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Thursday, August 07, 2025

08/07 Links Pt2: Mother of Israeli Hostage Delivers Searing Message to Hamas Apologists; Israel vs. New York Times; Israel’s largest gas deal: $35 billion export deal with Egypt

From Ian:

Dave Rich: Ends and Means
There is a growing campaign against the proscription of Palestine Action, the group that used organised criminality to pursue its anti-Israel politics until they were banned as a terrorist group by the Home Secretary last month.

The latest statement in their support is a letter to the Guardian (where else?) by a predictable list of academics and veteran activists. It includes this revealing sentence:
We fully share the aim of ending the flow of weapons from Britain to Israel and the belief that all participants in the pro-Palestine movement should be free to make our own decisions about how best to achieve that goal.

This kind of thinking, with no qualifications or restrictions, could justify Elias Rodriguez shooting dead Sarah Milgim and Yaron Lischinsky outside the Jewish Museum in Washington D.C. in May. Rodriguez was a participant in the pro-Palestinian movement, and he made his own decision that shooting dead two people leaving a Jewish community event was the best way to achieve his goal. He even shouted “Free Palestine” when he did it. And he isn’t the only example.

I hope the signatories of the Guardian letter would agree that this was terrorism, but who knows? That sentence could be read as justifying the use of violence to achieve a political goal, which serves as a decent shorthand definition of terrorism anyway. Rodriguez has been glorified and his political manifesto shared by plenty of people and organisations in the pro-Palestinian movement, including Unity of Fields, an American group that used to be Palestine Action U.S., so it isn’t too far-fetched to think there will be similar attacks in future.

The Guardian letter also claims that proscribing Palestine Action “represents an attack both on the entire pro-Palestine movement and on fundamental freedoms of expression, association, assembly and protest.” This is nonsense. Palestine Action’s entire approach was to use criminal methods to achieve a political goal. Their activists set out to smash up buildings and cover them in paint. If they gained entry, they smashed up the offices and equipment as well. This criminal modus operandi was not an add-on, or an occasional by-product: it was the whole point. It shouldn’t need saying, but there is no automatic freedom to break the law.
Mother of Israeli Hostage Delivers Searing Message to Hamas Apologists
Galia David has viewed the horrifying footage of her emaciated son being forced to dig his own grave in the terror tunnels of Gaza - an image that went around the world. She had already endured nearly two years of unimaginable torment after Evyatar was kidnapped from the Nova festival with his best friend, Guy Gilboa-Dalal.

Both 24-year-olds spent their first weeks of captivity bound hand and foot with bags over their heads, blood dripping from their wounded limbs. In February, Hamas cruelly filmed them watching other hostages released, and then returned them to the tunnels.

"He looked like a skeleton," Galia tells the Daily Mail. "It is sadistic torture." Today she bravely speaks out for the first time to remind the international community "who here is cruel." "I want everyone in the world to see this image, to know what Hamas terrorists are doing....I want each person to stop and think for a moment: What if this were your son or brother? What would you do?"

Guy's father, Ilan Dalal, furious at Britain's decision to follow France in pushing for Palestinian statehood, addressed Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron directly. "Because of you there wasn't an agreement to bring our children home, and you caused the war in Gaza to continue."

Guy's mother, Meirav, said, "I am sick of this hypocrisy of the world. People are simply bleeding hearts, and they don't grasp what's happening. And my son and Evyatar are rotting in the tunnels, with other hostages, which is insane."
Hostage families launch Gaza flotilla demanding ceasefire and return deal
Families of Israeli hostages held in Gaza launched a flotilla off the coast of southern Israel on Thursday morning in a dramatic plea for a ceasefire and an agreement to bring their loved ones home.

The convoy of 11 boats, organised by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, departed from the Ashkelon marina and sailed toward the closest safe point near Gaza’s maritime border – stopping short of the coastline due to the risk of rocket fire and the ongoing Israeli naval blockade.

Dubbed “Shayetet 50” (Hebrew for flotilla), the action aims to draw attention to the 50 hostages believed to remain in Hamas captivity nearly two years after they were abducted on 7 October, 2023.

“We will sail from Ashkelon and Ashdod toward the maritime border with the Gaza Strip in a desperate cry: ‘Bring our children home before it’s too late,’” a Forum spokesperson said. “The people of Israel are with us. The people of Israel are with the hostages.”

Three boats carried family members and journalists, while others displayed yellow flags and banners calling for a deal. As they neared the maritime limit, relatives broadcast messages over megaphones, sent out symbolic mayday calls, and dropped floating buoys into the water bearing the names of hostages.

“We are sailing to cry out on behalf of our loved ones, held captive by a murderous terrorist organisation,” the Forum said. “The recent statements about conquering Gaza and escalating the fighting put them at immediate risk of death or disappearance.”


Richard Epstein: Defamation Comes to the Gaza Strip
The evidence here shakes out badly for the Times. Thus, it is likely that the plaintiffs will be able to show that the Times knew that the story was false at the time it was published, as is furiously by Naftali Bennett in denouncing the blood libel, by saying: “NYT, you knew that Hamas uses babies with preexisting illnesses. We’ve been saying this for months now.” Indeed, Collier reported that the cropped photo did not show Mohammed’ healthy three-year old brother, Jude, which, if known by the Times when it published the photo, would knock the legs out from its denial of absolute malice. Even if somehow it did not know, the Times still faces a high risk of its reckless disregard of the truth.

The situation gets worse for the Times given its evasive actions after the story first broke. Look again at the response of the New York Times. As a general matter, a will mitigate damages and undercut a claim of malice only if it is published with the same level of publicity as the original story. But the New York Times did not issue a retraction but only an addendum, which it published on an auxiliary site where the viewership is 89.000, but not on its main site, where it reaches some 55 million viewers. The story claims that the Times only learned about this matter after the story was published, which may well have been false. Hence, the Times’ sketchy handling of the follow-up may well increase its liability by showing continued evasion of its responsibility, using a strategy of publishing widely and taking it back quietly. Its addendum had attracted 15.8 million viewers as of July 29, 2025.

The litigation morass, moreover, is not confined to the New York Times, given that other major media groups picked up the Times picture for their use in outlets in Great Britain and elsewhere. These diverse jurisdictions may or may not incorporate the American actual malice standard into their rules. But again, no matter what these doctrinal nuances are, the Israelis can allege that their close working relationship with the Times also taints them with actual knowledge, a bad fact, no matter what local law provides.

Nor will Israel face any insurmountable obstacle to damages. It is standard law as illustrated by the 1983 case of (1983) that liability is per se (automatic), that plaintiffs can general damages based on a combination of both the nastiness of the allegations and the breadth of their dissemination, and that plaintiffs can recover special damages by showing particular instances of such losses, which here could include the of Canada, England, France, and Germany to move toward recognizing a Palestinian state, or Trump’s from Scotland that “That’s real starvation. I see it, and you can’t fake that,” when it appears that sometimes you can.

Yet the Times, by way of defense, will find it easy to complicate matters in its effort to minimize the power of that statement by introducing its own that points to Israeli misdeeds in blocking or failing to distribute aid in Gaza. But once it does so, the pendulum swings back so that the Israelis can also introduce that Hamas and the United Nations, through (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine), which allegedly operates as an of Hamas, have all used the current media attacks on Israel as a reason to back off entering into a ceasefire with Israel, while refusing to help distribute the ample Israeli supplies waiting at the border for distribution in Gaza. It will not help the Times that in the background lies a determined by the Trump administration to dismantle UNRWA as “irredeemably compromised,” which undercuts the credibility of any evidence that it offers. This giant tug-of-war will allow both sides to introduce and contest reams of evidence as to the proper context in which to place the publication of the photograph, but these barrels of information at best may only mitigate on the one side, and aggravate on the other, the indisputable harm that the photograph dealt. It is thus clear that this undisputed bombshell will allow for any trier of fact, whether a court or a jury, to award huge sums of damages in this case. And we know, at least in the United States, more knives were sharpened when Trump secured a $16 million against Paramount on an iffy claim that CBS had deceptively edited an interview by Bill Whitaker and Kamala Harris. With that baseline, the sky’s the limit in Israel v. New York Times.
The Libertarian PodCast: Israel vs. New York Times
Hosted by Charles C.W. Cooke & Richard Epstein
On episode 3, Charles C. W. Cooke asks Richard Epstein about Israel’s potential defamation suit against the New York Times. Can a country sue a newspaper? Where would such a case be heard? Does it matter that Israel is a “public figure”? Could “actual malice” be proved? Would the New York Times want to settle? Does its non-retraction update help, or worsen, its position?


In Israel’s largest gas deal, Leviathan partners ink $35 billion export deal with Egypt
Partners in Israel’s Leviathan reservoir on Thursday inked a $35 billion deal to supply natural gas to Egypt, in the largest export deal in the country’s history.

Israel’s NewMed Energy, formerly Delek Drilling (part of Yitzhak Tshuva’s Delek Group), which owns a 45.3 percent stake in Leviathan, off the country’s Mediterranean coast, said the partners will sell a total of 130 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas to Egypt through 2040, or until all of the contract quantities are fulfilled.

The deal is expected to funnel hundreds of millions of shekels in revenues from gas royalties and taxes to the country’s state coffers.

“This is the most strategically important export deal to ever occur in the eastern Mediterranean, and strengthens Egypt’s position as the most significant hub in the region,” said NewMed CEO Yossi Abu. “This deal, made possible by our strong regional partnerships, will unlock further regional export opportunities, once again proving that natural gas and the wider energy industry can be an anchor for collaboration.”

Natural gas from Leviathan, one of the world’s largest deep-water gas discoveries, started to flow to the Israeli domestic market in December 2019. The partners in the Leviathan reservoir began exporting natural gas to Egypt in January 2020 after signing a deal for 60 bcm, which is expected to be supplied by the early 2030s. To date, Leviathan has supplied 23.5 bcm of gas to the Egyptian market.

The first phase of the new export deal for the sale of 20 bcm is expected to begin in 2026, which will boost annual gas supply from the Leviathan reservoir to Egypt from 4.7 bcm per year currently to 6.7 bcm.

In the second phase, starting in 2029, an additional 110 bcm of gas will be supplied following the completion of the Leviathan production expansion plan and the construction of a new transmission pipeline from Israel to Egypt. As a result, the volume of annual gas supply will increase to about 12 bcm to 13 bcm.

The deal comes as growing domestic energy needs have sparked heated discussions over natural gas exports. Earlier this year, the Finance Ministry warned that Israel is poised to face a natural gas shortage in the next 25 years as domestic energy needs are growing faster than forecast and gas export sales are robust. A shortfall would lead to higher electricity prices for consumers.

Meanwhile, NewMed stressed that “the deal should pave the way for the expansion of Leviathan and ensure the supply of natural gas to the Israeli market until 2064.”
Israel-UAE Defense Cooperation Grows Under the Abraham Accords
The growing defense ties between the UAE and Israel carry significant regional—and possibly global—implications, with the potential to alter the Middle East security landscape. If the current deal is realized, Gulf nations like Saudi Arabia and Qatar may see it as a model for diversifying and localizing defense production with preferred partners palatable to Washington, possibly even Israel. Beyond military interoperability and technology transfer, the cooperation signals a strategic shift—one in which realignments are fostered by shared regional security concerns, the need for advanced defense capabilities, and a desire for reduced dependence on traditional suppliers.

The partnership also reflects a broader regional recalibration in the wake of the Abraham Accords, wherein normalization has yielded not just diplomatic but now tangible security and defense-industrial dividends. This evolving cooperation between U.S.-aligned security partners can help accelerate regional defense integration, deepen cooperation in joint initiatives in the tech sector and other areas, and potentially draw additional partners to widen the Middle East security framework. Moreover, such security cooperation could enable expedited fulfillment of UAE and other partner needs from an array of providers.

Yet increased Israel-UAE cooperation also carries risks, such as the possibility of heightening Iran’s threat perception following the twelve-day June war, with its direct U.S. attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Although Abu Dhabi has in recent years pursued a “no enemies” approach to the region and rapprochement with Iran, its burgeoning security cooperation with Jerusalem could unnerve Tehran. Moreover, while the UAE and Bahrain have openly embraced normalization with Israel, other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members like Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have taken a more cautious approach—given both the Iran challenge and a Gaza war with seemingly no end in sight—and may not want to emulate the deep cooperation pursued by the Emirates. Oman and Kuwait in particular may be concerned that an outsize focus on economic and defense interests could corrode a potentially unified GCC stance as governments work to balance public opinion and political pressures at home. Others, like Turkey and Egypt, may see the current shift as threatening their regional security roles.

Beyond the region, countries like China and Russia may perceive growing Israel-UAE security cooperation as a further consolidation of the U.S.-led regional security architecture designed to limit their influence. Yet while the U.S. rivals may view this as a challenge to their goals, they are unlikely—given sufficient Chinese economic success on the one hand, and various constraints on Russian resources on the other—to alter their engagement approach in the region as a result.
Trump to host Armenia, Azerbaijan for historic ‘Peace Signing’ Friday
The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan are expected to sign a peace deal Friday at the White House that could potentially put an end to decades of conflict, President Donald Trump said.

Trump said Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev would also be signing agreements with the IS to “pursue Economic opportunities together, so we can fully unlock the potential of the South Caucasus Region.”

“Many Leaders have tried to end the War, with no success, until now, thanks to ‘TRUMP,’” Trump wrote Thursday night on his Truth Social site.

The prospective agreement could potentially put an end to decades of conflict and set the stage for a reopening of key transportation corridors across the South Caucasus that have been shut since the early 1990s.

Three US officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly ahead of the announcement and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the agreements included a major breakthrough establishing a key transit corridor across the region, which had been a hang-up in peace talks

The agreement, according to the officials, would give the US leasing rights to develop the corridor and name it the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity.


NGO Monitor: European Government Funding for Programs Involving Hamas-Controlled Ministry
Since seizing control of Gaza in 2007, Hamas has employed a number of methods to divert international humanitarian aid to expand its military infrastructure, pay salaries, and cement its rule.

This aid diversion, including from NGOs, was central to Hamas’ preparations for the October 7th attacks, including the massive construction of tunnels and other terror-linked installations, and stockpiling supplies and resources. After thousands of terrorists invaded Israel and committed mass atrocities, Hamas continued to commandeer aid, taking advantage of a black market.

As part of this organized scheme, the Hamas-controlled Gaza Ministry of Social Development (MoSD) provided lists of beneficiaries to UN agencies and NGOs implementing cash-assistance and voucher projects.

Moreover, it appears that coordination with the PA’s MoSD office in Ramallah was leveraged to circumvent Western “no-contact” policies towards Hamas-controlled entities. Hamas Control of the MoSD

Hamas has exercised effective control over the MoSD in Gaza for several years. In April 2019, Hamas appointed a politburo member, Ghazi Hamad who was designated by the US Department of Treasury in 2024), to lead the Ministry. In the aftermath of the Oct 7th massacre, Hamad spoke about “eliminating” Israel and the desire to perpetrate similar attacks. Other high-ranking MoSD officials have praised Hamas leaders and mass terror attacks. NGO Monitor also discovered that MoSD in Gaza indoctrinated children to embrace violence against Israeli civilians. (For details, see Appendix at the end of the report.)

MoSD role in beneficiary selection
The UN’s description of the 2022 Mercy Corps Gaza project exemplifies how the Hamas-controlled MoSD directs humanitarian funding (from an NGO in this case) to selected beneficiaries:
“Through unconditional cash assistance, this project will identify and select the most vulnerable HHs [households]…from the Ministry of Social Development (MoSD) unserved waiting lists of Social Safety Net (SSN).”
“Mercy Corps and partners will…identify, assess and verify selected vulnerable HHs [households] to receive cash assistance, monitor activities, and ensure full coordination and engagement with the MoSD, Ministry of Agriculture, the community and all other relevant stakeholders.”
“Mercy Corps will be the focal point of coordination with MoSD.”
“Identifying unserved or underserved, vulnerable HHs and FHHs [female heads of household] (Group 2) will be carried out by obtaining lists through the established partnership with the MoSD.”
“Mercy Corps and local partner NGOs will…assess and verify selected vulnerable HHs to receive cash assistance, monitor activities, and ensure full coordination and engagement with the line ministries (Ministry of Social Development [MoSD], and Ministry of Agriculture).”
NGOs Would Rather Leave Gaza Than Admit Who They Hired
On March 9, 2025, the Israeli government introduced a regulation that should have been uncontroversial: International NGOs operating in Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem must disclose basic information about their Palestinian employees. Names, ID numbers, roles—standard transparency.

But the reaction from the NGO world was nuclear. Over 80 NGOs declared that this demand would force them to terminate their operations. But let's pause. Why would a basic request for employee information—especially in a war zone riddled with terror groups—send these organizations into a tailspin?

Because they know exactly what that data will reveal. NGOs have been hiring individuals linked to Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other terror organizations for years—and they’re terrified that transparency will rip away their mask of “humanitarian neutrality.” The infiltration of terrorist in humanitarian work extends beyond UNRWA.

In June 2024, it was revealed that Fadi Al-Wadiya, who was eliminated by the IDF, worked simultaneously as a physical therapist for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and as a senior operative in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorist organization. For 15 years, Al-Wadiya played a critical role in developing PIJ’s rocket arsenal, using his expertise in electronics and chemistry to advance their capabilities. Notably, the same year he joined MSF, he attempted to leave Gaza for Iran alongside fellow terrorists to undergo further terrorism training.

On July, 2024, the IDF eliminated Hossam Mansour, a platoon commander in Hamas’s Internal Security Forces, who was also a director at the Al-Khair Foundation - a UK based “humanitarian” NGO. During his time there, he reportedly met with UN OCHA officials, posing as a humanitarian while leading Hamas operations. The IDF stated that this foundation funneled funds to terrorist organizations under the guise of humanitarian aid. Mansour’s dual role as an NGO worker and Hamas operative was highlighted in an IDF statement shared on X


UKLFI: Royal Opera House accused of discrimination after cancelling Tel Aviv production
UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) has written to the RBO, one of the most prestigious arts institutions in the UK, pointing out that it is in breach of UK Equality law, because it is discriminating against Israelis in the provision of its services.

The decision by the RBO to cancel comes after 182 members of staff at RBO signed an open letter on 1 August, demanding that the organization “withhold productions from institutions that legitimize and economically support a state engaged in the mass killing of civilians,” and that it should “reject current or future performances in Israel.”

On 19 July a freelance cast member at the opera, Danni Perry, unfurled a Palestinian flag on stage at the end of a performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s Il Trovatore. At the time he was reprimanded by the Opera’s chief executive, and reportedly told he would never work again there. However, the 182 members of staff who signed the open letter expressed support for this freelancer, calling the curtain call protest an “act of courage and moral clarity”.

The signatories of the RBO letter also objected to free tickets being given to soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forces ‘in recognition of their work’, as stated on their website.

There have been various reasons given for the cancellation, ranging from pressure from performers not to perform in Israel to safety concerns for staff.

UKLFI’s letter points out that the RBO’s decision to cancel the production discriminates against the Israeli public. It therefore breaches Section 29 (1) of the Equality Act 2010 which says “A person (a “service-provider”) concerned with the provision of a service to the public or a section of the public (for payment or not) must not discriminate against a person requiring the service by not providing the person with the service.”
Following Two Articles in Jewish Insider About VA Del. Sam Rasoul’s Remarks Calling Zionism “evil” and a “supremacist ideology,” Sen. Tim Kaine and Abigail Spanberger Weigh In Against Anti-Semitism
Following comments by Virginia Del. Sam Rasoul (D-Roanoke) – see below for a screenshot of those – charging that Zionism is (supposedly) “evil” and a “supremacist ideology” – there have been a number of responses and statements by Jewish groups (see below for ones from the JCRC of Greater DC and the ADL Washington DC), former VA Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn (see below), Sen. Tim Kaine (ditto), and now Abigail Spanberger (ditto).. Also, see here for yesterday’s article in Jewish Insider, which reported:
“Since soon after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, Virginia state Del. Sam Rasoul, a Democrat who chairs the Education Committee in the state’s House of Delegates, has used his social media accounts to attack Israel and decry American support for the Jewish state.

But Jewish Democrats in the state fear that a series of recent posts from Rasoul vilifying Zionists has taken his anti-Israel rhetoric to a new level, prompting concerns about his leadership of the committee that is tasked with reviewing the education-related legislation that comes before the statehouse.”

The publication also had a statement from former VA Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn, arguing that “Rasoul’s rhetoric is ‘fueling one of the oldest forms of hatred in the world, repackaged in the language of activism.”

Then, this morning, Jewish Insider followed up with another article, which reported that Del. Rasoul “in recent weeks called Zionism ‘evil’ and described it as “a supremacist ideology created to destroy and conquer everything and everyone in its way.'” In response, the Winsome Earle-Sears campaign stated to Jewish Insider, “If [Spanberger] has a shred of moral clarity, she’ll condemn this antisemitism.” The article also had a quote by Sen. Tim Kaine:
“I forcefully reject any claim that Zionism — the desire of Jewish people to have a state of Israel — is inherently racist or evil…Many Zionists in Israel, America and throughout the world are deeply concerned by the suffering of innocent Palestinians.”

So now, per reporter Brandon Jarvis, the Spanberger campaign has also issued a statement about Rasoul’s remarks – see below – which among other things talks about the “heartbreak,” “tragedy,” and “horrors” since October 7, 2023, adding that “one can and must denounce these tragedies without using antisemitic language, whether intentional or not.” The Spanberger campaign statement also points to antisemitic language leading to recent “attacks on peaceful protesters in Colorado and the murder of two Israeli Embassy staff members – as well as a growing, pervasive sense of fear among our Jewish neighbors.”
Dem Texas state rep apologizes for saying redistricting like the Holocaust
A Texas Democratic state representative apologized after comparing Republican efforts to redistrict to the Holocaust.

“We will lose all of our rights, and if you think it can’t happen, it can. And I will liken this to the Holocaust,” Jolanda Jones told Don Lemon, a former CNN host, on Tuesday. “People are like, well, how did the Holocaust happen? How was somebody in a position to kill all them people? Well, good people remain silent.”

Jones, who is one of several Democratic state representatives who left Texas to avoid a vote on a district map, told Fox News Digital that “I made a statement on ‘The Don Lemon Show’ comparing Trump’s attempt to disenfranchise Black and brown people to the Holocaust.”

“That was a mistake, and I apologize for it,” she stated. “Trump is coming for my community, and I get emotional about it and make strong statements, but that was going too far, and I retract that comparison.”

The Texas Republican Party stated that “the Holocaust isn’t your political metaphor.”

“Millions suffered and died. Comparing that to Texas redistricting by Rep. Jolanda Jones is beyond disgusting,” it said.
Meet the ‘Many Jewish Voters’ the NYT Says Back Zohran Mamdani
A New York Times feature alleging "many Jewish voters" are supporting Zohran Mamdani quoted a witches' brew of far-left radicals, including a campus activist who once joined a violent protest at Middlebury College as well as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D., N.Y.) anti-Israel rabbi Rachel Timoner. At least three interviewees, meanwhile, either volunteered or worked for Mamdani's campaign.

Timoner, who leads the Reform Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn and told the Times she knows "a lot of Jews who are really excited" about Mamdani, has said that for her "whole career I’ve spoken about the [Israeli] occupation." She’s repeatedly championed those views in the Gray Lady.

Just days after Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre, Timoner penned an op-ed declaring that "Palestinian self-determination is essential" and that the "land needs to be shared." On July 20, she told Times columnist Ezra Klein that "We need to care with all our being for Palestinian freedom because we actually are not whole or free until Palestinians are free."

A few days later, she was arrested for blocking traffic during rush-hour while protesting outside the Israeli consulate in New York City. She was also arrested in 2021 at a climate change protest.

Schumer, who has embraced Mamdani following his Democratic primary victory in New York City's mayoral race, has acknowledged that Timoner has influenced his political decisions. The New York Democrat credited her for his decision to denounce Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the Senate floor in March 2024.
The Terrible Question By Abe Greenwald
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David Mamet has an enjoyable column in today’s Wall Street Journal. It’s about the apocalypse, and we all know how much fun that can be.

Mamet’s takes up the matter of billionaires who have reportedly built compounds in New Zealand where they plan to survive the end of the world. His basic argument is that the billionaires will never make it to their apocalypse shelters because their pilots and other staff will get there first. So, too, will the pilots’ and staffers’ families. Money, after all, would instantly mean nothing, whereas survival would still mean everything.

He's right. However…

It’s really all about the timing. If the billionaire takes off for his compound when he’s certain of catastrophe, but before everyone else is, he’s got a shot. And this brings to light a larger question: How long does one wait before deciding that he or his loved ones are done for? This is the doomsday prepper’s question, but it’s also that of the Diaspora Jew—throughout time and, acutely, today. And this is where all the fun stops.

If I were a European Jew, I’d already have made aliyah. But for American Jews, the question of when to leave is much harder. Even with some notable lapses, the United States has been, for its entire existence, more welcoming to the Jewish people than has any nation in world history (with the obvious exception of Israel). Most of us living here today never imagined such a question would arise.

But after October 7, 2023, it was suddenly forced on us, and with a series of alarming events it has taken on greater and greater urgency: When is it over Jews in the U.S.? For some American Jews, the pro-Hamas riots were enough. For others, it was the D.C. shootings or the Boulder firebombing. For some New Yorkers, undoubtedly, it was the Democratic nomination of Zohran Mamdani for mayor. Others still are waiting to see whether he will get elected.
After Lutherans pass ‘one-sided’ Israel resolution, US rabbi’s plea for unity prevails
Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the president of the Union for Reform Judaism, arrived at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America Churchwide Assembly last week with decades of experience building ties between the Lutheran and Jewish communities.

But as Jacobs listened on July 30 to attendees debate a memorial titled “Stand of Palestinian Rights and End to Occupation of Palestine,” Jacobs said he felt compelled to speak out over what he saw as a “one-sided” narrative.

He tore up the speech he planned to give the next day, instead telling the hundreds of Christians gathered in Phoenix that he had hoped for something different — and that the stakes were high.

“Friends, I fear that the resolution you affirmed last night will make our community less safe,” Jacobs told the assembly. “I feel it will embolden those who do not envision a peaceful future for Palestinians and Israelis.”

Jacobs said in an interview that he had been startled by how little the statement seemed to acknowledge calls for peace that have come from Jewish communities, including the Reform movement. In May, Jacobs was one of the first denominational Jewish leaders to urge Israel to abandon what he said was a policy of “starving Gazan civilians” in an op-ed for the Washington Post — previewing the collective outcry over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza that has galvanized sharp criticism of Israel in recent weeks.

“We have the largest movement in Jewish life, and we love Israel, and we work closely with the church, and we also care about the rights and dignity of Palestinians,” Jacobs said. “I felt like they just didn’t in any way acknowledge all of those things that are also true, and it made me sad, to be honest.”
Gideon Falter: Just banning Palestine Action isn’t good enough, Keir
No concession has been more potent or ungratefully received by the mob than the recent pledge to recognise a Palestinian state this September.

The Government’s promise to recognise a state was made in the form of a threat to Israel – even whilst Hamas turns its Jewish hostages into skeletal figures reminiscent of the Nazi death camps and forces them to dig their own graves. The announcement was then followed by the spectacle of muddled, fumbling attempts by the Government to reassure the public that of course statehood would depend on Hamas releasing the hostages, but at the same time also assuring the mob that recognition wouldn’t depend on anything that Hamas does or does not do.

That assurance, like the announcement itself, was not enough to satisfy the Palestine fanatics who don’t care about “two states” and clamour instead for zero Jewish states. They responded with calls to lock up the Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, as a war criminal and target Labour MPs’ constituency offices.

This should not surprise anyone. It’s how appeasement always plays out; it is a bottomless pit. Give an inch and they’ll take the country. It is no good proscribing Palestine Action unless the Government is willing to tackle the rest too, from the bloodcurdling Islamist sermons, to the terrorist-supporting marchers, to the radicalisation of our young people. And they cannot hope to succeed at any of that whilst playing to extremists at home with inflammatory foreign policy gestures relating to a conflict thousands of miles away in which Britain is totally irrelevant.

Proscribing Palestine Action was a good start. British people want to see muscular action to fight extremism here at home, not foreign policy announcements that excite only the fanatics. Sir Keir, please stop dabbling in futile diplomacy in the Middle East and take real action on the disaster unfolding right here in Britain.
"It's Absolutely HORRENDOUS!" | Antisemitism Increased After Glastonbury's Bob Vylan Set
Incidents of anti-Semitism reached an all-time high following Bob Vylan’s chants against Israel at the Glastonbury Festival, according to a recent report.

Bobby Vylan, the frontman of the punk rap duo whose actual name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, repeatedly shouted “death, death to the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]” during a performance that was broadcast live by the BBC in June.

The latest report from the Community Security Trust (CST), a UK organisation dedicated to safeguarding Jews from anti-Semitism, revealed that the highest daily count of anti-Semitic incidents in the first half of 2025 was 26 on June 29, the day following Bob Vylan’s performance at Glastonbury.

Talk's Julia Hartley-Brewer is joined by chief executive of Campaign Against Antisemitism, Gideon Falter, to discuss further.


Trio face first charges for showing support for Palestine Action since proscription
Two women and a man have been charged with showing support for proscribed terrorist group Palestine Action, it has been confirmed.

The three were arrested at a protest in central London on July 5, the Metropolitan Police said.

Jeremy Shippam, 71, of West Sussex, Judit Murray, 71, of Surrey, and Fiona Maclean, 53, of Hackney are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on September 16, the Metropolitan Police said.

Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command, said: “Anyone who displays public support for Palestine Action, a proscribed organisation, is committing an offence under the Terrorism Act and can expect to be arrested and, as these charges show, will be investigated to the full extent of the law.

“These charges relate to three people arrested in central London on July 5.

“We are also planning to send case files to the Crown Prosecution Service for the other 26 people arrested on the same day.

“I would strongly advise anyone planning to come to London this weekend to show support for Palestine Action to think about the potential criminal consequences of their actions.”


Belgium revokes refugee status of Samidoun head Mohammed Khatib
The Belgian Office of the Commissioner General for Refugees and Stateless Persons (CGRS) has revoked the refugee status of the European head of the pro-Palestine group Samidoun.

Former secretary of state for asylum and migration Nicole De Moor (CD&V) requested a review of Khatib’s refugee status in spring 2024; however, the withdrawal of his status only occurred on Wednesday.

Palestinian national Mohammed Khatib, the European coordinator of Samidoun, has resided in Belgium since 2010 and was granted asylum in 2015. He is registered as a “hate preacher” with the Belgian Coordination Unit for Threat Analysis (CUTA) due to his overt support for Palestinian armed resistance, and his “respect” for Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), which are both on the list of terrorist organizations in the EU.

Samidoun itself released a statement on Thursday confirming the news, and informing of Khatib’s intention to appeal the decision to the Council for Asylum and Immigration Proceedings.

It referred to the revocation as “the latest development in a comprehensive attack upon the Palestinian population in Belgium.”

“This dangerous development threatens not only Mohammed, but all Palestinians in Belgium who are active and involved in the struggle to end the ongoing Zionist-imperialist genocide in the Gaza Strip.”

It added that CUTA’s designation of Mohammed as a “hate preacher” is “clearly made on racist grounds.”
Per request of donor, who pulled funds over Jew-hatred, Penn ‘quietly’ changes building name
When University of Pennsylvania alumnus Stephen Levin told the Ivy League school that he was halting his $15 million pledge, citing Jew-hatred at the school, the businessman asked Penn to remove his name from the Stephen A. Levin Neural and Behavioral Sciences Building.

Penn “quietly” did so, The Daily Pennsylvanian, a student paper, reported.

A 1967 graduate of the school, Levin has founded and run multiple companies, including a beer distributor that he reportedly sold for $1 billion to Reyes Beverage Group in January 2015. He is also a trustee of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

The Penn building that previously bore his name—and which still shows up in Google searches with his name—is now the Neural and Behavioral Sciences Building, the university’s arts and sciences school told JNS, per its agreement with Levin.

“As part of this change, and in recognition of his generous support of the building, the second floor will carry his name through interior signage,” it told JNS.

In November 2023, the month after the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Levin wrote to Liz Magill, then Penn’s president, that “today Penn is far from the university I attended, along with my father and two of my sons,” according to the student paper. “Furthermore, I want my name removed from the building and no longer want to be associated with Penn. Penn is an embarrassment not only to the Jewish community but also has lost its luster as a superb Ivy League school.”

“After what I saw happen after the Oct. 7 massacre and how the university did not respond in any way favorable to Jewish people or Israel,” Levin told The Daily Pennsylvanian, “I recognized that I have to put my charitable dollars where I believe they will promote equality and fairness to all people.”

Levin also cited the Palestine Writes Literature Festival, which the university hosted and which featured antisemitic speakers, as well as the vandalism of Penn Hillel, both in September 2023, as part of his decision to halt donations to the school.


Ed Dept probing Baltimore City Public Schools over alleged Jew-hatred
The U.S. Department of Education is probing Baltimore City Public Schools, which enrolled 76,841 students in 160 schools and programs last academic year, for alleged Jew-hatred, in violation of Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

The federal government said that its investigation is in response to a complaint that the Anti-Defamation League and the firm Covington & Burling, representing the ADL pro bono, filed days ago with the department alleging “egregious and persistent discrimination and harassment.”

The complaint also accused the public school district of having “knowingly allowed its schools to become hostile environments for Jewish students, while neglecting to address numerous incidents of antisemitic harassment, bullying and discrimination.”

“The allegations that Baltimore City Public Schools tolerate virulent Nazi-inspired antisemitic harassment of its Jewish students is at once appalling and infuriating,” stated Craig Trainor, acting assistant U.S. secretary of education for civil rights.

Sherry Christian, media and public relations manager for Baltimore City Public Schools, told JNS that the district cannot comment specifically about pending litigation, but its “response and diligence in addressing this issue” are the same since its board met on July 22.
San Francisco school district board votes to buy ethnic-studies curriculum
The board of the San Francisco Unified School District, which educates more than 50,000 students at 122 public schools, decided to purchase a new ethnic-studies curriculum without fulfilling its legal obligation to provide the public with prior notice, according to Marc Levine, a regional director of the Anti-Defamation League.

“We are concerned that the San Francisco Board of Education approved textbook purchases before adopting or publicly reviewing the related curriculum,” Levine, a former California state representative, told JNS. “This circumvents the transparent process required by law.”

Laura Dudnick, the district’s executive director of communications and external affairs, told JNS that the board voted 5-2 on Tuesday to approve the staff recommendation to buy the curriculum, which is called “Voices.”

During several periods in the board’s nearly six-hour meeting on July 29, it took up discussion about what it called “purchase of ethnic-studies pilot curriculum” on its agenda. Many speakers told the board that it was meeting to discuss buying the curriculum without having gone through the legal process, and parents, students and a local rabbi discussed antisemitism. Many others spoke in support of the curriculum.

“We’ve seen what happens when ideology guides the way we educate students, and there was a historic recall of this school board because of it,” one person told the board. “I implore you, use this as an opportunity to build bridges with the parent community in SFUSD. Not drive wedges further.”

“Take the time for a disciplined review. Make the curriculum publicly available. Do the right thing,” he said.
Sephora urged to drop Huda Beauty cosmetic line after founder rants that Israel caused World Wars, 9/11
Activist group StopAntisemitism is demanding Sephora stop carrying products from Huda Beauty after its founder posted a TikTok rant in which she blamed Israel for causing every World War, 9/11 and even the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack.

“All of the conspiracy theories coming out and a lot of evidence behind them — that Israel has been behind World War I, World War II, September 11, October 7 — they allowed all of this stuff to happen. Is this crazy? Like, I had a feeling — I was like, ‘Are they behind every World War?’ Yes. Behind September 11? Absolutely,” Huda Beauty founder Huda Kattan said in the post to her 1.7 million followers, which has since been deleted by TikTok.

Both World War I (ended in 1918) and World War II (ended in 1945) occurred prior to the establishment of the modern State of Israel in 1948.

In a letter obtained by Fox News Digital, StopAntisemitism founder Liora Rez said Sephora would stand against its own values by continuing to offer Huda Beauty products.

“If Sephora is serious about creating a safe and inclusive space for all communities, it must drop Huda Beauty immediately,” the letter states.

“From spreading the antisemitic lie that Jews harvest the organs of Palestinians to victim-blaming Israelis after Hamas’ terrorist atrocities, Kattan has consistently used her massive platform to incite against Jews,” the letter adds. “I am requesting Sephora immediately sever ties with Huda Beauty and stop carrying its products online and in stores. Until you do so, I will not be shopping in your stores and will be making my friends, family, and community aware of this troubling issue.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Rez said Kattan was an “unhinged hater” who spreads “bigotry.”


Hezbollah ministers walk out of cabinet meeting as Beirut approves US disarmament plan
The Lebanese government approved on Thursday the objectives of a US proposal that would ultimately lead to disarming the Hezbollah terror group.

Hezbollah ministers and Muslim Shi’ite allies walked out of the cabinet’s discussion on the plan, three Lebanese political sources told Reuters, days after the Iran-backed group lashed out at an earlier announcement of a plan to disarm Hezbollah, calling the move a “grave sin” and vowing to act “as if it did not exist.”

Lebanese Information Minister Paul Morcos said that the cabinet accepted the principles of the US proposal — including “the gradual end of the presence of non-state armed groups in the country, including Hezbollah, both north and south of the Litani River,” but said that the full details of the plan were not discussed in depth.

Morcos stated that the principles to which Lebanon agreed also include “ensuring Israel’s withdrawal from Lebanese territory and the cessation of all hostilities, including ground, aerial and maritime violations,” as well as the establishment of a permanent border between Israel and Lebanon and between Syria and Lebanon, and that all countries mentioned must commit to the agreement.

In a press conference following the cabinet meeting, Morcos was asked how Hezbollah’s disarmament would be carried out in light of the group’s refusal to cooperate. He responded that the decisions would be implemented in accordance with a plan to be submitted by the Lebanese Army by the end of August, which will include a timeline for disarmament by the end of 2025.

According to a copy of the Lebanese cabinet agenda reviewed by Reuters, the US proposal — submitted by US President Donald Trump’s envoy to the region, Tom Barrack — set out the most detailed steps yet for disarming the Iran-backed Hezbollah and for a full Israeli withdrawal from five key posts in south Lebanon.
US plan seeks to disarm Hezbollah by year-end, IDF to leave Lebanon
The United States has presented Lebanon with a phased proposal aimed at disarming Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorists and ending Israel’s military operations in the country, Reuters reported on Thursday.

The plan by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, which was discussed at a Lebanese Cabinet meeting on Thursday and which Reuters received a copy of, calls for Hezbollah to be stripped of its weapons before the end of the year.

On Nov. 26, Jerusalem and Beirut reached a deal aimed at ending more than a year of cross-border clashes between the Israel Defense Forces and Hezbollah. The terrorist group began attacking the Jewish state in support of Hamas following its terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

Since the ceasefire, the IDF has carried out regular strikes to prevent Hezbollah from rebuilding its capabilities in violation of the truce.

Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem has rejected demands to disarm in line with the deal. Last month, he warned that Hezbollah terrorists were “recovering and ready now” to confront Jerusalem.

Qassem stated on July 30 that calls to disarm served Israeli interests, following renewed international pressure on Iran’s Lebanese proxy.

Qassem accused Barrack of using “intimidation and threats” with the aim of “aiding Israel,” according to an AFP translation of his address.


Damage to Iran's Nuclear Program - Can It Rebuild?
Recent satellite imagery allows us to have a more realistic picture of the extent of the damage to Iran's nuclear facilities from the Israeli and U.S. strikes.

It also provides insights into Iran's initial efforts to rebuild its nuclear program and can help identify potential pathways for developing a covert nuclear weapons program.

We determined that the U.S. and Israeli strikes inflicted significant damage on Iran's nuclear program by destroying key infrastructure and human capital.

Israel's broader campaign against Iran also targeted military leaders, Iranian missiles, and defense industrial base targets.

The precision of these operations revealed a deep penetration of intelligence, particularly by Mossad, into Iran's nuclear program.

The strikes did not, however, completely eliminate the nuclear program, such as Pickaxe Mountain, where activity continues, and the underground facility near Isfahan, which could be the third enrichment site. The status of Iran's highly enriched uranium (HEU) remains unknown.

The strikes imposed significant damage to Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, and essentially brought operations to a halt. There are no significant signs of the resumption of enrichment activity at the main sites.
Trump admin imposes sanctions on Iranian ‘oppression’ network
The U.S. Treasury Department announced on Thursday that it imposed new sanctions on an Iranian network of “oppression” and sanctions evasion in the Islamic Republic.

The sanctioned companies include ones that help the Iranian regime with facial recognition surveillance, blocking access to the internet and finding alternatives to the international banking system.

As a result of U.S. President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure campaign and increasing isolation from the global financial system, the Iranian regime is running out of places to hide,” said Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “Treasury will continue to disrupt Iran’s schemes aimed at evading our sanctions, block its access to revenue and starve its weapons programs of capital in order to protect the American people.”

Since existing sanctions deprive Iran of normal access to international markets for oil or the SWIFT banking network, the country has developed elaborate networks of corporate entities to try to evade those measures and create domestic alternatives.

One such company sanctioned on Thursday, FANAP, is involved in “the production and maintenance of ATMs and the design of banking and payment hardware for Iran’s banking sector.”

Another, the RUNC Exchange System Company, helped develop Iran’s “Cross-Border Interbank Messaging System,” an alternative to the SWIFT system that Iran has used to transact oil deals with China.

FANAP also has helped Iran repress protests in the country, according to the Treasury Department, and its facial recognition software called Behnama is used by Iran’s morality police to enforce women’s compliance with the mandatory hijab laws.
EXCLUSIVE Frantic terrorist MANHUNT 'begins across America' as terrifying Iran passport plot to flood the nation with jihadis is uncovered
After President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes to take out three of Iran's nuclear facilities in late June, defense officials warned that Tehran may have the ability to strike back – from inside the US Homeland.

Indeed, the Islamic Republic and its proxy forces in the Middle East, namely Hezbollah and Hamas, have long sought to plant terrorist sleeper agents, poised to activate when called upon, in American communities.

Now there is new evidence of how this suspected Iranian campaign may have operated – and the signs point to close coordination with Tehran's closest ally in the Western hemisphere: Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro.

The Daily Mail has exclusively obtained a list revealing an alleged international scheme to provide Venezuelan passports to potential terrorists.

These passports would grant individuals the ability to travel, without a visa in certain instances, from the Middle East to South America. Then, according to national security experts, these people could taken advantage of the Biden Administration's lawless southern border and crossed illegally into the US alongside approximately 10 million illegal immigrants from 2020 to 2024.

'Over the past four years – until we got the border locked down – it's been much more likely for [Iran] to develop relationships with Venezuela and get people here, get them in place, and get them supplied and ready to go,' Jonathan Gilliam, counterterrorism analyst and former FBI agent, told the Daily Mail.

Concerningly, Gilliam warned that the probability of Iranian attacks on US soil is now 'high' following the June strikes.

Some elements of this alleged Venezuelan-Iranian scheme has been previously reported and date back to former Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez's regime (1999-2013).

As far back as 2006, a US State Department report warned that, 'Venezuelan travel and identification documents are extremely easy to obtain by persons not entitled to them.'


'This Is the Result': Vandals Deface Israeli Airline's Paris Office With 'Genocide' Graffiti After Macron Moves To Recognize Palestinian State
El Al's Paris offices were vandalized on Thursday in what the national Israeli airline described as a "harsh anti-Israel incident," the Jerusalem Post reported.

The company's building was defaced with graffiti reading, "El Al genocide airline," prompting the carrier "to evacuate all its personnel from the French capital," according to the Post. Images of the building's exterior showed streaks of red paint made to look like blood and messages reading, "Free Palestine."

The incident comes just a week after French president Emmanuel Macron announced that he will formally recognize the "state of Palestine" in September, when the United Nations gathers for its annual General Assembly meeting. Both the United States and Israel oppose the move, saying it rewards Hamas for the Oct. 7 terror attacks and strengthens the terror group's position in Gaza.

"The severe incident was discovered this morning and occurred while the building was empty, and there was no danger to the company's employees," El Al said in a statement. "El Al views the incident seriously and is working on handling the matter with the authorities, following the guidelines of the competent authorities in France and Israel."

The company noted that it "proudly flies the Israeli flag on the tails of its planes and condemns all forms of violence, especially antisemitic violence."

Israeli transportation minister Miri Regev condemned the attack in a Hebrew-language statement on X, writing, "When French President Macron makes announcements that give gifts to Hamas, this is the result."


Holocaust memorial toppled in German town of Baden-Baden
Vandals badly damaged a Holocaust memorial in the German town of Baden-Baden this week, toppling the stone column, local media reported.

The column, located in Willy-Brandt-Platz of the southwestern town, was targeted overnight Sunday and will require significant repairs, which city hall vowed to undertake.

Police opened an investigation. A spokesperson told the SWR outlet in a Tuesday report that the probe was looking at all avenues, and that based on evidence found at the scene, the memorial was deliberately damaged in a politically motivated act, rather than a spontaneous one.

Baden-Württemberg’s antisemitism commissioner, Michael Blume, told SWR he wanted to “stop this madness” and warned that “conspiracy hatred always begins with Jews… it concerns us all, and we should all stop it together.”

The city of Baden-Baden and the local Jewish community urged solidarity, the Juedische-Allgemeine outlet reported Wednesday.

City hall said a stonemason was assessing the damage to the memorial, which will require significant repair work. It said the city will restore the column no matter the cost.

“The memorial commemorates the darkest chapter in German history,” Baden-Baden city said in a statement to Juedische-Allgemeine. “An attack on this symbol is simultaneously an attack on the fundamental values of the city’s society.”

The Israelite Community of Baden-Baden (IKG) said in a statement the vandalism was a “heinous act” of antisemitism with a clear political message and, coming as it did on the night after Tisha B’Av, when Jews mourn the destruction of the Jewish Temples in Jerusalem, “further pain was inflicted in the heart of Baden-Baden.”
BREAKING: Two men arrested following water-gun stunt targeting Manchester’s Charedi community
Two men have been arrested following viral footage of Orthodox men being sprayed with water-pistols in a disturbing drive-by incident.

As reported by Jewish News, one of the two laughing men inside the Kia car was named as Jestem Kamil Galanty, a UK resident originally from Poland and part of a group with social media accounts across Youtube, TikTok and Instagram.

The water pistol footage was shared on Instagram account @konsp1ra, which also features videos of several Polish men playing a prank on visibly religious Jewish men at an airport and in a supermarket, against the musical background of Jewish song Hava Nagila.

The men, aged 26 and 36, remain in custody for questioning, on suspicion of racially aggravated common assault.

In a statement to Twitter/X, CST wrote: “Following on from the appalling antisemitic videos, which were widely shared yesterday, two males have been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated common assault. CST would like to thank @GMPolice for their support and swift action in this case.”


Historic Odesa synagogue sustains heavy damage from Russian drone strike
A historic synagogue in Odesa, Ukraine, sustained significant damage following a Russian drone strike this week, one of several Jewish sites caught up in intense bombardments this summer.

The Nachlas Eliezer Synagogue in the Peresyp district of Odesa, which was built in 1898 and served the Jewish community until it was closed in the 1920s under Soviet rule, was struck Monday evening by a Russian suicide drone.

The strike caused a large fire in the building, which had already partially collapsed in 1992, according to the United Jewish Community of Ukraine. No injuries were reported.

“This sacred building, constructed at the end of the 19th century, served as a place of prayer, hope, and spiritual strength for the Jewish community of Odesa,” wrote Rabbi Moshe Azman, a leading rabbi in Ukraine, in a post on X. “Today, once again, we have witnessed how war affects not only people but also holy sites and our historical memory.”

Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, the exiled chief rabbi of Moscow and the president of the Conference of European Rabbis, urged European leaders to “speak out and condemn this assault on faith and history” in a post on X.

The strike on the historic synagogue marks the latest attack on Ukrainian Jewish community spaces as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues after nearly three and a half years, with this summer bringing some of the heaviest and deadliest bombardments yet.
The U.S. Navy Saved the Jews of the Holy Land 110 Years Ago
During World War I, the Jews of Palestine suffered from hunger, disease, and oppression. The territory was ruled with an iron fist by the Ottoman (Turkish) army. In 1914, Turkey abolished agreements with European powers which granted them elements of sovereignty over their subjects in the Ottoman Empire. The financial assistance the Jews received from their European Jewish brethren evaporated. Many Jews of the Holy Land were seen as citizens of the enemy - France, Britain and Russia. The Turkish authorities ordered their immediate expulsion.

In 1915, a plague of locusts of Biblical proportions ravaged the land for six months. The U.S. retained its neutrality in the war until 1917. The Americans were the only ones left to help the Jews of Palestine. On October 6, 1914, the U.S. Navy's USS North Carolina landed in Jaffa harbor and delivered $50,000 to the U.S. consul general for distribution to the Jewish community. The USS North Carolina, Vulcan, Des Moines, and Tennessee made 13 port visits, delivering aid to the Jews of Palestine until the U.S. entered the war.

The U.S. ships also departed the Holy Land with Jews who were expelled or had to flee the Turks because of their Russian origins, Zionist activity, or draft dodging. Some 6,000 Jews of Palestine were evacuated by U.S. Navy ships in 1914 and 1915.

The Jews of the Holy Land "would have succumbed had not financial help arrived from America," according to a Zionist Organization of London report. "America was at that time the one country which through its political and financial position was able to save [Jewish] Palestine permanently from going under."
Fourth-century Spanish ‘ church’ revealed to be one of Iberian Peninsula’s oldest synagogues
A building long thought to be a fourth-century church in the ancient Spanish city of Castulo may be one of the oldest synagogues discovered on the Iberian Peninsula, National Geographic reported on Monday, citing an archaeological study published last month.

Near modern-day Linares, in the province of Jaén, about 160 miles south of Madrid, archaeologists digging in Castulo encountered several ritual objects that they associated with Jewish worship.

Some researchers believe that the Synagoga Mayor in Barcelona is the oldest synagogue in Iberia and Europe, dating sometime between the third and ninth centuries.

The findings at the Castulo dig include oil lamp fragments adorned with what appears to be a seven-branched menorah, a tile bearing a similar relief and a jar lid featuring what researchers believe is a Hebrew inscription, whose meaning scholars continue to debate, according to the study."This inscription, along with the menorahs, indicates the likely presence of a Jewish community in Castulo—one not previously recorded in historical texts," one of the researchers, Bautista Ceprián, of the University of Jaén, who works on the Cástulo Sefarad Primera Luz project led by Marcelo Castro Lopez, told the magazine.

Architectural elements of the building further support the synagogue hypothesis, per National Geographic. Unlike elongated Christian basilicas, the structure is square in layout and features what researchers believe to be a bimah, a central raised platform used for Torah readings.




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