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I’m Not Jewish, But Supporting Israel Matters to Me
Schaeffer Hall, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. Photo: Flickr.
My mother always taught me to “be a leader, not a follower.” Throughout my life, I’ve watched people blindly follow senseless trends, and nowhere is this more apparent than on college campuses — where ideas, both good and bad, take root and spread.
Before college, my exposure to Jewish history and culture was limited to small but meaningful moments: studying and singing Oseh Shalom in choir, visiting the Holocaust Museum and hearing from a survivor, or staying up past my bedtime to read a biography of Anne Frank.
Despite these glimpses, I had never actually met a Jewish person until I arrived on campus.
Universities are one of the major front lines for the battleground of ideas and this became extremely apparent after the anti-Israel protests were started in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7 atrocities.
It was there that I saw firsthand how misinformation about Israel distorts history, fuels antisemitism, and turns ignorance into hostility.
After observing the ambivalence — if not outright hostility — that many people on my campus showed towards the Israeli victims, I decided to host a Vigil for Israel on October 17, 2023. It featured prayers, a candlelit moment of silence, and chalk messages across campus advocating for fellow Hawkeyes to stand with Israel.
Within 24 hours, our vigil was defaced. Individuals crossed out our Israel flags, replaced the word Israel with “Palestine,” and washed away our messages.
Since then, whenever I’ve attended so-called pro-Palestinian “peace” rallies, I’ve been confronted by individuals who told me I wasn’t welcome and singled me out simply for being there.
Recently, in March I saw a student wearing a hoodie that said in Arabic, “If you come back, we will crush it and blow up your entire army.”
The previous summer, while covering a rally, I captured video of a woman denying the rape of Israeli women and openly declaring her support for Hamas.
While she was free to do so, it’s hard not to see a connection between this level of discourse and hearing stories about Jewish students being followed and harassed by would-be thugs sporting pro-Jihad sweatshirts.
These incidents aren’t isolated. I was asked to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Free Speech and Antisemitism on November 8, 2023, after continuing to witness how free speech was only protected for some students and not others on college campuses.
During this testimony and the national news interviews that followed, I heard firsthand from students at Cornell and other universities who have faced blatant antisemitic harassment, enabled by misinformation that has justified Hamas and demonized Israel.
Last December, I shared how the situations on campus aren’t getting better when I testified at Congressman Greg Murphy (R-NC)’s Annual Free Speech Roundtable,
My experience, and the experiences of my peers seems to be the norm. I was the president of the Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) student group at the University of Iowa, and chapter members from across the country have faced similar situations.
At Saint Louis University, in September 2024, two YAF students were disciplined for including a pre-approved banner in a 9/11 memorial that expressed solidarity between the US and Israel against radical Islamic terrorism after an anti-Israel student complained that part of the banner was leaning up against a building.
An activism initiative that Young Americans for Freedom has begun is the Stand for Israel Memorial each October. To remember the one year anniversary of October 7, chapters at the following schools attempted to participate in the project which, involves displaying Israeli flags to remember the hostages, but were met with challenges on campus:
At Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, administrators prohibited a YAF chapter from displaying Israeli flags to commemorate victims of Hamas’ October 7 attack. This has led to a Civil Rights complaint being filed by Young America’s Foundation in February 2025.
At the University of Georgia, officials delayed approval for a memorial display and later used bike racks to shield Israeli flags from extremist student backlash.
At Michigan’s Waterford Kettering High School, administrators refused to recognize a YAF chapter and barred students from displaying Israeli flags in remembrance.
At my school, the University of Iowa, in October 2024, pro-Hamas students vandalized a banner for our pro-Israel speaker, shouting slogans calling for the destruction of Israel.
Fighting unrestrained anti-Israel lies and bullying is important — not just for Jewish students, but to anyone who values free expression, academic freedom, and genuine inclusion on campus.
As someone who believes in diversity of thought, speaking out against this unfair abuse of free speech is essential to protecting those values. This fight will only be won when people of all backgrounds — especially the non-Jewish majority — step up, take ownership, and demand not just support for Israel, which is both justified and necessary, but also the fundamental right of every student to feel safe and free to speak their mind.
Jasmyn Jordan is a 2024-2025 CAMERA Fellow and senior honors presidential scholar at the University of Iowa, double majoring in Political Science and International Relations, with a minor in Journalism.
The post I’m Not Jewish, But Supporting Israel Matters to Me first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Meta Israel Launches Fifth Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day Instagram Project With Israeli Celebrities
Eden Golan meeting with a Holocaust survivor as part of the initiative “Sharing Memories.” Photo: Provided
Meta Israel launched on Wednesday its fifth annual Holocaust remembrance project in which prominent Israeli public figures share testimonies of Holocaust survivors on their Instagram accounts, in an effort to connect their stories with younger generations in honor of Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day.
“Sharing Memories,” an initiative that started in 2020, will include this year testimonies of Holocaust survivors who were impacted by the Hamas massacre on Oct. 7, 2023. Some of the survivors are residents of communities near the Israel-Gaza border and were directly affected by the Oct. 7 attack. Twenty of their stories were posted on social media as an Instagram Reels by 20 Israeli celebrities, including actors, singers, models, reality stars, and social media influencers. These well-known individuals met with the Holocaust survivor they with paired with, listened to their story during an intimate conversation, and documented the survivor’s testimony in a video they then uploaded on their Instagram page.
This year’s participants include model Eden Fines; Eden Golan, Israel’s representative in the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest; influencer and entrepreneur Einav Booblil; Olympic bronze medalist and judoka Peter Paltchik; “The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem” stars Hila Saada and Yuval Scharf; reality television star Yiftach Ramon and singer Valerie Hamaty. The leading Israeli figures have more than 7 million Instagram followers combined. As part of “Sharing Memories,” a special meeting was also organized in Munich between Munich-born Holocaust survivor Charlotte Knobloch and Daniel Peretz, the goalkeeper for Israel’s national soccer team and FC Bayern Munich who currently lives in Germany.
The videos created for “Sharing Memories” were uploaded on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, which began Wednesday night. This year, the content will also be broadcast throughout Ben Gurion International Airport. QR codes at boarding gates and check-in counters will allow travelers to scan and view the full videos. The clips will additionally be shown on EL AL in-flight entertainment systems, both inbound and outbound flights to and from Israel, during the week of Holocaust Remembrance Day.
As part of a collaboration with Yes, the Israeli broadcast satellite television provider, all project videos will also be available for viewing in Israel on STING+ and yesVOD.
“For five years now, we’ve had the privilege of meeting with Holocaust survivors who open their hearts and share the most painful moments of their lives, so we can remember, learn, and carry their stories forward,” said Adi Soffer Teeni, vice president and general manager of Meta Platforms in Israel. “But this year, perhaps more than ever, we understood that their story is not only one of survival; it’s one of resilience and rebuilding. The Holocaust survivors did not just endure the horrors, they built lives: they came to Israel, raised families, created communities, and built a future. Now, their stories of rebuilding take on renewed meaning. More than ever, we can draw strength from their testimonies: how to rise after horror, hold on to hope, and choose optimism and life. This is not just remembrance. It’s a legacy for the next generation.”
One Holocaust and Oct. 7 survivor highlighted in “Sharing Memories” is Bella Haim. Born in Poland in 1938, she survived the Holocaust by hiding in an orphanage until the end of World War II. Haim lives in Kibbutz Gvulot and is the grandmother of Yotam Haim, a resident of Kibbutz Kfar Aza who was kidnapped by Hamas and taken to the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023. She met with Israeli rap duo Ness & Stilla, who created the song “Harbu Darbu,” to share her story of survival. She also played for the musicians the last voice message she received from her grandson mere moments before he was taken hostage. He later escaped captivity but was accidentally killed, along with two other hostages, by IDF troops in December 2023.
Mirjam Beit Talmi Szpiro, 90, endured her father being murdered by the Nazis in Germany in 1935. She survived the Holocaust in hiding and now lives in Kibbutz Zikim. She survived the Oct. 7 attack, by sheltering in her safe room. She met with Israeli actor Yehuda Levi to talk about her experiences for the “Sharing Memories” initiative.
The project also highlights the survival story of Arale Dvir. He was born in Poland and escaped to Siberia on a freight train before fleeing to Uzbekistan, where his mother and sister died. Upon his arrival in Israel, he was adopted by a family in Kibbutz Sa’ad, where he survived the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. He still lives in Kibbutz Sa’ad and met with Israeli content creator Einav Bublil to share his story for the project.
Knobloch, who met with Peretz in Munich, shared memories of Kristallnacht, the infamous Nazi assault on the German Jewish community on Nov. 9-10, 1938. After surviving the Holocaust, Knobloch returned to Munich and, alongside her father, she reestablished the Jewish community there, which is now the largest in Germany. The city’s Jewish Center was inaugurated in 2006, and it includes kindergartens, schools, a Jewish museum, and a grand synagogue.
Other well-known Israeli participants of this year’s “Sharing Memories” initiative include Adi Himelbloy, Adva Dadon, Daniel Shalibo, Eitam Dror, Alin Golan and Liam Golan, Ifat Hilleli Avraham, Moran Tarasov, Neta Barzani, Roi Harel, Yarden Harel. The Holocaust survivors who took part in this year’s project are Adela Moreno, Arie Pinsker, Gideon Lotan, David Sivor, Dina Shmueli, Tommy Shaham, Yona Amit, Yoske Hershkovitz, Yechiel Frenkel, Lea Balint, Miriam Harel, Nina Aviov, Naftali Rosendorn, Aliza Landau, Tzipora Grant, and Sara Perry.
“Sharing Memories” is a collaboration between Meta Israel and Shem VeNer (Our 6 Million), a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the memory of the Holocaust for future generations. The project has already featured more than 100 creators, artists, and influencers. Content shared on social media as part of the “Sharing Memories” campaign has garnered over 40 million views in Israel and around the world.
“We are proud to take part in this year’s project to honor Holocaust survivors, listen to their stories, and preserve their living testimony for generations to come,” said Ruha Vaknin Sha’ar, CEO of Our 6 Million. “As their numbers dwindle, our responsibility grows.”
The post Meta Israel Launches Fifth Annual Holocaust Remembrance Day Instagram Project With Israeli Celebrities first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Spain Scraps Purchase of Israeli Bullets After Internal Pressure
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks to the media on the day of his meeting with Ireland’s Prime Minister Simon Harris to discuss recognizing a Palestinian state, in Dublin, Ireland, April 12, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne
The Spanish government has unilaterally cancelled a contract to purchase ammunition rounds for its police force from an Israeli firm, a government source said on Thursday, ceding to pressure from its hard-left junior coalition partner Sumar.
Spain, a long-time critic of Israel’s policies in the Palestinian territories, pledged in October 2023 to stop selling weapons to Israel over its war with Hamas in Gaza and last year widened that commitment to include weapons purchases from Israel.
However, on April 17 as Spaniards geared up for the Easter holiday weekend, the government filed paperwork confirming the deal on the government tenders website.
The purchase, worth 6.6 million euros ($7.53 million), includes the acquisition of more than 15 million 9-mm rounds from Israel’s IMI Systems, owned by Elbit Systems and represented in Spain by Guardian LTD Israel.
The decision drew a sharp rebuke on Wednesday from coalition partner Sumar, with one of the groups within Sumar, Izquierda Unida, threatening to withdraw from the minority coalition government.
The Interior Ministry responded that it had been advised by the state attorney that breaking the contract would mean paying the full amount without receiving the shipment.
On Thursday, a government source said it had decided to stick to its October 2023 commitment not to provide Israeli companies with arms or revenue flows “and nor will it do so in future.”
The source said the Israeli company would be denied permission to import the defense material by the Spanish authorities on “public interest” grounds, the Interior Ministry would rescind the contract and government lawyers would respond to any subsequent legal claims.
Internal divisions over defense spending have already rattled the ruling coalition, threatening to deprive Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of precious votes in parliament to pass legislation.
On Tuesday, Sanchez further angered Sumar, a platform of left-wing parties that controls five ministries led by deputy premier Yolanda Diaz, by announcing a wider plan to boost defense spending by 10.47 billion euros to meet NATO targets.
The minority government has struggled to pass legislation since securing a new term by cobbling together an alliance of left-wing and regional separatist parties in 2023.
($1 = 0.8767 euros)
The post Spain Scraps Purchase of Israeli Bullets After Internal Pressure first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Iran, France Signal Readiness for Nuclear Talks Amid US Negotiations
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. Photo: Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via REUTERS
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday he was ready to travel to Europe for talks on Tehran’s nuclear program, with France indicating European powers were also ready for dialogue if Tehran showed it was seriously engaged.
Iran is looking to build on the momentum of nuclear negotiations with the United States that resume in Oman on Saturday and after talks with Russia and China earlier this week. Its reach out to the European powers party to a 2015 nuclear deal suggests Tehran is keeping its options open.
Since September, Tehran and the three European powers, known as the E3, have already held several rounds of discussions over their ties and the nuclear issue.
The most recent in March were held at technical level, looking at the parameters of a future deal to secure a rollback of the nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions.
European diplomats had said they were seeking a new meeting with Iran, although that appeared on ice when Tehran began indirect talks on its nuclear program with US President Donald Trump’s administration earlier this month.
Trump, who abandoned the 2015 pact between Tehran and world powers during his first term in 2018, has threatened to attack Iran unless it reaches a new deal swiftly that would prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.
The third round of talks is due to be held on Saturday in Oman.
“Iran‘s relations with the E3 … have experienced ups and downs in recent history. Like it or not, they are currently down,” Araqchi wrote on X.
“I once again propose diplomacy. After my recent consultations in Moscow & Beijing, I am ready to take the first step with visits to Paris, Berlin & London … The ball is now in the E3’s court.”
The European powers, who have voiced concern about their coordination with Washington, have seen their ties with Iran worsen over other issues including its ballistic missile program, detention of foreign citizens, and support for Russia in the war in Ukraine.
THREAT OF RENEWED SANCTIONS
When asked about Araqchi’s comments, France’s foreign ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine said the E3 favored dialogue but wanted to see how serious Iran was.
“The only solution is a diplomatic solution, and Iran must resolutely engage in this path and it’s a proposal the E3 have put forward many times, so we will continue dialogue with the Iranians,” he told a news conference.
The United States did not tell European countries about the nuclear talks in Oman before Trump announced them, even though they hold a key card on the possible reimposition of UN sanctions on Tehran.
However, according to two European diplomats, the US lead technical negotiator Michael Anton briefed E3 diplomats in Paris on April 17, suggesting that coordination has improved.
The West suspects Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons, which it denies. The threat of renewed sanctions is intended to pressure Tehran into concessions, making detailed discussions on strategy between the Americans and Europeans vital, diplomats say.
Because the United States quit the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, it cannot initiate its mechanism for reimposing sanctions, called snapback, at the United Nations Security Council.
That makes Britain, Germany, and France, known as the E3, the only deal participants capable of and interested in pursuing snapback.
According to diplomats, the E3 diplomats are now looking to trigger snapback by August as opposed to an earlier June timeframe, if no substantial deal can be found by then. That opportunity expires on Oct. 18 when the 2015 accord ends.
The post Iran, France Signal Readiness for Nuclear Talks Amid US Negotiations first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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