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25 Jewish dishes to eat in NYC right now
(New York Jewish Week) — In a metropolis like ours — with both an incredibly rich Jewish heritage and a dynamic, ever-changing dining scene — it is almost impossible to choose just 25 dishes that define what Jewish food in New York City is like today.
And yet, that’s exactly what we tried to do with this list, created in partnership with our colleagues at The Nosher. Rather than present a “best of,” we aim to paint a vibrant portrait of the city’s Jewish food landscape, from classics like herring schmaltz and egg creams to new mashups like churros made from Yemenite malawach dough and bright-green vegan pickle-flavored soft serve.
This compilation of standout Jewish dishes across the boroughs is meant to capture what Jewish food — and maybe even being Jewish — is like in New York City today: joyful, a little bit syncretic, sometimes messy and always a source of pride.
From kosher adjaruli khachapuri — a Georgian cheese bread boat — in Queens to a Wagyu pastrami sandwich in Brooklyn, keep reading for our list of 25 Jewish dishes to eat in NYC right now.
Is your favorite Jewish dish not on our list? Let us know what we missed so that we may include it on a future list. Happy eating!
1 | Adjaruli khachapuri
Marani
(Shannon Sarna)
Ten years ago, one of the few places in New York City to get a Georgian cheese boat, or adjaruli khachapuri, was Marani, a two-level kosher Georgian restaurant in Rego Park, Queens. Today there are several more Georgian menus around town, but Marani remains the only kosher Georgian restaurant in the city. It’s really two restaurants in one: Upstairs, you’ll find a full bar and a meat menu with items like khinkali (Georgian soup dumplings). But downstairs, the dairy portion of the restaurant, is where you’ll find an Instagram-worthy cheese boat. Marani offers four varieties of khachapuri, but the classic boat-shaped adjaruli ($16), topped with raw egg and butter, is what cheesy carb dreams are made of. (Kosher) — Shannon Sarna
2 | Cheddar jalapeno knish
Yonah Schimmel
(Lily Lester)
Yonah Schimmel’s started as a Coney Island pushcart in 1890, and their Lower East Side storefront at 137 East Houston St. has been in business since 1910. Inside, the original counter still stands, and their knishes — essentially potato-filled Ashkenazi pastries — have been made the same way since then, too. Alongside the traditional potato, Yonah Schimmel’s has a host of knish flavors on the daily, from savory kasha and broccoli to sweet apple strudel and chocolate cheese, plus rotating daily specials. On the afternoon of our visit, we were lucky enough to try the cheddar jalapeno knish ($5.50) — a thick, almost mashed potato-filled pastry with a cheesy, mildly spicy kick. This one is definitely not your bubbe’s knish. (Kosher) — Lily Lester
3 | Chocolate rugelach
Lee Lee’s Baked Goods
(Lily Lester)
If you’re looking to meet a legend and taste legendary rugelach, we’ve got you covered: Alvin Lee Smalls, better known as “Lee Lee,” has been making rugelach in his Harlem bakery for more than 50 years. His mission has been to introduce rugelach to his uptown neighbors, as well to keep the craft of artisanal, handmade rugelach alive. Smalls, who is African American and not Jewish, started making the rolled cookies after seeing a recipe in the paper. After six months of tweaking, he perfected it. (His secret? Butter — and lots of it.) The soft, flaky, mouth-watering pastries come in three flavors: raspberry, apricot and, perhaps best of all, chocolate, which is especially memorable and gooey ($3 each). Sitting amid the homey, Southern kitchen-like decor at Lee Lee’s Baked Goods with a fresh plate of rugelach is a cross-cultural dream — and I don’t want to wake up. — Lily Lester
4 | Egg Cream
S&P Lunch
(Lily Lester)
Egg creams — which famously involve neither eggs nor cream — are one of those iconic New York Jewish foods with with mysterious origins. Does the name derive from a mispronunciation of the Yiddish word “echt,” meaning genuine? Or is it a riff off the phrase “Grade A milk”? No matter. If you are in search of the platonic ideal of a classic egg cream, head to Flatiron’s S&P Lunch. There, the folks behind the newly revamped old-school lunch counter use “the same ingredients that everybody uses,” as co-owner Eric Finkelstein told us us, adding, “the order of operations is very important.” I’m not a scientist, so I can’t tell you how or why S&P’s combination of seltzer, milk and Fox’s U-Bet syrup ($5) is so delicious — just trust me when I tell you that it is. — Lisa Keys
5 | Everything bagel with smoked whitefish salad
Modern Bread and Bagel
Upper West Side, Manhattan | Chelsea, Manhattan
(Shevy Baskin)
Embracing a gluten-free diet doesn’t mean your bagel-eating days are over. Thanks to the folks at kosher-certified Modern Bread and Bagel — which now boasts two locations in Manhattan — you can enjoy an everything bagel with whitefish salad ($13.95) that’s so good, you likely will forget it’s gluten-free. Don’t just take our word for it: These bagels have been named among the best in the city in a massive bagel-tasting project. We especially appreciate that the whitefish salad isn’t too salty, and that the pickled red onions add a welcome bite. (Kosher) — Shannon Sarna
6 | French fries with tehina ketchup
Laser Wolf
(Michael Persico)
For two summers in a row, New Yorkers and tourists alike have clamored for a table at Chef Michael Solomonov’s Tel Aviv-inspired eatery, Laser Wolf, located on the rooftop of Williamsburg’s Hoxton Hotel. The main attractions here are the skewers — meat, fish or vegetables — which are cooked on a charcoal grill and come with a bottomless and ever-changing selection of salatim, or Israeli salads. But the true revelation at Laser Wolf may be the french fries, which are a far cry from simple fried sticks of potatoes. These special spuds are brined, steamed, frozen and finally deep fried, creating the crispiest exterior and a super creamy interior. Each order ($14) is served with tehina ketchup. So what if the only reservation you can snag is at 10 p.m. on a weeknight? These fries are worth it. — Shannon Sarna
7 | Hummus masabaha with sauteed chicken liver
Miss Ada
(Courtesy Miss Ada)
The punnily named Brooklyn eatery Miss Ada — a play on the Hebrew word for restaurant, “misada” — is located just one block from Fort Greene Park. Inside the airy space, which has a charming backyard and an open kitchen decorated with fresh herbs, chef/owner Tomer Blechman offers his elevated take on traditional Israeli and Middle Eastern dishes. There’s no wrong dish to order, though the most comforting item on the dinner menu may be the creamy hummus masabaha with sauteed chicken liver — fresh hummus topped with warm chicken livers and caramelized onions ($15). You can “wipe” the delicious combo with fresh pita like an expert or eat it daintily with a knife and fork (well, as daintily as you can eat hummus). If you’re a chopped liver fan, this is one dish you won’t want to pass up on. As a bonus, a stroll through Fort Greene Park makes a great aperitif. — Lior Zaltzman
8 | Iced café slushie
Edith’s Sandwich Counter
(Brendan Cunningham)
On my first trip to Israel I fell in love with “ice café.” Not to be confused with a cold cup of coffee with ice cubes, Israeli ice café is essentially a coffee milkshake that’s delicious and refreshing in any season, but especially the scorching summer. Here in New York, Edith’s Sandwich Counter — a tiny Williamsburg spot that celebrates Jewish food from around the world — has made this treat even better. Edith’s iced café ($8.25) — a slushie made of cold brew, oat milk and tahini — is a delicious vegan concoction that’s both less sweet than a milkshake but creamier. What’s more, Edith’s offers a punch card to earn a free iced café slushie after your 10th purchase — which won’t be a difficult feat. — Julia Gergely
9 | Jachnun
12 Chairs Cafe
Soho, Manhattan| Williamsburg, Brooklyn
(Courtesy of 12 Chairs)
Jachnun is a hand-rolled Yemenite pastry that, while ubiquitous in Israel, is surprisingly hard to find in New York. But at 12 Chairs Cafe, an Israeli restaurant with locations in Soho and Williamsburg, you can get your fill: As part of their weekend brunch menu, you can order jachnun ($14), which is cooked slow and low overnight with a touch of date honey, resulting in a flaky, chewy and sweet pastry that melts in your mouth. The jachnun is served rolled up with traditional savory sides of zhug (a Yemenite spicy sauce), hard-boiled eggs and crushed tomatoes. The delectable treat might transport you to faraway lands, but be sure to take in the vibes right where you are: On the weekends, 12 Chairs is an especially lively spot where Israeli pop music is blasted through the speakers. — Julia Gergely
10 | Kafe Hawaij sticky bun
Fan-Fan Doughnuts
(Melissa Hom)
At Brooklyn’s Fan-Fan Doughnuts, James Beard-nominated Chef Fany Gerson makes decadent fried dough treats with juicy, oozing toppings and fillings. Gerson marries her Mexican and Jewish roots in her creations, which include guava and cheese doughnuts and, for Hanukkah, wonderfully comforting sufganiyot. Amid all these bright and inventive offerings are her sticky buns, a rolled pastry ($5.50) made with New York Shuk’s Kafe Hawaij, a transporting Israeli-Yemeni spiced coffee mix. Come early, prepare to stand in line and perhaps bring some extra napkins and wipes — because Fan-Fan is an immersive and sometimes sticky experience. — Lior Zaltzman
11 | Malawach churros
Balaboosta
(Peter Bonacci)
Chef Einat Admony’s Israeli dishes have been a staple of the NYC food scene since 2005, when Admony first opened Taim, a fast-service restaurant specializing in falafel. Since then, Admony has opened (and closed) several restaurants, including Kish Kash, Bar Bolonat and her second iteration of Balaboosta, a modern Israeli restaurant now located in the West Village, named for the Yiddish term for “perfect housewife.” Balaboosta is known for dishes like fried olives with labne and cauliflower with peanut tahini, but if you’re craving an extra-special sweet treat, save room for the malawach churros ($13). A riff on the popular Spanish/Portuguese treat, Admony’s churros are made of malawach — a flaky Yemenite flatbread that is popular throughout Israel. They are deep-fried, coated in cinnamon sugar and served with a mixed berry sauce and dulce de leche. — Shannon Sarna
12 | Manti
Chaikhana Sem Sorok
(Shannon Sarna)
Step off the subway in Rego Park, Queens and you’ll be surrounded by the melodious sounds of Russian, Spanish, Korean, Polish and more. This diverse neighborhood is also home to the largest Bukharian Jewish community outside of Israel; walk a few blocks east on 63rd Drive and you will have your choice of kosher restaurants that specialize in this Central Asian cuisine. Our pick of the bunch is Chaikhana Sem Sorok, a glatt kosher eatery featuring traditional Uzbeki and Bukharian cuisine, including some shlep-worthy manti dumplings topped with a hefty sprinkle of black pepper ($12 for four large dumplings the size of a child’s fist). The subway ride will feel worth it when you bite into the fatty meat surrounded by a delicate wrapping, but be sure to explore the rest of the menu, too, including the spiced lagman soup with noodles and hunks of meat; savory samsa pastries filled with beef, lamb or pumpkin; plus traditional tandoor bread to sop it all up. (Kosher) — Shannon Sarna
13 | Meat kubeh with beet broth
Kubeh
(Shannon Sarna)
The menu at Kubeh, which is dedicated to “lesser-known cuisines of the Middle East,” features seasonal salads, shareable plates and well-balanced cocktails. But what you really want to order is their namesake dish: kubeh, Iraqi-Kurdish stuffed dumplings served with your choice of broth. We recommend the traditional Kurdish siske kubeh, which are filled with slow-cooked beef. Pair them with selek, a rich beet and celery broth ($21). Before opening her restaurants, Long Island native Chef Melanie Shurka traveled to Israel and spent weeks with Iraqi grandmothers and renowned chefs learning how to carefully craft this regional dish. Now, New Yorkers get to enjoy the fruits of her labor: At Kubeh, they hand roll each dumpling they serve, carrying on this delicious, sacred tradition of comfort food. — Shannon Sarna
14 | Mercato Platter
Ras Plant Based
Crown Heights, Brooklyn | Chelsea, Manhattan
(Lily Lester)
Ras Plant Based, a happening, colorful spot on Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights, serves up tasty vegan Ethiopian cuisine. Though its owners, Milka and Romeo Regalli, aren’t Jewish, they decided to pursue kosher certification after a local rabbi offered to help them do it. “It was an easy decision to make,” Milka tells us. “We wanted to be able to open our space to everyone in the community.” The Mercato Platter ($21) is a must-try sampler of the eatery’s “spicier” dishes, including yakatilt — a medley of carrots, onions, cabbage and bell pepper; gomen, or braised collards; and missir, a red lentil stew with berbere sauce. The colorful spread arrives on a bed of spongy injera that melts in your mouth. With several rolled-up pieces of injera on the side, the platter is a fun meal to share with a friend. (Kosher) — Julia Gergely
15 | New York-style cheesecake
S&S Cheesecake
(Courtesy of S&S Cheesecake)
Up in the northern reaches of the Bronx, an unassuming storefront has been producing delectable cheesecakes every day for more than 60 years. Many consider S&S Cheesecake to be the best in a city known for its cheesecakes. The business was founded by Holocaust survivor Fred Schuster in 1960 and little has changed since then, including the recipe: The rich, creamy cheesecake is dense, flavorful and not too sweet with a soft, crumbly bottom. “The secret is to bake with love and serve with pride and passion,” says Yair Ben-Zaken, Schuster’s son-in-law, who operates the bakery today. The cakes are certified kosher and prices start at $20 for a 7-inch cake. (Kosher) — Julia Gergely
16 | Onion disc
Kossar’s Bagels & Bialys
Lower East Side, Manhattan | Hudson Yards, Manhattan | Upper East Side, Manhattan
(Julian Voloj)
Kossar’s Bagels and Bialys is world-famous for its bialys, with good reason: They’ve been baking the crusty rolls, with a center filled with toasted onion, on the Lower East Side since 1936. Buying a bialy (or a dozen) from Kossar’s is never the wrong move, though savvy New Yorkers know to arrive early or pre-order a large onion disc, also known as pletzl. This giant wheel of a carbohydrate, topped with caramelized onions and poppy seeds, is an incredible value at $6.95. Grab some cream cheese on your way out the door and you’ve got a hearty snack for the whole family. — Lisa Keys
17 | Pickle soft serve
Jacob’s Pickles
Moynihan Train Hall, Manhattan
(Courtesy of Jacob’s Pickles)
“Are you sure you want to do this?” asked the person behind the counter at Jacob’s Pickles when we ordered the pickle soft serve ($5). The correct answer: Yes, yes you do. The vegan, oat-milk-based pickle-flavored soft serve, topped with pickle slices, tastes like cucumber sorbet and is the refreshing treat you didn’t know you needed. Be warned: The portion size is enormous, so whether you’re looking for a palate cleanser or a revitalizing midday snack, sharing this frozen treat is an excellent group activity for anyone but the faintest of hearts. — Lily Lester
18 | Pickles (with a side of books)
Sweet Pickle Books
(Isabella Armus)
Ever sit down with a good pickle and wished you had a book to enjoy with it? Or vice versa? Well, both come hand-in-hand at Sweet Pickle Books — a one-of-a-kind used bookstore that also sells its own line of pickles. Located on Orchard Street near the Lower East Side’s historic “pickle alley,” owner Leah Altshuler came up with the idea for her hybrid shop at the beginning of the pandemic and it’s still thriving today. Drop by the cozy space, which is filled with love-worn paperbacks that hover below the $10 mark, and either swap your book donations for a jar of bread-and-butter, spicy or dill pickles — or simply buy a jar the old-fashioned way ($9.50-$12.95). — Isabella Armus
19 | Schmaltz & a Shot
Russ & Daughters Cafe
(Courtesy of Russ and Daughters)
When people think of Russ & Daughters, their first thought is usually smoked fish, and rightly so: The family-owned appetizing business has been specializing in the stuff since they opened in 1914. But at Russ & Daughters Cafe on Orchard Street, a sit-down restaurant around the corner from the original Russ & Daughters location, a herring dish, Schmaltz & a Shot ($17), draws upon the legacy of the eatery’s Jewish founder: Back in the day, Joel Russ would sit at a small table at his Houston Street shop where he’d kibbitz with friends and customers over schmaltz herring (extra-fatty herring) and schnapps. Today, the nostalgic plate of herring, raw onion and boiled potato hearkens back to this intimate, old-school vibe — while the bracing shot of vodka brings you right back to the present. — Lily Lester
20 | Schmaltz potatoes
Agi’s Counter
(Courtesy of Agi’s Counter)
Ashkenazi influences are peppered throughout the menu at Agi’s Counter, a charming neighborhood restaurant in Crown Heights that’s owned and operated by Chef Jeremy Salamon. The wine list is composed of exclusively Hungarian wines — a nod to Salamon’s heritage — and if you’re a fan of strong Eastern European flavors like caraway seeds, beets and trout, this is the spot for you. But perhaps the best reason for Jewish food lovers to come to Agi’s Counter is for the schmaltz potatoes, which are prepared confit-style in chicken fat and served with a healthy dollop of schmaltz aioli and lots of fresh chives. It comes as a side dish for $13, but it shines like the main attraction. — Shannon Sarna
21 | Seder Plate Margarita
Gertrude’s
(Lana Schwartz)
The Passover seder plate is rife with symbolism: bitter herbs represent the bitterness of slavery; saltwater represents the tears of our ancestors; and, in recent years, an orange has come to represent women and LGBTQ+ Jews, whose stories aren’t often told. For those who love the ceremony of the seder, you can now seek it out year-round: Gertrude’s, a newish Jewish bistro from the folks behind popular Williamsburg diner Gertie, has a Seder Plate Margarita ($15) on their imaginative cocktail menu. The drink combines some of these Passover flavors — bitter orange, parsley and salt water, plus lime and mezcal — for a unique, refreshing beverage that pairs well with dishes designed to “push the Ashkenazi tradition,” as co-owner Nate Adler says. Four cups of wine not included. — Lana Schwartz
22 | Seoul Meets Bagel sandwich
Between the Bagel
(Courtesy of Between the Bagel)
Walk into Between the Bagel on Astoria’s busy 30th Avenue corridor and you’ll spot a typical Jewish-American bagel menu of eggs, schmears and sandwiches. You’ll also notice, perhaps incongruously, a menu of Korean classics like yachaejeon (Korean vegetable pancakes) and dumplings. The true standouts at this spot are the mashups of of the two cuisines, particularly the popular Seoul Meets Bagel — a bagel topped with beef bulgogi (marinated and grilled beef), egg, cheese, kimchi and gochujang mayo ($10.83, tax included). This spicy, hearty sandwich will keep you full for hours. The friendly owner, Ben Suh, who describes the neighborhood as “a smorgasbord of culture,” has become a local legend: Not just popular for his culinary creations, Suh is known to give candy and samples to his customers, and treats for their dogs. — Lisa Keys
23 | Tahini soft serve sundae
Seed & Mill
(Courtesy of Seed & Mill)
At their stall in Manhattan’s Chelsea Market, Seed & Mill — a New York-based company known for its high-quality tahini and halva — serves a oat-milk-based soft serve that may forever change your mind about vegan desserts. Their satisfying tahini soft serve sundae ($8) is topped with crumbled halva and a drizzle of tahini, resulting in a creamy, salty concoction with just the right amount of contrasting crunch. While you’re there, grab a piece of their rich dark chocolate halva to go. — Shannon Sarna
24 | Thai Tea Babka French Toast
Thai Diner
(Philissa Cramer)
A Thai restaurant might be an unorthodox place to grab babka, but then again the Thai Tea Babka French Toast ($15) at Nolita’s happening Thai Diner is unorthodox in its own right. Only available during brunch and lunch, the dish features thick pillows of homemade babka, swirled with vanilla and fragrant with thai tea. A bright orange Thai-tea-flavored crema and a tiny pitcher of sweetened condensed milk allows customers to intensify the dish’s distinctive blend of rich spices and sweet milkiness. Thai Diner’s pandan-flavored green-and-white cookie offers another Southeast Asian twist on a Jewish deli classic, black-and-white cookies, but the French toast has been a signature dish since the restaurant opened in 2020 for good reason. — Philissa Cramer
25 | Wagyu Pastrami Sando
Shalom Japan
(John Keon)
Since opening in South Williamsburg in 2013, Shalom Japan has been making waves online and IRL. The restaurant is owned by husband-and-wife team Aaron Israel and Sawako Okochi, who draw upon their respective Jewish and Japanese roots. You’ve probably seen, or even tried, their iconic matzah ball ramen, which combines two of the world’s greatest comfort soups into a singular stellar dish. However, the star of the impressive menu may be their melt-in-your-mouth Wagyu Pastrami Sando ($22), which features house-cured pastrami simply dressed with Gulden’s mustard and piled between pillowy slices of shokupan, Japanese milk bread. I don’t give this title lightly: This sandwich is the softest thing I’ve ever eaten. — Isabella Armus
Is your favorite Jewish dish not on our list? Let us know what we missed so that we may include it on a future list!
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The post 25 Jewish dishes to eat in NYC right now appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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US House Passes ICC Sanctions Bill Following Netanyahu Arrest Warrant
US House Speaker Mike Johnson speaks to members of the media at the Capitol building, April 20, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Ken Cedeno
The US House of Representatives on Thursday passed legislation that would sanction members of the International Criminal Court (ICC) over its issuing of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant.
The Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act (HR 23) calls for the warrants against the Israeli officials to be “condemned in the strongest possible terms,” labeling them as “illegitimate and baseless” actions that “create a damaging precedent that threatens the United States, Israel, and all United States partners who have not submitted to the ICC’s jurisdiction.”
The ICC has no jurisdiction over Israel as it is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, which established the court. Other countries including the US have similarly not signed the ICC charter. However, the ICC has asserted jurisdiction by accepting “Palestine” as a signatory in 2015, despite no such state being recognized under international law.
Beyond condemning the arrest warrants, the bill would also impose sanctions on any officials with the ICC, or entities supporting the court, who seek to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute “any protected person of the United States and its allies.”
The bill easily passed by a margin of 243-140. House Republicans overwhelmingly backed the bill, with 198 voting in favor, zero voting against, one voting “present,” and 20 abstaining from voting. House Democrats were more divided on the bill, with 45 voting in favor, 140 voting against, and 30 abstaining from voting.
The proposed sanctions would target individuals “directly engaged in or otherwise aided any effort by the ICC to investigate, arrest, detain, or prosecute a protected person.” In addition, the legislation would freeze assets and ban visas of sanctioned individuals and allow the sitting president to waive individual sanctions if the waiver is considered critical to US national security interests.
US Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), a stalwart ally of Israel and co-sponsor of the bill, condemned the ICC on the floor of the House of Representatives.
“Israel is the tip of the spear in bringing the fight to an enemy that currently holds and has killed our fellow Americans,” said Mast, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, referring to Israel’s military campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), another co-sponsor of the bill, lambasted the ICC for taking an “unprecedented action” against Israel, arguing that the court’s actions are undermining the Jewish state’s ability to defend itself against Hamas terrorism.
Roy decried the arrest warrants against Netanyahu and Gallant as a “politicized witch hunt” and claimed that the ICC “doesn’t have any jurisdiction” over the defensive military operations of the Jewish state.
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) issued a statement endorsing the bill.
“The ICC’s decision to issue arrest warrants against the leadership of Israel represents the weaponization of international law at its most egregious,” Torres said. “The ICC has set a precedent for criminalizing self-defense: any country daring to defend itself against an enemy that exploits civilians as human shields will face persecution posing as prosecution.”
Immediately after the vote, pro-Israel organizations issued statements applauding the House for advancing legislation to sanction the ICC.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the foremost pro-Israel lobbying group in the US, praised the passage of HR 23.
“AIPAC commends the House for adopting the Illegitimate Court Counteraction Act, which imposes sanctions on foreign persons aiding the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) morally bankrupt and legally baseless attack against Israel,” AIPAC said in a statement.
The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) also celebrated the passage of the legislation, lauding Republican leadership in helping advance the bill through the House of Representatives.
“We thank [House Speaker Mike Johnson] and the [House Republican] majority for their leadership and prioritizing this critical legislation in week one of the 119th Congress,” the RJC wrote on X/Twitter.
In November, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant, and Hamas terror leader Ibrahim al-Masri (better known as Mohammed Deif) for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict. The ICC said there were reasonable grounds to believe Netanyahu and Gallant were criminally responsible for starvation in Gaza and the persecution of Palestinians — charges vehemently denied by Israel, which has provided significant humanitarian aid into the war-torn enclave throughout the war.
US and Israeli officials issued blistering condemnations of the ICC move, decrying the court for drawing a moral equivalence between Israel’s democratically elected leaders and the heads of Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group that launched the ongoing war in Gaza with its massacre across southern Israel last Oct. 7.
The ICC’s chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, initially made his surprise demand for arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant on the same day in May that he suddenly canceled a long-planned visit to both Gaza and Israel to collect evidence of alleged war crimes. The last-second cancellation infuriated US and British leaders, according to Reuters, which reported that the trip would have offered Israeli leaders a first opportunity to present their position and outline any action they were taking to respond to the war crime allegations.
Following the official issuing of arrest warrants in November, a slew of US lawmakers vowed to seek retribution against the ICC after President-elect Donald Trump takes office later this month.
Incoming US Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) has also threatened to push legislation imposing sanctions on the ICC if it does not halt its efforts to pursue arrest warrants against Israeli officials.
The post US House Passes ICC Sanctions Bill Following Netanyahu Arrest Warrant first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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California College Sued for Punishing Jewish Professor Over Conversation on Israeli-Palestinian Conflict
California College of the Arts in San Francisco. Photo: Edward H. Blake via Wikimedia Commons
A Jewish professor is suing the California College of the Arts (CCA) in San Francisco for allegedly violating her rights by punishing her because she disagreed with students about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
According to court documents shared with The Algemeiner by the Deborah Project, a legal nonprofit which defends the civil rights of Jewish educators, Professor Karen Fiss’s tribulations began on Oct. 23, 2023, when she exchanged remarks with several members of the terrorist-linked Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) group who summoned her to an anti-Zionist display and asked that she support the campaign for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Fiss scanned their materials — which included a sign that proclaimed the anti-Israel genocidal slogan “From the river to the sea,” artwork, and quick response (QR) codes promoting their cause — and initiated a dialogue with the students, asking what the slogan meant and what news sources they read. Offended by Fiss’s signaling she was not an anti-Zionist, one of the students tore down the “from the river to the sea sign” and began arguing that reports of the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s atrocities in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 were fabricated.
The conversation reached the fateful moment which precipitated Fiss’s lawsuit when one of the students, Maryiam Alwael, asserted that her knowledge of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was superior because she was a native of Kuwait, to which Fiss responded by asking the student if she was aware of the Kuwaiti government’s expulsion of 300,000 Palestinians in 1991. Fiss then argued for a more nuanced narrative of the Middle Eastern conflict, noting that not all Middle Easterners are anti-Israel and many oppose Hamas and disapprove of Iran’s backing of it. She ended by counseling the young women to avoid ideological echo chambers. Alwael said she liked her own views.
While both sides made sharp points, the conversation remained civil, according to court documents. However, the students interpreted Fiss’s comments as an attack on their identities and filed a complaint which accused her of being “harassing and discriminatory.” With little due process, Fiss was ultimately found guilty of the allegation and forced to submit to a series of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” trainings — a form of political rehabilitation in which subjects are forced to denounce key values of Western civilization such as the meritocracy and the sovereignty of the individual.
In explaining its guilty verdict, the college accused Fiss of being culturally insensitive and imposing her “power” on the women, who are ethnic minorities of color. Fiss, it said, “began explaining the history of Alwael’s country to her,” and “caused the students to reasonably believe” that Fiss was “using [her] positional power as a professor to get the outcome [she] sought, which was for the students to agree with [her] point of view.”
The college reached these findings but declined to apply the same logic to an earlier complaint Fiss had filed about the Critical Ethnic Studies program’s issuing a statement — “DECOLONIZATION IS NOT A DINNER PARTY,” it said — which justified Hamas’s violence and implied that Jews are not indigenous to their own homeland. This is because, the Deborah Project says, CCA rules are in place to protect left-wing anti-Zionism and punish Jews who oppose it.
“Because Dr. Fiss’s beliefs do not align with the creed mandated and enforced by the college, she has suffered repeated and severe adverse treatment by CCA, which has dramatically impeded her ability to function as a scholar,” the Deborah Project said in its complaint. “As part of its policy of enforcing ideological conformity about Israel, CCA has threatened Dr. Fiss with dismissal for two reasons: (1) her refusal to comply with student demands to contact her congressional representatives to pressure Israel — a sovereign nation — to cease its military response to an ongoing threat; and (2) for respectfully challenging this monopolization of discourse and reaffirming the principles of open dialogue and open debate within CCA.”
According to Lori Lowenthal Marcus, legal director of the Deborah Project, the college ignored Fiss’s concerns about widespread support for Hamas’s atrocities in Israel last Oct. 7, arguing they were simply expressions of free speech.
“Karen Fiss, a fully-tenured professor at CCA was told that her pain, intimidation, and horror upon learning that a huge number of not only students at CCA but her fellow faculty members, the department chairs, and members of the administration not only justified, but supported the wanton rape, torture, and murder of her co-religionists on Oct. 7 was not problematic as far as CCA was concerned because those positions were protected by free speech,” Lowenthal Marcus told The Algemeiner.
She added that CCA “accorded no such academic freedom to Dr. Fiss, who was disciplined for a single conversation that all parties agree was civil.”
“For this actual exercise of academic freedom,” Lowenthal Marcus concluded, “CCA found that Dr. Fiss’s speech constituted harassment of the Kuwaiti student. It was also found to be bullying, on the theory that Dr. Fiss was found to have used her position as a faculty member to pressure the students to adopt Dr. Fiss’s view — when it is undisputed that, throughout the conversation, the students did not even know Dr. Fiss was a professor. For this, Dr. Fiss’s file was permanently marked, and she was warned that if such a thing were to occur again, Fiss would suffer additional punishment, up to and including termination.
Now, with her reputation blighted by scandal and the college threatening revoke her tenure, Fiss is fighting for both her right to exist as a proud Jew at work as well as her right to free speech. She is suing CCA for discriminating against her for being Jewish, a violation of Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and breach of contract, offenses which caused her “substantial damages” and other trauma.
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
The post California College Sued for Punishing Jewish Professor Over Conversation on Israeli-Palestinian Conflict first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Jewish Voice for Peace’s ‘Extremist’ Anti-Israel Agenda, Terror Group Ties Highlighted in Report
Anti-Israel protesters take part in a demonstration hosted by the Democratic Socialists of America, IfNotNow Movement, and Jewish Voice for Peace that turned violent in Washington, DC, Nov. 15, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Leah Millis
A pro-Israel nonprofit has published a new bombshell booklet detailing the inner workings and funding of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), a controversial and prominent anti-Zionist group that has helped organize widespread demonstrations against the Jewish state during the war in Gaza.
StandWithUs (SWU), an organization which promotes a mission of “supporting Israel and fighting antisemitism,” released the report examining how the far-left JVP — which defended the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s invasion of southern Israel last Oct. 7 — “promotes antisemitic conspiracy theories” and even partners with terrorist organizations to achieve its “primary goal” of “dismantling the State of Israel.”
According to the report, JVP weaponizes the plight of Palestinians to advance an “extremist” agenda which promotes the destruction of Israel and whitewashes terrorism, receiving money from organizations that have ties to Middle Eastern countries such as Iran.
“JVP and its allies slander and dehumanize Israelis as privileged, powerful, and racist white European colonizers,” the report says. “They promote dangerous conspiracy theories tying Israelis to injustices against various communities” around the world.
The booklet points out that JVP pushes a misleading history of Jewish presence in the Middle East, ignoring that Jews “faced systemic discrimination at best and brutal violence at worst under Muslim and Arab rule, until almost all of them fled or were expelled in the 20th century.” SWU also notes that JVP has routinely labeled Jews as “racist” for expressing fear about the prospect of living as minorities in Israel.
“JVP simply refuses to acknowledge that most Jews genuinely see efforts to eliminate the world’s only Jewish state as a form of hate,” the report reads.
In addition, the report alleges that JVP advances “antisemitic conspiracy theories,” such as the notion that American police are trained by Israeli forces. This narrative suggests that Israel exacerbates alleged police brutality in the United States through training law enforcement to brutalize black people. Prominent anti-Israel pundits such as Marc Lamont Hill and Linda Sarsour have cited this misleading information in various public statements.
StandWithUs also alleges that JVP harbors deep connections and support for international terrorist groups, highlighting JVP’s record of support for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), an internationally designated terrorist organization with the stated goal of dismantling Israel and replacing it with a Palestinian state.
“JVP has campaigned in support of PFLP terrorists, hosted PFLP members at events, and partnered with groups that openly support PFLP and other terrorist organizations,” the report reads.
In addition, the report states that JVP has collaborated with anti-Israel entities such as Samidoun, which identifies itself as a “Palestinian prisoner solidarity network, to hold rallies. Samidoun described Hamas’s Oct. 7 atrocities in Israel as “a brave and heroic operation.” The United States and Canada each imposed sanctions on Samidoun in October, labeling the organization a “sham charity” and accusing it of fundraising for terrorist groups such as PFLP. The US Treasury Department said that PFLP “uses Samidoun to maintain fundraising operations in both Europe and North America.”
“Organizations like Samidoun masquerade as charitable actors that claim to provide humanitarian support to those in need, yet in reality divert funds for much-needed assistance to support terrorist groups,” Bradley Smith, the US Treasury Department’s acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a statement at the time.
The SWU report also says that JVP has ties to “extremist” anti-Israel groups such as Within Our Lifetime (WOL) and the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM). Leadership for these groups have repeatedly expressed support for violence against Israel and terrorist groups. JVP has worked alongside these groups to hold anti-Israel demonstrations and marches.
According to the new report, JVP has received substantial financial assistance from organizations tied to Lebanon and Iran. For example, the Maximum Difference Foundation, which has been accused of maintaining ties with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an internationally designated terrorist organization, donated $65,000 to JVP.
JVP has also received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, which according to SWU has funded other anti-Israel organizations, including Palestinian organizations linked with the PFLP.
The report additionally noted that JVP received $200,000 from The Quitiplas Foundation, which has allegedly donated to other organizations connected to Samidoun.
“JVP’s harmful rhetoric and alliances make it clear they are not a voice for peace,” StandWithUs CEO Roz Rothstein said in a statement accompanying the report’s release. “This organization fuels hate and shields extremists from accountability while doing nothing to bring about peaceful coexistence.”
“To help fight rising antisemitism, the public, media, and leaders across our society must finally recognize JVP’s dangerous agenda and reject it,” she said.
The Algemeiner has previously reported that JVP argued in a recently resurfaced 2021 booklet that Jews should not write Hebrew liturgy because hearing the language would be “deeply traumatizing” to Palestinians.
In June, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) filed a complaint with the US Federal Election Commission accusing JVP’s political fundraising arm of misrepresenting its spending and receiving unlawful donations from corporate entities, citing “discrepancies” in the organization’s income and expense reports.
The post Jewish Voice for Peace’s ‘Extremist’ Anti-Israel Agenda, Terror Group Ties Highlighted in Report first appeared on Algemeiner.com.