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Monday, September 01, 2025

09/01 Links Pt2: The Blackout: When Journalism Marches for Hamas; The Palestinian Confederacy’s Lost Cause; The magnificent magnum opus of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks

From Ian:

The Blackout: When Journalism Marches for Hamas
There is an agenda here, and it is not subtle. It is to invert the moral order. Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, becomes the great oppressor. Hamas, the death cult that slaughters civilians and hides behind children, becomes the custodian of “press freedom.” The words are twisted until they no longer mean what they mean. Orwell himself could not have conceived it better.

But let us be clear: Israel is not exempt from scrutiny. Nor should it be. Democracies must account for their actions, even in war. Yet what RSF and its chorus offer is not scrutiny but slander. To claim Israel blocks journalists “without precedent in modern warfare” is an insult to memory. The U.S. barred press from Fallujah and Mosul. Sri Lanka barred them from its final assault on the Tamil Tigers. Russia barred them from Chechnya. Why? Because in war zones, journalists are not merely vulnerable; they are exploitable. They can be kidnapped, used as shields, or, in Gaza’s case, be Hamas fighters with press cards. Israel’s policy is not unprecedented. It is rational.

The Western public is being played. A blackout will not enlighten but darken; not liberate but mislead. It will turn the press from watchdog into attack dog, not against the guilty but against the besieged.

And there is a wider danger. When the press ceases to be sceptical, it ceases to be free. The journalist who parrots the script of NGOs is no journalist at all, but a propagandist. When the media becomes indistinguishable from a political campaign, it forfeits its claim to independence. And when it does so in service of an armed theocracy that murders children, it becomes complicit in barbarism.

This is the naked truth: information is the new battlefield. Hamas knows it cannot win against Israel’s military. Its missiles are intercepted, its tunnels destroyed, its leaders hunted. But it can win on the airwaves, in the headlines, in the imaginations of the West. It can make slaughter look like resistance, and defence look like genocide. And it can do so because too many in our newsrooms are willing accomplices.

The pen, it is often said, is mightier than the sword. How bitter, then, to watch the pen conscripted into the service of the sword that massacred Jews on October 7. How obscene to see the vocabulary of liberty bent into the service of theocratic fascists. How grotesque to watch those who claim to defend “press freedom” black out their own pages at the command of NGOs.

The truth is simple, if we dare to say it: this is not about press freedom. It is about narrative control. It is about delegitimising Israel so that terror may be rewarded with statehood. It is about turning democracies into pariahs and pariahs into martyrs. And it is about power: the power of words to wound, to deceive, to kill.

Israel can survive missiles. What it may not survive, if we are not vigilant, is the great lie that it has become the villain of its own story. That lie is being written not in Tehran or Gaza, but in New York, Paris, and London — on the pages of newspapers that once prided themselves on scepticism. When future generations ask how it was that journalism, of all professions, surrendered itself so eagerly to the propaganda of terror, the answer will be found in the headlines of 1 September. They will see the blackout not as courage, but as collaboration. And the shame, then as now, will be theirs.
Bethany Mandel: Wikipedia bias influences how one’s perception of reality is perceived
One of the clearest recent examples is Israel.

As Aaron Bandler of RealClearInvestigations has documented, Wikipedia’s coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is shot through with ideological bias.

Pages are dominated by editors who advance anti-Israel narratives, stripping out facts and context that complicate their preferred framing.

A casual reader will almost inevitably come away with a version of history that portrays Israel in the worst possible light.

Even attempts at modest correction are often swiftly undone by activist gatekeepers who patrol those pages with zeal.

Inside some of Wikipedia's wicked sneaks
| - At least 30 editors accused by Anti-Defamation League of coordinating to “[downplay] Palestinian antisemitism, violence, and calls to destroy Israel while foregrounding criticism of Israel.”
- These editors made more than a million edits to at least 10,000 related to Israel, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, or similar topics.
- Six “bad-faith editors” eventually banned from posting on Wikipedia pages about Israel and the Israel-Palestinian conflict due to harassment and bullying other editors.
- The number of average edits per day among “bad-faith editors” nearly doubled after Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks.
- One editor removed reference articles documenting terrorist violence and calls for Israel’s destruction, while downplaying the death toll from the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks and other atrocities targeting Israeli civilians.
- Study of 1,672 Wikipedia pages in 44 languages by Atlantic Council finds 1,907 links to Russian Pravda-linked propaganda news sites — including 133 citations on English Wikipedia.
- Russian Wikipedia only indirectly referenced Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine following the start of hostilities in February 2022, with just 3.9% of content explicitly invasion related (Ukrainian Wikipedia has 6.9% of content explicitly invasion-related).


This is not an isolated case.

On a range of topics including cultural controversies, political debates, even biographies of relatively obscure figures, the site reflects the worldview of a small but determined class of editors.

Wikipedia has become the reference library of the modern world, but without the oversight, accountability, or intellectual rigor that a library is supposed to guarantee.

The House Oversight Committee’s probe is not an attack on free information; it’s an overdue recognition that information is power, and that when a handful of anonymous ideologues — and possibly foreign actors — exercise such power unchecked, democracy itself is put at risk.

If we would not tolerate a foreign government seeding propaganda in our news outlets, why would we accept it in the encyclopedia that underpins much of the internet’s “knowledge”?


Jerusalem denounces synchronized anti-Israel media campaign
Israel’s Foreign Ministry attacked an orchestrated media campaign by Reporters without Borders, which directed more than a hundred news outlets to simultaneously condemn the Jewish state on Monday for killing local journalists and preventing the entry of foreign media into Gaza.

Israel maintains that many of the so-called journalists are terrorist operatives.

“When 150 media outlets choose in a synchronized manner to stop reporting news, to throw values of the press and plurality of opinions into the trash, and instead publish a uniform, pre-scripted political manifesto against Israel—that tells you how great the bias against Israel is in the global media,” the Foreign Ministry posted to X on Monday.

“The reports we see in the global media regarding Gaza do not tell the real story there. They tell the campaign of lies that Hamas spreads. This is not journalism. This is politics,” the ministry added.

Reporters without Borders (RSF) said that more than 250 news outlets in over 70 countries participated in the “media blackout” campaign to protest against the deaths of journalists in the Gaza Strip.

Joining RSF in the campaign (the acronym is based on the organization’s name in French—Reporters sans frontières) is Avaaz, an online community organizing platform for left-wing causes, and the International Federation of Journalists.

A document, obtained by pro-Israel activists in Europe and viewed by JNS, asked outlets to broadcast the following message:

“At the rate journalists are being killed in Gaza by the Israeli army, there will soon be no one left to keep you informed. In nearly 23 months, at least 210 journalists have been killed by the Israeli army in this territory, according to Reporters Without Borders. We, and more than 150 other media outlets across the world, condemn these crimes. And we call on the Israeli authorities to allow independent access for the international press in the Gaza Strip.”

In June, Reporters without Borders organized an appeal together with the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), accusing the Israeli military of an “unprecedented massacre” of journalists.

Reporters without Borders based its numbers on those of CPJ, which have long since been debunked.

“Over the past 22 months far too many people wearing press jackets have been exposed as terrorists to take any claim about the targeting of journalists seriously. Which means those who still try to argue for their innocence are choosing to be deliberately blind to the truth,” U.K.-based investigative journalist David Collier told JNS on Sunday.

In a January 2024 report, Collier found that CPJ’s journalist list was basically a whitewashed Hamas list.
Honest Reporting: How a Failed Gaza Media Campaign Violated Journalism to Demonize Israel
While the charge leveled by some media that Israel has something insidious to hide by not allowing foreign journalists into Gaza, the demand to be allowed access is a genuine and understandable one coming from the media themselves.

But Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has taken this demand and turned it into a full-on campaign whose thinly veiled purpose is a betrayal of journalistic ethics.

That RSF partnered with the activist group Avaaz should have raised red flags in newsrooms around the world. Perhaps because of this, despite the proud boasts of RSF claiming to have over 200 global media outlets signed up, the results should be put in perspective.

It was supposed to be a global media blackout — dark front covers, demonstrations, and rage. But the majority of the participating media were fringe outlets or from countries with a limited global influence (like The New Arab or Venezuela’s Tal Sucal). Nonetheless, the presence of NPR and The Independent should raise some eyebrows.

Unethical Campaign
A unified campaign message meant to be promoted by every media outlet says it all: “At the rate journalists are being killed in Gaza reporting on Israel’s war, there will soon be none left to keep you informed.”

The first of RSF’s demands is “the protection of Palestinian journalists and an end to the impunity for crimes perpetrated by the Israeli army against them in the Gaza Strip.”

Clearly, the campaign is aimed solely at blaming Israel and accusing it of deliberately killing journalists.

It ignores evidence that (a) Israel is not deliberately targeting genuine journalists, and (b) dozens of so-called journalists killed by the IDF in Gaza were, in fact, either affiliated with terror organizations or working as actual terrorist operatives.

Indeed, it mentions the death of Al Jazeera “journalist” Anas Al-Sharif in an Israeli strike last month, omitting hard evidence presented by the IDF proving that he was a commander of a terrorist cell in a Hamas rocket-launching platoon.

And while the organizers choose to decry the deteriorating living conditions faced by local Gazan journalists, who are no different than any other resident of the embattled enclave, there’s no mention of the intimidation genuine journalists face from Hamas and the threats from the terrorist organization to independent journalism in the Strip. Local journalists in Gaza work under Hamas’ watchful eye, out of bias or fear.

The campaign effectively asks fellow journalists to do the exact opposite of what their profession demands: take sides.

Because it is not really about media access or solidarity with Gaza journalists — consensus issues that sound easy to agree to.

It’s all about demonizing and delegitimizing Israel.


Seth Mandel: The Palestinian Confederacy’s Lost Cause
The genius of a lost cause is that its adherents never have to defend its real-world consequences. Which is one reason such movements are filled with people who are dedicated to keeping the cause lost.

When we talk about those with incentive to keep the Palestinians as “refugees” forever, we usually think of the NGOs and other groups whose funding depends on perpetual crisis—UNRWA first and foremost, since its organizing mission itself is to keep Gaza locked in a cycle of violence and terror.

But we can’t forget the activist class in the West, which needs the flame of Gaza to burn in perpetuity because it powers a global anti-West and anti-democratic movement that has nothing to do with the Palestinians.

A perfect demonstration of this latter category was a gathering of such elective lost-causeniks—vultures who pick at the lost causes of others—this weekend in Detroit. As usual, the Manhattan Institute’s Stu Smith did yeoman’s work chronicling the People’s Conference for Palestine, a yearly event of activists and politicians who promote the work and messaging of violent Palestinian factions.

Among the more prominent such attractions at the intifada circus were Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, the Detroit-born Democrat and anti-Semitic lawmaker. Also there was Mahmoud Khalil, the tentifada figure who has become a Democratic Party hero after the Trump administration moved to deport him for his pro-Hamas advocacy.

While Smith’s reporting should be read and watched in its entirety for a sense of the extremism and violence-promotion, conference speakers were also crystal clear that Gaza is a mere springboard to anti-American and anti-Western activism, and that it represents to these radicals a mindset.
Rashida Tlaib, Hassan Piker attend conference with anti-US, pro-terrorist rhetoric
The 2nd annual People's Conference in Palestine in Detroit saw toned-down rhetoric compared to last year's conference in terms of support for violence and terrorist organizations, but the August 29-31 event attended by Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, streamer Hassan Piker, Green Party presidential candidate Dr. Jill Stein, and leaders of the anti-Israel activist community still saw elements of pro-terrorist and anti-American sentiment during panels and speeches.

The event centered mostly around concerns about a supposed genocide being conducted in Gaza by Israeli forces, with discussions on destruction to infrastructure, deaths of journalists during the war, and providing medical aid. Several speakers, including the masters of the ceremony, expressed a sense of urgency with the event occurring as the Israel Defense Forces girded themselves to push into the Hamas strongholds in Gaza City.

"We are facing another critical moment. Last night, Israel began its occupation of Gaza City and its plan to level the last inch of life in the strip," MC Taher Dahleh said, according to livestreams by BreakThrough News, proclaiming demands and objectives laid out by many of the three-day event's speakers.

"We cannot allow the normalization of another line of genocide to be crossed. The demands of the people are clear, and we must do everything in our ability, every single thing in our power to advance them. We demand a two-way arms embargo. We demand complete economic and political sanctions on Israel, on its military, and on its leadership. We demand the free flow of lifesaving humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. And we demand, most importantly, that this genocide ends now."

Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) organizer Lameess Mehann said that their movement had been able to weaken the "basis of support for Israel" by casting Zionism as genocidal, and Pikeer explained that Israeli institutions and corporations had to be removed completely from campuses, and all ties with Israel had to be severed entirely.

Another PYM representative said that every sector had to become a front for confronting Zionism, explaining that the strategy was to achieve "liberation" by making the "cost of occupation" higher "than the cost of liberation."

Speakers often deviated into praise for terrorists, and calls for violence
While the activists usually discussed the achievement of these demands through protests and non-violent activity, panelists and speakers often deviated into praise for terrorists, terrorist groups, or engaged in calls for violence.

Richmond Mayor Eduardo Martinez explained in his speech that "If Palestine were a schoolyard playground, I would be a Palestinian. And that part of me, that part of me that couldn't endure the abuse anymore, would be Hamas."

Martinez also recalled a 1968 conversation he had with African-American activist Stokely Carmichael, about how the "white man's word" of "peace" alone wasn't the answer, because peace could only be achieved after the "liberation" of making everyone equal unless there is substantial movement toward liberation for the oppressed, peace means capitulation," said Martinez. "We should always be ready to stand up and do what's right and fight for liberation."


Yisrael Medad: Will 'Palestine 36' showcase the true history of the Arab revolt?
Will all this political rejectionism, violence, and failure of Arab leadership be in the film? More importantly, will the pre-1936 violence be showcased?

Will that port worker be shown joining the Haifa-based “Black Hand” terror gang founded by Sheikh Izz al-Din al-Qassam in 1930? Doubtful. Their victims included three members of Kibbutz Yagur who were murdered on April 11, 1931. In early 1932, there was an attempted bomb attack on Jewish homes and other attacks that killed and wounded Jews in other communities. On December 22 of that year, they murdered a Jewish father and son in Nahalal.

After killing police constable Moshe Rosenfeld near Ein Harod in 1935, al-Qassam and followers were hunted down. They fled to a cave near the town of Ya’bad, 20 kilometers West of Jenin. Al-Qassam and three of his men were killed there on November 20. Five days later, Arab leaders subsequently demanded Britain halt Jewish immigration, prohibit land sales to Jews, and insisted on exclusive Arab self-rule.

Five months later, on the night of April 15, 1936, three Jews were killed by Arabs on the highway between Tulkarm and Nablus. On the following night, two Arabs were killed near the Jewish town of Petah Tikva (now one of Israel’s five most populous cities).

The Revolt broke out in Jaffa and Tel Aviv on April 19, 1936. According to rumors, some Jews had killed two or three Arabs in Tel Aviv. This news was unfounded, but fourteen Jews and two Arabs were stabbed to death in Jaffa the next day.

THIS, THEN, is the actual backdrop to the outbreak of Arab anti-British and anti-Jewish terror of 1936-39. Over 500 Jews out of 400,000 were eventually murdered during those three years – a ratio almost nine times that of Jews killed on October 7, 2023. British officials were assassinated and police personnel and soldiers were killed in the fighting. Among them was the acting district commissioner of Galilee and his police escort, who were fatally shot by Arab gunmen in Nazareth on September 26, 1937.

More tragically, that Arab terror campaign convinced the British to renege on their Mandate. Instead of the reconstitution of the Jewish national home, the 1939 White Paper declared it opposed that “Palestine should be converted into a Jewish State against the will of the Arab population of the country.”

Immigration was severely curtailed and land purchases prohibited. Europe’s Jews were sacrificed to Hitler’s plan of extermination. There would be no Jewish national home but ultimately, “an independent Palestine State” should be established.

In the Mandate territory, the Arab terror bands plundered and raped the local Arab population and eliminated their rivals. The pro-government Nashashibi family raised irregular, militia-style “peace bands,” and hundreds of Arabs died in the intra-communal violence besides all of the Jewish victims.

The Arabs became victims of forced cultural dictates. The keffiyeh was forced on the urban populace, as was the veil (hijab). Is any of this in the script? Will the October 2, 1938, Tiberias Massacre appear where Arabs murdered 19 Jews, 11 of whom were children, stabbing them and burning them? Probably not, based on some of the movie’s sponsors.

If, indeed, this film is to be historical drama, will any of this real history make it to the screen? Or is this to be an “improved” cinema production, one in which the final marriage of Pallywood and Hollywood becomes cemented?
CherylWroteIt: The Massacres Against Jews in Palestine’s Civil War, November 1947 to March 1948
Throughout this past 23 months we’ve heard all the stories from the pro Hamas propagandists and influencers telling us about the ”Nakba” (which never actually happened), and about “massacres” like Deir Yassin which they offered half truths intermixed with complete lies. But what they never tell you about are the many incidents that led to events such as Deir Yassin of April 1948. Well this article will detail exactly that… from the day the UN published their Partition Plan in November 1947 through to March 1948… 5 months of brutal savagery that you need to read the details of to appreciate how disturbing and horrific and bloodthirsty these Arabs were... with full British complicity in these atrocities.

The period between November 1947 and May 1948 marks one of the most turbulent chapters in modern Middle Eastern history. Following the United Nations’ vote on November 29, 1947, to partition Palestine into separate Jewish and Arab states, the region erupted into a civil war that pitted Jewish communities against Arab militias. This conflict, fought under the shadow of the British Mandate, was characterized by guerrilla warfare, blockades, and a series of brutal attacks that targeted civilians as much as fighters. For the Jewish population, known as the Yishuv, the months leading up to Israel’s independence were fraught with peril. Roads became battlegrounds, villages turned into fortresses, and convoys transformed into death traps. Amid the chaos, several massacres stood out for their sheer ruthlessness, claiming hundreds of lives and deepening the scars of division.

While the war’s narrative often focuses on the broader struggle for statehood, it’s crucial to remember the human cost, particularly the targeted violence against Jewish civilians, medical personnel, and defenders. These acts weren’t isolated skirmishes but part of a concerted effort by Arab irregular forces to isolate Jewish settlements and terrorize the population. From bus ambushes to bombings in crowded streets, the attacks escalated as the British prepared to withdraw. By March 31, 1948, the death toll from these incidents had already painted a grim picture of what was to come. Drawing from historical records and eyewitness accounts, this article chronicles every major massacre against Jews during this five-month span, highlighting the bravery of those who faced unimaginable horror and the lasting impact on the fledgling nation.

The violence ignited almost immediately after the UN partition vote. On November 30, 1947, just a day after the resolution passed, Arab gunmen ambushed two buses carrying Jewish passengers near the village of Fajja, close to Petah Tikva. The first bus, en route from Netanya to Jerusalem, was riddled with bullets, killing five passengers outright and wounding several others. Half an hour later, a second bus heading south from Hadera suffered a similar fate, with two more Jews slain. These weren’t random acts; they were coordinated strikes aimed at Jewish transportation, signaling the start of a “battle for the roads.” Snipers from nearby Arab villages fired relentlessly, and the attacks spread to Jerusalem and Haifa, where buses came under fire. In total, seven Jews perished that day, setting a precedent for the ambushes that would follow. The British forces, still in control, did little to intervene, leaving the Yishuv to fend for itself.


Smithsonian African American History Museum Celebrates Violent Nation of Islam
The National Museum of African American History and Culture, a Smithsonian Institution center in Washington, D.C., features exhibits that glorify violent radical groups like the Nation of Islam (NOI) and offer historical falsehoods on issues like slavery, a Washington Free Beacon review found.

The NOI features prominently in the museum, with exhibits offering effusive praise to the group with little mention of the organization's history of violence, anti-White radicalism, and anti-Semitism.

"For over 40 years, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad (1897–1975) led the Nation of Islam, which served as a spiritual sanctuary and self-help organization for millions of African Americans," a tribute in one exhibit reads. "Its religious, educational, and economic institutions promoted Black unity, pride, and moral discipline and helped its members overcome poverty and other social ills."

The museum displays the uniform of a member of the "Fruit of Islam," the NOI's paramilitary wing, in a section devoted to the Civil Rights Movement.

"This uniform was worn by a member of the Fruit of Islam (FOI), the Nation's formidable self-defense security force," a plaque explains. "The FOI was the embodiment of black pride, self-determination, and black nationalism."

The museum describes the FOI as a "model of self-defense," but the historical record suggests something different.

The FOI, acting on behalf of its parent organization, has committed a litany of violent acts since its inception. Its best known murder was the 1965 assassination of Malcolm X after the civil rights leader broke his ties with and began speaking out against the Nation, but its violence did not end there.

When Hamaas Abdul Khaalis sent letters denouncing Elijah Muhammad to dozens of NOI mosques in 1973, members of the group slaughtered his entire family at their home in the Shepherd Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C.

Also in the early 1970s, an FOI splinter group called the "Death Angels" killed at least 15 white people in San Francisco in attacks explicitly motivated by race.

The NOI's official theological position holds that an evil scientist named Yakub created white people, which the organization refers to as "blue-eyed devils." Yakub, a black Meccan according to NOI doctrine, created the white race to rule over black people for 6,000 years through a method called "tricknology." The NOI contends that the 6,000-year period ended in 1914, 16 years before Wallace Fard Muhammad founded the group.

The notion that white people are inherently evil has remained a constant in NOI rhetoric in the decades since.


UKLFI: Artfinder removes antisemitic artwork
UKLFI wrote to Art Discovery Ltd on 29 August 2025, pointing out that four pictures by Wim Carrette in the catalogue were antisemitic and another painting by him was offensive to Catholics. Wim Carrette has now been removed from Artfinder altogether.

Four of Wim Carretts’s pictures equated the prime minister of the Jewish state, Benjamin Netanyahu, and/or Jewish-Israeli soldiers with Nazi war criminals. UKLFI pointed out to Artfinder that these paintings were antisemitic according to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, adopted by the UK government. They were also examples of Holocaust inversion, the appropriation of the extreme suffering of the Jewish victims of the Holocaust to characterise Jews, or the Jewish state, as the perpetrator of a new “Holocaust” on Palestinians.

Equating Israelis or Jews with the Nazis who attempted to wipe them out is grossly offensive to Jews, as it scratches deep wounds by invoking the painful collective memory of the Holocaust. Holocaust inversion is also potentially the most significant component in the incitement of racial hatred against Jews, because Nazism is considered to be the epitome of evil.
UKLFI: Israeli family intimidated at Luton Airport by pro-Palestine security officer
A Jewish Israeli family, travelling to Israel, told UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) about their concerns, after they had been stopped at security by the obviously pro-Palestine security officer. They felt humiliated and intimidated when on 26 August, the security officer singled them out. He was wearing ribbon in the shape of an Israeli “hostage” ribbon, not in the usual yellow to remember the Israeli hostages, but in Palestinian colours. He also wore a Palestine flag bracelet and had a phone with a cover displaying a Palestine flag, which he placed on the floor, in view of the passengers he had stopped.

The Jewish passenger told UKLFI that he felt ashamed and singled out when he and his children were given a full body check. “It seemed we were targeted specifically because of our Jewish identity,” he said.

UKLFI has written to Luton Airport’s legal department pointing out that the treatment of this family may breach Section 29 of the Equality Act 2010 (the Act) by harassing Jewish and Israeli customers, in that it created a hostile and intimidating atmosphere in the airport for them.

A spokesperson for UKLFI commented: “If the security guard covers himself in pro-Palestine symbols and then targets Israelis for special searches, the Israelis are liable to fear they are being singled out for special treatment. It is obviously inappropriate for security staff to display their political affiliations. We hope that Luton will clarify its dress code and suitably reprimand staff who breach it.”

Luton Airport was involved in an earlier controversy in late 2024, when Alon Penzel, the author of a book about 7 October called “Testimonies without Boundaries”, was stopped and harangued by a security guard about Israel and its existence. He was accused of starting a protest because he carried a placard advertising his book, which hadn’t fitted into his suitcase, and he was subsequently detained for some time at the airport gate. Mr Penzel has issued a claim in court against Luton Airport for false imprisonment.
StandWithUs: Special Briefing : Antisemitism on Campus
Join StandWithUs TV for a Special Briefing: As the new school year begins, antisemitism on college campuses is surging, from hostile classrooms to discriminatory student government resolutions. We’ll examine what Jewish and pro-Israel students are facing, the strategies being used to push back, and success stories of turning campuses in crisis into spaces of coexistence. StandWithUs experts will also break down the legal and educational tools available to protect students and empower them to lead with pride.




Days after voting to display Israeli flags on Jewish heritage month, Beverly Hills district reneges
The board of the Beverly Hills Unified School District, which operates five schools that educate more than 3,000 students, voted unanimously on Aug. 29 to rescind its resolution—which it passed days prior—to display the “Jewish Israeli flag” at each district school during Jewish American Heritage Month, which is held in May.

The board voted narrowly, 3-2, on Aug. 26 in favor of a resolution to display Israeli flags during the month of May after spirited discussion, including suggestions from board members who voted against the resolution that it would endanger people to display the Israeli flag.

On Aug. 28, Alex Cherniss, district superintendent, invoked the same reasoning, “heightened safety concerns,” when he said that “until further notice, no flags will be displayed on our campuses other than the flag of the United States of America and the flag of the state of California.”

The school district confirmed to JNS that the superintendent works for the board, rather than the board, which he appeared to overrule, working for him.

The board convened an emergency meeting on Aug. 29, during which it voted unanimously not to display Israeli flags. It stated that the superintendent’s directive limiting flag displays “was appropriate in light of recent threats and disruptions.”

“Given the volume of public attention, international media coverage and ongoing threats against district staff and students, it is both urgent and prudent for the board to adopt a clear, permanent policy defining what flags may be flown or displayed on district property,” it said.

At the special meeting of the board, Cherniss said he acted due to what he called “misinformation” about the district planning to fly Israeli flags from flagpoles. He said that the district received “inappropriate feedback from people from all over.”
CAIR Philadelphia Offers K-12 Outreach that Sanitizes Sep. 11 and Discusses "Jewish Power," Investigation Reveals
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Philadelphia chapter has ben offering to provide Pennsylvania and Delaware K-12 schools "educational resources" and workshops that critics argue promote antisemitic narratives, sanitize terrorism, and advance divisive political agendas in classrooms. According to an investigation from the watchdog group K12 Extremism Tracker, CAIR Philly’s educational offerings include sessions on "Jewish Power in America" and guidance that instructs teachers to avoid terms like "Islamic terrorists" when discussing the September 11th attacks.

Sanitizing Terrorism in 9/11 Education
Among CAIR Philadelphia's controversial educational is its comprehensive guide for teaching about September 11th, which instructs educators to avoid language that accurately describes the nature of the attacks. The organization explicitly advises teachers to "avoid using inaccurate and inflammatory terms such as 'Islamic terrorists,' 'jihadists,' or 'radical Islamic terrorists'" when discussing the deadliest terrorist attack in American history.

The 6-page document, distributed to schools across Pennsylvania and Delaware, goes further by instructing educators to "refrain from asking students to engage in educational activities that simulate the roles of perpetrators, targets, or bystanders" and warns against "language that validates the claims of the 9/11 attackers by associating their acts of mass murder with Islam and Muslims."

This approach, according to critics, strips the September 11th attacks of their ideological context, preventing students from understanding the religious extremism that motivated the hijackers.

Among CAIR Philadelphia's most alarming educational offerings is a workshop titled "American Jews and Political Power: Myth or Reality?" The session, presented by Jacob Bender, promises to examine "the controversial topic of Jewish political power in the U.S. in a fair and balanced manner" while discussing "key organizations in the American Jewish community, such as ADL, AIPAC, ACJ, and JCRC."

The workshop description also notes "the heated debate inside the Jewish establishment over Israel's occupation of Palestinian lands" and highlights "young Jewish activists who are supporting the BDS (boycott, divestment, sanctions) campaign against Israel." This framing effectively transforms what purports to be educational content into political advocacy designed to inculcate anti-Israel sentiment among students and educators.

Bender, according to K12 Extremism Tracker, who previously served as executive director of CAIR Philadelphia, has characterized Hamas' October 7th massacre as merely the "first day of the Gaza war," thereby downplaying the atrocities committed by Palestinian terrorists that day. Bender has been appointed to the School District of Philadelphia Superintendent's transition team as part of the "anti-racist district culture" sub-committee.


South African presenter taken off the lineup for confronting Holocaust denier during interview
South African presenter Juliet Newell was removed from the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) schedule after she disagreed with an interviewee who compared the Gaza War with the Holocaust.

During an interview with Mamphela Ramphele, chairperson of the Desmond Tutu Intellectual Property Trust, Newell questioned the decision by the trust to compare the Gaza situation to the Holocaust.

“How are your statements linking the famine in Gaza with the Holocaust not provocative?” Newell asked Ramphele. “They are different events. Why can’t you separate them?”

Ramphele answered Newell’s questions, claiming that “if you [Newell] look at the deliberate attack on children, on women, on unarmed citizens, and the starvation. Using starvation as a weapon of war. Tell me what that is.”

Ramphele continued: “It is by tolerating the killing of one person, two children, or 10 children that they add up to 6 million.

“If we are waiting for 6 million [people to die], then humanity has no right to call itself human because to be human is to feel the pain of every person as if it were yourself.”

Newell pushed back on that statement.

“I think they are two different situations. It is mischievous of you to bring them up and put them together as if they were the same thing."


Israeli arrested in Jerusalem for third time over ‘holocaust in Gaza’ graffiti
A Jewish Israeli man was detained for the third time in three weeks for spray-painting “There’s a holocaust in Gaza” in Hebrew in central Jerusalem.

“After previously spraying graffiti on a synagogue, the Western Wall, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre—and being released by court order—the suspect was re-arrested in Jerusalem,” the Israel Police said.

According to the police, the 27-year-old Jerusalem resident was arrested on Sunday for holding a sign reading “There is a holocaust in Gaza” and attempting to spray-paint the same message near the light rail stop across from the city’s central bus station.

The suspect managed to write “There is a holocaust” before being stopped, a picture shared by the police’s Spokesperson’s Unit showed.

On Aug. 11, the same suspect defaced the Western Wall in the area of the Ezrat Yisrael egalitarian prayer space as well as the outer walls of the city’s Great Synagogue with the inscription, “There is a holocaust in Gaza.” The vandalism was condemned across the political spectrum.

After the suspect admitted to vandalizing the holy site, the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court decided to release him for psychological treatment.

On Aug. 25, the suspect was re-arrested near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, carrying a paint canister. During their searches of the area, officers discovered the same tag inside the Christian holy site.

Channel 12 reported last week that his family contacted Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel David Yosef and informed him that the suspect was dealing with serious mental health problems and had a history of hospitalization.


How Iran unwittingly strengthened the Jewish state
Ironically, it is Iran’s antisemitism, like that of so many other Arab dictatorships before it, that has helped strengthen Israel and allowed its population to flourish.

This reality demolishes the cartoonish narrative that Israel is a Western colonial project. Jews from Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, Libya and Algeria were expelled from homes where their communities had existed for centuries before being Arabized or Islamized by conquest. Instead of seizing someone else’s land, they came to Israel and returned to the Jews’ indigenous homeland—the one nation that offered them refuge and continuity.

Tehran’s propaganda paints Jews as colonizers, but its own history tells the opposite story. Iranian state media erases centuries of Jewish life in Persia, a life that enriched the country in every field. Before the clerical dictatorship, Iran’s Jewish community numbered as many as 100,000. Now, only about 8,000 remain, surviving under repressive conditions.

The Jews who were expelled from Iran carry scars of rejection, but they also have the tools to defend Jewish continuity. They have passed this knowledge down to their children and grandchildren. Iran may want to crush Israel, but, ironically, it helped produce Israelis who know exactly what tyranny and Islamist colonialism look like, and what it takes to resist it.

This conflict is a centuries-old struggle over whether Jews, indigenous to the Land of Israel, will be allowed to live as a free people in it.

Iran seeks to erase Jewish life from the Middle East. But when antisemitism forces Jews from their homes, they do not vanish. They rebuild. They return. They strengthen. And that remains the sharpest rebuttal to the Iranian regime’s genocidal vision: Jewish history in Persia did not end in exile. It lives on in Israel, where the Jewish story—one of survival and triumph against every empire and every colonizer, from Rome to Tehran—continues to unfold.
Experts reveal why Iran is attacking Diaspora Jews, warn that West 'doesn't understand fanaticism'
Following the revelation that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps was responsible for at least two antisemitic arson attacks on Jewish sites in Australia, The Jerusalem Post spoke to two Israeli experts on the Islamic Republic to understand its reasoning for attacking Jewish Diaspora communities.

There seemed to be little strategic gain for Iran in orchestrating the attacks on Jewish citizens of countries beyond Israel, and when the experts were asked what master plan informed such attacks, they explained that incidents such as the December Melbourne Adass Israel Synagogue arson and the October Lewis’ Continental Kitchen arson were not part of wartime strategy but born of the Islamic regime’s fanatical ideological doctrine.

Reichman University Iranian politics expert Dr. Meir Javedanfar and an anonymous ex-official in the security apparatus and Israel Security and Defense Forum adviser explained that the IRGC sees the Jewish Diaspora as indistinguishable from Israel.

Javedanfar said that the regime’s hostility is not just against Israel but also against Jews. When Iranian officials deny the Holocaust, this is not rhetoric but part of a genuine animus against the Jewish people. According to the former official, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s followers are true believers in an ideology that sees world Jewry as an enemy of Islam, in part because of the Diaspora’s connection to Israel.

“The compass of their ideology is that there is no place for Zionism under the sun,” said the ex-official, and most Jewish people hold Zionist beliefs.

Javedanfar said that the Iranian force sees the effort to harm Diaspora Jews as a legitimate part of its war conduct. The IRGC’s perspective is that the Jewish Diaspora is a soft target that would hurt Israel because the Jewish state holds itself responsible for their security.

While it is difficult to strike Israel, the Jewish Diaspora is more vulnerable and could be targeted to settle scores and deter future attacks. The security official said that the regime still holds in reserve capabilities to trigger conventional or “mega terrorist attacks.”

Westerners often don’t understand the Islamic Republic’s motivations, according to the security official, because it requires understanding the Jihadist mentality in which hate and faith are the basis, rather than pragmatism or opportunism.


Israeli Satellites Maintain Real-Time, Constant Surveillance in Iran
A critical element in Israel's national security is its satellite fleet, especially against Iran and the Houthis.

The Ofek-class and older Eros-class satellites have exceptional surveillance capabilities.

The most recent addition is the Dror 1 satellite, which provides communication capabilities. All were manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI).

On July 1, the Defense Ministry announced that Israeli satellites took photos of tens of millions of sq.km. in Iran, leading up to and during the June war.

Israeli satellites are now able to maintain real-time, constant tactical and operational surveillance of many spots all over the Islamic Republic.

Israel can now use satellites against Iran for air force attacks based on real-time analysis of Tehran's ballistic missile shooting patterns.

These satellites also enable new levels of immediate battle damage assessments to determine the number of additional aerial sorties required. For large targets, satellites help clarify which portions of the target need to be struck again.
Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei Talks to You in Pictures
Many elaborate propaganda posters coming from Ayatollah Khamenei's office express the regime's most bellicose aspirations and appear prominently on billboards at Tehran's busiest intersections.

One shows the sinking of the White House and Capitol into the ocean - in the same way as the Titanic. Another honors students on American campuses who were clamoring for the destruction of Israel, seven months after Hamas invaded Israel and the massacre of 1,200 Israelis.

A poster labeled "Reality of the West" shows an American gangster manipulating four puppets on strings, with the caption: "The reality of Western powers is a mafia. At the top of this mafia stand the prominent Zionist merchants, and the politicians that obey them. The U.S. is their showcase, and they're spread out everywhere." Another shows five Israeli leaders as mafia bosses, titled "Gang of terrorists," with the caption: "The Zionist regime is not a government. They're a gang of murderers."

The destruction of U.S. and Israeli fleets is depicted on a billboard in Tehran's busiest intersection, titled: "We drowned them all." A new poster depicts a Houthi dagger destroying an Israeli ship, with the caption: "What the people of Yemen and the Houthi government did in support of the people of Gaza is truly commendable."

The June war with Israel is represented by an enormous army boot crushing an Israeli city, accompanied by heavy rocket fire, captioned: "The Zionist regime was practically knocked out and crushed under the blows of the Islamic Republic." Another, titled: "Brought to Ruins," shows a skull with a Jewish star on its forehead, with rockets destroying an Israeli city in the background. Interlocutors with Iran should be forced to view this Iranian artwork before they sit down with representatives of the Ayatollah regime.
March of the Living marks 81 years since Lodz Ghetto liquidation
The March of the Living held a solemn March of Remembrance in Łódź, Poland, on Aug. 29 to mark 81 years since the liquidation of its ghetto, one of the largest established by Germany during the Holocaust.

Holocaust survivor Leon Weintraub, 99, who was deported from Łódź to Auschwitz as a teenager, joined the mayor, dignitaries and community members in retracing the route from the Jewish cemetery to Radegast Station—the site of the last transport of Jews to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Weintraub, who went on to survive imprisonment in multiple camps before being liberated, shared his testimony with participants, urging the younger generation to remain vigilant amid rising antisemitism.

“The memory of the Holocaust guarantees that something like this will never happen again. The worst thing is forgetting. We are all born human, and I hope that you remain human,” said Weintraub.

Michel Gourary, director of the European March of the Living, warned of rising Jew-hatred and called for the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism.

“The March of the Living is not only about memory, it is about responsibility, vigilance and the promise of a better future,” he said.

The commemoration event was organized in partnership with the City of Łódź, regional and Jewish community organizations, and the Marek Edelman Dialogue Center.

A total of 210,000 Jews passed through the Łódź Ghetto, aka the Litzmannstadt Ghetto (after the Nazi German name for Łódź). Only 877, including 12 children, were alive when the Red Army arrived on Jan. 19, 1945.
Revealed: The story behind Nazi who 'stole' missing painting that was spotted last week in an Argentina apartment
'This person is a snake of the worst kind'.

Those were the chilling words of an American interrogator after spending four hours in the company of the slippery Nazi Friedrich Kadgien.

Now, nearly 50 years after his death, the misdeeds of the wartime SS officer and leading aide of the monstrous Hermann Goering are finally getting the attention they deserve.

As the Mail reported last week, the listing of a property owned by his daughter in Argentina - where he died in 1978 - sparked a police search for a painting allegedly stolen from a Jewish art dealer.

But when officers arrived at the home of Patricia Kadgien in the city of Mar del Plata, they found that Portrait of a Lady, by 18th century painter Fra Galgario, had been replaced with a tapestry depicting horses.

Now, amidst global interest and confusion about where the painting has ended up, the Mail can reveal the astonishing story of how Kadgien fled Allied clutches after the Nazis' defeat in the Second World War.

His escape was made possible in part by incompetence, but also a willingness by authorities in Switzerland in the immediate aftermath of the war issue Kadgien with a visa and to shield him from an American extradition request.

He was able to build a new life and career as a deal broker and arms dealer in Brazil and Argentina, the latter of which in particular became notorious for sheltering leading Nazis.

War criminals Adolf Eichmann - the chief architect of the Holocaust - and Auschwitz death camp doctor Josef Mengele were among those who found a safe haven under the regime of Juan Peron.

Speaking of Kadgien's flight to safety, Argentine historian Julio Mutti told the Mail: 'The truth is that it doesn't surprise me at all.

'There are many stories of worse Nazi criminals, even with insistent extradition requests from Europe, who were able to do it without any problems.

'These Nazis were sheltered and protected by the Argentine government. How could Kadgien not have been able to do it, having had numerous financial resources?

'Besides, he only faced a weak extradition attempt by the Americans when he was in Switzerland.
Belgian doctor writes 'Jewish' on nine-year-old patient's medical report
A Belgian radiologist wrote “Jewish” under the medical issues section of a patient’s Emergency Department report. This was first revealed when a censored version of the letter circulated on social media on Sunday.

The radiologist, Dr. Qassim Arkawazy at AZ Zeno Campus Knokke-Heist hospital, filled out the report for the patient, who is nine years old and was experiencing “trauma pain in the left forearm.”

Underneath the section “current problem,” Arkawazy wrote “Pain in the left forearm, fell from the climbing structure to the ground; a man fell on top of her” and subsequently “Jewish (Israeli).”

Reminiscent of 1930s Europe
Social media users were quick to point out that writing “Jewish (Israeli)” under medical issues is reminiscent of discriminatory practices from the 1930s in pre-Holocaust Europe, the implication being that the patient’s Jewish identity is a “problem.”

X/Twitter user SwordofSaolomon, who does open source research into antisemitic individuals, found that Arkawazy has shared myriad antisemitic and Islamist posts on Facebook. This includes an AI-generated image depicting hassidic Jews as vampires about to eat a sleeping baby, as well as a cartoon of several babies decapitated by the point of a Star of David.


Man arrested after Jewish boy shot with an air rifle in Bournemouth
Police have arrested a 26-year-old man in relation to the shooting of a Jewish boy with an air rifle on Saturday 23 August.

The teenage victim, who was walking to synagogue in the East Cliff area of Bournemouth, was shot by someone in a passing car, sustaining a superficial injury to his forehead. The suspect is alleged to have shouted obscenities before firing the weapon.

Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Jenkins of Dorset Police, said: “We have been carrying out extensive enquiries as part of our investigation and have now made an arrest in connection with the incident.

“We understand the concern that this incident has caused to members of the community and we are continuing to liaise with them to provide updates and reassurance. “We are also continuing to support and update the victims with the progress of the investigation.”

The attack was one of a number of antisemitic incidents to occur in Bournemouth over the August bank holiday weekend, including several swastikas appearing on homes with mezuzot.

Speaking to the Telegraph, Rabbi Alan Lewis of the Bournemouth Hebrew Congregation, said: “The young man who was shot is a religious Jew who was wearing a skull cap. It was very obvious he was Jewish.

“Then several people living on Manor Road woke up to find that swastikas had been painted on their homes. The homes had a mezuzah outside, so it was obvious that Jewish people lived there.”

Rabbi Alperowitz, who helps run Chabad Bournemouth, was one of the people to wake up on Shabbat morning to find a swastika on his house.


4,000-year-old lamp wicks discovered in central Israel
Oil-lamp wicks dating back four millennia, making them among the oldest ever discovered, have been unearthed in an archaeological dig in central Israel, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced on Sunday.

The ancient wicks were preserved inside clay lamps used for illumination in the Intermediate Bronze Age (c. 2500–2000 BCE), according to the IAA. They were uncovered two years ago near the central Israeli city of Yehud just north of Ben-Gurion International Airport during an excavation ahead of the establishment of a new neighborhood in the city.

The find was especially rare due to its location in the humid coastal plain; wicks are generally destroyed by use or decompose in the soil.

“This is a unique discovery that we did not expect could ever be found in the moist Mediterranean climate; these wicks are among the few of their era known to us in the world,” according to IAA researchers Naama Sukenik and Yonah Maor. “Although wicks were a common product for lighting in the ancient world, the fact that they are made of organic fibers makes it difficult to discover them in an archaeological dig,” they added.

The lamps were found in ancient graves, as was common practice at the time, alongside other burial offerings, including various types of pottery, animal bones, metal weapons and jewelry, according to excavation directors Gilad Itach, Yossi Elisha and Yaniv Agmon.

“While these lamps must have been used to illuminate the underground, dark burial space during the burial ceremony itself, it seems that this was not their only function,” they said. “Just like today, thousands of years ago, the fire burning in a lamp symbolized the human soul. The common term we use today, ‘ner neshama,’ the flame of the soul, probably originated thousands of years ago.”
New kindergarten established at West Bank outpost evacuated under 2005 disengagement
A kindergarten was opened in the illegal settlement outpost of Homesh on Monday, 20 years after it was evacuated under the 2005 disengagement plan, in a step that was praised by Education Minister Yoav Kisch and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich as boosting Israel’s control over the West Bank.

In a message sent to the Samaria Regional Council of the northern West Bank for the beginning of the new school year, Kisch said Israel was “planting new roots of education and the future” in Homesh, while Smotrich said the opening of the kindergarten was “not just an educational event but a symbol of rebirth and renewed life in the heart of Samaria,” using the biblical name for the region.

The new kindergarten is supported by the Education Ministry and its department for the religious education network.

In May this year, the security cabinet approved the construction of, or retroactive legalization and recognition of, 22 new West Bank settlements, including at Homesh and Sa-Nur, two of four settlements evacuated under the disengagement plan.

Existing structures at Homesh, principally a yeshiva, have yet to be legalized, however.

Organizations that campaign against the settlement movement have strongly condemned the reestablishment of the settlements in the northern West Bank, arguing that they interrupt Palestinian territorial contiguity in the area and will create friction with the local Palestinian population. Construction is carried out at the illegal West Bank outpost of Homesh, May 29, 2023. (Flash90/File)

“I salute the pioneering settlers who are strengthening sovereignty [over the West Bank] on the ground,” said Kisch, in his message to the Homesh settlers on Monday.

“The Ministry of Education under my leadership will provide educational solutions to every Jewish settlement in the Land of Israel,” he added.

Smotrich was similarly effusive, lauding the renewal of the settler presence in Homesh.
Mike Huckabee visits school on Gaza border: 'Israel has right to make sure Hamas never harms it again'
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visited an elementary school in the Eshkol Regional Council near the Gaza border Monday to mark the opening of the 2025–26 school year. Huckabee’s visit took place against the backdrop of explosions from the Gaza Strip caused by ongoing military operations.

In his opening remarks, school principal Eyal Dvori turned to Huckabee and said: “Yaffa Rudaeff, an art teacher who is here with us, is still waiting for her partner, Lior, whose body remains held in Gaza. Do everything in your power to bring back the hostages and end the war.”

During the visit, Huckabee was asked by Ynet whether the U.S. administration believes Israel should end the war and whether Washington is setting a deadline. “Israel has to get the hostages back and Israel has to defeat Hamas,” he said. “Those are the two goals that President Trump has made very clear — and how that happens is something that Israel has to decide.” He added that the objectives are also a condition to “protect children throughout the land of Israel."

On the question of a deadline, Huckabee said: “It is not our place to give a deadline, it is our place to stand with our friends.” He explained that “Israel was attacked, they did not attack anyone, they were attacked viciously and brutally ... they have a right to make sure that Hamas never harms them again."

He described the situation as complex because of the “stubbornness and the evil of Hamas.”

The ambassador also addressed international pressure, saying it should be directed at Hamas. “The pressure needs to be put on Hamas. They're the ones who created this. They're the ones that prolonged it; they're the ones that started the suffering, they're the ones who continued the suffering,” he said. “I want to know when the is world going to put pressure Hamas to feed the hostages. The pictures we are seeing of them are pictures of real starvation. They are being tortured — and I want the world to join with me in not only demanding their return but until their return treat them like human beings and give them some food.”


Funerals held for murdered hostages, reserve soldier killed in Gaza fighting
Thousands of Israelis turned out to mourn murdered hostages Idan Shtivi and Ilan Weiss as well as Sgt. First Class (res.) Ariel Lubliner as they were buried Monday at separate funerals around the country.

The bodies of Shtivi and Weiss were recovered from the Gaza Strip last week by the Israel Defense Forces, nearly two years after both were killed during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, terror onslaught.

Lubliner, a 34-year-old reserve soldier, was killed Saturday in the southern Gaza Strip, in a suspected friendly fire incident.

Shtivi, who was murdered at the Nova music festival, was buried following a funeral procession through the center of the country that was lined with Israelis waving flags and signs reading “Sorry.”

“Idan had a pure heart, he always saw others and cared for the weaker elements of society,” said his mother, Dalit, at his funeral ceremony in Kfar Ma’as. “He was full of generosity, so sensitive and loving. He was taken from the world at his peak. Idani, you are a child of God… I’m sorry I couldn’t watch over you and protect you.

The 28-year-old was a nature lover and photography enthusiast who was about to begin his second year studying sustainability and government at Herzliya’s Reichman University. He leaves behind his parents, Eli and Dalit, three siblings and his girlfriend.

“For an entire year I believed you were alive, how do we even begin to part with you?” said Shtivi’s girlfriend, Stav Levy in her eulogy. “My heart aches just to imagine what you went through.”

Shtivi had been listed as missing for a year until the army announced on October 7, 2024, that he had been killed, and his body abducted to Gaza.


Rabbi Leo Dee detained for putting on tefillin on Temple Mount on wedding day
Israel Police officers apprehended Rabbi Leo Dee on the Temple Mount on Sunday morning. Dee, who lost his wife, Lucy, and daughters Maia and Rina in a roadside terrorist attack in the West Bank in April 2023, ascended the Mount ahead of his upcoming wedding to Aliza Teplitsky.

“This morning, I found myself standing on the Temple Mount. Tonight I will be standing under the chuppah, smashing a glass to remember the destruction of our holiest place. That glass is supposed to symbolize brokenness. But here’s the thing I’ve learned in the two-plus years since the tragedy that took my wife and two young daughters: commemorating brokenness is never enough,” Dee told The Jerusalem Post.

He was held by police after wearing tefillin as part of morning prayers, and was released after receiving a summons for a hearing.

Footage from the scene on Sunday morning shows Dee dancing and singing in celebration in the Temple Mount plaza, donning the tefillin.

On April 7, 2023, the British-Israeli family was driving along Highway 57 in the Jordan Valley in the West Bank during the week of Passover. Lucy, 48, and her daughters, Maia, 20, and Rina, 15, were ambushed near the Hamra Junction when Palestinian terrorists opened fire on their vehicle, causing it to crash after ramming it off the road. The terrorists shot the victims at close range before fleeing. The sisters were declared dead at the scene, while Lucy succumbed to her wounds a few days later.

“Life is like walking up a down escalator. The moment you stop moving, you start sliding backward. Standing still is not an option – not for me, not for Israel, not for the Jewish people,” Dee continued.


The magnificent magnum opus of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
On Sept. 1, the day that Israeli students returned to school after summer vacation, the Jerusalem-based Koren Publishers aptly released The Koren Shalem Humash by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, billed as “his greatest work.”

Sacks’s magnum opus, whose full title is The Koren Shalem Humash With Rashi and Onkelos: Translation and Commentary by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (The Magerman Edition), features the legendary former British chief rabbi’s translation of all five books of Moses presented in plain, readable English.

Sadly, Sacks was unable to complete the mission before his death on Nov. 7, 2020, at the age of 72. The new Humash was painstakingly collated posthumously by a group of scholars who also sifted through 40 years of the rabbi’s books, essays, lectures and media appearances to find “the perfect blend of contemporary and ancient wisdom.”

The Koren team, in partnership with The Rabbi Sacks Legacy, crafted this Humash to make Rabbi Sacks’ teachings more accessible than ever, ensuring that his unique voice continues to guide future generations.

“For decades, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks inspired the Jewish world with his profound wisdom, bridging ancient tradition with contemporary thought,” Koren states. “More than just a book, the Koren Shalem Humash is a gateway to Rabbi Sacks’s enduring vision of Judaism—rooted in tradition and speaking powerfully to the challenges of today.”

‘The integration of all of those thoughts’

Alan Sacks, who is eight years younger than his famous brother and serves as president of the Israel board of The Rabbi Sacks Legacy, told JNS in a studio interview on Aug. 27 that the Humash had been Rabbi Sacks’s “last major project.”

“His death came as a surprise in the sense that he did not realize how ill he was,” said his brother, a top attorney who made aliyah with his family in 1981 and lives in Jerusalem. “I think he did understand that [the Humash] was the last major project that he was going to undertake beyond all of the other activities that he was involved in, in terms of diplomacy and speaking on behalf of Israel and educating and so on.”

He said, “The Humash is a culmination of a life’s work on the part of Rabbi Sacks, synthesized into what is a rather hefty book. But I think that anyone who takes the time—and I imagine it’ll take time over the years to absorb everything that Rabbi Sacks has to say there—will come out with an added dimension of what it means to study the Torah in contemporary circumstances.”
A Legacy Unveiled: Rabbi Sacks’s Final Masterpiece
In this episode, hosted by Steve Linde for (JNS), we explore the legacy of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks through the lens of his final and most ambitious project: the new Sacks Chumash. Recently published by Koren Publishers Jerusalem, this monumental work of more than 1,500 pages has been described as Rabbi Sacks’s magnum opus, integrating decades of Torah scholarship into a single volume with deep contemporary relevance.

Joining the program is Alan Sacks, the Rabbi’s younger brother and president of the Rabbi Sacks Legacy Board in Israel. In a deeply personal and thoughtful conversation, he reflects on Rabbi Sacks’s early life, intellectual brilliance, moral clarity, and tireless commitment to Jewish thought, leadership, and education.

Topics discussed include the unique structure and purpose of the Chumash, Rabbi Sacks’s approach to applying biblical teachings to modern societal challenges, the urgency of Jewish unity, and his likely response to the October 7 attacks and the rise of global antisemitism. Alan Sacks also shares rare insights into his brother’s humility, discipline, and relentless pursuit of justice and wisdom.

This episode is essential viewing for anyone interested in Jewish learning, Torah commentary, leadership, and the enduring message of one of the greatest Jewish thinkers of our time.




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