Thursday, February 26, 2026

02/25 Links Pt2: Defeating Antizionism; The Logical Endpoint of Progressive Paranoia About Jewish Money; Nothing Has Changed For Jews Since Bondi; Modi: India stands with Israel firmly

From Ian:

Adam Louis-Klein: Defeating Antizionism
So where does antizionism come from?
The foundational text is arguably Fayez Sayegh’s Zionist Colonialism in Palestine (1965), published while he directed the Soviet-sponsored Palestine Research Center in Beirut. Sayegh coined the term settler colonialism specifically to describe Israel, redefining colonialism not as a system of economic exploitation, as in classical Marxist theory, but as the mere existence of Jews as an immigrant enclave. Drawing selectively on Marxism, Sayegh preserved the charge of anti-colonial struggle while stripping it of its content, redirecting it toward Jewish particularity itself. Jewish peoplehood was reframed as a colonial fabrication — a “racist ideology” rooted in “biblical chauvinism” and the idea of the “chosen people.” In this way, Sayegh succeeded in repurposing anti-Judaic polemic against Jewish “exclusivity” into a critique of “settler colonialism.”

Settler colonialism did not enter the academic mainstream until decades later. In 1999, Australian scholar Patrick Wolfe revived the framework in his book Settler Colonialism and the Transformation of Anthropology. In 2006, his now-canonical essay “Settler Colonialism and the Elimination of the Native,” published in the Journal of Genocide Research, explicitly applied this eliminatory logic to Israel — casting Zionism as a project structurally driven to remove the “native” population. This hostile reconstruction marked a critical nexus point: settler-colonial studies fused with the institutional machinery of genocide discourse. Under the editorial influence of Australian scholar Dirk Moses, now at CUNY, the journal became a platform for recasting “Zionism” through Wolfe’s framework.

The Journal of Genocide Research became the institutional hub of this ideological convergence, incubating a cohort of genocide-libel theorists — Martin Shaw, Omer Bartov, Raz Segal, Amos Goldberg, and others — who would rise to prominence after October 7, often citing or collaborating with UN official Francesca Albanese, whose work represents the full application of this logic within the UN’s institutionalized system of antizionism.

Jewish anti-Zionists today continue to ignore this history and genealogy, contending that the antizionist hate movement that stormed campuses and captured the international media, and that has long poisoned human rights organizations, is somehow the same as the rich Jewish political debate that preceded 1948. Simply telling this story should be enough to disabuse anyone of the conflation between the anti-Zionism of the past and the anti-Jewish ideology that is antizionism today. The genealogies are simply distinct. Pre-1948 Jewish debates over Zionism are not the source material for contemporary antizionism, with its three core libels of colonizer, apartheid, and genocide.
Seth Mandel: The Logical Endpoint of Progressive Paranoia About Jewish Money
Newsom is happy to yuk it up over paranoid fantasies of Jewish power because it’s the price of admission for Democratic officeholders, in the way it is becoming the price of admission for right-wing podcasters. A wild example just this week: A Democratic candidate for a congressional seat in Illinois said he would return a contribution from Michael Sacks, a Democratic donor in the state, because Sacks has donated to AIPAC.

The candidate, Anthony Driver Jr., said he didn’t know Sacks had donated to AIPAC, and why would he? Driver explained how he and Sacks crossed paths: “Michael Sacks has supported community violence intervention work in Chicago for years. I served nearly four years as President of the Chicago Community Commission for Public Safety and Accountability, helping advance real public safety reform.”

So Sacks does good and important work, according to the candidate returning Sacks’s donation. It’s just that in Democratic primaries, that’s not enough to accept a contribution; the contribution’s bloodline must be free of impurities.

This is next-level stuff. The fact that Democratic candidates must now hesitate to accept support from someone who has given to prominent Jewish causes—if you think this is just about one organization, you are a fool—is a massive escalation in the paranoid style in American politics.

How do we know where this is going? Because in other respects, we’re already there. Progressive “anti-Zionist” mobs are already going after synagogues. Jewish-owned restaurants are boycotted, vandalized, and shut down regularly. The Boston Mapping Project created an interactive doxxing engine to identify and target the area’s Jewish nonprofits. Hamasniks have whipped up a national campaign against campus Hillels.

The guilt-by-Jewish-association game is up and running. Jewish people support Jewish groups that support Jewish causes that include the Jewish state.

How far removed from Jews does one have to be to have a shot at winning a Democratic Party primary? We’re starting to find out.
“Nothing Has Changed For Jews Since Bondi”
The CEO of the Australian Jewish Association says Australia gets failing grades for not standing with the nation’s Jewish community and responding to the warnings since the Hamas attacks on Israel in October 2023.

Robert Gregory told Vision Radio: “There was a lot of fear since October 7, since we saw some of the ugly riots outside the Opera House, and there was a fear that something like what happened at Bondi would happen.”

“And then when those fears were confirmed I think everyone’s just been very concerned.”

“Some people are reconsidering if they have a future in this country.”

“There’s been a heavy security presence at Jewish buildings, at schools and synagogues, which is a bit of a stressful way to live.”

“If you just want to go to synagogue to pray, you’re passing layers of security.”

“It’s not the Australia a lot of people remember, so it’s been a tough time.”

Robert Gregory lays a lot of the blame at the feet of the nation’s leaders in Canberra.

“I think the government got quite a shock with the Bondi attack, first of all, with the terrible atrocity that was carried out.”

“Maybe they didn’t really believe the warnings that would happen, but also with the response from the Jewish community and the broader community.”

“The prime minister was booed when he came down to Bondi Beach.”

“So I think they realised that there was real anger especially in the Jewish community, and they did shift their words a bit, so their words have certainly been more supportive.”

“I think there’s been fewer attacks on Israel, which we know flames anti-Semitism here.”

“They did accommodate the visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog, but when it comes to actual policy, I haven’t seen any real changes.”

“We still see a disproportionate number of visas refused for Israeli conservative visitors.”

“We see the government is still taking anti-Israel positions. They’re just doing it a little more quietly.”


Israel-India defense boost: Major deals mark a turning point in strategic relations
The estimates of defense deals which Israel and India are expected to sign as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Jerusalem are eye-popping with some reaching between $8-10 billion, when also consulting Indian media.

This comes in the aftermath of the 2023-2025 Middle East War in which Israeli air defense systems proved their worth as never before and of the May 2025 India-Pakistan conflict which highlighted New Delhi's vulnerabilities in the areas of drone, missile, and cyberwarfare.

Deals are expected potentially for all four major elements of Israel's multi-layered missile defense: Israel Aerospace Industries Arrow missile defense system, Rafael's David's Sling and Iron Dome, and Rafael and Elbit's Iron Beam, with the most attention on Iron Dome and Iron Beam, though none of the companies have confirmed deals or made any concrete announcements.

Currently, India has been using the Russian S-400 anti aerial threat system, systems based on Akash and Barak, and QRSAM systems. Israel may also help in other ways with detection more broadly and better coordination of the multiple layers of air defense.

This would provide India with air defense solutions against long range ballistic missiles, medium range rockets and cruise missiles, and short range rockets.

Also, deals are expected both in offensive and defensive drone warfare.

There are a variety of Israeli companies competing at high levels and with varied solutions in that arena. A large deal is expected for Elbit's Hermes 900 drone.
Building Blocs Through Lasers: The Israel-India Defense Partnership Takes Shape
Shared Vulnerabilities
India and Israel have both suffered from regular Islamist terror attacks, a shared experience that shapes their strategic partnership. On April 22, 2025, alleged Pakistani-trained terrorists from the Lashkar-e-Taiba murdered 26 Indian tourists at Pahalgam in Jammu & Kashmir, the deadliest terror attack in India since 2008. India's response to the attack demonstrated the nation's commitment to countering cross-border terrorism.

This shared vulnerability has become foundational to the India-Israel partnership. Both nations prioritize advanced air defense systems as a central component of their security strategy, and India's purchases of Israeli precision strike weapons and air defense capabilities reflect a partnership forged in the understanding of threats that cross borders and strike civilians.

The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor
India’s strategic positioning extends beyond defense. New Delhi is simultaneously developing the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) with Israel and the EU, connecting trade routes and port infrastructure from South Asia through the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan to Israel and onward to Europe.

Defense integration paired with infrastructure connectivity reveals a deliberate multi-layered strategy designed to create economic incentives that reinforce political stability alongside mutual defense interests.

Expanding Areas of Cooperation
During Modi’s visit, the two nations were expected to announce new agreements spanning critical sectors including artificial intelligence, cyber-security, and quantum technologies. However, experts note that current cooperation, while strong, has not yet reached its full potential.

Dr. Lauren Dagan Amos, an expert on India’s foreign and security policy at Bar-Ilan University, pointed out that India’s “Make in India” policy, which mandates local production requirements, has historically created obstacles to deeper industrial and defense cooperation.

The commitment to counter-terrorism cooperation remains paramount. Just before Modi’s arrival, the 10th meeting of the India-Israel Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism was held in New Delhi, with both sides reiterating their principle of zero tolerance for terrorism in all its forms, including cross-border terrorism.
India stands with Israel firmly, PM Narendra Modi tells Knesset
Netanyahu thanks Modi for friendship, collaboration post 10/7
Ahead of Modi’s speech, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed him at the plenum, thanking him as well for his country’s support and calling him “a great friend of Israel. And a great leader on the world stage.”

“I said, ‘My friend,’ these are not just words. You are more than a friend. In many ways, you are a brother,” Netanyahu added.

"The alliance between us is an enormous multiplier," he continued.

Netanyahu thanked Modi for his "unwavering" support of Israel after October 7.

“There is another reason for the deep appreciation you receive in this house and among the Israeli public. Immediately after the horrific massacre on October 7, you stood firmly and clearly by Israel’s side. We will never forget that. We know what we stood up against, but many in the world quickly forgot.”

“We are two democracies. We are now deepening our deep bond. Israel is stronger than ever, and India is stronger than ever,” Netanyahu said.

“We have doubled our trade and accomplished very great things within the framework of our cooperation. Israel is a small country, but with great strength. We are two ancient peoples,” Netanayhu said.

“During this visit, we will weave agreements in culture, agriculture, defense, technology, and the economy. We are shaping reality,” he said.

Opposition parties boycotted most of the special plenum session because Supreme Court Chief Justice Isaac Amit was not invited amid the ongoing rift between the government and the judiciary.

They rejoined the session for Modi's speech, despite the boycott, stating that their re-entrance was done "in order to respect the alliance between the countries and express our appreciation for Prime Minister Modi's standing by Israel's side."

Ahead of the plenum session, when arriving at the Knesset, Modi signed the parliament's Guest Book, inscribing within it that he was proud to be the first Indian prime minister to address the plenum.

Modi is first-ever Indian PM to address Knesset
In the Knesset Guest Book, Modi said he was proud to be the first Indian Prime Minister to address the Knesset.

"It is an honor to be the first Indian prime minister to address the Knesset. India and Israel share a deep commitment to freedom, pluralism, and the rule of law. Our shared values are the foundation of a strong and profound partnership between our two peoples. We will continue to work together to advance peace, innovation, and prosperity, and to contribute to a just, fair, and sustainable world," Modi wrote.
‘We didn’t walk on water, but we have performed miracles,’ Netanyahu tells Indian prime minister
Speaking before a special session of the Knesset in honor of Narendra Modi, the Indian prime minister, on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the visiting leader as “even more than a friend, a brother.”

“When you were here last, we were both on the Mediterranean coast. I suggested we take off our shoes and go into the water, the same water we wanted to desalinate, and indeed, we did so using Israeli technology,” Netanyahu said, according to an English translation provided by his office.

“With all due respect to our Christian friends, they said we didn’t just wade in the water, we walked on water. That isn’t true,” Netanyahu said. “We didn’t walk on water, but we have performed miracles since then.”

India and Israel have doubled trade, tripled cooperation and quadrupled their “understandings in ways I cannot begin to describe, and in certain ways that I should not describe,” the Israeli premier said. “But it is a wonderful friendship, both personally between the two of us, between our two countries and between our two peoples.”

Netanyahu added that “India is a giant power of 1.5 billion people” and “Israel is a bit smaller.”

“But Israel is a giant, too. It is a superpower. It is a giant in spirit, a giant in deeds, capable of performing miracles,” he said. “The alliance between us is a massive multiplier of the strengths of each of our countries. It is a multiplier of spirit and a multiplier of actions and capabilities.”

He added that Israel will never forget how India stood with the Jewish state after Oct. 7, clearly, morally and sharply.

Modi began his remarks by saying, “Shalom. Namaste.” Like Netanyahu, he described the long histories spanning many centuries of Israel and India.

“I bring with me the greetings of 1.4 billion Indians and a message of friendship, respect and partnership,” he said.
What I learned from Modi’s speech in the Knesset
What I learned from Modi’s speech in the Knesset Prime Minister Modi’s address to the Knesset was a calculated political–security message, not a ceremonial gesture. The fact that this was the first time an Indian prime minister spoke in the Israeli parliament functioned as a threshold moment is designed to justify an upgrade from cordial relations to a partnership with strategic depth and deliverables. Modi’s unusual decision to speak in English rather than his typical preference for Hindi also widened the target audience beyond Israel.

The message was aimed at external stakeholders as well, especially Washington, the Gulf states, and the broader economic–technological community. In effect, Modi positioned Israel within a wider regional–global architecture in which India seeks to expand influence, rather than treating Israel as a standalone bilateral track.

The speech built a foundation of trust through a layered mix of biography, soft-power symbolism, and value-based language: referencing the day India recognised Israel, invoking yoga, and emphasising respect and friendship while acknowledging Israeli gestures of respect toward India. The parallel Modi drew between Jewish halakha and the Hindu concept of dharma served as a normative bridgeנa shared vocabulary of moral duty, order, and correct action that reduces political friction and expands the public legitimacy needed for cooperation in sensitive domains. In parallel, Modi’s dramatic tone regarding October 7 was a direct calibration to Israel’s security ethos: he signalled an understanding of Israeli threat perceptions and collective trauma, thereby widening the space for deeper security dialogue.


Prince Harry & Meghan Visit Jordan NGO Employing Staff Who Posted Pro-Hamas Content
Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, arrived in Jordan this week on a surprise visit reportedly coordinated with World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The trip, announced under 24 hours in advance, included meetings in Amman with WHO representatives and participants from various humanitarian bodies, including the United Nations. The couple also visited the sprawling Za’atari Refugee Camp, home to tens of thousands of displaced Syrians.

But it was their final stop – a youth center operated by the Jordanian NGO Questscope – that raises serious and unavoidable questions.

The Questscope Connection
Questscope presents itself as a youth-focused humanitarian organization operating across Jordan.

However, a review of publicly available social media posts from several individuals identified as staff members reveals content that goes far beyond humanitarian advocacy.

HonestReporting has verified that the Facebook accounts in question belong to the individuals identified as Questscope staff.

Among the material shared:
Images glorifying Hamas-affiliated militants
Posts praising armed “resistance”
Graphics celebrating rocket attacks launched from Gaza
Repeated assertions that “Jerusalem is the capital of Palestine”
Imagery associated with organizations designated as terrorist groups by the United States and the United Kingdom

In one instance, a staff member shared an image of masked militants wearing Hamas headbands. In another, posts echoed messaging closely aligned with Hamas narratives during periods of escalation.

In October 2024, one staff member posted the phrase, “And in October, we came to have a deep-seated love.” The wording does not explicitly mention the October 7 massacre in Israel, yet in the current political climate – where October has become shorthand in some circles for the Hamas attack – the sentiment raises further concerns about the ideological framing at play.


Laura Fine champions pro-Israel record in position paper
Amid attacks from anti-Israel activists and groups over her support for Israel and backing from pro-Israel supporters, Illinois state Sen. Laura Fine, a Democrat running for an open Illinois House seat, unapologetically championed her backing for the Jewish state in a position paper obtained by Jewish Insider.

The paper offers an unflinching defense of Fine’s positions, including rejecting conditions on U.S. aid to Israel. Fine and other candidates, including Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss and far-left activist Kat Abughazaleh, are set to participate in a televised debate on Wednesday evening.

Fine described Israel in the paper as “more than just a strategic ally, it is a beacon of democracy in one of the world’s most volatile regions” with a bilateral relationship “rooted in shared values: democracy, pluralism, innovation, and a mutual commitment to peace and security.”

She emphasized that she “fully support[s]” the current U.S.-Israel Memorandum of Understanding on military aid, without “additional conditions … militarily or otherwise.”

“While the U.S. and Israel may not always agree on certain issues, halting or conditioning aid is not the right mechanism to solve our disputes or pressure our key allies,” Fine continued.

Fine’s stance is largely similar to that expressed by Biss in a position paper he authored early in his campaign and reportedly submitted to AIPAC — when he was seeking support from the pro-Israel group — and released publicly in January, after he had pivoted toward a more hostile stance.
D.C. mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George vows to reject ‘Zionist lobby’ in seeking DSA endorsement
Washington, D.C., mayoral candidate Janeese Lewis George told the Metro D.C. chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America that she will not attend events focused on “promoting Zionism and apartheid,” according to a questionnaire from the group that she filled out prior to earning its endorsement earlier this month.

“I will refrain from going on any political junkets to Israel. I will also not attend events focused on obfuscating the realities of occupation or promoting Zionism and apartheid,” Lewis George wrote in her answers on the questionnaire, which the local DSA group posted to its website. Lewis George described herself as “a proud member of Metro DC DSA.”

The DSA questionnaire asks candidates to publicly support the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, and to refrain from engaging with “the Israeli government or Zionist lobby groups” — a category that it said includes AIPAC, Democratic Majority for Israel, Christians United for Israel and the more liberal J Street.

It also asks candidates in the region to “oppose legislation that harms Palestinians and supporters of the Palestine solidarity movement,” including legislation promoting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, efforts to counter the BDS movement or measures that “send any military or economic resources to Israel.”

Lewis George did not say if she backs the BDS movement but said she supports “the right of all people, including Palestinians, to use nonviolent strategies like boycotts and calls for divestment to build a more just world.” She said D.C. “has no business sending military or economic resources to Israel.”
Antisemitic chants break out at San Francisco press conference, mayor says
A news conference highlighting San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s tax reform proposal devolved into vile antisemitic chants that went on for more than a minute unchecked, according to disgusted officials who were present at the Wednesday event.

Protesters tied to the Democratic Socialists of America’s San Francisco chapter began shouting “Tax the rich” outside a news conference held outside a construction site promoting Lurie and Supervisor Bilal Mahmood’s joint legislation to reform the city’s real estate taxes to spur housing construction and investment.

But the anti-capitalist cacophony escalated into chants about Israel with at least one individual loudly chanting “Tax the Jews,” according to sources present. Mayor Daniel Lurie speaking at a podium with District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood and other individuals in hard hats behind him at a construction site.Mayor Daniel Lurie condemned the chants as antisemitic.

“Suggesting that Jews are wealthy is a tired trope, and targeting our community at an event focused on creating economic opportunity for San Franciscans is decidedly antisemitic,” Lurie, who is Jewish, posted on X.

“I will never accept hate directed at the Jewish community or any community in our city. Those are not San Francisco values—we’re better than that.”

A horrified onlooker told The Post that the antisemitic shouts about Jews and Israel continued for roughly two minutes before “petering out.” But no one in the group stopped the offensive rants, they said.

In video obtained by The Post, a woman can be heard intermittently screaming “tax Israel” and “Tax the Jews” as union officials spoke at a podium.


‘New York Times’ unwittingly discovers antisemitic Palestinian curricula
In a glowing profile of a Palestinian American neurosurgeon building schools and offering hot meals to children in the Gaza Strip, The New York Times inadvertently exposed a far more consequential story than the one it intended to tell. Beneath the “feel good” narrative lies an uncomfortable truth: the curriculum used in Palestinian Authority schools is saturated with anti-Israel incitement, antisemitism and the glorification of violence—an educational framework that has served to indoctrinate generations of young Palestinians with the hatred that produced the Oct. 7 terrorists and obstructed peace.

Israel and its allies have complained about the issue for decades. The Palestinians pledged in the Oslo Accords to end such incitement, but have, if anything, intensified it. The Times offered only three examples, but they exemplify the extremism of the P.A. (you know, the moderates who are supposed to be partners for peace) curriculum:

A math lesson asked students to calculate the number of “martyrs” killed in the first and second intifadas. A reading comprehension passage celebrated Dalal Mughrabi, the perpetrator of the 1978 Coastal Road massacre that left 38 Israelis dead, including 13 children. (The Times, which scrupulously avoids labeling Palestinian murderers as terrorists, described her blandly as “a woman.”) An Islamic studies text recounted an alleged Jewish plot to murder the Prophet Muhammad, reinforcing ancient antisemitic tropes.

These are not isolated slips. They are emblematic of a system.

Missing from the article was any discussion of the ubiquitous maps in Palestinian textbooks that erase Israel entirely, replacing it with “Palestine.” Nor did the paper explore the extensive body of research documenting years of incitement. In 2005, Congress formally opposed funding for educational programs in the P.A. because of the inclusion in textbooks of material fostering antisemitism and rejection of peace.

Twenty years later, the European Parliament called for freezing funds to the P.A. until “all examples which incite to hatred and violence are removed.”

Typical of its response to U.S. and E.U. complaints, the P.A. created a new curriculum for Gaza that incites violence, promotes antisemitism, glorifies terrorism and martyrdom, as well as encourages jihad.

Yet what makes the Times story so revealing is how easily reform proved possible when someone tried. Dr. David Hasan simply replaced the “martyr” math problem with one about soccer. He swapped out praise for the terrorist with a profile of a Palestinian educator. He reframed the religious passage to emphasize respect rather than hatred. He added weekly peace-building lessons to promote tolerance. In other words, he demonstrated that indoctrination is not inevitable; it is a choice.


Gove criticises Tory MPs over ‘divisive’ Kosher and Halal meat labelling Bill
Former Conservative minister Michael Gove has criticised senior MPs for supporting a parliamentary Bill that would introduce compulsory labelling for kosher and halal meat.

The Bill, introduced by Esther McVey, the Conservative MP for Tatton, under the Ten Minute Rule on Tuesday, calls for mandatory labelling to inform consumers if meat has been produced using non-stun slaughter methods.

McVey argued that such labels would enable people to make informed choices based on animal welfare concerns.

“Individuals concerned about animal welfare would want to know if an animal had been stunned prior to slaughter,” McVey told MPs.

Her proposal was backed by other Conservatives, including Alicia Kearns, former chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee.

Kearns posted on X: “You have the right to know where your food comes from and how it was produced. I’m calling for clearer labelling in supermarkets, including whether meat has been non-stun slaughtered. It’s not about division, it’s about transparency and making informed choices. Shoppers deserve the facts.”

However, Gove, now editor of The Spectator, warned that the push for new labelling could prove “divisive.”

In a post on X he wrote:”I respect Alicia Kearns but this would prove divisive, I fear…”

The Bill also drew criticism from Jewish Labour MPs and peers. Hendon MP David Pinto-Duschinsky responded on X, accusing McVey of “dog whistles” and arguing that “halal & kosher meat is already labelled.

“The claims she makes about stunning are contested. This isn’t about animal welfare. It’s about dog whistles that brand minorities & their religious practices as cruel.”

He added that he was “shocked that senior Tories are following [Rupert Lowe’s] lead,” referencing a previous debate on the issue.


Doc about Jews killed by Poles after Holocaust could be banned in Poland
A documentary about the murder of five Jews in a Polish town is being threatened with a ban in Poland — not because they were killed in the Holocaust, but because they weren’t.

The Jews at the heart of “Among Neighbors,” from California-based filmmaker Yoav Potash, died six months after the end of Nazi occupation. They were among a handful of survivors from Gniewoszów, a town where about 1,500 Jews made up half the population before World War II. When they returned home in 1945, they were killed by their Polish neighbours.

Since premiering at the Warsaw Jewish Film Festival in November 2024, “Among Neighbors” has been screened in six countries and qualified for Academy Award consideration. But its release on TVP, the Polish public broadcaster, has prompted uproar from right-wing politicians and a national investigation.

Potash stumbled into making “Among Neighbors” on a 2014 trip to Gniewoszów, where he planned to document a modest rededication ceremony for the Jewish cemetery. As he began talking with the oldest residents, one woman, who has since died, told him that Jews were killed there well after the war.

“That just really struck me as a very different kind of story, because it was not the Germans doing the killing, it was the Poles,” said Potash. “It was not during the war, it was well after, when it should have been a time of peace.”

When “Among Neighbors” appeared on televisions across Poland in November 2025, it was hit with backlash from the office of Polish President Karol Nawrocki, a right-wing historian who led nationalist efforts to rewrite Poland’s Holocaust history. His Law and Justice party, which governed Poland from 2015 to 2023, promoted historical narratives about Polish victimhood and resistance to the Nazis while delegitimising research on Polish antisemitism or Poles who killed Jews.

Prime Minister Donald Tusk now leads the Polish government with a centrist coalition, but Nawrocki has been a counterweight to Tusk since he was elected last year.

Six days after “Among Neighbors” aired on TVP, Agnieszka Jędrzak, a minister in Nawrocki’s office, attacked the broadcaster on X. Calling the documentary “historical anti-Polish manipulation,” she said “a television station that has ‘Polish’ in its name should not be broadcasting it.”
French Jewish leader blasts judiciary for ignoring Jew-hate
The leader of France’s Jewish community accused the judiciary last week of failing to recognize Jew-hatred as a motive in several major cases, including in a recent murder conviction.

Yonathan Arfi, the president of the CRIF umbrella group of French Jewish communities, leveled the accusation on Feb. 19 in the presence of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu during the annual dinner of Arfi’s organization.

He also condemned inaction on antisemitic media and aspects of France’s anti-Israel policies. Lecornu said the government was committed to fighting antisemitism and its new “mask [of] anti-Zionism.”

Arfi’s public rebuke of the government at the dinner, an annual event that is traditionally a cordial encounter with top officials, underlined growing frustration by many French Jews with the government of President Emmanuel Macron amid a surge in antisemitic crimes. Macron has vowed to fight antisemitism but is accused of fanning its flames by targeting Israel unfairly.

Arfi asked the prime minister: “How are we to understand the judiciary’s decision to not recognize the antisemitic nature of … the defenestration of René Hadjadj in Lyon or the poisoning of a Jewish family?”

Arfi’s question referenced the 18-year prison sentence that a French judge earlier this month handed down to a man who, in 2022, had thrown his 89-year-old Jewish neighbor, Hadjadj, to his death from the 17th floor of their apartment building. The court did not uphold the aggravated hate crime element sought by the prosecution.
City lawyer suspended after alleged antisemitic slurs and harassment at work events
A City lawyer has been suspended after a disciplinary tribunal heard allegations that he made repeated antisemitic remarks towards Jewish colleagues and behaved abusively at work social events.

Ryan Williams, formerly a partner at SBP Law, was accused of making racist comments, engaging in unwanted sexual contact and becoming severely intoxicated at firm gatherings in London.

According to documents filed before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal, Mr Williams allegedly told a Jewish colleague at a summer party in north London in 2021 that antisemitism “doesn’t exist”, adding: “You’re all on top”.

The tribunal also heard claims that he repeatedly used a racist slur at the same event and later became “incredibly drunk”, at one point urinating on his clothes and being unable to stand.

The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA), which brought the case, said Mr Williams became “increasingly loud and aggressive” during the evening, throwing pizza around a pub garden before an Uber driver refused to take him home.
Islamic teacher escapes conviction after blaming ‘stress’ for assault on Jewish man
An Islamic school teacher has blamed the “stress” he felt about his brother being on a flotilla headed to Gaza for why he assaulted a Jewish man at an anti-Israel protest.

Useid Mohammad Rafiq, 30, escaped conviction on Wednesday for his assault of the counter-protester at Bondi Beach on September 7.

Earlier this month, Sky News revealed footage of the punch-up and that Mr Rafiq had lost his job as a high school teacher at Malek Fahd Islamic School - one of the biggest Islamic schools in the country, based in Sydney’s west - after his teaching accreditation was suspended by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) following his guilty plea in January.

Mr Rafiq’s lawyer Osman Samin told Waverley Local Court his client had been “in a constant state of anxiety” about his brother being on the Global Samud Flotilla, a fleet of ships that was headed for Gaza at the time of the assault.

“Your honour can imagine how stressful a period this was for [my client] and his family,” Mr Samin told the court.

“It was personal in the sense that he had someone who was on this voyage and that was causing a considerable amount of stress for himself.” ‘Forfeited the right’: Fury over ISIS women seeking return to Australia
Anti-white bigot convicted of sucker-punching TikTok influencer, berating Jewish couple in NYC hate crimes
An unhinged anti-white and anti-Jewish bigot who slugged a TikTok influencer in an infamous caught-on-video Manhattan attack was convicted on hate-crimes charges Wednesday and now faces up to 12 years in prison.

Skiboky Stora, who has run long-shot races for NYC mayor and claimed to be the “great great grandson of Marcus Garvey,” was found guilty of assault in the third degree as a hate crime following a bench trial in front of Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Josh Hanshaft.

The judge needed just 30 minutes to deliver the guilty verdict after the four-week trial, at which Stora acted as his own lawyer and put up a rambling, nonsensical defense.He was also convicted of stalking in the third degree as a hate crime and aggravated harassment in the second degree. The judge will decide whether Stora’s multiple felony convictions will run consecutively to each other. If sentenced concurrently, he faces up to four years in prison.

He was also convicted of stalking in the third degree as a hate crime and aggravated harassment in the second degree. The judge will decide whether Stora’s multiple felony convictions will run consecutively to each other. If sentenced concurrently, he faces up to four years in prison.

Stora, who wore a tie with his own name on it in court, was immediately remanded by the judge — and will be sentenced on April 14.

The trial, which included Stora taking more than 60 bathroom breaks and engaging in other shenanigans, wrapped up Wednesday as he and Manhattan prosecutors made closing arguments.

“I never did anything racist to anybody, and I never did anything discriminating against anybody, and I never tried to injure anybody,” Stora said in his short remarks.

When his brief speech wrapped up in just under 15 minutes, the judge asked Stora if that was all he had to say, to which he bizarrely replied, “God Bless America” three times.
The real Holocaust history behind Oscar-nominated short animation ‘Papillon’
At first glance, “Papillon” (Butterfly), the 15-minute Oscar-nominated animated short by veteran French filmmaker Florence Miailhe, may appear like a meditative journey through water and memory. An elderly man swims in a hand-painted sea, flashing back to childhood memories of being bullied and a loving mother who makes it all right.

As he cuts through the water and moves through time, the fuller context emerges: The sun-soaked beaches appear to be North Africa, the boy becomes a champion swimmer, a swastika tells you that he is competing in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, and the soundtrack echoes with taunts of “Jew” and “kike.”

The film is based on the extraordinary real life of Alfred Nakache, a Jewish athlete whose story of resilience under Nazi persecution has previously been told in two French documentaries but is seldom remembered today.

Born in 1915 in French Algiers (his family immigrated from Iraq), Artem “Alfred” Nakache became one of France’s most celebrated swimmers in the 1930s, specializing in the butterfly stroke — a full-bodied lunge that looks like a bird, or butterfly, in flight. His success brought him to the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where he competed under the shadow of rising antisemitism in Nazi Germany (and was part of a freestyle relay team that didn’t medal, but finished ahead of the Germans).

Under Vichy, the Nazi puppet regime, Nakache was stripped of his French nationality and forced out of Paris. He joined the resistance underground while still competing for Vichy. On November 20, 1943, Nakache and his wife and daughter were arrested by the Gestapo, and the family was separated at Auschwitz. Only Alfred survived. He later endured the death march to Buchenwald before liberation.

Despite these unimaginable losses, Nakache returned to swimming after the war, competing at the 1948 London Olympics. (He, gymnast Agnes Keleti, and weightlifter Ben Helfgott are the only known Jewish survivors to have competed in the Olympics after the war.)
Herzog begins official state visit to Ethiopia
Israeli President Isaac Herzog began an official state visit to Ethiopia on Wednesday, marking his arrival in Addis Ababa for a series of high-level meetings.

Herzog was greeted at an airport ceremony by Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedion Timothewos and Israel’s ambassador to Ethiopia, Avraham Neguise.

“I look forward to a series of important meetings aimed at deepening ties between our two nations,” Herzog wrote on X after his arrival.

Herzog began his visit at the Adwa Victory Memorial Museum, alongside Timothewos, Addis Ababa Mayor Adanech Abiebie and Neguise.

“Ethiopia is a great nation and a pivotal country in Africa,” he wrote on X. “Today, we are strengthening our historic friendship.”
Israel delivers autonomous BlueWhale mini-submarine to Germany in historic defense milestone
Israel Aerospace Industries on Wednesday delivered its autonomous BlueWhale mini-submarine to the German Navy, further cementing defense relations between Israel and Germany.

ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems Atlas Elektronic collaborated on the submarine, integrating the anti-submarine warfare towed sonar system.

The IAI is a regular supplier to the German Army, having provided it with the Arrow 3 system. It has also received an additional contract from the German Air Force.

“IAI’s autonomous systems, in the air, at sea, on land, and in space, are now operational and provide a significant technological advantage, while improving the ability to protect the lives of soldiers in the field,” IAI President and CEO Boaz Levy said at the handover ceremony at the German Navy base in Eckernförde, on the Baltic Sea coast.

“The delivery of the BlueWhale highlights the maturity of the solution, the strength of the cooperation with Atlas, and the high level of trust between the State of Israel and Germany. We share a common mission: to protect the lives of soldiers and civilians in Israel, Germany, and across Europe.”

The German Navy conducted a series of intensive trials in the Baltic Sea to test the BlueWhale in real-world conditions before the handover.

Unveiled in 2023, the BlueWhale is the first-ever Israeli-made unmanned mini-submarine.
David Shuker, ‘Last Jew of Saudi Arabia,’ dies at 82
David Shuker, an Israeli who claimed to be the last survivor of the Najran Jewish community in Saudi Arabia, has passed away, community sources said Wednesday. He was believed to be 82 years old.

In October 2022, Shuker made several public appeals to the kingdom’s rulers to allow him to visit the place of his birth before he died, including in a Wall Street Journal op-ed.

“I’m asking Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his father King Salman to go to the city of my birth, Najran, while I am still standing on my feet… to see where my grandparents are buried,” Shuker, a former mayor of the town of Bnei Ayish, near Ashdod, told Channel 13 at the time.

Despite talk of normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel in recent years, Israelis remain barred from the kingdom and the request was never granted.

Shuker was born in Najran, a city on the Saudi southwest border, in 1944. Once considered part of Yemen, the city was taken over by Saudi Arabia when the kingdom was formed in 1934. It was known to have had a small Jewish community, but persecution amid the establishment of Israel caused most to flee to Yemen and from there to Israel.

“After the State of Israel was established in 1948, the Jews were called by the king’s representatives to gather in the main square, Shuker wrote in the WSJ. “A convoy of camels was waiting there for 260 people, mostly children like me. Our families’ belongings were loaded onto the camels, and before sunset we began walking toward the Yemeni border.”

From there, his family was later brought to Israel in 1951.

Before the expulsion, Jews had a presence in Saudi Arabia for centuries, historians say.

“Jews lived in Najran long before the Saudi rule. In fact, there is evidence that Jews lived there as early as 2,000 years ago,” Shuker told Channel 13 in a 2022 interview. Some traditions trace their origin to the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.
Carnegie Hall Hosts One-Night Only Show With Star-Studded Cast to Benefit Kibbutz Be’eri Restoration
Carnegie Hall on Tuesday night hosted the New York premiere of a star-studded show highlighting Jewish pride, unity, and love for Israel while also benefitting the rebuilding of Kibbutz Be’eri in southern Israel, which was almost completely burnt down during the Hamas-led massacre on Oct. 7, 2023.

“Letters, Light and Love” was a one-night only production that featured a cast of celebrities reading on stage real-life letters about Israel written across centuries by leaders and thinkers – including Maimonides, Julius Caesar, Winston Churchill, Golda Meir, and Albert Einstein – as well as letters with deeply personal and previously untold stories of ordinary people whose lives and families are connected to the Jewish homeland, such as Israel’s first astronaut Ilan Ramon. At one point during the event, pro-Israel attorney and activist Elica Le Bon read a letter about Israel that was sent from Emir Feisal, the former king of Iraq, to former US Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter in March 1919. The audience also heard letters that included one by Israel’s founder and first prime minister David Ben-Gurion to his father in September 1906, and a letter by the late Master Sgt. (res.) Elkana Vizel, who died in a building collapse while fighting in the Gaza Strip in January 2024.

“Woven together with music and song, these letters formed one continuous, deeply human narrative,” organizers said in a released statement. “For many in attendance, the evening was not only a cultural event, but a communal act of healing, solidarity, and shared purpose at a time of profound challenge for Israel and Jewish communities worldwide.”

The event was originally scheduled for Monday but was moved to Tuesday night because of the snowstorm in New York. The production was sponsored by the UJA-Federation of New York and presented by Michal Noé and Sarah Sultman.

The cast for the New York show included Amy Schumer, Mark Feuerstein, Lawrence Bender, David Draiman, David Schwimmer, Debra Messing, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Jonah Platt, Judy Gold, Julianna Margulies, Matisyahu, Michael Aloni, Rona Lee Shimon, Noa Tishby, and Tovah Feldshuh.

Eli Sharabi, a former resident of Kibbutz Be’eri who was abducted during the Oct. 7 attack and survived 491 days in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, also performed on stage.

All ticket sales and event proceeds from the production will support the rebuilding of Kibbutz Be’eri, which was one of the Israeli communities hit the hardest during Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of the Jewish state. During their deadly rampage across southern Israel, Hamas-led Palestinian terrorists killed about 130 people in the kibbutz, which is about 10 percent of the community’s residents.




Buy EoZ's books  on Amazon!

"He's an Anti-Zionist Too!" cartoon book (December 2024)

PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism (February 2022)

    
 

 



AddToAny

Printfriendly

EoZTV Podcast

Podcast URL

Subscribe in podnovaSubscribe with FeedlyAdd to netvibes
addtomyyahoo4Subscribe with SubToMe

search eoz

comments

Speaking

Speaking

translate

E-Book

For $18 donation








Sample Text

EoZ's Most Popular Posts in recent years

Search2

Hasbys!

Hasbys!

2019 Nobel Peace Prize nominee

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.

Donate!

Donate to fight for Israel!

Monthly subscription:
Payment options


One time donation:

Follow EoZ on Twitter!

Interesting Blogs

Show All

Blog Archive

Copyright © Elder Of Ziyon - Israel News | Powered by Blogger
Blogger Templates