Friday, November 29, 2024

11/29 Links Pt2: The Codification of Anti-Jewish Hiring Policies; Oxford Union debate descends into chaos as students shout down Israeli speakers

From Ian:

Seth Mandel: The Codification of Anti-Jewish Hiring Policies
There’s a case of apparent employment discrimination at UCLA that should put to rest once and for all the spurious idea that the current campus battles are about mere “free speech.”

For over a year now we’ve been subjected to the whinging of the “pro-Palestine” crowds who are physically harassing Jews on campus while claiming their speech rights are infringed upon any time their actions bring a whiff of consequences. But aside from the violence deployed against Jews, there’s been evidence of professional discrimination—at state-funded institutions, no less.

The latest and most illuminating example comes from UCLA, where a newly filed complaint alleges that the college Cultural Affairs Commission has in place a policy of anti-Jewish bias in its hiring process. Bella Brannon, editor of the Jewish student newspaper Ha’am, filed the petition with the Undergraduate Students Association Council (USAC) Judicial Board earlier this week.

The crux of the allegation is that Alicia Verdugo, head of the Cultural Affairs Commission, told staffers not to hire Jewish applicants. Specifically, she told subordinates, “please do your research when you look at applicants” because “lots of zionists (sic) are applying.” However, the directive was not Israel-specific; applicants were being rejected after having identified themselves as Jews unrelated to anything regarding Israel or the war in Gaza. Finally, staffers were told that at an upcoming retreat a “no hire list”—that is, an anti-Jewish blacklist—would be shared.

According to Ha’am, “every student who indicated their Jewish identity in their applications for Cultural Affairs Commissioner (CAC) staff was rejected.” One rejected applicant, for example, answered a question on the application about an issue of importance by noting that “as a Jewish student at UCLA, it is imperative that I have the right to express my identity.” Another rejected applicant had mentioned Judaism when asked about attendance at the staff retreat, explaining that they are Sabbath observant.

A CAC hiring document obtained by Ha’am allegedly says: “We reserve the right to remove any staff member who dispels antiBlackness, colorism, racism, white supremacy, zionism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, misogyny, ableism, and any/all other hateful/bigoted ideologies.”

Although “dispels” is obviously the wrong word there, the intent is clear. As is the fact that “Zionism” is listed as disqualifying but “anti-Semitism” is not.
Ivy League Holocaust professor charges Israel with genocide
Omer Bartov, Brown University’s Samuel Pisar professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies, called Israel’s ongoing Gaza military campaign a “genocide operation” in a Nov. 11 podcast “Gaza and the Question of Genocide.”

Addressing Georgetown University’s Saudi-supported Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding (ACMCU), Bartov, an Israeli Holocaust historian, failed miserably to substantiate his outrageous accusation. The irony that a scholar of such reputation and subject specialty would make such egregiously false claims was not lost on Bartov’s hosts, who surely invited him knowing that his stance would be useful in their propaganda war against Israel.

As ACMCU’s reliably anti-Israel director Nader Hashemi moderated, Bartov discussed Israeli policies in the post-Oct. 7, 2023 context. He said the barbarous Hamas jihadist assault upon Israel “should be classified as a war crime and as a crime against humanity.”

“Potentially, if you want to connect it to the Hamas Charter of 1988, you could also describe it as a genocidal act. I am less strong on that,” he added, even though the events of Oct. 7 clearly reflected Hamas’s longstanding genocidal intentions.

Bartov’s slander of Israel’s self-defense response as genocidal rested upon the hackneyed trope of civilian collateral damage. “In order to save the lives of [Israeli] soldiers when you’re moving into a heavily built-up area,” air and artillery strikes precede Israeli advances into Gaza, he said. Thus, Israeli military leaders “order the population to leave for its own safety, and then you assume that the population left even if many people don’t leave,” perhaps, for example, “because they’re sick.”
NGOs calling for Israeli arms embargo are dangerous and hypocritical
This international policy stampede is orchestrated through powerful NGO campaigns. “Respected” groups like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Oxfam with anti-Israel biases have been relentless in their efforts to cut off military funding, halt arms sales and undermine Israel’s defense systems, including the Iron Dome, which protects civilians from lethal rockets, missiles and UAVs. The NGOs have filed lawsuits, staged protests and exerted immense pressure on governments to cease military aid.

In November 2023, for example, just weeks after the brutal Hamas atrocities in southern Israel, Human Rights Watch demanded that Israel’s allies—the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Germany—suspend military assistance, repeating entirely false allegations of war crimes. In December, the organization called for an immediate halt to arms transfers from the United Kingdom to Israel, followed in February by a statement accusing Israel of crimes against humanity and urging the U.S. government to impose sanctions.

As the lobbying intensified, the Dutch Court of Appeal ruled that the Netherlands must cease the transfer of U.S.-owned F-35 components to Israel, a legal milestone brought about by a lawsuit led by Oxfam and other NGOs. By June, Amnesty was actively pursuing legal measures to stop arms exports to Israel, while Oxfam was lobbying for “all available measures” to block military sales. Over the summer, these coordinated efforts culminated in multiple legal actions across Europe, highlighting the systematic NGO push to isolate Israel militarily.

This isn’t advocacy for peace; it’s a concerted attempt to leave Israel defenseless.

This time last year, NGOs, including two linked to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terror group, filed a federal lawsuit against the Biden administration in an attempt to force a comprehensive arms embargo against Israel. Although the lawsuit failed, the question is whether the outgoing Biden administration will adopt a wider policy of arms embargoes against Israel. Additionally, it remains to be seen if and how President-elect Donald Trump will counter ongoing NGO-led efforts aimed at weakening U.S. support for Israel’s security.

If these NGOs succeed, whether by lawsuit or lobbying, they and leaders that supported them or were swayed by them in their decision-making will be responsible for crippling Israel’s security infrastructure and emboldening Iran and its proxies. The NGOs’ vision is one where Israel is exposed to the very real and ongoing threats at its borders, a danger that could spread unchecked across the region if not stopped.

The inconsistencies in the NGO community’s selective stance become even more apparent when considering the human toll of their actions. They disregard the rights and lives of Israeli civilians who depend on defense systems to shield them from constant threats.

In their quest to impose sanctions against Israel, these NGOs are contributing to a situation that could lead to more, not less, bloodshed.

Instead of embracing their hypocrisy, responsible governments should be holding NGOs accountable. Those working with them, including government and private donors, must demand transparency, reject double standards and foster a dialogue that does not automatically demonize Israel, including the role of terrorism and the need to defend against it, in the Middle East. Only then can these groups be credited with promoting a vision where all civilians can live free from violence.


Hen Mazzig: We can all learn from Wicked, an allegory of Jewish history
For Jews, this is a haunting truth. The silencing of voices is not just oppression, it is the prelude to persecution.

Maguire, though not Jewish, acknowledged that his novel draws from the histories of oppressive regimes. The Wizard’s authoritarian propaganda echoes the tactics of Nazi Germany, while the marginalisation of sentient animals recalls the dehumanisation of Jews. These parallels are not incidental. They are integral, offering a poignant reminder of the stakes of silence in the face of hate.

But Wicked does not merely chronicle the dangers of othering. It is also a call to action. Elphaba’s refusal to conform – despite ostracism and vilification – reflects a moral clarity that resonates deeply with Jewish values. Her story is a reminder: morality is not a popularity contest.

This lesson is particularly urgent today. Antisemitism is resurgent, fuelled by social media distortions and political opportunism.

Jews find themselves, once again, the targets of age-old lies dressed up in modern clothing. As Madame Morrible’s character warns, propaganda has the power to shape public opinion and public opinion, unchecked, can lead to exclusion, violence, and erasure.

Yet Wicked offers hope. It shows us that resistance, though isolating, is vital. Elphaba’s defiance in the face of hatred reminds us that the fight for justice is never wicked, it is essential. This is the ethos of Jewish survival: to stand firm in our values, even when the world turns against us.

The arrival of Wicked on the big screen, under the stewardship of producer Marc Platt, a proud Jew, feels almost providential. Its message, that justice requires courage and resilience, could not be more timely.

At a moment when Jews are vilified for standing up for themselves, Elphaba’s story is our story.

So, let us take a page from her book. Be bold. Be righteous. Be unyielding in the face of lies. Because if Wicked teaches us anything, it is this: silence is complicity. The fight for truth, though lonely, is the only fight worth having.
Israel vs. Palestine in Manga
Since Oct. 7, comic artists, both Japanese and Israeli, have used manga as a medium to convey their thoughts about the Israel-Hamas war and its consequences, speaking to Japanese, Israeli and Palestinian, and global audiences. Through manga, all of these artists hope to voice their sometimes complex, sometimes unrefined, but always honest feelings about the events surrounding Oct. 7 and after. As the mangaka Guy Lenman explained, “I knew from the start I wanted to create comics about that, because this is my art, this is my talent. I will use it for good, I hope.”

Manga is no stranger to political expression, having cemented itself in the cultural zeitgeist of Japan after World War II. The influence of American comics is evident in early popular manga, an obvious example being Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy. Like most manga, Astro Boy was adapted into an anime, achieving massive national success. Underlying the flashy, bug-eyed characters of the era was a country’s attempts to cope with the military defeat and atomic destruction it suffered, wounds that were still fresh in the minds of artists and their audience. As Japan grew into a confident postwar society, manga became a full-fledged cultural phenomenon, fragmenting into vastly different genres, from romance to horror, read by all ages and all genders, in what became a multi-billion-dollar industry with global reach and significance.

In the early 2000s, anime and manga began to trickle into the media of other countries, one of them being Israel, where Nippon Animation aired adaptations of beloved and classic Western stories, such as Peter Pan, on Israeli cable television. Although an odd departure from its source material, these productions still effectively captured the hearts of many a young Israeli viewer, one of them being Guy Lenman. Although he later pivoted to a grungier, less stylized iteration of Japanese cartooning (citing inspiration from the style of Fullmetal Alchemist), Lenman says that the adaptations were the first to make him realize that he “really enjoyed the anime style.”

Lenman started posting his personal manga-influenced art online, sometimes depicting fantastical creatures and other times one-page comics illustrating small moments in his life. He gravitated toward sci-fi fantasy stories, eventually founding Freelines Studio with his colleague and longtime friend Nimrod Fridman. The two got their big break at the 13th Japan International Manga Award, where they won first prize for their manga Piece of Mind. The comic deals with questions of humanity, one’s true self, and empathy, themes that Lenman says he imbued into his latest work—a manga for an anthology featuring the work of 12 graphic novelists titled In the Heart of October 7th.
Oxford Union debate descends into chaos as students shout down Israeli speakers
A debate at the Oxford Union descended into chaos on Thursday evening as pro-Israel speakers were shouted down and a Palestinian activist stormed out in protest at the presence of a former IDF spy.

The contentious motion, “This house believes Israel is an apartheid state responsible for genocide," passed by 278 votes to 59 amid hostile exchanges within and outside the chamber.

According to one audience member, some Jewish students felt too intimidated to attend the debate. James Marlow posted on X: "I was amazed at how many keffiyehs and hijabs there were and how hostile and toxic the atmosphere was."

The team arguing in opposition to the motion comprised British barrister Natasha Hausdorff from UK Lawyers for Israel, broadcaster Jonathan Sacerdoti, Mosab Hassan Yousef — a son of a Hamas leader who became an IDF informant — and Arab-Israeli journalist Yoseph Haddad. They faced Union President Ebrahim Osman Mowafy, Israeli-American activist Miko Peled, Palestinian poet Mohammed El-Kurd and writer Susan Abulhawa.

Protesters outside the Union organised by Oxford Action for Palestine chanted anti-Israel slogans that could be heard inside the chamber. Demonstrators declared, "Zionists are not welcome in Oxford."

Inside, speaking for the motion, Miko Peled described Hamas’s October 7 attacks as "acts of heroism". “What happened on October 7 was not terrorism — these were acts of heroism of a people who were oppressed,” he said, according to a report in the student newspaper Cherwell. When interrupted by Sacerdoti, who cited the legal classification of the attack as terrorism, Peled responded, “Arrest me.” He claimed that “Palestinians have been living in a concentration camp for seven decades” and advocated for a single Palestinian state “from the river to the sea.”

Mohammed El-Kurd, another speaker in favour of the motion, called Zionism “irredeemable and indefensible”. Expressing fury at Mosab Hassan Yousef’s IDF affiliations, El-Kurd declared, “It dishonours me to share a space with [Yousef],” before exiting the chamber.

Union President Ebrahim Osman Mowafy, the first Arab and Egyptian to head it, described the debate as “putting correct names on self-evident truths”.

Meanwhile, Abulhawa accused the opposition of “invoking the Holocaust and screaming antisemitism”. According to Cherwell, she said: “I came to speak directly to Zionists: we let you into our homes when your own countries turned you away. You killed and robbed and burned and looted our lives.”

Sacerdoti, opening for the opposition, called the motion “an outrage”. During his speech, an audience member heckled “you sick motherf***er” and “genocidal maniac” before being escorted out of the chamber. Others shouted “lies” as Sacerdoti spoke about October 7.

Yoseph Haddad countered claims of apartheid, highlighting evidence of co-existence among Jews, Christians, and Arabs in Israel. As a former IDF commander, Haddad noted that he had both given orders to and been saved by Jewish comrades. However, he was later ejected from the chamber amid shouts from the crowd; as he departed, he donned a t-shirt that read, “Your terrorist is dead”.

Yousef referred to his work stopping terrorist suicide bombers, despite being the son of the Hamas founder. He called Palestinians “the most pathetic people on planet Earth” and was almost evicted from the chamber, before stating “this House has been hijacked by Muslims,” according to Cherwell.

Hausdorff, who closed the debate near midnight, underscored the intimidation faced by Jewish students as people in the chamber shouted and heckled.


Jewish orgs discuss protection of British Jews with UK prime minister
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer met with representatives from four Jewish organizations Friday to discuss the threats against the Jewish community in the U.K. and what the government can do to help.

Leaders of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the Jewish Leadership Council, the Community Security Trust and the Union of Jewish Students attended the meeting at the prime minister’s office.

“We raised the community’s deep concern about the seemingly relentless antisemitism we have seen at protests, at Jewish community buildings, on campus, online, in workplaces, the NHS, the cultural sphere, and even against Jewish pupils on their way to school,” the leaders said in a joint statement.

The discussion included measures the government can take to improve Jewish life in the country and offered specific recommendations for countering antisemitism and extremism, such as reviewing hate crime legislation, policing and prosecution within the country.

This is “not just a threat to Jewish security,” the leaders stated. “It is a threat to national security.”

Other topics discussed included the plight of hostages still held by Hamas, a government ban on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of the Iranian regime, and the recent ICC warrants issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant, the former defense minister.

The organization leaders found Starmer to be “informed, concerned and engaged” throughout the meeting.

“He and we have committed to engage across government departments to ensure the action we need to reclaim our streets, campuses and community buildings from racist thugs and ensure a secure and thriving future for the UK Jewish community,” the groups stated.


UKLFI: Royal College of Arts tutor calls Israeli flag a symbol of hate and genocide
This comes against the background of many students at the RCA in all departments wearing keffiyehs and Palestinian flag badges.

Many other photography students have decorated their working areas with a flag, symbol, work of art or other item relating to their ethnic or national identity.

At the faculty meeting, one tutor said that the Israeli flag was a symbol of hate and genocide and that putting it up was a deliberate provocation. The faculty members proposed that Israeli flags and related objects should be banned to keep the studios “safe”.

Jewish students who sought to express their views were shouted down, told to shut up and threatened. The meeting ended with the faculty members saying that they would escalate the issue to the administration to see about Israeli flags being banned.

UKLFI has now written to Professor Christoph Lindner, President and Vice-Chancellor of the RCA to set out what happened to the Jewish photography students, and to explain that the insults levelled at them and at the Jewish State by the tutors were false and highly offensive.

UKLFI explained that the ICJ did not decide that there was a plausible case of genocide in Gaza, as confirmed in a subsequent BBC interview and Palestinian casualty figures produced by the Hamas-run Ministries have been manipulated.

UKLFI also pointed out that several lectures at the RCA have been extremely biased against Israel. This included one by Elliot Bourne regarding his work for the organisation Forensic Architecture, which consisted primarily of anti-Israel propaganda and also accused Israel of genocide. Another extremely biased lecture in the School of Architecture given by Professor Nadia Abu El-Haj on 14 November 2024 examined “Israel’s genocidal intentions”.

The RCA School of Architecture had also demonstrated partiality by promoting joint events with the Palestinian Society, which is discriminatory and undermines Jewish and Israeli students.

The biased lectures, discriminatory events, and flag incidents have promoted an extremely hostile atmosphere for Jewish, Israeli and Zionist students,.

UKLFI explained that under the Equality Act 2010, Jews, Israelis and Zionists have protected characteristics of ethnicity, religion and/or belief.
Antisemitism at universities in the spotlight
Jewish community leaders have called for immediate and comprehensive measures to address escalating antisemitism at Australian universities.

They’ve presented the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights meeting in Canberra at the moment with a series of urgent recommendations.

Alon Cassuto, CEO of the Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA), highlighted the critical situation, noting that 70 days after he and other Jewish leaders and students first appeared before Parliament, “we are still no closer to making university campuses safer for Jewish students and staff.”

He cited a recent troubling incident where a Jewish physics professor’s office at Melbourne University was ransacked by masked assailants.

Cassuto presented a comprehensive set of recommendations, including mandatory annual antisemitism training, adoption of the IHRA working definition of antisemitism, and prohibitions on certain forms of campus protests.

” It defies belief that Deakin University protestors were allowed to chant “F**k off Zionists,” “f**k off, Zionist scum,” and “f**k you, Zionist dogs”, Cassuto told the committee, saying that university leadership must be held accountable for creating an environment that allows such behaviour.

Simone Abel, Head of Legal at the Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), stressed that antisemitism on campuses is not a new phenomenon.

“Anti-Jewish conduct has sadly become normalised,” she said, highlighting that many incidents go unreported and unresolved.

Abel argued that “when universities call out antisemitism for what it is—a type of racism—and show they will not tolerate it, things will change.”

Peter Wertheim, co-CEO of ECAJ, believes the issue is not lack of engagement with university executives, but the failure to take meaningful action.

“They have made the right noises. They’ve heard concerns and complaints from students and staff sympathetically, but frankly, that’s the reason we are in the situation we are today.”

“What’s new is the scale and severity of the issues, not their nature,” he explained.
University of Sydney VC denies rise in antisemitism amid campus controversy
University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor Mark Scott was questioned at public parliamentary hearing on Friday about the university’s response to antisemitism on campus, declaring there had been a "reverse" in complaints about antisemitism.

The sandstone university was embroiled in controversy this year after pro-Palestine encampment protests which lasted two months.

The campus experienced a spate of alleged vandalism, harassment, trespassing and abusive behaviour after student activists initiated the sit-in on college grounds – inspired by similar protests in the United States.

The protesters declared they would occupy campus property until their demands were met.

Demands include cutting academic ties with Tel Aviv University (TAU) and severing research partnerships with defence companies, such as Thales Group and Elbit Systems, linked to the Israeli Defense Forces.

The demonstration sparked major concerns about the intimidation of Jewish students on university campuses.

Professor Scott told the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights he did not feel there had been a rise in antisemitism because the number of complaints coming through was "significantly lower”.

“I would say almost in contrast to what we can see of instances that (are) taking place outside – including the horrendous incidents in the eastern suburbs – earlier in the week, I don’t think our feeling would be on campus that we’re seeing a rise on incidents through the year," he said.

"In fact (it’s) the reverse of that, the number of complaints from staff and students is significantly lower.

“The effectiveness of working together in bringing solutions – that has been pleasing progress.”

Committee chair Josh Burns probed whether Professor Scott had made the effort to reach out to Jewish students post-October 7.

The Vice-Chancellor said he had written extensively to staff and reached out to both Israeli and Palestinian students, informing them about available support services.

He also said he met personally with Jewish students, though he was unable to recall the general timeframe of these meetings.

“It doesn’t sound like after October 7 there was a concerted effort to reach out to Jewish students – that seems like something you would remember,” Mr Burns said.

Mr Burns said prior to October 7, the University received a report indicting 77 per cent of Jewish students at the University of Sydney said they experienced antisemitism.

The Vice-Chancellor said he was familiar with the report but could not recall the details, including the percentage of Jewish students who were afraid to reveal their background.


Al Jazeera journalist who downplayed Shoah returns to channel for film that ‘glorifies Hamas’
A journalist previously suspended by Al Jazeera for Holocaust distortion has resurfaced as the presenter of a new documentary on the channel which appears to frame Hamas as the “light after the darkness”.

Palestinian journalist Muna Hawwa hosted Occupation Architecture, an Al Jazeera documentary that aired on the Qatari-backed channel on the first anniversary of the Hamas attacks.

The film featured anti-Zionist Exeter University Professor Ilan Pappé and Forensic Architecture founder Professor Eyal Weizman.

At the documentary’s conclusion, Pappé refers to the “beginning of the end” of Zionism as the “dawn after the darkness”, which is accompanied in the edit by a scream and a montage of Hamas terror footage that features uplifting music.

This sequence of propaganda clips includes militants atop a captured Israeli tank, rockets fired into Israel, and Hamas parachutists descending to dramatic music. It also shows a terrorist entering a home marked with a Magen David and footage shot from Hamas militants’ headsets.

Pappé argues: “The whole project of Zionism is not working, even from a Jewish point of view… There are processes that are imploding the project from within.” He concludes: “The beginning of the end can be a long period, unfortunately a very dangerous one, but there is light at the end of the tunnel, there is a dawn after this darkness,” before the montage of Palestinian terrorism begins.

Weizman, an Israeli-born human rights architect, claims in the film that Israeli forces are “making life unlivable”. His research group at Goldsmiths University earlier this year produced a video wrongly blaming Israel for the Al-Ahli Hospital explosion in Gaza, which was caused by a misfired Islamic Jihad rocket. In Occupation Architecture, Weizman dismissed the viability of a two-state solution, saying: “This land cannot be divided; it cannot support more than one state.”

There is no evidence that Pappé or Weizman knew how their comments would be used in the film. Hawwa’s views on the Israel Hamas war are well-documented.

On the day of the Hamas attacks, she posted on social media that the “Barrier of fear to the path of possibility has become a reality” and celebrated a “spark of hope”. In March 2024, she posted a video in which she dismissed Israeli reports of rape on October 7 as “Zionist propaganda” meant to “justify genocide”.
Jonathan Sacerdoti_ The Guardian continues to fuel antisemitism
Journalist Jonathan Sacerdoti appeared on Kevin O’Sullivan’s show on Talk TV last night to discuss the decades-long issue of antisemitism at the Guardian, and the negative impact it has on Jews in Britain. The interview comes on the heels of food critic Jay Rayner leaving the Observer (sister site of the Guardian), complaining of anti-Semites on staff at the media group, and that chief editor Katharine Viner has “not had the courage to face them down”.


How BBC News ignored the rest of a story it reported 19 months ago
Eighteen months later, the trial of that former Jordanian MP came to a close.

“A Jordanian court sentenced one of the kingdom’s lawmakers to 10 years of hard labor after convicting him of smuggling weapons into the West Bank.

Imad al-Adwan was arrested at the Israel-administered Allenby Border Crossing (also called the King Hussein Crossing) between Jordan and the West Bank on April 22, 2023, when Israeli security forces found 12 rifles and 194 pistols in his car, Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency said at the time.

Israel transferred him to Jordanian authorities in May last year, and he was eventually convicted of exporting weapons with the intention of illegal use after being stripped of his parliamentary immunity.

Three others were also convicted in the case and sentenced to lengthy prison time by the Jordanian State Security Court.”

Once again, the BBC did not report those developments, meaning that its sole online documentation of the story focuses on al-Adwan’s arrest by Israel for an “alleged” crime. That omission is all the more relevant in light of the fact that weapons continue to be smuggled across that border, with one recent incident having taken place just days ago.

At the time of writing, the BBC News website’s ‘Jordan’ page shows that just five reports relating to that country have been published in the past six months.

Similarly, the website’s ‘Kuwait’ page and ‘Oman’ page each show only two reports published in the same time period and the ‘Bahrain’ page displays just four reports from the past year, most of which tell BBC audiences little about events in that country defined as “not free” by Freedom House.

A decade ago we documented the BBC News website’s coverage of the Middle East against the background of civil liberties in the region.

One of the outcomes of the BBC’s massively disproportionate focus on Israel related stories since October 7th 2023 is that coverage of other countries in the region has taken even more of a back seat, meaning that even a story about an MP’s cross-border smuggling of weapons is not adequately reported.


Syrian Islamist rebels re-enter Aleppo in apparent collapse of regime defenses
Syrian Islamist rebels appear to have made stunning territorial advances against the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad on Friday, re-entering the city of Aleppo for the first time in eight years amid the apparent collapse of government defenses in the area.

Unconfirmed videos on social media suggest that rebel fighters from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other groups captured parts of western Aleppo, which was Syria’s most populous city prior to the country’s ongoing civil war, which broke out in 2011.

Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) emerged as an al-Qaeda splinter faction, although it now rejects affiliation with the terror group. The United States designated HTS as a foreign terrorist organization in 2018.

The offensive marks the rebels’ most significant advance, following years of stalemate in northwest Syria, with Turkish-backed rebels and HTS holding a narrow strip of territory around the provinces of Idlib and Afrin.

Turkey and Russia signed a ceasefire in 2020 after agreeing to turn Idlib into a “de-escalation zone” in 2018.

Oncu Keceli, the spokesman for Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, called for a halt to the fighting on Friday. “We have emphasized that these attacks must come to an end,” he wrote. “In fact, the recent clashes have resulted in an undesirable escalation of tensions in the region.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called on Friday for the Syrian regime to retake control of the lost areas.

“As for the situation around Aleppo, it is an attack on Syrian sovereignty and we are in favor of the Syrian authorities bringing order to the area and restoring constitutional order as soon as possible,” he said, per Reuters.

Asked about rumors that Assad had made a surprise flight to Moscow, Peskov said that he had “nothing to say” about the Russian social media reports, according to Reuters.


MEMRI: Qatar's Theatre Of The Absurd Under The Auspices Of The UN: A Corrupt Sponsor Of Terror Pretends To Fight Corruption And Terrorism
The world has recently witnessed several absurd events held by Qatar in collaboration with the UN, aimed at whitewashing the former's deep involvement in funding terrorist and Islamist extremist organizations and in promoting corruption, and thus buying the approval of Europe and the U.S.

1. The Farce Of The Qatari Emir's Anti-Corruption Excellence Award
While Qatar's involvement in numerous corruption scandals around the world is known to all,[1] an absurd spectacle has been taking place for several years now, in cooperation with the UN: the awarding of the Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Aal Thani Anti-Corruption Excellence (ACE) Award, funded by the Qatari Emir. Qatar and the UN thus work together to build up Qatar's image as a patron of the fight against corruption, while it remains a key player in encouraging corruption worldwide.

This year's award ceremony was held on November 19, 2024 in Costa Rica's capital of San Jose, with the participation of the Emir himself and of Alexandre Zouev, the UN Assistant Secretary-General for Rule of Law and Security Institutions. The award, which has been given since 2016 in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), includes five categories, one of which is Safeguarding Sports from Corruption[2] – despite reports that Qatar bribed FIFA to select it as the host of the 2022 World Cup.[3] In his speech at the ceremony, Zouev said that "Qatar's [ACE Award] initiative significantly contributes to raising global awareness and enhancing international cooperation in combatting the phenomenon of corruption."[4]

2. The Farce Of Qatar's Funding Of The UN Office Of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT)


Another farce is the marketing of Qatar as a country that combats terrorism, again with the cooperation of the UN, while it is widely known as a patron of numerous terrorist organizations.[8] To sanitize its image, Qatar funds UN bodies devoted to combating terrorism, such as the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), to which Qatar is the largest contributor.[9] Qatar also sponsors and hosts conferences on counter-terrorism in conjunction with relevant UN agencies.

For instance, on November 20, 2024, at UN headquarters in New York, UNOCT and the Qatari government held their sixth High-Level Strategic Dialogue on counter-terrorism. Qatar was represented in the dialogue by Sheikha Alya Ahmed Saif Aal Thani, Qatar's Permanent Representative to the UN, and by the Qatari Foreign Minister's Special Envoy on Counterterrorism and Mediation, Faisal Abdullah Al-Henzab, while the UN was represented by the Under Secretary General for Counterterrorism Vladimir Voronkov and by the Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of the Counterterrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), Natalia Gherman.

The dialogue dealt with the collaboration between Qatar and the UNOCT in combatting terror. Sheikha Aal Thani praised the cooperation and stressed the importance of exchanging ideas on priorities and strategic initiatives and of surveying UNOCT activity funded by Qatar. She also highlighted the ongoing coordination between Qatar and other UN agencies dealing with counter-terrorism. Special Envoy Al-Henzab underscored Qatar's commitment to continuing the robust partnership with the UNOCT and lauded the achievements of the initiatives and programs funded by Qatar, which is a principal contributor to UNOCT's Trust Fund for Counter-Terrorism.[11]

In a separate meeting at the Strategic Dialogue, Ambassador Aal Thani and Special Envoy Al-Henzab and CTED Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director Natalia Gherman discussed the strengthening of the partnership between Qatar and the UN to combat terrorism, and specifically the funding of the programs and initiatives aimed at preventing violent extremism. Gherman praised "the pioneering role played by Qatar as a funder of initiatives to combat terrorism and strengthen world peace and security."[12]
British, French spy chiefs express concern over Iran nuclear program: ‘Threatens us all’
British and French intelligence chiefs on Friday expressed concern over Iran’s nuclear program, as European officials met with senior diplomats from Tehran for talks on the matter.

In a speech in Paris, the United Kingdom’s foreign intelligence chief said Iran’s nuclear ambitions pose a major global security threat, even after setbacks dealt to its terror group allies Hamas and Hezbollah by Israel.

“Iran’s allied militias across the Middle East have suffered serious blows,” said Secret Intelligence Service chief Richard Moore. “But the regime’s nuclear ambitions continue to threaten all of us.”

Meanwhile, the head of France’s intelligence service said the risk of Iranian nuclear proliferation is a serious threat in the coming months and Britain and France are working out strategies to prepare for such an event.

“Our services are working side by side to face what is undoubtedly one of the threats, if not to say the most critical threat, in the coming months – the possible atomic proliferation in Iran,” Nicolas Lerner said at the British embassy in Geneva.

“The intelligence will be crucial to enable our authorities to make the right decisions and define the right strategies,” he said in rare public comments.

Meanwhile, Iran, Britain, France and Germany have agreed to continue diplomatic dialogue “in the near future,” the German foreign ministry and the high-level diplomats representing France and Britain and Iran said separately on X after Friday talks on Tehran’s nuclear program.

“We are firmly committed to pursue the interests of our people, and our preference is the path of dialogue and engagement,” Kazem Gharibabadi, Iran’s deputy foreign minister for legal and international affairs, said on X.

European and Iranian diplomats met to discuss whether they could engage in serious talks in the coming weeks to defuse tensions in the region, including over Tehran’s nuclear program, before Donald Trump’s return to the White House.


JPost Editorial: Surge in antisemitism must be a global wake-up call
After an Iranian plot to assassinate Canadian human rights activist Irwin Cotler was revealed in late October, he called it “a wake-up call for the community of democracies.” Since then, antisemitic and anti-Israel assaults and threats have escalated further around the world, from the murder of Chabad emissary Rabbi Zvi Kogan z”l in the United Arab Emirates on November 21 to incendiary leaflets in London this week.

GB News reported on Wednesday that leaflets reading “Zionists, leave Britain or be slaughtered” were distributed in Hendon, a neighborhood with a large Jewish population. “We are witnessing a troubling trend of redlines being repeatedly crossed,” said Isaac Zarfati, executive director of StandWithUs UK. “This is not just another wave that will pass if we remain passive.”

What can be done to counter this hateful phenomenon? One example of a country taking swift action is The Netherlands. Following the antisemitic attacks on Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam on November 8, the Dutch government unveiled a five-year national strategy for combating antisemitism in pursuit of what it called “Netherlands without antisemitism.”

According to a cabinet statement, the Dutch Jewish community, numbering some 50,000, “lives in great insecurity.” The cabinet earmarked 4.5 million euros ($4.7 million) annually for the plan to be coordinated by the Justice and Security Ministry, advised by the National Coordinator for Combating Antisemitism, focusing on stepping up security at Jewish sites.

The new strategy calls for the establishment of an antisemitism task force, tougher laws on “glorifying terrorism,” and a probe into violence during protests in the streets and in soccer stadiums, where fans will be targeted in a bid to eradicate antisemitic chanting.

“With the current strategy, the government makes it clear that the fight against antisemitism concerns all Dutch people,” the cabinet said. “We all have a responsibility, as a society, to combat antisemitism and the insecurity of Jews. The Netherlands stands for an open, reasonable, and tolerant society. Jewish life is a very explicit part of that.”

Asked for his view of the situation, French philosopher and writer Bernard-Henri Lévy, who authored a new book titled Israel Alone, told The Jerusalem Post:

“The situation is clearly not good. Look at the Amsterdam pogrom—the hostile protests before the France-Israel soccer match at the Stade de France. There have been countless authoritarian, even totalitarian, countries or nations involved in terrible wars that have played at the Stade de France without any issue. Yet now it’s Israel’s turn, a true democracy, attacked on seven fronts and targeted in its very existence – and there’s a widespread boycott! Isn’t that strange? Doesn’t that trouble you?”
Antisemitism in Berlin surpasses entirety of 2023 in just six months
The number of antisemitic incidents in Berlin in the first half of 2024 was higher than the whole total for 2023, according to a report published by Germany's Federal Association of Departments for Research and Information on Antisemitism (RIAS) on Thursday.

From January to June, RIAS recorded 1,383 incidents of antisemitism in Berlin (about eight a day), which is a significant increase from 1,270 in 2023.

Among the 1,383 incidents, two were listed as cases of extreme violence and 23 as attacks (6 of which were against children).

Thirty-seven were recorded as property damage, 28 as threats, and 1,240 as abusive behavior.

Seventy-four of the incidents took place in academic institutions.

Seventy-one incidents contained threats of annihilation.

In both cases of extreme violence and attacks, Jews living in Berlin were inflicted with serious bodily harm.
My encounter with an Italian antisemite highlights Europe's growing hatred
This past week, I had an encounter that made me confront the ever-present undercurrents of antisemitism in the world today. It took place in a bustling café in Rabat where I met an Italian tourist, and what began as a pleasant exchange quickly spiraled into something far more troubling.

As we spoke about our travels, I mentioned that I had recently visited Israel, a country I found rich in history and culture. I was surprised when the Italian's demeanor shifted. Instead of engaging in a respectful exchange of ideas, he suddenly declared, “I don’t like Israel – I hate Israel.”

I was taken aback but tried to remain open-minded, expecting a conversation about politics. However, he quickly veered into dangerous territory, revealing a deep, baseless hatred for Jews. He spoke of the familiar antisemitic tropes: Jews controlling the world’s money, governments and even global events. His words mirrored dangerous conspiracy theories that have plagued Europe for centuries. At first, I was stunned. How could someone, seemingly well-educated and well-traveled, hold such backward and hateful views? But as the conversation continued, I began to realize something even more chilling: This wasn’t just an isolated opinion; it was part of a much larger wave of rising antisemitism that is spreading through Europe and, as recent events show, beyond it.

On the night of November 7, 2024, the Dutch capital of Amsterdam witnessed the first pogrom in Europe in many decades. Many Israeli tourists were in town for a UEFA soccer match, but what started as a peaceful event soon turned into a nightmare. Local Muslims and Arabs, mobilizing via social media, launched a “Jew hunt” through the streets. These mobs – often coordinated on apps like WhatsApp and Snapchat – attacked Jews with knives, clubs, fireworks and even vehicles. Terrified Israelis were trapped in their hotels while the authorities failed to stop the violence, with no arrests made during the rioting.

The image of the violence that erupted in Amsterdam was shocking, but not entirely unexpected. In recent years, there has been a growing trend of anti-Israel protests, often spilling over into acts of violence against Jewish communities. What happened in Amsterdam – a city with a rich Jewish history, home to the Anne Frank House – was a stark reminder of how quickly hate can erupt when fueled by conspiracy theories and ideological extremism.

What struck me as particularly alarming is that these attacks are no longer just fringe occurrences. There is a growing normalization of antisemitic rhetoric, driven by radical leftists and Islamist extremists. In Amsterdam, the attackers proudly shouted “Free Palestine” as they hunted down Jewish people, using violence as their form of protest. This has become a new, disturbing reality across many European cities, where Jews have become targets not just for their identity, but for their association with Israel. And, as events in Amsterdam show, it’s often not contained by borders.

What struck me as particularly alarming is that these attacks are no longer just fringe occurrences. There is a growing normalization of antisemitic rhetoric, driven by radical leftists and Islamist extremists. In Amsterdam, the attackers proudly shouted “Free Palestine” as they hunted down Jewish people, using violence as their form of protest. This has become a new, disturbing reality across many European cities, where Jews have become targets not just because of their identity, but because of their association with Israel.
Evangelical leader calls for churches to cut ties with Candace Owens, applauds New Zealand ban
Laurie Cardoza-Moore, President of Proclaiming Justice to The Nations (PJTN), praised New Zealand and Australia for denying entry to commentator Candace Owens and called on churches worldwide to excommunicate her for promoting antisemitism.

“Candace Owens has verged into the abyss of blind Jew-hatred, rooted in the sewers of historical Christian antisemitism, which led to the death of millions of Jews in the name of Christianity,” said Cardoza-Moore, a former deacon of the World Council of Independent Churches.

“Her ideas are a lethal cocktail of conspiracy theories and heresy, rejected by almost every denomination in Christendom.”

Cardoza-Moore continued, “It’s time that churches close the doors on Candace. The Candace Owens we once knew is no longer there. She has no substance beyond her repugnant, unfounded, and obsessive hate for God’s Chosen People. There is no place for her anywhere in the Conservative Christian world.” Support for Israel and Jewish values

Cardoza-Moore’s organization, PJTN, is a nonprofit focused on educating Christians and building global support for Israel and Jewish communities. Its flagship program, Focus on Israel, reaches an international audience of over one billion viewers. PJTN has also been active in shaping K-12 school curricula in Florida and Tennessee, emphasizing Judeo-Christian values.

Owens has had her visa application rejected by Immigration New Zealand, according to New Zealand's news media website Stuff.

Owens had applied for an Entertainers Work Visa but was turned down due to her ban from Australia. Immigration New Zealand (INZ) confirmed to Stuff that Owens's application was denied.

Owens has a history of making controversial claims, including downplaying the Holocaust. She has been accused of being antisemitic and homophobic. These accusations have raised concerns among officials and organizations about the potential impact of her statements.

The Holocaust Centre of New Zealand had previously urged Immigration New Zealand to "carefully consider" granting a visa to Owens. Deborah Hart, Chairperson of the Holocaust Centre of New Zealand, said Owens had some "wacky" ideas, including that there had been no moon landing and that Jews orchestrated the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Waverley Council takes the lead on antisemitism
Mayor William Nemesh with deputy mayor Keri Spooner.

In a local government first, Waverley Council will formulate a local government antisemitism strategy that other councils will be able to follow.

Mayor Will Nemesh moved a mayoral minute on Tuesday night that will see the council hold a roundtable with the Sydney Jewish Museum, the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies and other stakeholders early in 2025 before formulating and adopting a plan.

“In the wake of the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, producing an antisemitism strategy and action plan is even more important for council to address the rise in prejudice, hate and division directed towards our Jewish residents,” Nemesh said. “I am committed to ensuring our Jewish community feels safe and valued.”

He added that the mayoral minute calls for the Jewish community to engage with council and be involved in producing the strategy.

“I will not accept nor tolerate antisemitism,” he said. “I am proud that under my mayoralty, Waverley Council is being a local government leader in developing policies and strategies to combat antisemitism.”

Addressing the Council meeting, NSW Jewish Board of Deputies CEO Michele Goldman noted the unprecedented explosion in antisemitism since October 7.

“For the first time, many Jewish people are feeling unsafe in their communities, at work, in their schools and universities,” she said.

“This motion sends a clear signal to the 10,000 Jews in Waverley that their leaders stand with them. The measures proposed by the mayor tonight are vital not just for the Jewish community but for the broader community as well.

“We strongly support the development of a comprehensive strategy to act pre-emptively and prevent further escalation. We hope this pioneering work to develop an antisemitism strategy will serve as a model for other local governments across the state.”
Memphis police arrest man accused of murdering Israeli
The Memphis Police Department arrested a 17-year-old male, whom it identified as “juvenile male,” and charged him with killing an Israeli man last week.

“His name was not released due to his age,” the department told JNS.

Aviv Broek, 21, was shot to death and found by officers shortly after 1:15 a.m. on the morning of Nov. 22 on the 2300 block of Hernando Road in the city. The Tennessee department told JNS on Nov. 24 that “ there is no indication at this time of a hate crime,” but that it was “pursuing all leads.”

Broek, who reportedly is from Rehovot, Israel, was robbed and killed while on a call as a locksmith, according to various press reports.

The department charged the unnamed defendant with first degree murder in perpetration of a robbery and especially aggravated robbery, it said on Thursday.


German Navy concludes a two-week evaluation of Israeli-developed BlueWhale uncrewed submarine
BlueWhale, the unique large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) unveiled last year by Israel Aerospace Industries, led the Operational Experimentation (OPEX) in the Baltic Sea for the German Navy. Together with Israel Aerospace Industries, a world-class aerospace and defense leader, and Germany’s ATLAS Elektronik, the BlueWhale state-of-the-art autonomous underwater vehicle was tested according to the specifications of both the Navy and the Bundeswehr Technical Center for Ships and Naval Weapons (WTD 71) in one of the most challenging and complex areas of operation of the German Navy – the Baltic Sea. NATO’s Centre of Excellence for Operations enabled the experimental connection of the Blue Whale into the Navy’s situational picture.

The Navy launched OPEX, a groundbreaking initiative to pave the way toward its ‘Marine 2035 and Beyond’ plan. In so doing, it has signaled its determination to actively address both current and future security-relevant threat situations. OPEX is the German Navy’s ‘toolbox’ for promoting innovation and for testing new approaches and technologies quickly and comprehensively under conditions that are as realistic as possible.

BlueWhale is a large uncrewed underwater vehicle 10.9 meters long, with a diameter of 1.12 meters and weighing 5.5 tons. It performs covert intelligence-gathering above the sea surface, can detect submarines and underwater targets, gather acoustic intelligence, and search for and detect naval mines on the seabed. The autonomous submarine can perform a significant portion of a crewed submarine’s operations for several weeks at minimal cost and maintenance and without risking operators.


Azerbaijan’s Jews hid away during the Soviet era - now they say they are safe and free
In the foothills of the Caucasus Mountains, the Red Village is one of the few places in the world where a Jewish community has lived continuously for more than 2,000 years, now in a Muslim majority country.

It’s believed to be the last surviving shtetl, and the only town in the world outside Israel and the US where Jewish residents, numbering around 3,000, make up the majority.

Jewish history in Azerbaijan stretches back over two millennia, with communities first arriving and settling in the region in the 5th century BCE when much of the Caucasus was controlled by the Persian Empire. Various Jewish groups have lived in the mountain range in the centuries since.

Today there are seven synagogues in Azerbaijan, and the country’s some 25,000 Jews (0.1 per cent to 0.2 per cent of the country’s population) is comprised of communities of varying sizes – the Mountain Jews, the Ashkenazi Jews and Georgian Jews, who migrated from the neighbouring Caucasus country, are the country’s largest Jewish subgroups. The 5,000 Mountain Jews (also called Juhuri Jews), who follow Sephardic traditions, is the largest. Their main settlement, the Red Village, is an hour-and-a-half drive north of Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital city, through the flat, sparse landscape bordering the Caspian Sea and then inland for another 45 minutes.

Their houses are made of stone and wood with Persian, Jewish and local Caucasian architectural influence, some gated and brand new, many dilapidated and abandoned. Around each of the village’s three synagogues, huddled amid high walls of baked brick, are grave-looking armed men in full tactical military equipment on guard 24 hours a day, seven days a week, since October 7.

Pisakh Isakov of the Mountain Jewish community showed me the village’s oldest synagogue, the Six Dome Synagogue, built in 1888. Isakov, 70, said Jews have lived peacefully alongside Muslim and Christian communities here for centuries. “There’s no antisemitism here,” he insists. “The rabbis say blessings for the passing of imams, and imams attend Jewish funerals. We share in one another’s holidays; our children play together.”

Threats to the Jewish community’s way of life never arrive, he claims, from the mosques in nearby towns, as he suggests might be the case in “other countries”.

But state-sanctioned assault against religious ways of life in the Soviet Union began in the 1930s and continued until Azerbaijan declared independence in 1991.
Despite threats and a ban, thousands of Christians and Jews celebrate Israel in Amsterdam
Some 2,000 pro-Israel protesters gathered outside Amsterdam’s city hall on Thursday night after Mayor Femke Halsema nixed the originally planned rally in the capital’s Dam Square, reportedly concerned that the site could not be properly secured.

The central Dam Square is where pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel demonstrations have taken place with greater frequency over the last few weeks following the violent attacks on Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters on November 7 — though with far fewer attendees than Thursday evening’s pro-Israel crowd.

“This is how ‘never again’ becomes ‘yet again,’ by taking rights away from Jews bit by bit,” said Jewish former politician Rob Oudkerk. “‘Yet again’ is Mayor Halsema, who bans us from Dam Square.”

Several speakers bitterly complained of what they called Halsema’s unwillingness to protect Jews in the heart of the city.

The city’s “security triangle” — consisting of the mayor, the local chief of police and Amsterdam’s chief public prosecutor — had banned the gathering, saying that the safety of the pro-Israel protesters could not be guaranteed after antisemitic riots earlier this month.

Israeli officials said 10 people were injured in the November 7 violence, perpetrated by Arab and Muslim gangs against visiting and local fans of the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer club after a match against Amsterdam’s Ajax. Hundreds more Israelis huddled in their hotels for hours, fearing they could be attacked. Many said that Dutch security forces were nowhere to be found as the Israeli tourists were ambushed by gangs of masked assailants who shouted pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel slogans while they hunted, beat and harassed them.

Led by Christians For Israel, some 20 Protestant and Jewish organizations at first rejected the security triangle’s decision to prohibit pro-Israel demonstrators from gathering at Dam Square, but finally agreed on the alternative location.

Solidarity with Israel and Dutch Jews was shown in a celebratory fashion by the protesters next to the “Stopera” (Amsterdam’s city hall doubles as an opera house), a stone’s throw away from a large statue of Baruch Spinoza, Holland’s most influential philosopher.

Small groups of counter-protesters — not more than a few dozen — were kept away from the largely Christian crowd that had come to the Dutch capital mainly from small and mid-sized towns in what is known as Holland’s Bible belt. There they were joined by Jewish citizens from Amsterdam and other sympathizers.

“My savior [Jesus Christ] was a Jew, the apostles were Jews, the Bible is a Jewish book. Antisemitism and anti-Zionism are deeply anti-Christian,” said Protestant minister Klaas-Jelle Kaptein, from the island fishing town of Urk.

In a speech, Yanki Jacobs, a local Chabad rabbi, asked if there was a future for Dutch Jews in light of recent events. “My answer is, if there is a future for the Netherlands, there is a future for Jews in the Netherlands,” he said. “If Dutch society has enough strength to fight hatred, my answer is a resounding ‘yes.’ But we need people who speak out.”


"People care more about their careers than standing up for what is right" | EP 19 Montana Tucker
Welcome to the 18th episode of "Here I Am with Shai Davidai," a podcast that delves into the rising tide of antisemitism through insightful discussions with top Jewish advocates.

The conversation between host Shai and guest Montana Tucker covers a wide range of topics centered around Montana's identity, advocacy, and experiences. Montana Tucker, a singer, dancer, model, actress, and social media activist, discusses her strong Jewish identity and advocacy for Israel and Jewish people. She shares her background, mentioning her grandparents who were Holocaust survivors, which deeply influences her activism.

Montana talks about her decision to openly express her Jewish identity, despite stereotypes and societal pressures. She recounts her experience at the Grammys, where she wore a dress with a yellow ribbon to raise awareness for hostages held in Gaza, despite facing resistance from the Recording Academy.

The discussion also touches on the challenges of advocating for Israel and Jewish causes in the entertainment industry, where there is often fear of backlash. Montana emphasizes the importance of using her platform to educate and inspire others, particularly through her docuseries "How to Never Forget," which aims to educate younger generations about the Holocaust.

Montana shares her personal journey, from starting in the entertainment industry at a young age to becoming an advocate. She highlights the impact of her advocacy work, including a powerful dance project at the Nova Festival site, which aimed to honor victims and survivors of a tragic event there.

Throughout the conversation, Montana stresses the importance of speaking out against antisemitism and using one's voice to make a difference, regardless of the potential personal and professional risks involved.






Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism  today at Amazon!

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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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