Emmanuel Macron speaks at tribute ceremony for Ilan Halimi

Posted on February 18, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

TABLET MAG
France Needs Jews in Order to Remain Itself
Emmanuel Macron
February 17, 2026

…Ilan Halimi had his whole life ahead of him. A loving family—his mother, Ruth, and his sisters. Friends, dreams. Dreams like those you have at 23, and the smile of someone who looks at others as a promise. Ilan Halimi was Jewish. And it is because he was Jewish that, for 20 years now, he has been missing from us all. It is because he was Jewish that he was subjected to an unspeakable ordeal, a 24-day calvary straight out of the darkest ages. Everything about the barbaric horror that unfolded 20 years ago inspires dread: Ilan’s abduction—conceived, premeditated, organized. His confinement in a cellar in Bagneux. The belief that, because he was Jewish, he must have had the means to pay unimaginable ransoms. The absurdity of antisemitic prejudice, the machinery of torture, the denial of his humanity. READ MORE

DAILY CALLER ‘Pure Bullsh*t’: Macron Attacks Free Speech In Push For More Government Control French President Emmanuel Macron sharply criticized unrestricted free speech, calling it “pure bullshit,” as his government seeks to expand its power to regulate speech more broadly, both online and offline…In early February, French authorities raided the Paris offices of Elon Musk’s social media platform X as part of a years-long criminal investigation into alleged algorithm manipulation and the spread of illegal content.

Posted in Israel & Middle East | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

“Arbel Yehoud speaks about her suicide attempts, her decision not to reveal the horrors of captivity until partner Ariel Cunio was freed, his collapse after their reunion”

Posted on February 18, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

YNET NEWS
Freed hostage Arbel Yehoud breaks silence: ‘I tried to end it three times’
February 13, 2026

More than a year has passed since Arbel Yehoud was freed from captivity after 482 days in what she describes as the hell of Gaza. Four months have gone by since she was reunited with her partner, Ariel Cunio, who was held for 738 days. Yet even now, Arbel struggles to speak about the horrors she endured, leaving them, in her words, in a “closed suitcase.” “What I went through, I went through from beginning to end, almost every day in captivity,” she said, declining to elaborate…She said the shift for her came after former hostage Romi Gonen revealed the sexual harassment she endured in captivity, beginning on the fourth day. “I was repressing it well until then,” Arbel said. READ MORE

Posted in Israel & Middle East | Tagged | Leave a comment

“A new generation of Diaspora Jews is refusing loyalty tests, rejecting defensiveness, and asserting their civil rights with unapologetic moral clarity”

Posted on February 16, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

FUTURE OF JEWISH
The End of Jewish Apology Culture
Mitch Schneider
February 17, 2026

There’s a generation of Diaspora Jews who don’t explain themselves anymore. They don’t apologize before they speak. They don’t qualify their loyalty. They don’t flinch when someone tries to turn their civil rights into a foreign policy debate. They show up, they say what needs to be said, and when someone tries to knock them off balance, they don’t move. Recently, one of them walked into a hearing room in Washington, D.C. and showed the entire country what that looks like. What moral clarity sounds like when it’s not performed for cameras but spoken plainly, to power, by a 27-year-old who came prepared to talk about America and refused to talk about anything else. Before we get to what happened in that hearing room, you need to understand who this young man is. Because the story only makes sense when you know where he comes from. READ MORE

X Hear Shabbos Kestenbaum speak about Harvard University, antisemitism and the campus scene today.

COMBAT ANTISEMITISM Commissioner Removed From Religious Liberty Commission After Antisemitism Hearing Turns Controversial Former Miss California turned conservative activist Carrie Prejean Boller was removed from the Religious Liberty Commission on Wednesday — two days after a contentious hearing in which she revived the deicide charge against Jews, challenged the premise that anti-Zionism constituted antisemitism, and defended disgraced political commentator Candace Owens. The Religious Liberty Commission was established by President Donald Trump in May 2025 to advise the White House Faith Office and the Domestic Policy Council on religious liberty policies of the United States.

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

It’s official: Palestinian state will be another Islamic theocracy

Posted on February 15, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

ALGEMEINER
PA’s Draft Constitution Enshrines Pay-for-Slay, Defines Palestine as Part of ‘Arab Homeland’
i24 News and Algemeiner Staff
February 15, 2026

A draft of a constitution for a future Palestinian state made public this week cemented in law the pay-for slay program, omitted any mention of the Jews’ historic ties to Jerusalem and appeared to endorse the idea that descendants of Palestinians displaced during the 1948 war have a so-called “right of return” to Israel. The fourth article designates Islam as the official religion and Islamic Sharia as the principal source of legislation. While Christianity is accorded a protected status, Judaism is not mentioned in the article nor anywhere else in the text. Neither are Jews. READ MORE

GATESTONE It Is Time To Listen To What Hamas Says in Arabic The assumption that pro-Hamas members of the “Board of Peace” such as Qatar, Turkey, and Pakistan would participate in any effort to disarm the terror group is clueless and misinformed. Recent statements in Arabic by two of the terror group’s senior officials, Khaled Mashaal and Mahmoud Mardawi, show that Hamas remains vehemently opposed to Trump’s plan, specifically the provisions concerning disarmament, the involvement of foreigners in the governance of the Gaza Strip, and the deployment of an international security force there.

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

“The black and Jewish communities found themselves swimming against parallel currents,” said host Henry Louis Gates Jr.

Posted on February 15, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

JNS
PBS to air four-part documentary series on blacks, Jews in America
February 3, 2026

PBS is set to air a new four-part documentary series written by “Finding Your Roots” host Henry Louis Gates Jr., which examines the relationship between black and Jewish Americans throughout U.S. history. Titled “Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History,” the series premieres on Feb. 3 and is scheduled to run on consecutive Tuesdays through Feb. 24. PBS described the project, which airs during Black History Month, as tracing a relationship “defined by solidarity and strained by division,” shaped by the forces of racism and antisemitism, and by civic and cultural cooperation, particularly during the civil-rights era. READ MORE

View the PBS Trailer “Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History”

Posted in Jewish, Politics | Leave a comment

Iran, Hamas: “From Cato the Elder, Roosevelt, Churchill, and Machiavelli”

Posted on February 12, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

WASHINGTON TIMES
A few words of advice on Iran and Gaza
Clifford D. May
February 10, 2026

“Carthago delenda est!” In case your Latin is rusty, that means “Carthage must be destroyed!” Cato the Elder would repeat the demand in every speech he gave in the Roman Senate. This was between the Second and Third Punic Wars in the 150s BCE. In case your history is rusty, too, the Punic Wars were between Rome (you know where that is) and Carthage (which was on the coast of what is now Tunisia). The conflict spanned 118 years, from 264 to 146 BCE. Talk about your “endless wars”! As a matter of fact, I intend to – after subjecting you to just three more paragraphs of ancient history. READ MORE

GATESTONE Khaled Abu Toameh: Hamas’s Secret Plan to Maintain Control of Gaza More than four months after the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip went into effect, Hamas has still not laid down its weapons despite repeated warnings by US President Donald J. Trump. Hamas, in fact, not only continues to rule large parts of the Gaza Strip that are still under its control but also seems to be working hard to rearm, regroup and reassert its control over areas of the Gaza Strip from which the Israel Defense Forces have withdrawn. According to Israeli security sources: “Hamas recently strengthened its control over the Gaza Strip by stealing humanitarian aid and selling it to local residents, recruiting young men in mosques, collecting taxes, and kidnapping and torturing anyone who dares to speak out against the terror group.”

Posted in Islam, Israel & Middle East, Politics | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

IL 9th District Dem and pro-Israel candidate Laura Fine demonized by fellow Democrat Evanston mayor Biss for her AIPAC connections

Posted on February 11, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

EVANSTON ROUNDTABLE
Fine under fire for donation sources by Biss and others at candidate forum
Margo Milanowski
February 5th, 2026

At a Wednesday evening candidate forum held by the Central Street Neighbors Association of Evanston, State Sen. Laura Fine (9th District) came under fire from some other candidates regarding her campaign donation sources, including donations from previous donors to current president Donald Trump and reportedly from a fundraiser held by the head of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). “It should be very troubling that the overwhelming majority of Laura Fine’s donations come from AIPAC supporters,” Mayor Daniel Biss said at the forum, held at Northminster Presbyterian Church. “She supports a blank check of military aid for Israel.”  READ MORE

POLITICO In IL-09, friendly forum turns fierce A political forum that began politely turned raucous Wednesday evening when Mayor Daniel Biss accused state Sen. Laura Fine of accepting dark money and donations from Trump supporters.

CHICAGO SUN TIMES What to know about the 9th Congressional District Democratic primary race An astounding 15 Democrats are vying for the seat left open by U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s retirement.

JEWISH INSIDER Daniel Biss reversed position on aid to Israel after launching congressional campaign Sources said the Illinois Democrat had also sought AIPAC’s support before launching his campaign, and then turned against the pro-Israel group; Biss denies the allegation

THE DAILY NORTHWESTERN Biss calls encampment-related congressional letter featuring trustee criticism a ‘baseless attack fueled by’ AIPAC Northwestern trustee Michael Sacks slammed Mayor Daniel Biss in text messages with former University President Michael Schill in April 2024 for refusing to send Evanston Police Department officers to make arrests and clear the pro-Palestinian encampment on Deering Meadow, according to a Wednesday letter to Biss from U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.). 

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

“Blue-square politics will not save Jewish children. It offers cover to those who want a performative response to antisemitism — a response that costs nothing, risks nothing, and changes nothing”

Posted on February 10, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

FUTURE OF JEWISH
Blue-square politics will not save Jewish children.
Leo Pearlman
February 9, 2026

On Sunday night, during the Super Bowl, one of the largest shared cultural moments on the planet, an advert about antisemitism reached tens of millions of homes. Funded by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, it set out to “stand up to Jewish hate.” That really matters…Worse still, the advert’s internal message to Jews is profoundly troubling. We are shown an all-too-familiar caricature, a scrawny, bookish Jewish boy, the eternal Eastern European stereotype, being bullied in a school hallway. He is “saved” by an athletic Black teenager, who covers the hate message with a blue square sticky note. They hug, they walk off together into the light, problem solved. The message is unmistakable: The weak Jew is rescued by the strong non-Jew. Allyship arrives just in time, intersectional harmony prevails, the blue square to the rescue. Except this has never been the Jewish experience. Not historically, not now, and certainly not since October 7, 2023. READ MORE

YOUTUBE View the Sticky Note Advert

eJEWISH PHILANTHROPY Amid criticism, Kraft’s anti-hate group defends Super Bowl ad against antisemitism The head of the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate emphasized the ad was intended to persuade all Americans — not just Jews — and ADL survey research proved its effectiveness. A chorus of commentators criticized the advertisement, which is part of a $15 million media campaign that will also include ad spots during the Winter Olympics, for depicting Jews as victims in need of protection from non-Jews and for avoiding the reality that the source of many antisemitic incidents in schools stem from hostility toward or hatred of Israel. 

TIMES OF ISRAEL Super Bowl ad against antisemitism slammed as ‘disconnected’ from Jewish teens’ reality Commentators say $15 million clip funded by Robert Kraft is cliched portrayal of Jewish weakness, with teenagers more frequently encountering hatred online and in context of anti-Israel activism

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

Saudi Arabia: “The surge in anti-Israel – and at times even antisemitic – language, evident across editorials, columns and state-aligned media, is unmistakable”

Posted on February 10, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

FDD
Why Saudi Arabia is turning back to Islamism – and against Israel
Hussain Abdul-Hussain
February 6, 2026

…Vision 2030 – an ambitious plan to diversify Saudi Arabia’s oil-dependent economy, reshape its society, and position the kingdom as a global investment hub – now appears increasingly out of reach. As a result, the crown prince seems to have abandoned the Emirati model of economic transformation – moving from oil rents towards services – and replaced it with a Turkish-style approach: maskingbin  economic trouble with populist appeals to restored Islamic glory, beginning with hostility towards Israel. Saudi Arabia’s shift back towards Islamism may have been inspired by Qatar and Turkey… Meanwhile, Iran is no longer the existential threat that once pushed Riyadh towards Jerusalem. Over the past year, Israel has weakened Iranian proxies Hamas and Hezbollah, contributed to the downfall of Tehran’s ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria, and – in June – directly bruised Iran itself, significantly degrading the regime’s ability to project power across the region. READ MORE

Posted in Islam, Israel & Middle East, Politics | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

“Conservative New York Times columnist questions the effectiveness of current efforts against antisemitism, says impulse to seek external validation is ‘a fool’s errand’”

Posted on February 10, 2026 by ArchitectGuy

JTA
In 92NY talk, Bret Stephens urges ‘dismantling’ ADL, investing more in Jewish identity
Andrew Silow-Carroll
February 3, 2026

In a speech that described antisemites as an “axis of the perfidious, the despotic, the hypocritical, the cynical, the deranged and the incurably stupid,” Bret Stephens asserted that supporters of the Anti-Defamation League and other Jewish defense groups should largely abandon their current strategy for combating antisemitism and instead redirect their resources toward strengthening Jewish life itself. Stephens, the conservative New York Times columnist and founder of the Jewish thought journal Sapir, said antisemitism is largely impervious to appeals to tolerance, reminders of Jewish and Israeli accomplishments, or mandatory Holocaust education. READ MORE

CALL ME BACK WITH DAN SENOR PODCAST Bret Stephens’ State of World Jewry Address Bret Stephens at the 92nd Street Y. Stephens, who is also the editor-in-chief of SAPIR Journal, offers a bracing diagnosis of modern antisemitism and argues that it cannot be educated away, apologized for, or solved through allyship.

FREE PRESS The ‘Dirty Jew’ Ad Is Bad for Jews The ad features a kid, probably 15 or 16 years old, walking down the hallway of a run-of-the-mill public high school in Somewheresville, America. When he gets to his locker, he discovers that someone has slapped a yellow Post-it note on his backpack that says DIRTY JEW. As the kid stares at his backpack in horror, we hear snickering—other kids, all of them budding neo-Nazis, apparently. But then! Here comes our savior, a black peer.

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