Thursday, July 24, 2025

07/24 Links Pt2: Holocaust Miseducation and the Nakba Narrative; Trump’s Columbia Deal; 50 well-behaved Jewish kids were kicked off a flight by a bigoted pilot

From Ian:

Seth Mandel: Holocaust Miseducation and the Nakba Narrative
Yet the word “Jews” is noticeably absent from the NEA’s bullet point. This is deliberate: the NEA’s members don’t want to secretly slip Holocaust revisionism into lesson plans and quietly appropriate Jewish suffering for their own demented political purposes. They want their intentions to be made clear and public from the start. This is a fight they want to have, because it will force wavering members to announce and to demonstrate their loyalty to the union’s mission of miseducating America’s children.

And why might that be? Why would the NEA “want” the Holocaust for themselves, so to speak?

Well, under the heading “New Business Referred to the Board” we have a couple items that might answer that question.

One of these items is called “Palestine Nakba Education.” The guide claims that “[e]ducating about the Nakba is essential for understanding the Palestinian diaspora narrative and experience, including the ongoing trauma of our Palestinian American students today,” however, the NEA clearly wants to go all-in on the revisionism:

“The Nakba, meaning ‘catastrophe’ in Arabic, refers to the forced, violent displacement and dispossession of at least 750,000 Palestinians from their homeland in 1948 during the establishment of the state of Israel.”

In fact, the Nakba was coined by Arab intellectuals to refer to the failure of the combined Arab armies to destroy the nascent Jewish state. In other words, Nakba literally is the mourning of a failed ethnic cleansing of the Jewish people three years after the liberation of Auschwitz.

Additionally, 750,000 Arabs in Palestine were not victims of “forced, violent displacement and dispossession.” Many of those who fled were forced to do so at gun point, no doubt. But many fled because the Arab leaders told them to get out of the way while the Jews were routed, and many others fled because of debunked stories of Zionist atrocities that were spread by Arab leaders in an attempt to rile up the Arab street but which often had the opposite effect.

No doubt those displaced experienced a catastrophe, and usually that catastrophe was at the hands of others. The catastrophe was real, but it wasn’t what “Nakba” was coined to describe, and it isn’t what is described by the NEA either.

Finally, the handbook has an item explaining that “NEA will use existing digital communication tools to educate members about the difference between anti-Zionism and antisemitism.”

Such a program will no doubt go well with the Holocaust revisionism and delegitimizing of Israel planned by the NEA.

“Teaching anti-Semitism” used to be a phrase one used to refer to teaching about anti-Semitism. The NEA clearly means it to be taken literally.
What the Prime Minister should be saying on anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism is being normalised in the UK. Stamping it out requires leadership at the highest level. This is the speech to the nation Prime Minister Keir Starmer should deliver:

I speak to you today on a matter I now consider to be a national emergency.

It is said that the greatest test of a democracy is not the experience of the majority but the way in which it protects the rights and wellbeing of the minority.

In the UK today, there are under 300,000 Jews. Jewish people make up just 0.5 per cent of our population. They are a tiny group who contribute a great deal to public life and communities across the nation.

I must tell you today that Britain is failing its Jewish community.

I also tell you that I am drawing a line in the sand. The Jew-hate we are seeing in our country must end now – and as the Prime Minister I am personally going to lead the fight against anti-Semitism.

For those who would like to pretend that racial hatred of Jews is not a very serious problem in our society today, let me put you straight.

We are seeing it on the streets of Britain on a weekly basis. Just last weekend, large numbers of protestors in London chanted “F--- your Jewish State”. Note the language here. Not opposition to the war Israel is fighting but a direct attack on Jews. An open display of racism.

The war between Israel and Hamas has divided opinion. I know that. But it should never be an excuse for the Jew-hate that is creeping its way into the fabric of our society and our national institutions.

Take schools. More than half of Jewish teachers have reported anti-Semitic abuse since the war in Gaza began. They are finding swastika graffiti in the classroom and facing chants of “F--- the Jews”. Some teachers are even fearful of disclosing their religion at work. This is entirely unacceptable. It should shame us all.

Then there’s the NHS. Jewish patients have been abused and left in fear, Jewish doctors and nurses have faced discrimination. In one case a nurse was confronted with the anti-Semitic trope of Jews “drinking blood”. It is hard to believe this is happening in our caring professions. Institutional blindness to anti-Semitism must end now.

The question we must all ask ourselves is: how do we stop this hate in its tracks? It requires leadership, courage and conviction and I am prepared to show it.
‘The shock is gone’: All too used to antisemitism, Parisian Jews weather post-Oct. 7 storm with aplomb
Walking through the bustling cobblestone streets of Le Marais, the historic heart of Jewish Paris, it’s easy not to think about antisemitism.

Once the center of Jewish life in the capital of France, Rue des Rosiers still pulses with trendy kosher and kosher-style restaurants, Judaica shops, and Hebrew signs. On a Friday afternoon in July, hordes of visitors buy challah for Shabbat and eat falafel on the street, chatting in French, Hebrew, English, and countless other tongues.

“People walk around freely in their kippot here,” a local Jew, Levi, mentioned in passing. “Parisian Jews don’t live in fear.”

Others would differ on that point.

Antisemitism in the city of more than 300,000 Jews — the sixth-largest Jewish community in the world and the largest in Europe — has reached historic highs in recent years, particularly since Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, 2023, sparking the ongoing war in Gaza.

That year, the number of antisemitic incidents around the country quadrupled to 1,676, according to the Conseil Représentatif des Institutions Juives de France (CRIF), the representative organization of French Jewish groups. In 2024, that number dropped by six percent to 1,570, but remains alarmingly high.

Those figures don’t include countless cases that went unreported, particularly within the educational system, CRIF has noted.


Airline denies antisemitism after group of Jewish teens are forced off plane
A low-cost airline owned by a British-Spanish firm has claimed that 50 French Jewish children were removed from a flight and the director of their summer programme arrested for “disruptive behaviour”, with relatives of the children saying that they had been singing Hebrew songs.

Vueling, which is owned by IAG, a multinational airline holding company with its corporate headquarters in England, issued a statement on Thursday morning in relation to “a group of teenage passengers on board flight VY8166 from Valencia to Paris Orly”, which it said had been “disembarked for disruptive behaviour”.

Video footage of a woman on the floor of an airport terminal being arrested by Spanish police led to significant outrage on social media. Israel’s Diaspora Affairs Minister, Amichai Chikli, shared footage of the arrest, saying: “The woman who was arrested and beaten is the director of the Kinneret summer camp. Fifty Jewish French children, aged 10 – 15, were singing Hebrew songs on the plane.”

Chikli went on to allege that “the airline crew said that Israel is a terrorist state and forced the children off the aircraft; they are now in Valencia, waiting to return to France”.

In its statement, the airline said: “We categorically deny any suggestion that our crew’s decision related to the religion of the passengers involved”, claiming that “the actions of the on-board staff were solely in response to behaviour that compromised the integrity of the flight, as well as the safety of the passengers and the operation as a whole.”

The mother of one of the young passengers told Israel’s i24 TV channel that the children had been singing in Hebrew when the flight crew told them to desist, threatening to call the police if they continued. Despite the children stopping, the police were still called, with the director of the camp subsequently arrested.

The airline statement claimed that “a group of passengers engaged in highly disruptive behaviour and adopted a very confrontational attitude…this group mishandled emergency equipment and actively disrupted the mandatory safety demonstration…the crew, acting in accordance with Vueling procedures, requested the intervention of the Guardia Civil, who, after assessing the situation, decided to disembark the group to prioritise the safety of the rest of the passengers.”
Jewish children kicked off Spanish plane told to remove Jewish symbols before boarding new flight
After an antisemitic incident, request to conceal Jewish identities: The 52 Jewish children and adolescents, who were removed from a flight Wednesday at Valencia airport, returned to France on a different plane. Before boarding, one of the group leaders asked them to remove their yarmulkes, tuck their tzitzit into their pants, and place their tefillin in a suitcase that was loaded into the aircraft hold. Meanwhile, the airline strongly denied the claims made by the Jewish passengers.

According to a report by Enfoque Judío, the children and teens were removed from the flight yesterday after singing traditional Jewish songs while boarding and waiting for takeoff. After the crew demanded that they stop singing, local police were called and the youths were taken off the aircraft.

The group’s director was detained and handcuffed. Her personal phone was also confiscated, and she was released after signing a non-disclosure agreement. Simultaneously, a photo was shared on social media showing a Palestinian flag allegedly placed in the cockpit of the Vueling Airlines plane carrying the children. Enfoque Judío reported that several dozen of the children were flown back to Paris, while others had to travel by bus. In a video shared on social media, a group leader is seen addressing the children before their second flight. He says: “The rules are clear. Anything that is a religious symbol—tzitzit, yarmulkes—must be removed. Tuck your tzitzit into your pants. Put your tefillin in your suitcase. Don’t leave any religious item visible.”

He continued: “On the plane, you do not say a word, you do not make noise. You sit down and fasten your seatbelt. No one gets up without my permission, not even to go to the bathroom. We will not give those antisemites the opportunity to throw us off the plane. We’re all returning to Paris today. I trust your maturity to follow the rules.” One child is then heard saying he has a yarmulke in his bag, and the guide responds: “Yarmulkes can go in your pants pocket.”

The incident was described with outrage by Enfoque Judío: “The scene of children hiding their religious symbols out of fear of being ejected from the flight is a chilling testament to the reality this group experienced in Spain.”


Jewish comedians cancelled by Edinburgh Fringe venue due to ‘safety concerns’
Key Jewish performances during the Edinburgh Fringe are in jeopardy, after a theatre abruptly cancelled bookings by Jewish comedians, citing staff “safety concerns”.

Rachel Creeger and Phillip Simon were due to perform at the Whistle Binkies music venue in the heart of the city, which they have used for a number of years during the Scottish capital’s famous comedy festival. However, last Friday they were informed via a phone call that the venue was no longer willing to host them. Creeger and Simon were told that staff at the venue, had complained of feeling “unsafe”, with additional security measures having been instituted due to concerns over threats to Jewish acts.

Jewish News understands that initially the venue told the Jewish comedians that staff had claimed that a “vigil” for IDF soldiers had been held during last year’s performances – a claim retracted by the venue after Creeger and Simon made it clear that this was inaccurate. It is believed that staff also complained about having to clean “free Palestine” graffiti off toilet doors, daubed by anti-Israel protesters.

Creeger, who has won a number of awards for her comedy, said:

“We have always found Whistlebinkies to be such a safe and welcoming environment, so we are, shocked, deeply upset and disappointed by this decision.

“We don’t recognise the complaints being made by the bar staff. No incidents occurred during our shows last year. We did not witness any targeted graffiti.

“We had no idea that there was a problem until we were told last Friday that our shows were no longer welcome. With the Fringe launching next week, this has made it nearly impossible to find new venues for the month, and we depend on performing for our livelihoods.

“Sadly, this is part of an ongoing problem faced by Jewish performers in this country. We are being cancelled and often silently boycotted.”

Ms Creeger’s show, Ultimate Jewish Mother, has previously been nominated for two awards and was last year granted the Keep It Fringe Bursary after her application shared the importance of such shows when it comes to interfaith work and community cohesion.


Trump’s Columbia Deal
Columbia University and the Trump administration announced a $221 million settlement agreement on Wednesday, putting an end, for now, to the standoff between the two that had thrown the Ivy League school into a financial crisis.

The deal was controversial both inside and outside the Trump administration. While the president is getting a pound of flesh and the university was forced to commit in writing to complying with a multitude of federal laws, the agreement did not include several structural reforms to the school that the parties had previously discussed.

How good a deal is it? Trump didn’t raze Morningside Heights, but he signalized he was willing to do so. He helped to make the state of our university campuses a national political issue that won’t recede anytime soon, and he took action on it out of the gate. Wednesday’s agreement is a demonstration that there are concrete penalties for schools that permit the harassment of Jewish students and allow radical activists to hijack the campus.

Columbia wasn’t brought to heel only because the Trump administration pulled federal funds. Aggressive media coverage, congressional hearings, and the presidential campaign together focused national attention on the sorry state of the campus, and the school sustained immense reputational damage. Disgusted donors walked away, and thousands of potential students never applied.

While the agreement calls for a federal "Resolution Monitor" to track Columbia’s compliance, the real watchdogs will be those of us—in the press, in the Congress, in the administration, and at Columbia—pushing to reform higher education and make America’s colleges and universities institutions that educate patriotic citizens.

But the war is not over, and the same forces that had a stake in the battle over Columbia must be redeployed to a fight already well underway at Harvard, where the stakes are even higher and the adversary even more fanatical.
$221 Mil Deal With Trump 'Won't End Columbia's Torture,' Professor Wails in NYT Op-Ed
A Columbia University professor in a Wednesday New York Times op-ed condemned the school's $221 million settlement with the Trump administration over campus anti-Semitism, urging Columbia to move more of its research abroad in response.

"This deal won't end Columbia's torture," Suresh Naidu, who teaches economics and international affairs at Columbia and has lectured on "the evidence-based policy path to socialism," wrote in the op-ed. "New civil rights violations will be imagined, new vistas of anti-Americanism on campus will be discovered, and the attacks will continue."

"Donors and university leaders might consider moving more of the scholarly mission outside the United States," reads the op-ed, headlined "Columbia's Administrators Are Fooling Themselves." Naidu argued that "Columbia should recognize this agreement won't placate the Project 2025 apparatchiks."

Naidu's Times op-ed came shortly after Columbia leaders agreed to settle the Trump administration's concerns about campus anti-Semitism and other civil rights violations by paying $200 million to the federal government over three years and $21 million to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The Trump administration earlier this year revoked more than $430 million in federal funds from Columbia, citing the school's failure to curb anti-Semitic protests and use of "discriminatory" DEI policies.

Trump in a Wednesday Truth Social post celebrated the deal, writing that Columbia will pay $200 million to the federal government "for violating Federal Law, in addition to over $20 Million to their Jewish employees who were unlawfully targeted and harassed."

"Columbia has also committed to ending their ridiculous DEI policies, admitting students based ONLY on MERIT, and protecting the Civil Liberties of their students on campus," Trump added.

Naidu in the op-ed slammed the Trump administration as "a coalition of election deniers, Christian nationalists and supplement- and crypto-hawkers" who have "little regard for academic freedom, scientific progress and learning."
Columbia must do more to root out hate on campus — starting in the faculty lounge
Columbia University’s long-overdue crackdown on the dozens of students who violently took over Butler Library mark significant if belated steps toward accountability.

For nearly two years, these students have occupied campus buildings, spread terrorist propaganda, praised convicted terrorists, posted Nazi-style antisemitic flyers, smashed doors, disrupted classes, harassed Jewish students and openly endorsed “liberation by any means necessary” — including the Hamas-led Oct. 7 massacre.

Backed by Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a coalition of over 90 pro-terror student groups, they have platformed speakers linked to US-designated terrorists, called for the death and expulsion of Jews and Israelis, and urged Hamas to target Jewish Americans.

Now they are finally facing consequences.

Yet after months of calling for accountability, I take no pleasure in their expulsions and long-term suspensions.

Let’s be clear: the students who stormed Butler Library got exactly what they deserved.


Behind the Headlines: The Data That Exposes Media’s Anti-Israel Bias
For anyone who has been following the mainstream media’s coverage of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas since October 7, 2023, it is clear that most news outlets have an anti-Israel bias running through their content.

This bias is evident in the stories that the outlets choose to publish, the context (or lack thereof) provided to their audience, and the sources that these media organizations rely on for their stories.

This bias has become so apparent that several academic sources have published studies of this one-sided news coverage, quantifying the extent to which an anti-Israel lens colors the average media consumer’s understanding of what is currently happening in Gaza.

In this piece, we will take a look at two recent studies that have analyzed the issue of anti-Israel bias in the media: One study surveyed several of the top English-language media outlets in the world, and the other focused specifically on the case of The New York Times, one of the most influential newspaper in the world.

Relying on Hamas, Questioning Israel: How the Media Report on Gazan Casualties
A study by Fifty Global Research Group took a look at all articles that mentioned Gazan casualties that were published between February and May 2024 by eight of the top global English-language news sources: CNN, the BBC, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Reuters, the Associated Press, The Guardian, and ABC Australia.

Here are some of the major findings of this analysis of the media’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas war:
The vast majority of news stories did not make clear that the casualty figures provided by the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health include members of Hamas and other terrorist groups. Only 15% of articles mentioned the fact that the Ministry does not differentiate between civilians and Hamas, while a mere 3% provided the estimated figure of terrorist casualties.
There is a huge difference in how various news outlets reported the above-mentioned facts. While The Washington Post and the Associated Press mentioned in roughly 40% of their articles that Hamas does not separate the numbers of civilians and combatants, the BBC, Reuters, and CNN only mentioned this fact in less than 5% of their articles.
100% of all articles featured Hamas-provided figures on casualties, while only 4% of these articles provided Israel-provided casualty figures.
Roughly 80% of the articles that featured Hamas’ casualty figures informed their readers that the numbers were from Hamas and/or the Gaza Ministry of Health, while 19% of these articles did not mention the source of these figures, giving the impression that they are undisputed common knowledge.
In 50% of articles that provided Israeli casualty figures, they were treated with skepticism and presented as “unverifiable.” The same doubt about Hamas-provided figures only exists in less than 2% of these articles.

As various analysts have noted, this blind reliance on Hamas statistics helps contribute to the validation of an internationally recognized terror group as a reliable source and has helped promote a false narrative in which Israel is recklessly or intentionally killing innocent civilians in Gaza, not terrorists.
“Jews Teach Their Kids Arabs Are Cockroaches”: The Antisemitism Airing on the UK’s Most Influential Talk Radio Station
James O’Brien may be the loudest, but he is also the most persistently ignorant and openly bigoted when it comes to Israel and the Jewish people. And yet, as the examples above show, he is far from the only one.

This isn’t about a few rogue remarks. It reflects a deeper pattern at LBC – one where inflammatory, antisemitic rhetoric is aired without challenge, and it is sometimes even passed off as reasonable discourse.

It’s not just that several hosts have made deeply offensive statements. It’s that these moments are rarely questioned, let alone corrected.

LBC may take pride in being a platform for strong opinions. But when antisemitism and anti-Israel smears are presented as legitimate viewpoints, the line between open debate and broadcasting obvious bigotry isn’t just blurred. It’s gone.

LBC’s management must take responsibility. Is this a station for discussion, or a platform for prejudice?
James O’Brien’s humiliation is a delight to watch
As the country’s most popular speech radio channel they have a huge task on their hands filtering the thousands of calls, texts and social media posts from ordinary members of the public and should be applauded for ensuring that their voices are heard.

But the truth is, O’Brien should have known better. Because, as he himself has repeatedly claimed, he is always right about everything, all the time. Such is his self-styled intellectual and indeed, moral superiority, he even wrote a book entitled How to be Right in a World Gone Wrong.

As The Guardian’s review of the lofty 2018 tome put it, O’Brien revels in “towering” over callers, who “by and large, are amateurs, unpractised in making coherent arguments under critical examination”.

It added: “That’s a problem, because it makes them look stupid and makes him seem like a show-off, even a bully.”

If you carve out a career by putting everyone right; politicians, rival commentators, even your own listeners – you cannot complain when you’re found to be in the wrong.

If you’re convinced you’re the smartest person in any room, you cannot blame others when you do something stupid.

If you know better than anyone else then no one else can be held responsible for your own gargantuan errors.

We may never know whether O’Brien was purposefully set up by “Chris” – or simply fell for the oldest blood libel in the book.

But those used to being “schooled” by the Ampleforthian can surely be forgiven for taking delight in him making such a schoolboy error.

O’Brien’s hefty listening figures (second only to breakfast presenter Nick Ferrari) will no doubt save him again.

But LBC will perhaps be able to right this wrong by reminding its outspoken host that there is no mistake as great as thinking you’re incapable of making one.


My former pupil says she was taught hateful things at her Jewish school. What on earth is she talking about?
The recent LBC debacle surrounding James O’Brien’s farcical broadcast of an unverified text from one of his listeners, “Chris” whose wife was supposedly educated in a “Shabbat school in…leafy Hertfordshire” reinforced my distaste for the aural equivalent of the Daily Mail, but exacerbated by the fact that a microphone provides the approbation to spout antisemitic bovine excrement with little consequence.

However my ire was compounded when I learned that a social media defence of O’Brien and his caller was being generated by Rivkah Brown, one of my former pupils at Simon Marks Jewish Primary school where I was Headteacher from 2002. Rivkah asserted that she was taught at school that “Arab lives were worth less than Jewish ones”.

I remember her as a warm, academically bright and emotionally intelligent pupil – so I was absolutely flabbergasted that she has chosen to besmirch the school that I was so proud to lead for more than six years.

My vision for the school was predicated on making it the core of the community, opening doors to parents and articulating an ethos that was based on universalistic Jewish values that were non-judgmental and able to be understood and enacted by every child, regardless of faith or religious observance and where imagination, creativity and curiosity were key co-ordinates of learning. As headteacher I cannot vouch for every member of staff, but I do remember very clearly the support I had from parents, and under my term of office the school grew.

The geography of the school was unique, a holy triangle, positioned opposite the Satmar Yeshivah and the Masjid Quba and I worked tirelessly on building good neighbourly relations with both. Unfortunately Satmar were not overly interested, but there was incredible warmth from the Mosque and I built a close relationship with their staff, often disappearing there for some peace and reflection. Our football team played with the Muslim school up the road, usually losing, and the headteacher there and I would share ideas and sometimes frustrations.


Government urged to speed up legislation to proscribe Iranian terror force
A cross-party group of parliamentarians has urged the government to “urgently” bring forward legislation to proscribe Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

It follows the publication of an intelligence and security report into the threat posed by the terror organisation to the Jewish and other communities, including in the UK.

A letter sent to Keir Starmer, and including the signatures of senior Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat peers and MPs, notes that a report by the Commons Intelligence and Security Committee’s (ISC) details “the IRGC’s extensive malign activities, including cyber operations, assassination plots, and intimidation campaigns targeting individuals on UK soil.”

It adds:”These actions are not isolated incidents, they are part of a systematic strategy to undermine our national security and democratic values.

“The IRGC is not merely a military force; it is the ideological engine of the Iranian regime.

“It subscribes to a radical doctrine of Mahdism, which envisages an apocalyptic confrontation resulting in the annihilation of Jews, Christians, Israel, and the West.

“The IRGC’s antisemitism is not incidental, it is central to its worldview and operational goals. This ideology has translated into material support for terrorist organisations such as Hezbollah and Hamas, both proscribed in the UK, and into direct threats against Jewish communities and other minorities globally. ”

Among those to back the letter, led by the Tory MP Bob Blackman and Labour’s Damien Egan, are Nigel Farage, Robert Jenrick, Baroness Berger, Tom Tugendhat and Luke Akehurst.

Others to sign include Lord Grabiner KC, Lord Palmer of Childs Hill, Lord Polak and Baroness Deech.

It notes that the ISC report confirms that the IRGC has been involved in multiple plots against UK-based individuals, including journalists and dissidents, and has sought to exert influence within our political and civic institutions.


Hamburg opera house funder has resisted scrutiny of family’s Nazi collaboration
The Hamburg State Opera has announced plans for a new opera house, backed by a donation from a German billionaire whose family grew its fortune by collaborating with the Nazi regime.

The flashy new home for the state opera is set to be built near the city’s waterfront and is expected to cost approximately 340 million euros ($400 million). It was funded in large part by a major donation from German billionaire Klaus-Michael Kühne, who pledged 300 million euros for the construction of the building in January.

But the source of Kühne’s fortune has cast a shadow over the project, as his family’s company, Kühne + Nagel, which is one of the world’s largest logistics firms, collaborated with the Nazis during World War II to transport goods stolen from Jews.

Kühne, 88, is currently the firm’s honorary chairman and, according to Bloomberg, its majority owner. The firm is now based in Switzerland.

While many major German companies such as Deutsche Bank, Volkswagen, and Bertelsmann have acknowledged their collaborations with the Nazi regime and allowed historians to examine their archives, Kühne has resisted calls for an investigation into his family’s company.

“At some point, things have to be put behind us,” Kühne told Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger about his resistance to an audit by historians of his company in 2022. “That’s my fundamental attitude. It’s important to learn from what happened back then.”


Costa Rica becomes sixth in Latin America to adopt IHRA Jew-hatred definition
Costa Rica became the sixth Latin American country to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of Jew-hatred, drawing praise from major Jewish organizations.

“We are grateful that Costa Rica has joined the growing number of nations that view the IHRA definition as an essential guidepost to recognize antisemitism in its various forms so it can be properly addressed,” stated Dina Siegel Vann, director of the American Jewish Committee’s Latin American affairs institute.

“We urge all nations to take this important step to protect their Jewish communities and uphold their Democratic values,” Siegel said.

The World Jewish Congress lauded the Costa Rican government “for taking meaningful action against antisemitism.”

Gilbert Meltzer, president of the Costa Rican Jewish Community, stated that “the increase of hate speech and attacks on Jews all over the world, especially after Oct. 7, demands ethical decisions and firm actions as this one.”

“We thank Costa Rica for joining the group of countries in the international community that support morality and combat discrimination,” he said.
Israeli Air Force helps Cyprus battle raging wildfires
Israel will dispatch assistance to Cyprus on Thursday using Israeli Air Force aircraft to help combat the fires sweeping through mountain villages in the island nation.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar instructed security and emergency authorities to prepare aerial support for Cyprus, the ministry said in a statement.

Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos and Sa’ar “remain in close and continuous contact to ensure that the aid is delivered and deployed as swiftly as possible,” the ministry’s spokesperson continued.

The IAF aircraft were scheduled to depart on Thursday evening.

“The State of Israel stands with Cyprus, a close friend and neighbor, and remains committed to offering assistance in times of emergency,” the statement concluded.

The fires have claimed two lives, the Associated Press reported.

The wildfire that broke out on Wednesday ravaged around 38 square miles of forested hillsides, burning several homes and compelling the evacuation of 14 villages, the report added.


Over 70 Israeli lawmakers vow support for Taiwan, urge global inclusion
A total of 72 Knesset members from coalition and opposition parties have signed a joint statement on Thursday condemning Taiwan’s exclusion from international forums as “unjustified and irresponsible.”

The statement was initiated by MK Boaz Toporovsky (Yesh Atid), chairman of the Israel-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, with support from MK Ohad Tal (Religious Zionist Party). Toporovsky and Tal, alongside 70 other Knesset members (excluding Arab parties), called for Taiwan’s inclusion in global organizations, especially in the areas of health, transportation, environmental protection, and human rights.

“Taiwan is a thriving democracy committed to the principles of freedom, equality, human rights, and the rule of law, despite a challenging geopolitical environment. We strongly oppose Taiwan’s exclusion from organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), particularly given Taiwan’s significant contributions during crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, where it played a leading role in finding solutions and offering assistance globally,” the statement reads.

The Knesset members also emphasized that supporting Taiwan’s participation in these international organizations did not conflict with Israel’s “One China” policy. Instead, it reflects gratitude for Taiwan’s ongoing support of Israel and acknowledges Taiwan’s significant contributions to global welfare.

MK Boaz Toporovsky praised the initiative, saying, “Israel will always remember who stood by it in its time of need.”


R.I.P. – Conservative Blogger Jeff Dunetz of ‘The Lid’ Passes Away at 67
Jeff Dunetz, who wrote for his own blog ‘The Lid’ as well as numerous other outlets including Hot Air and Breitbart, has passed away at the age of 67. Dunetz was part of the class of old-school conservative bloggers who emerged in the early 2000s. I first heard the news of his passing from Robert Stacy McCain, a member of the same blogger class.



I met Jeff once at CPAC, I think in 2015, and found him to be a very nice man. I also knew his work well. He was a talented writer who tended to focus on politics, but was perfectly capable of writing about pretty much anything.

Warner Todd Houston of Breitbart, who also worked with Jeff at The Lid, posted an obituary there:
On the Passing of Our Host Jeff Dunetz

Jeff Dunetz, the creator and operator of LidBlog, passed away on Thursday, July 24.

Dunetz passed after a series of medical issues that have struck him over the last year. He was 67 years of age.

Jeff, a life-long New Yorker, was a man of good humor and even temperament and even during his late illnesses and health scares, he was always upbeat and ever ready with a quip or two, ofen at his own expense.

A graduate of Oceanside High School in Oceanside, New York, Jeff studied political science and government at the State University of New York at Oswego, then went on to earn a BA in political science at the University of Albany, and later an MBA in business at Hofstra University.

Jeff spent much of his professional life in magazine marketing and advertising working for such companies as Disney Publishing, Nickelodeon, Discover Magazine, MTV, and Marvel Comics.

But it was blogging and commentary on current events that was Jeff’s real passion. Dunetz was one of the early blogging leaders and commentators when the world of center-right blogging really caught fire in the early part of the 2010s. And by 2013 he had formally started the LidBlog to deliver news and views on U.S. and Israeli politics and history. And in doing so, Jeff became one of the leading self-made bloggers appearing on TV, Radio, Podcasts, and the Internet throughout the media.


"You're not #Jewish so what are you fighting for?" / EP 49 Dan Khan
In this episode of "Here I Am," Shai Davidai sits down with Danyal Khan—a Muslim-American U.S. Army veteran, founder of the American Peace Committee, and interfaith leader. Danyal shares his journey from a small village in Pakistan to the United States, reflecting on his experiences as an immigrant, his family’s challenges after 9/11, and his decision to join the U.S. military at a young age. The conversation explores the complexities of identity, the impact of propaganda, and the importance of standing up against discrimination. Danyal discusses his motivations for supporting the Jewish community, raising his children with pride, and fostering interfaith dialogue. This candid discussion offers unique insights into resilience, allyship, and hope for a more inclusive future.






Buy EoZ's books  on Amazon!

"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024)

PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022)

    
 

 



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Elder of Ziyon - حـكـيـم صـهـيـون



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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