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American patron of Israeli archaeology becomes focus of New York’s antiquities trafficking unit
(JTA) – The crusading New York prosecutor who has been exposing illicit trafficking in the antiquities market through a succession of high-profile raids has zeroed in on his next big target: the private collection of Shelby White, the widow of a Wall Street legend and philanthropist known for donating to Jewish museums in New York and to the Israeli government agency charged with policing the antiquities trade.
As a result of the ongoing investigation into looted artifacts by Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Matthew Bogdanos, White has already relinquished at least two dozen items worth at least $20 million, according to reporting by New York magazine. Some of those artifacts have been returned to Italy and Turkey in recent months.
A request for comment submitted to a charity headed by White received no reply. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. thanked White in a Feb. 3 press release for cooperation with investigators.
The focus on White comes after Bogdanos’ Antiquities Trafficking Unit reached an unprecedented deal in December 2021 with another prominent antiquities collector and donor to Jewish causes. Michael Steinhardt, the former investor who founded Birthright Israel, surrendered 180 artifacts, including some that were stolen from Israel, and committed to never buying antiquities again in an agreement that spared him from possible criminal charges.
White serves as chair of an American charity called the Friends of the Israel Antiquities Authority. The charity funnels tax-exempt donations to an Israeli government office and law enforcement agency that sponsors archeological excavations and regulates the buying and selling of antiquities.
White has donated directly to the Israel Antiquities Authority through her family’s charity, the Leon Levy Foundation, which is named in honor of her late husband, a pioneer of mutual funds. Last June, the authority unveiled the Shelby White & Leon Levy Lod Mosaic Archaeological Center near Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport.
Many Jewish cultural institutions in New York have benefited from White’s donations. She is a director of the Center for Jewish History, which thanked her in 2010 for an $860,000 gift that has helped with the preservation of archival materials. Her foundation’s website also lists as grantees the Jewish Museum, the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side and a program dedicated to Jewish material culture at the Bard Graduate Center.
Since the Manhattan district attorney’s office put him at the head of a newly created antiquities trafficking unit in 2010, Bogdanos has upended the market for archaeological artifacts. Using a previously obscure New York law, he convinced the courts to regard the possession of stolen antiquities as potentially criminal, even if a collector had legally purchased the looted item in question. Since many of the antiquities that have entered the United States are believed to have been looted at one point in time, this legal precedent has jeopardized the status of many if not all major collections held in museums and by private individuals.
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Iran to Boycott World Cup Draw Over Visa Restrictions
Soccer Football – World Cup Playoff Tournament and European Playoff draws – FIFA Headquarters, Zurich, Switzerland- November 20, 2025 The original FIFA World Cup trophy is kept on display during the draws. Photo: REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
Iran intends to boycott next week’s World Cup draw due to the limited number of visas allocated to the country’s football federation.
According to the Tehran Times, the United States issued visas to only four members of Iran‘s delegation, with requests for three additional visas denied, including one for Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) President Mehdi Taj.
“We have informed FIFA that the decisions taken are unrelated to sport and that the members of the Iranian delegation will not participate in the World Cup draw,” FFIRI spokesman Mehdi Alavi said on Friday, per the report.
Alavi said the federation has been in contact with FIFA in an effort to resolve the situation.
The World Cup draw will take place on Dec. 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
The expanded 48-team World Cup is being hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026. Matches will be played at 16 venues, including three in Mexico and two in Canada.
The draw will sort the teams into 12 groups of four. The top two teams from each group and the eight best third-place teams will advance to the knockout stage.
Iran has secured a spot in its fourth consecutive World Cup and seventh appearance overall.
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Dublin to Rename Chaim Herzog Park in a Move Slammed as Attempt to Erase Jewish History
Anti-Israel demonstrators stand outside the Israeli embassy after Ireland has announced it will recognize a Palestinian state, in Dublin, Ireland, May 22, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Molly Darlington
i24 News – Citing the Gaza war, Dublin city council voted to rename a park honoring Israel’s sixth president, the Irish-born Chaim Herzog, in further manifestation of anti-Israel sentiment in the country.
While a new name is yet to be chosen, reports cite efforts by pro-Palestinian activists to change it to the “Free Palestine Park.”
Former Irish justice minister Alan Shatter harshly criticized the vote, charging that “Dublin City Council has now gone full on Nazi & a committee of the Council has determined it should erase Jewish/Irish history. Herzog Park in Rathgar is named after Chaim Herzog, Israel’s 6th President, brought up in Dublin by his father, Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, a friend of Eamon De Valera, who was Chief Rabbi of Ireland & Israel’s first Chief Rabbi… Some councillors want the Park renamed ‘Free Palestine Park.”
The Jewish Representative Council of Ireland issued a statement regarding the renaming of Herzog Park.
“It sends a hurtful and isolating message to a small minority community that has contributed to Ireland for centuries. We call on Dublin City Councillors to reject this motion. The removal of the Herzog name from this park would be widely understood as an attempt to erase our Irish Jewish history.”
A virtuoso diplomat and an intellectual giant, Herzog had served in a variety of roles throughout his storied career, including a memorable stint as the ambassador to the United Nations, where in 1975 he delivered a speech condemning the Soviet-engineered resolution to brand Zionism as a form of racism. The address is now regarded as a classic, along with the oration from the same session by the US Ambassador Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar slammed the decision, saying that Ireland’s “antisemitic and anti-Israel obsession is sickening.”
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Qatar’s Al Thani to Visit Beirut Wednesday to Meet with Lebanon’s Leaders
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani makes statements to the media with then-US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in Doha, Qatar, Oct. 13, 2023. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani will visit Beirut on Wednesday to meet with Lebanon’s leaders, Al-Jadeed reported Saturday.
The visit comes “as part of an effort inseparable from the efforts by Egypt in coordination with Arab countries, foremost among them Saudi Arabia.”
The trip coincides with a sensitive period for the country, ravaged by war and deep economic crisis.
Lebanon is under growing pressure from both Israel and the United States to more swiftly disarm Hezbollah and other Islamist groups across the country, with Israel increasingly inclined to stop the Shiite militia from rearming and rebuilding its infrastructure.
Hezbollah was left devastated in the aftermath of a nine-day war last year, that saw Israel take out its command structure and lay waste to a significant proportion of its missile arsenal.