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Wars in Israel and Ukraine take center stage in Israel for Jews with roots in the former Soviet Union
TEL AVIV — Valeriia Kholodova knows all too well the horrors of war. Born and raised in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, she fled to Kyiv in 2014 after fierce fighting broke out between pro-Russian separatists and government forces.
Then, when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, she fled again — this time to Israel.
Now, living through her third war in less than a decade, Kholodova, 40, is no longer running.
“What happened on Oct. 7 changed everything,” said Kholodova, who heads Chabad’s charity projects in Ukraine remotely from her Israeli home in Rehovot while representing Hillel in Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Belarus and Azerbaijan. “I decided to stay. I’m not afraid. This is my home.”
Kholodova was among 150 Israelis with roots in the former Soviet Union who gathered Dec. 21 at a hotel in Jaffa for an evening of lectures, music and solidarity with Israel.
The event was organized by Limmud FSU, the global Jewish organization that brings together Jews with roots in the former Soviet Union to strengthen their sense of community and Jewish identity.
The event in late December originally was supposed to take place at Shefayim, the kibbutz in central Israel where evacuees from Kfar Aza, one of the communities devastated on Oct. 7, have been relocated. The plan for a big annual festival there was quickly scrapped.
“This is a difficult time,” said Limmud FSU’s founder, Chaim Chesler, noting that the war in Israel became the focus of this event. “We didn’t want to give up, so we decided to move it somewhere else on a smaller scale — and to show everybody that we are alive.”
At one session, Victor Vakhstein discussed how U.S. college campuses have become “new bastions of antisemitism.” Kiril Fefferman talked about why the Holocaust has become one of the defining themes of Israel’s war against Hamas—both for Jews and their enemies. Binyamin Minich lectured on the four fast days of the Jewish calendar
But it wasn’t all doom and gloom. Marat Mairovich and Nina Garbuzova offered a master class on theater. Ukrainian-born guitarist and actor Ariel Krizhopolsky put on a musical performance. Participants paid a small fee of their choice, with all money raised going to the Lone Soldiers Fund.
Participants at a Limmud FSU event in Israel amidst the war with Hamas stand for the singing of Hatikvah, Israel’s national anthem. (Alexander Khanin)
David Mayofis, 24, immigrated to Israel in 2014 from the Russian city of Tomsk, in Siberia. He ascribed global protests against Israel’s actions in Gaza to antisemitism.
“It’s not because we are dealing with a terrorist organization, it’s because of the idea that Israel shouldn’t exist. That’s why they think Hamas is a resistance movement,” said Mayofis, whose pro-Israel blog in English and Hebrew has 37,000 Instagram followers. “They want to remove Israel from the map completely. Criticism of Israel is valid, but once you say, ‘From the river to the sea,’ that’s antisemitism.”
Both Raheli Baratz-Rix of the World Zionist Organization and human rights lawyer Arsen Ostrovsky used their sessions to urge attendees to speak out forcefully against antisemitism and the crimes Hamas is committing, including against Israel’s hostages.
“Jews are being attacked only because they’re Jews or Israelis,” said Baratz-Rix, head of the WZO’s Department for Combating Antisemitism & Enhancing Resilience. “Since the war began, Hitler has become a cultural hero in the Arab world. There are protests all over the Arab world with people carrying his picture and the phrase, ‘It’s a shame you didn’t finish the job. We will continue it.’”
She added: “Our job here is not only to increase awareness about what’s going on, but also to encourage people to speak out against it. Don’t stay silent.”
Ostrovsky was born in the Ukrainian city of Odessa, grew up in Australia and has lived in Israel since 2012. He runs the International Legal Forum, a nonprofit coalition of pro-Israel lawyers from around the world.
“So much of the legal discourse we’re seeing around the world influences what’s happening on American college campuses, at the United Nations and on the streets of Europe,” he said. “But people are intentionally misapplying the law to attack and delegitimize Israel. So we must correct that while providing a passionate defense of Israel, and ensuring that the narrative stays on the real war crimes being committed by Hamas.”
Ostrovsky, who has 250,000 followers on X, said that in December alone, his posts have generated over 100 million impressions.
Limmud FSU co-founder Chaim Chesler and Raheli Baratz-Rix of the World Zionist Organization at the Limmud FSU event in Israel on Dec. 21, 2023. (Alexander Khanin)
“We’re in the age of social media, and misinformation spreads like wildfire. We’re fighting this war on multiple battlefronts, not only in the legal arena but also the digital arena—especially when we’re dealing with millennials,” he said. “It’s an uphill battle, but at the same time we’re also seeing people standing up for Israel and seeing the horrors for themselves. And they are speaking up.”
Since its creation in 2005, Limmud FSU has held nearly 90 festivals worldwide, drawing over 80,000 participants. The organization is led by chairman Matthew Bronfman, Chesler, co-founder Sandy Cahn, and executive director Natasha Chechik, and its work is supported by individuals and organizations including the WZO, the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany, Nativ-Israeli Prime Minister’s Office, Jewish National Fund – KKL, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Wilf Family Foundation, Dutch Jewish Humanitarian Fund, Diane Wohl, Bill Hess and others.
Iryna Tsarenko flew to Israel in December for a 10-day volunteer program that included picking vegetables on a kibbutz, touring the damaged city of Sderot, spending Shabbat in Jerusalem and meeting with the families of Israeli hostages taken to Gaza. Originally from Kyiv, Tsarenko, 41, left soon after Russia invaded Ukraine and moved to Berlin.
“I live in Germany, but Ukraine and Israel are really my countries — and both are at war,” Tsarenko said. “Many farmworkers went back to Thailand and they had nobody to pick the crops. So this was my opportunity to help Israel.”
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Majority of French People Oppose Macron’s Push to Recognize a Palestinian State, New Survey Finds
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers the keynote address at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore, May 30, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Edgar Su
Nearly 80 percent of French citizens oppose President Emmanuel Macron’s push to recognize a Palestinian state, according to a new study that underscores widespread public resistance to the controversial diplomatic initiative.
Last week, Macron announced the postponement of a United Nations conference aimed at advancing international recognition of a Palestinian state as part of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with no new date set.
The UN summit — originally scheduled for June 16–18 — was delayed after Israel launched a sweeping preemptive strike on Iran, targeting military installations and nuclear facilities in what officials said was an effort to neutralize an imminent nuclear threat.
Last month, Macron said that recognizing “Palestine” was “not only a moral duty but a political necessity.” The comments followed him saying in April that France was making plans to recognize a Palestinian state at a UN conference it would co-host with Saudi Arabia. Israeli and French Jewish leaders sharply criticized the announcement, describing the decision as a reward for terrorism and a “boost” for Hamas.
The French people largely seem to agree now is not the right time for such a move. A survey conducted by the French Institute of Public Opinion (IFOP) on behalf of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions of France (CRIF), the main representative body of French Jews, found that 78 percent of respondents opposed a “hasty, immediate, and unconditional recognition of a Palestinian state.”
Sondage Crif x Ifop : “Le regard des Français sur la reconnaissance par la France de l’État palestinien”
Une large majorité de Français (78 %) s’oppose à une reconnaissance immédiate et sans condition de l’État palestinien. Parmi eux, près de la moitié (47 %) estiment qu’une… pic.twitter.com/AX9gP6eMLe
— CRIF (@Le_CRIF) June 17, 2025
France’s initiative comes after Spain, Norway, Ireland, and Slovenia officially recognized a Palestinian state last year, claiming that such a move would contribute to fostering a two-state solution and promote lasting peace in the region.
According to IFOP’s recent survey, however, nearly half of French people (47 percent) believe that recognition of a Palestinian state should only be considered after the release of the remaining hostages captured by Hamas during the Palestinian terrorist group’s invasion of southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, while 31 percent oppose any short-term recognition regardless of future developments.
The survey also reveals deep concerns about the consequences of such a premature recognition, with 51 percent of respondents fearing a resurgence of antisemitism in France and 50 percent believing it could strengthen Hamas’s position in the Middle East.
France has experienced an ongoing record surge in antisemitic incidents, including violent assaults, following Hamas’s Oct. 7 atrocities, amid the ensuing war in Gaza.
According to local media reports, France’s recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN conference was expected to be contingent on several conditions, including a truce in Gaza, the release of hostages held by Hamas, reforms within the Palestinian Authority (PA) — which is expected to take control from Hamas after the war — economic recovery, and the end of Hamas’s terrorist rule in the war-torn enclave.
The PA has not only been widely accused of corruption and condemned by the international community for its “pay-for-slay” program, which rewards terrorists and their families for attacks against Israelis, but also lacks public support among Palestinians, with only 40 percent supporting its return to govern the Gaza Strip after the war.
Out of the 27 total European Union member states, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Sweden have also recognized a Palestinian state.
Meanwhile, Germany, Portugal, and the UK have all stated that the time is not right for recognizing a Palestinian state.
The post Majority of French People Oppose Macron’s Push to Recognize a Palestinian State, New Survey Finds first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Jewish Leaders Plan ‘Emergency Mission’ to Washington, DC to Push US Gov’t for Antisemitism Protections
Thousands of participants and spectators are gathering along Fifth Avenue to express support for Israel during the 59th Annual Israel Day Parade in New York City, on June 2, 2024. Photo: Melissa Bender via Reuters Connect
Amid a record wave of antisemitic attacks and heightened geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, leaders from nearly 100 Jewish communities and over 30 national organizations across the US will descend on Washington, DC next week for an “emergency mission” aimed at pressing the federal government to bolster protections for Jewish Americans and increase support for Israel.
The meeting will be organized by the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. The two-day gathering scheduled for June 25–26 will convene representatives from groups representing approximately 7.5 million American Jews. Participants plan to meet with members of Congress and the Trump administration to demand “strong and aggressive action” to thwart a surge in antisemitic violence and rhetoric, according to a press release.
“We are facing an unprecedented situation in American Jewish history where every Jewish institution and event is a potential target for antisemitic violence,” said Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America. “This is domestic terrorism, plain and simple, and defeating this campaign of terror is the responsibility of government.”
The meeting comes on the heels of a string of attacks on Jewish and pro-Israeli targets in places such as Washington, DC, and Boulder, Colorado, and amid growing fears over Iran’s role in backing groups hostile to Israel. Organizers link the current wave of antisemitism to the aftermath of Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in which over 1200 people were killed and 251 hostages were abducted.
In the 20 months since the Oct. 7 massacre, the United States has seen a dramatic surge in antisemitic incidents. According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), antisemitism in the US surged to break “all previous annual records” last year, with 9,354 antisemitic incidents recorded. These outrages included violent assaults, vandalism of Jewish schools and synagogues, harassment on college campuses, and threats against Jewish community centers.
Some Jewish institutions have reported being forced to hire private security or temporarily close their doors due to safety concerns. At universities nationwide, Jewish students and faculty have described feeling unsafe amid anti-Israel and pro-Hamas protests where some demonstrators have used antisemitic slogans or glorified violence.
“American Jews are not bystanders to global terror and domestic extremism. We are deliberate targets,” said William Daroff, CEO of the Conference of Presidents. “The federal government has a mandate to act.”
The delegation plans to advocate for a six-point policy agenda that includes expanding the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program to $1 billion annually, providing financial support for security personnel at Jewish institutions, boosting FBI resources to combat extremism, and strengthening enforcement of hate crime laws. It will also push for more robust federal aid to local law enforcement and new regulations addressing online hate speech and incitement.
In addition to urging legislation, leaders say they intend to thank lawmakers who have consistently supported Jewish communities and the state of Israel, especially in light of the recent barrage of rockets launched at Israeli cities from Iran and Iran-backed terrorist groups.
“The fight for Jewish security is not just domestic — it is global,” Daroff added. “The stakes have never been higher.”
The mission underscores growing concerns among Jewish Americans who say the dual threats of domestic extremism and rising international hostility toward Israel are converging in dangerous ways — and require a coordinated federal response.
The post Jewish Leaders Plan ‘Emergency Mission’ to Washington, DC to Push US Gov’t for Antisemitism Protections first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Columbia University Releases Campus Antisemitism Climate Survey
Pro-Hamas protesters at Columbia University on April 19, 2024. Photo: Melissa Bender via Reuters Connect
Columbia University’s Task Force on Antisemitism has released a “campus climate” survey which found that Jewish students remain exceedingly uncomfortable attending the institution.
According to the survey, 53 percent of Jewish students said they have been subjected to discrimination because of being Jewish, while another 53 percent reported that their friendships are “strained” because of how overwhelmingly anti-Zionist the student culture is. Meanwhile, 29 percent of Jewish students said they have “lost close friends,” and 59 percent, nearly two-thirds, of Jewish students sensed that they would be better off by electing to “conform their political beliefs” to those of their classmates.
Nearly 62 percent of Jewish students reported “a low feeling of acceptance at Columbia on the basis of their religious identity, and 50 percent said that the pro-Hamas encampments which capped off the 2023-2024 academic year had an “impact” on their daily routines.
Jewish students at Columbia were more likely than their peers to report these negative feelings and experiences, followed by Muslim students.
“As a proud alumna who has spent decades championing this institution, I found the results of this survey difficult to read,” acting Columbia University president Claire Shipman said in a statement. “They put the challenges we face in stark relief. The increase in horrific antisemitic violence in the US and across the globe in recent weeks and months serves as a constant, brutal reminder of the dangers of anti-Jewish bigotry, underscores the urgency with which all concerned citizens need to act in addressing it head-on, and the fact that antisemitism can and should be addressed as a unique form of hatred.”
Shipman added that university officials are “aware of the extent of the immense challenges faced by our Jewish students” and have enacted new policies which strengthen the process for reporting bias and prevent unauthorized demonstrations which upend the campus.
“I am confident we can change this painful dynamic. I know this because we share a commitment to protect all members of our community. We owe it to our students — and to each other,” she said.
Columbia University recently settled a lawsuit brought by a Jewish student at the School of Social Work (CSSW) who accused faculty of unrelenting antisemitic bullying and harassment.
According to court documents, Mackenzie “Macky” Forrest was abused by the faculty, one of whom callously denied her accommodations for sabbath observance and then held out the possibility of her attending class virtually during pro-Hamas protests, which according to several reports and first-hand accounts, made the campus unsafe for Jewish students. Her Jewishness and requests for arrangements which would allow her to complete her assignments created what the Lawfare Project described as a “pretext” for targeting Forrest and conspiring to expel her from the program, a plan that involved fabricating stories with the aim of smearing her as insubordinate.
Spurious accusations were allegedly made by one professor, Andre Ivanoff, who was the first to tell Forrest that her sabbath observance was a “problem.” Ivanoff implied that she had failed to meet standards of “behavioral performance” while administrators spread rumors that she had declined to take on key assignments, according to court documents. This snowballed into a threat: Forrest was allegedly told that she could either take an “F” in a field placement course or drop out, the only action that would prevent sullying her transcript with her failing grade.
Forrest left but has now settled the lawsuit she filed to get justice in terms that Columbia University has buried under a confidentiality agreement.
Columbia was one of the most hostile campuses for Jews employed by or enrolled in an institution of higher education. After Hamas’s invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, the university produced several indelible examples of campus antisemitism, including a student who proclaimed that Zionist Jews deserve to be murdered and are lucky he is not doing so himself and administrative officials who, outraged at the notion that Jews organized to resist anti-Zionism, participated in a group chat in which each member took turns sharing antisemitic tropes that described Jews as privileged and grafting.
Amid these incidents, the university struggled to contain the anti-Zionist group Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD), which in late January committed an act of infrastructural sabotage by flooding the toilets of the Columbia School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) with concrete. Numerous reports indicate the attack may have been the premeditated result of planning sessions which took place many months ago at an event held by Alpha Delta Phi (ADP) — a literary society, according to the Washington Free Beacon. During the event, the Free Beacon reported, ADP distributed literature dedicated to “aspiring revolutionaries” who wish to commit seditious acts. Additionally, a presentation was given in which complete instructions for the exact kind of attack which struck Columbia were shared with students.
The university is reportedly restructuring itself to comply with conditions for restoring $400 million in federal funding canceled by US Education Secretary Linda McMahon in March to punish the school’s alleged failure to quell “antisemitic violence and harassment.”
In March, the university issued a memo announcing that it acceded to key demands put forth by the Trump administration as prerequisites for releasing the funds — including a review of undergraduate admissions practices that allegedly discriminate against qualified Jewish applicants, the enforcement of an “anti-mask” policy that protesters have violated to avoid being identified by law enforcement, and enhancements to the university’s security protocols that would facilitate the restoration of order when the campus is disturbed by pro-Hamas radicals and other agitators.
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
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