dr. Oren Gutfeld, an archaeologist from Hebrew University.
He noted, "Here at the Tower of David, they have the best explanation of the different periods of the city of Jerusalem. Now, let's look at a map of the city. Notice the Temple Mount, but there are no structures during the Byzantine period because the temple had been destroyed."
Gutfeld continued, "But we fast forward to the Islamic period, and we have the Dome of the Rock, the Al-Aqsa mosque, and these right here, Umayyad structures, these are the palaces that were built right on top of the village where our menorah was found.”
Dr. Gutfeld explained that for centuries, life in Jerusalem was limited.
"We don't know much about Jewish life in Jerusalem in the late Byzantine period. Under the rule of Justinian, the Byzantine emperor from 527 to 565, there are many, many restrictions about Jewish life in Jerusalem."
Archaeologists and researchers studying ancient artifacts continue to fill in the gaps of history.
Gutfeld observed, "From the lead pendant, we know that there is at least a community of people or Jews who came to pray in Jerusalem, to visit the holy places in Jerusalem. Outside of Jerusalem, prosperity, beautiful synagogues that were built all over the Galilee, and other places, but not in Jerusalem.”
However, the pendant suggests that the connection never disappeared, even in a time of uncertainty for Jews in Jerusalem.
Vukosavović told us, "You see that even though the Temple was destroyed almost 600 years earlier, before this was worn, still, that connection is so strong."
We asked Vukosavović how he responds, as a scientist with a PhD, to dubious online claims about Israel's history.
He answered, "As a scholar, I can say that archaeology is an incredible tool to show history." He added, "We document, we excavate, we publish, and anybody who wants to check anything from the modern times, all the way to ancient times."
We asked him why the lead pendant was housed in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, before he brought it for us to see.
He responded, "Jewish history, Jewish presence in this region for 3,000 years...all the way from the Old Testament period time to this very day...and these small items clearly show that."
As Israel makes headlines around the globe, the 1300-year-old pendant and the Israel Antiquities Authority continue to provide evidence of an ancient connection between the Jewish people and this land.
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Friday, June 19, 2026
Man, 19, charged with hate crime in liquid spraying attack in predominantly Jewish neighborhood
A 19-year-old man is now facing hate crime charges in connection with two battery incidents that occurred last month in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood in northeast Miami-Dade, authorities announced Friday.
According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, Amir Ayesh was arrested after two separate victims were sprayed with an unknown liquid on May 9 by Ayesh, who was passing by them in a black vehicle.
Detectives said the two incidents occurred within just minutes of each other in the area of Northeast 10th Avenue and 171st Street.
Authorities said Homeland Security Bureau detectives were able to link Ayesh to both incidents through surveillance video that showed him using a water gun to spray the victims from his car.
According to Detective Samantha Choon, an arrest warrant was signed on June 11, charging Ayesh with two counts of battery with prejudice, “a felony enhancement under Florida law.”
She said Ayesh was taken into custody Thursday in Plantation with assistance by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Plantation Police Department.
He was transported to the Broward County Main Jail and will eventually be transferred to Miami-Dade County.
“MDSO remains committed to investigating crimes that target individuals based on their race, religion, ethnicity, or other protected characteristics,” Choon said in an email to Local 10 News.
Ayesh’s arrest comes months after two other men were arrested for similar accusations.
In that case, Miami Beach police said Michael Dean Emerson, 19, of Coral Springs, and Dominic Angelo Martinez, 18, of Tamarac, used a water gun to spray a Jewish man on Mid-Beach in January.
Police said the duo targeted the victim because of his faith.
Anyone with additional information related to the latest investigation is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.
According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, Amir Ayesh was arrested after two separate victims were sprayed with an unknown liquid on May 9 by Ayesh, who was passing by them in a black vehicle.
Detectives said the two incidents occurred within just minutes of each other in the area of Northeast 10th Avenue and 171st Street.
Authorities said Homeland Security Bureau detectives were able to link Ayesh to both incidents through surveillance video that showed him using a water gun to spray the victims from his car.
According to Detective Samantha Choon, an arrest warrant was signed on June 11, charging Ayesh with two counts of battery with prejudice, “a felony enhancement under Florida law.”
She said Ayesh was taken into custody Thursday in Plantation with assistance by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Plantation Police Department.
He was transported to the Broward County Main Jail and will eventually be transferred to Miami-Dade County.
“MDSO remains committed to investigating crimes that target individuals based on their race, religion, ethnicity, or other protected characteristics,” Choon said in an email to Local 10 News.
Ayesh’s arrest comes months after two other men were arrested for similar accusations.
In that case, Miami Beach police said Michael Dean Emerson, 19, of Coral Springs, and Dominic Angelo Martinez, 18, of Tamarac, used a water gun to spray a Jewish man on Mid-Beach in January.
Police said the duo targeted the victim because of his faith.
Anyone with additional information related to the latest investigation is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS.
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Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Man accused of vandalizing Albuquerque synagogue, Jewish center held until trial
A man accused of vandalizing an Albuquerque synagogue and a Jewish community center in June will remain in federal detention until trial, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
Rex Crofton, 25, is charged with damage to religious property. If convicted of the current charge, he faces up to three years in federal prison. He also faces separate state charges, including criminal damage to property and desecration of a church.
Rex Crofton, 25, is charged with damage to religious property. If convicted of the current charge, he faces up to three years in federal prison. He also faces separate state charges, including criminal damage to property and desecration of a church.
On June 2 at 4:31 p.m., Crofton allegedly shattered the glass entry doors at Congregation Albert synagogue on Louisiana before going to the nearby Jewish Community Center of Greater Albuquerque at 4:39 p.m. and hitting the glass doors there with a metal bar, according to a federal court motion to keep Crofton detained.
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Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Satmar Rebbe Dons Historic $500,000 Tefillin for First Time in Emotional Ceremony
In a moment of profound spiritual significance, the Satmar Rebbe of Kiryas Joel donned a pair of historic tefillin valued at approximately $500,000 for the first time Monday morning, marking the culmination of a two-decade process to divide the sacred inheritance of his late father, the Birchas Moshe.
https://www.jfeed.com/jewish-world/satmar-rebbe-historic-tefillin-ceremony0 comments
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
Guelph Chabad hit with antisemitic graffiti for 2nd time, police hate crime unit investigating
For the second time in the past two weeks, antisemitic graffiti has been scrawled on the window of a Jewish place of worship in Guelph.
The graffiti appears on the window of the Chabad of Guelph near the corner of Gordon Street and College Avenue. It's written in black marker and says, “Zionist dogs … stop killing children … the goyim know.” A smiley face appears under the writing.
The Chabad pop-up was previously vandalized on May 30.
The graffiti appears on the window of the Chabad of Guelph near the corner of Gordon Street and College Avenue. It's written in black marker and says, “Zionist dogs … stop killing children … the goyim know.” A smiley face appears under the writing.
The Chabad pop-up was previously vandalized on May 30.
Police say both incidents are currently under investigation by the Guelph Police Service Hate Crime Investigative Unit. It hasn’t been confirmed if the incidents are connected.
Rabbi Raphi Steiner told CBC News in an emailed statement that it was “disturbing, and clearly some folks are trying to send a message that Jews are not welcome.”
Steiner says educators, community leaders, faith leaders and public institutions must speak clearly and consistently against antisemitism and all forms of hatred.
“From our perspective, antisemitism has become more visible and more normalized than many people would have imagined a few years ago. Incidents like this don’t occur in a vacuum. They happen in an environment where anti-Jewish rhetoric is increasingly tolerated,” said Steiner.
“We won’t be intimidated, we won’t hide our Jewish identity, and we will continue building a welcoming community for everyone.”
Police are urging anyone with information to reach out to the hate crime investigative unit.
Rabbi Raphi Steiner told CBC News in an emailed statement that it was “disturbing, and clearly some folks are trying to send a message that Jews are not welcome.”
Steiner says educators, community leaders, faith leaders and public institutions must speak clearly and consistently against antisemitism and all forms of hatred.
“From our perspective, antisemitism has become more visible and more normalized than many people would have imagined a few years ago. Incidents like this don’t occur in a vacuum. They happen in an environment where anti-Jewish rhetoric is increasingly tolerated,” said Steiner.
“We won’t be intimidated, we won’t hide our Jewish identity, and we will continue building a welcoming community for everyone.”
Police are urging anyone with information to reach out to the hate crime investigative unit.
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Tuesday, June 09, 2026
'Antisemitism in medicine is a patient care crisis,' says AJMA CEO Eveline Shekhman - interview
In the months following October 7, there were increasingly alarming stories from Jewish doctors, nurses, and medical students across the United States. Some described being doxxed, others said they feared speaking up in class or at work, and many felt there was no organization dedicated to representing them within the healthcare system. And so the American Jewish Medical Association (AJMA) was founded.
The Jerusalem Post spoke to Eveline Shekhman, AJMA CEO, on Tuesday. Shekhman recently testified before the US House Committee on Education and Workforce that "antisemitism in medicine is, at its core, a patient care crisis" and that patient care is now being affected because of rising Jew hatred.
According to AJMA's research, there are approximately 250,000 Jewish healthcare professionals in the US, including physicians, nurses, mental health professionals, pharmacists, allied health workers, administrators, researchers, and faculty. Jewish Americans represent roughly 14% of all US physicians.
Shekhman told the Post that she founded AJMA in the aftermath of October 7, when she started seeing increasing signs of antisemitism in health care, and realized that there was no organization dedicated to representing Jewish Americans in the healthcare system.
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Monday, June 08, 2026
Only one in 18 antisemitic rail crimes leads to action against offender
Only one in 18 antisemitic crimes reported on Britain’s rail network last year resulted in a charge, caution or other formal outcome, according to figures obtained by The Telegraph.
The figures, covering the year to 30 April 2026, have prompted concern among Jewish organisations amid continuing high levels of antisemitism across the UK.
Data obtained by the newspaper showed there were only 10 arrests linked to antisemitic incidents on the rail network during the same period.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism told The Telegraph: “By not tackling anti-Semitism head-on, you send a message that Jews are fair game.
“Our polling shows that a staggering 70 percent of British Jews would not feel comfortable physically or verbally disclosing their Jewish identity on public transport. BTP must ensure that transport in Britain does not become a no-go zone for Jews.”
The figures come at a time of heightened concern about the safety of British Jews. In April, two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green in an attack being investigated by Counter Terrorism Policing. The same month saw a series of suspected arson attacks affecting Jewish-linked sites in north London, including an attempted attack on Finchley Reform Synagogue, a fire at a former Jewish charity building in Hendon and damage to a cabinet beside the Golders Green memorial wall.
Last month, Metropolitan Police figures showed antisemitic hate crimes in London had risen sharply, while the government announced an additional £25 million in security funding for Jewish schools, synagogues and community centres following the Golders Green attack.
Before Hamas’s 7 October 2023 massacre in Israel, around 70 antisemitic incidents were typically reported to British Transport Police each year. The latest figures indicate that number has more than tripled.
Earlier this year, the Community Security Trust recorded 3,700 antisemitic incidents nationwide during 2025, the second-highest annual total ever recorded by the organisation.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, criticised the low number of arrests, telling The Telegraph: “This is an abject failure. Anti-Semitism, often perpetrated by Islamist extremists, is a scourge that leaves our Jewish community feeling unsafe on the streets. Just ten arrests is pathetic.
“When it comes to policing tweets, there is no such reticence. With anti-semitic attacks on the rise, we need better from the police. The Palestine marches, where many people have freely displayed anti-semitic content, have helped to fuel this.”
Responding to the figures, a British Transport Police spokesperson said: “Abuse, intimidation, and violence – especially that which is motivated by hate – will never be tolerated, and we have acted swiftly and decisively when we receive reports of hate crimes on the network.
“The outcome of every investigation depends on several factors, including the available evidence, identification of a suspect or suspects, victim engagement, and whether the legal threshold is met for prosecution.”
The figures, covering the year to 30 April 2026, have prompted concern among Jewish organisations amid continuing high levels of antisemitism across the UK.
Data obtained by the newspaper showed there were only 10 arrests linked to antisemitic incidents on the rail network during the same period.
A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism told The Telegraph: “By not tackling anti-Semitism head-on, you send a message that Jews are fair game.
“Our polling shows that a staggering 70 percent of British Jews would not feel comfortable physically or verbally disclosing their Jewish identity on public transport. BTP must ensure that transport in Britain does not become a no-go zone for Jews.”
The figures come at a time of heightened concern about the safety of British Jews. In April, two Jewish men were stabbed in Golders Green in an attack being investigated by Counter Terrorism Policing. The same month saw a series of suspected arson attacks affecting Jewish-linked sites in north London, including an attempted attack on Finchley Reform Synagogue, a fire at a former Jewish charity building in Hendon and damage to a cabinet beside the Golders Green memorial wall.
Last month, Metropolitan Police figures showed antisemitic hate crimes in London had risen sharply, while the government announced an additional £25 million in security funding for Jewish schools, synagogues and community centres following the Golders Green attack.
Before Hamas’s 7 October 2023 massacre in Israel, around 70 antisemitic incidents were typically reported to British Transport Police each year. The latest figures indicate that number has more than tripled.
Earlier this year, the Community Security Trust recorded 3,700 antisemitic incidents nationwide during 2025, the second-highest annual total ever recorded by the organisation.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, criticised the low number of arrests, telling The Telegraph: “This is an abject failure. Anti-Semitism, often perpetrated by Islamist extremists, is a scourge that leaves our Jewish community feeling unsafe on the streets. Just ten arrests is pathetic.
“When it comes to policing tweets, there is no such reticence. With anti-semitic attacks on the rise, we need better from the police. The Palestine marches, where many people have freely displayed anti-semitic content, have helped to fuel this.”
Responding to the figures, a British Transport Police spokesperson said: “Abuse, intimidation, and violence – especially that which is motivated by hate – will never be tolerated, and we have acted swiftly and decisively when we receive reports of hate crimes on the network.
“The outcome of every investigation depends on several factors, including the available evidence, identification of a suspect or suspects, victim engagement, and whether the legal threshold is met for prosecution.”
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