Friday, April 19, 2024
Met apologises after ‘openly Jewish’ comment by officer near pro-Palestine demo
The Metropolitan Police has apologised after an officer used the term "openly Jewish" to an antisemitism campaigner who was threatened with arrest near a pro-Palestine march.
Gideon Falter, chief executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, was wearing a kippah skull cap when he was stopped from crossing the road near the demonstration in the Aldwych area of London on Saturday afternoon.
The video clip showed one police officer saying to him: "You are quite openly Jewish, this is a pro-Palestinian march, I'm not accusing you of anything but I'm worried about the reaction to your presence."
Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said the officer's "poor" choice of words was "hugely regrettable".
He said: "The video posted by the Campaign Against Antisemitism will further dent the confidence of many Jewish Londoners which is the opposite of what any of us want.
"The use of the term 'openly Jewish' by one of our officers is hugely regrettable.
"It's absolutely not the basis on which we make decisions, it was a poor choice of words and while not intended, we know it will have caused offence to many. We apologise."
Mr Falter said he had been walking in the capital after attending synagogue and was not there to counter-protest.
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Thursday, April 18, 2024
Rockland Hasidic leaders hope to salvage sacred Torah scrolls after fire destroys synagogue
Members of a Rockland County synagogue are praying they will be able to salvage special religious documents after a fire destroyed their place of worship in Pomona.
News 12 was there as the sacred Torah scrolls were removed from the rubble, with the congregation looking on in anticipation.
Contractors first pulled a safe from what was left of Chassidim of 110, a Hasidic synagogue on North Ridge Road.
Then, a crew from Chaverim EMS of Rockland used heavy duty tools to open the safe to retrieve the scrolls inside.
Everything – including the safe – fell into the basement as the inside of the building collapsed.
"It was very waterlogged," said Steven Goldenberg of Chaverim EMS, "heavy and had bolts from all three sides."
The Chaverim team then carefully bagged the scrolls for transport to a local expert who will figure out whether and/or how the scrolls can be repaired.
Local police, firefighters and the New York State Bureau of Criminal Investigation were on site most of Wednesday.
They said they are looking into where the fire started, how it started and whether it might have been set on purpose.
"Our detectives are working along with the Rockland County Sheriff's Department's arson unit to try to figure out a point of origin and what could have possibly caused this," Haverstraw Police Capt. John Gould Jr. said, "but it's going to take some time. As you can see, there's a lot of rubble and debris that they have to sift through."
Meantime, the congregation and the EMS crew who extracted the scrolls can only wait.
"We have to see how it looks like," said Chaverim EMS technician Joseph Margaretten. "Hopefully we'll be able to dry it out. But as of now, I have no idea what it looks like."
Congregants said that if the expert finds that the scrolls have been damaged beyond repair, the scrolls will be buried in accordance with Jewish law and tradition.
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Monday, April 15, 2024
Jewish students say Columbia University must address antisemitism ahead of DC hearing
Jewish students from Columbia University who've experienced campus antisemitism will head to DC on Wednesday — when president Minouche Shafik gets grilled about what she's doing to address the problem, The Post has learned.
The students will also personally meet with Rep. Elise Stefanik, one of the members of the House of Representatives that will be flinging questions at the Ivy League leader.
Stefanik's pointed questions during prior hearings led to the ouster of the presidents of Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania, who gave fumbling answers about handling antisemitism.
"The unchecked antisemitism at Columbia is not exclusive to their campus but is part of a widespread systemic moral rot rampant through our higher education system," Stefanik, chairwoman of the House Republican Conference chairwoman, told The Post.
"From openly calling for the genocide of Jews to swastikas scattered across campus property, antisemitism has become commonplace at Columbia, making its Jewish students feel unsafe," she went on. "I am honored to meet the brave students from Columbia University who are bravely sharing their experiences of the inexcusable antisemitic harassment that they face. This senseless hate has no place on American campuses."
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Friday, April 12, 2024
Orthodox Jewish man stabbed multiple times outside Rockland County home: reports
An Orthodox Jewish man was stabbed multiple times outside his Rockland County home, according to reports.
The victim, who was not initially identified by authorities, left his home in New City at around 8:30 p.m. Thursday to get something from his car when he was accosted, according to Hamodia.
The suspect asked the victim a question, then attacked him with a knife — stabbing him eight times before fleeing, according to the report.
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Thursday, April 11, 2024
Ten Jewish students file lawsuit against Cooper Union for failing to address surge in antisemitism
Private college Cooper Union failed to adequately address the surge in antisemitism on campus following October 7, claim 10 Jewish students in a lawsuit filed on their behalf Thursday by the Lawfare Project and Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP.
According to a release, this failure led to a terrifying incident for Jewish students on October 25 when an anti-Israel demonstration ended with Jewish students locked in the school library as a demonstrators shouted antisemitic slogans while pounding on the glass walls and trying to force the doors open.
Police were called to the scene, however lawyers said the president of Cooper Union directed them to stand down, leaving the students frightened and trapped inside.
According to the lawsuit, the president's failure to intervene on behalf of the students is one of many examples in which the school has ignored the safety and security of its Jewish student community.
Lawsuit addresses campus failures to protect Jewish students
"Cooper Union has failed to adequately protect not just our clients but other Jewish students on campus in the face of pro-Hamas hate," Brooke Goldstein, founder and executive director of The Lawfare Project said in the release. "No student should be subjected to intimidation, fear, or hatred when pursuing an education."
The Lawfare Project has filed several lawsuits against other universities, including Carnegie Mellon and Columbia, for their failure to protect Jewish students on campus, the release said.
"Despite the alarming rise in antisemitism, colleges across the United States are turning their backs on Jewish students," Ziporah Reich, director of litigation at The Lawfare Project, said in the release. "We will do everything we can to fight for our clients as they courageously assert their rights under the law."
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Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Rare 254-year-old Jewish manuscript found in Bnei Brak home
An exceptional Hebrew manuscript dating back to 1770 was recently uncovered in a house in Bnei Brak. The manuscript was penned by Rabbi Shabtai Marshakov, who meticulously recorded the teachings and practices of the Baal Shem Tov – the founder of Hasidism. The homeowner's grandfather, who was an avid collector of ancient sacred texts, purchased the manuscript during his lifetime.
The 237-page document is written on thick, well-preserved paper. It was crafted over two and a half centuries ago in what is now Ukraine and Moldova by Rabbi Shabtai of Rashkov, a disciple of the Baal Shem Tov. Rabbi Shabtai was known for his transcription of numerous Kabbalah and Hasidic books. This particular manuscript went on to form the foundation for one of the most pivotal works in Hasidic and Kabbalistic literature: Rabbi Shabtai's prayer book, which was published in 1794, 24 years after the manuscript's completion. This prayer book serves as a primary reference for the Hasidic prayer tradition and numerous Hasidic customs.
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Tuesday, April 09, 2024
Philadelphia police show support for the Jewish community on the six-month anniversary of the Israeli attack
Exactly six months after the attack on Israel, Philadelphia police hosted a listening session with the local Jewish community to hear some of their growing concerns.
"We just wanted to be here to express support for our community, especially the Jewish community, and some of the concerns and fears that we have had since October 7," Joel Meyerowitz said.
Since the conflict in Israel, people in Philadelphia and surrounding areas have been nervous, especially families with young children and those who survived the Holocaust, according to the Jewish Federation.
"When they see anti-Semitic graffiti, when people shout things from their cars, when synagogues or Jewish institutions are vandalized with swastikas and hate messages, it brings up the worst feelings," said Philadelphia police chaplain David Kushner.
In a show of support, the Philadelphia Police Commissioner, along with other officers and members of the State Police, came out to make sure they understood exactly what the Jewish community needs.
"There has been such a rise in anti-Semitism, we see it in the schools, we see it in the streets, and it's important for us to have a strong relationship with the elected officials and the police," said Robin Schatz , Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. .
"We've been very aware of that for some time and have taken a kind of elevated stance and will continue to do so in making sure we do everything we can to make them feel safe," said Philadelphia Police Chief Kevin Bethel .
The director of the secure community network says that between 2022 and 2023, reports of anti-Semitic incidents increased 500 percent, from 20 reports to 119 in Philadelphia and surrounding areas.
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Monday, April 08, 2024
Anti-Jewish Hate Couldn’t Stop 2,200 Students at Shabbat Dinner
A mega Shabbat dinner on Friday night served to unify the Jewish community of Binghamton University in New York with a record 2,200 students participating.
The Rohr Chabad Center for Jewish Student Life sponsored the April 5 event, saying that it was the largest gathering of students in one place for a Shabbat dinner.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of a community-wide Shabbat meal that began with 1,000 participants in 1994 and was led by Binghamton co-directors Rabbi Aaron and Rivkah Slonim.
Today, there are 4,000 Jewish students at Binghamton; 1,500 of them are active with Chabad during the school year in one capacity or another.
"There's a very special feeling in the room for those who put their whole heart and soul into making it and for those who experience what may be their once-a-year connection to Judaism," said Goldie Ohana, programming director of Rohr Chabad Center at Binghamton.
"It means everything to me to just spend the night together in unity," said Michal Levine, a junior, who volunteered to help coordinate the event.
It took a collective effort to pull this feat off. Some 235 student volunteers came together to organize, set up and coordinate the Shabbat dinner, which was free and open to all students, faculty and staff.
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Friday, April 05, 2024
New York police report 43 antisemitic incidents in March, reversing downward trend
New York Jewish Week via JTA — Antisemitic crimes in New York City spiked in March, reversing a month-by-month decline in the number of anti-Jewish incidents recorded by the NYPD.
There were 43 antisemitic incidents in the five boroughs reported to police last month, more than double the 17 reported in February. Anti-Jewish crimes spiked after Hamas's devastating October 7 onslaught, with 69 incidents in October and 62 in November.
The rate declined after that, with 31 incidents in both December and January and 17 last month. March's tally was the highest so far this year.
New York, on January 12, 2024. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images/AFP)
New York Jewish Week via JTA — Antisemitic crimes in New York City spiked in March, reversing a month-by-month decline in the number of anti-Jewish incidents recorded by the NYPD.
There were 43 antisemitic incidents in the five boroughs reported to police last month, more than double the 17 reported in February. Anti-Jewish crimes spiked after Hamas's devastating October 7 onslaught, with 69 incidents in October and 62 in November.
The rate declined after that, with 31 incidents in both December and January and 17 last month. March's tally was the highest so far this year.
The reason for the spike wasn't immediately clear, but the number of antisemitic hate crimes has fluctuated unpredictably in the past. In January 2022, for example, there were 15 antisemitic crimes reported to police, then in February there were 56, and in March, 23.
The pattern of anti-Israel protests in the city may also play a role, according to the Community Security Initiative, which coordinates security for Jewish institutions in the area. CSI believes protesters are increasingly targeting Jews and Jewish institutions. This could elevate more commonplace crimes into potential hate crimes, said Mitch Silber, the initiative's director.
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Thursday, April 04, 2024
Race to save historic record of Jewish life threatened by Ukraine-Russia war
Urgent efforts are under way to ensure that a unique record of early-20th-century Jewish life, which was collected by one of the leading Yiddish writers, survives the Russia-Ukraine war.
S. Ansky's The Dybbuk is probably the most famous work of Yiddish literature, along with Sholem Aleichem's stories of Tevye the Milkman, although Ansky never lived to see it performed.
From 1912 to 1914 the author — whose real name was Shloyme Zanvl Rappoport — headed an ethnographic expedition to document the legacy of Ashkenazi Jewry across the Pale of Settlement, gathering manuscripts, objects, amulets and all kinds of Judaica.
"He was aware that revolution was coming, that modernity was taking over. He wanted a record of what that life was," explained Jonathan Brent, executive director of the Yivo Institute of Jewish Research, which was set up in Vilna, Lithuania a century ago and is now based in New York.
Ansky's mission was interrupted by the First World War and the Russian revolution and he died in 1920. His collection was split into three parts: one is housed in Yivo, another in the Jewish Institute in St Petersburg, and the third in the Judaica department of the Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine in Kyiv.
"To this day, 110 years after the end of the Ansky expedition, there has never been a complete presentation of the materials he found," Brent said. "His dream of making the material known to the wider Jewish world never materialised. That is what we hope to do digitally."
The idea of reuniting the collection came to him during a trip in 2013 on his first visit to Kyiv. "I saw materials collected by Ansky that I didn't know existed. The archivist showed me the notes Ansky made at the Beilis trial in 1913: he was a witness to the last blood libel trial in Europe. They have never been published. A lot has never seen the light of day."
But now the historic collection is in danger following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the bombardment of Kyiv and other cities.
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Wednesday, April 03, 2024
Jews outnumber anti-Israel rally against ZAKA at NJ synagogue
Hundreds of Jews rallied at the Bnai Yeshurun synagogue in Teaneck New Jersey on Monday to counter anti-Israel protesters that had come to disrupt a planned ZAKA search and rescue organization event sharing eyewitness accounts of the October 7 massacre.
Jews from communities across the region stood in front of the synagogue with Israeli and American flags, outnumbering the dozens of protesters with Palestinian and Yemen flags. The Bergen County Jewish Action Committee told The Jerusalem Post that they estimated around 3000 participants. The Teaneck Police Department placed the figure at 1000 people from both sides.
The police said on Tuesday that they arrested New York City resident Isaac Chacarria for spitting in the face of an individual from the opposing side as the events concluded. BJAC said that the man arrested was an anti-Israel protester.
In videos of the rallies, anti-Israel protesters can be heard calling for intifadas, chanting "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," and cussing at the pro-Israel side.
Englewood resident Ami Kozak said that he had also heard protesters singing "There is only one solution, Intifada, revolution," and one man saying to the Jewish residents "You're done."
Kozak said he had come near the end, but that the chants of the anti-Israel protesters had been drowned out by the pro-Israel counter-protesters. They sang songs such as Am Yisrael Chai, chanted "Bring them [Hamas hostages] home," and sang the Israeli and American national anthems.
"The Pro-Hamas mob screamed their typical chants but were drowned out by the most beautiful rendition of Hatikvah," he said.
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Tuesday, April 02, 2024
Stop & Shop making donation to help address food insecurity among Jewish community
Stop & Shop will soon make a big donation ahead of Passover to help address the growing issue of food insecurity among the Jewish community.
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Monday, April 01, 2024
Jewish woman who confronted Met Police officer after he said a swastika banner held at a pro-Palestine rally 'needed to be taken in context' says the force needs 'basic education'
A Jewish woman who confronted a Met Police officer after he said that swastikas 'need to be taken into context' when she reported seeing them at a pro-Palestine protest has said the force needs 'basic education'.
Jocelin Weiss, 30, was blown away after being told by police that the Nazi symbol was 'not necessarily anti-Semitic or a disruption of public order' when she saw it being displayed on a poster of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Met has sparked a major backlash, including on US news websites, after video emerged of an officer seemingly justifying the use of swastikas to Ms Weiss at Saturday's march.
Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Ms Weiss - who moved from America to London 18 months ago - said: 'By the time I spoke to the guy that was in the interaction that was filmed, that was like the fourth officer that I had spoken to.
'I really had to go up the chain of command, only for him to tell me that the symbol in and of itself was not anti-Semitic and that it required context.
'I was just very surprised that conversation even happened. I just could not believe what came out of his mouth and part of me was almost curious to know whether he would then backtrack and realise what he said was crazy.
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Friday, March 29, 2024
Picture of murdered woman's body with Hamas terrorists wins 'prestigious' award, angering Jewish community
A university sparked anger in the Jewish community and on social media by bestowing an award for a photo of the body of German-Israeli dual citizen Shani Louk, who was killed by Hamas terrorists.
Louk was the subject of a photo that helped the Associated Press take home "Team Picture Story of the Year."
The award, which is a program of the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism, gave its first place spot to a series of photos by AP photographers. The picture of Louk is featured on the institute's website.
The photo of Louk's body being displayed was taken by freelancer Ali Mahmud and captioned in part: "Heavy Israeli airstrikes on the enclave has killed thousands of Palestinians. Palestinian militants drive back to the Gaza Strip with the body of Shani Louk, a German-Israeli dual citizen, during their cross-border attack on Israel, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023."
"This premiere category recognizes the collaborative effort of a photography staff covering a single topic or news story," the site about the award states. "It is a narrative picture story that consists of images taken as part of a team effort to cover a single issue or news story."
Some social media influencers criticized the release of the photos, especially of Louk, online.
"Photos showing violence and death can be newsworthy or important when they humanize the dead or galvanize the public," senior fellow at the Tel Aviv Institute, Hen Mazzig, wrote in a post on X Thursday. "The 'winning' photo does neither; it only further dehumanizes Shani, retraumatizes her family, and legitimizes Hamas's actions under the guise of journalistic neutrality."
"There is a dead body of a partially unclothed human being, a young woman who was brutally murdered and probably raped. This cannot be real. Please remove this photo," one user wrote, according to the Jerusalem Post. Another wrote, "She has a name. Shani Louk. Her family specifically requested that we remember her laughing and living. Take this down and show some respect. If you want to post our Shani, find a photo she consented to."
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Thursday, March 28, 2024
Orthodox Judaism Today
When Connecticut senator Joseph Lieberman became the Democratic vice presidential candidate in 2000, the public suddenly turned its attention on Orthodox Judaism, with pundits and journalists explaining the dos and don'ts of Shabbat and dietary laws. But Lieberman himself eschewed the label "Orthodox" in favor of the less denominational "observant," and many within the Orthodox community disliked the fact that Lieberman became, in the world's eyes, the example of the Orthodox life.
More recently, President Donald Trump's Jewish daughter and son-in-law, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, also have made "Orthodox" a household word — and drawn some criticism for compromises in their observance.
Lieberman, in many ways, represents an Orthodox Judaism of decades past, one that integrated more seamlessly than today's Orthodoxy with mainstream, secular society. Orthodox Jews since the 1970s have grown greatly in numbers, self-confidence, and public profile; at the same time, they have shifted to the right socially and religiously, refusing to make what they see as the compromises that their parents' and grandparents' generations made to fit into American society.
The outward signs might be subtle but they are not insignificant — the fact that Lieberman doesn't wear a yarmulke and that he sometimes voted in the Senate on Shabbat , even if he did walk home afterward. It is less likely that tomorrow's Orthodox politician will do likewise, a tension that came to the fore when Lieberman was criticized by some Jews for drinking water during the Tisha B'Av fast.
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Wednesday, March 27, 2024
UK Jewish child doxxed for wearing IDF costume on Purim
Angry anti-Israel activists widely shared an unblurred picture of a British Jewish child dressed up as an IDF soldier in Stamford Hill on Purim on Monday, with some social media users comparing the boy to a Nazi and calling for an investigation by counterterrorism police.
The picture of the boy wearing a mock IDF paratrooper uniform equipped with a toy rifle as part of the traditional Purim masquerade and carnival was shared by accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers.
"Jewish child walking around Olinda Road mosque in Stamford Hill, London, dressed as an 'IDF' member carrying an assault rifle," X account War Monitor said to its almost one million followers. "Disgusting and despicable behavior as usual from these people."
Dilly Hussain, deputy editor of the Muslim news blog "5 Pillars UK," shared the child's photo with his almost 100,000 followers.
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Tuesday, March 26, 2024
The rapping rabbi who swapped hardcore partying for Hasidic hip-hop
Unique and weird could certainly sum up the path Moshe Reuven has taken.
The 31-year-old rabbi has swapped a party-hard lifestyle for a music career, seeing him become one of the most popular rap megastars in Israel and worldwide, with nearly 2 million Instagram followers and counting.
The Florida-born Jewish hip-hop star, who spoke to Metro.co.uk via Zoom in a rare gap in his increasingly busy schedule, reflected on his unlikely life trajectory, telling us: 'Ultimately, to be authentic, to be my true self – that's the only option I have, and that's what I'm here to do.'
That's not to say it's been an easy road.
Moshe, who goes by the Hebrew name he was given at birth, was known as Marc growing up, and he got his passion for music from his family, with seemingly everyone from aunties to parents and his brother having some kind of musical skill.
Inspired by the likes of Kid Cudi and Kanye West (more on that later), he wrote songs from a young age, finding his way in the world of music as he grew and found new experiences.
In high school, he was one of the popular kids, going out for nights at a time, getting engrossed in the party lifestyle before a bad experience after getting spiked at a party gave him an awakening.
'If you saw those scenes in high school movies, we were really crazy in that regard,' he admitted.
'From that to then start praying to God every day and trying to stop drinking, changing my values to be focused on living a good life and having a good impact on the world around me.'
The rabbi, ordained in 2021, added: 'I was sacrificing the whole fun life to try to do what God wants me to do. And that was really difficult for me.'
While friends – some he's still in touch with, others drifted away – were going in one direction in college, Moshe was going the other, which was a 'real conflict' and a blessing at the same time.
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Friday, March 22, 2024
Hasidim enjoy life – Is that allowed at this time?
Sometimes we see Hasidic Jews doing strange things and wonder about them. They seem to live on another planet, or are stuck in a time long past. However, if you turn your perspective around and look at the modern world with its grinning politicians, teenagers who can't take their eyes off their phones and many other "achievements" of our time, you might understand why these groups choose isolation and concentrate fully on religious life.
At the moment this contrast is particularly clear in Israel, because on the one hand we are in a war that was triggered by a terrible massacre and in which our holy soldiers die almost every day. On the other hand, we are in the Jewish month of Adar, in which the wise men urged us to be especially full of joy. This joy culminates on Purim, which is celebrated on Sunday.
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Thursday, March 21, 2024
Jewish visitors shocked PLO flag hung at gravesite of Mordechai and Esther
Iran's Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Yehuda Gerami, visited the graves of the heroes from the Purim story, Mordecai and Esther, in the Iranian city of Hamdan on Thursday together with members of the local Jewish community.
The members of the Iranian Jewish community visit the grave site to pray every year on the Fast of Esther, a day believed to have special merits.
In recent months, the site has suffered attacks, including a fire, by protesters who were enraged that the authorities protect the site. The rabbi and his entourage were surprised to see a Palestinian flag flying outside the gravesite complex.
It should be noted that the local authorities protect the site and have not given in to calls by extremists to nationalize the site.
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Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Jewish film festival in Canada latest event to be canceled over ‘security concerns’
Concerts, book talks and other cultural events are increasingly being canceled because of security concerns about protests over Israel's war in Gaza.
The Playhouse Cinema in Hamilton, Ontario, about 40 miles from Toronto, became the latest venue to call off a Jewish-themed event when it announced Tuesday that the annual Hamilton Jewish Film Festival would not be held in the theater as scheduled in April.
The festival is sponsored by the local Jewish federation. "After receiving numerous security and safety related emails, phone calls, and social media messages, the Playhouse Cinema reached a difficult decision to postpone the Hamilton Jewish Federation's venue rental," the theater said on X. Owners of the theater did not respond to emailed requests for comment but said online that the theater's mission is "to be a welcome home to a variety of cultural groups."
The federation said in a statement it was "outraged" that the event was canceled due to a "small number of complaints and threatening emails objecting to the fact that Israeli films are included in this year's line-up." The festival program included a thriller about Holocaust denial, The Man in the Basement, and The Boy, about life on the Israel-Gaza border, made by an Israeli filmmaker who was murdered in Hamas' attacks in Israel on Oct. 7. The federation promised to stage the festival later this year in its own newly renovated facility.
The federation said complaints received by the theater included "claims by a few individuals that any film produced in Israel is a form of 'Zionist propaganda.'" Canceling the festival in response to such charges, the federation said, is "prioritizing the will of antisemites over an apolitical cultural festival that stands for artistic excellence and integrity."
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Tuesday, March 19, 2024
Over 450 Jewish Hollywood creatives denounce Jonathan Glazer’s ‘Zone of Interest’ Oscars speech in open letter
More than 450 Jewish creatives and professionals in Hollywood are denouncing "Zone of Interest" director Jonathan Glazer's speech from the 2024 Oscars.
In his speech, Glazer, 58, drew parallels between Nazi Germany and the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
"We refute our Jewishness being hijacked for the purpose of drawing a moral equivalence between a Nazi regime that sought to exterminate a race of people, and an Israeli nation that seeks to avert its own extermination," the open letter, which was obtained by The Post, read.
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Monday, March 18, 2024
So far, 56% of reported hate crimes in 2024 have targeted Jewish people, Toronto police say
Toronto has seen a 93 per cent increase in the number of reported hate crimes since the Israel-Hamas war began compared to the same time period a year earlier, the city's police chief says.
Chief Myron Demkiw told the Toronto Police Services Board on Monday that there have been 989 calls for service related to hate crimes in the 163 days since Oct. 7, when Hamas launched a surprised attack on Israel that subsequently saw Israel invade Gaza.
Over that period, Demkiw said officers have responded to an average of about 157 hate crime-related calls every month.
Police have confirmed 203 hate crimes in that timeframe, resulting in 69 arrests and 173 charges, most commonly for mischief, uttering threats and assault, he said.
"The impact of geopolitical unrest abroad continues to affect people worldwide, including in Canada and right here in Toronto," Demkiw said.
While December and January saw a relative lull in hate-related calls, incidents ballooned in February, according to Demkiw. That month saw a 67 per cent jump over January, he explained.
A total of 84 hate crimes have been reported in 2024 thus far, with 56 per cent of those classified as antisemitic in nature, Demkiw said. February saw the highest number of reported antisemitic hate crimes of any month in the last three years, he told the board.
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Friday, March 15, 2024
'It's got much worse': Jewish people in Belgium say friends have packed bags ready to flee amid spike in antisemitism
A Holocaust survivor in Belgium says she knows Jewish people who have packed their bags ready to flee amid a spike in antisemitism.
Regina Sluszny, 84, from Antwerp, says incidents have rocketed since the outbreak of the latest conflict between Israel and Hamas.
Authorities in the city, which has the largest Hasidic Jewish population in Europe, say they received 90 reports of antisemitism in the first six weeks following the 7 October Hamas attacks last year.
"In Antwerp, the Jews are much more visible with these black coats and big hats, and bunches of boys go by, and they just try to throw the hat on the floor, or when they drive with the bicycle, they try to push them from the bicycle," Ms Sluszny says.
"We really feel it - that it's much, much worse than it was before."
Ms Sluszny says some people are so scared, they've packed bags in case they have to flee.
"People who had family who didn't come back from Auschwitz, they are very scared. They think it's going to start again."
Rabbi Chaim Parnas supports 700 families at his synagogue in Antwerp - but in the last five months he says life in the Jewish community has changed.
"Since 7 October, there is a heightened police presence in this whole neighbourhood," he says.
"It's something you feel as you walk around the streets. You actually see the police much more often."
Belgium, like much of Europe, has seen a spike in antisemitism linked to the Israel-Hamas conflict, leaving many Jews feeling afraid.
The rabbi says some people have asked if they can remove the traditional mezuzah from their doors so that people walking past can't identify Jewish homes.
He understands the fear. He says slurs and intimidation are increasingly common.
"I don't know why I have to be afraid to walk down the university corridor and someone's going to shout 'Dirty Jew'.
"But for some reason that's legitimate as long as I'm Jewish. I became part of the conflict, and I am a target for those who are anti-Israel," he says.
The attacks aren't just verbal, dozens of Jewish graves were desecrated in Charleroi cemetery in southern Belgium in November.
Beatings, assaults and Holocaust denial have also been reported, according to human rights group the Interfederal Centre for Equal Opportunities and Opposition to Racism (UNIA).
One teenager, Daniel, says he was chased because he is Jewish.
"A couple of months ago, I went out with a friend, and we were chased and kids were screaming, 'You want to die? We'll kill you'," he says.
The teenager says kids from different backgrounds used to happily hang out together in the park, but now Jewish children risk being attacked.
He's been threatened and chased with a razor.
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Thursday, March 14, 2024
Sarasota man sentenced for threatening Jewish organizations in New York
A Sarasota man was sentenced in Federal Court for threatening Jewish Organizations in New York. Deep Alpesh Kumar Patel (21, Sarasota) was sentenced to six months in federal prison for transmitting an interstate threat to injure.
Patel pleaded guilty on December 15, 2023.
According to the plea agreement, on October 21, 2023, Patel left a threatening voicemail at a Jewish organization in New York City identifying himself by name and screaming, among other expletives, "If I had a chance, I would kill every single one of you Israelis. Every single one of you! Cause mass genocide of every single Israeli." Patel also admitted that he had called a synagogue in Temple Terrace, Florida the same day, and left a voicemail threatening voicemail laced with expletives. As part of a hate crimes penalty enhancement, Patel agreed that he intentionally selected Jewish and/or Israeli individuals as the objects of his threat based on their actual or perceived race, religion, national origin, or ethnicity.
"No one should live under the threat of violence or intimidation because of their religion, race, ethnicity or beliefs," stated U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida Roger Handberg. "We will continue working with our law enforcement partners at every level to investigate and prosecute those who threaten harm to any citizen as we stand united against hate."
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Joint Terrorism Task Force, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Sarasota Police Department.
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Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Three Breslov hasidim named as victims of fatal accident
Three teenagers from the "Shuvu Banim" community of Breslov hasidim were killed Wednesday morning in a deadly traffic accident on Route 60, near the town of Givat Assaf in the Binyamin Region.
The three were trapped in the vehicle. Rescue teams that arrived at the scene extracted them from the vehicle, and they were pronounced dead at the scene.
The teens have been identified as Matityahu Bezanson, Meir Fisher, and Nachman Wozne. Fisher's parents are currently in the US, and have received notification of their son's death.
Bezanson is the grandson of Rabbi Yisrael Yitzhak Bezanson, a prominent Breslov hasid and the rabbi of the Shir Hadash congregation in Tel Aviv, where the three studied in yeshiva.
The teens were making their way home from praying at graves of righteous individuals in the area. For a reason which is yet unknown, the driver lost control of the vehicle, hit the guardrail, and the vehicle overturned in the wadi.
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Tuesday, March 12, 2024
NYPD: Investigation ‘Ongoing’ in Alleged Assault of Jewish Girl in Brooklyn
Surveillance camera footage that circulated on social media appeared to capture an antisemitic attack on March 8 in Brooklyn, N.Y.
A spokesperson for the New York City Police Department told JNS that a 15-year-old girl "states she was waiting for the bus when an unknown suspect struck the victim in the left ear with a closed fist, causing pain and swelling."
"The suspect fled on foot," the police spokesperson added. "There are no arrests and the investigation remains ongoing."
Rabbi Yaacov Behrman, who works in communications for the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, shared video footage from the Crown Heights Shomrim community watch group on social media and wrote that the girl is Jewish.
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Friday, March 08, 2024
Adviser warns London a 'no-go zone for Jews every weekend'
Robin Simcox also urged ministers to "be willing to accept higher legal risk" when tackling extremism.
Rishi Sunak's spokesman said the PM took concerns of extremism "extremely seriously" and noted a rise in both antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred.
March organisers said Jewish people did not need to be scared of the events.
Writing in the Telegraph, Mr Simcox said Mr Sunak had been right to point to an increase in extremist disruption.
He said he now needed the "policies to meet the scale of the challenge".
He also said the government already had "more power to tackle extremism than it sometimes thinks".
"We have not betrayed democracy if extremists are no longer able to operate television channels," he said.
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Thursday, March 07, 2024
Terrified Jewish students flee campus after abuse from 100-strong mob
Terrified Jewish students are fleeing Exeter University campus after being surrounded and abused by a mob of 100 students while manning an Israel stall.
The Jewish students said they were were left feeling "broken" by the experience, during which one members of the crowd shouted that they had "killed" her brother.
Third-year International Relations student, Rojin-Sena Cantay, who helped put the information stall together in the university forum on Wednesday, said: "It was our first stall since October 7, we wanted to put the other side to students who have been protesting for Palestine every week.
"Instead, we were harassed and abused.
"Fruit squash was aimed at the Israeli flag on the stall, and it went all over my coat. It was red Robinson's squash, I think they wanted to make it look like the flag had blood on it, but it didn't work, it went all over us instead."
Shortly after the stall went up between 2 and 3.30 pm a crowd started gathering to harass the Jewish students.
"Pictures were being taken that would have been sent all over student WhatsApp groups," Cantay alleged, and more and more anti-Israel students arrived to surround the stall.
The group felt trapped, "we didn't know if we could leave, we were surrounded".
On the table were several fliers that provided information on the conflict, but Cantay said that students "ripped them up and threw them in our face."
Cantay went on, "They referred to us as 'you' while referring to the actions of Israel, blaming us for the actions of a state thousands of miles away.
"I had a woman come into my face and scream that I killed her brother. I told her, 'I haven't killed your brother, Hamas killed your brother'."
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Wednesday, March 06, 2024
Ashdod rabbi orders religious certification of wigs
The rabbi of the Gur hasidic community in Ashdod, Rabbi Shmuel David Gross, has stated that members of the community must be careful not to purchase wigs originating from idol worship.
For that reason, the rabbi also instructed his community to buy wigs only from manufacturers certified by a specific religious inspection authority which he claims ensures that the wigs in question are free from any such concerns.
The announcement caused considerable consternation in the city, as the rabbi had until now refrained from issuing a ruling on this matter. Similar controversy has occurred in previous years regarding rulings on wigs, but the rabbi had refrained from issuing such instructions at the time.
Rabbi Gross' retinue has explained that he has now conducted a new review of the matter, leading to his decision.
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Tuesday, March 05, 2024
Bill providing security funding to Jewish day schools, preschools heads to governor’s desk
A bill that would provide recurring security funding to full time Jewish day schools and preschools passed through the Senate floor and will now head to the governor's desk.
Rep. Randy Fine, R-Palm Bay, carried HB 1109, which passed through the Senate Tuesday with a 39-0 vote. Sen. Joe Gruters, R-Sarasota, sponsored the Senate version of the bill.
The bill would require the Florida Department of Education to establish a program to provide security funding to the Jewish day schools.
Gruters said that since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, the Jewish community institutions nationwide have reported an increase of 290% related incidents since last year.
He said the incidents include several Florida Jewish day schools who have received swatting, or threatening, emails and phone calls.
The senator pointed to Jewish day schools' enrollment increase being up 50% over the past five years as the numbers of schools have doubled.
He said between the increasing enrollment and the "rising antisemitism," security costs have risen on average 47%.
Florida lawmakers ended a November special session where multiple pieces of legislation related to Israel became law. One new law bolstered funding for security at institutions such as Jewish day schools.
Gruters said the bill allows that process of recurring funding for Jewish day schools to continue at each regular legislative session, "if deemed necessary" through the General Appropriations Act process.
The bill is now headed to the governor's desk for final approval.
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Monday, March 04, 2024
Teen suspect in stabbing of Jewish man in Zurich expressed solidarity with Islamic State group
Swiss police say the 15-year-old suspect in the stabbing of an Orthodox Jewish man in Zurich over the weekend had appeared in a video expressing solidarity with the banned Islamic State group, and called himself a "soldier" in its self-described caliphate.
Zurich cantonal police security chief Mario Fehr told reporters Monday that authorities were investigating whether the teen, who was not identified, had acted alone or as part of a group. Officials said the suspect was a Swiss national.
"He refers to the IS (Islamic State), describes himself as a soldier of the caliphate," Fehr said of the video that authorities had authenticated. He denounced the stabbing Saturday as a "terrorist" and "antisemitic" attack. The suspect was arrested at the scene.
In one video, the suspect referred to the attack in Arabic and called for a "battle against the Jews," Fehr said.
Authorities said the 50-year-old victim was critically injured but his life was no longer in danger. Swiss police have stepped up security around certain sites with a Jewish connection as a precaution.
Switzerland was largely spared the extremist attacks across Western Europe and beyond in the mid-2010s, when the Islamic State group held large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria and was drawing radical fighters and others to join its self-described caliphate.
Jewish leaders, rights groups, authorities and others in Switzerland and beyond have decried a surge of antisemitism since the deadly Oct. 7 attacks and hostage-takings by Palestinian militants in Israel.
In response, the Israeli government has led a ferocious military campaign in Gaza, where the attacks were launched, that has killed at least 30,000 people, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
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Friday, March 01, 2024
Amid War in Israel, NYC hosts Memorial to Mark 30 Years Since Antisemitic “Brooklyn Bridge Shooting” Terror Attack
A memorial event marking the 30th anniversary of the 1994 Brooklyn Bridge terror attack will take place on Friday, March 1st at 12 PM. The memorial ceremony will honor the memory of Ari Halberstam, a 16 year old hasidic Yeshiva student, who was murdered on the Brooklyn Bridge by an Islamic terrorist in the attack.
On March 1, 1994, a van carrying 15 Hasidic Jewish teenagers was ruthlessly gunned down by an Islamic terrorist on the Brooklyn Bridge, in one of New York City's worst pre-9/11 terror incidents. Among the victims, and the sole fatality, was 16-year-old Ari Halberstam, whose mother Devorah became one of the nation's leading anti-terror activists and educators.
The memorial ceremony will feature NYC Mayor Eric Adams, Devorah Halberstam, Ari's mother, who has become a counter terrorism expert. Ms. Halberstam campaigned to have the investigation of her son's murder classified as a terrorist incident, not a road rage incident as initially classified, by the Department of Justice and FBI.
Recognizing that at the time that law enforcement did not understand the threat and nature of terrorism, in 2001 Ms. Halberstam helped author New York State's first laws to counter terrorism. Through her tireless advocacy efforts, Ms. Halberstam has played a pivotal role in promoting antiterrorism legislation to prevent future tragedies. The ramp to the Brooklyn Bridge, where Friday's event will be held, was renamed the Ari Halberstam Memorial Ramp in her son's memory.
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Thursday, February 29, 2024
'Zionists not welcome:' Jewish Santa Barbara students face harassment at Multicultural Center in US
On Tuesday, Jewish students were harassed at the University of California Santa Barbara's Multicultural Center (MCC) when signs and messages targeting a Jewish student government president and other Jewish students were placed at the MCC, its social media accounts, and a student dorm room earlier that day and on Monday.
According to Santa Barbara Hillel, its staff members and a group of Jewish students entered the MCC where there were signs on the door warning "Zionists not allowed." The students were confronted by a mob of their peers, who shouted at them, said SB Hillel.
Antisemitic Signs
"Zionists not welcome," was found on Tuesday scrawled on the door of a dorm room door with an arrow pointing to a Mezuzah, a religious talisman traditionally placed on every door frame in a Jewish home.
"Can these anti-zionists make their antisemitism any more obvious?" SB Hillel wrote on Instagram. "When hate persists unchallenged, it spreads."
Most of the signs were placed outside and inside the MCC on Monday, many of them targeting Associated Student President Tessa Veksler. Veksler shared examples of the signs on her Instagram account on Tuesday.
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Wednesday, February 28, 2024
Violent mob forces Jewish students to evacuate through tunnel at UC Berkeley event
A pro-Israel event at UC Berkeley turned chaotic Monday night as Jewish students were forced to evacuate through underground tunnels due to a violent mob of anti-Israel protestors.
The event, titled 'Israel at War: Combat the Lies,' featured Ran Bar-Yoshafat, an IDF reservist who served in Gaza during the current war.
According to reports, several hundred protestors gathered outside the Zellerbach Playhouse, chanting "Intifada! Intifada!" and banging on doors. The situation escalated when the protestors broke a glass door and attempted to force their way into the building. In the chaos, multiple students were injured, with one young woman reportedly hurt while trying to hold a door shut against the aggressive mob.
Eyewitnesses recounted disturbing scenes of physical aggression, with one student witnessing a girl being grabbed by the neck and shoved. Another student reported being verbally assaulted with anti-Semitic slurs and spat at.
Faced with the escalating violence, security guards directed event attendees to evacuate through underground tunnels to ensure their safety. The protest, organized by Bears for Palestine, a local affiliate of the Students for Justice in Palestine movement, drew condemnation from university officials.
University spokesperson Dan Mogulof described the protest as "despicable" and confirmed damage to a door and multiple windows. He criticized the "willingness and readiness of that mob to engage in violent behavior."
Bar-Yoshafat, the IDF reservist, condemned the protestors' actions, emphasizing that the incident was not just an attack on Israel or Jews but also a violation of Western values like freedom of speech. He expressed concern for the safety of the students caught in the chaotic situation, noting that many were shocked by the unexpected violence.
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Tuesday, February 27, 2024
Minister Goldknopf says it’s a ‘mitzvah’ to vote for Hasidic Agudat Yisrael party
Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf it is a "mitzvah" to vote for the Hasidic Agudat Yisrael party — one of the parties that make up the national United Torah Judaism party — in local elections.
Goldknopf says the ultra-Orthodox public must listen to its rabbis as "they and only they determine our conduct."
"This is the time to express absolute loyalty and obedience — and vote for Agudat Yisrael."
Historically, Haredi Jews largely vote in blocs for the same candidates and on the issues laid out by community leaders.
This approach can be seen in every election.
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Friday, February 23, 2024
'My grandmothers' passports were stamped Juden and they ended up in Bergen-Belsen - now my baby's has been marked', say the Jewish parents targeted by Passport Office workers. 'It is a warning sign'
There is a new, second security camera facing the door of Israel and Dorin's cosy North London home.
The first went up shortly after they returned from a family holiday to Jerusalem that coincided with the October 7 massacre, a truly terrifying experience that saw them cowering in a safe room with their three young children.
Knowing from bitter experience that whenever there is tension in the Middle East that Jews are likely to be targeted, back in London, the couple quickly moved to protect themselves and their three children.
The extra layer of security, however, came only this week after the British-Israeli couple — and their darling five-month-old baby daughter Ronnie, all smiles and chuckles when I visit them at home — suddenly found themselves on the frontline of the war against anti-Semitism.
Shockingly, it emerged little Ronnie's birth certificate had been defaced by a Home Office employee after being submitted for her first passport application.
When the certificate was returned in the post, her parents were distraught to see that her father's place of birth — Israel — had been crossed out and the document ripped.
The impact on them has been seismic. Put simply, they no longer feel safe — even here, in their peaceful London suburb.
'My heart beats a little faster each time the doorbell goes,' admits Dorin, 29, talking for the first time about their ordeal and revealing that she now also carries a self-defence spray in her handbag. 'I check and check again who it is before I open the door.'
Her husband, meanwhile, admits he fears a 'Molotov cocktail' could be thrown through their window as revenge for speaking out.
Indeed, so intense are their concerns that they could be targeted the Mail is withholding their surname from this interview.
Their brave disclosures — in a tense week that saw MPs express concerns that they could be attacked over a Gaza ceasefire vote, and the Hamas slogan 'From the River to the Sea' projected onto Big Ben — has caused a furore about the growing levels of anti-Semitism in the UK.
Home Secretary James Cleverly attempted to calm matters on Wednesday, saying 'some staff' members of Sopra Steria — a Paris-based company contracted to process British passports — had been suspended pending an investigation.
But Dorin and Israel are still justifiably on edge. After all, when you apply for a passport each and every personal family detail is disclosed.
If such private details are in the hands of such seemingly committed anti-Semites, how safe can this Jewish family be, even in leafy area?
'They have our names, our address, our ages — they know practically everything except my waist size,' says Israel, 32, the owner of a drain engineering company. 'They are handling the most sensitive information and they don't appear to be good people.'
For as the couple reflect, while Israel is a war zone, the UK feels menacing to Jews in a different, but no less palpable, way.
'What happened to us, and all the things that are going on, has made me wonder whether we have a future here — whether our children do,' he continues. 'The people singing "From the River to the Sea" down the streets and in our universities might one day be our leaders.'
Indeed, just a few weeks ago, Dorin saw a schoolboy on her street tearing down posters begging for the release of one of the hostages from October 7.
Shockingly, the posters were of nine-month-old Kfir Bibas, the youngest hostage to be seized by Hamas, whose fate remains unknown.
'I asked what the boy was doing and he just shouted "Free Palestine",' she says. 'This beautiful baby has been kidnapped by terrorists. Where did people get this hate from?
'There is a whole new generation being schooled in anti-Semitism. They don't want us here; they don't want us there; they don't want us to exist. We are a people who try to fit in. We aren't criminals, and this hatred follows us.'
Both parents look down at their smiling baby, utterly unaware of the headlines her birth certificate has created around the world.
'She's a drama queen and she doesn't even know it,' smiles Israel lovingly, as he plants a kiss on her head.
But as he and Dorin discuss in detail what happened, his face becomes grim; at points, they both become emotional.
The story started two weeks ago when they sent off Ronnie's birth certificate for her first passport.
Attached to the back of it was something called an 'apostille certificate' which requires a lawyer's certification, and is necessary for dual nationals to prove the signature and stamp of any UK document is genuine — something Ronnie would need if she also gets an Israeli passport.
Her first British passport arrived last week. Then, a few days later, her birth certificate was returned. The word Israel is on it three times, as place of birth for both parents, and as her father's name. Her father's place of birth had been furiously crossed out. As for the tear, it was clearly intentional.
'When I saw the rip I thought, "Could this have happened by accident?"' says Dorin. 'But it is not a small cut. And when I turned it over, I saw that it went through the apostille [too]. And then I realised that the word Israel had been crossed out.
'Then I became scared; we know there have been many instances of anti-Semitism and then it comes through my letterbox, into my home. How can anyone have so much of a problem with us that they would do this to a baby — not even a child but a baby?'
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Thursday, February 22, 2024
Why This Non-Jewish Congressman Quoted a Famous Hasidic Rabbi
A Very Narrow Bridge" is a popular Hasidic song, one that is embraced by Jews of all denominations.
The words to it, which are from the writings of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, the 18th-century founder of a Hasidic sect, are "The entire world is a very narrow bridge; the main thing is to vanquish fear."
It's a good song for the Sabbath table, or when a friend needs solace.
Also, we now know, for a congressional hearing.
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., who is a cable news favorite for his confrontational posture toward President Donald Trump and who is not Jewish, quoted Rabbi Nachman in advising Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, to stay the course however hard the times.
Rosenstein appeared Thursday before the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee to field questions about the investigation led by special prosecutor Robert Mueller into alleged ties between Russia and Trump's campaign and transition team. Rosenstein hired Mueller and because Attorney General Jeff Sessions has recused himself from the investigation, is the only man who can fire him.
Rosenstein repeatedly defended Mueller against calls by Republicans that the special prosecutor should step down because of allegations of bias on his team.
Swalwell had a sometimes tense exchange with Rosenstein, who refused to divulge the nature or even frequency of his conversations with Trump. Swalwell wanted to know if Trump was attempting to influence Rosenstein or press him to fire Mueller. But Swalwell also made clear he admired Rosenstein's forbearance in defending Mueller and advised him to stay the course.
"Mr. Deputy Attorney General, your investigation is a very narrow bridge," Swalwell said. "The important part, I believe for our country is for you to not be afraid. In these trying times, we need you to be fearless. We have a president who is willing to involve himself in ongoing investigations that involve he and his family."
I asked Swalwell about the quote's origins. "It's a quote from Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav," he said in an email. "Occasionally, it comes to mind."
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Wednesday, February 21, 2024
IDF will have to draft ultra-Orthodox Jews without new law, A-G says
The State of Israel will be forced to draft ultra-Orthodox Jews into the IDF if a new bill is not brought into law by April 1, attorney-general Gali Baharav-Miara stated in a letter to the High Court of Justice on Wednesday.
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Tuesday, February 20, 2024
Marjorie Taylor Greene Applauds Jewish Couple Carrying Semi-Automatic Rifles at Wedding, “It’s Real”
Nachman Mostofsky, Executive Director and Vice President of the organization Amariah, shared a wedding photo of a newly married Orthodox Jewish couple in Lakewood, New Jersey. The young bride and groom are smiling at each other while holding semiautomatic guns.
Mostofsky, who describes himself as an "American Conservative and Zionist," reported that "The photo is not AI. It's real." He added: "Because Orthodox Jews have had enough of liberals allowing antisemites to attack us. Mazel tov to the young couple!"
U.S. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) replied: "This is GREAT! Mazel Tov!!"
Below is a photo of Mostofsky with former President Donald Trump whom Mostofsky refered to as "the future Two-Time Champion!"
Greene is not the only MAGA loyalist to support Mostofsky and Amariah, (אֲמַרְיָה) which means in Hebrew, "promised by God."
The organization, which teaches Zionism and "Strong Republic American Exceptionalism" promotes endorsements from MAGA supporters including former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and former Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, both of whom have traveled to Jerusalem with Amariah.
Note about the Lakewood Orthodox community: In November, Rabbi Avi Schnall, a former registered Republican, won a state Assembly seat as a Democrat in the 30th Legislative District in Monmouth and Ocean counties. He beat four-term incumbent GOP Assembly Ned Thomson "by a comfortable 11,400-vote margin. Voter turnout topped 30% in the district, high for an off-year election."
Ben Dworkin, director of the Rowan Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship, said of Schnall's anomalous win: "The leadership of that constituency made a specific decision to put one of its own in the Legislature. But they did not want to be in the Republican minority. And so, even though they are part of a deep red Ocean County, they rallied behind Rabbi Avi Schnall to elect him as a Democrat."
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