Thursday, July 27, 2023

07/27 Links Pt2: Fight Antisemites, Not Antisemitism; Palestinian Refugees Were Used as a Political Prop; 'Shut Up or Else!' The True Link between Islam and the Left

From Ian:

A List of Communities in Ashkenaz Obliterated by Violence During the Black Death
The Black Death, which erupted across Europe and lasted for about four years (1347-51), caused immense devastation, and it appears that the mortality rate among the European population was between 25% and 45%. The immediate consequences of that pandemic had a significant impact on the Jewish population, as the Jews were accused of poisoning the wells that led to the outbreak of the plague, which spread on a massive scale. Throughout Europe, severe persecutions against Jews began, resulting in the death of many Jews and the extinction of hundreds of communities. Various sources, both Hebrew and Christian, bear witness to these events, preserved in our hands, descendants of that time and later.

Knowledge of Jewish martyrology during the Middle Ages, specifically lists documenting Jews who were martyred for sanctifying the Name of God, has been preserved in the manuscript books of various communities, primarily in Germany, which were collected by Siegmund Salfeld, Das Martyrologium des Nürnberger Memorbuches. Information regarding the events of the Black Death is somewhat fragmented. Salfeld heavily relied on one of the manuscript books, but he also supplemented the lists with information from other sources, including individual prayers and elegies that address those persecutions. Additional lists pertaining to martyrdom have been conserved in Hebrew manuscripts.

An unknown memory list has been preserved in a compilation of legal and liturgical texts from the 14th century, or possibly slightly thereafter, which were bound together and written on parchment in various Ashkenazi scripts. This compilation is housed in the library of the University of Gießen in Germany, and it includes: (a) a prayer book following the Ashkenazi custom, (b) laws of prayers according to Rabbi Elazar ben Nathan (Rabbanite), (c) Sha’arei Dura by Rabbi Yitzchak ben Meir Dura, (d) a collection of prayer customs following the “Würzburg” and “Mainz” traditions, (e) Tashbetz by Rabbi Shimson ben Tzadok.

In Hebrew manuscripts, it is common for the owner to add something from a source that is at their disposal in an empty space in the manuscript. Here, someone added a list of communities during the outbreaks of the Black Death in Germany. They undoubtedly saw a need for it, as it would serve them in the prayer of “Yizkor” (Remembrance). In this compilation, a prayer book according to the Ashkenazi custom can also be found, and through this addition, they sought to express the devastation that befell German Jewry during these difficult events. It is unclear whether the individual recorded the names of the communities from memory or copied an existing list. The exact date of its composition is also unclear. I estimate that it was written in the second half of the 14th century or shortly thereafter. Indeed, a similar list is not recognized in our records. It should be noted that there is no direct connection between this list and the accompanying text. A digital photograph of the manuscript was provided to me by Mr. Olof Schneider of the mentioned library in Gießen, and for that, I am grateful.
MEMRI: Fight Antisemites, Not Antisemitism
The rise in violent antisemitism in the West is so significant that the White House, the European Union, and the United Nations have all taken action to devise strategies to counter this phenomenon. This document will address historic and modern antisemitism, will analyze recent national and global strategies for combating it, and will suggest an effective strategy and plan of action.

It is critical to understand that there is no such thing as "combating antisemitism" without combating antisemites themselves, in the same way that one cannot fight crime without fighting criminals or fight terrorism without fighting terrorists. As will be explained below, any strategy that deviates from this principle constitutes an evasion on the part of governments from their responsibility to protect targeted minorities.

Antisemitism – A Historical Perspective
Antisemitism is a multifaceted millennial phenomenon with deep roots in Christian[1] and Islamic traditions, and it would be presumptuous to suggest that antisemitism can be eradicated. Every era has had its own distinct expression of antisemitism, including blood libels, the Black Plague, accusations that the Jews were poisoning wells, The Protocols of the Elders of Zion conspiracy, and accusations that the Jews foment revolutions throughout the world.[2] Today, one of the most prominent antisemitic conspiracy theories in the West is that the Jews are implementing a plot to replace whites in America and Europe with minorities.[3]

Antisemitism and Israel
Over the past century, the Israeli-Arab conflict (and later the Israeli-Palestinian conflict) has been serving as a catalyst for antisemitism aimed at Jews outside of Israel, even though these Jews have little or no connection to the conflict or to the State of Israel.[4]

In modern history, two solutions to antisemitism arose among Jews: The first was to assimilate, and the second – Zionism – was to establish a Jewish state and bring to it all the Jews from the diaspora, thus transforming the Jews into a nation among the nations and ending antisemitism. Neither answer appears to have solved the problem of pervasive antisemitism.
Palestinian Refugees Were Used as a Political Prop
In "Palestinians Deserve a Passport" (op-ed, July 20), Abdullah Ektileh justly focuses on the abominable treatment Palestinians have been given by Arab governments. Where, in the great population exchanges of the 1940s, Muslims were absorbed into Pakistan, Hindus into India, Silesian Germans into West Germany and Jews from Arab lands into Israel, the Palestinians were an exception.

Rejected by their fellow Arabs, who largely kept them cooped up in camps and fed a diet of hatred and revenge from birth, Palestinians were meant to be a tool for a war of total destruction against the Jewish state. Eventually, the plan backfired and, after the (barely) failed attempt of radicalized Palestinians to overthrow the Jordanian monarchy, they became too dangerous to absorb. To this day, they suffer from their exclusion by their fellow Arabs, while directing their passionate hatred toward Israel.

The Oslo agreement intended for them to become citizens of a Palestinian state, one offered by Israel in 2000, 2001 and 2008. During what was supposed to be a transition period, Oslo granted them autonomy under the Palestinian Authority. But the PA has flatly refused all those offers of statehood and promoted terrorism, even making payments to Palestinians who kill Jews. By their policies, the Arab states created a monster that terrifies them and also has made the two-state solution, one perfectly sensible in theory, a practical impossibility.

The Palestinian leadership's last card has been posing as victims. While that has succeeded in whipping up a worldwide wave of Jew-hate, it has done nothing to help the Palestinians themselves.


UNHRC fails in addressing human rights
While turning a blind eye to countries rife with human rights abuse, the UNHRC is obsessed with condemning Israel, a free democracy. Every year, Israel is subjected to more condemnatory resolutions than any other country. During the first 10 years since its inception, from 2006-2016, the UNHRC passed 68 condemnatory resolutions against Israel, which was more than the rest of the entire world combined.

Like its predecessor organization, the UNHRC follows a certain agenda that is composed of 10 agenda items. All countries have their human rights records scrutinized under Agenda Item 4. However, Israel is the only country on the UNHRC’s permanent agenda, which is inspected under special Agenda Item 7 (“Human rights violations and implications of the Israeli occupation of Palestine and other occupied Arab territories”). The Palestinian Authority, Syria, North Korea, and other council members routinely accuse Israel of crimes and human rights violations without mentioning Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, or the PA.

Moreover, Israel has been the focus of more commissions of inquiry than any other country. There have been at least nine commissions of inquiry on Israel, while there has only been one commission of inquiry on North Korea and two on Libya, Myanmar, and Syria. Additionally, more special sessions have been held on Israel than on any other country.

Although no country in the world, including Israel, is above scrutiny, when one country is constantly subjected to condemnation, while simultaneously ignoring human rights abuses in other countries, it significantly hinders the UNHRC’s credibility and its ability to address human rights concerns.

In order to address the UNHRC’s ineffectiveness, the UN body should no longer use regional groupings when allocating seats. Instead, the UNHRC needs to base membership on a country’s human rights record and use objective standards when evaluating its human rights record. This would help the UNHRC in fulfilling its purpose of upholding human rights.
Sweden approves Torah burning in Stockholm outside Israeli embassy
Stockholm police have granted a woman in her 50s permission to hold a public gathering outside the Israeli embassy on Friday during which the woman plans to “light the Torah with a lighter,” as reported by SVT Nyheter.

The woman stated in her application that the gathering is a “manifestation for children’s rights in Sweden that are systematically violated.” The event is expected to be attended by four people and is scheduled to take place at 12 noon on Friday.

Responding to the upcoming gathering, Mats Eriksson, the press spokesperson for the police, revealed that they are engaging in a dialogue with the organizer and other parties, including the Israeli embassy, to address potential concerns and ensure safety.

Strong condemnation of burning of sacred text
Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer, expressed strong condemnation of the woman’s intention to burn the Torah, a sacred book revered by the Jewish people. He described the event as “shameful” and stated that it cheapens the sacred value of the Torah and hurts Jews worldwide.

Minister Sofer called for the authorities in Stockholm to take immediate action and cancel the planned provocative event, emphasizing the importance of respecting religious sentiments.

"Unfortunately, the burning of holy books starting with the Quran and ending with the Torah is spreading like wildfire," an official in the Jewish community in Sweden told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.

"This is a woman who is just looking for attention, [she's] not sane. We hope she won't actually burn the book. We are working with the police to clarify that there is no freedom of speech in this case."

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen responded to this report on Thursday. "I am appalled by the further threat to burn a Torah scroll in Sweden. The threats to harm holy books and Torah books must be stopped.
China’s Middle East Ambitions Start with Economics, but Don’t End There
As America becomes increasingly aware of the strategic danger posed by the People’s Republic of China, conventional wisdom gravitates toward the opinion that Washington must turn its attention away from other parts of the world and toward East Asia and the Pacific Rim. But such an approach misreads Xi Jinping’s goals. Yair Albeck explains:

In Beijing’s grand design, the Middle East plays an indispensable role. But Western analysts have often misjudged China’s interests in the region as purely commercial. While Xi values the region for its economic potential, he sees it as one of the most important arenas of competition with the United States.

In the United Arab Emirates, China has constructed facilities at Khalifa Port and a pipeline stretching from the major oil field in Habshan to the Port of Fujairah. China has also invested in the Duqm Port in Oman. These projects demonstrate China’s focus on bolstering its trade with the Gulf and ensuring the smooth flow of oil from the region. Consequently, it is emerging as a dominant player in renewable energy and a major participant in the fossil-fuels market.

These endeavors lay the groundwork for a prospective military presence, in accordance with Beijing’s long-articulated principle of “first civilian, then military.” Because the Middle East is vital for China’s energy future, this approach will further solidify China’s long-term energy security and improve its self-sufficiency.

To maintain its leadership role in the Middle East, the U.S. needs to demonstrate its commitment to ensuring the security of its allies in the region. To this end, Washington possesses one crucial advantage over Beijing: the ability to back its commitments with military power. This advantage should form the core of any long-term vision the U.S. presents to its regional partners. Washington should explain how it will ensure stability and prosperity, prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, and stop Tehran’s proxy attacks on U.S. allies. Otherwise, the U.S. risks creating a vacuum that only Beijing can fill.
The “Al-Imam Hussein Brigade”- The Assimilation of a Shiite Militia into The Syrian Army’s 4th Division, As Well as its Attacks on Israeli and US forces:
Iran is attempting to seize command of the Syrian army. The takeover was achieved in part by the assimilation of Shiite militias into the Syrian army. According to our assessment, the “al-Imam Hussein Brigade” militia (or at least some of its subunits), also known by its operatives as the “Lions of the Fourth Division” or “Maher al-Assad’s Men,” was integrated as an organic force within the 4th Division, and the militia operatives actually became division soldiers. The 4th Division has evolved into an Iranian proxy, reporting directly to the Quds Force, which conducts direct offensive operations against Israel and American soldiers in Syria. Maher al-Assad (brother of President Bashar al-Assad) commands the 4th Division.

The “al-Imam Hussein Brigade” is a militia made up of sub-units (militias) primarily made up of Syrian operatives (Sunnis, Druze, and Shiites) and Iraqi operatives (of Shi’ite background). In 2017, militia unit operatives began identifying themselves as “al-Imam Hussein Brigade” operatives. The Al-Imam Hussein Brigade began fighting alongside the Syrian Army against opposition forces and ISIS under the Quds Force’s patronage and Lebanese Hezbollah’s patronage. The militia mostly fought alongside the Syrian Army’s 4th Division (see Appendix A – Combat Zones). Along with Iraqis and Syrians, there are Lebanese, Afghans, Pakistanis, Yemenis, Sudanese, and others. According to our understanding, some of the sub-units (militias) that comprise the “al-Imam Hussein Brigade” have been operating and fighting separately since the beginning of Syria’s civil war and have been united under the “al-Imam Hussein Brigade” since 2016.

Amjad al- Bahadli, the first commander of the “al-Imam Hussein Brigade”, died of a heart attack in 2017. Sheikh Amjad al- Bahadli was an Iraqi-born member of the Al-Sadri movement. He resided in Syria before the civil conflict began. Amjad al- Bahadli, the first commander of the “al-Imam Hussein Brigade,” appears in one of the videos standing in front of one of the Sayyida Sukhina (daughter of Ali ibn Abi Taleb) temples, saying, “Thank Allah, because this is the first time in five years that we have held prayers in this temple.” “We thank the Syrian leadership, led by Hussein of this generation, Bashar Hafez al-Assad, and the Fourth Division, led by Maher al-Assad, for returning the Temple of Sayyida Sukhina to its loved ones, as well as everyone who participated in this operation from both the Western and Eastern Ghouta (See link to video).

Another video shows Amjad al- Bahadli, in an open area, encouraging his men to fight for Syria. ” Labik Ya Syria” (we are at your command, Syria), ” Labik Ya Bashar Assad” (we are at your command, Bashar Assad). In the film, Amjad states, “We are part of the mixed and united Syrian army, fighting a cruel enemy who does not distinguish between a Shiite, Sunni, Alawite, or Druze fighter, we are brothers, and we will fight together for Syria.”


Secretary of State Blinken: Regarding Iran, Israel Will Make Its Own Decisions about Its National Security
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Sunday: "We're now in a place where we're not talking about a nuclear agreement. We are very clearly making it known to them [Iran] that they need to take actions to de-escalate, not escalate, the tensions that exist in our relationship across a whole variety of fronts. We'll look to see if they do that....We are working across a whole series of lines of effort to push back on them, to make sure we have a strong deterrent."

"We are in very close contact and coordination with Israel, just as we are, actually, with a number of other countries that are deeply concerned about Iran's nuclear program as well as its many other destabilizing activities in the region. Countries have to make their own decisions about their national interests, their national security. We obviously share views, share information, seek to work together. But fundamentally, Israel will make its decisions about its national security." (U.S. State Department)
US State Department to brief lawmakers on suspension of Iran envoy Robert Malley
Details remain sketchy, but Robert Malley confirmed at the beginning of the month that the U.S. State Department had suspended him from his role as special envoy for Iran.

Malley, who as an undergraduate penned a 1980 Yale Daily News article stating that anyone who opposes Nazism should see Palestinians as “the Jews of the Jews,” also confirmed that his security clearance was suspended following an internal departmental probe earlier in the year.

Congress has long been asking Foggy Bottom for an update on Malley’s situation, and of late, reports have been circulating that House Foreign Affairs Committee leaders will finally have the chance to grill State Department officials.

“We continue to be in communication with Congress and be in communication about their requests for additional information and briefings on this matter, including correspondence with the House Foreign Affairs Committee,” said Vedant Patel, principal deputy State Department spokesman, during the department’s press briefing on July 26. “We anticipate that we’ll be providing them additional briefings shortly.”

On July 12, Matthew Miller, the department’s spokesman, had said that in certain areas, including investigations, “the longstanding practice of the executive branch that is backed up by significant jurisprudence, including a Supreme Court ruling” is that “it is not appropriate to turn over information to the Congress.” Asked if that was the case no matter the investigation’s outcome, Miller responded: “I just don’t want to speak to where we might be at some point down the road.”

The Tehran Times, an official Iranian publication, had reported that Malley was asked to go on leave on April 21. On July 11, Miller would only confirm for reporters that “on June 29th, Rob stopped performing the duties of the special envoy for Iran. He went on leave several weeks before that, but I can’t say it with any more degree of specificity.” (On June 29, Miller had confirmed in a press briefing that Malley was still the special envoy on Iran.)
The Next Generation of Iranian Ballistic Missiles
On May 25, 2023, Iran's minister of defense, Gen. Mohammad Reza Qaraei Ashtiani, unveiled the fourth generation of the Khoramshahr liquid-fuel ballistic missile, named Kheibar.

The message to Israel implicit in the name was unmistakable. Before the Islamic era, Kheibar was a fortified oasis north of Medina, Saudi Arabia, inhabited by Jewish tribes. In CE 628, the Jews there were defeated by Muslim armies.

The missile has much in common technically with the North Korean Hwasong-10. Iran is thought to have received several Hwasong-10 missiles from North Korea in 2005 for reverse engineering purposes.

The Khoramshahr is clearly capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. Moreover, Iranian military sources claim the new missile can carry a cluster warhead capable of dispensing up to eighty submunitions.

Tehran has framed the Khoramshahr as a direct threat to NATO and Europe, including the operational Aegis Ashore missile defense sites in Romania and Poland, which were commissioned to defend against Iran's ballistic missile threat.
Iran Helping Russia Build Drone Stockpile "Orders of Magnitude Larger" than Previous Arsenal
Analysts from the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency said Friday that the drone-manufacturing facility now under construction in Russia with Iran's help is expected to provide Russia with a new drone stockpile that is "orders of magnitude larger" than what it has been able to procure from Iran to date. Tehran has denied providing drones for Russia.

In April, the U.S. released a satellite image of the location of the drone manufacturing plant, inside Russia's Alabuga Special Economic Zone, 600 miles east of Moscow. When the facility is completed early next year, the new drones could have a significant impact on the conflict, the analysts warned.
Iran claims to arrest Zionist-linked Bahá'í 'spy network'
Members of the Iranian regime’s intelligence service in the northern Gilan province had announced the discovery of a “Baháʼí spy network” arrested in the province, Iranian pro-regime media claimed.

Iran’s religious regime has persecuted Baháʼís for decades.

The latest report at Tasnim News says that Iran’s regime members in the city of Rasht on the Caspian Sea had issued a statement claiming to uncover a cell of “Baháʼí” who were part of a “spy party.” The article claims that those arrested “were directly and indirectly related to a Zionist center.”

The article claims that the people who were arrested had sought to revive the Baháʼí religious group in the Gilan province and they had used “aggressive propaganda.” Regime: Baháʼís seeking to colonize local Iranian culture

The article goes on to accuse the Baháʼís of seeking to “colonize” the local culture and spread educational assistance to people. They were accused of targeting “music schools for children and teenagers” and accused of the crime of working in the field of “theater” and “acting” and even “directing.” The charges appear to be entirely fictitious and an attempt to slander and smear the Baháʼí minority in Iran.

Many people in Iran in recent years have sought to distance themselves from the regime via protests and also by seeking to even look to other religions and ideologies as a way out of the regime’s all-encompassing attempt to control people. The article reveals how much the regime is afraid that people will use music and theater to escape the country’s religious extremists.

The article claiming a Baháʼí conspiracy is part of a larger context of Iranian media claiming that the regime has busted various “dissidents” involved in “terrorism” and “sabotage.”


Iranian chess player who removed hijab gets Spanish citizenship
An Iranian chess player who moved to Spain in January after she competed without a hijab and had an arrest warrant issued against her at home has been granted Spanish citizenship, Spain said on Wednesday.

Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, better known as Sara Khadem, took part in the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships held in Kazakhstan in late December without the headscarf that is mandatory under Iran's strict Islamic dress codes.

Mandatory hijab laws in Iran
Laws enforcing mandatory hijab-wearing became a flashpoint during the unrest that swept Iran when a 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, died in the custody of the morality police in mid-September.

The 26-year-old has told Reuters she had no regrets over her gesture in support of the protest movement against her country's clerical leadership.

Spain's official gazette said the cabinet approved granting Khadem citizenship on Tuesday "taking into account the special circumstances" of her case.
NGO says Iran is 'doubling down' on hijab crackdown
Iranian authorities have in recent months launched an intensified crackdown against women deemed to have violated the Islamic Republic’s strict dress rules, Amnesty International said


'Shut Up or Else!' The True Link between Islam and the Left
Rather, the ultimate goal is to condition you never to publicly challenge such sacred "dogmas" -- that you never openly blaspheme against or openly apostatize away from this new cult, thereby encouraging others to blaspheme and apostatize -- the dreaded snowball effect which every regime fears.

As with Islam, the Left cares little if in the quiet of your own mind you refuse to play along. All that matters is that you formally go along -- that you formally acquiesce -- even if through silent though implicit consent.

In short, the Left wants you to dread the consequences of openly defying their narrative, one which, like Islam, is also built atop an easily collapsed pack of cards.

This is what many miss. They tell themselves, "Well, I won't openly say anything against these nonsensical claims concerning gender, pronouns, etc. -- after all, I don't need to be canceled or lose my job. That said, I certainly know better."

That may well be true, but by not openly opposing these dogmas, the Left establishes a monopoly on the narrative, which is all that matters.

Returning to Islam, we see that it has been and continues to be swift in silencing any public dissent -- to the point that sharia calls for the execution of blasphemers and apostates. As a result, Islam perseveres -- fourteen centuries now and counting -- even though many Muslims have serious reservations in the quiet of their mind if not downright apostasy in their hearts.

How long before such sharia-like laws -- I don't mean being "canceled," but being imprisoned and possibly executed for openly challenging the Left's narrative -- are promulgated in the West?

Think that can't happen here? Think again. Former generations of Americans could never in their wildest dreams have imagined what's currently happening (as when people get fired or arrested for refusing to disavow science and say a man is a woman and vice versa). If the current trajectory continues unchallenged, where will the West be, and what will the punishments meted out to dissenters be?

Such is the plight of the slowly boiling frog.
Ex-Malaysian PM says he rejects ‘Jewish propaganda’ about six million dead
One of the world’s most prominent Muslim politicians, the former prime minister of Malaysia, says he rejects “Jewish propaganda” about the Holocaust and does not mind being labelled antisemitic.

Questioned by the JC after his recent controversial tour of Britain, Mahathir Mohamad claimed that sympathy for Holocaust victims was “wasted and misplaced” and that Jewish people “dominate the banking system”.

His comments came as one of the mosques that hosted the 98-year-old’s UK lecture tour apologised for its part in his visit.

Mohamad, who throughout his long political career has repeatedly attacked Jews and Israel, delivered a lecture at the Dar Ul-Isra Mosque in Cardiff as he toured Britain last month. Tweet message Mahathir Mohamad. interview with Islam Channel Founder Mohamed Ali Harrath.

Mohamad Alamgir, the mosque’s spokesman, has now written to Jewish leaders in the area to apologise for its involvement.

“The mosque was asked to host a talk for [Mohamad] and no one thought to look at his wider views,” Alamgir wrote.

“I deeply apologise on behalf of both myself and Dar Ul-Isra Mosque. We did not mean to cause any offence or hurt,” he continued.

“Our relationship is extremely valuable and important, and I pray this can be overlooked as an error in our due diligence. We stand against anyone who holds antisemitic views.”

Despite the move, Mohamad was unrepentant. Asked by the JC about his history of antisemitic remarks, he wrote: “I sympathised with the Jews of Europe who were being oppressed by the Nazis, being arrested and killed in their concentration camps.

“That was then, before the creation of the state of Israel, the oppression of the Arabs and the seizure of Palestine land to build Jewish settlements.”


‘The Book of Jews:’ San Diego Human Relations Commissioner Forced to Resign Over Antisemitic Comments
A member of San Diego’s Human Relations Commission was forced to step down this week following a furious response to antisemitic comments he proffered at a meeting of the body on July 18, in which he claimed that the Torah instructs Jews to murder Palestinians.

The resignation of the commissioner, Khaliq Raufi, was announced on Wednesday by San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson in a scathing statement.

“Commissioner Raufi’s ignorant comments were hurtful and in no way reflect my personal views, but they do highlight the urgent need to focus on education, bridge building, and to advocate for tolerance,” said Anderson, who appointed Raufi to the 31 member commission. “After meeting with Commissioner Raufi, I have received his resignation letter.”

The city’s Human Relations Commission — which answers to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors, the county’s legislative branch — was established in May 2020 to “promote positive human relations, respect, and the integrity of every individual regardless of gender, religion, culture, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, or citizenship status.”

At the July 18 meeting, which was recorded, Raufi told those in attendance that he had read a few verses of the Book of Deuteronomy — the fifth and final book of the Torah — calling it the “Book of Jews.”

“It states, ‘go kill Palestinians — wipe them all out,'” Raufi claimed. “It’s a teaching that they, on a daily basis, teach their followers in their synagogues. So how are we gonna resolve that?”

At this juncture, Raufi was interrupted by an observer, Sara Brown, the San Diego regional director of the American Jewish Committee (AJC), who pointedly asked him, “are you serious right now?”


Global National Tacitly Accuses Israel of Occupying Gaza & Repressing Israeli Arabs & Palestinians
In recent months, widespread disagreements over the Israeli government’s planned judicial overhaul have led to ongoing, large-scale protests across Israel.

The first stage of the reform passed on Monday, July 24, when Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, passed a core part of the legislation, which was followed by even more protests in multiple Israeli cities.

Unsurprisingly, the judicial overhaul news has received significant attention outside of Israel, including in Canadian news media outlets.

One recent report included a July 25 broadcast on Global National, filed by Crystal Goomansingh, Global News’ Europe Bureau Chief.

In the broadcast, Goomansingh shared the latest updates from the controversy in Israel, but finished the report with a highly inaccurate conclusion.

Goomansingh completed her broadcast by telling viewers that “With Israel’s far right government, that means Palestinians could suffer even more. Nearly seven million are repressed living under Israeli military occupation in Palestinian territories, including the West Bank.”

This statement, in addition to being an unfounded non-sequitur following coverage of Israel’s judicial overhaul controversy, is blatantly false.
CTV News, National Post, & Toronto Star Publish Misleading Report About Death Of Palestinian Man
UPDATE: We are pleased to note after lodging a complaint with the National Post, they have now amended their headline to acknowledge that the dead Palestinian man was an “alleged Palestinian gunman” and also included the IDF’s statement that the Palestinian man was armed and fired towards IDF officers in their article. We thank the National Post for taking immediate corrective action.

ORIGINAL ALERT: On July 26, CTV News, The Toronto Star, and The National Post published a report by the Associated Press entitled: “Palestinian man killed by Israeli troops during arrest raid in West Bank refugee camp”.

Untold in this headline or in the body of the report, Israel contends that the dead Palestinian man was actually a gunman. According to a Times of Israel report, the IDF said Palestinian gunmen opened fire toward Israeli forces, and rioters hurled stones and other objects. In response, IDF forces returned fire and hit an armed terrorist who had fired toward them.

CTV News, The National Post and The Toronto Star’s report only said: “During the incident, Mohammed Nada, 23, was shot in the chest and later died of his wounds, the Palestinian health ministry said.”

It’s imperative that Israel’s claim of the dead Palestinian being an armed combatant is included in the context of the headline and in the body of the article. Failing which, readers will be misled into believing that Israel wrongly killed an innocent Palestinian civilian, which nothing is further from the truth.
Guardian corrects Chris McGreals's error
In addition to being viscerally hostile to Israel and its supporters, the Guardian’s Chris McGreal is also often extremely careless with the details in his reports about the Jewish state. His latest article (‘A dark day for Israeli democracy’: US Jewish groups denounce Netanyahu’s judicial overhaul, July 24) reveals another example of his pattern of sloppy reporting. Here’s the relevant sentence:
After seven months of fierce debate, the Israeli government on Monday voted to limit the court’s ability to overturn laws and give politicians more control over judicial appointments.

The first part of that sentence is true, as the Knesset did, on Monday, pass a law revoking what’s known as “reasonableness” doctrine, limiting the Supreme Court’s ability to review and overturn government and ministerial decisions.

However, as McGreal’s colleague Bethan McKernan made clear in her Guardian report yesterday, the proposal to “give politicians more control over judicial appointments”, though part of the overall package of proposals that the coalition wants to pass, wasn’t voted on during Monday’s Knesset session. That specific bill will likely be debated and voted on after the Knesset’s lengthy summer recess.

We contacted Guardian editors, who upheld our complaint – removing the inaccurate part of the sentence highlighted above.
Guardian cartoonist admits 'car crash' Richard Sharp drawing was antisemitic
The Guardian cartoonist behind the controversial image of former BBC chairman Richard Sharp has realised what he drew was 'antisemitic'.

Martin Rowson drew a cartoon that depicted Sharp with “outsized, grotesque” characteristics that echoed traditional Jewish stereotypes in April.

After complaints about the contents of the image, which also included a pig’s head, a depiction of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as a puppet and Johnson sitting on a pile of money, the left-wing newspaper removed the drawing from its website and apologised to the Jewish community and Sharp.

Now writing in the paper on Wednesday, Rowson said drawing the cartoon was ‘a mistake’. His work has not appeared in the newspaper since.

He wrote: “After drawing a cartoon including antisemitic tropes, I am trying to respond in the best way I can: to apologise, to learn and to be vigilant.

“This mistake – though “car crash” comes closest in my mind to describe the jagged intermeshing of accident, chaos, loss of control, damage and huge hurt to blameless bystanders – happened within a context I’m very conscious of.”

Rowson added: "I had drawn an antisemitic cartoon, yet I had not been aware I was doing so."

He stressed that when he saw the cartoon “for what it was”, he was “consumed with deep, devouring shame.”

The cartoonist went on to recall several Holocaust related moments which he had kept thinking about since the cartoon was published.


J7 task force formed to address surge in anti-Semitism

Former Mexican president calls leading Jewish Mexican politician a ‘Bulgarian Jew’
Former Mexican President Vicente Fox apologized to the Jewish community after dismissing political opponent Claudia Sheinbaum, a frontrunner in the developing 2024 presidential race, as a “Bulgarian Jew.”

Fox, a right-wing populist and former Coca-Cola executive who was president of Mexico from 2000 to 2006, frequently critiques the country’s current left-wing president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, in public appearances. Last week, he complained in an interview about López Obrador’s move to stop monthly pension payments for retired presidents by using a derogatory slur to call out “lazy” people who “don’t belong in the government or in the country,” the Los Angeles Times reported.

Sheinbaum and other leaders of López Obrador’s Morena party condemned Fox’s comments. Fox then tweeted out rebuttals, calling Sheinbaum a “Bulgarian Jew” and Marcelo Ebrard, a former foreign minister also in the Morena party, a “French snob.”

Fox is a frequent provocateur whose National Action Party is conservative and has strong ties to the Catholic Church. “The only Mexican is Xóchitl!” Fox added, referring to his preferred presidential candidate Xóchitl Gálvez, a National Action senator.

Sheinbaum’s father’s family immigrated from Lithuania and her mother’s family immigrated from Bulgaria. Ebrard is a descendant of French immigrants.

Fox later apologized, writing, “I have a profound respect for the Jewish community.”
Alaska man who vandalized Jewish museum with swastikas sentenced to 18 months in prison
A man in Anchorage, Alaska, who vandalized a local Jewish museum and several other locations with swastikas has been sentenced to 18 months in prison, on a combination of charges including unrelated drug trafficking.

Luke Foster went on a vandalism spree in 2021, twice tagging the Alaska Jewish Museum with stickers featuring a swastika and the phrase “WE ARE EVERYWHERE.” He also carved a swastika into the side of the building, and distributed stickers at seven other locations around town, including a gay nightclub.

Federal authorities initially tracked Foster down due to his unrelated efforts to sell hallucinogenic mushrooms online. When they searched his home in late 2021, they found various neo-Nazi material and evidence that he had committed the vandalism, Alaska Public Media reported. He was ultimately sentenced for one drug trafficking offense and two counts of hate-motivated property damage.

“It’s very sad when you see young people who are misguided, and don’t understand the danger of being influenced by the fear of ‘the other,’” Rabbi Yosef Greenberg, president of the museum’s board, told local outlets.

During his trial, Foster apologized for his actions. Greenberg said he was encouraged by the apology.
Two targeted in suspected antisemitic assaults in France, US
Two Jewish people were assaulted in separate alleged antisemitic incidents in the United States and France this week.

A 13-year-old boy wearing identifiable religious attire was pushed against a wall on the street by three assailants in Lyon on Monday evening, according to a local media report.

The attackers threatened the victim with death if he reported the incident to police, the report said.

The victim was not injured in the attack and filed a police complaint. The authorities have opened an investigation into “aggravated violence due to religious affiliation.”

In San Diego, a 65-year-old member of the community at the Chabad House at San Diego State University was assaulted outside a 7-Eleven store near the campus, according to the organization.

In a statement, Chabad SDSU director Rabbi Chalom Boudjnah said the assailant pulled off the victim’s tzitzit — the Jewish ritual fringes — and made antisemitic and anti-Israel comments toward him.

Police said the man was not injured, and that they were probing the attack.

In March, a large menorah at the front of the Chabad House was vandalized, with its base and one of its arms broken off, causing it to fall over.
“I was so terrified all the time” Australian artist fights internalised antisemitism through art
Avraham Vofsi, a Jewish artist based in Melbourne, appeared on the most recent episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism where he described how his art had been influenced by his experiences of internal antisemitism.

This podcast can be listened to here, or watched here:

“I always knew I was Jewish,” he said, “but I think the way [internalised antisemitism] manifested for me was that I literally couldn’t be around other Jews. There was something about it where some part of it was too hard to face.”

He continued: “When it was just me, I could control it in a way, like, ‘This is what it means to be Jewish,’ and that’s how I’d present myself. But as soon as I’m around other Jews, or I’m doing Jewish programmes, or I’m going to synagogue, or whatever it is, all of a sudden…did I have these feelings of animosity? I don’t know.”

Mr Vofsi went on to describe how at his school, he was one of four Jewish students in his year, a source of great anxiety. Judaism as a subject was understood to be taboo among them.

“We never talked about being Jewish with each other. Ever. And I don’t know if any of us were friends, because we all had to distance ourselves,” he said.

Taking off his glasses to rub his eyes, he said: “Sorry, it just makes me a bit uncomfortable to think about. There was something really intense about it in this hard-to-articulate way…I was so terrified all the time.”

At one point, he considered whether his anxiety about being with other Jews stemmed from the idea that “the more Jews I was around, the more possible it was that [antisemitic incidents] would happen.”

In his most recent art exhibit, B’Aretz: Portrait of a Land, Mr Vofsi used his experiences to focus on Jewish identity and building a connection to Israel, where he spent five months honing a connection with the country for inspiration.
Melbourne on high alert over neo-Nazi gym meet-up this weekend
Authorities in Melbourne, Australia are closely monitoring a scheduled neo-Nazi gym meet-up, sparking concerns among law enforcement and the community. According to reports in the Australian media, Australian white supremacist groups, including the European Australian Movement and National Socialist Network led by Thomas Sewell, are organizing a "WHITE POWER Lifting Meet" at Legacy Boxing Gym in Sunshine North.

The Legacy Boxing Gym has come under scrutiny for alleged connections to neo-Nazi activists, making the event even more concerning for authorities. Thomas Sewell's involvement in violent incidents, notably a previous assault on a Nine Network security guard in 2021, has added to the unease surrounding the meet-up. Widespread alarm, condemnation for promoting extremist ideologies

Organizers have promoted the event on social media, inviting members of the wider national community to "celebrate the movement's exponential growth," which has drawn widespread alarm and condemnation for promoting extremist ideologies.

The Anti-Defamation Commission, Australia's leading civil rights organization fighting antisemitism, has condemned the neo-Nazi power-lifting event, highlighting the danger of fostering hatred and violence. Dr. Dvir Abramovich, chair of the Anti-Defamation Commission, expressed grave concern over the event, stating that it serves as a disturbing reminder of the emboldened white supremacist movement's recruitment drive, aiming to lure young individuals into embracing a dangerous ideology.

"Who would have thought that in 2023 we would see a stomach-churning Hitler fest in Melbourne where Nazi salutes, incitement, fantasies about an Aryan Australia and gas chambers for Jews, Muslims, First Peoples, members of the LGBTIQ+ community, Asian and African Australians and the disabled will surely be on the agenda," Abramovich said.


Maker of Oakley and Ray-Ban sunglasses buys Israeli hearing tech startup Nuance
French-Italian eyewear group EssilorLuxottica has bought Israeli startup Nuance Hearing to develop glasses with integrated hearing aid technology.

With the acquisition of the Tel Aviv-based hearing technology startup, the owner of the Oakley and Ray-Ban sunglasses brands is seeking to expand into the hearing aid market, EssilorLuxottica said in a statement. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed but the value of the deal is estimated at tens of millions of dollars, according to industry sources.

Tech veteran brothers Yehuda and Zohar Zisapel – founders of RAD Data Communications — together with Yoni Hertzberg established Nuance in 2015 to develop a technological solution for what they called the “cocktail party problem” – or the unaddressed challenge of picking out speech in noisy social situations or to hear more clearly in environments such as classrooms.

The device developed by Nuance harnesses acoustic beamforming technology, a signal processing technique to cut through background noise and voice distractions. Using an algorithm, the technology automatically selects the preferred hearing direction from one or two sources with the highest acoustic energy. This allows tracking the dominant speaker, even in motion, such as a classroom teacher, or automatically switching between speakers in a multi-participant conversation. The startup says its hardware and software platform captures sounds, processes them, and plays them at a record speed of 6.25 milliseconds.

Over the next year, EssilorLuxottica is planning to develop regular-looking prescription glasses that are seamlessly embedded with Nuance’s acoustic beamforming technology for the 1.25 billion consumers suffering from mild to moderate hearing loss, the group said.
Successful Tour de France for Israel team raises hope of bringing race to Jerusalem
The stage win is a jewel in the crown, but far from the only highlight. One of the most common sights this year was Wood's teammate Krists Neilands leading the race, part of eight breakaway groups, which made Israel Premier Tech one of the most aggressive teams in this year's competition.

“This is amazing for the image of Israel to be a normal country for once, seen by one of the largest audiences in the world, and I am really proud of that,” said Sylvan Adams, owner of Israel Premier Tech.

"I call myself the self-appointed ambassador-at-large for Israel, and the most important part of the race for me is the reception that we received on the roads of France," Adams told i24NEWS.


Helen Mirren Leads Israel Into Yom Kippur War as Prime Minister Golda Meir in First Trailer for ‘Golda’
Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren transforms into former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir during the 1973 Yom Kippur War in the first official trailer for Guy Nattiv’s film Golda that will be released next month.

The feature film from Bleecker Street is about true events set during the Yom Kippur War. It shows Meir’s leadership during the tense time in Israeli history as she steers her country, and her all-male cabinet, into battle against Syria and Egypt on the morning of the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur in 1973.

The movie also stars Jewish actor Liev Schreiber as US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. In the trailer, which was released on Tuesday, Kissinger tells Meir, “Remember that I am first an American, second I am secretary of state and third I am a Jew.”

“You forget that in Israel we read from right to left,” Israel’s first and only female prime minster responds by saying.

In a later scene, Meir passionately tells Kissinger on the phone, “When I was a child in Ukraine they would beat Jews to death in the street for fun. I am not that little girl hiding in the cellar.”


'Bafflingly dull': Critics pan new Golda Meir biopic starring Helen Mirren
The highly-anticipated dramatisation of Israeli PM Golda Meir's leadership during the Yom Kippur war had its first showing last night at the Berlin Film Festival - and it was far from well-received.

Golda - starring Dame Helen Mirren in the title role of Golda Meir - follows the challenging and sometimes controversial decisions Israel's first and only female prime minister had to make during the 1973 war against Arab armies in the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights.

The film was controversial before it even started shooting, with Dame Maureen Lipman questioning why a Jewish woman was not cast to play the 'Iron Lady of Israel'.

It turned out that Mirren had posed that question to the director when she was cast, acknowledging Lipman's “utterly legitimate” complaint, but said the director was set on her playing the role, and she accepted.

Ahead of its scheduled cinematic release later this year, the film was screened last night at the Berlin Film Festival, but the reviews are not altogether positive.

From Mirren's prosthetics hiding her emotions and expressions, to a lack of compelling narrative and repetitive scenes, critics were not enthralled with the portrayal of the war that led to Egypt becoming the first Arab state to recognise Israel.

From the critics who were there, here is a roundup of the top reviews.
Unpacked: Who was the Nazi Hunter?
Simon Wiesenthal, known as the “Nazi Hunter,” dedicated his life to seeking justice for the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. After assembling a list of Nazi war criminals, he relentlessly tracked them down one by one and ensured they faced trial, with his most significant victory being the capture of Adolf Eichmann. Though Wiesenthal was accused of embellishment and self-promotion, his relentless pursuit of justice ensured that the memory of the Holocaust would continue to endure to this day.

Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:31 Simon Wiesenthal and the Holocaust
02:45 Wiesenthal's efforts to support survivors, track down Nazis
03:44 Wiesenthal hunts down Adolf Eichmann
05:22 Wiensethal hunts down Anne Frank's Gestapo officer
06:15 Wiensethal hunts down over 1,000 Nazis
07:20 Wiesenthal's Nazi hunting strategy
08:19 Neo-Nazi attempt on Wiesenthal's life
08:52 Controversies surrounding Wiesenthal's work
10:12 The Holocaust as a crime against humanity


Tisha b’Av in Catalonia, and a Torrent of Emotion
According to tradition the fast of Tisha b’Av—which began last night and extends until sundown this evening—marks not only the destruction of the First and Second Temples, but also the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492. The late Frank Talmage, a scholar of Jewish history, recounts spending this day in northern Spain: the scene of centuries of Jewish hopes, achievement, and catastrophe. Visiting the cathedral of Tortosa, he is overcome by emotion (1981):

There would be no crowds in the cathedral. . . . There was only silence and solitude and a baptismal font. I fixated on the baptismal font. How many Jews had been dragged to this font and how many had just given up the struggle and gone of their own accord? Hebrew writers of the period referred to the waters of baptism as “the iniquitous waters” (Psalm 124:5), and many were the Jews who had been inundated by them.

Suddenly and quite unexpectedly, I too was inundated by a flood of water, not from the font, but from my own eyes. Clearly . . . a torrent of emotion of which I was not consciously aware had been welling up within me waiting to burst forth at this moment. No memorial to the destruction of Jewry, however theatrical and however pretentious, could have the effect on me that that simple understated baptismal font had.

Traditionally, Anglo-Saxon males do not know how to cry—with the result that, on the odd occasion that they do, they may not know how to stop. I wept a b’khiyyah l’dorot, a weeping of generations—not so much a wail of lamentation as a cry of frustration at having been hounded and importuned and cajoled for decade after decade and century after century by those who shrieked, “Do not be what you are but be what we want you to be!” or, indeed, “Do not be at all.”


Evidence of Second Temple’s destruction unearthed in Jerusalem
Tangible evidence of the destruction of the Second Temple and the devastating events that unfolded in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago has come to light with the discovery of a rare coin in Jerusalem’s City of David National Park.

The City of David Foundation announced the find on Thursday as Jews marked Tisha B’Av, a somber fast day commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples, which both occurred on the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av.

The coin was inscribed with the words, “For the Freedom of Zion,” and was pierced in the middle. Presumably, it was worn as a pendant.

“It seems clear that the coin was pierced on purpose and the hole was not created as a result of natural weathering of the material,” Yaniv David Levy of the Israel Antiquities Authority explained. “The coin is pierced on purpose to probably allow it to be hung.”

Levy added, “These coins had no economic value and it is clear that they were kept as souvenirs.”

He said other archaeological finds have shown that both Jewish families and Roman soldiers kept coins and other objects as mementos from the time of the Jewish Revolt of 66-73 C.E. and the Temple’s destruction.

Levy explained that coins taken by Roman soldiers have been found in excavations of Roman military camps in Europe, but stressed, “In the case of this coin that was discovered this week in Jerusalem itself, it seems that the possibility that the coin was In the hands of a Jew—more likely.”

Other artifacts discovered in the City of David excavations include a stone weight, a spinning wheel and a basalt grinding bowl, all offering a glimpse into Jewish life in Jerusalem during the Roman siege.

The excavation site, situated next to the “Pilgrims Road,” which served as the main thoroughfare during the Second Temple period, has yielded a treasure trove of artifacts. Among the findings are the remains of collapsed buildings that provide insight into the destruction and turmoil that characterized the final days of Jerusalem.

“There are very few places where you can actually physically touch the ruins of Jerusalem,” said Eli Escusido, director of the Antiquities Authority.
Proof of ancient Temple destruction found in Jerusalem
"Vessels, bowls, jars... It is all there, preserved in situ exactly like it was seconds before it was all destroyed", says Dr. Filip Vukosavovic, senior archaeologist at the IAA, on recent findings at the Temple Mount proving the destruction of the ancient Temple




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This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For over 19 years and 40,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.

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