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Harvard Students Charged With Assaulting Jewish Classmate Rewarded With Honors, $65K Fellowship
A Jewish student at Harvard University harassed by anti-Israel protesters. Photo: Screenshot
Two Harvard University graduate students who were charged with assaulting a Jewish classmate during an explosion of antisemitic hatred and violence in late 2023 continue to amass news accolades and distinctions.
As previously reported by The Algemeiner, an October 2023 anti-Israel demonstration degenerated into chaos when Ibrahim Bharmal, former editor of the prestigious Harvard Law Review, and Elom Tettey-Tamaklo encircled a Jewish student with a mob that screamed “Shame! Shame! Shame!” at him while he desperately attempted to free himself from the mass of bodies.
After being charged with assault and battery, the two men were ordered in April by Boston Municipal Court Judge Stephen W. McClenon to attend “pre-trial diversion” anger management courses and perform 80 hours of community service each. The decision did not require their apologizing to the Jewish student against whom they allegedly perpetrated what local Assistant District Attorney Ursula Knight described as “hands on assault and battery,” allowing them to avoid a trial and jail time for behavior that was filmed and widely viewed online.
Harvard neither disciplined Bharmal nor removed him from the presidency of the Harvard Law Review, a coveted post once held by former US President Barack Obama. As of last year, he was awarded a law clerkship with the Public Defender for the District of Columbia, a government-funded agency which provides free legal counsel to “individuals … who are charged with committing serious criminal acts.”
Bharmal has also been awarded a $65,000 fellowship from Harvard Law School to work at the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), an Islamic group whose leaders have defended the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s atrocities against Israelis, TheEditors.com reported earlier this month.
Tettey-Tamaklo is also walking away from Harvard Divinity School with honors as well, according to The Free Press. This semester, he was voted class marshal by the 2024 Class Committee, a role which will see him lead the graduation procession through Harvard Yard alongside the institution’s most accomplished scholars and faculty.
Harvard University has not responded to The Algemeiner‘s request for comment on this story.
Rampant antisemitism and anti-Israel activism on university campuses such as Harvard helped lay the groundwork for last week’s fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers leaving a Jewish event in Washington, DC, according to experts who spoke with The Algemeiner.
Yaron Lischinsky, 30, and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, 26, a couple about to become engaged, were murdered as they left an event at the Capital Jewish Museum for young professionals and diplomatic staff hosted by the American Jewish Committee (AJC).
Elias Rodriguez, a 31-year-old left-wing and anti-Israel activist from Chicago, was charged on Thursday in US federal court with murdering the Israeli embassy aides. According to witnesses and federal agents, he chanted, “Free, Free Palestine” — a war cry that has been a staple of the pro-Hamas movement on campuses across the US. An affidavit filed by federal authorities in support of the criminal complaint charging Rodriguez revealed that he also said at the scene of the shooting, “I did it for Palestine; I did it for Gaza.”
Esteemed Jewish scholar Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, founder and executive director of antisemitism watchdog AMCHA Initiative, noted that in the days leading up to the shooting, pro-Hamas campus groups called on their supporters to “escalate” their conduct.
“They give us no choice,” a campus group which calls itself Columbia University Apartheid Divest (CUAD) wrote in a Substack email blast shared on Wednesday morning, some 12 hours before the murders. “We will continue to disrupt the imperialist system that thrives on bloodshed and exploitation … We can disrupt and bring these rotten institutions to their graves.”
CUAD was preceded by other activists whose rhetoric portrayed Israel and the Jews who live there as evil.
On Saturday, a graduating George Washington University senior, Cecilia Culver, accused Israel of targeting Palestinians “simply for [their] remaining in the country of their ancestors” and said that GW students are passive contributors to the “imperialist system.” An economics and statistics major, Culver went on to charge that the university has “blood on its hands.”
Similar remarks were uttered during New York University’s commencement ceremony for the Gallatin School of Individualized Study.
“I want to say that the genocide currently occurring is supported politically and militarily by the United States, is paid for by our tax dollars, and has been livestreamed to our phones for the past 18 months,” said Logan Rozos, who presented administrators with a false draft of his speech, leaving them unaware of his intention to promote notions frequently trafficked by neo-Nazis and jihadist terror groups. “I want to say that I condemn this genocide and complicity in this genocide.”
The connection between the incidents is undeniable, Rossman-Benjamin said.
“The missing link between the commencement speeches and the shooter’s action is the CUAD bulletin, and its call to ‘escalate,’ which the commencement speakers and shooter each did in their own way,” she said. “What we also understand is that the shooter apparently claimed, ‘The action [killing] would have been morally justified taken 11 years ago.’ Around 11 years ago is when he would be 19 years old, around the time he was at UIC [the University of Illinois, Chicago]. It could be where he became radicalized.”
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
The post Harvard Students Charged With Assaulting Jewish Classmate Rewarded With Honors, $65K Fellowship 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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