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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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Columbia University Says It Suspended Pro-Hamas Agitator Who Stormed Classroom
Anti-Israel agitators disrupting an Israeli history class at Columbia University, New York City, Jan. 21, 2025. Photo: Screenshot
Columbia University has suspended one of several students who disrupted an active class earlier this week and proceeded to utter pro-Hamas propaganda and distribute antisemitic literature, the school announced on Thursday.
On Tuesday, the first day of classes of the new semester, the agitators stormed into Professor Avi Shilon’s course, titled “History of Modern Israel.” Clad in keffiyehs, which were wrapped on their faces to conceal their identities, they read prepared remarks which described the course as “Zionist and imperialist” and a “normalization of genocide.” As part of their performance, which they appeared to film, they dropped flyers, one of which contained an illustration of a lifted boot preparing to trample a Star of David. Next to the drawing was a message that said, “Crush Zionism.”
Another flyer proclaimed, “Burn Zionism to the ground.”
The incident set off an explosion of responses on social media. The US House Committee on Education and the Workforce — now chaired by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) — warned that such behavior “will no longer be tolerated in the Trump administration,” while Columbia University professor and activist Shai Davidai demanded “strong action.” Later, Shilon wrote in an op-ed published by the Israeli publication Ynetnews that Columbia needs to “reevaluate” its safety policies, noting that students should not be able to “walk around wearing masks.”
On Thursday, the university attempted to quell concerns that it would do nothing, as it has been accused of before, and announced that it “has identified and suspended a Columbia participant” of the demonstration. The punishment, it added, will hold until the completion of a “full investigation and disciplinary process.”
The statement continued, “The investigation of the disruption, including the identification of additional participants, remains active. Disruptions to our classrooms and our academic mission and efforts to intimidate or harass our students are not acceptable, are an effort to every member of our university community, and will not be tolerated.”
Columbia University has allegedly refused to levy disciplinary sanctions against anti-Zionist agitators in the past.
In August, the US House Committee on Education and the Workforce denounced university officials for punishing only a few of the anti-Zionist activists who last spring occupied an administrative building and staged a riot which prompted the university to advise Jews to refrain from coming to campus. According to documents shared by the committee, 18 of the 22 students who were given disciplinary charges for their role in the incident were later upgraded to “good standing” despite the university’s earlier pledge to expel them. Another 31 of 35 who were suspended for illegally occupying the campus with a “Gaza Solidarity Encampment” were restored to good standing as well.
Amnestying those students was “disgraceful and unacceptable,” former education committee chairwoman Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) said at the time. She added, “The vast majority of the student perpetrators remain in good standing. By allowing its own disciplinary process to be thwarted by radical students and faculty, Columbia has waved the white flag in surrender while offering up a get-out-of-jail-free card to those who participated in these unlawful actions.”
Meanwhile, Columbia University continues what is widely perceived as a partisan investigation of Davidai, an inquiry prompted by accusations that condemning terrorism is racist and anti-Muslim. In October., the university banned Davidai from campus, an action which prevents him from attending university functions and accessing his office. Since then, Davidai has accused Columbia of prolonging its investigation of his conduct to injure his reputation and destroy his academic career.
At the same time, the university has allowed a pro-Hamas professor and cheerleader of violence, Joseph Massad, to continue teaching about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, despite that he is on record supporting terror — after the Oct. 7 massacre, for example, he described the Hamas fighters who paraglided into the Nova Music Festival in southern Israel to murder the young people attending it as “the air force of the Palestinian resistance” — and has been accused of antisemitism dozens of times.
On Tuesday, Columbia University Interim President Katrina Armstrong maintained that Columbia opposes antisemitism.
“We want to be absolutely clear that any act of antisemitism, or other form of discrimination, harassment, or intimidation against members of our community is unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” she said in a statement.
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
The post Columbia University Says It Suspended Pro-Hamas Agitator Who Stormed Classroom first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Nashville School Shooter Praised Hitler, Said He Was ‘Influenced’ by Candace Owens in Purported Manifesto
Solomon Henderson, 17, who police say opened fire at Antioch High School in Nashville, TN on Jan. 22, 2024 before killing himself, posted neo-Nazi content on social media. Photo: Screenshot
The teenager accused of perpetrating a fatal school shooting in Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday praised Adolf Hitler, shared neo-Nazi content, and said he was inspired by anti-Israel commentator Candace Owens, according to reports of the alleged shooter’s purported manifesto.
Police identified the shooter as Solomon Henderson, a 17-year-old student at Antioch High School, saying he shot and killed Josselin Corea Escalante, who was 16, and wounded two others in the school’s cafeteria before turning the gun on himself.
Authorities are also investigating a racist and antisemitic manifesto full of online writings and social media posts that emerged following the shooting that has been attributed to Henderson to determine if the materials were actually the work of the alleged shooter.
Multiple local media outlets, including NewsChannel 5 Nashville and The Tennessean newspaper, reported that the documents indicated that the suspect harbored a litany of antisemitic beliefs and drew inspiration from Owens, a far-right media personality.
“Candace Owens has influenced me above all each time she spoke I was stunned by her insights and her own views helped push me further and further into the belief of violence over the Jewish question,” the manifesto reportedly said.
Henderson, who like Owens is black, also posted a flyer from the Goyim Defense League, an antisemitic hate group which, according to the Anti-Defamaion League (ADL), has an “overarching goal to expel Jews from America.”
The suspect’s purported writings indicate he was mentally deteriorating and suffered from self-loathing. Henderson reportedly wrote that he “was ashamed to be black.” He also repudiated Antioch High School, which has a heavily Black and Hispanic student body, with the use of derogatory racial terms.
The ADL’s Center on Extremism issued an analysis of the document, saying it appears to be authentic.
“Our analysts located a sprawling manifesto full of anti-black content, references to accelerationism, and antisemitism,” Carla Hill of the Center on Extremism, told The Tennessean. “It also plagiarized from various far-right manifestos and publications, including Terrorgram Collective [a white supremacist group] and a manifesto by Matthew Harris.”
Harris, who is black, was arrested in 2022 for threatening a mass shooting against the University of California, Los Angeles, where he had worked as a philosophy instructor. He posted a manifesto that included calls for violence against Jews and white people.
In the 15 months since the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Owens has established herself as a fierce critic of the Jewish state who has also been accused of antisemitism. After parting ways with The Daily Wire, a politically conservative media company, last year amid controversy over her comments regarding Jews and Israel, Owens has made those subjects top priorities in her new show.
In late July, for example, Owens said that the Star of David originated from an evil, child-sacrificing, pagan deity and has only become associated with Judaism within the past few hundred years.
In a June episode, Owens argued that “it seems like our country [the US] is being held hostage by Israel.” She lamented, “I’m going to get in so much trouble for that. I don’t care.” She also falsely suggested in the same episode that AIPAC, the foremost pro-Israel lobbying organization in the US, was behind the assassination of former US President John F. Kennedy.
Weeks later, Owens promoted a series of talking points downplaying the atrocities of the Holocaust and said experiments by Nazi doctor Joseph Mengele performed on Jews during World War II sounded “like bizarre propaganda.”
In an August interview, Owens claimed that Judaism is a “pedophile-centric religion that believes in demons … [and] child sacrifice.” She has also suggested without evidence that Israel was established to shield “pedophiles” from accountability.
As a result of her comments, Owens received the “Antisemite of the Year” award for 2024 from the US-based advocacy group StopAntisemitism. The controversial media personality happily accepted the distinction while stating that the charge of antisemitism no longer maintains “any real meaning.” Owens then claimed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is actually the most prominent antisemite, because he has “murdered and killed and maimed more actual Semites this year” than anyone else.
Owens issued a statement on Thursday in response to reports noting her name being mentioned in the alleged Nashville shooter’s purported writings.
“It is truly sickening that people would use the death of a young 16-year-old girl to try to quickly score political points, rather than to responsibly make sure that what they are sharing is accurate,” Owens said, calling the manifesto “an obvious troll.”
The post Nashville School Shooter Praised Hitler, Said He Was ‘Influenced’ by Candace Owens in Purported Manifesto first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hamas Terrorists Admit Israeli Hostages Held at Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital
Ahmad Kahalot, a senior Hamas member and director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza, speaking to Israeli interrogators. Photo: Screenshot
Israeli hostages were held in Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital, a new report citing terrorists’ confessions revealed this week.
The discovery followed an Israeli raid that uncovered a sprawling network of terrorists operating within the hospital’s walls, leading to the detention of over 240 Hamas terrorists, some of whom — including a senior commander who attempted to evade capture by posing as a patient with a broken arm — admitted that the facility was used as a base for Hamas operations.
The hospital, which is located in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, was used to hide terrorists at different times, Fox News Digital said in a report published on Tuesday. According to captured terrorist Anas Muhammad Faiz al-Sharif, the hospital was seen as a “a safe haven for them because the [Israeli] military cannot directly target it.”
Gonen Ben Itzhak, former spy handler for Mosab Yousef, the son of Hamas’s co-founder who became an informant for Israel, said the news came as no surprise, noting that international aid organizations were “complicit in war crimes carried out under the cover of those criticizing Israel.”
“Hamas’s reign of terror in Gaza has led to the fact that all government systems in the Strip, as well as civilian systems, are subordinate to Hamas and have an affiliation with Hamas,” the Shin Bet agent turned lawyer and activist told The Algemeiner.
During last month’s raid, Israeli forces uncovered that its director, Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, was actively complicit in Hamas’s terrorist activities. As interrogations of detainees progressed, it became clear that Abu Safiya was more than just a passive observer — he was a key figure in facilitating Hamas operations. Despite his involvement in the group’s actions, an international campaign has emerged since then to call for his release, a movement spurred by his media appearances throughout the war.
“We realized that the person at the heart of it all, the one organizing the terrorism and Hamas activities within the compound, was the hospital director himself,” Lt. (res.) D., a field investigator in military intelligence, told Israel’s Channel 12 news. “The world must understand that there is close and clear cooperation between the medical team and the senior leadership of the terrorist organization: they cynically exploit our desire to avoid harming the helpless and use the medical platform to establish a base for terrorism.”
Terrorists inside the facility reportedly distributed grenades, mortars, and equipment for ambushing Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops. “The [terrorist] operatives were there, transporting equipment and weapons like AK-47s … and pistols,” Faiz al-Sharif said, confirming that “the weapons were transferred to and from the hospital.”
Lt. D also reported becoming suspicious of a man posing as an injured patient during a routine check at the hospital’s ambulance platform. Upon questioning, the man gave a false name and ID, claiming to have been injured days earlier. But, the cast on his arm appeared freshly applied, raising the IDF investigator’s doubts. The investigator would later learn that he was a senior Hamas commander who had been involved in the Oct. 7, 2023 invasion of southern Israel and was still running terror operations until the day of his capture.
“During the interrogation, [the terrorist] confessed that the doctor sitting next to him had faked the cast to help him escape in a humanitarian aid ambulance. He explained Hamas’s strategy, saying they know there’s little chance the IDF will interrogate wounded individuals being evacuated for medical treatment, so he tried to exploit the opportunity to flee,” Lt. D told Channel 12.
Ben Itzhak blasted international aid organizations, including UNRWA and the Red Cross, for serving as a facade enabling terrorist operations in Gaza.
“The international organizations bear responsibility for war crimes committed by Hamas against Israel, against the Israeli hostages, and also against the poor residents of Gaza,” he told The Algemeiner.
“They allowed Hamas to trample on international law and use civilian infrastructure: kindergartens, schools, clinics, and hospitals as military headquarters … dragging Israel into military activity that is perceived by the world, in the eyes of those who are not familiar with the cruel reality of Gaza, as war crimes.”
The hospital’s ties to terrorism run deep and are longstanding, starting with its very name. Kamal Adwan, for whom the facility is named, was a Palestinian Fatah operative responsible for attacks in Nahariya and Tel Aviv’s Carmel Market before being killed by the IDF in 1973.
Last month’s raid wasn’t the first on the hospital. On Dec. 12, 2023, around 90 people were detained, including its then director, Ahmed Kahlout. The IDF at the time released a video of his interrogation, in which he described how Hamas used the hospital as a base for Hamas operations. Its ambulances were used to transport terrorists and even Israeli hostages, Kahlout said.
Kahlout revealed that he was recruited into Hamas’s Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades and received military training. He also said that other staff members, including doctors, nurses, and paramedics, were part of Hamas’s military network. Kahlout called Hamas leaders “cowards” and blamed them for the suffering, saying, “They ruined us,” hinting that his involvement may not have been entirely voluntary. He was later released, but according to Palestinian media reports, was killed by an Israeli drone in November.
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