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Amid surging aliyah, Jews from former USSR gather for community’s biggest annual event in Israel

TIBERIAS, Israel — In a year when Israel has seen more immigrants move to the country from former Soviet republics than any other year over the last decade, there was plenty to discuss, worry about and celebrate at a major gathering of such Jews at Israel’s only lakeside city, Tiberias.

On the first weekend in December, over 1,200 Jews with roots in the former Soviet Union gathered at a resort hotel overlooking the Sea of Galilee for a weekend of Israeli and Jewish culture, food, music, dancing and comedy. Organized by Limmud FSU Israel’s team of more than 150 volunteers from a wide range of ages, the conference was held in a mix of Hebrew and Russian.

Through the first 10 months of 2022, over 47,330 immigrants have moved to Israel from former Soviet republics, with over 14,000 coming from Ukraine and over 30,000 from Russia. That’s about double the number of immigrants to Israel from former Soviet countries in 2019, the year before the pandemic limited immigration. Over 80% of all immigrants to Israel this year hail from formerly Soviet countries.

Osik Akselrud, regional director for Hillel International in Central Asia and Southeastern Europe and Limmud FSU Ukraine chair, said this is a particularly dark time for Jews in the former Soviet Union. With Russia’s war against Ukraine now in its 10th month, those remaining in Ukraine face the prospect of a freezing, dark winter without electricity.

“We are having a very hard time,” Akselrud said. “We feel part of the Limmud FSU family and are grateful for everything you’re doing for us, especially during these dramatic times. It’s like a breath of fresh air for all Ukrainians. Thank you for standing with us.”

Limmud FSU organizes Jewish learning festivals the world over for Jews with roots in the former Soviet Union.

The Tiberias event was held just a week before a scheduled Limmud FSU seminar in Warsaw, which took place Dec. 8-10. That gathering was focused on Ukrainian Jews still living in Ukraine as well as those who have fled to Europe and Israel to escape the war in their country. In March, Limmud FSU will hold another milestone conference: the first ever in Germany, another hub of refuge for Ukrainian Jews.

“The situation is devastating, and sadly it’s not getting better,” Matthew Bronfman, chairman of Limmud FSU, said of the war in Ukraine. “Berlin has been a desire of ours for more than a decade, and now with the recent influx of refugees there from war-torn regions, it’s amazing that we’ll be able to make it a reality for next March.”

Among the prominent speakers at the December conference were Avigdor Lieberman, Israel’s outgoing finance minister and a native of the former Soviet republic of Moldova; Elkayim Rubinstein, former vice president of Israel’s Supreme Court; Ze’ev Elkin, Israel’s outgoing minister of Jerusalem affairs and minister of housing and construction; Eliezer Shkedi, former commander of the Israel Air Force from 2004 to 2008; Amir Avivi, founder & CEO of Israel’s Defense & Security Forum, a movement of Israeli security personnel advocating for Israel’s security needs; Rabbi Jonathan Porath, who recounted the story of his lifetime of experiences with Soviet and post-Soviet Jews spanning over 50 years; and Ephraim Lapid, former senior intelligence officer in the Israel Defense Forces.

Attendees of the December 2022 Limmud FSU conference in Tiberias, Israel, included, from left to right, Monaco Jewish leader Jacques Wolzok and Nazi hunters Beate Klarsfeld and Serge Klarsfeld. (Alex Khanin)

Lapid spoke of Israel’s essential role as a safe haven for Jews everywhere.

“If you’re Christian and you’re in trouble, can you come to Italy, a Christian nation, and say you want citizenship? Of course not. If you’re Muslim, can you go to Saudi Arabia and get automatic citizenship? It doesn’t exist,” Lapid said. “Israel is the only country in the world where Jews receive shelter, both physically and spiritually.”

Limmud FSU’s founder, Chaim Chesler, thanked the 150 volunteers who organized the Tiberias event and noted that more than 80,000 people have participated in Limmud FSU programs since 2005.

“Sandra Cahn and I created Limmud FSU nearly 18 years ago,” Chesler said. “Who would believe that after 18 years we’d continue to flourish and educate Jews now in 12 countries?”

Highlights of the weekend festival included performances of Hebrew and Yiddish hits by singer Vladi Blayberg and violinist Sanya Kroitor; a concert by Stas Gavrilov’s 10-piece Klezmerband; a master class given by Ukrainian ballerina Valeriya Kholodova; and a Russian-language standup comedy routine by Ilya Axelrod.

Special recognition was extended to world-famous Nazi hunters Serge and Beate Klarsfeld, whose life mission has been to bring Nazi war criminals and their French collaborators to justice. The two received a sustained standing ovation following the screening of a short documentary film on the 76,000 French Jews who were deported to Nazi concentration camps during World War II; only 3,000 survived.

“I was a child during the Holocaust, and escaped arrest because my father built a hiding place in our house,” said Klarsfeld, 87. “When the Germans came, he opened the door and sacrificed himself, but we were hidden behind a false wall. They looked for us but didn’t find us. After the war, I devoted my life to tracking Nazi criminals and helping the State of Israel.”

Limmud FSU Israel participants listen during Ilya Axelrod’s stand-up performance in Tiberias, Israel, December 2022. (Yulia Berzon)

Among Limmud FSU Israel’s key supporters are the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany, Nativ – Prime Minister’s Office, Genesis Philanthropy Group, the Jewish National Fund-Keren Kayemet LeIsrael, the World Zionist Organization, UJA-Federation of New York and philanthropists Diane Wohl and Bill Hess.

Speakers also touched on Israeli politics on the eve of what’s expected to be the swearing-in of a new right-wing government headed by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Rubinstein, who served as Israel’s attorney general from 1997 to 2003, urged the new government not to weaken the country’s Supreme Court, which he called “a defender of human and civil rights” — particularly when it comes to gender issues, issues of religion and state and equity between Jews and Arabs.

“The ability to petition decisions straight to the Supreme Court has made it a strategic asset of the State of Israel, and I’m concerned about ideas to curb the court’s powers,” Rubinstein said. “I hope the politicians understand that while the court may make mistakes and be criticized, there’s a difference between criticism and undermining the court’s work.”

Shkedi, who spent several years as El Al’s CEO after leaving the Israel Air Force, stressed the importance of Jewish unity and urged for an end to political infighting.

“You can think one way and me another, but that doesn’t mean I’m the only one who’s right,” he said. “The priority for Israel now is learning how to live together. This is our biggest mission.”


The post Amid surging aliyah, Jews from former USSR gather for community’s biggest annual event in Israel appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

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Danny Wolf will see you now

When the Brooklyn Nets drafted Danny Wolf this summer out of the University of Michigan, scouts said they were getting a versatile big man who could get buckets, create for his teammates and rebound.

But the last few days of NBA action have shown the Jewish seven-footer picking up a surprising new habit: putting his opponents on posters.

After scuffling through the first two months of the season with a bum ankle, Wolf announced his arrival Saturday with a thundering jam on the Milwaukee Bucks’ Kyle Kuzma, for two of the forward’s career-best 22 points.

He claimed his next victim, in a 10-point, 7-rebound outing two days later, driving from the top of the arc before leaping off his left foot and dropping the hammer on the Charlotte Hornets’ Miles Bridges:

“That may get two howls!” Nets play-by-play announcer Ryan Ruocco cried.

Early returns have been limited since the Brooklyn Nets grabbed Israeli point guard Ben Saraf and Wolf with the 26th and 27th picks this summer. The learning curve for young floor generals is notoriously steep, and Saraf — who wears the number 77 to represent the Hebrew word mazal, meaning good fortune — has struggled to stay in the playing rotation.

But Wolf, an American-Israeli who was bar mitzvahed in Israel, is finding his footing — at least when he’s not taking off for a dunk. He dropped in five high-arcing three pointers against the Bucks, eliciting excited howls from Nets color commentator Sarah Kustok; before the Charlotte game, he apparently told teammates he was going to posterize somebody.

“I was kinda saying that as a joke,” he said, “but looking at it as an opportunity, and just trying to attack the rim, I did it, with rewards.”

“He manifested it,” said teammate Nic Claxton.

Let’s enjoy one more picture of Claxton and Wolf:

When you’re excited for the rook. Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

And here’s a Danny Wolf meme for good measure, courtesy of the Nets social media.

The post Danny Wolf will see you now appeared first on The Forward.

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Turkey Pushes for Closer Ties With Iran Despite Mounting Sanctions as Both Countries Pursue Regional Ambitions

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan attends a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the Presidential Palace in Ankara, Turkey, Oct. 30, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Umit Bektas

Despite the recent reimposition of UN sanctions on Iran, Turkey has called for closer diplomatic and trade relations with the Iranian regime, as both countries seek to bolster their influence in the Middle East while openly targeting Israel.

In a new interview with the semi-official Iranian news outlet ISNA, Turkey’s Ambassador to Iran, Hicabi Kırlangıç, said Ankara was working to expand bilateral cooperation with Tehran by leveraging existing capabilities to increase economic ties between the two countries.

“One of the obstacles to expanding trade relations between Iran and Turkey is the issue of sanctions. However, we should not cling to this excuse and refrain from trying to increase trade relations,” Kırlangıç said. 

“The goal is to raise the level of trade relations to $30 billion, but we are still far from this figure,” he continued, emphasizing the vast potential for economic growth and the need for careful planning to achieve it.

The Turkish diplomat’s latest remarks followed Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan’s visit on Sunday to Tehran, where he also pushed for stronger bilateral cooperation between the two countries and denounced what he called “unfair sanctions” on Iran.

In a joint press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Fidan reaffirmed Turkey’s support for Tehran while calling for the country’s nuclear program to be addressed through dialogue amid ongoing discussions to restart nuclear talks with the West.

After repeated unsuccessful negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, European countries launched the process to reinstate wide-ranging UN sanctions earlier this year under the so-called snapback mechanism, adding further pressure on Tehran, which was already facing mounting US sanctions.

Fidan called for the removal of these “unrighteous” sanctions, stressing that the Iranian regime must resolve outstanding issues “on the basis of international law.”

“Turkey has always stood with Iran and will continue to stand with Iran within the framework of international law,” the top Turkish diplomat said, adding that “these unfair sanctions should be lifted.”

During their high-level meeting in Tehran, officials from both countries vowed to significantly expand cooperation on trade, energy, border management, and regional security, noting that economic ties remain well below their potential.

As part of their announced initiatives, the two nations agreed to build a new joint rail line that will serve as a strategic trade corridor between Asia and Europe, with construction expected to take three to four years and cost roughly $1.6 billion.

Fidan also said both countries consider Israel “the biggest threat to stability in the Middle East,” pointing to the war in Gaza, tensions in Lebanon and Syria, and broader concerns over what he called “Israeli expansionist policies.”

“The international community must fulfill its responsibilities,” he said, calling for stronger global pressure on the Jewish state.

Amid international efforts to uphold the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and chart a path for post-war Gaza, Turkey — a longtime backer of Hamas — has been pushing to expand its role in Gaza’s reconstruction efforts, which experts have warned could potentially strengthen Hamas’s terrorist infrastructure.

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Israeli Real Estate Firm Denies Canceling New York Event Due to Anti-Zionist Group’s ‘Stolen Land’ Protest

Illustrative: Demonstrators attend an anti-Israel protest on the day of the two-year anniversary of the attack on Israel by Hamas, in New York City, US, Oct. 7, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

An Israeli real estate firm has denied canceling an event set to take place in New York City on Tuesday due to a planned demonstration organized by a notorious anti-Israel group, saying the cancellation was for unrelated reasons.

A spokesperson for CapitIL, which provides information about buying real estate in Israel, said the gathering was canceled so the firm could focus its resources on holding a larger event in the coming months, according to the Times of Israel.

The Israeli publication reported that CapitIL’s event for this week had already been canceled when the local chapter of the radical anti-Zionist activist organization Pal-Awda announced the protest on Friday.

“When we as a community challenge the zionists’ genocidal settler-colonial machine we can win! And we did! We forced the cancellation of zionist land thieving CapitIL Real Estate’s planned illegal land sale in Manhattan,” Pal-Awda posted on social media on Tuesday.

“All this shows the importance and strength of our community when we turn out to challenge these genociders,” the group continued. “Please continue to follow us as we will continue to expose and, with our community’s support, challenge the zionist entity’s long tentacles here in [New York and New Jersey].”

Pal-Awda celebrated the cancellation of the so-called “illegal” sale of “stolen land” in Israel. 

“This series of cancellations speaks to the power of our mobilization: with every principled protest and disruption, we are making the theft of Palestinian land untenable in our neighborhoods,” the group wrote. “As our protests have grown in size, we have seen more and more agencies and organizations similarly cancel and delay events, fearing the consequences of accountability and community outcry.”

On Friday, Pal-Awda initially advertised the planned protest.

“A zionist real estate event attempting to sell land in occupied Palestine will be held in Manhattan,” it posted. “This event is part of the zionists’ ongoing effort to ethnically cleanse Palestine. Join as we confront the white supremacist, settler-colonial project!”

The group called for supporters to gather in force.

“As the United States continues to provide political cover & military support for the ongoing indiscriminate assaults on Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, & Yemen, zionist settlers are exploiting this moment to further their settler-colonial agenda,” it said. “This expansion is facilitated by zionists from all over the world, including most prominently in the US, through real estate events where Stolen Land is sold & discounted mortgages are provided by “isr@eli” banks backed by the zionist entity’s government.”

Rabbi Marc Schneier, president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, called on New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, who takes office next month, to take an aggressive stand against such protests and push for a ban of such demonstrations in front of houses of worship.

“In my conversation with Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani recently, I made it clear that the Jewish community will not stand idly by for such antisemitic and violent protests,” Schneier told The Algemeiner. “I hope that we will be able to work together to put my plan into action, creating a ban of protests on the property of any house of worship. This cannot be the new norm in New York City.”

Last month, Pal-Awda organized a gathering of demonstrators who called for violence against Jews outside a prominent synagogue.

The protesters were harassing those attending an event being held by Nefesh B’Nefesh, a Zionist organization that helps Jews immigrate to Israel, at Park East Synagogue in Manhattan.

“We don’t want no Zionists here!” the group of roughly 200 anti-Israel activists chanted in intervals while waving the Palestinian flag. “Resistance, you make us proud, take another settler out.”

One protester, addressing the crowd, reportedly proclaimed, “It is our duty to make them think twice before holding these events! We need to make them scared.”

Footage on social media also showed agitators chanting “death to the IDF,” referring to the Israel Defense Forces, as well as “globalize the intifada” and “intifada revolution.” Community figures described the scene as openly threatening and a stark escalation of anti-Jewish hostility in New York City.

Mamdani, a strident critic of Israel, drew immense backlash after releasing a statement which “discouraged” the language used by the protesters but also condemned the event for supposedly using “sacred spaces … to promote activities in violation of international law.”

Jewish leaders reacted with disappointment, arguing that Mamdani effectively provided political justification for a protest that targeted Jews for participating in a mainstream, fully legal pro-Israel program. Critics said the mayor-elect’s framing implied that the synagogue event, not the threatening chants outside, was the real problem, a position they described as deeply irresponsible amid rising antisemitism in the city.

Pal-Awda has vowed to hold demonstrations at “private homes, businesses, and houses of worship” if necessary “to stop the pipeline of settlement and zionist colonial expansion.”

In addition to the nixed CapitIL event, Pal-Awda also claimed on Tuesday that it caused Nefesh B’Nefesh to cancel a separate event planned for Thursday in Manhattan. The Algemeiner could not immediately confirm the veracity of that claim.

New York City has been ravaged by a surge in antisemitic incidents since Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel. According to police data, Jews were targeted in the majority of hate crimes perpetrated in New York City last year. Meanwhile, pro-Hamas activists have held raucous — and sometimes violent — protests on the city’s college campuses, oftentimes causing Jewish students to fear for their safety.

Leaders of the Jewish community have raised alarm bells following the rapid political ascendance of Mamdani, a far-left democratic socialist and anti-Zionist. Mamdani is an avid supporter of boycotting all Israeli-tied entities who has been widely accused of promoting antisemitic rhetoric. He has repeatedly accused Israel of “apartheid” and “genocide;” refused to recognize the country’s right to exist as a Jewish state; and refused to explicitly condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which has been associated with calls for violence against Jews and Israelis worldwide.

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