Friday, September 12, 2025

09/12 Links Pt2: 700 Days Since Oct. 7: Resilience Amid Conflict, From Gideon to Gaza; Israel Derangement Syndrome; The tyranny of the crybully

From Ian:

700 Days Since Oct. 7: Resilience Amid Conflict, From Gideon to Gaza
Three thousand years ago, 300 resourceful Israelite soldiers under the leadership of Gideon defeated 100,000 Midianites. Celebrated for bravery, strategy, and integrity, the legendary victory is also a story of large-scale violence that raises questions about proportionality, accountability and the limits of even divinely guided action.

Rigid ideology can cloud judgment, and miraculous triumphs can breed overconfidence or misread moral authority. Courage alone is not enough; wisdom, restraint, and discernment are essential. Military and political leaders alike must weigh consequences carefully, balancing the survival of their people with the legitimacy of their actions.

Israel’s now nearly two-year war with Hamas is a stark reminder of these lessons.

Civilians huddle under a relentless rain of rockets, including cluster munitions aimed at Jewish communities. Homes, schools, and hospitals tremble under constant threat. Recent attacks, like the murder of six Israelis at a Jerusalem bus stop, underscore that every citizen lives in danger while national leaders confront impossible choices. These are not abstract calculations — they are matters of life and death, of protecting communities while upholding the ethical framework that gives Israel’s actions moral and legal weight.

Fighting terror while preserving legitimacy demands deliberate, disciplined action: measured responses, protection of civilians, and principled leadership. Every strike, blockade, or intervention carries consequences that ripple beyond the battlefield. Just as Israel’s political and military leaders must navigate these realities, leaders in the Diaspora must resist judgments that oversimplify the complexity on the ground.

Policy and public rhetoric must balance urgency with restraint, ensuring that responses remain ethical even in a volatile reality. Understanding this complexity is not weakness — it is the foundation of enduring strength.

History offers repeated warnings of what happens when moral clarity fades or collective punishment replaces justice. Pogroms, massacres, and decades of conflict show that indiscriminate retaliation only fuels cycles of violence and suffering. When Israel defends itself, civilians in Gaza may be harmed; yet failing to defend Israel allows terror to traumatize communities. Facing this dilemma, leaders must act decisively while resisting the impulse to scapegoat. Precision and discipline are essential to maintain legitimacy both internationally and within Israel’s own conscience.
Andrew Fox: Israel Derangement Syndrome
What we are seeing is not “criticism of Israel”. It is a new, globalised antisemitism.

When Israeli athletes are shunned, when Jewish students are harassed on campus, when faeces are smeared on London synagogues, when kosher restaurants are vandalised in Paris, Berlin, New York — it is not about Gaza. It is about Jews.

BDS was always about this. Its founders admitted openly that their goal was not two states but the erasure of Israel altogether. Now, through lawfare, media manipulation, and social media swarming, they have normalised antisemitism as progressive chic.

This is why the language of “genocide” is so dangerous. It is not simply inaccurate; it is incitement. It primes populations to view Israel (and by extension Jews everywhere) as perpetrators of the greatest crime imaginable. That narrative does not just delegitimise Israel; it endangers Jewish communities worldwide.

The only thing being genocided in this conflict is the truth itself.

The fact that Israel did not initiate this war. Hamas did, with the most brutal massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. The fact that Israel has gone to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties in a conflict that Hamas deliberately embeds within civilian populations. The fact that the international system, from The Hague to the UN, has been weaponised to persecute one state, and one state only, because it is Jewish.

Israel is not perfect. No state at war is. However, to pretend that it is guilty of genocide while Hamas openly proclaims its genocidal intent is to invert reality itself. This inversion is the sickness of our age. It is Israel Derangement Syndrome, and it is spreading fast.

Some might say: so what if Europeans complain about Eurovision? So what if campus radicals shout about genocide? Israel remains strong, armed, and resilient.

My reply is that history shows us to take such disturbances seriously. Demonisation always comes before violence. Look at the USA, where political violence is becoming normalised. Lies always lead to persecution, and when Israel loses bipartisan support in the United States, when antisemitism becomes mainstreamed in global institutions, when Jewish life is once again made fragile in Europe and America, the consequences will not be minor.

This is not about Gaza. It is about the future of the Jewish people.

We are living through the largest propaganda assault in modern history. Hamas’s 7th October massacre was designed not only to kill Israelis but to unleash a narrative war that would isolate Israel, fracture its alliances, and inflame antisemitism worldwide. It has succeeded far beyond Hamas’s wildest dreams.

The danger extends beyond Israel. It threatens the very integrity of truth. If lies can be weaponised to label the most targeted, scrutinised, and restrained military campaign in modern warfare as “genocide,” then words mean nothing, facts mean nothing, and law itself becomes a pogrom.

That is the world Hamas wants. That is the world antisemitism demands. Unless the sickness of Israel Derangement Syndrome is confronted head-on, that is the world we will all be forced to live in.
The tyranny of the crybully
We’ve heard much talk of flags this year, but the emergence and proliferation of this particular icon is perhaps the most significant. This was brought home by its over-abundance at Glastonbury festival this summer, where the meaning of the Palestinian flag became palpable: it now serves to demonstrate that you support victims against oppressors, the weak against the strong, good against evil. That’s why the assembled multitudes saw nothing wrong with chanting Jew-killing slogans, such as ‘Death, death to the IDF’. They were on the side of the angels against the perpetrators of ‘genocide’. The Palestinian flag is now the global symbol of the victim.

Victimhood is much sought-after for good reasons. Nothing can gainsay the righteous fury of the victim who suffers – the victim who has right on his side and whose every response and deed can therefore be permitted. The victim feels wronged by an unjust and cruel world and we must feel his pain. Those who question the motives of the victim can be angrily dismissed as cruel, heartless or accomplices of the oppressors themselves.

Nothing can satiate the thirst for vengeance the victim gleefully seeks. Armed with self-righteousness, the victim can behave as he pleases, harassing and threatening others while protesting it is he who is under attack. The victimhood activist today is personified in the figure of the crybully – a term coined by Julie Burchill.

It’s a seductive mindset and unbeatable formula, which is why we’ve seen it in all its gruesomeness in recent years. The dubious #MeToo movement of the past decade was allowed to gain traction because no one dared oppose or doubt the claimants seeking recompense against their transgressors. The belligerent self-righteousness of the Black Lives Matter movement was of a similar ilk and was indulged for the same reasons. Radical trans activists, as Graham Linehan knows only too well, made great political advances by portraying themselves as persecuted martyrs who just wanted to ‘be nice’ and stop kids from killing themselves.

And it’s going on right now in Britain in its most egregious and cunning form, with attempts to define and encode ‘Islamophobia’, a term that seeks to shield any criticism of Islam or Muslims by ringfencing each under the category ‘persecuted and oppressed’.

The identitarian right also drinks deep from this well of self-pity and resentment.

None of this is particularly new. Much of the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche centred on the self-righteousness of the persecuted and the psychology of resentment. Writing in 1888 of the desire for ‘justice’ (that is, vengeance) then preached by many Christians and socialists, he concluded: ‘What is common to both, and unworthy in both, is that someone has to be to blame for the fact that one suffers – in short, that the sufferer prescribes for himself the honey of revenge as a medicine for his suffering… this thirst for revenge as a thirst for pleasure.’


Can American Judaism Survive the Israel Divide?
When Jews gather in synagogues on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur this month, will their rabbis seek to rally them to stand with Israel and against the surge of antisemitism fueled by blood libels against the Jewish state? Or will they instead use their pulpits to virtue signal their support for the false charges of “genocide” being hurled at Jerusalem? Those are the questions that JNS editor-in-chief Jonathan Tobin is posing.

He’s joined in this week’s episode of Think Twice by Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt, chair of the Rabbinic Zionist Coalition, who lamented the fact that so many Jews rely on outlets like The New York Times and NPR for news, which base their coverage on an uncritical acceptance of an anti-Israel and pro-Hamas narrative. He says the Rabbinic Zionist Coalition is needed more than ever now because as the post-Oct. 7 war drags on with antisemitism growing, Israel needs both the support of American Jewry and their spiritual leaders more than ever. He believes that the imperative for rabbis is to remember that “we should not allow our relationship with Israel to be defined or determined by Israel's enemies.”

Weinblatt said he was concerned by the way a growing number of young rabbis are embracing an anti-Zionist agenda promulgated by opponents of the Jewish state. Their opinions were, he said, as is the case with many young Americans, influenced by progressive ideologies that falsely labeled Jews and Israel as “white” oppressors. Moreover, he said it was essential for all Jews to recognize the centrality of the land of Israel in Judaism. While some are focused on misleading allegations about Israeli behavior, even if some of the charges lodged against the Jewish state were true, “We do not love Israel because Israel is perfect, nor do we need Israel to be perfect for us to love her.” The mainstreaming of antisemitic attitudes and blood libels is, he said, simply a reversion to the pre-Holocaust reality in which Jew-hatred was normal.

He pointed out that there are many great young rabbis who are inspiring their congregants to have a stronger connection with Israel. But part of the problem is the way some of the seminaries educating rabbis are admitting open opponents of Israel’s existence, something, he said, they would not do if candidates for admission were homophobic or racist. These institutions do so because they are desperate for students and also because they, too, are influenced by progressive attitudes about Israel.

Chapters
00:00 Rabbis, Synagogues, and Israel's Role in the Jewish Community
04:44 The Impact of Media Narratives on Jewish Identity
09:53 The Role of Rabbis in Shaping Support for Israel
14:38 Generational Perspectives on Zionism and Anti-Zionism
19:31 Rabbinical Seminaries and the Future of Jewish Leadership
24:37 High Holidays: A Crucial Moment for Jewish Unity
26:29 The Reality of Israeli Society
28:51 Understanding Hamas and Israel's Goals
31:43 The Erosion of Jewish Identity and Support for Israel
34:06 Political Divisions and Jewish Support for Israel
39:13 Rabbis and Political Endorsements
41:34 The Stakes of Anti-Zionism in Politics
46:45 Congregational Reactions to Political Sermons
48:36 Rabbis' Role in Countering Criticism of Israel


Danny Cohen: Jews are now being persecuted all over Britain
Just down the coast in Brighton, the Jewish community has been experiencing a persistent wave of antisemitic abuse. Local Jewish residents tell me of a poisonous litany of hate crimes and destruction, with a local memorial to victims of the 7 October pogrom under consistent attack.

The memorial has been vandalised over fifty times. Jews visiting the memorial have faced chants of “die die”, with gun gestures pointed at the back of their heads. Faeces has been left on the ‘book of the dead’. Swastikas and Holocaust denial graffiti have been plastered nearby. It is only due to the dedication of the local Jewish community that each time the memorial is destroyed it is re-built with love and care.

I have found it hard to stop thinking about this memorial. It is symbolic of the poisonous Jew-hate that has emerged from the shadows over the last two years. A quiet place to commemorate the murder of Jews in a terrorist atrocity has itself become the target of violent racism. A place to mourn has suffered serial vandalism, theft, abuse and destruction.

These acts of violence have nothing to do with differing views on Israel’s strategy to defeat Hamas. They do nothing to advance the Palestinian cause. They are a direct and calculated attack on Jewish people at their most vulnerable.

We should be in no doubt that this is leaving Jews in a state of fear. Local Brighton and Hove Rabbi Dr Zanardo reports that local congregants are taking off their Star of David necklaces when they go to the doctor and removing the prayer scrolls typically attached to the doors of Jewish homes. The echoes of historic persecution of Jews are chillingly clear.

And so the days and weeks pass by and Jew-hate embeds itself more deeply in Britain. We must all ask ourselves what is happening to our society when antisemitism has reached these proportions, when Jews feel forced to hide their identity and face violent abuse on the streets. Ultimately this is not only about the Jewish community but the democratic norms that keep us all safe.

The canary in the coalmine is raising its voice. Has anyone in power in our country noticed?
Hen Mazzig: The Hollywood boycott of Israel is a blow against the prospect of peace
This boycott would ironically make it harder for films like No Other Land to get made, something that I’m sure the signatories wouldn’t want.

The Israeli Film and TV Producers Association captured the paradox in its statement: “The signatories of this petition are targeting the wrong people.” They are right. Israeli creators have produced thousands of films, documentaries, and series that confront occupation, violence, and grief— including Palestinian perspectives often absent elsewhere. To boycott them is not an act of solidarity; it is an act of erasure.

But the deeper hypocrisy is silence. Emma Stone and Mark Ruffalo can sign a letter condemning Israel. Olivia Colman, Aimee Lou Wood, and Josh O’Connor can posture against a fragile artistic community half a world away. I may have missed it, but I don't recall billboard campaigns for the release of Israeli hostages, or wailing when Hamas raped Israeli women, who couldn’t scream for help. It seems like their loudest cries seem to arrive only when it is easy, fashionable, and convenient. These actors would never have imagined boycotting Palestinian filmmakers from Gaza after October 7th, yet they are willing to do it to Israelis now. Ask yourself why. The only reason I can muster is that they believe, consciously or not, that October 7th was in some way justified.

There’s also been no similar coverage or concern for victims of other conflicts. Where was the rush to sign a letter for the slaughter in Darfur, for the millions displaced in Sudan, no rallying cry for victims in Myanmar or the Democratic Republic of Congo? Those conflicts draw no high-profile celebrity protests, no red-carpet statements or public grief. Why? Because Hamas’s propaganda machine pumps imagery and slogans into Western feeds daily, turning Gaza into the only war that seems to exist. For these actors, selective outrage has become a performance— one where Palestinian suffering is amplified, but every other tragedy is erased.

Meanwhile, those who actually live the consequences— the Israeli and Palestinian artists still working together— are pleading to be heard. As the Israeli association declared: “We work with Palestinian creators, telling our shared stories and promoting peace and an end to violence… This call for a boycott is profoundly misguided.” Their words are not the language of propaganda. They are the vocabulary of peace.

Hollywood’s problem is not passion. It is selectivity. Stars who once demanded “Time’s Up” for abuse in their own industry now overlook the systematic sexual violence Hamas used against Israelis. Voices who champion “inclusion” at the Oscars now seek to exclude an entire national cinema. The same actors who campaign for free expression are attempting to smother it.

Stories are not weapons of war. They are bridges across it. To silence the artists is to silence the possibility of dialogue, empathy, and change. Hollywood should know better: cinema is not about choosing sides but seeing lives. Boycotting those who risk the most to tell difficult truths is not courage. It is prejudice.
Paramount Condemns Boycott of Israeli Film Industry: ‘We Need More Engagement Not Less’
Paramount condemned the Film Workers for Palestine pledge to boycott Israeli film festivals, cinemas, broadcasters and production companies in a Friday statement exclusively obtained by TheWrap.

“At Paramount, we believe in the power of storytelling to connect and inspire people, promote mutual understanding and preserve the moments, ideas and events that shape the world we share. This is our creative mission,” the statement read.

“We do not agree with recent efforts to boycott Israeli filmmakers,” it continued. “Silencing individual creative artists based on their nationality does not promote better understanding or advance the cause of peace. The global entertainment industry should be encouraging artists to tell their stories and share their ideas with audiences throughout the world. We need more engagement and communication — not less.”

Paramount is the only studio that has publicly responded to the petition that now over 4,000 film industry professionals have signed. Notable signatories include Emma Stone, Ayo Edebiri, Mark Ruffalo, Tilda Swinton and Andrew Garfield.

Film Workers for Palestine published the open letter on Monday. It includes a pledge to avoid working with Israeli film institutions that the group deems are “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.” Such institutions include “festivals, cinemas, broadcasters and production companies,” according to the petition.

The letter further defined complicity as “whitewashing or justifying genocide and apartheid and/or partnering with the government committing them,” in reference to Israel.
Charles Dance: Britain f***ed up with the Balfour Declaration and should apologise
“I’m a bit obsessed at the moment with what’s happening in the Middle East, he said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph. “Anyone with a conscience should be.”

The actor went on "Even if [the Israel-Hamas war] stopped tomorrow, there would not be peace in the Middle East until the Balfour Declaration is unpicked.

"France and England need to announce: ‘Sorry, we f***ed up’.”

The Balfour Declaration was created during the First World War by then-UK foreign secretary Arthur James Balfour. The statement to support a national homeland for the Jews, together with an earlier similar statement from France, helped pave the way for the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.

Pressed by the interviewer on whether he believes the Jewish people need a homeland, Dance said: “It’s very complicated. And no, indeed [there wasn’t anywhere for the Jews to go]. But it’s very apparent the mess that was created.”

Asked about a recent incident at the Royal Opera House where a Palestinian flag was unrolled by a performer on stage, Dance replied: “Did it do any harm? Don’t think it did. Whether it did any good I don’t know, but at least it keeps the question alive.”

In October 2023, Dance was one of more than 2,000 creatives to sign an open letter under the banner "Artists for Palestine UK" that called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the opening of Gaza’s crossings to allow in aid and an end to Western governments’ support for Israel.

Last year, he participated in the annual Palestine Festival of Literature, where he was one of a number of actors to read aloud the accusations against Israel regarding the alleged "genocide" in Gaza during the initial hearing of the case filed by South Africa at the International Court of Justice.
Dutch caretaker government to ban trade with Judea, Samaria Jews
The Netherlands will ban imports of goods from Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel announced on Wednesday, after lawmakers put pressure on his caretaker government.

Van Weel during a debate in parliament described The Hague’s latest move against Israel as drawing a “line in the sand” over the Hamas war.

The Dutch parliament had previously debated legislation to prohibit the import, sale and promotion of products produced by the 500,000-plus Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria, but the legislation failed to garner a majority.

The center-right People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD)—the largest faction in the Netherlands’ government since the right-wing Party for Freedom and centrist New Social Contract (NSC) party withdrew—resisted national action, preferring European Union-wide measures.

However, with the E.U.’s 27 countries divided, VVD lawmaker Eric van der Burg said Wednesday that the party now backs a national boycott.

According to Van Weel, The Hague’s boycott can be arranged “as soon as possible,” with an administrative order based on existing sanctions laws.
Netherlands joins countries set to boycott Eurovision 2026 if Israel takes part
The Netherlands will boycott next year’s Eurovision Song Contest if Israel takes part, Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS said on Friday, citing the “ongoing and severe human suffering in Gaza.”

The Dutch joined a growing list of European countries threatening to pull out of the contest, to be held in Vienna, including Ireland and Spain.

“AVROTROS’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest 2026 will not be possible as long as Israel remains admitted by the EBU,” it said in a statement, referring to the event organizer, the European Broadcasting Union. “If the EBU decides not to admit Israel, AVROTROS will be happy to participate next year.”

On Thursday, seven-time champion Ireland also said it would not take part alongside Israel, days after Spanish Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun said Spain should withdraw from Eurovision if Israel is allowed to participate.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also said after the last competition in May that Israel should be excluded in the future.

AVROTROS linked its decision to Israel’s campaign in Gaza, as well as what it described as a “serious violation of press freedom” by Israel. Anti-Israel demonstrators stage a protest outside the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest’s grand final in Basel on May 17, 2025. (Sebastien Bozon/AFP)

The broadcaster also accused Israel of “proven interference… during the last edition of the Song Contest, with the event being used as a political instrument.”


Thanks, Gary Lineker, for reminding us why we’re not missing you
The Che Guevara of prime-time telly, just he’s rather better dressed and with neater hair, and brandishing causes that were less revolutionary, more statements of the obvious. For him, the low-hanging fruit of modern discourse, the easiest targets and thus, like a pop star wailing about injustice, he could posture his views without having to trouble the mind with the practical issues that tax the actual decision-makers; affordability, political consensus and international law.

In the end, it cost him. Lineker was finally relieved, four months ago, of the £1.3m salary he received for his able presenting of Match of the Day, a job he held for 26 years, and could then focus on his very lucrative podcasting business, Goalhanger Productions, which made a reported £1.4m profit in the year ending May 2024.

The BBC tired, finally, of his contributions to the nation’s political conversation. Over the years he compared the Tories to Nazis, attacked them over the Rwanda migrant scheme, defended Just Stop Oil and criticised Brexit. Then, sensing the end of his contract was in sight, he upped the venom, attacking the BBC for withdrawing a film on Gaza whose narrator was found to have links to Hamas, and, as a final flourish, shared a social media post about Zionism that featured an illustration of a rat.

His unreserved apology echoing through the building as he was shown the door, he has been missing from our TV screens ever since. Until Wednesday night when the National Television Awards, ironically the concept quite out of date these days what with the kids not watching telly anymore, heralded him as TV Presenter of the Year.

The prize, he claimed, “demonstrates that it is OK to use your platform to speak up on behalf of those who have no voice”. And the room of sycophantic acolytes and fans cheered him to the rafters. Which, in such circumstances, TV folk at the front, grovelling TV viewers at the back, is no great feat. Anyone taking the stage and going “yah, boo, sucks” on anything from the recent rain to Trump could raise the roof.

As for Lineker’s assertion that he is a noble warrior giving a voice to those who have none, I thought the people of Palestine had Hamas, who (until such a time Palestinians disown them) make a tidy job of wishing for the extinction of Jewish people. Just Stop Oil had plenty of high-profile idiots to do their bidding until their leaders went to prison and they folded, and the people of Britain, foolhardy though they were, spoke of their antipathy for the Tories clearly enough at the last general election.


Time Out apologises for snubbing Israeli cuisine in 20 Best Middle Eastern restaurants list
Time Out magazine has apologised for the exclusion of Israeli restaurants from its compilation of London’s 20 Best Middle Eastern restaurants and added some to its list, after Jewish News reported that the contributor of the piece appeared to deliberately omit them.

As noted by Jewish News yesterday, the original list, which was compiled by Suzie Bakos, a supper-club influencer, began by describing “Syrian breakfasts, Kurdish brunches, Palestinian dinner parties and late-night Lebanese bites” – with not a single Israeli restaurant making the cut, despite a plethora of high quality Israeli culinary offerings in the capital.

The piece has now been changed, to include “Israeli feasts” in the introduction and includes three Israeli restaurants – Bubala in Spitalfields, The Palomar in Soho and Ottolenghi’s Rovi in Fitzrovia – among the twenty.

The magazine told Jewish News it had “updated our list of the Best Middle Eastern Restaurants in London to include Israeli restaurants. The initial omission was a very unfortunate oversight and the result of a human error; for this we do apologise. Our website contains recommendations and reviews of many of the outstanding Israeli and Jewish-owned restaurants across London, and we are looking forward to continuing to represent the breadth of Middle Eastern cuisine as we always have.

“We will always champion the many communities that make up our wonderfully diverse city. As a result of the oversight, we are undertaking a review of our commissioning and editing process.”

It transpired that in July, Bakos had written a piece for The New Arab in which she said Palestinian food was “a symbol of resistance in the face of erasure” and described Israeli food as “culinary theft… when its people are oppressed and their oppressors profit both financially and culturally from this appropriation.”

Bakos went on to say: “Traditional dishes that have a historical connection to Palestinians, Levantine Arabs and North Africans, such as hummus and falafel, have been subject to Israeli appropriation…Colonial powers have long taken indigenous dishes, food and ingredients, and renamed them to suit European languages and palates. Where Israel differs is its desire to present as indigenous.”

The author appeared not to know or care that more than half of Israel’s population is descended from Middle Eastern and North African Jews, who have lived in the area for millennia, and have the same traditions of cooking as their Arab neighbours.
Canada, Israel Davis Cup tie closed to fans amid safety concerns
An official Davis Cup tennis match between Canada, ranked sixth in the world, and Israel, ranked 30th, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, will be played behind closed doors due to “escalating safety concerns,” Tennis Canada said on Tuesday.

“Intelligence received from local authorities and national security agencies, combined with disruptions witnessed at other recent events both in Canada and internationally, indicated a risk of significant disruption to this event,” the sports associated said.

The Davis Cup World Group tie, scheduled to take place on Sept. 12-13, was supposed to be played at Scotiabank Centre.

“This decision was not taken lightly and was made in consultation with the International Tennis Federation,” Tennis Canada said.

Gavin Ziv, chief executive officer of the organization, said that shutting the tie to fans was the only way to preserve the event and “safeguard those involved.

“While this outcome is very disappointing, it allows the tie to proceed in Halifax and ensures that our athletes can continue to compete at the highest international level,” Ziv added.

Some 1,500 purchased tickets will be refunded in the next 30 days, ESPN reported.

Halifax Regional Police said that its personnel will be present at the event, the report added.
Berlin hall to host Israeli conductor after Belgian festival scraps performance
Berlin’s famed Konzerthaus stepped in at short notice to host Israeli conductor Lahav Shani after his invitation to a Belgian festival was rescinded because of the Gaza conflict.

Shani was due to conduct the Munich Philharmonic, his new orchestra, in Ghent next week. However, the Flanders Festival said that his current job as Chief Conductor of the Israel Philharmonic had given them pause.

“Lahav Shani has spoken out in favor of peace and reconciliation several times in the past,” the festival said in a statement. “But in the light of his role as the chief conductor of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, we are unable to provide sufficient clarity about his attitude to the genocidal regime in Tel Aviv.”

Israel has vehemently rejected accusations that it is committing genocide in Gaza, asserting that its military operation is directed at eliminating the Hamas terror group and rescuing hostages kidnapped during the October 7, 2023, massacre.

The Belgian festival’s decision drew condemnation from German politicians. Germany maintains it has a particular obligation to Israel because of its responsibility for the Holocaust, a position that has come under growing strain due to growing European alarm at the Gaza conflict.

“The rescinding of the invitation to the Munich Philharmonic and Lahav Shani is unacceptable,” wrote German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul. “Jews living here must never be exploited for the purpose of criticizing the Israeli government.”
Royal Geographical Society: We won’t remove ‘Zionism is white supremacy’ rant from journal
The Royal Geographical Society has confirmed it will not remove an article published by its journal which described how “white supremacist ideology is at the heart of the Zionist project” and cited an academic describing “Zionist Israeli sources” as “the financiers of the Islamophobic industry”, with a spokesperson for the Society suggesting that to do so would be “censorship”.

Kawtar Najib, a French academic studying in the UK, had her piece, titled: “The United Kingdom’s first anti-Muslim pogroms in a context of genocidal Islamophobia in Gaza”, published by The Geographical Journal in August. The publication is one of a number disseminated by the Royal Geographical Society together with the IBG (Institute of British Geographers) which described them as “international peer-reviewed geography journals”.

In the article, which is publicly available, Najib claims: “White supremacist ideology is at the heart of the Zionist project” and refers to a supposed “transnational Zionist movement that reproduces exclusionary ideas against Muslims”.

She also cites an academic who she claims “exposes the financiers of the Islamophobic industry in the United States by explaining that more than 70% of anti-Muslim rhetoric comes from Zionist Israeli sources”. Najib also condemns the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, for being “very reluctant to use the words ‘Islamophobia’ and ‘pogroms’ and instead talked about ‘far-right thuggery’”.

The Royal Geographical Society told Jewish News: “The Society considers academic freedom to be central to our mission of advancing geographical science – it is essential that individuals, and institutions, have the freedom to carry out geographical research activities without fear of discrimination, censorship or other restrictions.”

One of the academics cited in Najib’s piece is David Miller, the former University of Bristol professor who is now best known for regular pronouncements on social media such as “the entryist, subversion and surveillance networks that allow for complete Jewish supremacist dominance over our politics in Europe and the US … must be destroyed.”

Another is Hatem Bazian, best known by Jews as the man who once told attendees at an ‘anti-Israel’ protest to “take a look at the type of names on the building around campus—Haas, Zellerbach—and decide who controls this university”, as well as having shared antisemitic messages on social media, including one showing an Orthodox Jewish man with the caption, “I can now kill, rape, smuggle organs & steal the land of Palestinians”. Najib’s source for a claim that the far right rioters’ “sympathy for Zionism is open and enthusiastic” was a report from the Iranian regime’s outlet, Press TV.
Israelis withdraw from Spanish chess tournament after being barred from using national flag
Seven Israeli chess players registered for a Spanish tournament starting on Friday have all withdrawn from the event, said the organizers, who had told the players they would not be competing under their national flag, citing the conflict in Gaza and expressing solidarity with the Palestinians.

“One after another they kept pulling out and finally the last one, this very morning, decided not to come,” said Miguel Angel Olmo, president of the Sestao Chess Club that organizes the event.

Olmo said that even though they were forced to open the tournament to all players, they made it clear to the Israelis that they were not welcome.

“We have acted in accordance with international regulations, but we invited them not to take part and we thank them for their decision.”

The Sestao event has drawn more than 250 players from 33 countries.

“We respect the International Chess Federation regulations for open tournaments, but we also have convictions: we have worked to find a peaceful solution, informing the players and the public, and we believe we have achieved our goal,” the club said in a statement.

The International Chess Federation (FIDE), which was not available for comment, said last week it had not been consulted on the matter.

“FIDE had no prior knowledge of this decision, did not make any ruling on this, nor was it consulted by the organizers,” it said. “FIDE strongly condemns any form of discrimination, including on the basis of nationality and flag.”

Unlike Russian and Belarusian players, who since 2022 have been obliged to compete without their national colors due to sanctions, Israelis are not subject to such restrictions.
‘Absolute disgrace’: Antisemitism ‘couldn’t be addressed’ until Islamophobia ‘gave permission’
Sky News host James Macpherson discusses the special envoy to combat Islamophobia and the “moral universe” of the Labor government.

“But first, the government's special envoy to combat Islamophobia handed down his report today, which, ironically, is great news for Australia's Jewish community,” Mr Macpherson said.

“In this government's moral universe, anti-Semitism could not be addressed until Islamophobia gave permission.

“Anthony Albanese has the unique distinction of making the office of Prime Minister look smaller than it really is.”




J Street declares war on Israel
In his recent “No More Blank Checks” declaration, J Street founder and president Jeremy Ben-Ami has taken a more dramatic and hostile turn. While claiming to be a “pro-Israel” organization, its latest demands amount to a public campaign to undermine Israel’s right to self-defense, delegitimize its elected government, and embolden its enemies.

This is not constructive criticism; it is a declaration of political warfare against the Jewish state.

J Street calls for “new, stricter limits on offensive arms to Israel” and urges Congress to halt military support unless Israel complies with its political demands. This is not about peace; it’s about coercion. Israel faces existential threats from Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran.

To suggest that the U.S. should condition its support on Israel’s willingness to adopt J Street’s vision of diplomacy is reckless and dangerous. It ignores the reality that Israel’s security decisions are made in response to real-world threats, not ideological fantasies.


City of Dearborn Names Street After Terror-Supporting Newspaper Publisher
Shoppers, diners, and commuters in the Dearborn, Mich., area will now head to their favorite hot spot on a street named in honor of Osama Siblani, an Arab-American newspaper publisher who has advocated for Israel's destruction, praised terror groups like Hamas, and claimed the American government is "bought by the Zionist lobby."

The city of Dearborn on Monday honored the Lebanese-born Siblani, a prominent anti-Israel activist who founded the Arab American News outlet, with a plaque bearing his name at the intersection of Warren Avenue and Chase Road, a location home to Middle Eastern-style bakeries, a hookah lounge, and the Islamic Center of Detroit. Video from the ceremony posted on the city's Instagram account shows Siblani and supporters unveiling an honorary street sign with his name emblazoned across.

Siblani's radical track record in Dearborn—a heavily Muslim community known for being a hotbed of anti-Israel sentiment—includes numerous public appearances in which he praised Palestinian jihadi groups as "heroes," lauded the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, and threatened to send Israeli Jews "back to Poland."

During a September 2024 rally in Dearborn, when Israel was locked in a fierce fight against Hezbollah terrorists on its northern border, Siblani told a crowd chanting "death to Israel" that the terror group will "take care of the job" by eradicating the Jewish state, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which monitors radical activity.

Siblani later told the crowd: "To [Israeli prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu, who wants to bring [evacuated Israeli civilians back] to the north: We are going to take you back to Poland."

At a 2022 "Nakba Day rally" meant to honor the "catastrophe" of Israel's creation, Siblani said the Dearborn Muslim community will "lift Palestinians all the way to victory" and encouraged his supporters to "fight."

"We are the Arabs who are going to lift Palestinians all the way to victory, whether we are in Michigan and whether we are in Jenin," he said in remarks captured by MEMRI. "Believe me, everyone should fight within his means. They will fight with stones, others will fight with guns, others will fight with planes, drones, and rockets, others will fight with their voices, and others will fight with their hands and say: 'Free, free Palestine!'"

Sacha Roytman, CEO of the Combat Antisemitism Movement, told the Washington Free Beacon that honoring someone like Siblani will only encourage extremism and support for terror.

"Wayne County's naming of a street in honor of Osama Siblani is a disturbing move that only stokes the flames of hate," Roytman said. "This is a man who has publicly advocated for Israelis to be targeted with 'stones, guns, planes, drones, and rockets.' Local leaders have a duty to promote the safety and welfare of all residents, yet by celebrating someone who incites violence, Wayne County has done the exact opposite. The growing normalization of such toxic rhetoric undermines the security of Jewish Americans, who are already facing unprecedented levels of antisemitic hostility."


Why can’t the BBC bring itself to call Hamas terrorists?
On Monday, a terror attack in Jerusalem claimed the lives of six Israeli civilians.

Two men, armed with black market machine guns, drove to a civilian area, jumped onto a public bus and opened fire. Around half a dozen people still remain in hospital in a serious condition.

Israel called it a terror attack. Hamas, a terrorist group, claimed responsibility for it. The attackers, both claimed by the group as members, deliberately targeted civilians in order to… spread terror.

But one organisation that could not bring itself to call it a terror attack: the BBC.

Instead, the assailants were described only as "gunmen", and the only use of the word "terrorist" was in scare quotes and attributed as an Israeli claim.

The corporation has faced similar criticism before. World Affairs Editor John Simpson said in 2023: "Terrorism is a loaded word, which people use about an outfit they disapprove of morally.

"It's simply not the BBC's job to tell people who to support and who to condemn – who are the good guys and who are the bad guys.

"We regularly point out that the British and other governments have condemned Hamas as a terrorist organisation, but that's their business."

But the JC has identified at least three instances in which BBC News used the word "terrorist" without attribution.

A December 2019 article referred to the survivors of the London Bridge and Manchester Arena attacks as "terror attack survivors".

Likewise, a documentary aired in 2023 about Manchester Arena bomber Salman Abedi labelled him a "homegrown terrorist".

And 2017 "BBC News Special" on the day of the Westminster attack called the incident the "Westminster Terror Attack".

Asked why the BBC felt it right to apply the word "terrorist" in these instances, but not the mass shooting in Jerusalem, a spokesperson said: "Anyone watching, listening to or reading our coverage on the attack in Jerusalem would have heard the word ‘terrorist’ many times as we made clear that the Israeli authorities were calling this a terrorist attack."


Al-Sharaa's Damascus Regime: Is Sharaa Really Doing All He Can or Was President Trump Set Up?
The Trump administration will likely pressure Sharaa's regime not to threaten Syria's Kurds, who make up a large portion of the pro-US Syrian Democratic Army in northeast Syria.

Sharaa might also have to count on the US to resist pressure from his benefactor Turkey, which may be urging him to target Syria's Kurds.

The question, however, remains if Sharaa is actually doing all he can to "protect all minorities" as he promised, or did Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, in pressuring US President Donald Trump to give Sharaa a chance to govern, set Trump up?

Is Sharaa truly on a path to joining the Western alliance, or is he really just a terrorist in a suit and tie?
CENTCOM commander meets with Syrian president in Damascus
Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, and Tom Barrack, U.S. ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, met with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the Presidential Palace in Damascus, Syria, CENTCOM announced on Friday.

The two U.S. leaders thanked al-Sharaa for his support in countering ISIS and praised him and the country for “continuing efforts that support U.S. goals in the Middle East.”

The three leaders committed to meeting in the future.

On Sept. 6, Cooper concluded his first visit to Israel since replacing Gen. Michael Kurilla as CENTCOM commander, where Cooper reaffirmed that “the United States maintains an ironclad commitment to Israel’s security.”


British lawmaker condemned for speech invoking IDF’s ‘blood-soaked tentacles’
A British lawmaker, Shockat Adam, is drawing outcry after he referred to the Israeli army’s “blood-soaked tentacles” during an address in Parliament on Wednesday.

The comment by Adam, a Malawi-born businessman and optometrist who is an independent, came as the British Parliament discussed Israel’s strikes on Hamas leadership in the Qatari capital of Doha and as Prime Minister Keir Starmer prepared to host the Israeli president.

Adam said his niece and her young daughter had been at a library blocks from the scene of the Qatar strike.

“After having witnessed the Israeli army massacre over 60,000 people in Gaza, 19,000 of whom are children, the blood-soaked tentacles of the Israeli army are now reaching closer to home, especially in my case,” said Adam, a longtime critic of Israel who decried the British government decision this week not to call Israel’s war in Gaza a “genocide.”

His phrasing drew criticism from those who said he was echoing longstanding antisemitic stereotypes about Jewish power. Octopuses have been a common element in antisemitic imagery, including that of the Nazis.

“If Shockat Adam has no idea of the historical significance of language like ‘blood-soaked tentacles,’ then he’s grotesquely ignorant, and in no position to participate in this debate,” tweeted Tomos Doran, a Welsh commentator. “If he *is* aware, then he really is just a Nazi. It’s pretty much as simple as that.”
Police arrest suspect over antisemitic attacks in Golders Green
Police have arrested a man in connection with the series of antisemitic attacks that have shocked Golders Green over the past two weeks.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed this afternoon that a male suspect has been taken into custody in relation to the criminal damage incidents at synagogues, a Jewish school, a nursery, and a passageway used by worshippers. Officers said they are not looking for anyone else linked to the offences at this stage.

The arrest follows eight antisemitic incidents in just over a week, seven of which are being treated as linked desecrations. Targets included four synagogues, a private residence, and Jewish educational buildings, where faeces and other substances were smeared across entrances.

Shomrim North West London, which has worked closely with detectives throughout the investigation, welcomed the breakthrough. Issue date: Thursday September 11, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Metropolitan Police/PA Wire

A spokesperson said: “We thank the police for listening to our concerns, putting on extra resources, and acting decisively to arrest the suspect. Our volunteers have been working tirelessly around the clock, analysing CCTV and carrying out covert operations to assist this investigation. This arrest is a testament to the strength of partnership between the community, Shomrim, and the police. We will continue to support those affected and ensure our community feels safe and reassured.”


New Mexico teen charged with mass murder threats against Jews, minorities, wanted to cause civil war
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Mexico charged Jace Allen, 19, with making online threats to murder Jews and minorities after the assassination of Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA.

The New Mexico teen is accused of posting “a series of violent and racist threats” on a social media account on Sept. 11, the day after Kirk was killed on a Utah campus. “Among the threats, Allen wrote that he planned to commit mass murder, target minorities and Jews and shoot up unspecified locations,” the Justice Department said.

He faces up to five years in prison, per the department.

Allen also allegedly threatened an Ohio city council member, whom he is accused of telling, “You’re gonna be one of the first to die.”

The FBI traced the social media account, which was under an alias, to Allen’s phone and home in Jamestown, N.M. The Justice Department said that when FBI agents interviewed him at his home, the suspect “admitted to making the posts, acknowledged being a Neo-Nazi who hates Jews and minorities and said he wanted to help spark a civil war by terrorizing people online.”

Allen told agents that he didn’t own a gun, but “a search of his phone revealed videos of him firing a rifle and handgun in August 2025,” the Justice Department said.
Fighting Anti-Jew Propaganda in the Spanish-Speaking World with Fuente Latina CEO Leah Soibel
Jonah Platt sits down with Leah Soibel, an Argentine-American Jew and the founder and CEO of Fuente Latina, to explore her remarkable journey — from studying across the Middle East during the Second Intifada to becoming a leading voice for Latino-Jewish allyship. In this eye-opening episode of Being Jewish with Jonah Platt: 30 Minute Mensches, Leah Soibel shares her journey of spending years immersed in Cairo, Beirut, and beyond, before founding the first organization dedicated to connecting Spanish-speaking journalists with accurate, on-the-ground stories from Israel.

Leah shares:
🌍 Her experiences as the only American Jew debating at a “Mock Arab League” in Cairo — and what she learned about misunderstanding vs. hatred
📚 How traveling solo across Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza shaped her perspective on media, politics, and truth
📰 Why she founded Fuente Latina — and how it bridges the gap between Israel and over 500 million Spanish speakers worldwide
🇪🇸 The rise of antisemitism in Spain — and the quiet network of allies working behind the scenes
🇦🇷 Why Latin American immigrants to Israel were among the hardest hit on October 7th — and the powerful new docuseries sharing their stories
🤝 Why U.S. Latinos, the fastest-growing voting bloc, may be the strongest future allies for Israel and the Jewish community

Leah’s story is one of courage, strategy, and vision — showing how truth and relationships can combat misinformation and build bridges across cultures. Don’t miss this inspiring conversation. Listen now and join the movement for Latino-Jewish allyship.

00:00 - Leah Soibel's Early Career in the Middle East
07:32 Middle Eastern Diaspora in Latin America
08:21 Fighting Anti-Jewish Bigotry in Spain
12:12 Creating Pro-Israel Content
15:42 Engaging Latino Millennials
19:40 Israel's Growing Latin American Ties
23:36 Favorite Jewish Text
26:10 Combating Misinformation and Disinformation


Jewish cemetery predating expulsion from Britain discovered in London
Amateur historians uncovered the oldest Jewish cemetery in the UK, dating back to the Norman conquest, in London, according to British media reports.

The cemetery, discovered on the Barbican estate, is understood to date back to 1070 and is located near ancient Roman walls.

The cemetery was used for more than two centuries, but was forgotten once Jews were expelled from Britain in 1290 by King Edward I. For a short time, the cemetery was known as the “Jews’ Garden,” according to the Jewish Chronicle, although it later fell into a state of disrepair.

The site was further damaged during World War II, when German planes destroyed much of the estate and neighboring lands during the Blitz.

The historic discovery
Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis spoke at a ceremony organized by the Jewish Square Mile Foundation to commemorate the rediscovery.

Gaby Morris, a trustee of the Jewish Square Mile Foundation, told the JC, "We’re not historians. It was very exciting as we began to understand and put flesh and bones onto it, realising these are real people.”
Israel unveils National Archaeological Database with some 4 million records
The Israel Antiquities Authority on Tuesday launched a digital platform centralizing all archaeological information collected and researched in Israel. The database currently contains 3,910,005 records, along with 964,393 objects, 1,223,552 images and 15,164 three-dimensional models.

The National Archaeological Database allows users to browse publications, photos, 3D scans, excavation reports and archival documents through a smart search by site, period, type of find and other categories.

The system includes an interactive geographic search that lets users plot an area of interest on a map and instantly access all relevant archaeological information—from findings to excavation documents, images, models and professional publications.

“In a country with a rich heritage like Israel, a huge collection of archaeological information from all periods has been collected over the years,” said Alby Malka, head of the IAA’s Technologies Division.

“By Israeli law, every archaeological find that is uncovered must be reported, documented and deposited in the National Archives. As a result, data constantly gathers under the aegis of the Israel Antiquities Authority on many archaeological digs, as well as on hundreds of thousands of ancient items—from scrolls and coins to pottery, jewelry and archaic architectural elements,” he continued.

“A national archaeological database, which gathers and makes all this knowledge accessible both to the lay public and to researchers, is a tool of paramount importance for scientific research, for preserving the country’s heritage, and for deepening public knowledge,” added Malka.



Scarlett Johansson features Shoah survivors in debut directorial film
Hollywood star Scarlett Johansson cast Holocaust survivors for her feature directorial debut, entertainment website People reported on Tuesday.

The actress-turned-director said that the survivors were selected to “share their stories.”

Titled “Eleanor the Great,” the movie features June Squibb in the leading role as a 94-year-old woman who moves to New York City after suffering a loss.

Jessica Hecht, who stars in the film, and the USC Shoah Foundation helped Johnson find the Holocaust survivors, according to People.

“It wasn’t really ever a question of whether we would cast real survivors,” Johansson told People on Sept. 7 ahead of the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival the following day. “It was more of how can we identify people that would want to participate, could participate.”

She was quoted as saying, “So, we got really lucky. Every time we would find someone who could participate, it was like, ‘Yes, we got another survivor.’ I think at the time, there was like 250,000 survivors living. Of course, every year it’s much less. So, we were able to identify it’s a community.”




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Elder of Ziyon - حـكـيـم صـهـيـون



This blog may be a labor of love for me, but it takes a lot of effort, time and money. For 20 years and 40,000 articles I have been providing accurate, original news that would have remained unnoticed. I've written hundreds of scoops and sometimes my reporting ends up making a real difference. I appreciate any donations you can give to keep this blog going.

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