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Sunday, January 25, 2026

01/25 Links: How the Shoah’s moral power is weaponised against Jews – and why Western leaders must fight it; US obtained 'smoking gun' evidence against Iran with Israeli help

From Ian:

Simon Sebag Montefiore: How the Shoah’s moral power is weaponised against Jews – and why Western leaders must fight it
This is the text of a speech delivered at the Holocaust Education Trust, warning that the distortion and inversion of the Holocaust is enabling a resurgence of antisemitism, with grave consequences for democratic societies

Much of the damage has already been done by Holocaust inversion to the vocabulary and architecture of international human rights and law – often by the very supranational organisations and "humanitarian” NGOs themselves. How now will we describe the murder of Herero people, the Armenians in the First World War, the Holocaust itself, the Bosnia, Rwanda, and Darfur genocides? But of course this is not truly about them; it is about the sins of the West itself and the damage to the West is part of the aim of this ideology.

The events of this week in Iran reveal that damage so clearly: only on Thursday did the UN Security Council hold a session at which the dissident Masih Alinejad – whom the Iranian dictator thrice tried to assassinate – reprimanded the disgraceful Secretary-General Guteres: “The United Nations has failed to respond. The Secretary-General himself has not spoken publicly against the massacre unfolding in Iran. Silence at this moment sends a signal. Sends a message to the killers of young protesters. I strongly believe that the regime in Iran heard the clear message from the Secretary-General. I think the members of this body have forgotten the privilege and responsibility of sitting in this room. Secretary-General, why are you afraid of the Islamic Republic? Millions of innocent and unarmed protesters have been silenced with bullets, mass arrest, prison and a total communications blackout!” Later she demanded to know: “Where is the left now? Where are the “pro-Palestinian” and “anti-war” activists when the Islamic Republic is killing innocent Iranians?” The respected Iranian Yale lecturer Arash Azizi – himself a proud Marxist – reflects “you would have thought leftists would understand the killing of Iranians on the streets fighting against a brutal capitalist regime. But unfortunately they don’t. The Western leftist movements hate the West. They hate their own societies.”

The Iranians have exposed the real nature of this movement and its real cynicism and wicked humbug.

Eighty years after the Holocaust, all of this makes the mission of Holocaust education personified by our host Holocaust Education Trust and its admirable chief Karen Pollock urgent, and the requirement to get the teaching right, essential. As our trajectory since 1945 lengthens to today, it is clear now the Holocaust was not the apocalyptic end of anti-Jewishness that we thought but just a colossal spasm in the middle of a continuum which spans the Crusades, the blood libels, Khmelnitsky massacre, the pogroms, the Russian Civil War (we often forget 200,000 Jews were murdered during these two years), the Shoah itself and then today October 7, the Yom Kippur murders in Manchester, the Bondi Beach massacre in Australia – and whatever horrors come next.

The necessity for politicians to speak more clearly is especially important. The use of anti-racist jargon is obligatory and it remains essential but instead of becoming a shield against anti-Jewish racism and hate, it has become a protection, a Get Out of Jail Card for racists and ideologues themselves. It is admirable that our leaders here in Britain stand against antisemitism and racism and seek to protect Jewish community life that is already overshadowed by threat and security measures. It is admirable our security services daily defeat diabolic murderous plots.

But the key is not to allow the adoption of this jargon by malignant actors mask poisonous ideology and excuse intolerant bullying and dangerous hate, not to allow it to work against its underlying values and intentions. Since the words have become with time and overuse and universal declamation, devalued, leaders need to say what antisemitism, what racism they are standing against and part of that is the rejection of egregious and harmful Holocaust inversion.

Be braver in promoting what the words really mean and what their spirit is against. Be braver in retaking the institutions that have been captured by ideologues who are enforcing malign ideas and intolerant conformity. Get back to teaching what the Holocaust was – and what it wasn’t. As the hatred shapeshifts our leaders must shapeshift with it.

Lastly one vital thing: an important part of education is to celebrate Judaism. Jewish history must not only be a chronicle of massacres and struggles. Jewish history is also joyful and remarkable and fascinating in all its richness that embraces Judea, Babylon, Egypt in ancient times to the vibrant communities of Andalusia, Constantinople, Morocco, Baghdad, Jerusalem and Alexandria and the amazing world of European Jewishness, the worlds of Ladino and Yiddish and now those of America and Israel and Europe. There is much to celebrate: Jewish art, culture, humour, films, poetry.

The Holocaust started with words that made it possible to dehumanise people thanks to their religion, race or identity then it moved to witch hunts, laws, boycotts, deportations and finally killing.

The words, the history, the education of the Holocaust are more than ever the mark of a civilised society.
Josh Hammer: Case against Israel cheapens the word 'genocide'
In reality, South Africa’s ICJ case against Israel is riddled with flaws. It is also pushing to redefine a term that been held sacrosanct since the end of World War II.

The term "genocide" was coined by Raphael Lemkin, a Holocaust survivor who in 1944 strived for its incorporation into modern international law. That occurred in 1948 via the UN Genocide Convention.

The prohibition on genocide is considered a jus cogens norm — that is, a non-derogable rule accepted by all of the first-world community with no exceptions. The definition of "genocide" requires no law degree to understand, and it should never, ever be politicized.

For a genocide to take place under Geneva, there must be acts committed "with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group." The phrase "intent" here is of paramount importance.

South Africa’s pending case before the ICJ alleges Israeli intent to destroy the Palestinian-Arab population of Gaza. Israel, by contrast, (correctly) maintains that its recent actions in Gaza have been a just and proper military response to the war of annihilationist jihad and unspeakable atrocities launched against it by the Hamas terrorist organization on Oct. 7, 2023.

Israel’s "intent" is to free Gaza from Hamas, to return hostages abducted and held by Hamas, and to ensure Hamas has no future role in Gaza and cannot undertake another October 7-style massacre. It repeatedly offered to end the war if Hamas laid down its arms and released all hostages.

Hamas, on the other hand, has shown a complete disregard for human life and has openly stated that its sacrifice of Gazan civilians is a cynical strategic necessity to turn public opinion against Israel. It has for years embedded military infrastructure within Gazan civilian infrastructure — schools, hospitals, UN facilities, mosques, and children’s bedrooms. Israel has waged a defensive campaign in one of the most complex operational environments of any modern war.
Will the Mossad have to operate in the West again?
So, the question is no longer theoretical: If Western states cannot – or will not – protect their Jewish citizens, who will?

The Mossad was born not simply to operate where security collapses or states abdicate their duties but also to carry the sovereign obligation of safeguarding the minority it has sworn to protect – a minority that history has taught cannot outsource its survival.

The West can still confront antisemitism as the civilizational disease it has always been, or continue sacrificing Jews on the altar of moral cowardice. But history is unforgiving to those who mistake appeasement for virtue.

If Western states cannot, or will not, protect their Jewish citizens, who will?

With forces and groups in the West that do not hide their intentions – and states that even share their belligerence against Jews – if the Mossad ever has to operate again in the West, it will be because Europe has abandoned the Jews – once again.


Over 36,500 killed in Iran's deadliest massacre, documents reveal
More than 36,500 Iranians were killed by security forces during the January 8-9 crackdown on nationwide protests, making it the deadliest two-day protest massacre in history, according to documents reviewed by Iran International's Editorial Board.

Iran International's Editorial Board can confirm the death toll after reviewing newly obtained classified documents, field reports, and accounts from medical staff, witnesses, and victims’ families.

The new information provides a clearer picture of the killing pattern and the scale of a crime that can now be described as the largest and bloodiest massacre of civilians during street protests, over a two-day period, in history.

Iran International has received reports and evidence indicating the extrajudicial execution of a number of detainees in Tehran and other cities. Images released from morgues leave little doubt that some wounded citizens were shot in the head while hospitalized and undergoing medical treatment. It is evident that, had these individuals sustained fatal head wounds on the streets, there would have been no reason to admit them to hospital or begin treatment in the first place.

The images also show that in some cases, medical tubes and patient-monitoring equipment remained attached to the bodies. In other cases, cardiac monitoring electrodes are visible on the chest, suggesting these individuals were under medical care before being shot in the head. A number of doctors and nurses have also told Iran International that so-called “finishing shots” were fired at wounded patients.

In its previous statement on January 13, Iran International’s Editorial Board reported at least 12,000 deaths caused by the crackdown.

That figure was explicitly cited in a report by the IRGC Intelligence Organization submitted to the Supreme National Security Council and the Presidential Office on January 11, two days after the two-day massacre, reviewed by Iran International.


US obtained 'smoking gun' evidence against Iran with Israeli help
Israeli intelligence helped the US establish that Iran's regime carried out mass executions of protesters, contradicting assurances that President Donald Trump said he had received from Iran's leadership. Trump has said that one of the reasons he delayed a strike on Iran was a commitment to halt the execution of more than 800 detainees who had taken part in protests.

As revealed on Israel Hayom, the assurance was conveyed, among other channels, in a direct message from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Tehran denied that any such message was sent and claimed that there were no plans to execute 800 people. However, intelligence in the hands of the US administration includes unequivocal evidence that such executions were carried out, using different methods. Israel was a partner in obtaining this intelligence. Additional information pointed to the use of live fire against protesters in the streets and to protesters being executed by gunfire after being captured.

The issue was also on the agenda in a meeting between the team of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and an American duo: envoy Steve Witkoff, who mediated contacts with Iran, and adviser Jared Kushner. The two belong to the camp within the US administration seeking a diplomatic solution to the Iranian challenge, aiming to avoid dragging the entire region into war and to preserve US plans to reshape the Middle East.

They are backed by Qatar, as well as Saudi Arabia and Turkey, the new Sunni axis whose ties with Iran have recently tightened. Until not long ago, Saudi Arabia struck a very different tone toward Iran, but at least publicly has shifted its stance.
U.S. Options in Iran
A limited U.S. strike against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran's main security force, is unlikely to decide the outcome of the popular uprising, analysts, lawmakers and former administration officials say. "As long as the protesters are not heavily armed and ready to organize as a guerrilla [force], how will bombing the Revolutionary Guard help them?" said Rasmus Christian Elling, associate professor and Iran expert at the University of Copenhagen. "A complete neutralization of the repression apparatus will likely require thousands of strikes over a long period."

There are nonmilitary options to put pressure on the Iranian leadership, including cyberattacks on military and civilian institutions, more sanctions on the country's oil sector, and boosting antiregime messaging online. Ultimately, there is little foreign powers can do to fundamentally shape the outcome of popular uprisings, analysts say.

"I do not think foreign help can shift the needle that much. This is about the balance of power on the ground," said Peyman Jafari, an expert on Iranian social movements at William & Mary University. He noted that in the 2024 election more than 13 million people voted for the most hard-line candidate on the ballot.

Successful revolutions also require divisions and defections in the security establishment, which hasn't happened yet in Iran. Moreover, history suggests that foreign support has rarely been the determining factor in helping popular revolts topple autocratic leaders.
In Iran, the Balance of Power Has Been Shifting from Ayatollah Khamenei to the Revolutionary Guards
Israeli airstrikes that pounded Iran's capital last June caused the greatest single blow to Iran's military in decades, wiping out the top leadership of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

Now the IRGC's new leaders have responded to nationwide protests with breathtaking brutality, opening fire on unarmed protesters and massacring thousands of people.

On the surface, the bloody crackdown affirmed the unity of Iran's ruling system.

"The regime is ideologically bankrupt, economically at a dead end, and unable to rescue itself," said Ali Vaez, the Iran project director for the International Crisis Group. "But it still has the will, and a fearsome capacity for repression."

For years, the balance of power in Iran has been quietly shifting from Ayatollah Khamenei, 86, to the Revolutionary Guards.

They control a media empire, large parts of the economy, oil exports, seaports, an intelligence agency and an air force.

Iran's government has survived at least four earlier waves of protest, many of which also stirred speculation of regime change.


Pro-Gaza MP facing investigation over Oct 7 ‘atrocity denial’
A Pro-Gaza MP is facing investigation by the parliamentary watchdog over Oct 7 “atrocity denial”, The Telegraph has learnt.

Iqbal Mohamed, the independent MP for Dewsbury and Batley, has been accused of spreading “disinformation” about the fate of Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas and taken into Gaza.

He is also accused of “victim-blaming” by alleging that Shiri Bibas and her sons Ariel, four, and Kfir, nine months, who were abducted by Hamas from their kibbutz, were murdered by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

In a post on X last month, the MP claimed: “Israeli officials confirm that the Bibas family were murdered by the Israeli terror forces under the ‘Hannibal Directive’ yet you continue to peddle lies & accuse me of sharing conspiracies. The Zionist lie machine won’t work!”

The family became a symbol of Hamas’s brutality after video footage emerged of Mrs Bibas clutching her red-headed sons as terrorists dragged them into captivity. Her husband, Yarden, 34, was also kidnapped from the family home in Kibbutz Nir Oz.

Mr Bibas was released from captivity on Feb 1, 2025, having survived his imprisonment, and later that month the bodies of his wife and children were returned to Israel.


David Collier: Wafic Faour – A False Prophet of the Boycott Campaign
This post may be about anti-Israel activism in a single U.S. state, but it has relevance everywhere. It shows just how easily one man can build a movement on falsehoods, distorting his own story and misleading those around him.

On 26 January, the City Council in Burlington, Vermont will once again discuss whether to divest from Israel. It is part of an organised campaign that has been spreading across the tiny state for years.

The public face of the campaign to ostracise and boycott the Jewish state is Wafic Faour – a U.S. citizen of Syrian heritage treated as a leading subject matter expert on the Middle East.

In reality, the personal tales he peddles are false, as are many of his stories about Israel.

It is time to rip off his mask.

Wafic Faour and the Movement
Wafic is peppered throughout Vermont’s anti-Israel story, with his presence photographed everywhere from protests and educational seminars to working groups, the Vermont State House, and local community meetings.

Wherever you look, anti-Israel discussions are being pushed onto the agendas of committees and councils primarily mandated with local issues.

When the Burlington City Council sat to discuss an anti-Israel motion on 13 September 2021, Wafic Faour was front and centre during the debate. On 12 November 2023, he was there again. Again on 22 January 2024, and yet again on 28 April 2025:

And those are only some examples. Let’s also not forget inciting students at the University of Vermont, or trying to force legislators who visited Israel to resign:

It would be fair to say that Vermont’s anti-Israel movement, along with the ridiculous Apartheid-Free Communities campaign, might not exist without the decade-plus presence of Faour as the tip of the spear on every issue related to Israel.

He founded Vermonters for a Just Peace in Israel/Palestine. The group later became Vermonters for Justice in Palestine, dropping all pretence about wanting “peace” for Israel.

He’s “educated” Vermonters by being one of the few people in the state with lived experience in the Middle East. Effectively, his narrative has become “THE” narrative – spread from the State House to selectboards to small country classrooms with nary a Jew in a 10-mile radius.

But his real story, which he cleverly conceals, is one historically rooted in hatred and violence in the name of “justice.”
Hamas praises Belgium’s arms embargo on Israel air transit
Hamas on Sunday praised Belgium’s decision to bar aircraft carrying weapons or military equipment destined for Israel from using the country’s airspace or making technical stopovers, highlighting the terror group’s approval of a move Belgian officials framed as a legal and humanitarian measure.

Belgium’s Foreign Ministry confirmed that the restrictions took effect on Thursday and apply even to flights in which military cargo is not unloaded during stopovers. Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot initiated the decision and was first reported by the Belgian daily Le Soir.

Under the new policy, airlines and operators must report detailed transportation information for any flight carrying military equipment bound for Israel. Belgian customs authorities and the Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport will oversee inspections and enforcement.

The measure is intended to close legal loopholes that previously allowed “non-stop transit” of military cargo through Belgium without formal unloading, officials said.

The decision was publicly welcomed by Hamas, which issued a statement praising Belgium for what it described as a step against Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

Prévot said Belgium has a responsibility to ensure it does not contribute to ongoing conflicts and stressed that the policy aligns with international legal obligations.

“Belgium is doing everything possible to ensure it respects international law and sends a clear signal at the European and international levels,” he said.


IDF narrows in on Gaza cemetery in search for last hostage’s remains
srael’s military has been conducting a large-scale operation since late last week to locate the remains of the late Master Sgt. Ran Gvili of the Israeli police, who was abducted by Hamas, the Prime Minister’s Office said on Sunday.

The operation is focused on a cemetery in northern Gaza and includes extensive scanning while utilizing all available intelligence.

“The State of Israel is determined to return the late Ran Gvili to Israel for burial. His family is constantly updated and is familiar with the details of the operation,” the PMO said.

Gvili, a 24-year-old Israel Police Special Patrol Unit (Yasam) volunteer from Meitar, fought with extraordinary courage on Oct. 7, 2023. When the massacre began, he left his house, put on his uniform and headed out to fight. Only 10 days before he had broken his shoulder, and was waiting for surgery, yet he still chose to join the battle.

“Rani told us he would not let his friends fight alone, and that even with the fracture he could still hold a handgun,” said his father Itzik. “I will never forget the look in his eyes. It was as if he was saying, ‘This is what I have waited for my entire life.’”
Israel says Rafah Crossing to reopen when IDF finishes search for last hostage body
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced on Sunday that Israel will reopen the Rafah Crossing between Gaza and Egypt after it completes a military operation launched Sunday to recover the body of the last deceased hostage, Master Sgt. Ran Gvili.

The announcement followed a security cabinet meeting on the issue, and as Israel has faced significant international pressure to reopen the Rafah Crossing.

While the statement from Netanyahu’s office did not give a specific timeline for how long the IDF operation seeking to recover Gvili’s body will take, a US official told The Times of Israel that Washington expects the search to last several days, allowing for the reopening of Rafah by the end of this week.

The IDF confirmed earlier on Sunday evening that it is searching for Gvili’s body in a cemetery in the northern Gaza Strip. The IDF said that while it is credible that Gvili’s remains are located at the cemetery, there are other potential intelligence leads on where his body could be.

The chief commissioner of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza and the Gaza envoy for the NCAG-overseeing Board of Peace already announced on Thursday that Rafah would reopen this week for the first time in nearly one year.

Netanyahu’s office said in a statement Sunday that the opening of the only crossing between Egypt and Gaza was conditioned “on the return of all living hostages and on Hamas making a 100% effort to locate and return all slain hostages.”
Report: Israel deploys new Palestinian militias against Hamas
Israel has stepped up cooperation with armed, anti-Hamas militias in the Gaza Strip, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. The Israel Defense Forces and the country’s security establishment are providing the militias with extensive support, including aerial assistance via drones, intelligence sharing, weapons, food and cigarettes, according to the report.

The depth of Israel’s involvement was revealed earlier this month when Hussam al-Astal, a leader of one of the groups, boasted in a video statement about the killing of a Hamas police officer in the al-Muwasi area, a zone that is supposed to be outside the IDF’s area of operations. “We say to Hamas and to everyone associated with it: just as we reached him, we will reach you as well,” al-Astal declared.

IDF reserve officers and official sources confirmed that some wounded militia members were evacuated to Israel to receive medical treatment. Yaron Buskila, a former operations officer in the IDF Gaza Division, told the newspaper that Israel closely monitors the militias’ activities.

“When they act against Hamas, we are there to observe them and sometimes to assist with intelligence or active intervention if they are under threat,” he said.

Former security officials warned of long-term consequences, drawing parallels to the fate of the South Lebanon Army.

“A militia’s primary interest is the militia itself, and it can turn against you,” warned Sa’ar Tzur, a senior reserve officer.


IDF attacks Hezbollah terror assets in Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday struck a structure used by Hezbollah terrorists in the Bir al-Sansal area of Southern Lebanon, the military said.

According to the IDF, the site had recently been identified as a weapons manufacturing facility operated by the Iranian-backed proxy.

In a separate strike, the IDF targeted Hezbollah terror infrastructure in the Beqaa Valley.

“The activity of Hezbollah terrorists at these sites constitutes a violation of the ceasefire understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” the military said, adding that it “will continue to operate to remove any threat to the State of Israel.”

The military on Sunday also struck a Hezbollah terror operative in the Bazouriye area, close to close to Tyre in southwestern Lebanon, it stated.

On Wednesday, the IDF struck four crossings in the mostly Shi’ite Hermel area along the Syria-Lebanon border. In a separate attack, the military killed Muhammad Awasha, describing him as a key Hezbollah arms dealer and smuggler.

Also on Wednesday, the IDF said that it carried out airstrikes on Hezbollah infrastructure across several areas of Southern Lebanon, targeting weapons storage facilities and an underground arms depot embedded in the middle of civilian neighborhoods and used to turn residents into human shields.


Somali Immigrant Has a Chilling Warning for the West | Ayaan Hirsi Ali
Dave Rubin of “The Rubin Report” talks to Ayaan Hirsi Ali about her Somali background and the clan-based system shaping Somali society; how clan loyalty and political Islam operate as alternative moral systems that clash with Western nation-states; how these dynamics inform Somali communities in Minnesota, fraud scandals, and identity politics; the influence of Islamist networks like the Muslim Brotherhood; Democratic electoral strategies built around ethnic blocs and dependency; the broader threat to liberal democracy and Western values; about Ilhan Omar’s role at the intersection of clan loyalty, Islamist influence, and Democratic Party politics; how Somali clan dynamics and Muslim Brotherhood networks operate in Minnesota; the red-green alliance between progressives and Islamists; Europe’s multiculturalism error and electoral opportunism; the long-term consequences for Western democracy; whether the U.S. and Western Europe can realistically reverse mass immigration, identity politics, and radical ideology through border control, remigration, and political reform; the decline of classical liberalism and why it struggles to defend itself; her intellectual journey from atheism to Christianity as a search for liberalism’s moral roots; the choice between Christian and Islamist societies through lived examples; why the danger of abandoning Judeo-Christian values leads societies toward authoritarianism, violence, and collapse; and much more.


Ask Haviv Anything: Episode 82: 'From the River to the Sea' - Lost in Translation?
Welcome to our new short-form episodes interspersed with the regular interviews that dive into an often-asked question about Israel, Jews and the Middle East.

Our current question: 'From the River to the Sea' - Lost in Translation?

Chapters
00:00 Understanding 'From the River to the Sea'
07:15 The Implications of the Phrase
08:11 The Broader Context of Palestinian Identity


Why Candace Owens Went After Him and His Viral Debate Mic-Drop Moment
Why did Candace Owens suddenly go after Shabbos Kestenbaum?

Just days after Shabbos delivered a viral mic-drop moment dismantling the myth that Israel “controls” or “drains” the United States, he became the target of a public attack — including mocking his name and targeting PragerU.

In this special weekend bonus edition of The Erin Molan Show, Erin takes it head-on — and then sits down with one of the most compelling young voices in American politics.

👇 In this interview, we cover:
The viral debate moment that exploded online
Why blaming Israel is politically convenient — and factually wrong
Shabbos’ shocking journey from the far left to conservatism
What October 7 revealed about Western institutions
Why Gen-Z is being lied to — and how to fight back




Beverly Hills theater backtracks on ban of Israeli comedian
The president of a Beverly Hills theater apologized on Saturday for canceling a show by Israeli comedian Guy Hochman following a pressure campaign from anti-Zionist activists.

Michael S. Hall of the Fine Arts Theatre Beverly Hills said in a statement on Jan 24 that asking the performer to make political declarations was “a mistake” and that the venue “should never have imposed a litmus test of any kind.”

He said his apology was particularly directed at Jewish Californians, taking responsibility for his decision that “caused harm and distress to many people in the community.” “Kat Kramer’s Films That Change the World” at the Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills, Calif., held a Stanley Kramer double feature, “Judgment at Nuremberg” and “On the Beach,” marking the 80th anniversary of the Nuremberg trials, as well as the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Nov. 23, 2025. Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for KNK Productions.

Hall said the theater received many messages, including threats of violence, before the cancellation and now plans to work with local Jewish leaders to restore trust, amid a wave of organized community pushback.

According to the Israeli-American Council, the theater reversed its decision only after the IAC’s Los Angeles chapter became involved, sending more than 200 letters to the venue and meeting with the director to emphasize that artistic freedom must be upheld and that artists should not be subjected to ideological tests.

“Forcing speech litmus tests on Israeli artists absent any misconduct is identity-based discrimination and a violation of artistic freedom,” Tamar Nissim, the IAC’s regional director in Los Angeles, told JNS. “Our community mobilized to defend democratic values and stand against discrimination through thoughtful and resolute civic engagement, including hundreds of letters and direct meetings with venue officials and other stakeholders. We worked to turn a moment rooted in misinformation and exclusion into one of education, dialogue and change.”

Hall later acknowledged the public outcry and community engagement that followed the initial cancellation.


Police arrest 86 people supporting terror group Palestine Action outside Wormwood Scrubs
The Metropolitan Police has arrested 86 people on suspicion of aggravated trespass after they breached prison grounds while protesting in support of a Palestine Action prisoner on hunger strike.

The force said on Saturday evening that it had detained a group of protesters outside HMP Wormwood Scrubs in west London.

According to the force, the group refused to leave the grounds when ordered to do so, allegedly blocked prison staff from entering and leaving, and threatened police officers.

The Met said a number of them also managed to get inside a staff entrance area of a prison building.

It is understood the protesters did not get past security.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson described the incident as “deeply concerning”. They said: “The escalation of the protest at HMP Wormwood Scrubs is completely unacceptable. While we support the right to peacefully protest, reports of trespassing and threats being made to staff and police officers are deeply concerning.


Anti-Israel groups to march in Sydney during Australia Day protests
Sydney pro-Palestinian groups received permission to protest alongside indigenous activists on Australia Day, which marks the 1788 arrival of the First Fleet from Britain and is celebrated Jan. 26, police told local media on Sunday.

The New South Wales Police Force extended protest restrictions under powers granted in response to the deadly Dec. 14 terror shooting at a Sydney Chanukah party, but lifted them from Hyde Park in the city center and parts of southern Sydney, allowing for both indigenous “Invasion Day” protests and nationalist marches on Australia Day.

NSW Police Assistant Commissioner Brett McFadden told reporters on Sunday that agitators at either rallies would be “arrested …, charged [and] removed from the environment” by the security forces.

The police forces are “very conscious of the fact that there are two large protests scheduled for tomorrow,” McFadden said, The Australian reported. “We have very good engagement with the organizers of those protests.

“We understand and respect the importance of free speech in our constitution, but we also expect that those attending will demonstrate patience tolerance and respect to others that may have a different view on the message that they’re trying to convey,” the police official stated.

NSW Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon announced the extension of protest restrictions at a press conference on Jan. 20, while noting he decided to “significantly limit” their scope, despite the “heightened tensions in the community” since the antisemitic terrorist attack.

The anti-protest legislation has been challenged by the Palestine Action Group, Jews Against the Occupation and the Blak Caucus group, which organizes the Invasion Day rally. The NSW Supreme Court is set to rule on Thursday whether to send the legal petition to the Court of Appeal.


Muslim nonprofit fundraiser that raked in $265K from taxpayers features trinkets promoting Hamas, other terror groups
This is some radical swag.

A Muslim nonprofit that’s raked in over $260,000 in taxpayer dough and has ties to Mayor Zohran Mamdani hosted a pop-up fundraiser featuring a twisted array of trinkets promoting Hamas and other US-designated terror groups.

During the Muslim American Society’s Jan. 18 support-Sudan event at its Brooklyn youth center, vendors peddled key chains, stickers, pins and other tchotchkes in support of Hamas, Hezbollah and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

Other items at the event, called Thrift4Sudan, featured reverential images of late terrorist leaders Hassan Nasrallah of Hezbollah and Yahya Sinwar of Hamas, and a masked figure resembling the late Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida.

Other merchandise sported terror-group logos or directly called for the destruction of Israel, with slogans like “Let’s go bomb Tel Aviv” and “Death to the IDF,” The Times of Israel reported.

The outlet relied on a since-removed video of the event briefly posted on Instagram by Palestinian Assembly for Liberation PAL-Awda — the same anti-Israel mob that chanted “We support Hamas!” outside a Queens synagogue earlier this month.

The DC-based Muslim American Society’s New York chapter reported $982,123 in net assets for 2024, according to its latest available tax filings

Since fiscal year 2023, the City Council has awarded $265,000 in “discretionary funds” to the nonprofit’s New York chapter — mostly through its Brooklyn and Staten island operation — for boosting youth programs, “victim services” and other community initiatives, a Post review of city records found.

Of the taxpayer-funded pork, $150,000 – more than half – was dished out through ex-Speaker Adrienne Adams, while fellow Dem and ex-Brooklyn Councilman Justin Brannan approved another $80,000.

Adams didn’t return messages, and Brannan declined comment.
BREAKING: Columbia Taps University of Wisconsin Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin as Fourth President in Two Years
Columbia University has selected University of Wisconsin-Madison chancellor Jennifer Mnookin as its next president, according to three people familiar with the decision. Mnookin, the former dean of UCLA School of Law, will be Columbia’s fourth president in two years.

Her appointment comes at a tumultuous time for the university, which is still recovering from its protracted battle with the Trump administration.

As UW-Madison chancellor, Mnookin struck a deal with the school’s "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" after it occupied a major campus thoroughfare, framing the protesters as well-intentioned activists who were "motivated by understandably passionate feelings about the devastation in Gaza." In exchange for their cooperation, the school pledged to go easy on the protesters and host at least three guest scholars from Palestinian universities.

Mnookin also threw her support behind the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020, telling black students at UCLA Law, "we see you. Black Lives Matter."


Local newspaper removes posts on Jewish community after being overwhelmed by antisemitism
A local newspaper in Greater Manchester has been forced to delete two Facebook posts about the Jewish community after both drew a deluge of antisemitic comments, the newspaper’s editor has said.

The Bury Times published reports last week on planning approval for a new mikvah – a ritual bath – in Prestwich and on a Holocaust education programme ahead of Holocaust Memorial Day. When the stories were shared on the paper’s Facebook page they attracted thousands of comments.

In an open letter to readers, Andrew Topping, news editor at the Times, said the sheer volume and nature of responses forced his hand. He wrote: “We have also been forced to delete both posts from our Facebook page due to the sheer scale of commenting on each post, and the thousands of comments to moderate, remove and take action on,” he wrote. “Unfortunately, at least 60 to 70 percent of those comments were antisemitic. Possibly even more.”

Topping said the comments included “outdated religious tropes” and outright Holocaust denial. He warned some members of the community felt “marginalised at a time of significant international tension”. Bury has one of the largest Jewish populations in the UK outside London.

“Simply, this is not acceptable, and it is not something we, here at the Bury Times, are willing to tolerate,” he added. The Times has already banned a handful of users from commenting and said it would not hesitate to bar others who continued to use the paper’s pages to spread hate.
UKLFI: Encyclopaedia Britannica accused of erasing Israel from history in children’s educational content
UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI) has written to Encyclopaedia Britannica raising serious concerns about historically inaccurate and misleading content published on the Britannica Kids website.

UKLFI has identified repeated examples across children’s entries on Palestine, Israel and Judaism in which Israel is effectively erased from history — both geographically and historically — through the anachronistic and politicised use of terminology.

UKLFI highlighted that several Britannica Kids entries describe the entire area between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea as “Palestine”, including in the present tense. In doing so, the material omits the existence of the State of Israel altogether.

Particularly concerning are undated maps accompanying these entries which shade the entirety of Israel and the Palestinian territories as “Palestine”, presenting a picture in which Israel does not exist at all. UKLFI warned that this mirrors some of the most extreme contemporary political narratives that deny Israel’s existence and legitimacy.

The letter also raises concerns about the retroactive application of the term “Palestine” to periods thousands of years before the name existed. Children are told that ancient Jewish kingdoms, biblical history and the origins of Judaism all took place in “Palestine”, despite the fact that the regions in question were historically known as Canaan, Judea, Samaria and the Galilee.

UKLFI explained that the term “Palestine” was only applied to the inland regions of Judea in 135 CE, when the Roman Empire renamed the province Syria Palaestina following the Bar Kochba Jewish revolt against Roman rule, in an explicit attempt to suppress Jewish connection to the land. Applying this name retrospectively creates a false impression of historical continuity and erases Jewish national identity from the historical record.

UKLFI warned that defining “Palestine” as extending “from the river to the sea” closely mirrors contemporary political slogans widely understood as calling for the elimination of Israel. The inclusion of this framing in children’s educational materials is particularly troubling, as it presents a modern political position as historical fact.

Terminology, especially in children’s education, shapes understanding. UKLFI emphasised that presenting a version of history in which Israel— both ancient and modern — is disappeared misinforms young readers and disproportionately impacts Jewish and Israeli communities.


U.S. Weighs Complete Military Withdrawal from Syria
Washington is considering a complete withdrawal of American troops from Syria, U.S. officials said, as Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa moved to wrest control of the northeastern part of the country from an American-backed Kurdish-led militia. The SDF's defeat last week by Syrian government forces has led the Pentagon to question the viability of the American military mission in Syria, according to three U.S. officials.

Roughly 1,000 American troops are in Syria, most scattered across the northeast where they are co-located with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). A handful of the troops are stationed at Al Tanf Garrison in Syria's south. Their primary mission is to prevent the resurgence of Islamic State, and the soldiers frequently conduct patrols and operations with the SDF.

Much of the assault's success was the result of Arab tribal forces, who were once loyal to the SDF, switching sides to back the government. The SDF still controls the cities of Kobani and Hasakah, where there are large Kurdish populations.

Sharaa's army is riddled with jihadist sympathizers, including soldiers with ties to al-Qaeda and ISIS and others who have been involved in war crimes against the Kurds and Druze, two of the officials said. In December, two U.S. soldiers and an American civilian interpreter were killed near Palmyra by a member of the Syrian security forces who was set to be fired for holding extremist views.

During the recent operation against the Kurds, U.S. forces shot down at least one Syrian government drone near a facility where American troops are stationed.


Jewish cemetery in Barcelona vandalized: 'Result of anti-Israeli campaign' Several gravestones were desecrated at the Jewish cemetery in the Les Corts neighborhood of Barcelona. The city’s Jewish community reported Sunday afternoon that a number of headstones were smashed and vandalized by unknown individuals.

Photos taken by the Jewish community at the cemetery show shattered graves, headstones torn from their place and extensive damage to the site.

The Jewish community in Barcelona accused the state of inaction in addressing incitement against Jews, particularly since the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack by Hamas. In a statement, the community said: "We have seen how, at demonstrations, online and on the street, hate speech against Jews became routine. Then signs appeared across the city. Later, posters were hung on public buildings with slogans. After that, a map was published marking Jewish targets, including a school. And now, the desecration of graves. This is not random. This is an escalation. From slogans to marking. From marking to threats. And from threats to action."

Israel’s Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem strongly condemned the incident. "We condemn the desecration of the Jewish cemetery in Barcelona. This despicable act is the result of an anti-Israeli campaign by the Sanchez government. We stand with the Jewish community in Spain. The normalization of antisemitism must not be allowed and must be firmly rejected in all societies," the ministry said.

Harley Lippman funds headstones for Holocaust victims found in Poland’s killing pits
Ahead of International Holocaust Remembrance Day this week, Maariv conducted an exclusive interview with Jewish entrepreneur Harley Lippman. In a world where technology races forward and historical memory often fades into the background, Harley Lippman manages to bridge the gap. He is a successful businessman, a technologist at heart, and the CEO of global staffing firm Genesis10; yet, as our conversation deepens, it becomes clear that his true engine is not profits or stocks, but an ancient promise he made to his grandmother: to never forget, and to always help those who cannot say thank you.

We met at the start of a new year, moments before Lippman rushed off to another conference and a series of meetings with decision-makers. Despite the tight schedule, when he begins to speak about his project in Poland, time stands still.

The debt that cannot be repaid
“For each of my children, I chose to mark their Bar or Bat Mitzvah with something of deep significance,” Lippman says. “For my eldest daughter, I took responsibility for an orphanage that was about to be abandoned. That was 27 years ago. Since then, I have supported over 30 children through their university graduation. We remain in close contact with them to this day.”

For his second daughter, he took Jewish dolls sold in Poland that were made from pages of Torah scrolls and restored them into a brand-new Torah scroll.

However, the project that became his life’s mission arrived with his son’s Bar Mitzvah. Lippman decided to focus on an often-forgotten angle of the Holocaust: the mass murders that preceded the industrialized death camps.

“People think of Auschwitz as the central symbol, but the systematic murder began long before the ovens were operating at full capacity,” he explains. “I focus on the ‘Holocaust by Bullets’—the firing pits in Poland. To date, we have found about 40 mass graves. We go village to village, interviewing remaining Polish eyewitnesses—people who were children and watched from the forest as the Germans led Jewish families to their deaths.”

Lippman does not settle for just locating them. He personally funds—without accepting outside donations—the erection of headstones and monuments and conducts proper Jewish burial ceremonies. “This is Chesed Shel Emet (the truest kindness) in Judaism—doing something for someone who cannot thank you.”




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