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Hundreds of Germans form ‘human shield’ to protect synagogue as residents report antisemitic incidents
(JTA) — An estimated 350 people stood outside of Berlin’s Frankelufer Synagogue on Friday to symbolically protect it during a day that the Hamas terror group deemed a time for international protest action against Israel.
The synagogue’s protective gate — erected to protect the building during terror threats in recent decades — was hung with about 40 posters bearing the names and photos of people kidnapped and held hostage by Hamas, including a six month old baby.
מאות גרמנים הגיעו הערב לבית הכנסת פרנקלאופר שבקוריצברג בברלין כדי להוות ״מגן אנושי״ ו״להגן בגופם״ על המתפללים היהודים כשברקע כאמור האיום על ״יום הזעם הבינלאומי״ של חמאס pic.twitter.com/vvKnfPPKlO
— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) October 13, 2023
Jewish communities had feared possible threats on Friday in response to Hamas’ call, even though the FBI and major Jewish security groups had not identified any specific causes of concern. Antisemitic incidents online and offline have spiked throughout much of Western Europe since the start of the Israel-Hamas conflict on Oct. 7.
In Germany, police are investigating a case of graffiti after a resident reported that someone had painted a Star of David on an apartment building door on Thursday. The building is located in the city’s Prenzlauer Berg district, which is home to many of the estimated 10,000 Israeli living in Germany’s capital.
According to news reports, police believe the incident was politically motivated. It is not known whether Jews lived in the apartment building.
According to Radio Berlin-Brandenburg, police reported two new cases of Star of David graffiti in Berlin on Sunday, on residential buildings on Paul-Linke-Ufer in the Kreuzberg district, and on a wheelchair ramp in Friedrichshain. In the Hellersdorf district, youth set an Israeli flag on fire, the outlet reported.
The Israeli embassy commented on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that the graffiti “brings back the worst memories, especially in Germany,” where Jews were forced to wear identifying yellow stars during the Holocaust.
Despite extra security measures, many Jewish parents in Berlin reportedly kept their children at home on Friday instead of sending them to Jewish schools.
“Today is a day of fear for Jews around the world and here in Germany,” German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said during a visit on Friday afternoon to the Frankeluefer Synagogue.
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The post Hundreds of Germans form ‘human shield’ to protect synagogue as residents report antisemitic incidents appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Trump Announces India and Pakistan ‘Agreed to a Full and Immediate Ceasefire’
US President Donald Trump attends the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, April 21, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Leah Millis
i24 News – US President Donald Trump on Saturday announced that India and Pakistan had agreed to a full and immediate ceasefire. “Congratulations to both Countries on using Common Sense and Great Intelligence,” he posted on social media. “Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed the ceasefire, saying Saudi Arabia and Turkey also played an important role in facilitating the deal.
The ceasefire follows weeks of clashes and cross-border missile and drone strikes triggered by a gun massacre of Indian tourists last month.
New Delhi has blamed jihadists from the Pakistan-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba, a UN-designated terrorist organization. Pakistan denies the charge.
Dozens of civilians have been killed on both sides.
The post Trump Announces India and Pakistan ‘Agreed to a Full and Immediate Ceasefire’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Latest Columbia Scandal Sees Over 65 Students Suspended, Including Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Daughter
Pro-Palestinian protesters are detained by NYPD after taking part in a demonstration at Butler Library on the Columbia University campus in New York, U.S., May 7, 2025. REUTERS/Dana Edwards
i24 News – In the latest antisemitism scandal at the prestigious New York institution, Columbia University suspended dozens of students and barred from campus alumni and others who took part in a chaotic and violent anti-Israel incident inside the school’s main library earlier in the week.
On May 7, the mask-clad mob forced its way into the library, injuring two public safety officers in the process. Once inside, they vandalized property, adorning the premises with Palestinian flags, scrawling “Columbia will burn” on a glass case, and declaring the library a “liberated zone.”
Some 75 protesters were arrested after refusing to comply with police directives, including Ramona Sarsgaard, daughter of Hollywood A-lister Maggie Gyllenhaal and actor Peter Sarsgaard.
The Ivy League university in Manhattan declined to say how long the disciplinary measures would be in place, saying only that the decisions are pending further investigation.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said his office will review the visa status of those who participated in the library takeover for possible deportation.
The post Latest Columbia Scandal Sees Over 65 Students Suspended, Including Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Daughter first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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US, Iran to Hold 4th Round of Nuclear Talks on Eve of Trump’s Gulf Tour
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi looks on before a meeting with Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, in Tehran, Iran, Aug. 26, 2024. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
i24 News – The United States and Iran will hold a fourth round of nuclear talks Sunday in Oman, officials said, just ahead of a visit to the region by President Donald Trump.
Trump, who will visit three other Gulf Arab monarchies next week, has voiced hope for reaching a deal with Tehran to curb its nuclear program that would avert an Israeli military strike on Iran’s uranium enrichment facilities that could ignite a wider war. He has refused, however, to rule out military action in the event the talks come to naught.
Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi said that Oman, the mediator in the talks, had proposed Sunday as the date and both sides accepted it.
“Negotiations are moving ahead and naturally, the more we advance, the more consultations we have, and the more time the delegations need to examine the issues,” he was quoted as saying by regime media. “But what’s important is that we are moving forward so that we gradually get into the details.”
Steve Witkoff, Trump’s personal friend serving as his globe-trotting negotiator, will take part in the talks.
American and Iranian representatives voiced optimism after the previous talks that took place in Oman and Rome, saying there was a friendly atmosphere despite the two countries’ decades of enmity.
However the two sides are not believed to have thrashed out the all-important technical details, and basic questions remain.
The post US, Iran to Hold 4th Round of Nuclear Talks on Eve of Trump’s Gulf Tour first appeared on Algemeiner.com.