Wednesday, October 01, 2025

10/01 Links Pt2: Eli Sharabi: I Spent 491 Days as a Hostage of Hamas. This Is My Story; John Ondrasik: Hollywood joins history’s shameful betrayals by blacklisting Jewish artists

From Ian:

I Spent 491 Days as a Hostage of Hamas. This Is My Story
Eli Sharabi’s Hostage, the first memoir of captivity in Gaza in the aftermath of Oct. 7, appeared in Israel in May, just four months after his release; the English translation will be published in the U.S. on the second anniversary of the Hamas attack. A taut, immersive chronicle of endurance, the book also serves as a window into the Israeli view of the war.

The author was pulled away from his wife and two daughters in the first hours of the attack. For the next 491 days, with rare exceptions, the only people Sharabi saw were other hostages and Hamas militants—the same parties that have remained front and center in the viewfinder of Jewish Israelis for two solid years, even as most of the world shifted its focus to the Palestinian civilians also confined in Gaza, and dying in the tens of thousands under Israeli fire.

During captivity Sharabi ached for his life in Be’eri—which as a kibbutz, or commune, is the original expression of the interdependence on which Israel functions. Another is the army, which he looked for frantically, and in vain, as he was thrown into a car along with a Thai farmworker.

In the first of the excerpts below, they have just arrived in the Strip. In the next, 51 days have passed. He has been hidden in a family’s home, sometimes bound with rope in excruciating pain. Sharabi, who is terrified of being held in a tunnel, is being moved to one. He travels with a fellow Israeli hostage, one of several who will be his intermittent companions. In January, he’s been moved again, this time to a space where he will remain for eight months. Deliberately underfed, he loses a great deal of weight, but finds a different sustenance in traditions that bind even secular Israeli Jews.

Sharabi also passes hours working to shore up the spirits of fellow prisoners, and to glean something of what’s happening outside from the mood of his jailers ...

October 2023
The vehicle stops. The terrorists pull me and the Thai worker out. The sun is beating down on me. I’m sweating: it was hot in the car, I had a heavy blanket over me, and another person chucked on top of that the whole way. I’m also sweating from fear. The terrorists lead me out of the vehicle, still wrapped in the blanket. There’s a huge commotion around us. I hear a noisy crowd, ecstatic, and suddenly hands start pulling me. Many hands. I’m being dragged into a sea of people who start thumping my head, screaming, trying to rip me limb from limb. They’re fighting over me. Cursing and whistling all around. My heart is pounding, my mouth is dry, I can barely breathe. I’m a goner. The Hamas terrorists try to push the mob back, and after a struggle, they pull me back into their own hands, drag me, and quickly smuggle me into a building.

This is our first stop in the Gaza Strip. It’s a mosque. I realize it because I can see the floor through my blindfold—which isn’t too tight, at this point—and I recognize the colorful prayer rugs. Having just managed to save us from getting lynched, the terrorists slam the doors behind us.

Inside the mosque, it’s quiet for a moment. I can hear my own breathing and the Thai worker sobbing next to me. The terrorists take us into a side room, where they remove our blindfolds and order us to strip. I blink, look around, and see that we’re in what looks like a grand boardroom, with a long table and luxurious chairs, like I’ve just stumbled into a board meeting at an American corporate office, not a mosque. In Gaza. With trembling hands, I remove my shirt and pants and strip down to my boxers in front of the terrorists’ prying eyes. They start interrogating me.
John Ondrasik: Hollywood joins history’s shameful betrayals by blacklisting Jewish artists
Over 3,900 film artists, including some of Hollywood’s most celebrated names, just signed a boycott of Israeli cinema institutions. They claim this is a principled stand. I call it what it is: a cowardly act that feeds antisemitism, punishes Jewish artists, and poisons the very spirit of creativity.

I am not Jewish. I don’t claim that heritage. But I don’t need to be Jewish to see right from wrong. Common sense alone tells us that when you single out the world’s one Jewish state, when you target its filmmakers and artists while ignoring brutal regimes across the globe, you are not standing for justice. You are standing for bigotry dressed up as virtue. You are empowering and legitimizing terrorists.

Art is supposed to transcend politics. It is supposed to give voice to the voiceless, shed light on the human condition, and create empathy across divides. But this boycott does the opposite. It silences. It excludes. It tells Israeli artists, "Your voice doesn’t belong." That is not art. That is discrimination. That is antisemitism. That is despicable.

What’s worse is the deafening silence from Hollywood’s elite, particularly the Jewish elite. Many of you built careers, and fortunes, on stories of courage, identity, and overcoming oppression. Yet when your own people are under attack — when antisemitism is exploding on campuses, in the streets, and now in the arts — too many of you remain on the sidelines, or worse, join the chorus of condemnation. The fact that virtually no non-Jews have the moral clarity to call out their industry’s hatred and blood libels is also a stain that will not be erased by time or contrition.

To paraphrase Martin Luther King Jr., "The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but, the silence over that by the good people." Silence in the face of antisemitism is surrender. And surrender from within is the most dangerous betrayal of all.

Hamas terror attacks
Hollywood has always prided itself on standing up for the marginalized, the persecuted, the oppressed. But today, that standard is being abandoned. Instead, conformity and cowardice rule the day. It’s easier to boycott Israelis than to challenge fashionable lies. It’s easier to parrot slogans than to defend truth.

This is not just about Israel. This is about the soul of art itself. When you turn creativity into a political weapon, when you punish people not for their talent but for their identity, you kill art. You replace courage with cowardice, imagination with ideology, and beauty with blacklists.
Jewish civil-rights group warns ‘Hollywood Blacklist’ of Israeli film institutions illegal
Organizations and professionals within the U.S. film industry would be violating federal and state antidiscrimination laws if they follow through with a boycott of the Israeli film industry, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law stated on Wednesday.

In a letter sent to top studios, distributors, platforms, talent agencies and film festivals, the Brandeis Center warns that participation in the “Hollywood Blacklist,” a boycott circulated in September by Film Workers for Palestine that calls for industry professionals to blacklist Israeli artists, companies and institutions, would “have a devastating impact—marginalizing Israeli and Jewish storytellers and silencing their diverse voices and perspectives.”

The center also explained that such discrimination against Jews and Israelis is a violation of the Civil Rights Acts of 1866 and 1964, as well as state laws in California and New York.

“The Hollywood Blacklist of Jewish Israelis is illegal in more ways than one,” the letter states.

More than 5,000 members of the international film industry have signed the open letter, stating they will not work with Israeli film institutions that are “implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people,” according to the Film Workers for Palestine’s website.

“Boycotting Jews isn’t an original idea, or, thankfully, a legal one in the United States of America,” Rory Lancman, senior counsel at the Brandeis Center, stated. “As we say in our letter, we much prefer to see their work on the screen, and not them in court.”


25 Years Ago: Planting the Seeds of HonestReporting
The seeds of HonestReporting were planted at the very outbreak of the Second Intifada – on September 29, 2000. That’s when American student Tuvia Grossman was nearly lynched in Jerusalem, and saved by a baton-wielding Israeli policeman who fended off the ferocious Palestinian mob.

Soon the entire world – readers of the New York Times and hundreds of other papers from Los Angeles to Baltimore, Paris to Melbourne – saw the photo of a bloodied Tuvia, with the caption referring to him as “a Palestinian being beaten by the Israeli policeman.”


This was an inversion of reality. Why did the “mainstream media” automatically assume that the victim was Palestinian and Israel was the aggressor? Is it because Israel has more tanks and planes?

From my home in central Israel, I had been looking forward to a relaxing High Holiday season with my family. But all that changed when I saw the Times photo caption, and my investigative instincts kicked in.

I tracked Tuvia down the next day. He was badly bruised and shaken – with a broken nose, multiple gashes to his head, and a severely wounded leg that would require reconstructive surgery, months in a wheelchair, and physical therapy. Yet Tuvia was feeling doubly-victimized – not only a victim of the media war, but also used to gain international sympathy for Palestinians. That, Tuvia told me, hurt even more.

I wrote an article explaining the truth behind Tuvia’s story, which received widespread distribution. More importantly, it led to the Times publishing a rare admission of guilt: a 700-word article with a reprint of the original photo – this time with the proper caption, telling the full story of Tuvia’s near-lynching at the hands of a Palestinian mob.

Yet in the court of public opinion, the damage had already been done. From those first moments of the Intifada, the media was framing this as a battle between the so-called “Israeli aggressors and Palestinian victims.”


IDF PodCast: The Yom Kippur War: A Naval Commander’s Story at Sea
On October 6, 1973 on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, Egypt and Syria launched a surprise coordinated attack on Israel.

Within hours, soldiers were rushed from their homes, synagogues, and bases to defend the country. One of them was Shaul, who was the Deputy Commander of the Israeli Navy.

The Yom Kippur War lasted 19 days and reshaped Middle Eastern history. Shaul defended his country’s waters, and the lessons and experiences of his service are still impacting the Israeli Navy to this day.


FDD: Spain to Prevent Use of Its Bases for U.S. Weapons Shipments to Israel, Launch Probes Into Companies Advertising Israeli Products
Preventing Use of Bases: Spain has reportedly implemented measures preventing U.S. arms shipments bound for Israel from passing through its military bases. This directive applies to both U.S. military aircraft and ships passing through Spanish bases in Rota and Morón, which host U.S. forces. A State Department spokesperson expressed concerns in early September over Madrid’s decision to impose an arms embargo on Israel, saying that the action could “potentially limit U.S. operations” and “embolden terrorists.” Over the past several months, Spain has canceled several arms contracts with Israeli weapons producers, including orders for Elbit SILAM rocket launchers, Rafael Spike Anti-Tank Missiles, Rafael Litening-5 Targeting Pods for fighter aircraft, and ammunition produced by IMI Systems, totaling roughly $1 billion in dropped weapons deals.

Investigating Companies With Ties to Israel: The Spanish government said that it will begin investigating domestic firms that advertise or promote products or services from Israeli communities in the West Bank. “No firm should have its balance sheet stained with the blood of the Palestinian people,” Consumer Affairs Minister Pablo Bustinduy reportedly stated in July, adding that Spain would use “all necessary resources” to enforce the measure.

Spain to Join the Hague Group: Spain has reportedly decided to join the 34-nation bloc of anti-Israel nations known as “The Hague Group,” a decision made during the UN General Assembly. The coalition, organized by the far-left, anti-capitalist organization Progressive International, says that its mission is to coordinate legal, diplomatic, and economic measures against alleged Israeli violations of international law. After its formation in February, Hamas praised the coalition, saying that it represents “an important and key step at the international level to end this racist and fascist occupation.”
European soccer delays vote on Israel ban during Gaza peace talks
A vote on whether to suspend Israel from European soccer competitions is on hold after the announcement of U.S. President Donald Trump’s peace plan for Gaza, according to a Sky News report.

A growing number of European countries have been pushing for a vote to boot Israeli teams from the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), which governs the sport in Europe. Israel has competed under UEFA’s umbrella since 1994 due to decades of boycotts by Middle East-based clubs in the Asian Football Confederation.

On Monday, Trump unveiled a 20-point plan to resolve the Israel-Hamas war and rebuild Gaza, with assured support from Israel and key Arab partners. Hamas has not yet responded to the proposal.

Sky News reports that European soccer leaders think that the application of UEFA sanctions on Israel is not appropriate with the plan on the table.

A UEFA ban might leave Israel unable to qualify for next year’s FIFA World Cup.

The Trump administration decried the ban reports last week, with a State Department spokesperson saying, “We will absolutely work to fully stop any effort to attempt to ban Israel’s national soccer team from the World Cup.”

The Guardian reported that a UEFA ban might apply only to competitions that UEFA directly controls, and not to the World Cup, where UEFA runs the regional qualification process for FIFA.

Israeli teams have been forced to play some away matches in Europe in neutral locations for safety and crowd control purposes, and all their “home” matches in Europe because of the current war against Hamas.
Netherlands’ top pension fund divests from US company Caterpillar over supplies to IDF
The largest pension fund in the Netherlands has sold its entire stake in US construction equipment maker Caterpillar, which supplies the IDF, the fund announced Wednesday, citing the company’s “socially responsible” investment policy.

ABP, which commands about 524 billion euros ($615.44 billion) in total assets, previously held around 387 million euros in Caterpillar shares.

When asked about the decision, the fund referred to the company’s policy regarding investments in conflict areas such as Gaza, where the Israel-Hamas war was sparked when Hamas invaded Israel on October 7, 2023.

“The way we invest must ensure good returns and at the same time be socially responsible,” ABP said in a statement. “We include companies that meet our criteria in our investment portfolio. And we make every effort to encourage companies that are lagging behind to conduct their business more responsibly … If discussions with companies do not lead to the desired results, ABP will ultimately no longer invest in these companies.”

Caterpillar did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

ABP’s decision followed a similar move in August by Norway’s $2 trillion sovereign wealth fund — the largest of its type in the world — which divested from Caterpillar and five Israeli banks.

The fund’s ethics watchdog at the time said there was no doubt that Caterpillar’s products were being used by Israeli authorities in the “widespread unlawful destruction of Palestinian property” in Gaza and the West Bank, and that the company had made no effort to prevent this.

The US State Department said at the time that Washington was “very troubled” by the move and was engaging directly with Oslo on the issue.
Trump admin probing public Las Vegas school over alleged Jew-hatred
The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, a public school located about a mile and a half from the Vegas Strip, over alleged Jew-hatred.

The department said on Wednesday that the probe will “determine whether the university has denied equal treatment of individuals based on race or national origin, in violation of Title IV and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.” It added that the “investigation will focus on the university’s response to antisemitism on campus.”

“Publicly funded universities are barred from discriminating based on race, national origin or religion,” stated Harmeet Dhillon, assistant U.S. attorney general for civil rights.

“This Department of Justice is fiercely committed to holding institutions of higher learning accountable and ensuring that every student receives equal access to the opportunity and education to which they are legally entitled,” Dhillon said.

The department told the school that it will notify the university if the probe finds no fault. If the federal government finds that the school is violating either or both laws, “we will inform you and work with you to secure compliance by informal, voluntary means,” the Justice Department stated.

“If we cannot secure compliance by voluntary means, we may take formal action to secure compliance, which could include suspending, terminating or refusing to grant or continue your federal financial assistance, as well as commencing a civil action,” it said. “We expect the University of Nevada, Las Vegas to cooperate fully with this compliance investigation.”
NYU Axes Federalist Society Event Scheduled for Oct. 7, Citing Security Concerns
New York University Law School appears to have canceled a Federalist Society event scheduled for Oct. 7 because administrators feared that protesters would disrupt it, according to two people familiar with the matter and emails obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. The cancellation has raised concerns about the heckler’s veto and comes as the White House anti-Semitism task force has vowed to investigate NYU, which last year settled a lawsuit alleging that the university failed to crack down on unsanctioned anti-Israel protests.

NYU’s Federalist Society chapter had invited the conservative legal scholar Ilya Shapiro to discuss his new book Lawless: The Miseducation of American Elites. Shapiro, who is Jewish, has criticized anti-Israel protesters and taken schools to task over their handling of encampments. He has also been the target of multiple campus protests, including one at UC Hastings, where he was shouted down for nearly an hour straight.

On September 10, NYU requested that the Federalist Society change the date of Shapiro’s talk, citing the possibility of disruptions.

"For security reasons, and because we anticipate an increased likelihood of demonstrations and protests connected to the anniversary of the October 7, 2023 incidents in Gaza, would it be possible to host Mr. Shapiro on another date?" the law school’s director of institutional programming and governance, Penelope Fernandes, wrote to student organizers. "If you can change the date, please let us know."

Fernandes also recommended hosting the talk in Lipton Hall, a basement space with added security, in order to "minimize disruptions in the event of a protest or demonstration."

The student organizers agreed to move the location of the talk but said that Shapiro was only available on Oct. 7. Besides, they wrote in an email, "we all feel strongly that we should host the event on October 7 to avoid giving in to the heckler’s veto."

But one week later, Fernandes told the students that they could not host Shapiro that day at all. Pressed for more details about the cancellation, another administrator, associate dean Megan McDermott, confirmed that security concerns were a major factor, writing in an email that the school’s security personnel would be strained that week.


IDF seizes 15 rockets in raid near Ramallah
Israeli forces seized 15 homemade rockets and other weapons in an overnight raid near Ramallah in Samaria, the military said Wednesday.

IDF troops, Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) agents and Border Police officers found rockets in various stages of production, as well as explosives and arms, during the operation in Beitunia, the army said. Explosives experts dismantled the materials on site and the weapons were confiscated.

The operation took place following a Shin Bet investigation of a terrorist cell involved in rocket production that was apprehended last week in the Ramallah area, the statement continued. The rockets, explosives and weapons had been prepared and stockpiled by the terrorist cell.

On Sept. 23, Israeli forces identified a rocket in the Palestinian city of Tulkarem, in western Samaria.

Border Police sappers neutralized the rocket while troops searched the area for terrorists or any additional enemy matériel, the IDF said. The military opened an investigation into the incident.

On Sept. 19, Israeli security forces arrested a group of terrorists in Samaria who had attempted to fire a rocket from the Ramallah area the previous week.

Three suspected terrorists were arrested in a raid on a building where troops discovered two launch-ready rockets, dozens of improvised explosive devices and other evidence linking the suspects to attempts to manufacture projectiles, the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit said.


Erin Molan & Montana Tucker at Burnt Melbourne Synagogue: United Against Antisemitism!
Erin Molan and Montana Tucker visited the site of the burnt-down Adas Synagogue in Melbourne, Australia, where they met with community members and spoke about the fight against terror, antisemitism, and the resilience of the Jewish people.

Their visit comes at a time of rising antisemitism worldwide — a reminder that hate and violence must be confronted with courage, unity, and truth.




Wounded Oct. 7 survivor weds longtime partner
Michelle Rukovicin, the most severely wounded survivor of the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacres, married her partner on Tuesday night in a ceremony celebrated as a symbol of resilience.

The IDF intelligence systems technician, who was critically injured defending Kissufim base from Hamas terrorists and spent three months in a coma, wed her boyfriend of five years, Rinat Kasimov, the partner who remained at her side throughout her grueling recovery.

She was struck by seven bullets, wounded by grenade fragments and left bleeding for 14 hours inside her base bomb shelter. Defying medical expectations, she can walk again after undergoing an arduous rehabilitation regime.

The couple became engaged September of last year, when she was 21.

“Definitely my family, my fiancé and my best friends were an essential part of my recovery. My fiancé came every day. Because of the people surrounding me, who were so strong, I couldn’t let myself not be strong,” JFeed quoted her as saying in an article published on Aug. 31.


JNF: IsraelCast | Tal Shoham - Former Hostage





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