Monday, November 18, 2024

11/18 Links Pt2: How identity politics makes excuses for anti-Semitism; Chilling new report reveals just how widespread antisemitism is at US colleges

From Ian:

How identity politics makes excuses for anti-Semitism
Rachel Shabi’s aim in her new book, Off-White: The Truth About Anti-Semitism, seems to be to reassure those on what passes for the left these days that they are not anti-Semitic – and that accusations that they are anti-Semitic are just, as she puts it, ‘a stick with which the right clobbers the left’. Little wonder, perhaps, that Off-White has already won praise from various leftist luminaries.

Shabi herself is a self-avowed ‘progressive’ and a veteran Israeli-born British journalist of Iraqi Jewish origin. In Off-White, she seeks to apply contemporary ‘frames of analysis’ common on the left to the subject of anti-Semitism. In practice, this means reconceiving anti-Semitism in terms of the core ideas of the identitarian left.

Many of Shabi’s starting assumptions are conventional. She sees anti-Semitism as an ‘ancient hatred’. She also talks about how anti-Semitism is a conspiracy theory that often involves scapegoating Jews for the perceived ills of society. Few would take issue with any of this.

From there on, however, she offers up a strikingly instrumentalist history of anti-Semitism. In her view, anti-Semitism is a ‘tool’ used by ruling elites throughout history ‘to maintain their power’. Christian church leaders once needed to vilify Judaism ‘in order to ensure [Christianity’s] own spread and eventual dominance’, she says. Likewise, 19th- and 20th-century Western ruling elites needed to vilify Judaism to maintain and deepen their dominance – as evidenced by the Dreyfus Affair in France and the British government’s Aliens Act in 1905.

As Shabi sees it, there’s little difference, then, between these instances of historical anti-Semitism and other forms of racism and discrimination, such as today’s far-right targeting of refugees from Africa and the Middle East. These are all simply instances of instrumental, trans-historical prejudice.

But while anti-Semitism is presented here as one racism among many, Shabi also argues that the position of Jews has changed radically over time. After the Second World War and the Holocaust, Western elites’ view of Jews underwent a dramatic transformation, she says: ‘Jews in the West were by and large absorbed into whiteness and its corresponding power structures.’ Persisting with the jargon of critical race theory, she claims that Jews were used to ‘maintain [white privilege] as a social construct’.
Jewish group seeks six-month ‘emergency’ to fight Jew-hate in EU
A prominent rabbi from Brussels on Monday called on the European Union to declare a six-month emergency period for fighting antisemitism at anti-Israel protests and beyond. He warned that Jews would leave Europe in the absence of such action.

Rabbi Menachem Margolin, director of the Brussels-based European Jewish Association, issued the call in a speech he made in Krakow, Poland, to about 100 participants of a conference commemorating the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the nearby Auschwitz German death camp.

“The European Jewish Association calls on the European Union and its member states to declare a six-month emergency period to combat period, with high-level protection for Jewish communities but also special measures at public events,” said Margolin.

Such events have become “a fanfare where anything goes and anything can be said and done,” he said.

Organizers of protests under the plan would need to “sign an obligation” against speech that incites violence and face rigorous monitoring for such conduct and heavy punishments, said Margolin.

“If our call today won’t be answered, we will start to see an exodus of Jews from Europe and the end of Jewish life on this continent, and Europe will lose an important part of its history and rich culture,” he said.
David Collier: An open letter to the police and CPS
To the police and CPS.

With reference to complaints made by Gabriel Kanter-Webber about Rupert Nathan. I understand that the matter has now been referred by the police to the CPS. Given Webber is from Brighton I imagine the original complaint would have been received by Sussex Police but cannot be certain.

I have known about this complaint for some time – and was shocked from the outset when I learnt that the police had turned up early in the morning at Rupert Nathan’s home, arresting him in front of his child. This created unnecessary trauma. Webber (and remember we are talking about someone who – progressive or not – qualified to be a Rabbi), also reported the incident to Rupert Nathan’s professional body – the Chartered Institute of Securities & Investment [CISI]. Thankfully, they chose to take no further action. But we have every right to question the ethical position of a man (Rabbi or not) who would knowingly attempt to damage someone’s career over a single personal comment made on social media.

The reason I am writing this is because I believe I possess relevant information. On December 4 2023 (long before the incident you acted upon), and because of his behaviour, I felt compelled to write this in an email to Gabriel Webber:

“Please stop commenting on my website. You are deliberately goading people as part of your ongoing harassment. I have work to do and am not there to police deliberately provocative behaviour – and the responses to it.”

Despite my written request Gabriel Webber continued to post comments on my site – and I felt forced to disable his ability to post freely in my comment spaces.


Rabbi Leo Dee hits Palestinian Authority with £10m lawsuit over his family’s murder
Rabbi Leo Dee has filed a £10.5 million lawsuit against the Palestinian Authority over the murder of his wife and two daughters just over 18 months ago in the Jordan Valley.

Speaking to the JC during a visit to the UK, Rabbi Dee, who is British-Israeli, took aim at the PA’s notorious “pay for slay” system, otherwise known as the “Martyrs’ Fund”, which pays monthly stipends to the families of Palestinian terrorists killed while attacking Israelis.

Rabbi Dee called it “largest terror funding scheme in the world”.

On April 7, 2023, exactly six months before the Hamas terrorist attack on southern Israel, the rabbi’s wife, Lucy, and their two daughters, Maia and Rina, were shot dead as they travelled to Tiberias to celebrate Passover.

Rabbi Dee told the JC that while the money would not do anything to assuage his family’s sorrow, it would bring some measure of justice. He added that large numbers of lawsuits had the potential to bankrupt the PA.

He said: “I urge all victims of terror in Israel to sue the PA, and together we can deprive them of the ability to fund the next generation of terrorists. It is a highly underrated form of warfare but very effective, because the more we target the financing of terror, the quicker we can end this cycle of terror and the perpetuation of injustice.

“Any penny we can deprive them of goes to fighting the incentivisation of terror around the world.”

The British government funds the PA to the tune of about £10 million a year, of which an estimated 20 per cent goes to "pay for slay” payments.

“Imagine, I cannot get funding via the current British terror compensation system because I’m not now a resident of the UK, but the Palestinian terror which killed my daughters and wife is getting funded in part by the British taxpayer,” Dee said.

“The system as it is now, allows for Brits to fund terror but not the victims of it.”
FDD: What’s Driving MSCI’s Anti-Israel ESG Ratings
MSCI, Inc. is a New York-based investment research and analytics firm best known for its indexes but increasingly also for its environmental, social, and governance (ESG) research and ratings. While generally associated with climate change activism, ESG ratings often reflect a much wider set of issues, including human rights.

Firms that provide ESG research and ratings market their products as objective, politically neutral, and grounded in statistical analysis. Indeed, with global ESG assets estimated to reach $30 trillion by 2030, ESG ratings hold enormous potential to positively or negatively influence capital flows.1 But the recent case of Morningstar, Inc. revealed the extent to which biased assumptions and sources of information can both corrupt ratings and mislead investors.

FDD research from 2022 documented Morningstar’s use of sources connected to the anti-Israel boycott, divestment, sanctions (BDS) campaign, along with flawed assumptions that business activities in disputed territories under Israeli control were inherently detrimental to human rights. This problematic approach resulted in negative ratings for more than two dozen companies operating in Israel. Morningstar penalized these companies in two ways: flagging each company’s profile with a “controversy” rating related to human rights — a warning sign to investors — and altering each company’s overall ESG risk score based on the alleged human rights controversy. 2

Following months of investigations by state attorneys general, state financial officers, and other state authorities — and after hiring independent consultants to advise on its ESG practices — Morningstar removed all BDS-related controversies from Israel-connected companies earlier this year.3 But soon after Morningstar adopted reforms to remove biased anti-Israel ratings, news emerged that MSCI was engaging in nearly the exact same anti-Israel ESG behavior.

Like Morningstar, MSCI flags companies with ESG “controversies” across a range of issues, including human rights. The firm categorizes these controversies as minor, moderate, severe, or very severe.4 According to information contained in public news reports, MSCI uses anti-Israel sources and assumptions to justify “severe” controversy labels on at least seven companies operating in Israel: Motorola Solutions, Bank Hapoalim, Bank Leumi Le Israel, Israel Discount Bank, Mizrahi Tefahot Bank, Elbit Systems, and Caterpillar.5

MSCI should swiftly remove any and all controversy labels based on biased sources and assumptions. Failure to do so could amount to engaging in a boycott of Israel, which could trigger enforcement of state-level anti-boycott laws.
Reports: G20 Host Brazil Blocking Ukraine Talk, Seeking Israel Condemnation
Radical leftist President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is allegedly attempting to push through a joint statement at this week’s G20 summit that lacks explicit condemnation of Russia for its invasion of Ukraine and condemns Israel, the Argentine outlet Infobae reported on Monday.

Heads of state and representatives of the G20 nations are gathering in Rio de Janeiro for the group’s 19th summit. The two-day event, which began on Monday, marks the first time Brazil has served as host.

According to Infobae, Lula is “negotiating against the clock” with G7 member nations participating in the G20 summit, and submitted a consensus initiative to G7 Sherpas (emissaries) that presents a soft stance on Russia but boasts a “more equidistant position with respect to Israel,” calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.

The Brazilian president, much like other leftist heads of state in the region, has been at the forefront of a widespread international campaign against Israel since the start of the country’s self-defense operations against Hamas and Hezbollah following Hamas’ unprecedented October 7, 2023, terrorist attack in Israel.

Lula has repeatedly accused Israel of committing a “genocide” with its self-defense operations and has compared Israel’s actions in Gaza to those of Nazi Germany and Adolf Hitler during the Holocaust. The Brazilian president’s actions and continued condemnation of Israel single-handedly damaged the decades-long historic relations between both nations.

Infobae explained that G20 summit host nations “have more power than on their own as a state,” asserting that Brazil is taking advantage of the fact to promote a draft final statement that would benefit Russia, Turkey, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Iran. Such a statement would also reportedly oppose the interests of the United States, Israel, Ukraine, the European G7 countries, and Argentina, whose President Javier Milei will reportedly oppose some other proposals that Lula intends to elevate at the summit regarding gender and climate change.
Netanyahu: We’ll bring back scores of hostages, hopefully soon
Israel will return dozens of hostages in the near future, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Knesset on Monday, just as it seemed that negotiations for the 101 captives in Gaza were at a standstill.

“We will bring back scores of hostages, hopefully soon,” Netanyahu said.

This will happen despite the skepticism and the personal attacks, as if “we don’t want to return the hostages,” Netanyahu stated, as he stressed to the families of the hostages in the gallery that efforts to return their loved ones “have not stopped for a moment.”

Netanyahu described how he sat awake until 3 a.m. to “discuss ways to overcome Hamas’s refusal to return everyone.

“I will not give up on anyone,” Netanyahu said.

He addressed the Knesset just one day after the State Attorney’s Office was poised to indict an aide to Netanyahu and another suspect for allegedly leaking top-secret documents to convince Israel that the hostage protests were strengthening Hamas. It was a charge that underscored the feeling of Netanyahu’s opponents that he did not want a deal.

Netanyahu said at the Knesset that leaks from the security cabinet and the negotiating team “seriously endanger” chances for an agreement.

“They delay the release of our hostages,” he said. “I read time and time again the investigations into this matter. I asked how they don’t investigate the leaks that cause enormous damage to the State of Israel.”

Emotions were so high during what was called the “40 Questions Debate” demanded by parliamentarians that Danny Elgarat, brother of Itzik Elgarat, who is in Hamas captivity, fainted in the visitors’ section of the Knesset plenum.

Elgarat shouted at Netanyahu from the gallery, and Knesset guards approached to remove him. Elgarat said earlier on Monday that he has been on a hunger strike for 47 days.
Netanyahu offers NIS 5m. for info on hostages, informant can exit Gaza
Israel has offered five million shekels and safe passage out of Gaza for any Palestinian who provides the IDF with information about the location of the hostages, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a closed-door session of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday, a source confirmed to The Jerusalem Post.

“I gave an order to increase the reward for those who bring information about the hostage - NIS 5 million for each hostage instead of NIS 1 million and safe passage for the informant and his family,” Netanyahu said.

In his public comments, he stressed that Israel is willing to do small deals, by which captors would be given monetary rewards and free passage out of Gaza in exchange for releasing the hostages in their custody.

He spoke as the negotiations have stalled, with the United States and Netanyahu blaming Hamas, while Qatar has blamed both Israel and Hamas. Netanyahu’s political and public opponents have blamed him.

Qatar, which, along with Egypt, has been the main mediator for a deal to secure the freedom of the remaining 101 hostages, suspended its participation in the talks last week.
Hostage families 'astounded' by PMO efforts to halt deal amid leaks scandal
The Hostages Families Forum expressed “astonishment” on Monday after new details in the Prime Minister’s Office’s leak investigation implied that these leaks could have prevented a hostage deal.

“The Hostages Families Forum is astounded by the depth of the ongoing efforts by those close to the Prime Minister to obstruct a hostage deal and Israel’s supreme moral obligation to bring back those who were abducted on and before October 7,” the forum said.

The statement came a day after the Rishon Lezion Magistrate Court allowed the declassification of details in an ongoing investigation into Eliezer Feldstein, a spokesperson who works for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The declassified details refer to the leak of a “Top Secret” and sensitive document, whose exposure could harm both the achievement of one of the war’s objectives (hostage release) and the operational activities of the IDF and Shin Bet in the Gaza Strip against Hamas and in additional contexts.

“The serious actions attributed to the suspects in this affair carry critical implications for the ultimate moral demand to secure the return of all hostages following the murderous bloodshed inflicted on defenseless Israeli civilians,” the Forum’s statement continued.

“The Families’ Headquarters remains steadfast in its sole demand, rooted in the principles of human and Jewish morality on which the State of Israel was founded: there is no price too high for the mitzvah of redeeming captives. The state must pay the necessary costs to bring back all the hostages – those alive for recovery and the fallen for burial in their homeland.”

“The hostages’ time is running out. Now is the time to bring them home,” the statement concluded.
US families of Oct. 7 victims seek justice in lawsuit against Iran
Families of American victims of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against Iran on Sunday for its role behind the devastating Hamas-led assault on the Jewish state.

The plaintiffs also include families of American-Israeli IDF soldiers who were killed in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon and Americans who were wounded or suffered mental anguish on Oct. 7, The New York Times reported.

The lawsuit incorporates Hamas documents seized in Gaza that point to the Islamic Republic’s involvement in the preparations and funding of the deadliest single-day attack in Israel’s history, which resulted in some 1,200 killed and 251 hostages taken to the Gaza Strip.

Some of these documents were previously released in the media, but according to the Times, the plaintiffs have also obtained original documents that refer to a secret meeting of Hamas leaders that was held in December 2022.

During the meeting, Yahya Sinwar, who was then the “military” leader of Hamas in Gaza, asked Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps for an additional $7 million per month to help carry out the Oct. 7 attack, referred to as the “big project,” the Times reported.

The lawsuit further accuses the IRGC of coordinating preparation for the attack between Hamas and Iran’s Lebanese terrorist proxy Hezbollah.

The families of the victims are seeking compensatory damages under the U.S. Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and Anti-Terrorism Act, and are represented by prominent lawyers.


Dutch official resigns over post-pogrom ‘polarization’
A senior Dutch official resigned on Friday due to what she said were “polarizing attitudes” connected to the recent mass assaults by Arabs on Israelis in Amsterdam.

The resignation of Morocco-born Nora Achahbar as undersecretary for social benefits and customs underlined how the Nov. 7 assaults are widening pre-existing divisions on immigration and the rule of law between rightists and centrists in the country’s ruling coalition.

Achahbar did not cite an example or concrete manifestation in the resignation letter she sent to the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, on Friday.

“The polarizing attitudes of recent weeks have impacted me to the degree that I no longer can or wish to fulfill my position,” she wrote.

The resignation prompted speculation of a coalition crisis between Achahbar’s centrist New Social Contract party and the remaining three coalition partners, which are right-leaning, including the Party for Freedom led by Geert Wilders. However, 48 hours after the resignation the coalition seemed no shakier than before.

Achahbar is one of 13 undersecretaries working under 16 cabinet ministers in the current government.

The Nov. 7 assaults were the Netherlands’ largest-scale antisemitic attack since the Holocaust, and to many echoed scenes that played out in Amsterdam and other European capitals in the leadup to the genocide. Many in the Netherlands, including Wilders, called it a pogrom.

“No more Jew hunts in this country, I will not accept it. And the perpetrators—most of them Moroccans—need to be punished very hard, their Dutch citizenship stripped from them and deported,” Wilders tweeted on Wednesday.
'Amsterdam riots were not pogrom,' mayor says, defending Muslim population
Amsterdam Mayor Femka Halsema said she regretted calling the riots in Amsterdam a “pogrom” because this was being used to discriminate against the Moroccan-Muslim population of the city, Dutch media reported on Monday.

The riots that erupted following an Ajax-Maccabi Tel Aviv game led to mass violence throughout the city. Large groups attacked people they suspected were Jewish or Israeli, often demanding to see their identification to confirm their ethnicity.

In an interview with Dutch state media NOS, Halsema said that she would not use the term “pogrom” to describe the events again and that it was wrong to do so initially.

At first, she said at the press conference immediately following the riots that “young men on scooters crisscrossed the city looking for Israeli football fans. It was a ‘hit-and-run.’ I fully understand that this brings back memories of pogroms.”

She backtracked on these comments, saying she did not want to make a direct comparison with pogroms and that she was merely trying to empathize with Jewish Amsterdammers.

However, Halsema said during a debate in the city council last Tuesday, before the most recent interview, that she still fully supported the use of the term “pogrom.” She admitted that the city’s municipality, police, and Public Prosecution Service had not succeeded in keeping the city safe.

During the same session, members of the conservative VVD called for a vote of no confidence in her despite the futility of such a vote, as Halsema’s governing coalition (consisting of Left, Green, and Liberal parties) held a clear majority (24-45).


Advocacy Workshops, Anti-Racist Audits: Inside a Top Medical School’s Radical Curriculum Overhaul
On November 16, 2023, just before 8:00 a.m., hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters formed a human chain across the San Francisco Bay Bridge, blocking all westbound traffic and trapping tens of thousands of vehicles in a five-mile backup.

Among those vehicles were three trucks associated with the University of California, San Francisco, health system. Each was transporting organs that were set to be transplanted later that day, and the couriers, who had budgeted just 30 minutes of travel time, had their arrival delayed by nearly four hours.

The holdup forced UCSF to postpone pressing operations and put organ recipients at greater risk. "Every minute of time on ice is hard for the organs," Garrett Roll, a UCSF transplant surgeon, told the San Francisco Chronicle at the time, adding that organs function less well for patients the longer they remain in transit. Twenty-six demonstrators were ultimately charged, eight of them with felonies.

UCSF is the second-largest transplant center in the United States and home to one of the top medical schools in the world. Given the stakes—an unlawful protest had impeded the very sort of surgeries that the hospital specializes in—one might expect the school to condemn that protest and discourage students from emulating it. But that is not what UCSF did.

In a mandatory six-week unit on "Justice and Advocacy in Medicine," which covers "issues like racism, ableism, and patriarchy," the school told first-year medical students this year that the protest on the bridge was an example of "direct action," akin to "sit-ins" or "vigils," that disrupt "business as usual" to "pressure targeted decision-makers."

The lesson came during an "advocacy workshop" in which students designed their own activist campaigns and mapped out the power structures arrayed against them, according to course materials obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.

Held the first week of October 2024, the workshop referred students to the "Queering Reproductive Justice Toolkit," promoted an "abolitionist approach to antiracist medical education," and referenced the "Settler-Colonial Determinants of Health." It was led by Yalda Sharam, an associate professor of medicine, whose bio on UCSF’s website quotes the Marxist educators Angela Davis and Paulo Freire.
Call Me Back Podcast: How Vanderbilt University is getting it right – with Chancellor Diermeier
Well before October 7th 2023, we were already witnessing too many examples of the worst in higher education with a lack of diversity of ideas and debate. Numerous U.S. college campuses had become intellectual and ideological monocultures. Then, immediately following October 7th, we saw something much darker, but perhaps we shouldn’t have been surprised.

Many of us lament what is happening in higher education. But at CallMeBack, we have also observed some bright spots — universities with inspiring leaders and healthy intellectual climates — and we want to try to understand what is happening at these universities that have bucked the trend.

In this episode, we have a discussion about Vanderbilt University. Our guest is Daniel Diermeier, Vanderbilt University’s ninth chancellor. He previously served in leadership roles at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and at the University of Chicago, where he served as dean of the Harris School of Public Policy.

In addition to his role as chancellor, Diermeier is University Distinguished Professor in the Owen Graduate School of Management and Distinguished University Professor of Political Science in the College of Arts & Science. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Guggenheim Foundation. He has published five books and more than 100 research articles in academic journals.

In our conversation, which was recorded on campus, Chancellor Diermeier discusses how the university has developed its policies around free speech, institutional neutrality, and campus order. In the face of staggering levels of intolerance — not to mention pro-Hamas protests effectively taking over some campuses — has Vanderbilt become a model for how to get it right?


Chilling new report reveals just how widespread antisemitism is at US colleges, including in NYC
A staggering 72% of Jewish college students in the US feel “unwelcome” on their campuses, while more than half have been victims of antisemitism, a dismal new report shows.

The civil-rights group StopAntisemitism issued “report cards” on how more than two dozen university campuses have been addressing hatred against Jews and re-evaluated five other campuses previously graded by the organization.

Two New York City schools — Cornell University and The New School — were slapped with a shameful “F” grade, the group said.

Among the organization’s other findings, Jewish students at the surveyed campuses revealed:
72% feel unwelcome in certain spaces on campus simply for being Jewish.
52% had personally been victims of antisemitism at their schools.
67% feel their university did not take sufficient action to protect Jewish students in the wake of the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel
43% said they hide their Jewish identity from classmates out of fear, and the same percentage would not recommend their school to fellow Jewish students.
43% did not feel safe enough to report the antisemitism against them. Of those who did report it, a staggering 87% believe their school failed to properly investigate the crimes.
69% said they are blamed for the actions of Israel by Palestinian backers.

Another group, Alums for Campus Fairness, reported similar findings about antisemitism in August.

“Universities are failing their Jewish students, often leaving them vulnerable and unsupported,” the StopAntisemitism report said.
Report (PDF)


UKLFI: College Cancels Classical Music Concert that lauded Palestinian Resistance
A London college has cancelled a classical concert of new music, having admitted that the event slipped through its editorial policy.

Morley College was due to host a concert entitled “The World stands with Palestine – Compositions for the Palestinian struggle” by Cornelius Cardew Concerts Trust (CCCT) on 15 November 2024. The graphic on the advert for the concert said “Stand with Palestine!! Stand with the Resistance!!” and the names of the compositions for piano, violin and electric mandolin included “Salute to the Resistance”, “Blood United Us” and “Al Shifa”.

UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) wrote to Morley College’s Principal, Dr Andrew Gower, pointing out that standing with the “Resistance” could imply support for sending rockets indiscriminately into Israel and sympathy for the actions of the terrorist group Hamas in Gaza. This is particularly unpalatable given the terrible massacre of Jews and others on 7 October 2023.

UKLFI requested that the concert be cancelled because it would be intimidating and offensive for any Jewish, Israeli or Zionist visitors, and therefore in breach of the Equality Act 2010.

UKLFI pointed out that CCCT could be in breach of anti-terrorism legislation if the event went ahead at Morley College, including inviting support for a proscribed organization, contrary to Section 12(1) of the Terrorism Act 2000, and expressing an opinion or belief that is supportive of a terrorist organization in breach of Section 12(1A) of that Act.

Morley College, a registered charity, could also be in danger of breaching its charitable objects by staging a concert which would not be for the public benefit since it may stir up racial hatred against Jews and Israelis, and sympathise with terrorists.

Furthermore, Charity Commission guidelines do not allow charities to pursue political campaigns that do not further their charitable objects. The CCCT concert and its publicity appears to be a political campaign for the government of Gaza, Hamas.
Swastika sent to Jewish students, labelled non-hate crime by UK police
Police in Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, refused to arrest a man who sent Nazi swastikas to Jewish students, the Telegraph reported on Saturday.

The suspect sent an image of the Star of David mixed with the Nazi swastika on social media to the Union of Jewish Students with the caption “The irony of becoming what you once hated.”

The offender wrote there was “nothing endangering Jewish students” and claimed that the UJS was “exploiting them to push pro-genocide propaganda and deflect Israel’s responsibility for murdering 40,000 civilians”.

Still, the Cambridgeshire police force deemed the antisemitic act not offensive enough to be a crime.

The Telegraph reported that the incident was labeled as a non-crime hate incident (NCHI).

According to Alex Hearn, co-director of Labour Against Anti-Semitism, this isn’t the first antisemitic incident against the UJS that was reported to the Cambridgeshire police. In October, a man used X/Twitter to send offensive messages to him and the Jewish students.

Similarly, this incident was labeled as non-criminal. An officer's emailed response read that according to UK law, a digital message had to be “grossly offensive … a very high legal threshold to pass.”

Hearn responded, saying, “I fail to see how posting the image of race-hate swastika at Jews is not grossly offensive, particularly when the Met Police are arresting people for holding exactly that image," the Telegraph quoted.
Islamophobia expert’s book ‘shaped’ by apologist for Isis killer Jihadi John
AN expert on Islamophobia is promoting his book by sharing a platform with Asim Qureshi, a campaigner who has praised terrorists including describing British Islamic State executioner Jihadi John as a “beautiful young man”.

Middlesex University lecturer Dr Tarek Younis said Dr Qureshi, whose advocacy group, CAGE, has been condemned as an apologist for terror, “directly helped shape the book”.

Next week the pair are due to discuss the book, The Muslim, State and Mind, published last December, which questions why “CAGE in the UK are vilified and explicitly denied state support”.

In his book, Dr Younis says this is because “the way Muslims receive funding is conditional on their framing”.

“If initiatives hit certain state-approved buzzwords, like integration and extremism, this facilitates their approval,” he writes.

Dr Younis’s book cites Dr Qureshi’s research that claims Muslim’s are being subjected to so-called “pre-crime” tests in Britain’s prisons and mental health institutions.

His book claims Muslims, including those claiming “the state of Israel is racist”, are being wrongly targeted by the UK’s anti-extremism legislation due to the “definition of anti-semitism… [and] its slippery overlap with anti-Zionism”.

The book says the UK’s Extremism Risk Guidance — part of the government’s counter-extremism strategy — “was rolled out on the presumption that it could help identify individuals who may commit acts of violence in the future”.

Dr Younis claims it is now being widely used to “screen all their patients for extremism” and leading to Muslims being wrongly singled out.

In 2015, when Mohammed Emwazi, known as Jihadi John, appeared in videos beheading Western hostages in Iraq, Dr Qureshi said he had turned to violence because MI5 “destroying his life”.

On February 10 Dr Younis posted a criticism of William Shawcross’s damning review of the government’s Prevent programme, which claimed a song by controversial rapper Lowkey “promoted an antisemitic conspiracy theory”.


Twitch updates terms of service to ban use of Zionist as a slur
The streaming platform Twitch announced that it is updating its policy regarding the use of the word “Zionist” in a derogatory manner amid scrutiny and criticism of antisemitism posted by the platform’s top creators.

The company, which dominates the streaming market, announced Friday that it had updated its hateful conduct policy to prohibit the use of the term “to attack or demean another individual or group of people on the basis of their background or religious belief.”

The company added, “We recognize that ‘Zionist’ and ‘Zionism’ also refer to a political movement. Using the term to refer to the political movement, whether in a supportive or critical way, does not violate our Hateful Conduct policy. Our goal isn’t to stifle conversation about or criticism of an institution or ideology, but to prevent coded hate directed at individuals and groups of people.”

Twitch described the change as consistent with existing policy that prohibits “the use of terms that may not be harmful or abusive in isolation, but can be used as a slur or to denigrate others in certain contexts.”

In the updated Community Guidelines page, the company explained, “we treat ‘Zionists’ as a proxy for Jews or Israelis if the word is used in a context to promote harm or violence, or when used to make dehumanizing comparisons or perpetuate antisemitic stereotypes.”

As an example, it said that “Zionist [name of animal]” would be prohibited under its policies but “Zionist settlers keep encroaching Palestinian borders” will be allowed.

Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) had written to executives at Twitch and its parent company, Amazon, earlier this month to raise concerns about antisemitism on the platform, urging the company to ban Hasan Piker, one of its most popular creators, for antisemitism, as well as highlighting other high-profile antisemitic creators. He threatened additional congressional scrutiny of the platform.

Torres said in a statement to Jewish Insider that the changes are a positive step but that the policy must now actually be properly enforced in practice.

“I am pleased to report that Twitch, in response to public pressure, has updated its Terms of Service to prohibit all forms of antisemitism regardless of whether one uses the word ‘Zionist’ or the word ‘Jew’—reflecting the spirit of IHRA’s definition of antisemitism,” Torres said. “Although the new Terms of Service represents progress, mission accomplished will only come from enforcement. I will be watching.”


Hamas official banished from Milan
Authorities in the City of Milano issued an expulsion order against Mohammad Hannoun, a designated Hamas official blacklisted by the US and Israel. The banning order was issued following comments he made during a pro-Palestinian protest, in which he called to applaud the “youth in Amsterdam” for “teaching (Israelis) a lesson,” referring to the violent pogrom carried out against Israelis and Jews in the streets of the Dutch capital on November 7th.

The local police explained the unusual measure by issuing an official statement, which noted that Hannoun “had intervened by publicly approving and promoting the violent conduct of the young Dutch fans who, during the Europa League football match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv, played two days earlier in Amsterdam, had physically attacked the Israeli fans.”

It is unclear whether the decision is final or still appealable and how exactly the police would enforce this decision.

Who is Mohammad Hannoun
Marking a year since the October 7 atrocities, 62-year-old Jordanian-born Hannoun, who resides in Genoa, was designated by the US as a Hamas official operating in Italy while transferring millions of dollars to the terror organization in Gaza through a sham charity organization innocently named “The Charitable Association for Solidarity with the Palestinian People” (ABSPP). Hannoun was designated by Israel as a Hamas official in Europe as early as 2013 for the same reasons.

Following the American designation, Hannoun denied the accusations and was recently quoted as saying, “We are fighting with the banks, which are under the orders of the Americans when they know that I am on the 'black list,' they back down… now, even my bank wants to close my personal account.”

Hannoun maintained that he is a “good person” who is “against violence,” despite the openly violence-lauding remarks he made regarding the Amsterdam pogrom. In another interview he gave following his banishment from the Lombard capital, Hannoun slammed the “corrupt journalists, bastards, and sons of b.....” who he accused of taking parts of his speech and presenting an inauthentic picture of himself.


UK sanctions Iran’s airline and shipping carrier over missile transfer to Russia
The United Kingdom imposed sanctions against Iran’s national airline and shipping carrier on Monday, measures it said were taken in response to Iran’s transfer of ballistic missiles and military supplies to Russia.

The state-owned Iran Air and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) will face an asset freeze for its role in supplying weapons to Russia for use on the battlefield against Ukraine, Britain said.

“Iran’s attempts to undermine global security are dangerous and unacceptable,” British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said. “We reiterate our call on Iran to cease its support for Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine.”

The sanctions will further restrict Iran Air’s direct commercial air services to and from the UK.

Britain also sanctioned the Russian Port Olya-3 cargo ship, which delivered the weapons, and said it would not be allowed to enter any UK port.

Iran Air has been designated for sanctions several times over the past year, including measures imposed by the US, UK, Germany France and the European Union. The airline is fully banned from operating at EU airports, and other measures have been taken to restrict the airline’s ability to fly through European airspace.

In September, the United States accused Iran of supplying ballistic missiles to Russia, calling it a “dramatic escalation.”


Berlin police chief warns Jews and LGBTQ+ to exercise caution in certain areas
Berlin Police Chief Barbara Slowik has issued a warning to Jews and LGBTQ+ individuals to exercise caution in certain areas of the German capital amid rising antisemitism and hate crimes. Speaking to the press, Slowik emphasized the need for vigilance in the wake of recent events, particularly following the attack by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023.

"There are no so-called no-go areas, meaning areas that are too dangerous to enter," Slowik stated, as reported by Die Zeit. "However, there are areas, and we must be honest at this stage, where I would advise people who wear a kippah or are openly homosexual or lesbians to be more attentive," she added, emphasizing the importance of caution in public spaces.

Highlighting the tensions in certain neighborhoods, Slowik explained, "Unfortunately, there are certain neighborhoods where predominantly Arab-descended people live, who also have sympathies for terrorist groups," and where "open anti-Semitism is articulated there against people of Jewish faith and origin," according to Der Standard - Archäologie. She stressed that her intention was not to stigmatize any community, stating, "I do not want to 'defame' any particular group of people as perpetrators," as reported by Süddeutsche Zeitung.

While the police chief did not specify the exact areas of concern, she linked the increase in antisemitic incidents to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. "This understandably increases the fear within the community of becoming a target of an attack," Slowik noted, adding, "That fear and concern remain, I can understand," as reported by Die Zeit.

Since October 7, 2023, the Berlin police have initiated over 6,200 investigations related to antisemitism and incitement to hatred, according to Süddeutsche Zeitung. A significant portion of these cases involves hate postings on the internet, property damage, and propaganda offenses. "Of the 1,300 investigations regarding violent crimes, it is mostly about attacks or resistance against police officers at demonstrations," Slowik indicated.

Despite the rise in reported incidents, direct violent crimes against Jewish individuals remain relatively low. "Fortunately, the violent crimes against Jewish people are low, but without question, every act is one too many," Slowik emphasized, as noted by Die Zeit. She acknowledged the heightened sense of insecurity within the Jewish-Israeli community, stating, "People from the Jewish-Israeli community in Berlin perceive the total number of anti-Semitic crimes, which raises their fear of becoming targets of attacks," according to Der Standard - Archäologie.


‘Disgrace’ artists didn’t respond to Oct. 7 as they did to Sept. 11, musician John Ondrasik says
Many rushed to support Israel after Hama’s terrorist assault on Oct. 7, 2023, attending rallies, holding prayer services and shipping equipment to soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces.

John Ondrasik, the American singer and songwriter who goes by Five for Fighting, decided to write a song.

“Music can reach people no other medium can,” Ondrasik told JNS at the Jewish Federations of North America’s Nov. 10 pro-Israel rally, where he performed, in Washington. “That’s something that I’ve been trying to impress on people for a long time—the power of the arts.”

The 59-year-old, non-Jewish Grammy-nominated singer released his single titled “OK” in January in response to Oct. 7. The song’s subtitle, “We are not OK,” indicates the song’s main theme: the devastation and grief that the pro-Israel community experienced in the wake of the deadliest attack for Jews since the Holocaust. The video creates a collage of footage from the terror attack, antisemitic protests and pro-Israel rallies with Ondrasik’s music.

“It is a song that did not get one spin on the radio, did not get one spin on MTV, but it’s had tens of millions of views,” Ondrasik told JNS. “It’s an example of how music can not only provide solace to people who are suffering but also provide an alternate narrative to what we are seeing in the culture.”

That doesn’t necessarily mean that artists are more empathetic toward Israel. Ondrasik has seen prominent antisemitic and pro-Hamas messages on social media, including TikTok because many artists have “espoused” such perspectives, he told JNS.

“So many Israelis and Jewish people around the world feel abandoned by the arts. That’s because they have been,” he said. “Hopefully as more time goes by, more artists will have the moral spine to speak up.”


Patricia Heaton calls on Christians to fight against antisemitism, October 7 'denialism,' at awards show
Emmy-Award winning actress Patricia Heaton urged Christians to "fight alongside the Jewish people" against antisemitism and October 7 "denialism" while speaking at a media event this week.

The "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "The Middle" actress joined other supporters of Israel at the 2nd annual Jewish Media Awards at the Lincoln Center in New York City on November 12. The award ceremony celebrates positive depictions of Jewish characters in entertainment.

Heaton, who has been an outspoken advocate for Israel in the wake of the October 7 Hamas terror attacks, honored Sheryl Sandberg's documentary, "Screams Before Silence," which explores the sexual violence committed by Hamas on October 7.

"I just want to say one thing before I read this written speech. It's such an honor to be able to come alongside you because Israel, all of you here, are putting your sons and daughters in harm's way, not only to save Israel, but to save the world. And we owe you an eternal debt of gratitude," Heaton began her speech.

Patricia Heaton speaks onstage during the 2nd Jewish Media Awards on Nov. 12, 2024, in New York City. (Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for JITC Via Ariella Noveck/Shield Communications)

"And as a Catholic, you may not know this, but Saint Michael, the Archangel, is the patron saint of Israel, and he is the patron saint of soldiers, firemen and policemen. And so we ask Saint Michael the Archangel to defend all of Israel, all the Israelis in battle, in the name of God," she continued.

"When I was growing up learning about the Holocaust, I often wondered what I, as a Christian, would have done in those days if I were a German. Would I have been that person to hide my Jewish neighbor? After October 7 I didn't have to wonder anymore. It was our opportunity now to use my platform to fight alongside the Jewish people as they were once again under attack," she added.

"And as you just saw in ‘Screams Before Silence,’ Sheryl Sandberg echoes The Megillah and the challenge that Mordecai gives Esther when she declares, 'This is the most important work of my life, and maybe everything I've done has led to this moment, giving voice to the voiceless.' When too many people are not believing Jewish women, when October 7 denialism is happening in real time, ‘Screams Before Silence’ is proud and authentic Jewish representation. And it reminds us that we can choose to lead and be heard when the moment calls to us," Heaton said.
Mayim Bialik and Hen Mazzig on being Jewish in America, Israel and Bridging America's Divides
Join me and Mayim Bialik in a powerful and thought-provoking conversation about being Jewish in America, Israel, Zionism, and the complexities of modern-day politics. From navigating the challenges of bipartisanship to discussing the significance of Israel in Jewish identity, Mayim shares her unique perspective as a proud Jewish voice in Hollywood. Together, we explore how to foster humanity, bridge divides, and bring meaningful dialogue to some of the most pressing issues of our time. Don't miss this candid and inspiring discussion that goes beyond politics to focus on what truly connects us all.




Hottest ticket in town? The Douglas Murray-Ben Shapiro tour
You would have thought that Taylor Swift had arrived to perform a sold-out show in Israel.

Instead, the queries that have clogged up social media platforms, like Facebook’s Secret Jerusalem page, have been searching for a miracle ticket to the long sold-out joint appearance on Tuesday by…. Douglas Murray and Ben Shapiro.

Neither Shapiro – a hugely popular American conservative political commentator, author, and media host – nor Murray – an equally conservative author, journalist, and Israel advocate – probably even sing particularly well.

But the sounds and words that they’ve uttered and written in the last year, along with their high visibility in confronting Israel haters, have made them rock stars for the pro-Israel community looking for heroes who defend the Jewish state against the genocide-wielding online onslaught against Israel.

“Trying one more time. Looking for one ticket to the Ben Shapiro/Douglas Murray event in Jerusalem Tuesday evening. Willing to pay well over face value. Please DM me,” posted one member of Secret Jerusalem.

“Anyone have tickets to sell to Douglas Murray/Ben Shapiro at Binyanei Hauma for tomorrow night? Please pm me,” wrote another poster.

It will likely be a scalper’s delight outside the capital’s Binyanei Hauma Arena ahead of their joint appearance at Tuesday night’s Freedom of Zion Conference.

Sponsored by Herut, The Center for Israeli Liberty, an organization promoting “Israeli conservatism,” the event is described as “an opportunity to celebrate the heroism of the Israeli people, and to lay the conceptual foundations for continued victory in an existential battle.”


Israel stuns Belgium with late victory to end tough Nations League campaign
Israel pulled off a stunning 1-0 victory over Belgium in their final Nations League match, with an 86th-minute strike from Yarden Shua giving them an unexpected win.

However, despite the triumph, Israel’s overall performance in the competition left them at the bottom of Group A2, with European giants France and Italy comfortably ahead, and Belgium finishing in third place despite this shock defeat.

In a match played under foggy skies, Israel returned to Budapest, which has served as the neutral ground for Israel’s “home” Nations League fixtures this season owing to the conflict in the Middle East

Despite the challenges of playing on foreign soil, the Israeli team delivered a moment of brilliance against Belgium when Shua scored late in the match to defeat their higher-ranked opponents.

Despite the win, Israel’s poor results in previous matches ensured that their bottom-of-the-table finish..

With Italy and France both posting dominant performances in the Nations League, Israel’s win over Belgium did not affect their overall standing, leaving them with just one victory from six games.

They did achieve a creditable 0-0 draw with group winners France in Paris last week in a match that was overshadowed by Pro-Palestinian protests and tensions that had followed the violence surrounding the Maccabi Tel Aviv-Ajax in Amsterdam the previous week.

Inside the stadium, the atmosphere felt less hostile as fewer than 20,000 fans attended the games in the 80,000 Stade de France, with a heavy security presence that included 4,000 officers and an additional 1,500 security personal.


Jewish soldiers, sailors, and airmen and women are a vivid contradiction of the antisemites' most vicious libels
The Jewish relationship with HM Armed Forces is a hidden jewel of our community's history.

After disembarking from the ships which carried them during the Resettlement of the 1650s, many Jews decided to simply stay where they landed. Eight of the eleven earliest non-London Jewish communities were seaports. And a relationship with the Royal Navy was soon established.

In 1984, the Jewish naval historian Geoffrey Green wrote: “Jews and sailors, therefore, were not an unlikely association. Contrary to popular belief, there was a certain affinity between them; both knew hardship, public disparagement and contempt. Economic circumstances brought them together.”

Despite the Test Acts, which stood until 1828 preventing anyone not confirmed in the Church of England from taking public roles, including in the armed forces, Jews found a way to serve. During the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. The Seven Years War. The Napoleonic Conflicts. Crimea. The Boer War. And then The Great War. 55000 Jews served in British and Colonial forces between 1914-18.

AJEX – the Association of Jewish Ex-Servicemen & Women – emerged from the war to represent Jewish veterans and fight rising antisemitism. By the 1930s it was leading the fight against fascism on the streets of Britain. At the Battle of Cable Street, it was a be-medalled, standard-bearing AJEX detachment that led the counter-demo to Mosley’s blackshirts. And later mopped up their residue still present even after Nazism was defeated.

In WWII, 70,000 British and Commonwealth Jews served. A further 31,000 Yishuv Jews joined up as well – 26,000 had served throughout the war in the Allied forces before another 5,000 were recruited in September 1944 to form a Jewish Brigade and join the advance through Europe.




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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 20 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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