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In the 1840s, a Jewish Outreach Effort Led to Real Change; It Can Happen Today

A Syrian flag flutters in Damascus, Syria on April 20, 2018. Photo: REUTERS/Ali Hashisho.

On February 5, 1840, the Jewish community of Damascus was rocked by an accusation that exploded onto the consciousness of the Levant and soon began to reverberate around the world.

An Italian priest, Padre Tommaso, and his servant Ibrahim Amara, had disappeared, and local Christians were quick to accuse the Jewish community of murdering them to use their blood for Passover—an accusation based on an ancient and baseless charge that Jews need gentile blood for the preparation of matzah for Seder night.

The local authorities in Damascus, then under Ottoman rule, immediately arrested several prominent Jews and subjected them to cruel torture to extract confessions. This incident, known as the Damascus Affair, plunged the Jewish community in Syria into a state of fear and despair.

The charges were completely unfounded, rooted in a long history of antisemitic blood libels designed to incite violence and hatred against Jews. Despite the spurious nature of the accusations, the situation grew increasingly dire as torture-induced confessions were used to justify further persecution, and the Jewish community faced widespread violence.

Padre Tommaso, a Capuchin friar who had been living in Damascus for many years, was known for his work as a physician, frequently interacting with the diverse communities of the city. Despite his professional engagements and spiritual calling, Padre Tommaso harbored intense anti-Jewish sentiments and had a long history of stirring trouble against the Jews. His sudden disappearance—and the fact that he was never seen again, neither dead nor alive—provided a convenient pretext for those seeking to incite further antisemitic fervor.

The role of the French consul in Damascus, Ulysse de Ratti-Menton, was particularly insidious. He played a pivotal and pernicious role in escalating the Damascus Affair, actively encouraging and supporting the accusations against the Jewish community and lending his official status and influence to validate the baseless charges. Ratti-Menton sanctioned the use of torture to extract confessions from the arrested Jews. His approval and encouragement of these brutal methods led to the forced confessions, which were then used to further incriminate the Jewish community.

As news of the Damascus Affair spread beyond the Middle East, the global Jewish community recognized the urgency of the situation. Among the most notable figures who rose to the occasion was Sir Moses Montefiore, the distinguished British Jewish philanthropist and communal leader. Montefiore coupled his devout observance of Judaism with a pragmatic understanding that achieving results required a strategic blend of faith, diplomacy, and advocacy.

Montefiore, together with Adolphe Crémieux, a French Jewish lawyer and president of the Consistoire Central Israélite de France, embarked on a diplomatic mission that took them to Alexandria and then to Constantinople, where they sought the intervention of the Ottoman Sultan.

Their primary goal was to ensure the release of the imprisoned Jews and to put an end to the baseless blood libel accusations. Montefiore leveraged his extensive network of connections, engaging with influential political figures such as the British Prime Minister, Lord Palmerston, and key members of the French government. His diplomatic efforts brought significant international attention to the plight of the Jews in Damascus, highlighting the need for justice and protection.

Long before the advent of social media and live-streaming TV, Sir Moses Montefiore understood the power of public opinion. He organized petitions and mobilized Jewish communities across Europe, who rallied in support, sending letters and appeals to their respective governments, urging them to take action against the injustice being perpetrated in Damascus. Ultimately, Montefiore and Crémieux’s relentless efforts led to the release of the imprisoned Jews and a firman (royal decree) from the Ottoman Sultan, reaffirming the rights and protection of Jews under Ottoman rule.

Even Martin Van Buren, the eighth president resident of the United States, played a role in responding to the Damascus Affair. When news of the event reached America, due to Montefiore’s extraordinary efforts to get the truth out as widely as possible, the Jewish community in the United States sought governmental intervention. In response to a petition from the Jewish community, Van Buren instructed the US consul in Egypt, Colonel David Porter, to make representations to the Ottoman government in support of the persecuted Jews in Damascus.

The parallels between the Damascus Affair and what is happening right now in the aftermath of the October 7th massacre are too numerous and too obvious to ignore. Once again, the blood libel against Jews—falsely accused of genocide against Palestinians—has gathered pace and exploded onto the international consciousness.

Jews around the world are being punished for the perceived “crimes” of their coreligionists in Israel, and the knives are out for Jews everywhere. The glee with which antisemites have seized upon the anti-Israel narrative, while far worse crimes against humanity continue to blot the international scene, says more about the endurance of the world’s oldest hatred than it does about anything that Israel has done, now or ever.

But it is the lesson of Sir Moses Montefiore in the wake of the Damascus Affair that must inspire us all. The man who said, “Never be afraid to do what is right and just; we are not alone,” and “We must do our duty, and leave the rest to God,” understood that when everything seems to conspire against justice and truth, and when those who revel in lies and falsehood appear to have the upper hand—that is exactly the time when we must use our faith reserves along with every advocacy resource we have as the platform to fight back. God is truth, and God always prevails.

In Parshat Behaalotecha, we encounter the powerful verses of “Vayehi Binesoa Ha’aron,” which describe the journey of the Ark of the Covenant as the Israelites traveled through the desert (Num. 10:35): וַיְהִי בִּנְסֹעַ הָאָרֹן וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה קוּמָה ה’ וְיָפֻצוּ אֹיְבֶיךָ וְיָנֻסוּ מְשַׂנְאֶיךָ מִפָּנֶיךָ — “When the Ark set out, Moses would say: ‘Arise, God, may Your enemies be scattered; may Your foes flee before You.’”

These verses symbolize the divine presence guiding and protecting the Jewish people throughout their journey. According to Rashi, the preeminent medieval Jewish commentator, the scattering of enemies symbolizes the overcoming of obstacles and adversaries of the Jewish people through divine intervention.

Ramban (Nachmanides) adds, based on a passage in the Talmud, that these verses are like a separate book within the Torah, a reminder that God’s presence is central to Jewish success and survival, providing both physical protection and spiritual guidance.

Drawing from the strength of our heritage, and inspired by the enduring example of proactive faith and advocacy demonstrated by heroes like Sir Moses Montefiore, we must confront the challenges of today with renewed determination.

The lessons from Parshat Behaalotecha remind us that divine guidance accompanies those who believe in and pursue righteousness and justice, even when the world seems to have gone mad and abandoned reason. By standing united and maintaining our faith, we can ensure that truth and righteousness will ultimately prevail.

The parallels between the Damascus Affair and the current crisis facing Jews globally are striking. Once again, we are called to stand firm in our faith and advocate fiercely for justice as we suffer the torture of blood libels and inexplicable hatred.

The enduring power of “Vayehi Binesoa Ha’aron” teaches us that with divine guidance and proactive leadership, we can overcome adversity. And we will. Just as the efforts of Sir Moses Montefiore, like those of his illustrious namesake Moses, led to the triumph of truth and justice in the aftermath of the Damascus Affair, so too our united actions will ensure that we overcome the overwhelming challenges we face.

The author is a rabbi in Beverly Hills California.

The post In the 1840s, a Jewish Outreach Effort Led to Real Change; It Can Happen Today first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Trump Nominates Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as US Ambassador to Israel

Mike Huckabee looks on as Donald Trump reacts during a campaign event at the Drexelbrook Catering and Event Center, in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, US, Oct. 29, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

US President-elect Donald Trump has nominated former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to serve as the next US ambassador to Israel, adding another staunch ally of the Jewish state to a senior role in his incoming administration.  

“I am pleased to announce that the highly respected former Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee, has been nominated to be the United States Ambassador to Israel,” Trump wrote in a statement on Tuesday.

“Mike has been a great public servant, governor, and leader in faith for many years. He loves Israel, and the people of Israel, and likewise, the people of Israel love him. Mike will work tirelessly to bring about peace in the Middle East!” Trump continued. 

Huckabee, an evangelical Christian, has long been a stalwart ally of the Jewish state. He has repudiated the anti-Israel protests that erupted in the wake of Hamas’s massacre across southern Israel last Oct. 7 and criticized incumbent US President Joe Biden for sympathizing with anti-Israel protesters during his speech at the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC). The incoming ambassador also lambasted the anti-Israel encampments at elite universities, stating that there should be “outrage” over the targeting and mistreatment of Jewish college students. 

Huckabee has defended Israel’s right to build settlements in the West Bank, acknowledging the Jewish people’s ties to the land dating back to the ancient world.

There is no such thing as the West Bank — it’s Judea and Samaria,” Huckabee has said, referring to the biblical names for the area. “There is no such thing as settlements — they’re communities, they’re neighborhoods, they’re cities. There is no such thing as an occupation.”

During Huckabee’s 2008 US presidential campaign, he stated that “there’s really no such thing as a Palestinian,” and that land for a potential Palestinian state should be taken from other Arab states and not Israel.

Huckabee will replace the current ambassador to Israel, Jack Lew.

Trump’s pick for ambassador to Israel during his first term, David Friedman, praised the president-elect’s selection of Huckabee.

“I am thrilled by President Trump’s nomination of Governor Mike Huckabee as the next Ambassador to Israel. He is a dear friend and he will have my full support. Congrats Mike on getting the best job in the world!” Friedman wrote on X/Twitter.

During Trump’s first term in office, his administration helped foster the Abraham Accords, a series of landmark normalization agreements between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Trump also recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights, a strategic region on Israel’s northern border previously controlled by Syria, and moved the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, recognizing the city as the Jewish state’s capital.

Over the course of his campaign, Trump promised to resume efforts to strengthen the Abraham Accords upon his return to the White House. He has also urged Israel to move faster with its military campaign to eradicate the Hamas terrorist group from the Gaza Strip.

The post Trump Nominates Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee as US Ambassador to Israel first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Suspect Remanded Without Bail for Attempted Kidnapping of Jewish Boy in New York City

Masked male attempts to abduct Orthodox Jewish child in broad daylight in New York City on Nov. 9, 2024. Photo: Shomrim Crown Heights Rescue Patrol/Screenshot from social media

The man who was charged for attempting to abduct an Orthodox Jewish child in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York City this past weekend will remain in jail until he faces a judge again next month.

Stephan Stowe, 28, reportedly a gang member with 33 prior arrests, was arrested early Sunday and subsequently charged with attempted kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child. Citing court documents released on Monday, CrownHeights.info reported that a judge refused bail for Stowe and ordered him to be remanded to Rikers Island prison until his next court date on Dec. 9.

The legal action came after a masked man was caught on video approaching a visibly Jewish father walking with his two sons and grabbing one of the children on Saturday afternoon, in broad daylight. He was unable to secure possession of the child, whose father fought back immediately and did not let go of his son. The assailant put the child down.

The video was widely circulated online and fueled concern about a wave of violent crimes targeting Jews in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn.

Following news of the arrest, a local Jewish leader praised what, for now, appears to be a victory for law and order advocates and a Jewish Brooklyn community reeling from a spate of hate crimes in recent weeks.

“The perpetrator has been arrested,” Yaacov Behrman, a liaison for Chabad Headquarters — the main New York base of the Hasidic movement — posted on X/Twitter. “Known to police, the perpetrator has allegedly been arrested over 30 times. He is under 30 years old and has also been arrested in [the] past for criminal possession of a weapon. What is wrong with our legal system? What is wrong with our society? How is this possible?”

Behrman also noted on Sunday that he spoke to the father, who expressed his appreciation for local police and Crown Heights Shomrim, a Jewish organization that monitors antisemitism and also serves as a neighborhood watch group. According to Behrman, the father also said that his kids were doing well.

Saturday’s attack was the fourth time in less than two weeks that an Orthodox resident of Crown Heights was targeted for violence and humiliation. In each case, the assailant was allegedly a Black male, a pattern of conduct which continues to strain Black-Jewish relations across the Five Boroughs.

Last Wednesday, a middle-aged Hasidic man was chased and beaten by two assailants after he refused to surrender his cell phone.

Earlier that week, an African American male smacked a 13-year-old Jewish boy who was commuting to school on his bike in the neighborhood, which is heavily Jewish.

Less than a week earlier, an assailant slashed a visibly Jewish man in the face as he was walking in Brooklyn.

Black-on-Jewish crime is a social issue which has been studied before. In 2022, a report published by Americans Against Antisemitism (AAA) showed that Orthodox Jews were the minority group most victimized by hate crimes in New York City and that 69 percent of their assailants were African American. Seventy-seven percent of the incidents took place taking in predominantly Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods in Brooklyn. Of all assaults that prompted criminal proceedings, just two resulted in convictions.

“We’ve never seen anything like this,” AAA founder and former New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D) told The Algemeiner at the time. “Shouldn’t there be a plan for how we’re going to deal with it? What’s the answer? Education? We’ve been educating everybody forever for God’s sake, and things are just getting worse.”

The problem has become acute in recent years. In July 2023, for example, a 22-year-old Israeli Yeshiva student, who was identifiably Orthodox and visiting New York City for the summer holiday, was stabbed with a screwdriver by one of two men who attacked him after asking whether he was Jewish and had any money. The other punched him in the face. Earlier that year, 10- and 12-year-olds were attacked on Albany Avenue by four African American teens.

According to a report issued in August by New York state comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, antisemitic incidents accounted for a striking 65 percent of all felony hate crimes in New York City last year. The report added that throughout the state, nearly 44 percent of all recorded hate crime incidents and 88 percent of religious-based hate crimes targeted Jewish victims.

Meanwhile, according to a recent Algemeiner review of New York City Police Department (NYPD) hate crimes data, 385 antisemitic hate crimes have struck the New York City Jewish community since last October, when the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas perpetrated its Oct. 7 massacre across southern Israel, unleashing a wave of anti-Jewish hatred unlike any seen in the post-World War II era.

Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.

The post Suspect Remanded Without Bail for Attempted Kidnapping of Jewish Boy in New York City first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Renowned Figurative Painter Frank Auerbach, Jewish Refugee Who Fled Nazi Germany, Dies at Age 93

A painting by Frank Auerbach, J.Y.M. Seated II, 1992, estimate £600,000 – 800,000 during a photocall at Christie’s auction house showcasing the highlights of 20th/21st Century Evening Sale in London, United Kingdom on October 06, 2023. Photo: WIktor Szymanowicz via Reuters Connect

German-born British artist Frank Auerbach, who was sent to England as a child fleeing Nazi-occupied Germany and became a leading figurative painter, died on Monday at the age of 93.

The gallery Frankie Rossi Art Projects, which focuses on post-war artists like Auerbach, said the Jewish painter “died peacefully” early Monday at his home in London. “We have lost a dear friend and remarkable artist but take comfort knowing his voice will resonate for generations to come,” said Geoffrey Parton, the gallery’s director.

Auerbach was born in Berlin in April 1931 and came to England in 1939. He was an only child and arrived in London as a refugee from Nazi Germany as one of six children sponsored by the writer Iris Origo. Auerbach’s father, a patent lawyer, and mother, an artist, were both killed in a Nazi concentration camp in 1942.

“[I was] at no point shocked or overwhelmed [when] it was gradually leaked to me [that] they’d been killed, taken to a camp and killed,” Auerbach said years later about the murder of his parents, according to The Art Newspaper. “I don’t know which one, Auschwitz probably.”

Auerbach attended Bunce Court in Kent, a boarding school for Jewish refugee children, and then studied at London’s St Martin’s School of Art and the Royal College of Art from 1948-1955. He lived and worked in the same studio in North London from 1954 until his death. His career spanned seven decades, his work has been shown around the world, and he was awarded the prestigous Golden Lion prize at the 1986 Venice Biennale.

Auerbach’s signature style was having an excessive amount of paint on his works, which was created by him repeatedly scraping off paint from previous versions he was unhappy with, and then starting again until the finished work was loaded with layers of paint. He was known for his portraits and city scenes in North London. He once told The Guardian that he estimated that 95 percent of his paint ended up in the garbage. “I’m trying to find a new way to express something… So I rehearse all the other ways until I surprise myself with something I haven’t previously considered,” he explained.

Auerbach is survived by his son, filmmaker Jacob Auerbach.

The post Renowned Figurative Painter Frank Auerbach, Jewish Refugee Who Fled Nazi Germany, Dies at Age 93 first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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