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Celebrities Condemn Murder of Israeli Embassy Staffers in Washington

Penn Badgley as Joe Goldberg, and Madeline Brewer as Bronte in a scene from season five of “You.” Photo: ZUMA Press Wire via Reuters Connect

Madeline Brewer, from the fifth and final season of the hit Netflix series “You,” is among a handful of figures from the entertainment industry who have shared messages on social media denouncing the deadly shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers on Wednesday night in Washington, DC.

On Thursday, the 33-year-old actress – who plays Penn Badgley’s love interest Bronte in season five of “You” that dropped last month – reposted messages on her Instagram Story originally shared on social media by Bess Bell Kalb, a New York Times bestselling author and Emmy-nominated television comedy writer.

“Leaving explicitly Jewish spaces should not come with a lump of moral terror,” read one message posted by Kalb and reshared by Brewer, which refers to the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, DC, where Wednesday night’s shooting took place. Kalb’s message also stated that “hunting and slaughtering Jews in the diaspora … is a step in the direction of mutual assured destruction. When either movement denies the geopolitical reality that the fates of Israelis and Palestinians are tied, there is no hope for mutual survival.”

Kalb further wrote in the message, shared by Brewer, that as a Jewish synagogue member and mother, whose toddler goes to a Jewish space every day for school, “I am begging you to check within your belief system for seeds of violence, and to commit to tending seeds of vital peace.”

In the caption of her post, Kalb called for “Tikkun Olam” (“repair of the world”), which is a Jewish concept that ultimately calls for social activism to build a better world. Kalb also shared a plea, saying, “May Jewish voices not be the only ones crying out for Jewish safety.”

Brewer, who also stars in the final season of “The Handmaid’s Tale” currently airing on Hulu, is not Jewish. Others who shared messages on their Instagram Stories condemning Wednesday’s shooting include Amy Schumer, Debra Messing, and Emmanuelle Chriqui, the latter of whom said she is “utterly heartbroken” by the “senseless murder.”

Chriqui shared a message by US Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) about the shooting and added: “This madness must stop! How does murdering 2 Jewish people in America free Palestine?? Make it make sense.”

“Please don’t be numb to these senseless murders,” she wrote in a separate Instagram Story, before sharing several posts by Israeli activist Hen Mazzig about the two victims.

Photo: Screenshot

Elias Rodriguez, 30, from Chicago has been charged with first-degree murder for the deadly shooting of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, who were gunned down outside an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) at the Capital Jewish Museum on Wednesday night. Lischinsky, an Israeli, planned to propose to Milgrim – his American Jewish girlfriend and colleague from Overland Park, Kansas – next week during their trip to Israel for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot.

At the event for Jewish young professionals and diplomats, attendees listened to members of the Multifaith Alliance and IsraAID talk about humanitarian diplomacy and how to work together with a coalition of organizations to response to humanitarian crises throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, according to AJC.

Rodriguez was also charged with murder of foreign officials and related firearm charges. The shooting is being investigated as a hate crime and “this is a death penalty-eligible case,” US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said on Thursday.

“Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were murdered last night because of Antisemitism and lies. Please speak up!” Emmy-winning actress Patricia Heaton wrote in an Instagram post on Thursday. In a video on her Instagram page, she blasted “false narratives” and “lies” being spread about Israel in the US and around the world that incite violence against Israelis and Jews.

“If you are a decent human being, if you have any moral compass at all, if you have any knowledge of history, you will stand up and say something … the false narratives about Israel and the Jewish have got to stop being promoted,” said the former star of “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “The Middle.”

“Pray for this couple and their family and do something. Speak up,” she concluded.

Heaton, who is Christian, is the founder of the October 7th Coalition (O7C), which is a network of Christians who stand up against antisemitism in the US and support Israel’s right to exist.

Rodriguez killed the two victims when he opened fire on a group of four people exiting the Capital Jewish Museum on Wednesday night following the AJC’s annual Young Diplomats Reception, police said. The lone gunman shouted “Free Palestine” before he was arrested at the scene soon after the shooting. Rodriguez initially opened fire on the victims, reloaded his weapon, and shot again “several more times” at closer range, according to an FBI affidavit made public. The affidavit also noted that when one victim tried to crawl away, Rodriguez shot them again.

At a court hearing on Thursday, a judge ordered Rodriguez to remain in detention. His next hearing is scheduled for June 18.

Lischinsky was a staff member of the political department at the Embassy of Israel in Washington with a focus on Middle East issues. Milgrim worked with AJC as a lay leader of AJC ACCESS, the group’s Young Professional Division, and was a member of the AJC-Mimouna Michael Sachs Fellowship for Emerging Leaders community, according to the Jewish organization. She began working at the Israeli embassy in Washington soon after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks in Israel.

The post Celebrities Condemn Murder of Israeli Embassy Staffers in Washington first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Putin Speaks to Trump, Condemns Israel’s Strikes on Iran, Kremlin Says

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meet in Moscow, Russia, Jan. 17, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to US President Donald Trump for 50 minutes on Saturday, condemning the Israeli military operation against Iran and expressing concern about the risks of escalation, the Kremlin said.

“Vladimir Putin condemned Israel’s military operation against Iran and expressed serious concern about a possible escalation of the conflict, which would have unpredictable consequences for the entire situation in the Middle East,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters.

Trump, for his part, described events in the Middle East as “very alarming,” according to Ushakov. But the two leaders said they do not rule out a return to the negotiating track on Iran’s nuclear program, Ushakov said.

On Ukraine, Putin told the US leader that Russia was ready to continue negotiations with the Ukrainians after June 22, according to state news agency RIA.

Trump reiterated his interest in a speedy resolution to the conflict, the Kremlin aide said.

Putin also congratulated Trump on his 79th birthday.

The post Putin Speaks to Trump, Condemns Israel’s Strikes on Iran, Kremlin Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Sunday’s US-Iran Nuclear Talks Cancelled, Oman Says

FILE PHOTO: Oman’s Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi attends a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia July 11, 2023. Photo: Natalia Kolesnikova/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

The latest round of US-Iran nuclear talks scheduled for Sunday in Muscat will not take place, Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on X on Saturday. Oman has been mediating the talks.

Albusaidi’s statement came a day after Israel launched a sweeping air offensive against Iran, killing commanders and scientists and bombing nuclear sites in a stated bid to stop it building an atomic weapon.

A senior official of US President Donald Trump’s administration, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed Sunday’s talks had been cancelled.

Washington, however, remained committed to the negotiations and hoped “the Iranians will come to the table soon,” the official said.

The post Sunday’s US-Iran Nuclear Talks Cancelled, Oman Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Iran Says Talks with US ‘Meaningless’ After Israel Attack, But Yet to Decide on Attending

USA and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, Sept. 8, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

Iran said the dialogue with the US over Tehran’s nuclear program is “meaningless” after Israel’s biggest-ever military strike against its longstanding enemy, but said it is yet to decide on whether to attend planned talks on Sunday.

“The other side (the US) acted in a way that makes dialogue meaningless. You cannot claim to negotiate and at the same time divide work by allowing the Zionist regime (Israel) to target Iran’s territory,” state media on Saturday quoted foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei as saying.

“It is still unclear what decision we will make on Sunday in this regard,” Baghaei was quoted as saying.

He said Israel “succeeded in influencing” the diplomatic process and the Israeli attack would not have happened without Washington’s permission, accusing Washington of supporting the attack.

Iran earlier accused the US of being complicit in Israel’s attacks, but Washington denied the allegation and told Tehran at the United Nations Security Council that it would be “wise” to negotiate over its nuclear program.

The sixth round of US-Iran nuclear talks was set to be held on Sunday in Muscat, but it was unclear whether it would go ahead after the Israeli strikes.

Iran denies that its uranium enrichment program is for anything other than civilian purposes, rejecting Israeli allegations that it is secretly developing nuclear weapons.

US President Donald Trump told Reuters that he and his team had known the Israeli attacks were coming but they still saw room for an accord.

The post Iran Says Talks with US ‘Meaningless’ After Israel Attack, But Yet to Decide on Attending first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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