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A Haven Amid Hostility: How Beverly Hills Stands with Its Jewish Community
At a time when Jewish students shelter in their dorm rooms to avoid harassment on elite campuses; when demonstrators in major cities chant genocidal slogans; and when antisemitism spikes globally to alarming levels, one California city has stood firm in its principles: Beverly Hills.
While city councils across California have been swept up in performative debates about ceasefires and BDS movements– issues they have no Constitutional authority to influence — Beverly Hills has demonstrated what genuine municipal support for its Jewish community looks like in the aftermath of October 7, 2023.
As an Israeli American who has witnessed what’s happened across America since Oct. 7, I’ve found the contrast between Beverly Hills and other municipalities to be both refreshing and instructive.
When Vice Mayor Dr. Sharona Nazarian posted on February 27, 2025, that “Beverly Hills has always stood against antisemitism and injustice,” it wasn’t just rhetoric — it was backed by consistent action. The city didn’t just issue statements; it created meaningful spaces for remembrance and education.
The 1,400 flags installed at Beverly Hills Garden Park — attempting to represent victims from 30 different nationalities on October 7 — offered a visceral reminder of the human cost of terrorism. Unlike the debates raging on social media, this memorial didn’t reduce complex geopolitics to simplistic narratives. It simply honored lives lost, and it did so prominently, right beside the iconic Beverly Hills sign, where tourists from around the world stop for photos daily. The city has since reinstalled the memorial twice — and put up cameras to ensure it isn’t vandalized.
Perhaps most encouraging of all is Beverly Hills’ commitment to creating a permanent October 7 memorial. As approved in November 2024, this memorial will be located at the northeast corner of Rexford Drive and Burton Way; it is designed to echo the 9/11 Memorial, and will incorporate educational signage about the terror attack. The city has already committed $500,000 to the project, with additional fundraising underway.
The Beverly Hills approach represents a fundamental understanding that supporting Jewish safety isn’t just about words. It’s about creating physical spaces where remembrance and education can occur. It’s about illuminating its City Hall orange in memory of the Bibas family, and hosting vigils where community members can mourn together. It’s about allowing for the expression of grief without apologizing for standing against terrorism.
What other communities might learn from Beverly Hills is that supporting Jewish community members doesn’t require municipalities to solve the Middle East conflict. It simply requires them to uphold their basic obligation to ensure all residents feel safe and valued.
When a February 2025 grassroots vigil featured balloons released in memory of the Bibas family at Beverly Canon Garden, it represented something profound: the ability of ordinary citizens to express solidarity in public spaces without fear. That fundamental right — to gather, to remember, to mourn without intimidation — is precisely what has been under threat in too many American cities.
While other California cities have seen their council meetings derailed by activists demanding they weigh in on international conflicts well beyond their jurisdiction, Beverly Hills has demonstrated that local governments can both acknowledge global events and remain focused on its primary responsibility: creating a safe, welcoming community for all its residents.
Rather than treating the Israel-Hamas conflict as an opportunity for political grandstanding, Beverly Hills has approached it as what it is: a human tragedy that affects many of its residents personally. In these divisive times, Beverly Hills shows us that communities don’t need to choose between supporting Palestinian humanitarian concerns and standing against antisemitism. They simply need to prioritize the safety and dignity of all their residents while refusing to import geopolitical conflicts into municipal governance.
At a moment when Jews increasingly question whether they are welcome in America’s progressive cities, Beverly Hills offers a reassuring answer: Here, at least, is one place where Jews need not apologize for their grief, hide their identity, or qualify their right to safety.
That shouldn’t be rare — but in today’s climate, it is. And Beverly Hills deserves recognition.
Roni Brunn is the Vice President of Media Relations at the Harvard Jewish Alumni Alliance, and a social media content creator.
The post A Haven Amid Hostility: How Beverly Hills Stands with Its Jewish Community first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Israeli Strike on Tehran Kills Bodyguard of Slain Hezbollah Chief

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi lays a wreath as he visits the burial site of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon, June 3, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A member of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah was killed in an Israeli air strike on Tehran alongside a member of an Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group, a senior Lebanese security source told Reuters and the Iraqi group said on Saturday.
The source identified the Hezbollah member as Abu Ali Khalil, who had served as a bodyguard for Hezbollah’s slain chief Hassan Nasrallah. The source said Khalil had been on a religious pilgrimage to Iraq when he met up with a member of the Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada group.
They traveled together to Tehran and were both killed in an Israeli strike there, along with Khalil’s son, the senior security source said. Hezbollah has not joined in Iran’s air strikes against Israel from Lebanon.
Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada published a statement confirming that both the head of its security unit and Khalil had been killed in an Israeli strike.
Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli aerial attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs in September.
Israel and Iran have been trading strikes for nine consecutive days since Israel launched attacks on Iran, saying Tehran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran has said it does not seek nuclear weapons.
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Hamas Financial Officer and Commander Eliminated by IDF in the Gaza Strip

Israeli soldiers operate during a ground operation in the southern Gaza Strip, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, July 3, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), in cooperation with the General Security Service (Shin Bet), announced on Friday the killing of Ibrahim Abu Shamala, a senior financial official in Hamas’ military wing.
The operation took place on June 17th in the central Gaza Strip.
Abu Shamala held several key positions, including financial officer for Hamas’ military wing and assistant to Marwan Issa, the deputy commander of Hamas’ military wing until his elimination in March 2024.
He was responsible for managing all the financial resources of Hamas’ military wing in Gaza, overseeing the planning and execution of the group’s war budget. This involved handling and smuggling millions of dollars into the Gaza Strip to fund Hamas’ military operations.
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Report: Wary of Assassination by Israel, Khamenei Names 3 Potential Successors

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, May 20, 2025. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
i24 News – Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei named three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him should he be killed, the New York Times reported on Saturday citing unnamed Iranian officials. It is understood the Ayatollah fears he could be assassinated in the coming days.
Khamenei reportedly mostly speaks with his commanders through a trusted aide now, suspending electronic communications.
Khamenei has designated three senior religious figures as candidates to replace him as well as choosing successors in the military chain of command in the likely event that additional senior officials be eliminated.
Earlier on Saturday Israel confirmed the elimination of Saeed Izadi and Bhanam Shahriari.
Shahriari, head of Iran’s Quds Force Weapons Transfer Unit, responsible for arming Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, was killed in an Israeli airstrike over 1,000 km from Israel in western Iran.
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