Gidon Ben-Zvi. Photo: Screenshot

Gidon Ben-Zvi, former Jerusalem Correspondent for The Algemeiner, has died at the age of 51 after a fight with cancer.

Ben-Zvi continued to write op-eds for The Algemeiner even after he left as a correspondent, including in the aftermath of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel.

An accomplished writer, Ben-Zvi left Hollywood for Jerusalem in 2009, moving back to Israel after spending 12 years in the United States. From 1994-1997, Gidon served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), in an infantry unit.

In addition to writing for The Algemeiner, Ben-Zvi contributed to the Times of Israel, Jerusalem Post, CiF Watch, and blogged at Jerusalem State of Mind.

Ben-Zvi joined HonestReporting as a senior editor in June 2020, becoming an integral part of the editorial department and writing dozens of articles and media critiques for the watchdog group exposing anti-Israel bias. He moved with his family to Haifa at the end of 2022.

Ben-Zvi’s final article for HonestReporting was published in January 2025, before he took a leave of absence for health reasons. HonestReporting said in a newly published obituary that staff believed he would eventually return, noting the positivity and perseverance he exuded. The advocacy group said it learned of Ben-Zvi’s passing late last month.

Ben-Zvi leaves behind his wife, Debbie, and four young children.

All Ben-Zvi’s articles for The Algemeiner can be found here.

May his memory be a blessing.

A crowd gathers at the Jardin Ilan Halimi in Paris on Feb. 14, 2021, to commemorate the 15th anniversary of Halimi’s kidnapping and murder. Photo: Reuters/Xose Bouzas/Hans Lucas

An olive tree planted in memory of a young French Jewish man tortured to death in 2006 was vandalized and cut down this week, sparking outrage in France amid a troubling surge in antisemitic attacks.

In January 2006, Ilan Halimi was abducted, held captive, and tortured by a gang of about 20 people in a low-income housing estate in the Paris suburb of Bagneux.

Three weeks later, Halimi was found in Essonne, south of Paris, naked, gagged, and handcuffed, with clear signs of torture and burns. The 23-year-old died on the way to the hospital.

In 2011, an olive tree was planted in Halimi’s memory. On Friday, this memorial was found felled — probably with a chainsaw — in the northern Paris suburb of Epinay-sur-Seine.

Halimi’s memory has faced attacks before, with two other trees planted in his honor vandalized in 2019 in Essonne, where he was found dying near a railway track.

French officials have pledged to plant a new tree following the latest attack, which has drawn condemnation from the country’s local Jewish community amid a troubling rise in antisemitic acts.

French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned the incident, vowing that the perpetrators will be brought to justice while affirming that France’s fight against antisemitism will remain “uncompromising.”

“Felling the tree in honor of Ilan Halimi is a second attempt on his life. This will not happen: the nation will not forget this son of France who died for being Jewish,” the French leader said in a post on X.

Abattre l’arbre rendant hommage à Ilan Halimi, c’est chercher à le tuer une deuxième fois. Il n’en sera rien : la Nation n’oubliera pas cet enfant de France mort parce que Juif.

Tous les moyens sont déployés pour punir cet acte de haine.

Face à l’antisémitisme : la République,…

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) August 15, 2025

Authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the incident, with Paris police confirming that inquiries are underway.

French Prime Minister François Bayrou denounced the incident, calling the tree “a living bulwark against oblivion.”

“The never-ending fight against the deadly poison of hatred is our primary duty,” Bayrou said in a post on X.

French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau also condemned the antisemitic attack, saying that “this act can only provoke disgust and anger.”

France’s Jewish community has faced a troubling surge in antisemitic incidents and anti-Israel sentiment since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct.7, 2023.

Jewish leaders have consistently called on authorities to take swift action against the rising wave of targeted attacks and anti-Jewish hate crimes they continue to face.

Yonathan Arfi, president of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France (CRIF), denounced this latest incident, declaring that “today’s antisemites are no better than those of yesterday.”

“This is not just another antisemitic act. It is a way for antisemites to shout their hatred toward Jews, saying: ‘We are here more than ever!’” Arfi said in a post on X.

Ce n’est pas qu’un acte antisémite de plus. C’est une manière pour les antisémites de hurler leur haine en disant aux Juifs : “nous sommes là plus que jamais !”

Il y a bientôt 20 ans, les antisémites du “gang des barbares” ont enlevé, séquestré, torturé et assassiné Ilan Halimi.… pic.twitter.com/a9LPg5C8sz

— Yonathan Arfi (@Yonathan_Arfi) August 14, 2025

Israel’s ambassador to France, Joshua Zarka, condemned the attack, calling it a “shameful desecration” and denouncing those responsible.

“It’s clear that condemnations will pour in and outrage will be widespread, but who will truly reflect on the forces that led to this new act of barbarity?” Zarka said in a post on X.

“Antisemitism is a sign of a sick society, and in Europe today it has surged to levels reminiscent of nearly a century ago,” he continued. “May our departed rest in peace, and may those wounded by this brutality find healing.”

L’olivier en mémoire d’Ilan Halimi a été tronçonné.
Choc. Incompréhension.

Il est clair que les condamnations vont pleuvoir, l’indignation sera totale, mais qui réfléchira vraiment aux chemins qui ont mené à cette nouvelle barbarie ?

L’antisémitisme est le symptôme d’une… pic.twitter.com/A53V6mFsTJ

— Joshua L. Zarka (@yzarka) August 14, 2025

A banner held by Maccabi Haifa fans at a UEFA Conference League qualifying match against Raków Częstochowa on Aug. 14, 2025, in Debrecen, Hungary. Photo: Screenshot/X

Europe’s governing body of soccer UEFA announced on Friday the launch of disciplinary proceedings against Maccabi Haifa after fans of the Israeli team displayed an anti-Polish banner at a UEFA Conference League qualifying match against Poland’s Raków Częstochowa.

Maccabi Haifa is being charged with “transmitting a message not fit for (a) sports event” and “improper conduct.” Meanwhile, Raków Częstochowa is being charged with the lighting of fireworks and also displaying a message “not fit for [a] sports event.” The UEFA said its disciplinary bodies “will decide on the matter in due course.”

During Thursday’s match, which was played at the Nagyerdei Stadion in Debrecen, Hungary, for security reasons, some fans of Maccabi Haifa in the stands held a large banner that said in English “Murderers since 1939,” seemingly referencing the Holocaust and the atrocities committed in Nazi-occupied Poland. Germany invaded Poland in 1939, and more than 3 million Polish Jews were subsequently killed during the Holocaust, as well as 3 million non-Jewish citizens.

A week earlier, during a match on Aug. 7 between Maccabi Haifa and Rakow Częstochowa in Czestochowa, Poland, fans of the latter team displayed a banner that said in Polish: “Israel Murders and the World Is Silent.”

Poland’s Sports Minister Jakub Rutnicki sent a letter to the UEFA requesting “the imposition of severe penalties” against Maccabi Haifa following Thursday’s incident, and Cezary Kulesza, the president of the Polish Football Association, called on UEFA to penalize the Israeli team because of the “scandalous banner and outrageous behavior.”

“There’s no consensus for provocations and falsifying history,” Kulesza said. Polish government spokesperson Adam Szłapka noted that Poland expects “a clear reaction from UEFA.”

The “scandalous” banner “insults the memory of Polish citizens – victims of World War Two, including 3 million Jews,” Polish President Karol Nawrocki wrote in a post on X. “Stupidity that no words can justify.”

Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski called the actions “a distortion of history” and the Israeli Embassy in Warsaw condemned the “disgusting behavior” displayed by Maccabi Haifa fans. “There is no place for such words and actions, from any side, neither at the stadium nor anywhere else. Never!” the embassy said in a post on X. “These shameful incidents do not reflect the spirit of the majority of Israeli fans.”

Poland’s Interior Minister Marcin Kierwiński said, “Anti-Polonism and the outrageous distortion of Polish history by Israeli hooligans require strong condemnation. There is no, and will never be, agreement to such shameful practices.”

Raków Częstochowa won Thursday’s match 2-0 and advanced to the playoff round of qualification for the 2025 UEFA Conference League. They will face Bulgaria’s Arda Kardzhali on Aug. 21.

Also on Thursday, the UEFA was criticized for preventing the family of Hamas hostage and Israeli teenager Rom Braslavski from displaying signs calling for his release at Beitar Jerusalem’s match against Riga in a Conference League qualifier in Bucharest, Romania. The banners featured Braslavski’s photo and the messages, “I am asking for my brother,” “Bring back Rom,” and “The voice of my brother’s blood is calling to me from the tunnels – Bring Rom and the rest of our hostages home,” according to Ynet.

The incident happened after UEFA invited two children from the Gaza Strip to participate in the medal ceremony at the UEFA Super Cup final in Udine, Italy, and had several refugee children display a banner that read: “Stop killing children – Stop killing civilians.”