Monday, March 03, 2025

03/03 Links Pt2: The Oscars and the Plight of the ‘Good Jew’; Deborah Lipstad: Why I Won’t Teach at Columbia; Islamism: The Left’s moral black hole; Decorated Israeli diplomat Dore Gold dies at 71

From Ian:

Seth Mandel: The Oscars and the Plight of the ‘Good Jew’
What’s interesting here is the assumption that Abraham’s involvement helped the film gain visibility not because he is good at his work but because he is a Jew and Hollywood supposedly still requires Jewish mascotry. Nor is it suggested that perhaps Abraham’s perspective as an Israeli is helpful to the story being told. The most telling of the complaints was also one of the more popular ones: that the Oscars victory heralds “normalization,” the idea that Jews and Arabs can work together or be friends.

The problem for these Palestinian activists, then, is simply: coexistence. Abraham helped make this documentary because, he says, he believes in coexistence. But he has badly misread his audience. Fans of an agitprop production like this aren’t in it for the coexistence, they’re in it for the resistance. To them, to get up on stage and suggest an equivalence between an innocent Israeli baby murdered in captivity and the Hamas terrorist responsible for that murder is offensive—to the Hamasnik.

“There is a different path,” Abraham said in his acceptance speech last night. That path, he said, is one of “national rights for both of our people.” Then he said something rather sad: “I have to say… the foreign policy in this country is helping to block this path.”

In fact, the foreign policy of the United States has done the opposite. For half a decade now, U.S. policy has been structured around Arab-Israeli peace deals, expanding coexistence and mutual recognition in the region. But while numerous Arab polities have embraced this path, the Palestinians have not. This path has been open to the Palestinians for decades; an explicit offer of full “national rights for both… people” has been on the table for a quarter-century. But America cannot force the Palestinians to say yes to their own state.

No doubt Abraham’s phone has been ringing off the hook with industry insiders and peers and peace activists telling him how brave he is. Their admiration is not nothing—Abraham’s career depends on earning just this type of praise from just those types of people. He won’t get the whole world, but he might get his Wales. And a whole lot of resentment from the people he thinks he’s doing all of this for.
Deborah Lipstadt: Why I Won’t Teach at Columbia
My decision to withdraw my name from consideration for a teaching post at Columbia is based on three calculations.

First, I am not convinced that the university is serious about taking the necessary and difficult measures that would create an atmosphere that allows for true inquiry.

Second, I fear that my presence would be used as a sop to convince the outside world that “Yes, we in the Columbia/Barnard orbit are fighting antisemitism. We even brought in the former Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism.” I will not be used to provide cover for a completely unacceptable situation.

Third, I am not sure that I would be safe or even able to teach without being harassed. I do not flinch in the face of threats. But this is not a healthy or acceptable learning environment.

On too many university campuses, the inmates—and these may include administrators, student disrupters, and off-campus agitators as well as faculty members—are running the asylum. They are turning universities into parodies of true academic inquiry.

We are at a crisis point. Unless this situation is addressed forcefully and unequivocally, one of America’s great institutions, its system of higher education, could well collapse. There are many in this country—including those in significant positions of power—who would delight in seeing that happen. The failure to stand up to disrupters who are preventing other students from learning gives the opponents of higher education the very tools they need.

Meanwhile, absent direct and comprehensive action to protect Jewish students and the campus environment, I will not be teaching on Columbia’s campus.
How to Save Jewish Babies
When Jewish babies were kidnapped, the then-president of the United States planned a pier to bring aid to their captors. Kfir and Ariel were suffering unspeakably beneath Gaza, and the then-vice president said Israel could not move heaven and earth to get them back—she had looked at the maps, and it just wasn’t worth it. The Joe Biden administration and its USAID Director Samantha Power sent $2.1 billion in “emergency” supplies to Hamas-controlled areas of Gaza, openly funding our enemy’s war of extermination against us under the pretense of “evenhandedness.” And that was the reaction of our supposed best friend, while the rest of the planet from London to Beirut brayed for our blood and defamed us daily for fighting back.

The new U.S. president, himself disgusted by the humiliating procession of Jewish hostages and caskets, has stopped U.S. aid to our enemies and publicly released Israel from a deal designed to ensure our defeat. It’s time to end this desecration. Reports are that, with the hostages retrieved, Israel plans to resume the war and conquer the Strip in the coming month. We do not need anyone’s mercy. We are no longer powerless and need not pray over our children as if we were. We are free to fight our wars and win. We are free to be powerful. Our babies should sleep soundly at night because their “community” will use that power to defend them by any means necessary—if we can find the courage.

We have become more religious since Oct. 7, not less. I still sing for God’s blessing at bedtime. I pray my son will soon be the Jewish leader who embodies the lessons learned from this hideous episode: Stand up for your fellow Jew, and for all decent people. Do what you must to ensure that there are no more Oct. 7s, and for that matter no more Feb. 19s. We will no longer be tormented, and we will take proactive steps to ensure that. We cannot worry about what the world will say.

We cannot get bogged down worrying about the abstractions that somehow always conclude, “and the Jews should accept their fate.” International law didn’t save Kfir and Ariel. Neither did social justice, or human rights, or any of those high-minded concepts. And they never could. If anything, they served as cudgels to stop the Jews from using our power to save precious Jewish babies. We can only focus on doing what is necessary to defend ourselves, because no one else will do it for us.

I will still sing a lullaby for Kfir and Ariel, and the dozens of Jewish children whose spilled blood failed, once more, to arouse the world’s conscience. I know a song set to Deuteronomy 32:43, a verse that belongs on the lips of all who love God and hate evil.

“Rejoice, O nations, over His people, for the blood of his servants He will avenge; their vengeance he shall return upon His enemies, and atone for His people upon His land.”


Islamism: The Left’s moral black hole
I have long struggled to understand how intelligent, well-educated liberals fail to recognize the unique dangers posed by Islamism. Elsewhere, I’ve argued that such people often don’t grasp what it means to genuinely believe in God or paradise and therefore assume that no one else truly does. At best, they believe that such convictions couldn’t possibly be the primary motivation behind the kinds of violent actions we’ve seen from Islamist movements in recent decades.

For instance, I stumbled upon anthropologist Scott Atran delivering an online lecture from 2013 on the origins of jihadist terrorism. According to Atran, those who decapitate journalists, filmmakers, and aid workers to cries of “Allahu Akbar!” or detonate themselves in crowds of innocents are not driven by deeply held beliefs about jihad or martyrdom. Instead, Atran argued, these behaviors arise from toxic male bonding in soccer clubs and barbershops within the broader Arab-Muslim world. When asked by an attendee, “Are you saying that no Muslim suicide bomber has ever blown himself up expecting to get into paradise?” Atran replied, “Yes, that’s what I’m saying. No one believes in paradise.”

It’s worth noting that Atran is no fringe figure. He’s the emeritus director of research in anthropology at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris, and author of several well-regarded books. Yet his assertion – that no one believes in paradise – is so detached from what can be reasonably inferred from the statements and actions of jihadists that it borders on the absurd. In fact, the idea that no one believes in paradise is far more irrational than any belief in paradise itself.

Muslims suffer under Islamist rule
Rarely have I addressed the following, but whenever I criticize Islamism I’m accused of lacking empathy for Muslims worldwide – both for the peaceful billions who are blameless and for the radicals whose actions are often excused as responses to legitimate grievances or social pressures. But the truth is, it’s those rushing to defend Islamists who fail to demonstrate real empathy. They ignore the primary victims of Islamism: the millions of Muslim women, freethinkers, homosexuals, and “apostates” who suffer most under its taboos and delusions.

Consider Afghanistan. After 20 years of war, trillions of dollars spent, and thousands of lives lost, America abandoned the country – and those who had supported its efforts – to the Taliban. It was one of the most disgraceful retreats in US history, thinly veiled by shabby political expediency. Politicians and so-called empaths look away as Afghan women and minorities are plunged back into a medieval darkness. Few of the critics calling for empathy have bothered to address this – or the fact that over the past 40 years, there have been nearly 50,000 acts of Islamic terrorism, a figure widely considered an undercount. Ninety percent of these attacks have occurred in Muslim countries, targeting local Muslim populations.

And yet, liberals are more concerned with “Islamophobia” than with the content of Islamist doctrine. It is they who are guilty of a profound failure of empathy. They fail not only to empathize with the millions of less devout Muslims treated as criminals by their own religion’s theocracies and regimes but also to comprehend the mindset of devout fanatics willing to die for their beliefs. Most secular people cannot fathom what it feels like to say, “I will happily die for this.” Unless you’ve experienced religious ecstasy – personally or up close, as living in the Middle East surely allows – you cannot grasp the danger of its being directed toward violence and destruction.
The Senate's Most Pro-Israel Democrat
Sen. John Fetterman interviewed Walking into Sen. John Fetterman's reception office in the Russell Senate Office Building, I first notice the walls. They are covered with images of Israeli hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023. Atop each is a red banner reading KIDNAPPED. On one wall are images of those who remain in captivity; on the other are those who've been rescued or returned, alive or otherwise.

I knew of Fetterman's unequivocal support for Israel after the Hamas attack. What I hadn't appreciated was the degree to which that support is now central to his political identity.

After I enter his office, I mention the walls of the adjoining room. He begins a minor harangue on the outrages perpetrated by the Palestinians. "I've seen that video," he says - meaning the video recordings compiled by the Israeli government of the Oct. 7 murders - "and I can't believe.... Where does that kind of depravity and that hate, where does it come from?"

"Even the Nazis, with all their depravity, all their evil, they tried to hide those kinds of atrocities. These people filmed it with their GoPros, and they cheered like they scored a goal. In the videos they call their parents and they're like, 'Hey, I just killed some Jews.' Where does that kind of hatred come from?"

"That wasn't just Hamas, either. Let's not ever forget the majority of the Palestinians support what happened." Referring to the lurid ceremonies in which Hamas soldiers release hostages, Fetterman says, "Wow, you're so tough, terrorizing a woman that you've kept in a tunnel for over a year. Like, you're so tough with your s--- rifles parading around. That's why I'm always going to be on the Israeli side. All right? Yeah, print that."

Fetterman was the only Democrat to vote for the imposition of sanctions on the International Criminal Court for charging Israeli officials with "war crimes." When the president suggested the U.S. could evacuate, rebuild and repopulate Gaza, Fetterman - virtually alone among Congressional Democrats - declined to express outrage.
UK charity accused of helping to fund Hamas
Save One Life UK launched an appeal for Gaza just hours after Hamas had carried out its deadly Oct 7 attacks on Israel, which killed more than 1,200 people – the single biggest loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust.

Its Gaza Under Attack appeal appeared to come before Israel had launched any significant military response to the Hamas attacks.

In one image posed on social media on 10.16am on Oct 7, Save One Life UK stated: “Our brothers and sisters in Palestine are under attack again.”

In another poster, published on the first anniversary of the attacks, and after months of bombardment by Israel on Gaza, Save One Life UK declared: “Years of resistance. Palestine stands strong: 12 months of brutal violence. Decades of resilient resistance.”

The poster added: “Palestine stands strong despite the devastation, but they need our support more than ever. Donate to provide life-saving aid today.”

One of those taking part in the charity’s fundraising appeals for Gaza is Sheikh Hassam Al-Haddad, the controversial Islamic scholar.

Mr Haddad, who serves as the chairman of the Fatwa Committee for The Islamic Council of Europe, has previously appeared to pray for a “victory” over Israel.

He wrote on Facebook within hours of the Oct 7 attacks: “[sic] O Allah, support the people of truth in Gaza, Al-Quds and Palestine – they have managed to cause confusion to the enemy’s calculations with a new tactic. Grant them victory and aid them against their oppressors in their struggle for Justice and Truth.”

Among the charity’s trustees is Addeel Khan, the director of Equity Inclusion and Culture at UCL and a former senior executive with the British Red Cross, who is a leading figure in the field of diversity, equity, and inclusion policy.
Jewish Hollywood’s Jewish problem
Jewish Hollywood always had a Jewish problem—the secret handshake of not calling attention to itself. Self-reference was believed to be bad for business. In the 1930s, Germany was Hollywood’s second-largest market. For that reason alone, movies that might offend Adolf Hitler were simply not made.

Charlie Chaplin, a philosemite of the first order, stood alone in taking on the great dictator with his first talkie, “The Great Dictator” (1940). All those powerful Jewish men were outshone by the Little Tramp.

The Academy Awards have been politicized against Israel before. Back in 1978, Vanessa Redgrave received the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress and promptly excoriated Israel as “Zionist hoodlums.” Many shouted her down.

At last year’s ceremony, Jonathan Glazer accepted the Oscar for “The Zone of Interest” by refuting his Jewishness and denouncing Israel for exploiting the Holocaust to mistreat Palestinians. This time, many in the audience applauded.

Which raises the question: Who, exactly, is among this Brigade willing to buck the politically correct Santa Ana winds and defy the sartorial Red Hand pins of antisemites? Are any of them superstar celebrities? The bold-face names that comprise Artists4Ceasefire are well known. But are Steven Spielberg and Barbra Streisand among the Brigade?

I seriously doubt it.

When Adrien Brody, who is Jewish, accepted his Oscar and Golden Globe for Best Actor for “The Brutalist,” in which he portrayed a Holocaust survivor, he somehow managed to avoid mentioning the Holocaust, or that his character was even Jewish. (At the Oscars, in an incoherently self-indulgent speech, he blurted out antisemitism and racism as a generalized afterthought.)

For an industry still powered by Jews and obsessed with the making of superhero movies, the Oscar for Jewish Cowardice continues to have far too many nominees.
Why Are Jewish Celebrities in Hollywood So Afraid to Talk About Antisemitism?
On one hand this is a golden age for on-screen Jewish representation. While a study released in December by USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center’s Media Impact Project found that among 108 Jewish TV characters that aired between 2021 and 2022 only 18 percent of them referenced their Judaism, a number of high-profile instances have come through. In a post-Shtisl world we regularly see proud signs of Jewish identity in multiple venues, whether with the main character facing antisemitism in the 2023 best picture nominee The Fabelmans, postwar Jews undertaking a move to Israel in The Brutalist or the religiously conflicted Asher Wolk on ABC’s The Good Doctor (even if creators cringily felt the need to kill him off in an out-of-nowhere antisemitic attack late last season).

But actually making statements about being Jewish or condemning those who’ve made negative ones — actually stepping out from behind the safety of a production sandwich board? Call on someone else please.

The scope of the issue came home to me when in an interview ahead of an award show several months ago I asked Hannah Einbinder — who sings the Zionist anthem “Jerusalem of Gold” in her HBO special and had a menorah in the background of the Zoom — if she had experienced any change in being an out and proud Jew in the previous year.

It took about three tries and a lot of wounded looks and dissembling responses and publicists cutting in trying to get me to talk about something else. (“This is supposed to be a celebration,” one said, apparently oblivious to what the word means, let alone what it means to be either a journalist or a Jew.) Einbinder appeared extremely fearful of addressing anything about being Jewish at this moment. Finally and very tentatively she said, “I don’t think there’s been a change, no.”

Einbinder, who in the past has worn a Star of David on red carpets and spends large chunks of her standup act talking about being Jewish, seemed scared to acknowledge any change even in a time of normalization of the most vile antisemitic tropes around. (You can read some of the account here.)

Even as I write this emaciated Jews are being paraded in front of cameras to kiss the ring of their captors and Jewish children who had been kept hostage are being buried, evoking the same specter of horror A Real Pain comes to commemorate. Yet no one affiliated with it or so many other awards movies seems interested in noting the grim coincidence. And no, the relative infrequency of such events compared to the 1940s hardly justifies the silence; what do people think has kept such perennial evil at bay all these years if not conscientious outspokenness?

When the Oscars unfold Sunday, don’t expect many Jewish winners to talk about the perils Jews face or the importance of embracing Jewish identity; it would almost seem weird at this point if someone did. Even as it’s probable a Latino, Black or Asian winner will talk about what their identity means to them, as of course they well should. Jewishness is the one aspect of modern identity you just don’t mention.

Why this is, I don’t know. And to be honest, I’m not sure I care. Self-hatred, paranoia, indifference, insecurity about having one’s Jewishness called attention to — none of it really matters. Leave such explanations to the sociologists. What every Jewish or tolerant non-Jewish person should want to see is a whole chorus of people being unafraid to talk about what being Jewish means to them, and how unacceptable it is when that meaning comes under attack.

Because let’s face it: if you’re going to make a movie about a Jew in Poland or sing a song about Jews in Jerusalem, the least you could do is stand up and be counted as a Jew in Hollywood.


No-one loves dead Jews more than Hollywood
For an example of worse, you need only look so far as Guy Pearce - who starred alongside Brody in The Brutalist and was up against Culkin for the best supporting actor award. The Australian actor, who has been one of Hollywood's most vocal anti-Israel voices since October 7th, sported a pin in the shape of a white dove emblazoned with the words “Free Palestine”. Commenting on Instagram, Jewish activist Elizabeth Savestsky wrote: “Guy Pearce, nominated for playing a man who assaults a Holocaust survivor, wears a “Free Palestine” pin - because irony is dead.”

In contrast there was, of course, nary a yellow ribbon to be seen. The closest we got was Gal Gadot's husband, Jaron Varsano, who sported a discreet silver ribbon on his lapel - for which I will be awarding him mensch of the night (there's no trophy, but he does get my undying respect, which is rarer than gold).

Then we have the winner of the best documentary feature film which, unsurprisingly, went to No Other Land, a film about the lives of Palestinians in the West Bank. Perhaps the most rapturous applause of the night went to the documentary’s co-director, writer and protagonist, Basel Adra, when he called on the world to “stop the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people”. This was quickly followed by the night’s only mention of the hostages, as one of the film’s two directors, Yuval Abraham, took to the mic, briefly mentioning “the Israeli hostages brutally taken in the crime of October 7 which must be freed”. That the first speech spoke only of the pain and oppression experienced by one people, while the second spoke of unity, brotherhood and a joint future for both Israelis and Palestinians, was probably just a coincidence, right?

If there was one ultimate winner on the night, it was undoubtedly author Dara Horn. She wasn't nominated for any awards, or even in attendance (as far as I know), but her proclamation - people love dead Jews – once again proved to be more prescient than ever. The fact that our stories are told so frequently and poignantly used to feel like an honour. But now? It feels exploitative at best and perverse at worst.

I never thought I'd find myself advocating for Jewish stories to not be told, but I think we need a moratorium on Holocaust films until we work out how to reconcile depictions of our past with the realities of our present. Of course, as Hollywood is run by Jews, I'm sure this won't be too hard to arrange.


Adrien Brody speaks of antisemitism and racism as he picks up best actor
In his acceptance speech he said he shares the award with Chapman, the ex-wife of disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein, and thanked his immigrant parents for giving him the “strength to pursue this dream”.

“If I may just humbly begin by giving thanks for the tremendous outpouring of love that I’ve felt from this world, and every individual that has treated me with respect and appreciation,” he said.

“I feel so fortunate. Acting is a very fragile profession. It looks very glamorous and certain moments, it is, but the one thing that I’ve gained, having the privilege to come back here, is to have some perspective.

“And no matter where you are in your career, no matter what you’ve accomplished, it can all go away.

“And I think what makes this night most special is the awareness of that and the gratitude that I have to still do the work that I love.”

He added: “I share this with my amazing partner, Georgina, who has not only reinvigorated my own self worth, but my sense of value, and my values, and her beautiful children, Dash and India.

“I know this has been a roller coaster, but thank you for accepting me into your life. And popsie’s coming home a winner.”

The actor then insisted he would not “be egregious” as he asked for the music, signalling him to finish, to stop.

“Please, please, please. I’m wrapping up. I will wrap up,” he said.

“Please turn the music off. I’ve done this before. Thank you. It’s not my first rodeo, but I will be brief. I will not be egregious, I promise.”

“I have to thank my mum and dad, who are here as well,” he said.

“They’ve just created just such a strong foundation of respect and of kindness and a wonderful spirit, and they’ve given me the strength to pursue this dream.

“I’m here once again to represent the lingering traumas and the repercussions of war and systematic oppression, and of antisemitism and racism and of othering and I pray for a healthier and a happier and a more inclusive world.

“And I believe if the past can teach us anything, it’s a reminder to not let hate go unchecked.”

After his leading actor Bafta win in February, Brody said The Brutalist was “an opportunity for me to honour my own ancestral struggles” as his grandparents and mother had fled Hungary “in ’56 during the revolution”.


Israeli-Palestinian documentary with ‘distorted view’ wins Oscar
Israel’s Culture Minister Miki Zohar lamented the film’s win as a “sad moment for cinema,” due to the “distorted” view it offered, and called it an act of “sabotage” against the State of Israel still reeling from the single worst attack against the Jewish people since the Holocaust.

“Instead of presenting the complexity of Israeli reality, the filmmakers chose to amplify narratives that distort Israel’s image vis-à-vis international audiences,” he posted on X. “Freedom of expression is an important value but turning the defamation of Israel into a tool for international promotion is not art. It is sabotage against the State of Israel, especially in the wake of the Oct. 7 massacre and ongoing war.”

“This is a propaganda film that serves the false Palestinian narrative, and seeks to undermine the legitimacy of the State of Israel in the international arena in order to cause boycotts and sanctions of IDF fighters,” said Meir Deutsch, director-general of the Israeli NGO, Regavim.

Separately, American actor Guy Pearce who starred in “The Brutalist,” wore a ‘Free Palestine’ pin at the 97th Academy Awards ceremony, while dozens of anti-Israel activists protested outside the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

“It’s the least we can do,” he said. “I’m just always on the case of trying to recognize Palestine and it having as much support as it possibly can because it’s what it absolutely needs.”

American actor Adrien Brody won best actor for his performance as a Holocaust survivor in that film, two decades after getting the same Oscar in “The Pianist,” another award-winning Holocaust film.
The truth about ‘No Other Land’
The Palestinians never had a state that could be occupied. They never even had a treaty or comparable agreement granting them legal ties to eastern Jerusalem, the West Bank or the Gaza Strip. On the contrary, the original 1964 Palestine National Charter of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) expressly disclaimed Palestinian rights to those three domains because they were occupied by PLO ally countries: Jordan and Egypt.

Israel and the Palestinians began an effort to make peace in 1993 when they signed the first of six agreements known as the Oslo Accords. In the area called the West Bank, the accords awarded Israel interim control over a territory labeled “Area C,” and granted the Palestinians interim control of Area A. Area B was marked as shared.

Masafer Yatta lies in Area C, which places it under Israeli civilian and security control.

About 200,000 Palestinians reside in Area C. Some of them live in Masafer Yatta. But in 1999, when Palestinians erected an additional batch of shacks in Masafer Yatta, they violated the Oslo Accords by failing to obtain building permits from Israel’s Civil Administration.

Palestinian Arabs have orchestrated many such unlicensed land grabs in Area C. Using slapdash combinations of cement blocks, mud bricks, corrugated metal sheets, plastic tarps and portable electric generators, they create chess pawns strategically positioned to block the buildout of Israeli communities and enlarge the pretense of “Palestinian land.” The decision to add Palestinian settlements in Masafer Yatta was especially provocative because that barren expanse had been classified in the 1980s as an Israeli military training zone.

The Masafer Yatta builders ignored the Israeli Civil Administration’s stop-work orders. Then came 22 years of litigation that hamstrung the process of demolishing the structures. Finally, in 2022, Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled that the disputed Masafer Yatta outposts must be removed. None of the affected villagers were expelled. Instead, when the demolition order was enforced, they relocated to nearby cave homes, where Muslims, Christians and Jews had lived for centuries.

A truthful and less one-sided documentary about Masafer Yatta would reveal how patiently Israel legally defends its sovereign rights and the Oslo Accords, despite Palestinian schemes to circumvent those agreements. Better yet, an honest filmmaker would compare Area C with Area A, which remains under complete Palestinian rule. Israel prohibits its citizens from entering Area A due to the threat of murder by the local Arab population. If any Israelis were caught trying to build a home in Area A, they would probably not live long enough to enjoy the courtesy of a trial.
Media Spins ‘No Other Land’ Oscar Win Into Yet Another Fake ‘Israeli Settlers’ Story
The Media’s Convenient Omissions
So naturally, by Monday morning, Israel woke up to a wave of skewed coverage about No Other Land’s win, all of it framing the Masafer Yatta dispute as somehow tied to Israeli settlers.

ABC News, for example, suggested the issue was part of Israel’s broader “settlement expansion,” stating:
Israel’s demolition efforts in the West Bank, on what Israel considers to be illegal structures, have largely been in an effort to clear the way for Israeli settlers to move into the region for reasons including religious beliefs and improved quality of life.”

Meanwhile, CNN failed even to mention that the so-called “collection of villages” in the Hebron hills consists of indisputably illegal structures while also tying the dispute to “the encroachment of Jewish settlers for decades.”

And the BBC? It didn’t even bother including the fact that Masafer Yatta is a military training ground, leaving readers with the entirely false impression that Israel cleared the area for settlers:
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. Israeli settlements in the territory are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this. They have expanded over the past 55 years, becoming a focal point of violence and conflicting claims over land.”

And that was the story across the board—from NPR to The Hollywood Reporter. The facts were lost, and Masafer Yatta became yet another simplistic media tale in which Israel is, conveniently, the villain.


Moment actor's pro-Palestinian and anti-Trump rant gets shouted down by heckler
An Oscar-winning director was heckled as he delivered an impassioned critique of Donald Trump's foreign policy relating to the Israel-Palestine crisis during his acceptance speech on stage.

Basel Adra gripped the Oscar for Best Documentary for his film No Other Land, which captured the plight of Palestinians throughout the ongoing war with Israel.

But as he slammed 'this administration's foreign policy' for blocking the path to peace, a member of the crowd shouted 'get rid of Hamas', according to a Vulture reporter who heard the interaction.


Academic apologism: How universities are rationalizing terror
Institutions of higher education have long been perceived as bastions of critical thinking and rigorous debate. Yet recent incidents throughout the United Kingdom suggest that some educators may be exploiting their platforms to rationalize or at least minimize acts of terror.

From the distribution of Hamas propaganda to publicly endorsing or defending the violence committed by Hamas against Israeli civilians, the line between intellectual freedom and terrorist apologism has blurred. For Jewish and Israeli students these developments have fostered an environment of unease, fear and isolation on campuses that should be a refuge for open discourse.

One of the most striking examples occurred when a lecturer at King’s College London handed out a Hamas propaganda document earlier this year titled “Our Narrative: Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.” Recordings provided by concerned students indicate that the material depicted Hamas primarily as a “national liberation” movement, glossing over its status as a recognized terrorist organization in the United Kingdom.

In the same seminar, students recall being led through a series of readings on the 1948 Arab-Israeli war that, in their view, set them up to sympathize with Hamas’s narrative. One Jewish student said that to earn high marks, it was almost mandatory to adopt an anti-Israel stance. While King’s College London stated it had investigated and “concluded” the matter, the specifics of any outcome remain undisclosed, leaving students worried that those responsible may never be held accountable.

This is not an isolated phenomenon. A report by the Times revealed that several British academics, including those at Oxbridge (which includes the universities of Cambridge and Oxford) and top-tier Russell Group institutions (which include the London School of Economics and Political Science and the University of Manchester, among others), had posted comments on social media justifying the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. Some even mocked the young adults murdered at the Nova festival, framing their presence in “occupied” or “stolen” land as a legitimate target for violence. Others questioned why flying armed militants into a concert by paraglider should be labeled “terrorism,” suggesting these acts could be considered “self-defense” instead. Such rhetoric weaponizes “academic freedom” to champion extremism and sow further division on campuses.

This pattern of behavior becomes more apparent when considering the results of a recent survey by StandWithUs UK that found that nearly 40% of students at Russell Group universities believe that the atrocities against civilians, including children and entire families, on Oct. 7 were an “understandable act of resistance.” Equally concerning, only around one-third of students polled considered Hamas’s mass killings of Israeli civilians to be “terrorist attacks.”
ADL report card finds some campuses fixing responses to antisemitism
Dozens of American universities enacted major policy changes in response to rising campus antisemitism over the past year, according to a “report card” published by the Anti-Defamation League on Monday.

Of 85 schools surveyed a year ago, some 45 percent made significant policy changes regarding antisemitic activity on campus, the ADL report showed. Nearly all of the schools revised their policies for demonstrations, following anti-Israel protests that erupted on campuses across the country last year, disturbing academic activities and often leading to complaints from Jewish students that they no longer felt safe.

Despite the progress, many schools are still failing their Jewish students, according to the ADL, which expanded the survey this year to cover 50 more schools.

Out of 135 institutions surveyed in the report, 49 schools, or 36 percent, were given a grade of A or B, up from 23.5 percent in 2024. Meanwhile, 41 schools or 31%, received a D or F, down from 44% in its report card last year, though the ADL revised its 2024 findings in June to give 12 schools better grades.

Following the events of October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched its deadly war against Israel, US college campuses have been a prime battleground for anti-Israel activists. A separate ADL survey published last month found that 83% of Jewish college students experienced or witnessed antisemitism since the beginning of the war, and 66% said they were not confident in their school’s ability to prevent antisemitic incidents.

“Every single campus should get an A. This isn’t a high bar – this should be the standard,” said ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt. “While many campuses have improved in ways that are encouraging and commendable, Jewish students still do not feel safe or included on too many campuses. The progress we’ve seen is evidence that change is possible – all university leaders should focus on addressing these very real challenges with real action.”
UPenn Papers
The University of Pennsylvania (Penn) is at a breaking point. Over the past two years, the campus has devolved into a hotbed of hate, harassment, vandalism, and outright violence. Antisemitism and other forms of discrimination have reached alarming levels, creating an environment of fear, division, and chaos.

This degradation has been fueled by administrative inaction and, alarmingly, by the active role of some faculty members who use their positions to spread hate, glorify violence, and incite division. Professors who align themselves with extremist ideologies and promote antisemitic rhetoric are abusing their platforms, creating an environment that jeopardizes campus safety and unity. Their actions are not protected under the banner of academic freedom; they are violations of professional ethics and responsibilities.

The time for excuses is over.

The recent executive order signed on January 20, 2025, by President Trump, titled “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats,” underscores the gravity of this issue. The order strengthens the federal government’s ability to identify and deport individuals who support terrorism or pose a threat to national security. Faculty members who express support for terrorist organizations or engage in rhetoric that incites violence are likely to attract federal scrutiny under this directive.

This new policy highlights the urgent need for Penn to act decisively. By failing to address the actions of extremist faculty members, the university not only risks the safety of its students but also places itself under potential federal investigation and public backlash. Leadership must hold these individuals accountable—through suspensions, terminations, or other disciplinary measures—to restore trust, uphold institutional integrity, and comply with evolving national security standards.


'Tsunami of antisemitism' on German campuses, report finds
Lahav Shapira was beaten on a Berlin street in early February 2024 in what is thought to have been an antisemitic attack. The Jewish student had expressed his opinion at his university on the Middle East conflict. The trial of the alleged perpetrator, a 23-year-old former fellow student of the victim, is due to begin at Tiergarten District Court on April 8.

It was among the most dramatic antisemitic incidents Germany has seen since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, after which the country invaded the Gaza Strip. Since the Israel-Hamas war began, Jewish students have reported a climate of fear at German universities, where they worry about intimidation and attacks.

On Thursday, the German Union of Jewish Students (JSUD) and the American Jewish Committee Berlin (AJC) presented a "Situation Report on Antisemitism at German Universities." Outgoing JSUD president Hanna Veiler, 27, spoke of a "tsunami of antisemitism" in the university environment, outlining a chronology of incidents including the brutal attack on Shapira, along with numerous university occupations and "so-called pro-Palestinian protest camps" where people have called for Israel to be wiped off the map.

Little research on the issue
The new report is important because a "really central challenge" for the JSUD has been that there is little research on antisemitism at universities, she said. A such, the 26-page report does not contain any newly collected figures. The authors used statistics from the Federal Association of Departments for Research and Information on Antisemitism (RIAS). According to the report, the number of antisemitic incidents involving universities rose from 16 in 2021 and 23 in 2022, to 151 in 2023.

Veiler said that the report is an important resource for Jewish students, who must deal with the issue whether they want to or not. "Jewish students have had to become experts on antisemitism at universities over the past 17 months," she said. For some, the fear of entering university buildings and feeling abandoned has impacted the course of their studies, and possibly their financial support as students.

Students link arms during a pro-Palestinian protest at Berlin’s Free University in May 2024Students link arms during a pro-Palestinian protest at Berlin’s Free University in May 2024

AJC Berlin director Remko Leemhuis spoke of an "explosion" of antisemitic incidents at German universities since October 7, 2023, saying that many Jewish students had been avoiding campuses altogether for some time now.

The report makes clear that while there have been incidents, antisemitic statements or intimidation at universities nationwide, Berlin is a hotspot. The German capital has seen several university buildings occupied by protesters, often with anti-Israeli graffiti found inside afterwards.

The report called for a number of preventative policy changes in response, including the consistent prosecution of antisemitic crimes, compulsory training on modern forms of antisemitism at universities, and clearly named points of contact for Jewish students. In addition, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's controversial working definition of antisemitism should be included in university constitutions, it said.
Barnard College, the New School and Columbia graded poorly over combating antisemitism: Anti-Defamation League
The New School, Barnard College and Columbia University are doing a poor job of confronting antisemitism on campus, according to a stinging report card issued Monday by a Jewish civil rights group.

The New School was one of 13 schools that received a failing F grade while Barnard College’s rating dropped from a C to a D in the Anti-Defamation League’s report card after an unruly mob of masked anti-Israel protesters took over the college administration building last week and assaulted a security guard.

The New School’s report card cited a series of anti-Israel and anti-Jewish hostilities on the Greenwich Village campus and noted the progressive school is the subject of a US Department of Education civil rights investigation.

“In May 2024, students and faculty occupied the Welcome Center in Manhattan to urge the board of trustees to consider divestment from companies associated with Israel. The building occupation followed the establishment of two New School anti-Israel encampments, one led by students and one by faculty,” the school’s report card said.

At an encampment that was erected from April to May, protesters displayed messages that included “Resist colonial power by any means necessary,” “Zionist donors and trustees, hands off our universities” and “The future is anti-Zionist.”

At least one sign included an inverted red triangle, a symbol popularized by the antisemitic US-designated terror group Hamas to mark targets, the ADL said.


Anti-Israel protesters barred from disrupting Cambridge University
A High Court judge in the UK banned pro-Palestinian activists from disrupting a University of Cambridge graduation ceremony after a hearing on Thursday.

Justice Michael Fordham imposed an injunction covering a ceremony that took place on Saturday.

The lawyers representing the university who submitted the application intended for the judge to impose a wider injunction due to more general concerns about potential disruptions of future ceremonies, citing several ceremonies that had been disrupted in London.

They called for the injunction to cover four university premises in Cambridge, which will last until 2030, including the Senate House and its yard.

Ultimately, Justice Fordham decided to implement the injunction only for Saturday’s ceremony, which took place at the Senate House. However, he said that he wishes to reconsider the case in the near future.

One union called the university legal action a "shameful attack on democratic rights," according to the BBC.

The application was primarily aimed at preventing any disruptions by the group "Cambridge for Palestine," which previously carried out "direct action" at both Greenwich House and in Senate House Yard last year.


Ofcom chair Grade warns BBC over ‘flawed’ Gaza film ahead of MPs grilling
Ofcom’s chair Lord Grade of Yarmouth has written to the BBC to express concerns about the “nature and gravity of the failings” that have emerged around its recent Gaza documentary.

Grade warned Samir Shah, the BBC chairman, that the broadcasting regulator may intervene if it is not satisfied with the BBC’s internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone.

Ofcom published its letter the day before Shah and Tim Davie, the BBC director-general, are to be grilled by ministers about the documentary as part of a culture media and sport select committee hearing on the work of the corporation.

The duo will be quizzed by MPs about claims of multiple failings in relation to a flawed Gaza documentary.

Davie and Shah will appear before the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee in Westminster on Tuesday March 4 th where they face questions on the “work of the BBC.”

Jewish News understands that the duo are expected to be asked about concerns around due diligence, and allegations that money might have been paid to the family members of Hamas ministers during the making of the film Gaza: How To Survive A warzone.

“Of course we have concerns,” one member of the Committee told Jewish News in relation to the film, ahead of Tuesday’s session in parliament.

Grade said that Ofcom supported the board’s decision to handle matters internally “at this stage” but that the body “will continue to keep the situation under close review and will expect regular updates from the BBC regarding both timeframes and progress and reserve the right to use our powers to step in should we feel it necessary to do so.”

The two BBC chiefs have already held meetings with Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy in relation to the documentary, which was aired on BBC2 on February 17, but has now been withdrawn from the iPlayer service.
Supporting terror with British courtesy: BBC praises Hamas, incites against Israel
Is the antisemitic mood in Britain a result of BBC propaganda, or is the media channel being dragged in its feebleness after the public mood? This is apparently the chicken and egg question, but it’s clear there is a direct connection between the two.

In a place where the masses’ minds are washed with poisonous propaganda over the years, it eventually turns into hatred that leads to violence, and this atmosphere of violence can be found today in the kingdom’s streets in increasing doses.

Even if the BBC is only the third most antisemitic body in the world, it should concern us even more than the direct enemies that precede it in the ranking. Hamas will eventually be eliminated by force of arms and the blood of our best sons, and Iran will probably be defeated militarily, too.

In contrast, the BBC is beyond the range of the air force’s radar, and the enormous poison machine created in London will only be defeated when it realizes firsthand that violent and extremist Islamists like Hamas are fighting not only against “Jews” but against the entire free world. The Jews are just standing in the way.


Abbas’s status in the Arab arena has weakened significantly
Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas has been making diplomatic efforts on the international stage and within the Arab world to gain legitimacy and support for his return to governing Gaza after the war.

However, opposition to his leadership is not limited to Israel, which rejects a role for the P.A. in post-war Gaza due to its support for terrorism. Arab leaders also recognize the changing reality and believe Abbas’s rule is ending.

On Feb. 21, 2025, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) held a closed meeting with Arab leaders to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump’s migration plan for Gaza and preparations for the post-war period. Abbas was entirely excluded from the discussion.

According to senior Israeli security officials, this exclusion clearly indicates Abbas’s declining status in the Arab world and suggests that Arab leaders expect his imminent departure from the political stage.

Abbas’s absence from such a crucial summit—where critical deliberations took place regarding the future of the Palestinian people in Gaza—suggests that a gradual process of sidelining the P.A. has begun.

The P.A. is also widely perceived as corrupt in the Arab world.

Recently, Egypt and donor countries refused to grant the P.A. direct control over funds designated for Gaza’s reconstruction due to concerns over “lack of transparency”—in other words, fears of embezzlement, given past instances of donor funds being misappropriated by the P.A.

Security sources indicate that there are signs the Arab world is aligning with the stance of the previous U.S. administration, which advocated for restructuring the Palestinian political system, revitalizing the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and replacing the aging Abbas, now 89.

On Feb. 15, Abbas attended the 38th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. However, according to senior Fatah officials, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and other high-ranking African leaders completely ignored his presence—another sign that his political end is near.

There are also signs of tension within the P.A. leadership.


Javad Zarif, the 'nice face of Iran,' resigns as VP amid Tehran's anti-West shift
Iranian vice president Javad Zarif resigned on Sunday, Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA), Iran’s official news agency, reported Monday. He did so “on advice from the head of the Judiciary to relieve some of the pressure on the administration of President Masoud Pezeshkian,” the report said.

Zarif had been at the center of controversies in Iran in recent months, and some politicians had criticized him.He is best known as Iran’s former foreign minister and its point man during the era of the Iran deal.

Zarif was a charmer and a favorite of Westerners, who enjoyed his affable personality and ability to light up a room. He always seemed to enjoy being in the West more than in Iran, which led to suspicions about him among some Iranian “hard-liners.”

In truth, it was not really about being “hard-line,” because Zarif was a regime loyalist; it was more about internal politics. Iran is shifting away from the West, and there is a sense that people like Zarif are not as needed as they were in the past.

In the past, Zarif was trotted out as the nice face of Iran, but that mask can now be taken down.

It’s not clear what Zarif’s fate will be. It’s possible he could receive a new appointment or even that his resignation will not be accepted. IRNA’s reports seemed to indicate he would have some time off now.


87 years on, German gallery returns stolen portraits to heirs of Jewish art dealer
Two paintings stolen by the Nazis have been restituted by Germany’s largest cultural foundation and will be displayed in a national museum.

Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz (SPK) said Monday it has restituted the two works to the heirs of the Berlin art dealer and publisher Bruno Cassirer. It then repurchased the paintings and will display them in the Alte Nationalgalerie, a museum on Berlin’s Museum Island.

“Portrait of Bruno Cassirer” by Max Liebermann will be presented in the museum’s permanent exhibition beginning Tuesday. “Bruno Cassirer’s Father on His Deathbed,” by Max Slevogt, will go on display next year.

Bruno Cassirer, born in Breslau in 1872, was the influential owner of a prestigious publishing house and art gallery in Berlin’s Tiergarten district, representing artists such as Liebermann and Slevogt. After the Nazis seized power in 1933, Cassirer faced persecution due to his Jewish heritage, and his membership in the Reich Chamber of Literature was revoked. He was forced to emigrate to England in 1938, and his assets, including his art collection, were confiscated and auctioned by the Nazi regime. He died in Oxford in 1941.

The two paintings were acquired in the 1960s by the West Berlin State Museums from art dealer and publisher Wolfgang Gurlitt. While neither work contains any provenance markings indicating that it belonged to Cassirer’s collection, there is substantial evidence that Gurlitt purchased them at a forced auction of Cassirer’s works in 1944.
Russia foils terror attack on Moscow synagogue
A suspected terrorist who allegedly planned to attack a Moscow “Jewish institution” and the local metro network was killed in a shootout with Russian security forces, the Kremlin confirmed on monday.

The suspect "intended to detonate homemade explosive devices in a religious Jewish institution... and at one of the Moscow metro stations," according to a spokesperson for the Federal Security Service (FSB).

The man, who was identified as a Muslim Russian citizen born in Central Asia, "offered armed resistance to Russian FSB officers when detained, and was eventually neutralized by return fire," the spokesperson added.

The suspect had also sworn allegiance to an unnamed terror group and made plans to travel to Afghanistan to join the ranks of the organisation after he carried out the attacks in Moscow, according to the FSB statement.

As part of his preparations for the attack, the suspect was said to have conducted surveillance and acquired bomb-making materials. During a raid on the suspect's home, the FSB said officers seized firearms and means to produce improvised explosive devices.

The news of the thwarted assault comes a year after the FSB thwarted an Islamic State attack on a synagogue in Moscow.

The terror cell, based in Kaluga, 93 miles southwest of the capital, planned to attack worshippers with firearms, the agency said. According to the FSB, the terrorists were members of the Afghan branch of ISIS.
Hasan Banned From Twitch After “If You Cared About Medicaid Fraud, You Would Kill Rick Scott” Comment
Hasan Piker, also known as HasanAbi, has been banned from Twitch following a controversial comment directed at Rick Scott, a prominent Republican senator from Florida. The Turisk-American Twitch streamer regularly talks about politics on his streams as a left-wing political commentator. In fact, political conversations are what dominates Hasan’s content on Twitch, unlike many popular Twitch streamers who do their best to stay very far away from politics.

During a recent Twitch stream, Hasan found himself talking about Medicaid and the aforementioned Rick Scott, which is when he said “if you cared about Medicaid fraud, you will kill Rick Scott.” This is obviously against Twitch’s content policy. As a result, roughly 24-48 later the Amazon-owned platform banned Hasan from streaming on Twitch. Whether the ban is permanent or temporary is unclear. Typically with Twitch it is the latter, even for repeat offenders.

“That fraud is not coming from individuals it is coming from providers,” said Hasan while reacting to comments made by Mike Johnson, the 56th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. “They are not tackling providers. They are not actually going after false billing. They are trying to cut recipients, okay? It is not happening at the point of recipients. If you cared about Medicaid fraud, you would kill Rick Scott.”


Argentine President Milei to visit Israel this month
Argentinian President Javier Milei is scheduled to visit Israel later this month in his second trip to the country in as many years.

The March 23 visit, which is to include a landmark address to the Knesset, comes as the Argentinian leader has emerged as one of Israel’s most vocal supporters, firmly aligning himself with both Jerusalem and Washington.

Milei is also expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to Israeli officials.

The planned trip follows an invitation to formally address the Israeli parliament extended to Milei last month by Knesset Speaker Amir Ohama.

The South American leader has broken with decades of Argentinian foreign policy tradition by firmly siding with Israel since taking office over a year ago, propelling relations between the two nations to unprecedented heights. Diplomatic ties between the two countries were first established 75 years ago.

Last year, in one of his first official trips as president, Milei paid a wartime solidarity visit to Israel, where he reiterated his pledge to move his country’s embassy to Jerusalem.

An iconoclast and political outsider, Milei was elected in November 2023 amid a burgeoning economic crisis and skyrocketing inflation that has long beleaguered the large South American country, which is making major strides toward recovery under his leadership.


Israeli startups raised over $550m in February
Israeli startups have raised $1.25 billion in the first two months of 2025, up from $800 million in the corresponding period of 2024.

Israeli startups raised over $550 million in February 2025, according to reports and press releases seen by "Globes." The figure may be more as some companies prefer to remain in stealth and sometimes do not publicize the investments they have received.

Israeli startups have raised $1.25 billion in the first two months of 2025, up from $800 million in the corresponding period of 2024. Overall in 2024, Israeli privately-held tech companies raised $9.58 billion, according to IVC-LeumiTech, up 38% from 2023 when $6.9 billion was raised, after $15 billion was raised in 2022, and a record $25.6 billion was raised in 2021.

In February 2025, the biggest financing round was completed by: quantum computing company Quantum Machines, which raised $170million. Other large financing rounds that were completed included: Dream Security, which raised $100 million; industrial AI company Augury, which raised $75 million; onchain security company Blockaid, which raised $50 million; and predictive AI company Voyantis, which raised $41 million.
Tel Aviv University breaks new ground in cancer detection, treatment with new innovation
A new scientific method, developed in Israel’s Tel Aviv University, may have identified a breakthrough which may advance the treatment of multiple developmental disorders and types of cancers, the university announced this week.

The breakthrough, which has accelerated understanding of a gene behind cellular growth, Phosphatase and Tensin Homologue (PTEN), was discovered during a study led by Dr. Tal Laviv; the study’s findings have since been published in the peer-reviewed journal Nature Methods.

While cells in the human body mostly adjust their size and rate of division to adapt to their environment, a crucial process for normal development, some cells have their changes disrupted - which can lead to cancer and a number of other conditions, the researchers explained.
Israel should prepare for a potential wave of olim from Australia
In recent years, a small but growing number of Israelis have relocated to Australia, seeing it as an escape from Israel’s security and religious challenges and even from the bitter drama surrounding judicial reform. However, October 7 shattered the illusion of Australia as an island paradise insulated from the world’s problems.

Just two days after the massacre, on October 9, Jews were warned to stay home as an antisemitic mob gathered at Sydney’s iconic Opera House. Many heard chants of ‘Gas the Jews’. Astoundingly, nobody was charged, and the police later claimed the chant never occurred. Since then, things have only deteriorated.

Recent Israeli arrivals and longtime Jewish community members have been shocked as their children attending public schools were bullied because of their background. Those in Jewish schools are protected in fortresses and advised to conceal their uniforms at times.

Daycare centers, synagogues and homes have been targeted.

A vehicle packed with explosives and containing the addresses of Jewish institutions, including a synagogue, was discovered. Police helicopters have patrolled Jewish neighbourhoods for weeks. Many fear it’s only a matter of time before lives are lost.

Last week, Jews in Australia faced new concerns when a video emerged of two Muslim nurses threatening to harm Jewish patients in hospitals. Unlike in other countries, the current left-wing Australian government has offered little support to the Jewish community. Many ministers have a long record of anti-Israel activism, including the prime minister, who attended anti-Israel protests in his youth. Worse still, the government has become fixated on winning the votes of Australia’s rapidly growing Muslim population of one million, for whom Israel is the top politic

The community is in shock because Australia has never experienced antisemitism at any significant level even compared to the U.S. or UK.

Aliyah is on many people’s mind and being discussed like never before.
In Australia, a Beleaguered Jewish Community Is Attracting Converts
Throughout the West, Jewish communities have had to deal with an alarming rise in anti-Semitism since the Hamas attacks on Israel. Perhaps the country that saw the most dramatic shift was Australia, whose Jews went from thinking themselves better off than most of their diasporic coreligionists to witnessing a stream of horrors. Bruce Hill reports, however, that hostility toward Jews isn’t the only thing that’s spiked: Australian rabbis across the denominational spectrum have observed an increase in conversions:

“I think that the events of October 7 have acted as a catalyst for people who were on the fence and thinking about it beforehand anyway,” said Rabbi Yaakov Glasman of St. Kilda Shule, an Orthodox synagogue in Melbourne known for being conversion-friendly.

Rabbi Gabi Kaltmann of Melbourne’s Ark Center has seen the usual number of potential converts more than double. Rather than being deterred by the attacks or the commitment required, Rabbi Kaltmann says ,“If anything, people want to stand with the Jewish community. They see how beautiful Judaism is. Monotheism resonates with them, they connect to the Torah. And they see how tough it can be to be a Jew, with the rise of anti-Semitism, and regardless, they still are embracing it.”

He’s noticed a shift in attitudes to converts from some people who were born Jewish as well. . . . “There is a deeper embrace of somebody that is converting now, post-October 7, than I’ve [ever] witnessed as a rabbi.”

“They realize that there’s this light that’s been lit within them that’s been dimmed, and they can’t deny it anymore,” explained Rabbi Allison Conyer of Temple Beth Israel, a Progressive shul in Melbourne. “The outside world, the wider community, is forcing a ‘You’re either with us or against us’ [attitude], and it’s forcing them to realize where they’ve been, where they are, and who they are.”
Dr. Miriam Adelson, the modern-day Rothschild Israelis have finally recognized
For years, Miriam Adelson was an enigma in Israeli society. Her name was often uttered with an asterisk—accompanied by skepticism, controversy, and a mix of admiration and disdain.

She and her late husband Sheldon were viewed as kingmakers, puppeteers, or just another set of billionaires trying to shape Israeli politics in their image. Their immense wealth, their influence over both Israel and the US, and—perhaps most of all—their endless support for Benjamin Netanyahu made them divisive figures.

But something has changed. Israelis—especially Israeli media—are finally waking up to a reality that should have been obvious all along: Miriam Adelson is the most significant donor to the Jewish world and to Israel in our era. She is, in no uncertain terms, the Rothschild of today.

The turning point
So why the shift? It’s not that Adelson has suddenly become more generous—she has always been one of the most prolific Jewish philanthropists. It’s that Israelis have finally started looking at her work without the Netanyahu filter.

In recent months, she has thrown her full weight behind one issue: the release of Israeli hostages from Gaza. And unlike many who pay lip service, she is actually making things happen.

As Channel 12 reported a few weeks ago, “In the past few weeks, one name keeps coming up as a significant force in pressuring for the release of the hostages and influencing US President Donald Trump’s stance: billionaire Miriam Adelson, or 'Miri,' as those close to her call her.”

Adelson has personally met with hostage families, ensuring they have access to the most influential people in Washington and pressuring Trump to act. “She is one of the biggest donors to the president and worked behind the scenes to ensure Trump is fully committed to the mission,” N12 reported.

Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, an advisor to Trump’s re-election campaign, described her efforts: “She stood by Trump, and she worked with all her strength to explain to everyone around the president exactly what the hostage situation entailed.”
Decorated Israeli diplomat Dore Gold dies at 71
Dore Gold, former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations and a longtime foreign policy advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — whose diplomatic expertise was credited with moving the Abraham Accords forward — died on Monday in Jerusalem from an undisclosed illness. He was 71.

Born in Hartford, Conn., Gold made aliyah in 1980 after receiving a doctoral degree from Columbia University. He went on to break barriers for olim by serving at the highest levels of the Israeli government — positions that included director-general of the Foreign Ministry, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations and political advisor to two prime ministers, Ariel Sharon and Netanyahu.

Netanyahu, who continued throughout the years to receive advice — both formally and informally — from Gold, eulogized him as “a prolific academic researcher, brilliant Israeli diplomat and close personal friend.”

“Dore accompanied me for over three decades as a dedicated public servant without peer,” Netanyahu said. “He was endowed with a unique intellectual integrity, working ability and a genuine love for the State of Israel.” Gold served as Netanyahu’s foreign policy advisor for a year beginning in June 1996, during the prime minister’s first term.

Netanyahu also said Gold contributed to the Abraham Accords, the 2020 normalization agreements between Israel and several Arab countries. Gold, who was serving as president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs at the time, played a mostly behind-the-scenes role in the deal. After the rollout, Gold told the Jerusalem Post that he spent two years fielding “dual invitations” from the U.S. and Israel to reach an agreement.

Ron Dermer, who served as Israeli ambassador to the United States from 2013-’21, remembered Gold as a “man of decency and integrity, whom I was proud to call a friend,” and a Zionist with “prodigious knowledge, sharp mind and diplomatic creativity.”

The two worked together for over 25 years, Dermer reflected in a statement. “The Jewish people owe Dore Gold a debt of gratitude,” he said.

From 1997-’99, Gold served as Israel’s U.N. ambassador. In that role, he was part of the Israeli delegation to the Wye Plantation Conference, where President Bill Clinton brought together Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Gold authored several books about the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Iranian threat — including Hatred’s Kingdom: How Saudi Arabia Supports the New Global Terrorism; The Rise of Nuclear Iran: How Tehran Defies the West and The Fight for Jerusalem: Radical Islam, the West, and the Future of the Holy City.
Jonny Gould Podcast: 63: Ambassador Dore Gold: the art of diplomacy and how peace with Jordan came about
March 2025: I am very sad to hear of Dore Gold’s passing and as tribute, here is a re-release of our discussion as way of remembering his sharp mind and sizeable place in Israel’s history.

Ambassador Dr. Dore Gold has spent his professional life as a diplomat and trusted senior prime ministerial advisor pursuing peace and security for Israel with willing Arab partners.

Born in Hartford, Connecticut, he lives in Jerusalem with his wife and family. Dore Gold was Israel’s ambassador’s to the UN in the late 90s.

He advised on the Madrid peace conference in 1991 before leading Likud’s dialogue with the Hashemite kingdom in Jordan which led to peace in 1994.

This was a direct response to the ruling Labour Party’s dialogue with the PLO. Ambassador Gold was also a key figure in the closure of the PLO’s office in East Jerusalem, a concession insisted upon as Israel opened talks with Yasser Arafat as part of the Oslo Accords.

Since the turn of the millennium, he’s been president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs with his deep experience of US–Israel policy.

A supporter of the Abraham Accords, he doesn’t believe the change of administration in Washington will undermine the extraordinary achievements of President Donald Trump‘s diplomats across the region - even if the foreign policy priorities of the Biden administration have veered away from the Middle East.

His articles and books cover a wide variety of Israeli diplomacy on Jerusalem and he’s dedicated to the Golden City replacing Tel Aviv as the ultimate diplomatic hub. He’s also concerned with the UN and its implications for Israel, nuclear Iran, the United States' relationship with Israel and the possibility that Saudi will complete its extraordinary change from sworn enemy to partner in normalization.


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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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