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Tuesday, December 10, 2024

12/10 Links Pt2: Why do the Left march against Israel but not Russia, Iran’s mullahs, or the Taliban?; Why young British Jews are leaving for Israel; Death to Jews': SJP Leaders Home had Guns, Ammo, and Terrorist Flags

From Ian:

UN Watchdog Calls for Resignation of Top UN Human Rights Official After Investigation Produces Damning Report of Turning Blind Eye to Human Rights Abuses
A UN watchdog group has called for the United Nations’ top human rights official to resign by January 1st, after an investigation yielded damning examples of the “High Commissioner” placing political considerations before blatant abuses of human rights across the globe.

According to a new UN Watch report, , “Blind Eye to Dictatorships,” High Commissioner Volker Türk stayed “silent on gross and systematic violations of human rights” in countries known to commit heinous human rights abuses. The report reviewed and tallied statements initiated by Mr. Türk during his tenure of from October 2022 through October 2024.

Key findings of the report include:

• UN human rights chief Volker Türk condemned the United States more than the combined total of his condemnations of China, North Korea, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar.

• Türk for the past two years was completely silent on gross and systematic violations of human rights committed by the regimes of Cuba, North Korea, Algeria, Eritrea, Mauritania, Lebanon, and Qatar. At the same time, he had no trouble criticizing democracies such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, and France.

• Even when Türk did criticize some of the most oppressive regimes, he ignored many of their worst offenses. For example, he made only three criticisms of China, yet even in these he never mentioned Beijing’s imprisonment of more than one million Uyghurs in concentration camps.

• Türk was obsessed with condemning Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, making 58 condemnations during the past two years, most on the Hamas-Israel war. To put this in perspective, over the same two years, he criticized the Maduro regime only 4 times. Turk has made more statements on Gaza than the combined total of his statements on Ukraine, Sudan, and Myanmar. To put this in perspective, although the war in Sudan also began in 2023, it has already killed tens of thousands of civilians and has created over 2 million external refugees, which is nearly as many refugees as the entire population of Gaza. Another 7.7 million Sudanese have been left internally displaced.

• Despite his position as the highest independent voice in the UN human rights system, Türk was silent when the UN elected serial abusers like China, Cuba, Qatar, and Eritrea to the Human Rights Council, which now has a membership that is 60 percent non-democracies, and he was silent when the Islamic Republic of Iran was made Chair of the UN Human Rights Council Social Forum.
Why do the Left march against Israel but not Russia, Iran’s mullahs, or the Taliban?
Israel’s response to Hamas’s October 7 invasion put to rest any final worries about the confidence and passion of Gen Z, especially the swathes of it associated with the Left (or the disturbing mishmash of disinformation, false history and identity politics that passes for the left these days). Marches in London “for Palestine” and against Israel regularly number 125,000.

And yet this apparent dedication to the cause of justice in the world is astonishingly narrow. Yes, there’s the preoccupation with the hazily menacing notion of “climate justice”. But on issues where Leftist passion would be truly welcome, and reassuring, it is missing in action. If risking arrest, harassing and creating an intimidating environment for Jews and glorifying terrorism is de rigueur, there seems to be no appetite for doing so on behalf of – to give an example – women in Afghanistan who are ever-more brutalised by the Taliban.

The extending misogynistic sadism of this movement was revived by Joe Biden’s craven decision to withdraw American forces from Afghanistan. When, in August, the Taliban stopped women speaking, singing or showing any skin at all, even on their faces or hands, in public, there was barely a peep from the Left. And last week, there was news of a fresh tightening of an already unbearable screw in Afghanistan – with a ban on women training in midwifery, dentistry and nursing, their sole remaining avenue for education and career. It’s hard to imagine what else there is to destroy in women’s lives, but no doubt the Taliban will think of something.

Add to the list the Muslim Uyghurs in China, of whom one million have been arbitrarily detained in concentration camps, subjected to torture including forced sterilisation, or Sudan’s civil war between two vicious forces, the RSF (Rapid Support Forces, the new name for the militia that carried out the slaughter in Darfur 20 years ago) and the SAF (Sudanese Armed Forces), which has left more than 60,000 dead, displaced more than 10 million and is threatening the destruction of 13 million more through famine in what aid organisations call “the world’s worst humanitarian disaster”.

Then there are the victims of the brutal Russia-backed Assad regime in Syria; victims, especially girls, of Islamist groups in Nigeria; Venezuelans fleeing authoritarian rule, violence and poverty. And what about the innocent civilians in Ukraine bombarded every night by Russian bombs?

The sinister, lethal approach to women, artists and intellectuals in Iran, surely, also ought to garner at least some reaction; some use of megaphones, and some placards paraded through city streets imploring our government to take this threat seriously?

But sadly it seems the streets are all but silent by such activists. Some on the Right speak out, but on the Left, on real questions of right and wrong, passion runs cold and dry. The fate of women the world over trapped in inhumane Islamist regimes, including those of Hamas and Hezbollah, and all the rest of the world’s poor and abused who deserve to be stood up for, or at least remembered, are of no interest.

There are many explanations for this phenomenon – some say it’s to do with disaster fatigue, and the overweening dominance in the media of events in the Middle East and in Ukraine under Russian aggression. Some say it’s to do with confusion over who the bad guy is when the conflict does not involve a friend of America (the friend of America is always the bad guy).

But I think the answer is simpler and darker than those rationalisations suggest. It’s that the cheerleaders for those who mean Israel the darkest harm under the banner of attempting to “free Palestine” – but who remain silent in the face of an emboldened Taliban, genocidal militias, and mass abuse of Uyghurs – actually want the West to be destroyed. Their pattern of passion and frigid silence is not some accident of well-meaning care for the weak. It is intentional, a direct result of a set of ideologies that has soaked through academic and institutional settings.

In their warped world, even the shuttering of a final avenue of life beyond total darkness for women in a country that the West threw to the wolves, but could have saved, simply doesn’t register.

It’s hard not to conclude, then, that those who shout the loudest on behalf of the dispossessed of Palestine are actually engaged in a project of cheerleading for those who want the West, beginning with Israel, to fall.
Congress Probes Pro-Hamas Group Behind Union Station Riot for 'Strong' Ties to CCP
House Republicans are probing the People's Forum—the pro-Hamas social justice organization behind the violent riot at Union Station over the summer—over its "strong" ties to the Chinese Communist Party, the Washington Free Beacon has learned.

Ten Republican members of the House Natural Resources Committee, led by the panel's chairman Bruce Westerman (R., Ark.), outlined how the People's Forum's funding can be traced back to Neville Roy Singham, a well-known socialist businessman with direct ties to China's global propaganda operations, in a letter sent to the New York-based group on Monday.

The letter marks an escalation in the committee's ongoing investigation into the events leading up to and following the July 24 riot at Union Station, where agitators launched human feces at U.S. Park Police officers, burned an American flag, raised a Palestinian flag, and defaced several monuments with graffitied slogans such as "abolish the U.S.A." and "Hamas is coming."

The investigation was launched in the immediate aftermath of the riot and has focused on the individuals and groups responsible for the riot. Lawmakers are now broadening the scope of the investigation, digging into the foreign influences driving those behind the riot.

A 2023 report published by the New York Times revealed how Singham has constructed a shady network of nonprofits headquartered at UPS stores, which send millions of dollars producing and distributing media content parroting Chinese propaganda talking points. At least one of the groups, the Justice and Education Fund, funds, provides services like accounting, and shares personnel with the People's Forum, according to federal tax filings.

Singham's network also funds the media outlets Dongsheng News and BreakThrough Media, both of which provide friendly coverage of Chinese issues—the People's Forum regularly touts content produced by both outlets. In September 2021, the People's Forum posted a video of BreakThrough Media journalist Kei Pritsker stating that "China is not our enemy, China isn't belligerent towards us, China wants peace."

Considering the People's Forum's involvement in the Union Station riot, the revelations raise serious concerns about China's efforts to influence public opinion and sow division in the United States. American intelligence agencies have warned that China engages in information warfare in the United States by, for example, providing financial incentives for academic institutions and nonprofit organizations to bolster positive views of the nation.

"The Committee is concerned with the CCP’s growing attempts to influence U.S. policies and that the relationship between the CCP and the People’s Forum may impact the People’s Forum’s political and advocacy activities, including those relating to the abuse of free speech," Westerman and the other lawmakers wrote to the People's Forum executive director Manolo De Los Santos.


Noa Argamani recalls horrors of captivity, warns of dire conditions for
Rescued hostage Noa Argamani revealed new details on Tuesday about her time in Hamas captivity in Gaza and warned of the desperate medical conditions of the remaining hostages at a discussion at President Isaac Herzog’s Residence in Jerusalem.

After she spoke, Herzog said that “the hostages are in grave danger,” and that there is a renewed “significant effort” to reach a deal for their release.

At an emergency discussion on the medical condition of the hostages, Argamani revealed details about a severe injury she sustained in captivity.

“An airstrike hit the building where I, Yossi Sharabi, and Itay Svirsky were kept. As you know, Yossi didn’t survive. Two days later, Itay Svirski was killed,” she said.

Earlier this year, a military investigation into their deaths revealed that Sharabi was killed by an IDF airstrike in January, and that Svirsky was murdered by his captors days later. Both were kept with Argamani, and the three filmed a Hamas propaganda video that was released in January.

Argamani was rescued in an IDF operation in June along with four other hostages, and Svirsky’s body was returned to Israel earlier this week.

At Tuesday’s discussion, Argamani said that the airstrike left her “bleeding, with my head completely open. No one came to help me; not the Red Cross, no doctors, no one.”

“When the doctors saw all my injuries when I returned, they said it was a medical miracle,” she said.

The discussion included a screening of the Hamas propaganda video featuring Argamani in captivity. “This is the shorter and censored version of the video,” she said. “I wanted to spare you the full video.”

Speaking of the remaining hostages who have been held in Gaza for 431 days, she said, “I don’t know how many hostages have suffered in the same situations as I did.”

“We don’t know the condition of the 100 hostages who are still there, and their fate may be worse than mine,” she warned.


Why young British Jews are leaving for Israel
That increasing numbers of young British Jews are now turning their backs on the UK university system provides a damning indictment of the vicious intolerance washing over campuses today. Universities were once regarded as sanctuaries of free thought and inclusivity. They have now become breeding grounds for hostility towards Jews. For Thalia and Orli, the message sent by universities is clear: all racism is condemned, apart from anti-Semitism.

Thalia has refused to shrink away. ‘People tell us to hide our religious symbols’, she says. ‘I take the opposite view – we should display them proudly. We should stand tall, proud of our religion, and proud of Israel.’

Both Thalia and Orli stress that Israel’s existence as a refuge for Jews is not merely symbolic – it’s also essential for their survival. ‘One of the tragic reasons so many Jews were murdered during the Holocaust was the absence of a place to escape to’, Orli tells me. ‘That’s why Israel matters. It’s the one place where Jews can find security, even though it’s constantly under threat. The need for a Jewish homeland has never been more urgent.’

Thalia agrees. Her family and friends support her decision to join the IDF, and some of her relatives are already serving as reservists. ‘I feel Jews should make this self-sacrifice – it is vital for Israel’s survival’, she says, before adding, ‘but it depends on how connected you are to Israel’.

Their sense of urgency is palpable. ‘Israel is under constant threat from terrorist groups that aim to destroy it’, says Orli. ‘Their weapons are becoming more sophisticated, and they are overwhelming our defence systems. To survive, we must fight back – and fight hard.’

The fallout from the 7 October atrocities has left scars. Orli lost friends, and one was kidnapped. Thalia describes the tense atmosphere in Israel:

‘When I visited in the summer, people were more nervous. You have to think about where to shelter if something happens. But there’s also a deep sense of unity. People are coming together to help each other.’

Recent attacks on Israeli Jews in Amsterdam have only added to their anxiety. It’s a grim reminder that Israel is not a ‘settler-colonial’ state – it is a refuge, a nation born from the ashes of persecution in Europe and the Middle East. For Israel to remain a safe haven, Jews must defend it – a stark reality that young people like Thalia and Orli understand all too well.

But this fight cannot fall solely on the shoulders of Jews. The growing anti-Semitism across Britain demands a response from those who claim to oppose bigotry in all its forms. Now is the time to send a clear message: Jews are not alone.
Former Israeli president claims Queen Elizabeth ‘saw Israelis as terrorists’
Speaking in London at a dinner for the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, former Israeli President Reuven Rivlin revealed his frosty relationship with Queen Elizabeth II.

"The relationship between us and Queen Elizabeth was a little bit difficult, because she believed that every one of us was either a terrorist or a son of a terrorist."

"She refused to accept any Israeli official into (Buckingham) Palace, apart from international occasions."

By comparison, he revealed King Charles III was always "so friendly."

King Charles twice visited Israel unofficially for the funerals of Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin, before undertaking an official visit in 2020.

Queen Elizabeth II never visited Israel during her 70-year reign.
Council halts divestment plan after review throws up legal risks
Islington Council has walked back on its plans to ethically divest millions from its pension fund – despite previously predicting there would be no “major” legal obstacles.

Earlier this year, the Town Hall began work on withdrawing the £2.6 million that its pension fund holds in indirect shares of companies listed by the UN as “compliant in human rights abuses”.

Following demands from pro-Palestine campaigners, pensions committee chair Cllr Paul Convery said there was a “strong moral imperative” to divest from 10 firms with ties to criminal activity in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Convery said he did not foresee any “major legal block” to the move.

But the council has now suspended any work on divestment in light of further advice and changes to the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).

Local authorities have a legal responsibility or ‘fiduciary duty’ to ensure that pension funds generate enough profit to sustain the benefit for retired workers.

To get around this, the committee was proposing to restructure Islington’s fund by “consolidating the two passive equity pooled funds” into one single, customisable option. It was hoped this would enable it to exclude certain firms from its investments.

Following the most recent meeting on the issue, Cllr Convery said that “additional external legal advice on the proposals” confirmed to the Town Hall that divestment would open the local authority up to “costly and disruptive” legal action.
‘Your book is too Jewish’: How the British publishing industry began an ‘anti-Semitic silent boycott’
Sometimes, discrimination is undeniable. Sometimes it’s so loud, so overt and perpetrated in such plain sight that you can only hope anyone witnessing it musters the courage to speak up. Much of the time, though, it is a curiously slippery thing. It happens in the shadows, weeding its way into small exchanges and unspoken decisions so that it’s impossible to ever pin down an anecdote or build a case. Harder still when to call it out could mean risking professional relationships – whole careers, even.

Such is the experience of so many Jewish people in British publishing today. In interviews with The Telegraph, authors, agents, scouts and publishers spoke of the growing sense of discomfort and ostracisation they have experienced in their industry since the October 7 attacks. Many say a quiet but pervasive anti-Semitism – a sense of “Jews don’t count”, as one author put it – has begun to creep in.

For some, it was there even before the war; the past 14 months have merely shone a light on a problem that was already lurking. Others say this period has marked a sea change in their industry, as authors with Jewish-centric stories have struggled to sell their work, agents have battled to convince cautious publishers to take on books which, not so long ago, they would have scooped up, and editors seem to find reasons not to take on titles that could cause conflict at an acquisition meeting.

It all adds up to what many describe as a culture of “soft boycotting” which has taken hold, whereby Jewish stories are left untold, Jewish agents are quietly dropped, and Jewish authors find themselves persona non grata amongst their peers. Underpinning it all is a growing sense of isolation. Or, as one literary agent put it, “a feeling [that you are] not part of a community that you’ve been part of for many years”.

“The general feeling of this year is of feeling outnumbered, isolated … this culture of soft boycotting is really hard to prove and makes you sound paranoid,” says another agent. “I’ve sent out two proposals by Jewish authors and I’m just not able to sell them. Neither have written books about the conflict.”

Occasionally, she has been able to sell books by Jewish authors “where their Jewishness is not present or out there”. But if the book has an overtly Jewish theme? “It definitely feels like it’s much harder.”
Morocco’s Unexpected Solution to Spain’s Antisemitism
The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) recently launched an investigation into Spain’s refusal to allow several U.S.-flagged ships to dock in its ports, most notably the Maersk Denver. This incident, which stems from allegations that these vessels were transporting military supplies to Israel, has ignited a broader conversation about Spain’s handling of antisemitism and its political stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The Maersk Denver, a U.S.-flagged container ship operating under the U.S. Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) Maritime Security Program (MSP), became a focal point for controversy when Spanish authorities denied it access to the port of Algeciras in early November 2024. The incident followed protests in Spain by activist groups who accused the vessel of carrying military supplies intended for Israel. These groups claimed the ship was violating Spain’s official policy prohibiting the transshipment of arms to Israel. In response, Maersk Ltd., which operates the ship, defended the legality of the cargo, asserting that it contained no military equipment. Nonetheless, the Spanish authorities proceeded with the denial, triggering a diplomatic and legal confrontation.

The refusal to allow the Maersk Denver to dock is emblematic of the growing influence of activist movements in Spain, which have increasingly targeted entities involved in trade with Israel. While Spain’s official stance remains one of neutrality in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the decision to block these U.S. vessels raises significant questions about whether domestic political pressures are shaping the government’s actions. More troublingly, these actions appear to echo broader geopolitical tensions that have sparked accusations of antisemitism in Spain, highlighting the fine line between political criticism of Israel and hostility toward Jews.

In the case of the Maersk Denver, Morocco unexpectedly became the solution when Spain denied the ship entry to its ports. After the refusal to dock at Algeciras, the vessel diverted to Morocco, where it unloaded its cargo before continuing its journey to Oman. The decision to reroute to Morocco allowed the ship to fulfill its mission without further disruptions, illustrating the flexibility of global shipping routes and highlighting Morocco’s role as an alternative maritime hub.

This solution, however, underscored the diplomatic tension between Spain and the U.S., as the vessel had to alter its course due to Spain’s decision, potentially straining commercial and diplomatic ties between the two nations. More significantly, Morocco’s willingness to accept the Maersk Denver despite the controversy surrounding its cargo reflects the broader complexities of Middle Eastern and North African geopolitics. While Spain faced growing internal and international pressure over its stance on Israel, Morocco’s action of allowing the vessel to dock demonstrated the geopolitical nuances at play in global maritime operations.
The Tikvah Podcast: Bella Brannon and Benjie Katz on Anti-Semitic Employment Discrimination at UCLA
Over 33,000 undergraduates are enrolled at the University of California, Los Angeles, known universally by its acronym, UCLA. It’s one of the most competitive schools in the country, accepting less than 9 percent of its applicants. Among the current undergraduate student body, Hillel International estimates that there are about 2,500 Jewish students. The story of informal discrimination against Jewish students on prestigious campuses is, by now, a sad and familiar story. And in fact, that story is not foreign to Jewish students at UCLA. Worse still, an undergraduate Jewish leader on campus, Bella Brannon, has recently filed a motion with the student government alleging not informal, social discrimination, but formal employment discrimination against Jewish students. Here some background is necessary. UCLA has an active student government: the Undergraduate Students Association Council, known by its acronym, USAC. USAC is organized in various offices and commissions, one of which is the Cultural Affairs Commission, or CAC. According to CAC’s website, it is “meant to ignite conversation regarding current events” and “facilitate exhibitions of creativity.” It supports dance, art, music, culinary festivals, poetry readings, and tours of culturally significant areas of Los Angeles. An elected member of the student body is charged with administering each of these commissions, and receives from the university a modest honorarium or payment of some kind for that service as well as a budget to hire fellow students to manage the commission’s many programs. Because UCLA is a public university, a good deal of that money comes from California taxpayers. Brannon’s motion claims that the current CAC commissioner has made explicit a policy to disqualify Jewish students, described as Zionists, from employment at the commission. Her motion was recently described in an article in UCLA’s Jewish newspaper, Ha’Am, by the undergraduate writer Benjie Katz. This week, these two students, Bella Brannon and Benjie Katz—who are both leaders of the campus Tikvah chapter—join Mosaic’s editor Jonathan Silver to discuss their experiences.
Religious charities are promoting Islamic extremism ‘with impunity’, warn campaigners
The charity watchdog could be given new powers to rein in extremism after the Home Office was warned charities are promoting Islamist ideology with “impunity”.

The Charity Commission is understood to be in talks with government officials about how to strengthen its ability to curtail the activities of both extremist individuals and organisations under its remit.

It follows warnings that the watchdog has been “toothless and ineffective” at dealing with the issue.

A briefing note, presented to senior officials at the charity regulator as well as the Home Office, claims “out of date” charity laws are “enabling religious charities to promote extremist ideology with impunity”.

The document, drawn up by the National Secular Society (NSS), a British campaigning organisation, lists dozens of examples in which charities have been “promoting or condoning” extremism but accuses the charity watchdog of “sometimes refusing to take any action at all”.

It notes that many of the cases relate to recently registered charities, adding “that so many of these charities are new reveals that this problem is ongoing, and that the regulators do little or no vetting or charities’ output before registering them”.

In one example cited in the document, a sermon delivered at a mosque which is registered as a charity suggested that “blasphemers” against Islam should be executed.

In another example, a lecture delivered at a different mosque told congregants that a husband may “hit” and “shake” his wife if she refuses to have sexual relations with him.

The note also says that in November 2023 alone, the NSS reported 44 charities to the watchdog over anti-Semitism relating to sermons, social media posts or other communications following the Oct 7 attack by Hamas in southern Israel.

The document says that earlier this year multiple charities hosted an extremist Islamic scholar from Pakistan who has said sexual slavery is acceptable and has condoned the killing of “blasphemers”.


ALP Inaction and Rising Antisemitism: A Prelude to the Synagogue Attack
The firebombing of the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne has brought widespread condemnation and deep concern about the rising threat of antisemitism in Australia.

This heinous act, carried out in the early hours of December 5, caused extensive damage to the synagogue, which has long been a central institution for Melbourne’s ultra Orthodox Jewish community. Three suspects are currently being sought, with authorities treating the attack as a likely act of terrorism fueled by hate and bigotry.

This tragedy follows a troubling rise in antisemitic incidents across Australia, with Jewish leaders warning that the government’s response to such threats has been insufficient. Critics argue that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s delayed visit to the site and the lack of immediate action from senior ministers highlight a failure to prioritize the safety of Jewish Australians.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center has even issued a travel advisory, warning Jewish visitors to exercise caution when traveling to Australia, citing inadequate measures to address growing hostility against Jewish communities​.

Conservative commentators and centre-right political leaders have pointed out that recent foreign policy decisions, such as Australia’s vote on a UN resolution critical of Israel, may have emboldened antisemitic extremists.

This, coupled with what some see as a reactive rather than proactive approach to security, raises pressing questions about the government’s commitment to combating antisemitism. Jewish leaders and community members have called for immediate and robust measures to enhance security and prevent further attacks​.


Ruined Torah scrolls to be replaced
The Adass Israel synagogue will receive a one-off grant of $250,000 to replace precious, religiously significant Torah scrolls which were damaged in last week’s firebombing.

The announcement was made by Macnamara MP Josh Burns at the 25th anniversary of Chabad of RARA.

He said, “The Adass Israel synagogue … was a centre of Jewish life, spirituality and celebration, and at the heart of Jewish culture is the Torah. The sight of burnt Torah scrolls is reminiscent of the worst of Jewish collective memory, but we cannot let hate win”.

The cost of a replacement scroll is in the order of $100,000, and repairs are likely cost up to tens of thousands of dollars per scroll, depending on the nature of the parchment and extent of needed repairs.

The AJN understands that the declaration that the firebombing was a terrorist incident has likely voided any insurance policies that may have applied to the scrolls.

Tony Burke MP, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural Affairs said, “When I met with the community at the Adass Israel Synagogue the contrast was clear: a terrorist act of antisemitism steeped in hatred – met by the extraordinary strength and generosity of the community. This announcement is a strong symbol from the government that the synagogue has a permanent home in Australia and will come back from this pain even stronger.”
PM visits firebombed synagogue
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne on Tuesday, surveying the damage from Friday’s firebombing and meeting with community members.

Standing next to the ruins, Albanese unequivocally condemned the attack, declaring, “This arson attack is an act of terrorism, it was fuelled by antisemitism, and it was stoked by hatred.”

The Prime Minister committed his government to supporting the synagogue’s restoration, pledging to “provide whatever support is necessary financially to make sure that those who perpetrated this evil crime do not receive any benefit”.

“We’re a country that needs to come together and unite,” Albanese said, reaffirming the government’s commitment to combating antisemitism.

Upon leaving the synagogue, Albanese encountered some hostile protesters, but was met with strong support from Adass community members who quickly silenced the hecklers with calls of “Sha” [“Quiet” in Yiddish].

Daniel Aghion, President of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, described the Prime Minister’s visit as deeply impactful.

“The Prime Minister was quite touched. In fact, I’d say marked,” Aghion said.

“He saw the extent of the devastation and was explained the significance of the handwritten Torahs and the community’s history as founded by Holocaust survivors.”

Aghion said that the cat-calling was not representative of the Adass community, noting that they “treated him as a guest” and that he was “genuinely interested in what they had to say”.

“I think the Prime Minister’s intent is genuine. Obviously he will be judged by his actions, not his words, but I think he understands what the Jewish community is facing” Aghion said.


Australian PM heckled during visit to Melbourne synagogue gutted in arson attack
Crowds heckled Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Tuesday as he toured the charred wreckage of a Melbourne synagogue that was destroyed in an arson attack last week, lobbing accusations of blame at him and criticizing his belated visit to the site.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met Jewish leaders outside the synagogue, pledging to do whatever was necessary to help rebuild in the wake of “this evil crime.”

Video from the visit shared on social media showed Albanese surrounded by a crowd of Jewish community members and media as he made a statement outside the Adass Israel Synagogue, an ultra-Orthodox institute.

Amid jostling and as Albanese moved back to his car, hecklers began shouting at him.

A woman in the crowd yelled, “Your words are cheap and late, you let this happen.”

A man could be heard shouting “Mr. prime minister you perpetrated…” but the rest of his remark was unintelligible as Albanese’s security detail shouted at people to move back and not touch his car.

Another shouted “Go live in Gaza,” the News.com outlet reported, an apparent reference to what is seen as a pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel stance taken by the Albanese government.

Another called out that it was “time to resign,” the report said.
'Total humiliation': PM 'heckled' during visit to Adass synagogue
Sky News host Andrew Bolt slams Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for making Jewish people "feel unsafe" by his "unprincipled weakness" in confronting anti-Israel radicals.

"Today was total humiliation, as Anthony Albanese paid the price for making Jews feel unsafe by his unprincipled weakness in confronting Muslim and hard-left anti-Israel radicals," Mr Bolt said.

"Albanese finally visited the Adass synagogue in Melbourne that was firebombed five days ago, looking like he was on what police call a perp walk, the walk of shame, with Jewish worshippers heckling him."

"Watch out for the Australian government, its weakness, and today Anthony Albanese showed that this is a weak government that rots from the head."


Anthony Albanese visits Melbourne synagogue four days after firebombing
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has visited Adass Israel Synagogue in Ripponlea, Melbourne, following the firebombing.




‘Vilified, harassed, menaced’: Antisemitism ‘disease’ spreading across Australia
Liberal Senator and former ambassador to Israel Dave Sharma has slammed Australia’s rising antisemitism as a “disease” which is spreading across the country.

“All the armed guards in the world are not going to make the Jewish community feel safe if they are constantly being vilified, harassed and menaced,” Mr Sharma told Sky News host Sharri Markson.

“If it’s not happening physically, if it’s happening online, and it’s happening to their businesses – that’s what the government needs to be addressing.”


Jewish community calls on government to take antisemitism ‘seriously’
Jewish Community Council of Victoria CEO Naomi Levin says the Jewish population has been calling for the government to take rising antisemitism “seriously”.

Ms Levin told Sky News Australia that the Jewish community wanted action “much sooner”.

This comes after the Adass Israel Synagogue of Melbourne in Melbourne’s Ripponlea was set ablaze.

Following days of investigation into the firebombing of the Melbourne synagogue, authorities have finally declared the attack to be a “terrorist incident”.


New federal police antisemitism taskforce is ‘incredibly important’
Special Envoy to Combat Antisemitism Jillian Segal claims Anthony Albanese’s unveiling of a new federal police taskforce to tackle the rise of antisemitism is “incredibly important”.

“We can look at the past and say it was quick or it was slow, but this announcement of this taskforce I think is incredibly important,” Ms Segal said.

“It is an important recognition that there has to be a specialist group … focused on antisemitism.

“What we’ve seen, I think, that has been slow in this country is the policing in the sense that the police have kept the peace but they haven’t really investigated incidents and brought those perpetrators to justice.”


Car set on fire and buildings vandalised with antisemitic slurs in Woollahra as Sydney Jewish community attacked again
A prominent Jewish Sydney community has been attacked for a second time, with at least one car set on fire and two homes vandalised with antisemitic graffiti.

New South Wales Police and Fire Rescue were called to Woollahra, in the city's east, after a vehicle was set alight and properties graffitied on Wednesday about 1am.

Firefighters extinguished the flames which destroyed a Toyota Corolla.

Police said the car, two buildings and a footpath were vandalised.

There are reports seven homes were spray-painted with hate speech.

One of the phrases graffitied near the torched car was "kill Israiel" (sic).

The incidents happened on Magney St.

The road has been closed off and a crime scene set up.

Investigators say two people were seen in the vicinity at the time of the rampage, describing them as aged 15 to 20, slim build, wearing face coverings and dark clothing.

NSW Premier Chris Minns said the incident was a direct attack on living in harmony.

"This would be horrifying to the vast, vast majority of people that live in New South Wales. Another antisemitic hate crime," he said on Channel 7's Sunrise.

"People have moved from around the world to move to Australia to escape this hatred and this kind of division in our community. It is building up.

"It is horrifying. You have to appreciate that Sydney, per capita, has the second number of Holocaust survivors in the world. They've come to Australia specifically to be free from this kind of hate around racism specifically."


Penny Wong accused of ‘dog-whistling’ and creating ‘climate of fear’ for Jewish-Australians
Sky News host Sharri Markson slams Foreign Minister Penny Wong for her comments on Israel as Ms Wong is being accused of “dog-whistling” and creating a “climate of fear” for Jewish-Australians.

“Senior Coalition figures are tonight accusing Penny Wong of dog-whistling and creating a climate of fear for Jewish-Australians with her provocative language against Israel,” Ms Markson said.

“It is their strongest comments yet … it comes after Penny Wong compared the liberal democracy of Israel with evil dictatorships, Russia and China.”

Shadow Home Affairs Minister James Paterson has accused Penny Wong of a ‘campaign of vilification’ against the Jewish state of Israel.


‘Disappointing’: Penny Wong ‘doesn’t really understand’ the last year of geopolitics
Israeli Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Sharren Haskel has criticised Foreign Minister Penny Wong’s statement on Israel not abiding with international law as one which “doesn’t really understand” the geopolitics of the last year.

“That’s extremely disappointing to hear, especially during these historical times,” Ms Haskel told Sky News host Sharri Markson.

“Israel is fighting the axis of evil – Iran.

“This is not just Israel’s war, but this is a third world war between radical Islam and between our society’s, our values of freedom, of democracy, equality, women’s rights, freedom of religion – that is the actual war.

“When you see Iran joining together strategic forces with China, with Russia, with North Korea – military training together their armies – to have a statement like that by the Foreign Minister of Australia is at least from a point that doesn’t really understand the geopolitics and the last year situation in the Middle East at all.”


HSF Investigating “Deeply Offensive” Partner Tweet Directed at Jewish Lawyer
Herbert Smith Freehills’ has launched an investigation into a “deeply offensive” tweet by an Australian partner directed at a Jewish lawyer at another firm.

“We were shocked to learn on Friday evening of a deeply offensive post, and very sorry that it was written,” HSF chair and senior partner Rebecca Maslen-Stannage said in a statement.

“On learning of the post, we quickly contacted the partner and it was removed the same evening.

“We have apologized to the individual named in the post, and assured him that we are treating this matter with the seriousness it deserves.”

A source with knowledge of the situation said the tweet was posted by Damien Hazard, a corporate lawyer who has been a partner with HSF for 12 years and was a partner for six years at Freehills, the Australian firm that merged with legacy Herbert Smith.

While the post has been removed, media reports said it was directed at Jeremy Leibler, a prominent partner at prominent Melbourne firm Arnold Bloch Leibler and president of the Zionist Federation of Australia in the wake of an arson attack on a Melbourne synagogue on Friday morning. The Australian newspaper said Hazard accused Leibler of politicizing the incident.

“Never too soon for @jeremyleibler to just invent a link with anti-genocide protests,” Hazard said according to the report. He accused Leibler of “cynically politicising this crime” and sowing a “life long disinformation campaign” that conflates the “genuine evil of anti-semitism with the basic humanism of condemning Israeli genocide”.
School in Tower Hamlets tells children as young as 11 to observe ‘collective fast’ for Gaza on Friday
A London school is asking children as young as 11 to fast for Gaza.

Pupils at George Green's School (GGS) in Tower Hamlets have been asked not to eat between 8:30am and 4pm this Friday.

In a letter to all parents and careers, the east London school said: “GGS staff and students are holding a ‘Collective Day Fast’ on Friday December 13 in aid of Unicef’s [The United Nations Children's Fund] Gaza Appeal for Children in Crisis.

“We are asking students to sign up for the fast and raise sponsorship,” the letter said, directing families in London's poorest borough to its fundraising page. “We are already halfway to our target of £2500 but need your support.”

Nearly half of Tower Hamlets children grow up below the poverty line and the borough provides universal free school meals. At GGS, 51.2 per cent would qualify for free school meals under national guidelines.

The fast is the second of its kind at the school, which asked children – aged between 11 and 19 – to go without food last December.

One Jewish parent who wished to remain anonymous noted that her child – who has hidden their Jewish identity – had been made to feel that their very presence at the school is “subversive”.

“The school organising something like this causes a sense of shame for the [Jewish] kids. The school has a point of view, and it is against Jewish students,” the parent said.

“The school has decided who is good and who is bad. Judaism has been portrayed as bad. No one is going to go out and announce [they are Jewish] at that school.”

The parent noted the presence of a Palestinian flag directly outside the school for months after October 7. She added that there had been antisemitism at GGS, including swastikas in some classrooms and stairwells.

The hunger strike, she said, added to the “heartbreaking” atmosphere at GGS. There is a “stigma” the parent went on, against pupils who choose not to participate in the strike, and “it puts the onus on the young person at the age where they least want to stand out.”
'Death to Jews': Inside the Home of 2 SJP Leaders at George Mason University, Police Find Guns, Ammo, and Terrorist Flags
When police searched the home of two Students for Justice in Palestine leaders, a pair of sisters at George Mason University, their allies painted a sympathetic picture.

The students were targeted, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), for engaging in "anti-genocide events on campus." The Intercept reported that police found "antique firearms" registered to the students' brother and brought gun-related charges as a result of his family's "pro-Palestine activism."

Excluded from those descriptions was the crime the sisters are suspected of committing. A group of student radicals defaced George Mason’s student center in August, spray painting messages that warned of a "student intifada." In its coverage of the incident, the Washington Post wrote that "activists spray-painted words on Wilkins Plaza outside the university’s Johnson Center."

Those activists caused thousands of dollars in damage, a felony in the state of Virginia, and police suspect the SJP leaders, sisters Jena and Noor Chanaa, led the group of vandals. Weeks after the incident, in November, a county judge granted a warrant—which is under seal until February, according to a Fairfax County court representative—allowing police to seize electronics from the Chanaa family home.

When officers entered the Chanaa family home, they found firearms—modern weapons, not antiques—as well as scores of ammunition and foreign passports, all of which sat in plain view, according to court documents obtained by the Free Beacon and sources familiar with the investigation.

They also found pro-terror materials, including Hamas and Hezbollah flags and signs that read "death to America" and "death to Jews," according to court documents and sources familiar.
Yale Students Overwhelmingly Pass BDS Referendum
Yale students have overwhelmingly passed a referendum calling on the university to divest from weapons manufacturers arming Israel. While the school has said it will not do so, the results reveal widespread support for divestment at one of the top universities in the world.

Of the more than 3,000 undergraduates who voted on the referendum, 76.6 percent answered "yes" to the question about divestment. An even larger number—79.5 percent—said that Yale should "invest" in "Palestinian scholars and students" given "the widespread destruction of schools and universities in Gaza."

Though only half the student body voted in the referendum, that number is higher than the turnout rate for past ballot measures, according to the Yale Daily News. In total, more than a third of undergraduates voted for divestment.

The referendum is the latest sign that Israel, which has long enjoyed bipartisan backing in Washington, D.C., is losing support on the elite campuses that produce policymakers and legislators. Students at Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania both passed similar resolutions this year, albeit with substantially lower turnout than Yale. All three universities have said that they will not divest from Israel.

The referenda are part of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement that seeks to end Western support for the Jewish state. While most often associated with college campuses, BDS resolutions have been passed by a wide range of institutions, from the Presbyterian Church (USA) to the city council of Portland, Maine. MSCI, an investment ratings firm, has also been accused of giving lower Environmental, Social, and Governance scores to companies that do business with Israel.

The Yale referendum was proposed by the Sumud Coalition, a pro-Palestinian student group, and likened the Jewish state’s war in Gaza to the 2006 genocide in Sudan.
Anti-Israel Radicals Throw Urine-Filled Mason Jars Through University of Michigan Regent's Window
Anti-Israel radicals smashed a University of Michigan regent’s window and painted "Divest" and "Free Palestine" on his wife’s car early Monday morning—the third time he’s faced such vandalism this year.

Jordan Acker, a Jewish regent, said two mason jars filled with urine thrown through his window woke up him, his wife, and his three young daughters. The paint on his wife’s car also included a red triangle, a symbol commonly used by Hamas.

"This is the third time that I—and now my family—have been the target of these Klan-like tactics," Acker wrote on Instagram. "We all need to call out this cowardly act attacking my family and my home for what it truly is—terrorism."

The University of Michigan also released a statement Monday, calling the incident a "clear act of antisemitic intimidation."

"The University of Michigan condemns these criminal acts in the strongest possible terms. They are abhorrent and, unfortunately, just the latest in a number of incidents where individuals have been harassed because of their work on behalf of the university," the statement read. "This is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. We call on our community to come together in solidarity and to firmly reject all forms of bigotry and violence."

Republican regent Sarah Hubbard called this sort of vandalism "very personal."

"I had an incident at my home in May where they moved an encampment to my lawn an hour away from Ann Arbor," she told the Washington Free Beacon. "This must be stopped."

"I urge law enforcement to pursue suspects in this and other similar cases targeting @umich leadership immediately," she wrote on X.

In May, an agitator went to Acker’s home in the early morning and hung a note on his door demanding a meeting with the board of regents, divestment from Israeli "apartheid and genocide," and the campus police department’s abolishment. That same morning, anti-Israel protesters scattered fake corpses on other regents’ lawns. The Tahrir Coalition, an anti-Israel activist campus group, took credit.


Just Outside Columbia's Gates, Anti-Israel Protester Punches Visibly Jewish Student in the Face
An anti-Israel agitator punched a visibly Jewish student in the face on Monday afternoon just outside of Columbia's gates, where student group Columbia Palestine Solidarity Coalition held a rally.

The student, Jonathan Lederer, was wearing yarmulke alongside his brother and fellow Columbia student David, who held an Israeli flag. The assailant, who wore what appeared to be a Palestinian flag around his neck, called both students Nazis and ripped the Israeli flag out of David Lederer's hands before taking off running. Jonathan Lederer ran after him, hoping to retrieve the flag. The assailant then punched Lederer, the Columbia student told the Washington Free Beacon.



"You're a Nazi. You're a Nazi. You guys have done everything that Hitler has done," the assailant said, according to Lederer, who is calling on law enforcement to take action.

"I don't want the guy to get off scot-free," he told the Free Beacon. "People need to know about this, because people keep saying they are peaceful protests."

The students filed a police report with the New York Police Department's 26th Precinct. The NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the status of the case.

The Columbia Palestine Solidarity Coalition helped organize the protest in support of Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), a coalition of Columbia student groups that led the violent encampment that plagued campus in the spring. Meta recently suspended CUAD's Instagram account, prompting the Columbia Palestine Solidarity Coalition to call on its members to "TAKE BACK OUR CAMPUS FROM FASCIST TRUSTEES."

Columbia addressed the assault in a statement, though it did not refer to the victim as Jewish.

"We have been alerted that a Columbia student who was carrying an Israeli flag was punched yesterday at a demonstration that took place off campus. Initial reports indicate that the assailant was not affiliated with Columbia University," the statement read. "We are working closely with the NYPD to investigate this incident and to do all we can to support their efforts to ensure our neighborhood is safe for our students."

The assailant appears to have threatened "Zionists" at recent protests in New York City. One video shows a man who resembles the assailant chanting, "We don't want no Zionists here," during a Saturday demonstration.

Columbia business professor Shai Davidai addressed the assault on X.

"Today, a Jewish student wearing a yarmulka was punched in the face," he wrote. "I know this student's family. I've met his parents. They're some of the loveliest people I've ever met. And they deserve better."


Daily Mail amends article on alleged Gaza shooting
Last week, we posted about a Daily Mail article that promoted the accusation that the IDF shot a young Palestinian girl which was notable in that we couldn’t find any other report about the incident elsewhere in the media.

The dearth of additional media coverage, we noted, was likely due to the fact that the piece was based entirely on one post shared on X by Jonathan Whittall, head of the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Gaza.

As you can see, Whittall didn’t explicitly blame the IDF for the girl’s injury – though that was the take-away. The OCHA head didn’t appear to offer any additional evidence.

Here are the opening paragraphs, which, as you can see, includes no original reporting – relying entirely on the one social media post:
A 10-year-old Palestinian girl has allegedly been shot in the chest by IDF forces close to the United Nations office in Gaza.

The reported shooting comes after four aid workers were killed in Israeli strikes in the terrority on Saturday.

A shocking picture appears to show the child on her back on the ground surrounded by UN workers in blue vests after it was claimed she was shot in the chest while crossing an Israeli checkpoint in the south of Gaza.

The post said that workers from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) stabilised the girl before they took her to a hospital.

The article then pivots to another topic, meaning that the opening four paragraphs is all there is. Further, and most crucially, there’s no indication that the reporters reached out to the IDF for a comment, which is standard practice even at most egregiously anti-Israel publications, such as the Guardian.

So, we contacted the IDF Spokesperson Unit ourselves, and asked for a comment on the Daily Mail story. After looking into the allegations, they replied:

We contacted the Daily Mail, asking that the article be amended to include the IDF’s denial, and, earlier today, we received a reply from editors informing us that our complaint was upheld, and their reply:
In response to the incident, an IDF spokesperson said: ‘No shots were fired at the girl, and no signs were found indicating that she was injured as a result of an IDF action.

‘The IDF operates according to international law and upholds its regulations even during combat in the Gaza Strip.’

However, at the time of this post, the main, unevidenced allegation, that the IDF shot a young girl, has not been removed.


Abbas set to meet Pope Francis at Vatican
Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas is scheduled to meet with Pope Francis on Thursday, the Vatican announced Tuesday.

Abbas and Francis last met at the Vatican in November 2021, according to Reuters. The P.A. leader is reportedly expected to sit down with the pope at the Vatican City’s Apostolic Palace, followed by a meeting with diplomatic officials, including Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin.

Abbas will reportedly visit Italy as part of the trip, where he will meet President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Both Francis and Meloni have recently become more outspoken in their criticism of Israel’s military actions against Iranian-backed terrorist groups, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

A nativity scene that went on display at the Vatican on Saturday featured a picture of Jesus in a keffiyeh. The display comes at a time when a revisionist narrative has spread about Jesus having been a Palestinian.

The pre-Christmas event came just weeks after the Catholic leader called for an international investigation to determine if Israel’s actions in its war against Hamas terrorists in Gaza constituted “genocide.”

For her part, Meloni has told parliament that she blocked all arms deals with the Jewish state just weeks after Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023 massacre. Among those murdered were three dual Italian-Israeli nationals.


Richard Goldberg: How to Bring Back Maximum Pressure on Iran
Finally, a word of caution. Maximum pressure is not the same as maximum sanctions. Sanctions are a tool, albeit a powerful one. But other tools are needed for maximum pressure to succeed. UN Ambassador-designate Elise Stefanik will need to wage political warfare against Iran at the Security Council. Accountability will be needed at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna – declaring Iran in breach of its Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty obligations.

Maximum support will be needed for the Iranian people. Millions of Iranians hate their regime and many of them have never left the streets since 2009 calling “Death to the Dictator.” Women face a renewed crackdown on hijab wearing. The Mahsa Amini uprising of late 2022 exposed how vulnerable the regime really is, and the embers of that uprising are still burning strong – Khamenei’s Achilles heel. The US and key partners are well-positioned to support the Iranian people, squeezing the regime between internal and external pressures.

And, without a doubt, a credible threat of military action must be on the table – clearly communicated to Tehran from day one, and quickly demonstrated to the regime in and around Yemen should the Houthis continue attacks on the Red Sea. The regime is closer than ever to nuclear weapons capabilities. A covert breakout attempt is a real possibility. The regime may consider retaliating either directly or via proxies over US sanctions pressure. Trump will only have a free hand to squeeze Tehran economically if the ayatollah fears him militarily – and also perceive that he has given Israel his blessing to take whatever steps it deems necessary to remove Tehran’s most existential threats.

The new administration may need to hand-hold Gulf partners at the beginning, steering them back to close coordination on maximum pressure alongside increased security commitments to once again bring them away from China’s orbit. Establishing a US-Saudi Vision 2030 Strategic Dialogue – a cabinet level, interagency, biannual exchange to support MbS’s economic and political reforms – might be helpful, too.

But if Trump can pull this off – if he can restore maximum pressure on Iran and its proxies, reunite Washington with Riyadh and rebuild the regional architecture that integrates Israelis and Arabs – he will not only defeat one of America’s greatest threats, but he would also usher in a new era of regional stability and even more historic peace accords.
Days After Trump's Victory, Biden-Harris Admin Granted Iran $10 Billion in Sanctions Relief, Congressional Notice Shows
The Biden-Harris administration waived sanctions on Iran three days after the November election, providing Tehran access upward of $10 billion in once-frozen funds, according to a copy of the non-public order transmitted to Congress and reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken determined on November 8 that "it is in the national security interest of the United States" to waive mandatory economic sanctions that bar Iraq from transferring upward of $10 billion to Iran in electricity import payments.

The Biden-Harris administration has renewed the waiver repeatedly over the objections of congressional Republicans, who warned that the cash helped fuel terrorism and Iran's war against Israel. In one case, the administration signed off on the sanctions relief one month after Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel.

The most recent iteration of the waiver lifts sanctions for 120 days, at which time the incoming Trump administration will have to decide whether Tehran will continue receiving the relief.

Though the first Trump administration did green-light the same waiver—causing tension with some congressional Republicans—it narrowly tailored the waiver to restrict Iranian access to the cash. The Biden State Department tweaked the waiver last year to allow Tehran to convert the funds from Iraqi dinars to euros, then hold those euros in bank accounts based in Oman. Access to a widely traded currency like the euro enables Iran to more easily spend the cash in international markets. Under the first Trump administration, Iran had to keep the cash in an escrow account in Baghdad, making it more difficult to access.

The State Department confirmed last week that it issued the waiver.
Iranian Jews Are in Danger
Last month, a young Jew named Arvin Ghahremani was executed by the Iranian government on dubious charges of murder. The execution was a form of “deterrence” in the view of Shay Khatiri:

The fates of over 10,000 Iranian Jews likely concern Jerusalem. While the Iranian judiciary had confirmed Ghahremani’s sentence for months, his sudden execution was a signal to Israel that the regime will not hesitate to retaliate against Iranian Jews, effectively holding every Iranian Jew hostage.

Iranian leaders often seek plausible deniability, and so likely will not act against the Iranian Jewish community directly but rather will greenlight mobs, the same modus operandi with which they have attacked embassies.

The regime prevents Iranian Jews from leaving Iran; only one member of a family is able to acquire an exit visa at a time, to hold the rest of the family hostage in case they do not return. If Iran decides to crack down on Iranian Jews, it might become necessary for an evacuation that mirrors the flight of Yemeni or Ethiopian Jews decades ago.

Iranian Jews inside the country may be too intimidated to say directly, but their community is now more endangered than ever. All countries that value human rights and liberalism need to communicate the cost of persecuting Jews to Iran.
Pittsburgh man ‘idolized’ anti-Jewish violence, tried to join Hezbollah, Justice
Jack Danaher Molloy, 24, a dual Irish-American citizen, traveled to Lebanon in August and to Syria in October trying to join the Hezbollah terror organization, according to a federal complaint unsealed on Monday.

In Lebanon, “Molloy was told by multiple individuals that the time was not right and that he needed to take other steps before he could join the foreign terrorist organization,” per the 27-page complaint. He then “traveled from Lebanon to Syria in October 2024 in the hopes of joining the Syrian branch of Hezbollah.”

Molloy also “supported and idolized violence and wanted to kill Jews, as evidenced by multiple images and videos on his electronic devices and the names he chose as his monikers for his social media and email accounts,” per the complaint. The latter “included variations of the phrase ‘kike killer’ and ‘gas the Jews,’” it adds.

Molloy, who is a former active duty member of the U.S. military and who converted to Islam in or around February 2024, used an email address on his PayPal that included the phrase “glassofjuice88,” according to the Justice Department.

“Your affiant is aware, based on training and experience, that ‘glassofjuice’ is a homophone for ‘gas the Jews,’ and the number ‘88’ is a reference to a white supremacist numerical code for ‘Heil Hitler,’” according to the complaint. “‘H’ is the eighth letter of the alphabet, so 88 = ‘HH’ = ‘Heil Hitler.’”


Documentary views Oct. 7 attacks through non-Jewish eyes
Shortly after Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Chris Atkins flew out of Ben-Gurion International Airport. As news came through on his phone, the horrified Canadian filmmaker felt the urge to use his skills to tell the story of what was unfolding.

His friend, the Egyptian-born, Canadian human-rights advocate Majed El Shafie, felt the same way and hired a cameraman in Israel to document the atrocities. El Shafie asked Atkins to help sew the footage together. They agreed to keep working together, which led to their new documentary “Dying to Live,” which was screened for the first time in Toronto on Nov. 25.

The two Canadians, who aren’t Jewish, had worked previously on films, including those that chronicled human-rights violations in Pakistan and Afghanistan. “One of the things that we noticed was that pretty much everything that was coming out on Oct. 7 was made by Israelis or made by Jewish people,” Atkins told JNS. “We felt we had something no one else had.”

“For me as a non-Jewish Canadian filmmaker, I think what I bring is a perspective of Israel and Oct. 7 from a place where I have no stake in it,” he said. “I don’t have the vested interest of an Israeli or a Jew that the world would look at and say, ‘You’re biased, because of your religion or nationality.’”

Atkins told JNS that he gains nothing “by speaking the truth and sharing my experience and view of what happened on Oct. 7, so in theory, my film should hopefully not be dismissed as easily as the films made by Israelis.”

Although he said that many would expect El Shafie to “stand on the side of the pro-Palestine mob,” the latter brings “an even more powerful perspective, being an Egyptian Arab and a former Muslim who was raised with natural animosity for Israel,” Atkins said.




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