It’s a start: Germany passes historic law to cut funding to Israel boycotters

Posted on November 10, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

BARRON’S
German Parliament Passes Controversial Antisemitism Text
Agence France Presse
November 7, 2024

The German parliament on Thursday overwhelmingly backed a resolution aimed at tackling a spike in anti-Semitism linked to the war in Gaza. However, critics of the resolution — including voices from the Jewish community — say it could restrict artistic and academic freedom. The text calls for a ban on public funding for any group “that spreads anti-Semitism, calls into question Israel’s right to exist or calls for a boycott of Israel”. In cases of anti-Semitic acts in schools and universities, it calls for those responsible to be excluded from classes or even expelled. The resolution was proposed and supported by MPs from the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), the conservative CDU-CSU, the Greens and the liberal Free Democrats (FDP). READ MORE

FUTURE OF JEWISH The Hidden Message From Nazi Germany’s ‘Night of Broken Glass’ This weekend marked the 86th anniversary of Kristallnacht, a German term meaning: “Night of Broken Glass. Starting on the evening of November 9th, 1938, a meticulously planned pogrom — intended to look like a spontaneous uprising — took place against Jews across Nazi-controlled Germany and Austria. Hundreds of synagogues were set on fire. Jewish homes and shops were attacked, vandalized, and looted. About 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps. At least 91 Jews were murdered, with more dying later due to their injuries and by suicide.

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In the end, an Arab Israeli helped us. He said, ‘No one will mess with you. You’re with me.’ He ordered two taxis for us, and we escaped.”

Posted on November 9, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

THE TELEGRAPH
Revealed: How Pro-Palestinian mob organised via WhatsApp to ‘Hunt Jews’ across Amsterdam
Gordon Rayner
November 8, 2024

…Now it has emerged that the attacks on the Jewish football fans were planned in advance and co-ordinated using WhatsApp and Telegram. The Telegraph has seen messages from a group chat called Buurthuis, a Dutch word for a type of community centre, which were posted on Wednesday, the day before the match. One message says: “Tomorrow after the game, at night, part 2 of the Jew Hunt. “Tomorrow we work them.” Another member of the group says: “Who can sort fireworks?” adding, “We need a lot of fireworks”. Participants refer to “cancer dogs”, a particularly vile insult in the Netherlands…Another video shows a man who appears unconscious on the street being repeatedly kicked as he lies in the fetal position. READ MORE

COMMENTARY John Podhoretz: Pogrom 2024 For hours, the streets were not clear of them, as the authorities in the Dutch city had no clue what to do or how to engage. The mobs had been prepositioned at stadium exits, subway station entrances, and near and around the hotels at which Israelis who had come to town to support their team were staying. This was a pre-planned attack. We are mere days away from the 86th anniversary of Kristallnacht, the day when Jews and Jewish businesses were specifically targeted for arrest, injury, and destruction.

FREE BEACON Uber Working With Police To Investigate Drivers’ Alleged Involvement in ‘Abhorrent’ Anti-Semitic Amsterdam Attacks Uber denounced the “abhorrent” anti-Semitic attacks in Amsterdam and said it’s working with law enforcement to identify whether any of its rideshare drivers were involved in the violence, following calls from Jewish activists to boycott the company…Uber’s comments follow news reports that police are investigating the role that rideshare and taxi drivers may have played in the mob violence against Israeli soccer fans visiting Amsterdam for a game on Thursday. Images posted on social media appeared to show taxi driver groups coordinating the attacks on chat apps such as Telegram.

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Qatar to Hamas: You’re done here.

Posted on November 9, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

FDD
Qatar will reportedly oust Hamas after months of failed Gaza hostage talks
Natalie Ecanow
November 9, 2024

Hamas is no longer welcome in the State of Qatar, a senior U.S. official told Reuters on November 8. According to the unnamed official, Qatari officials ordered Hamas to exit the emirate after the Biden administration told Doha that Hamas’s presence in Qatar “is no longer acceptable.” Qatar has long sheltered Hamas’s political elite, many of whom live in the emirate as multi-billionaires…The news of Qatar’s move against Hamas comes days after more than a dozen Republican senators sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Attorney General Merrick Garland urging the Biden administration to “reverse” its “policy towards the State of Qatar” and compel the Gulf emirate to crack down on Hamas. READ MORE

NEW YORK POST Qatar pulling out of Gaza mediation role, confirms ousting of Hamas Qatar is stepping back from its mediator role between Israel and Hamas — marking a shocking turning point in the faltering year-long negotiations. Doha told Hamas officials late last month to leave the country, a diplomat familiar with the issue told the Times of Israel — confirming earlier reports in the US.

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“In New York, roughly 45% of Jewish voters voted GOP, delivering a mind-boggling 50% increase in Jewish support for Trump over 2020”

Posted on November 8, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

NEW YORK POST
Exodus: Jewish voters’ break with the Democrats will elevate our politics
Liel Leibovitz
November 10, 2024

A much-quoted Edison Research exit poll rattled expectations on Election Day when it claimed Kamala Harris had bagged 79% of the Jewish vote — disproving the notion that the left’s embrace of pro-Hamas protests would drive significant, maybe even historic, Jewish defections from the Democratic Party. It was a stunning bit of data. Except it wasn’t true. The poll was based on ten states — none of them New York, California or Massachusetts, where about half of America’s Jews actually live. In other words, trying to learn anything about American Jewish voting patterns by looking at the Edison poll was like attempting to study the preferences of McDonald’s customers by interviewing people who only eat salad for lunch — it won’t tell you much you can use. READ MORE

TABLET MAG Lee Smith: Obama Isn’t Going Anywhere The former president lost big on Nov. 5. But he doesn’t seem interested in leaving D.C., or American politics.

NY JEWISH WEEK At an Upper West Side synagogue, Jews gather to ‘sit shiva’ following Trump’s win The event at B’nai Jeshurun had been billed as “A Time of Prayer for the Neshamah [Soul] of Our Nation.” But after Wednesday’s results, it became a very different kind of gathering.

JNS Jonathan Tobin: The sorry symbolism of a pro-Israel rally that flopped A year after Oct. 7 and a successful unity rally, an empty ballpark is a metaphor for America Jewry’s weak response to the war on Israel and the resulting surge in antisemitism.

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Chicago Teachers Union is the most powerful public sector union in the US, a political behemoth of the city that, quite literally, elected Brandon Johnson Mayor.

Posted on November 8, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

NATIONAL REVIEW
Brandon Johnson Wasn’t on the Ballot in Chicago, but Went Down in Flames on Tuesday Anyway
Jeffrey Blehar
November 8, 2024

Readers of National Review have become well familiar with Brandon Johnson’s reign of error as mayor of Chicago over the past year and a half, if for no other reason than I happen to live here — his ineptitude is part of my daily life. But the list of his achievements has been genuinely newsworthy — whether it’s axing ShotSpotter (and doing it so ineptly it cost the city millions of dollars), ridiculously calling for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza as the mayor of a midwestern American city, trying to introduce “slave reparations” into the Land of Lincoln, or blaming that SOB Nixon for 2024’s violent crime numbers — and even at times, properly history-making: Johnson is now the most unpopular mayor in the city’s 187 years of existence. READ MORE

NEW YORK POST Paul Vallas: Chicago is what happens when antisemitism mixes with lawlessness Days after the Oct. 26 shooting of an Orthodox Jewish man in Chicago, Mayor Brandon Johnson was publicly rebuked for issuing a perfunctory statement that made no mention of the victim’s background and didn’t demand the incident be treated by police as a hate crime. Anxiety among Chicago’s Jewish community has been aggravated by Johnson’s apparent insensitivity and indifference. Johnson’s behavior is illustrative of how America’s current antisemitism epidemic is colliding with the laissez-faire public safety policies nationwide.

* Paul Vallas is a former CEO of public school districts in Philadelphia and Chicago. He lost to Brandon Johnson in the last mayoral election.

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“Tonight, in central Amsterdam, young Jews were attacked by Palestinians, facing attempted lynching. The police were absent or arrived too late. This is happening in the heart of Europe, and it’s only the beginning”

Posted on November 7, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

JNS
‘Pogrom’ in Amsterdam: Netanyahu sends planes to rescue Jews, US members of Congress demand action
November 8, 2024

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated at about 4:30 a.m. local time that he was dispatching two rescue planes to Amsterdam following a “very violent incident against Israeli citizens.” “The harsh pictures of the assault on our citizens in Amsterdam will not be overlooked,” Netanyahu’s office stated. “Prime Minister Netanyahu views the horrifying incident with utmost gravity and demands that the Dutch government and security forces take vigorous and swift action against the rioters, and ensure the safety of our citizens.” Earlier in the day, Maccabi Tel Aviv lost 5-0 to Ajax Amsterdam in a Europa League soccer game. Various reports indicate that Israeli fans were attacked—with some reports of injuries—after leaving the game. READ MORE

ARUTZ SHEVA Violence in Amsterdam: Israeli soccer fans attacked by Arabs Hundreds of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans report being attacked by Arabs as they left the stadium where Maccabi’s game against AFC Ajax took place. At least 10 fans injured, two people unaccounted for. An Israeli who was present at the scene: “The police only arrived after half an hour.” The fans testified that an ambush had been prepared for them in advance at various points outside the stadium. Disturbing footage from the city, which was posted to social media, fans are seen being violently attacked, beaten and even run over. One of the fans was forced to say “Free Palestine” before he was let go. Some of the fans barricaded themselves in shops and other places in the city. CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO

X @JewsFight Back As Jews are beaten, stabbed, run over, and attacked in Holland today, let’s not forget: in 1938, there were 140,000 Jews in the country. Today, there are 29,000. It’s not 1938 anymore. Netanyahu just sent rescue planes and Mossad agents to Amsterdam. Harm a Jew today, and see what happens.

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Kamala Harris sidestepped a proudly Jewish and pro-Israel politician to be her vice president — and it cost her and the Democrats a pivotal U.S. election.

Posted on November 7, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

FUTURE OF JEWISH
The Curse of Neglecting the Jews
Joshua Hoffman
November 7, 2024

…Still, the speculation that Shapiro was not tapped as Harris’ vice presidential nominee because he is Jewish appears — at least from my vantage point — to be an oversimplification of the Harris campaign’s decision-making process; meaning there were in all likelihood several reasons why Harris ultimately opted for another vice presidential nominee. But we cannot overlook the fact that Shapiro being Jewish and a justifiable supporter of Israel was in all probability part of the Harris campaign’s decision-making process. And we should note that Shapiro is not just a politician who happens to be Jewish. He speaks openly about his faith and has brought his observant Jewish identity into his public life in ways that are rarely seen on the national stage. For example, Shapiro is the first governor to make the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion kosher. READ MORE

JEWISH INSIDER Lahav Harkov: Netanyahu’s office hopeful after Trump election victory …As for Trump’s repeated calls for Israel to wind down its multifront war, the view in Jerusalem is that he means for Israel to win, rather than reach a cease-fire that would stop the war prior to a decisive Israeli victory. In addition, the prime minister and his advisers are hopeful that Trump will successfully expand the Abraham Accords and lead more Arab and Muslim states to normalize relations with Israel. Netanyahu was among the first world leaders to post a congratulatory post on X on Wednesday, writing: “Congratulations on history’s greatest comeback! Your historic return to the White House offers a new beginning for America and a powerful recommitment to the great alliance between Israel and America.

TIMES OF ISRAEL Israeli envoy to UN says Trump election offers opportunity to kibosh ICC, ICJ probes Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon said Thursday that Donald Trump’s election presents an opportunity to neutralize the cases against Israel in the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice. “We expect the US to put pressure on these bodies that hold a double standard… against Israel, and I’m sure that we will receive moral backing from the new administration,” Danon said in an interview with The Times of Israel.

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Pro-Israel political action committee AIPAC has aided 318 Zionist candidates to win so far in the recent US elections. Other PACs and private donors also played significant roles

Posted on November 7, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

JPOST
AIPAC-backed candidates win big in US elections, strengthening pro-Israel presence in Congress
Corey Tusak
November 7, 2024

At least 318 American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) backed politicians won their seats in the US elections on Tuesday, AIPAC posted on their X/Twitter. AIPAC is a pro-Israel lobbying group that vowed to spend over 100 million dollars this year in the US elections, according to The Guardian. One recipient, Jewish Democrat Adam Schiff, won his senate position in California. His previous position as a representative from the house from the 30th district of California has been replaced by another AIPAC-backed democrat, Laura Friedman…AIPAC endorsed Wesley Bush, who won his position as House representative in Missouri District 1. He replaced ‘squad member’ Cori Bush, who had previously been critical of Israel in the Democratic party primaries. AIPAC spent $8.5 million on Bush’s campaign, according to The Guardian. READ MORE

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“Gallant conducted himself in an adversarial matter frequently holding meetings with heads of organizations subordinate to the prime minister without his presence”

Posted on November 6, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

JNS
Netanyahu says Gallant fired over ‘loss of trust’
David Isaac
November 6, 3024

The dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday led to a battle of narratives as the Prime Minister’s Office said Gallant was fired over disagreements connected to the war’s conduct while the opposition tried to frame the move as petty politics. Four opposition leaders held a joint press conference at the Knesset in Jerusalem on Wednesday, accusing Netanyahu of dismissing Gallant in order to pass a “draft-dodger bill” needed to placate his ultra-Orthodox coalition partners and keep his government from toppling…Sources close to the prime minister told Ynet that Gallant had bucked Netanyahu on a host of key military decisions, including refusing to support the prime minister’s demand to assassinate Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, opposing an IDF presence on the Philadelphi Corridor on the Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt, and refusing to let the IDF take charge of the distribution of humanitarian aid to the Strip, which the sources say perpetuates Hamas rule. READ MORE

JPOST Who is Israel’s incoming defense minister, Israel Katz? Shortly after the decision, it was announced that Foreign Minister Israel Katz would take on the role of defense minister, pending government and Knesset confirmation…Unlike several of his predecessors, including Gallant, Katz has not served in any senior military command positions, such as IDF Chief of Staff or commander of Northern or Southern Commands.

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“An antisemitic terrorist attack in one of America’s largest cities was made possible by Ms. Harris’s immigration policies”

Posted on November 6, 2024 by ArchitectGuy

WALL STREET JOURNAL
Chicago Plays Down an Antisemitic Hate Crime
Richard Goldberg
November 4, 2024

A Mauritanian man who illegally entered the U.S. went to West Rogers Park, Chicago’s largest Orthodox Jewish neighborhood, on Oct. 26 and allegedly shot a man on his way to synagogue. City officials quickly began playing down what had happened. The deputy police chief, asked at a news conference if the victim was Jewish, said only that he was “from the community.”…There is a reason why Democrats in Chicago played down the shooting and restricted information about it. On Oct. 30, Fox News reported that in 2023 the suspect entered the U.S. illegally and was released into the country pursuant to the Biden-Harris administration’s immigration policies. At some point, Mr. Abdallahi went to Chicago, a sanctuary city, and obtained a driver’s license from Illinois, a sanctuary state. READ MORE

JNS At rally, Trump calls Chicago shooting of Orthodox Jewish man ‘horrendous situation’ During a campaign event in Raleigh, N.C., the former president described how Mauritanian national “traveled to a Jewish neighborhood in Chicago and tried to execute a Jewish man on the street.”

CNN 2 Jewish DePaul students attacked while showing support for Israel Two Jewish students at DePaul University in Chicago who were “visibly showing their support for Israel” were targeted Wednesday by masked attackers, according to a statement from the university’s president. The students, two men in their 20s, were assaulted by unknown assailants who struck one victim in the face and body and pushed the other one to the ground before running off, the Chicago Police Department said, adding both declined emergency medical aid. “We are outraged that this occurred on our campus,” university President Robert L. Manuel said in a statement. 

Posted in Chicago, Israel & Middle East, Jewish, Politics | Leave a comment