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Florida Should Investigate Ties with Dutch Universities Because They Violate the State’s Anti-BDS Law
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis participates in a Fox News Channel’s Democracy 2024: Fox News Town Hall ahead of the caucus vote in Des Moines, Iowa, US, Jan. 9, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Scott Morgan
Florida’s anti-BDS laws explicitly prohibit public institutions from partnering with entities involved in discriminatory boycotts of Israel.
Yet Florida’s universities currently maintain academic relationships with Dutch universities that appear to have withheld critical information from their American counterparts. Recently, multiple Dutch institutions — including Erasmus University Rotterdam, Radboud University Nijmegen, Tilburg University, University of Amsterdam, Utrecht University, Maastricht University and Delft University of Technology — have limited, suspended, or terminated their academic ties with Israeli institutions such as Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University, Bar-Ilan University, and the University of Haifa, citing indirect or alleged associations with the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and human right violations.
Notably, none of these decisions were based on concrete evidence linking Israeli universities directly to human rights violations. The mere suggestion of association with the IDF was deemed sufficient to justify academic boycotts. At Wageningen University, almost 400 lecturers even publicly refused to supervise exchange students from the Hebrew University– an explicit act of discrimination directly violating Florida’s anti-BDS framework. None of these lecturers faced sanctions.
Meanwhile, Maastricht University actively maintains collaboration with Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), directly overseen by Iran’s government, which calls for the destruction of Israel and the United States. It is widely known that Iranian universities systematically suppress student dissent through surveillance, intimidation, suspension, and expulsion — often facilitated by Iran’s brutal Basij militia. Yet Maastricht University remains silent about Iranian abuses while swiftly freezing ties with Israeli institutions using criteria never applied to their Iranian partners.
Moreover, Maastricht University activists from Free Palestine Maastricht (FPM) — affiliated with the Iranian-linked extremist group Samidoun — publicly spread grotesque blood libels, accusing Hebrew University of organ theft from Palestinians. Rather than condemning this vile antisemitism, Maastricht’s administration appeased these activists, granting formal meetings and swiftly freezing partnerships with Israeli universities following aggressive demonstrations in May 2024. Yet, Free Palestine Maastricht has an office within the building of Maastricht University.
During my tenure as chair of Maastricht University’s University Council, the Iranian community on campus, Iranian students and faculty, approached me desperately, asking the Board of Governors and University Council to issue a formal statement expressing solidarity with their families in Iran — mothers and sisters protesting under the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement following the death of Mahsa Amini. (Mahsa Amini died in September 2022 after being detained by Iran’s notorious “morality police.”) I was told this request was refused.
What I heard next chilled me: some Tehran-aligned staff within Maastricht’s academic community argued that any such declaration would be perceived as insulting the Iranian regime and, by extension, Islam itself — even if no such intent existed.
Dutch universities have recently demanded Israeli academic counterparts explicitly denounce Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government as a condition for continued cooperation. This coercive interference in the internal democratic affairs of Israel during wartime closely mirrors Iran’s tactics. Iran’s Supreme Leader openly praised Western student protests against Israel, calling them “on the right side of history.” Iranian academic institutions have even offered scholarships to Western students expelled for anti-Israel activism, underscoring Iran’s strategic exploitation of Western academia’s hostility toward Israel.
This blatant hypocrisy is even clearer given my own experience: A senior administrator at Maastricht University just a week ago threatened me in the form of a question: “What is it like to be you always opposing the university policy. Would [you] not rather work somewhere else?” — implying that opposing antisemitism and supporting Israel contradicted official university policy. When I asked if this meant that Maastricht University’s stance was antisemitic, I received no answer — only chilling silence and disdain.
Dear Governor DeSantis, Dutch universities apply outrageous double standards. Throughout my academic career, I proudly taught students from the Military Academy of the Netherlands, without criticism. Yet Israeli universities are uniquely targeted simply for alleged connections to their nation’s military, without evidence of wrongdoing.
Recently, the Jewish community in Rotterdam generously offered unused cemetery land to Erasmus University Rotterdam for urgently needed student housing. However, after Erasmus University severed ties with Israeli institutions, the Jewish community promptly withdrew this offer. Their decisive action sent a clear moral message: Cooperation and generosity cannot coexist with institutionalized antisemitism and discriminatory boycotts.
Given these troubling realities, Florida’s anti-BDS legislation provides a critical framework for action. I respectfully urge you, Governor DeSantis, to formally encourage Florida’s public universities to reconsider and suspend partnerships with Dutch academic institutions explicitly engaged in discriminatory boycotts of Israel, antisemitic propaganda, and direct or indirect collaboration with Iranian-linked extremist groups.
Amanda Kluveld is a Holocaust historian and an associate professor of history at Maastricht University the Netherlands.
The post Florida Should Investigate Ties with Dutch Universities Because They Violate the State’s Anti-BDS Law first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Likely All Machines at Iran’s Main Enrichment Plant ‘Severely Damaged’, IAEA Chief Says
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi arrives on the opening day of the agency’s quarterly Board of Governors meeting at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, Nov. 20, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Lisa Leutner
It is very likely all the roughly 15,000 centrifuges operating at Iran’s biggest uranium enrichment plant at Natanz were badly damaged or destroyed because of a power cut caused by an Israeli strike, the UN nuclear watchdog chief told the BBC on Monday.
The International Atomic Energy Agency and its Director General Rafael Grossi had previously said the centrifuges at the underground enrichment plant at Natanz may have been damaged as a result of an airstrike on its power supply, even though the hall housing the plant itself did not seem to have been hit.
“Our assessment is that with this sudden loss of external power, in great probability the centrifuges have been severely damaged if not destroyed altogether,” Grossi said in an interview with the BBC.
“I think there has been damage inside,” he said, going further than in an update to an exceptional meeting of his agency’s 35-nation Board of Governors hours earlier.
Power cuts pose a threat to the fragile, finely balanced machines that spin at extremely high speeds.
Israel’s airstrikes have put at least two of Iran’s three operating uranium enrichment plants out of action. The above-ground pilot enrichment plant at Natanz was destroyed, Grossi repeated in his update to the board.
Grossi told the board no damage was seen at the separate Fordow enrichment plant dug deep into a mountain, later telling the BBC: “There is very limited if any damage registered [there].”
While the IAEA has not been able to carry out inspections since the attacks, it makes extensive use of satellite imagery.
Grossi elaborated on the damage to four buildings at the Isfahan nuclear complex, including a uranium-conversion facility that turns “yellowcake” uranium into uranium hexafluoride, the feedstock for centrifuges, so it can be enriched to higher fissile purity.
“Four buildings were damaged in Friday’s attack: the central chemical laboratory, a uranium conversion plant, the Tehran reactor fuel manufacturing plant, and the UF4 (uranium tetrafluoride) to EU (enriched uranium) metal processing facility, which was under construction,” he said.
Grossi later went further, telling the BBC: “In Isfahan you have underground spaces as well, which do not seem to have been affected.”
A senior diplomat told Reuters those underground spaces are where much of Iran’s most highly enriched uranium stock is stored, but it will require closer examination to fully assess the situation there.
The post Likely All Machines at Iran’s Main Enrichment Plant ‘Severely Damaged’, IAEA Chief Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Two Doctors, One Mission: Healing Israel Through Medicine, Service, Resilience
Beilinson hospital in Israel. Photo: wiki commons.
Editor’s note: This story was written before the Iran-Israel war began in the early hours of June 13. The doctors who The Algemeiner interviewed were unavailable to provide any additional comments after the conflict began, as they are in “emergency mode.”
Whether wearing scrubs or a combat medic’s uniform, Jewish Drs. Elisha Friedman and Steve Jackson share a common conviction: that healing and service are not just professions, but deeply personal acts of devotion to their people and their homeland.
Originally from New York, Friedman went to college in Boston and earned his medical degree in Cleveland before making the life-changing decision to relocate to Israel with his family in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I grew up with a strong love and appreciation for Israel and moving there was something I had considered for many years,” Friedman told The Algemeiner in an exclusive interview.
“Israel has always been a significant part of my life through my family’s upbringing, culture, and religion,” he continued.
More than just a matter of timing, Friedman explained that their decision to move to Israel was also deeply guided by what he and his wife believed was best for their children.
“Although we love America, we felt it was important to raise our children here to immerse them in the cultural, religious, and value-based environment we want for them,” he said.
Today, Friedman is a leading radiotherapy specialist at the Davidoff Cancer Center in Petah Tikva, where he directs care for patients with urinary cancers.
In the wake of the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, Friedman discovered a renewed sense of purpose and urgency to help, looking for ways to use his medical expertise to support those in need.
“This is a national effort, and we are all part of a bigger collective effort to help in any way we can,” he said.
Since that day, he has dedicated himself fully to his work, caring for his patients despite the challenges and uncertainty brought on by the war with Hamas and other allied terrorist groups sponsored by Iran.
“Helping people and making a real difference in their lives is a strong source of motivation,” Friedman told The Algemeiner.
Even amid these challenging times, he described a palpable sense of solidarity in the country, a communal spirit that reinforces his belief that he is exactly where he’s meant to be.
“There is a strong sense of family and connection across the culture in Israel. This creates a very positive and motivating feeling,” he said. “I feel I’m truly contributing and making a significant difference here.”
On the left: Dr. Elisha Friedman. On the right: Dr. Steve Jackson. Photo: Screenshot
A similar sense of purpose drives Jackson, a senior neurosurgeon at Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva, who is also a mohel and a former combat medic in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
A mohel is a trained practitioner who performs the ritual circumcision in Jewish tradition known as a bris.
Born in Montreal to a mother who survived Auschwitz and a father who fought in World War II, Jackson made aliyah — the process of Jews immigrating to Israel — in 1976 to fulfill a dream that had long taken root.
He went on to study medicine at Tel Aviv University and serve in the IDF combat units, carrying forward his family’s legacy of resilience and service.
“Making aliyah was fulfilling a long-planted dream,” Jackson told The Algemeiner in an exclusive interview.
Looking back on his time in the military, Jackson described it as one of the most important experiences of his life, one that instilled lasting values and helped shape the person he is today.
“When you’re in the army, nothing else matters — where you come from, whether you’re rich or poor. You’re judged by who you are and what you do,” Jackson said.
He believes that standing by your comrades in challenging times is what truly defines a person’s character.
“I loved every minute in the army. I’m proud to have served and to honor my family’s legacy,” Jackson said. “I consider myself very lucky to have had this experience.”
In the wake of Hamas’s Oct. 7 onslaught against Israel, Jackson felt a deep sense of sorrow that he could no longer serve his country on the front lines. Instead, he turned to his medical skills and years of experience to support those in need in any way he could.
Like many Israelis, Jackson experienced the Oct. 7 tragedy on multiple levels — as a doctor prepared to treat the countless wounded, but also as a husband, a friend, and a neighbor, sharing in the collective grief and resilience of his community.
“I wear different hats: mohel, doctor, soldier, father, and a husband — all high-intensity roles,” Jackson told The Algemeiner. “It’s essential to know how to compartmentalize, listen, and be present in the way each person needs.”
As a father, he was profoundly worried for his son, who was serving in the military, actively fighting in Gaza, and putting his life on the line to defend his country.
“I could not get a good night’s sleep during the six months my son was there,” Jackson said.
Even in such difficult times, Jackson points to the steadfast strength and resilience of the Israeli people.
“Israel is a tough country, and its people are tough as well — in the best, most positive way,” he said. “Living and working in Israel teaches you resilience — you have to be resilient.”
The post Two Doctors, One Mission: Healing Israel Through Medicine, Service, Resilience first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Florida Country Club Suspended Jewish Family Over Viral Prayer Video, $50 Million Lawsuit Says
Participants get tefillin put on during the UJA (United Jewish Appeal Federation of Greater Toronto) annual Walk for Israel march, June 9, 2024. Photo: Shawn Goldberg / SOPA Images via Reuters Connect
An Orthodox Jewish family was suspended from the Boca Grove country club in Florida after a video of a member of the family helping a guest with a traditional practice of Judaism went viral.
Isaac Scharf lives with his family in Boca Grove, which describes itself as a “prestigious, members-only golf, and country club” that “offers a boutique-style residential community.”
Scharf and his family were suspended from the community’s clubhouse after a video showed Jewish comedian and golf influencer Jake Adams with Scharf, who invited him, and others at the club, playing golf, eating food, and — notably — wrapping tefillin in December 2024. On Jan. 6, Adams posted a video of them with the tefillin, small leather boxes with straps traditionally wrapped on one’s head and arm at the start of weekday morning prayers. The video quickly went viral.
For that, the club suspended him and his family for 90 days for what they called “offensive” religious conduct, according to a new lawsuit seeking damages for the suspension.
Scharf filed a $50 million lawsuit against Boca Grove with the Dhillon Law Group over the suspension. It alleges damages for civil rights violations, emotional distress, and economic harm.
“This may be the most egregious religious discrimination case I’ve ever handled,” said Dhillon Law Group partner Matthew Sarelson, who represents the family. “Boca Grove didn’t just target one man — they punished an entire family for participating in an innocuous act of Jewish faith.”
“This wasn’t about enforcing a policy. It was about sending a message to Orthodox Jews that they’re not welcome,” added Dhillon Law Group associate Jacob Roth.
Boca Grove did not respond to a request for comment from The Algemeiner.
However, in a statement to The Forward, Boca Grove said, “The decision in question followed feedback from multiple members — Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike — who felt the behavior depicted in a publicly circulated video mocked sacred traditions in a way they found deeply offensive.”
The Forward noted that this case is significant, and different than others the Dhillon Law Group takes on, because “it is not just a conflict between Jews and outsiders, but between Jews of varying religious practice living in the same community.”
The lawsuit claims there is a specific pattern of conduct toward the Orthodox Jews at Boca Grove. It “details broader patterns of exclusion, including the cancellation of kosher dining options and the dismantling of walking paths used on the Sabbath,” according to the Dhillon Law Group.
The post Florida Country Club Suspended Jewish Family Over Viral Prayer Video, $50 Million Lawsuit Says first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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