RSS
We Can Fight Evil in Our Time
An aerial view shows vehicles on fire as rockets are launched from the Gaza Strip, in Ashkelon, southern Israel October 7, 2023. REUTERS/Ilan Rosenberg
I’ve always believed that truth has the power to change hearts and reshape worldviews. This week, I came across the story of Dr. Nikos Sotirakopoulos. It is a perfect illustration of this belief.
Nikos grew up in Greece, a country where antisemitism has always bubbled just below the surface — and often, it’s right there, out in the open. On the political right, Jews are vilified as “Christ-killers.” On the left, Israel is caricatured as a colonial oppressor, and obviously (for them), all Jews are to blame for Israel.
Even ordinary Greeks – non-political, regular people – casually repeat anti-Jewish tropes around the dinner table. This was the air Nikos breathed as a child, and he absorbed these childhood influences uncritically.
By his twenties, Nikos wasn’t just vaguely prejudiced — he was actively consumed by antisemitism. He eagerly read The Protocols of the Elders of Zion and drank in its vile prejudices against Jews as if it was gospel truth.
His Facebook profile featured grotesque cartoons of Israel strangling its neighbors. He turned up at anti-Israel protests without knowing any real facts about the conflict between Israel and its enemies. But that didn’t matter. In his worldview, Israel was always the villain, and Jews were always to blame.
Now, 15 years later, Nikos is one of Israel’s most unlikely defenders. What happened to him during that time is what makes his story so compelling, and so important. After moving to the UK for graduate studies in his late twenties, Nikos decided to do a deep dive into Israel and its hostile neighbors. He began reading seriously — deliberately choosing books from both sides of the conflict.
In the end, it was Benjamin Netanyahu’s A Durable Peace that forced the first real break in his thinking. On the very first page, a map of Israel leapt out at him: a sliver of land, just a few miles wide, “roughly 500 times smaller” than the surrounding Arab states. For the first time in his life, he understood how precarious Israel’s existence really was. One successful invasion, and the country would be gone.
From that moment on, Nikos was on a voyage of discovery. He discovered that in 1948, five Arab armies had invaded Israel on the very day it declared independence. He read about 1967 and 1973, when Israel was attacked by Arab armies determined to wipe it off the map.
He realized that the land referred to by the world as the West Bank, which Israel is accused of “stealing,” had actually been under Arab control between 1948 and 1967 — but no Palestinian state was created, or demanded, by its inhabitants. He learnt that both peace and land had been offered time and again, but rejected by those who want to see Israel destroyed at any cost.
As the endless lies and warped narratives unraveled, Nikos saw something more profound. Israel isn’t merely fighting to survive — it is building a society devoted to life. Israel is an amazing country – a place where people raise families, innovate, debate politics with passion, write poetry, make music, and dream about a better future for all.
By contrast, Israel’s enemies seem consumed by the cult of death — glorifying martyrdom over living, silencing dissent, and crushing anyone who dares to imagine a different path.
For Nikos, this realization was the actual turning point. Israel stopped being the faceless villain of his youth and became, in his words, “a land of modern heroes.” He was stirred by stories like the Entebbe rescue, when Israeli commandos risked everything to save hostages thousands of miles from home.
The penny dropped: Israel is not some kind of imperial aberration, but a nation determined to safeguard life, and to offer hope and optimism even in the face of relentless hostility.
His journey reached its most emotional moment after October 7th, when Israeli families who lost loved ones in the massacre presented him with a medallion in gratitude for his transformation from hater to ally. For someone who once trafficked in the ugliest antisemitic conspiracy theories, it was nothing less than a moment of profound redemption.
Nikos’ story teaches us something profound: no one is doomed to remain on a bad path forever. And it is this very idea that explains why the Talmud dismisses one of the laws in Parshat Ki Teitzei as rhetorical fantasy.
The Torah describes a phenomenon known as ‘ben sorer umoreh’ — a rebellious son who is gluttonous, drunk, disobedient, and seemingly on an inevitable path to a life of crime. His parents are told to bring him before the authorities, and the punishment — if the boy is found guilty — is death.
Shockingly, the rabbis of the Talmud reject this entire scenario out of hand. They insist that no case of ‘ben sorer umoreh’ ever happened in Jewish history, and none ever will. The law exists only as a theoretical construct, a cautionary tale.
But how could they be so sure? Simple. Because Judaism refuses to accept permanent moral determinism. However dark the path you’re on, however entrenched the negativity, change is always possible. And Nikos Sotirakopoulos’s story is living proof. He was barreling down a road of hatred with no exit ramp in sight — and then he turned himself around.
Parshat Ki Teitzei ends with a very different lesson: the mitzvah to remember Amalek. This was the vicious warrior tribe that attacked Israel in the wilderness, hoping to wipe out the Jewish people before they had even found their footing. The Torah commands us to erase Amalek from the world and to show them no mercy.
But the rabbis ask the obvious question: why does this mitzvah remain if the nation of Amalek has long since vanished from history? Their answer is that Amalek is not only an external enemy — it is also the Amalek within us: the baseless hatred, the corrosive cynicism, the prejudice we harbor in our hearts. Think of those Jews who can only ever see Israel in a negative light. That hatred for Israel is their Amalek — and it must be mercilessly rooted out and destroyed.
Seen together, these two passages form a profound existential truth: evil exists, but it does not have to stay that way. People like Nikos prove that even the ugliest bigotry can be unlearned. Nikos is not the only example — history offers other remarkable stories of transformation.
Governor George Wallace, once the most notorious face of segregationist racism in America, spent years spewing venom and using every tool of power to hold back the Black community. But in later life, Wallace publicly repented, sought forgiveness from those he had wronged, and was even embraced by many of the very people he had once tried to exclude.
More recently, there is the story of Mosab Hassan Yousef, better known as the “Green Prince.” The son of a founder of Hamas, he was raised to hate Jews and groomed to inherit his father’s jihadist mantle. But he broke with Hamas, rejected its cult of death, and devoted himself to exposing its lies.
Together, Wallace and Yousef demonstrate that even the deepest hatred can be unlearned — and that even those most consumed by poisonous ideas can still find their way to truth.
All these stories remind us that hatred and evil are not an inevitable destiny. Jewish tradition insists that no one is beyond redemption — and it also warns us never to tolerate the Amalek within. If even the most entrenched haters can change course, then there is hope for a world drowning in extremism and lies.
But hope alone is not enough. Change requires truth, courage, and the willingness to confront falsehood head-on. Evil exists — but here’s the key: it doesn’t have to stay that way.
The author is a rabbi in Beverly Hills, California.
RSS
Antisemites Target Synagogues in Spain, France Amid Surge in Jew Hatred Across Europe
The exterior wall of a synagogue in Girona, Spain, vandalized with antisemitic graffiti. Photo: Screenshot
Pro-Palestinian activists have vandalized synagogues in Spain and France in recent days, sparking public outrage and calls for authorities to step up protections.
These are only the latest incidents in a troubling wave of anti-Jewish hate crimes targeting Jewish communities across Europe which continues unabated.
On Thursday, the Jewish community of Girona, a city in Spain’s northeastern Catalonia region, filed a police complaint and urged authorities to take action after the outer wall of the city’s synagogue was defaced with an antisemitic slogan.
Unknown perpetrators defaced the synagogue’s walls with antisemitic graffiti, scrawling messages such as “Israel is a genocidal state, silence = complicity.”
The city’s Jewish community strongly condemned the incident, urging authorities to conduct a swift investigation, impose exemplary sanctions, and ensure robust security measures.
“Disguised as political activism, [this attack] seeks to stigmatize citizens for their faith — something intolerable in a democratic society,” the statement reads. “Tolerance and respect are values we must defend together.”
The European Jewish Association (EJA) also condemned the incident as a hate crime, urging the Spanish government to ensure the safety and protection of its Jewish citizens.
“This is yet another antisemitic attack, part of a wave we’ve seen daily for nearly two years,” the EJA wrote in a post on X.
This is what members of the Jewish community in Girona found this morning when they arrived at their synagogue to pray.
Antisemitic vandals had defaced the synagogue’s outer wall with the words:
“ISRAEL ESTAT GENOCIDA, SILENCI = CÒMPLICE”
Translation: “Israel is a genocidal… pic.twitter.com/ERj4z1hKOP— EJA – EIPA (@EJAssociation) September 4, 2025
In a separate incident, three pro-Palestinian activists were arrested on Thursday after trying to force their way into a synagogue in Nice, southeastern France, during an informational meeting on aliyah, the process of Jews immigrating to Israel.
According to local reports, several individuals attempted to forcibly enter the place of worship, sparking violent clashes and insults that left a pregnant woman injured.
Shortly after the incident, law enforcement arrested two women in their forties and a man in his sixties, taking them into custody as part of an investigation into aggravated violence.
The charges involve attacks on a vulnerable person, actions carried out by a group, religious motivation, and public religious insults.
Local authorities strongly condemned the act and announced that police officers would remain stationed outside the synagogue for as long as necessary.
Since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, antisemitic incidents have surged to alarming levels across Europe.
Jewish individuals have been facing a surge in hostility and targeted attacks, including vandalism of murals and businesses, as well as physical assaults.
RSS
Iran’s Alliances With China, Russia Falter as Regime Faces Growing Isolation, Study Finds
Chinese Foreign Minister Wag Yi stands with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazeem Gharibabadi before a meeting regarding the Iranian nuclear issue at Diaoyutai State Guest House on March 14, 2025 in Beijing, China. Photo: Pool via REUTERS
As Iran continues to face major crises both at home and abroad, its ties to China and Russia are proving far weaker than they seem, leaving the regime to confront the fallout largely on its own, according to a new study.
The Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), an Israeli think tank, has released a report examining how the 12-day war with Israel in June exposed the limits of Iran’s alliances with China and Russia.
In the study, authors Raz Zimmt and Danny Citrinowicz note that both China and Russia favored cautious diplomacy over direct support at a time when the Iranian regime was most vulnerable.
“The policy of Moscow and Beijing, which consisted of fairly mild condemnations of the Israeli and US strikes in Iran, sparked criticism and disappointment in Tehran,” the report explains.
“It also reinforced the Iranian assessment that its reliance on Russia and China remains limited, particularly in the event of a military confrontation with Israel and the United States,” it continues.
Earlier this week, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian traveled to Beijing, joining Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, as the three nations aim to project a united front against the West.
The high-profile gathering came after Pezeshkian and Putin held talks in China on Monday on the sidelines of the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Tianjin.
During a joint press conference, the Iranian president hailed Tehran’s cooperation with Moscow as “highly valuable,” adding that continued implementation of their 20-year treaty signed earlier this year would further strengthen ties and expand collaboration.
Putin also noted that the relationship between the two countries is “growing increasingly friendly and expanding” amid mounting pressure and sanctions from Western countries.
According to Zimmt and Citrinowicz, Iran has little room to maneuver, even more so now as the regime faces the imminent threat of UN sanctions being reimposed due to efforts by Britain, France, and Germany, forcing it to rely on its fragile alliances with Russia and China.
“It is clear that for now, Iran has no viable alternative to continuing its political, economic, and security partnership, as limited as it may be, with Russia and China, especially given the escalating tensions between Tehran and Europe,” the paper explains.
“Likewise, Russia and China, who view Iran as a junior partner in a coalition against the West and the United States, have no real alternative to Tehran, and they are expected to continue the partnership as long as it serves their interests,” it adds.
The authors argue that China and Russia could readily sacrifice Iran to further their strategic goals, including strengthening ties with Washington.
The study comes just days after an Iranian official accused Russia without evidence of providing intelligence to Israel during the 12-day Middle Eastern war in June which allegedly helped the Jewish state target and destroy Iran’s air defense systems.
Mohammad Sadr, a member of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council and close adviser to former President Mohammad Khatami, claimed Israel’s precise strikes on Iranian air defense systems were suspicious.
He noted Russia’s refusal to support Iran during the war, saying that Moscow had shown a “bias in favor of Israel” and that the recent conflict demonstrated the “strategic agreement with Russia is nonsense.”
“This war proved that the strategic alliance with Moscow is worthless,” Sadr said during an interview with BBC Persian, referring to the 12-day war between Iran and Israel.
“We must not think that Russia will come to Iran’s aid when the time comes,” he continued.
At the SCO summit in Tianjin earlier this week, Tehran also described its ties with China as “flourishing,” pointing to a strategic pact similar to the one it signed with Russia.
According to some reports, China may be helping Iran rebuild its decimated air defenses following the 12-day war with Israel.
China is the largest importer of Iranian oil, with nearly 90 percent of Iran’s crude and condensate exports going to Beijing. The two sides also recently signed a 25-year cooperation agreement, held joint naval drills, and continued to trade Iranian oil despite US sanctions.
“It should be noted that despite the 25-year cooperation agreement signed between Tehran and Beijing in March 2021, the partnership between the two countries remains very limited, and China does not provide solutions to most of Iran’s economic difficulties, including the need for infrastructure investment,” the INSS study explains.
RSS
US Lawmakers Urge Trump to Restrict Visas for Iran’s President, Other Regime Officials Ahead of UN General Assembly
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a meeting in Ilam, Iran, June 12, 2025. Photo: Iran’s Presidential website/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
A bipartisan group of US lawmakers is urging President Donald Trump to block or sharply restrict visas for Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, and other top Iranian officials traveling to New York this month for the United Nations General Assembly, warning that Tehran will use the global platform to disguise its escalating repression at home.
In a letter sent to Trump on Thursday, 40 members of Congress pointed to Iran’s recent human rights record, which includes nearly 1,500 executions in the past year, and accused Pezeshkian’s government of openly threatening to repeat the mass killings of dissidents that scarred the country in 1988.
“Immediately following the recent 12-day war between Israel and Iran, the Iranian regime escalated its widespread internal crackdown, arbitrarily arresting hundreds of ethnic minorities, civil society leaders, women’s rights activists, and others,” the lawmakers wrote. They described Iran’s leaders as “criminals” who “support terrorism” and “sow hatred and instability across the Middle East.”
The letter was signed by an unusually broad coalition of Republicans and Democrats, including House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (NY), as well as Reps. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Deborah Ross (R-NC), and Val Hoyle (D-OR), underscoring how concern about Iran’s hostility toward the US and its allies continues to cut across party lines.
Drawing a distinction between the regime and the Iranian people who support democracy, the lawmakers asked Trump to make a strong statement against a country that US intelligence agencies have long labeled the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism.
“We respectfully urge you to restrict the Iranian delegation’s freedom of movement, and, to the extent possible, refrain from issuing visas to key delegation members, including for its President, Masoud Pezeshkian,” the letter stated.
It continued, “We urge you to take a strong stand against the Iranian regime’s ongoing support for terrorism and human rights abuses, in line with your dedication toward ‘Peace through Strength’ and the maximum pressure campaign against the regime. We look forward to working you to further
oppose the destructive and destabilizing influence of the government of Iran and support the
Iranian people on the world stage.”
The lawmakers’ request comes as the Trump administration weighs new restrictions on several UN delegations ahead of the annual gathering. According to a State Department memo obtained by the Associated Press, the US is considering limiting the movements of officials not just from Iran, but also from Sudan and Zimbabwe. The department is also considering limiting the movements of officials from Brazil, whose president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, traditionally opens the General Assembly.
The proposals also suggest that Iranian diplomats be barred from shopping at Costco or Sam’s Club without explicit permission from the State Department, according to the AP report. Diplomats from Iran have historically relied on those stores to buy affordable goods unavailable in their home country. By contrast, the memo indicates that delegates from Syria may be granted a waiver, reflecting shifting US priorities in the region.
Under the UN Headquarters Agreement, the US is obligated to grant visas to foreign officials attending UN functions. But successive administrations have imposed restrictions on the travel of adversarial delegations, typically confining them to Manhattan and surrounding boroughs. The latest proposals would go further, potentially requiring advance State Department approval for movements and limiting access to certain businesses.