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Is Hamas planning a day of jihad on Friday? Jewish groups respond to widespread concerns.
(JTA) — Some Jewish institutions are closing down for the day Friday amid fears about Hamas-inspired violence abroad, although the FBI and major Jewish security groups say they are not aware of specific threats against Jewish targets in the United States.
Concerns about pro-Hamas demonstrations appear to have stemmed from a speech by Khaled Meshaal, a former Hamas leader, calling for street protests on Friday. Meshaal made the call on Tuesday on Yemeni television, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute, which translates Arabic media clips; Reuters reported a version of his comments on Wednesday.
“We should take to the streets and the city squares in Arab and Islamic cities, as well as in cities everywhere where there are communities,” he said, according to MEMRI. “There is a call this Friday – the Al-Aqsa Deluge Friday.”
The comments have ratcheted up fears just days after a Hamas attack on Israel — which came as a surprise — left thousands of Israelis dead, injured and taken captive, in the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.
Israel has urged its citizens abroad to avoid protests and rallies on Friday. Some Jewish schools in London, Amsterdam and a handful of places in the United States have decided to close for the day. Other Jewish institutions are staying open but shoring up their security practices. Police are being deployed in extra numbers in many places. And some families are considering keeping their children home out of an abundance of caution.
“Right now, your Jewish mom friends are busy texting each other to figure out if sending our kids to school tomorrow, declared a day of global jihad against all Jews, is a good ideal,” a Los Angeles mother said in a widely shared post on Instagram. She later indicated that her child would stay home.
In a sign of how widely fear was spreading, the striking actors union, SAG-AFTRA, announced late Thursday that it would suspend its picketing on Friday because of security concerns.
“There’s a great deal of anxiety about tomorrow,” Michael Masters, CEO of the Secure Community Network, a Jewish security nonprofit, said on a call with Jewish communal leaders on Thursday.
But he emphasized that the organization’s monitoring had not turned up further reasons for concern. “As of this time we are not aware of any direct credible threats against the Jewish community in the U.S.,” he said on the call, encouraging Jewish organizations “to remain open and active, always vigilant.”
The Anti-Defamation League, an antisemitism watchdog, issued a similar statement Thursday night. “ADL has reviewed this information [and] is in close coordination with our partners in law enforcement and Jewish security organizations,” it said. “At this time, [the ADL’s] Center on Extremism is not aware of any credible threats to Jewish communities in the United States.”
The scale of the attack in Israel and the staging of pro-Palestinian protests in various cities in subsequent days have many Jews on edge. In a sign of how seriously authorities are taking the threat, FBI Director Christopher Wray joined the SCN call.
“We are working to confirm whether there is any validity to that information,” he said about the idea that Americans should expect widespread pro-Hamas activity. Local news outlets are variously warning about a “global day of jihad” and a “day of rage,” although the MEMRI translation of Meshaal’s comments did not include either phrase.
Brad Orsini, SCN’s senior national security advisor, said it would be a mistake to retreat out of concern over Meshaal’s comments.
“We don’t want the community to overreact,” Orsini said. “We need to keep our organizations open. We need to continue to do our solidarity events. We need to continue to push our kids to day schools.”
Some Jewish day schools were canceling classes for Friday on the recommendation of security consultants. They included all Jewish schools in Amsterdam, several in London, and a handful in the United States.
The head of a California day school, without citing the Hamas message directly, told parents in an email that school would be closed “out of an abundance of caution” on the advice of “our security consultants.”
A Brooklyn school did cite the Hamas statement in announcing that classes would be canceled on Friday. The school said it understood that many schools would remain open, but that its security consultants recommended closure — and left it to parents to break the news to their children. It also said the school would launch new procedures designed to keep students safe next week, including suspending visits to local parks and barring food deliveries for students.
New York City authorities held their own briefing call for Jewish leaders on Thursday where they emphasized that there was no knowledge of any immediate threats Friday. The heads of multiple schools in the city cited the call in explaining to parents why they would be staying open.
Other groups, after reviewing reports about the Hamas message, told their communities to carry on as usual.
“At this time there are no known credible threats to the Jewish communities in New York and New Jersey,” Mitch Silber, executive director of the Community Security Initiative, a local security group that’s part of a wider coalition called the Jewish Security Alliance, said in a statement. “Accordingly, we are advising institutions to remain open and operational.”
The CEO and security head of Shalom Austin, the Jewish federation in Austin, Texas, said they had consulted with SCN and local and federal law enforcement before deciding not to cancel events, they explained in an email to their community. They said carrying on represented an act of resilience.
“Statements such as these [from Hamas] are a form of emotional terrorism meant to deter us from participating in our daily routines and activities, and to further adversely affect our emotional condition,” they said.
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American Jewish Tourists Attacked and Robbed in Venice, Authorities Investigate Possible Hate Crime
An Italian flag on display in Rome. Photo: Reuters/Guglielmo Mangiapane.
An American Jewish couple visiting Venice was violently attacked and robbed by three unidentified suspects, prompting authorities to investigate if the crime was fueled by religious hatred or a random act of violence.
According to initial Italian reports, the two Orthodox Jewish tourists were sprayed with water while one of the attackers used a dog on a leash to intimidate them. As they were distracted, another assailant grabbed their cell phones, and they fled the scene.
This latest incident near the Rialto Bridge, one of the busiest areas in the city, was reported by the local Jewish community and is now under investigation by Italian police.
Authorities say it is unclear whether the attack was motivated by antisemitism, robbery, or another reason, especially since the victims, who do not speak Italian, returned to the US without filing a formal complaint, according to Italian media reports.
State police are now trying to contact the two victims to get their account of the incident, while reviewing nearby surveillance footage to clarify the circumstances of the attack and identify the three suspects, who remain at large.
Even without a formal complaint, if the incident is determined to be a robbery or an antisemitic attack, authorities can pursue the case ex officio, and the investigation will continue regardless of the victims’ involvement.
The incident comes amid a surge in antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment across Europe and around the world since the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
In Italy, Jewish individuals have been facing a surge in hostility and targeted attacks, including vandalism of murals and businesses, as well as physical assaults. Community leaders warn that such incidents are becoming more frequent amid growing tensions related to the war in Gaza.
Last month, a Jewish man from France and his child were verbally assaulted at a gas station near Milan by a group of pro-Palestinian supporters who shouted antisemitic slurs after seeing the child wearing a kippah, yelling phrases such as “Free Palestine” and “murderers” as they passed by.
In a separate incident, a masked individual targeted a synagogue in Rome, spray-painting a swastika and antisemitic slogans — “Sieg Heil” (“Hail Victory”) and “Juden Raus” (“Jews Out”) — on a sign near the entrance.
In May, a restaurant in Naples forced an Israeli family to leave, telling them, “Zionists are not welcome here.”
Earlier this year, a homeless Egyptian man in Rome attacked a Jewish boy and injured a shopkeeper who tried to intervene. In a separate incident, anti-Israel protesters defaced a synagogue with graffiti reading “Justice for a Free Gaza.”
Last year, a hotel manager in Rome canceled an Israeli couple’s reservation just one day before their trip, accusing them of genocide and telling them the hotel would “be happy to grant free cancellation.”
“We inform you that the Israeli people as those responsible for genocide are not welcome customers in our structure,” the hotel manager told the Israeli couple.
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JetBlue Kosher Meal Incident Sparks Outrage Amid Rising Antisemitic Incidents on Airlines
A kosher meal served on a JetBlue flight was defaced with the slur “Zionazi,” sparking widespread outrage and prompting an ongoing investigation. Photo: Screenshot
A Jewish passenger aboard a JetBlue flight was reportedly served a kosher meal labeled with the slur “Zionazi,” sparking widespread outrage as the latest in a wave of recent antisemitic incidents across multiple airlines.
The incident was first reported by the US-based group StopAntisemitism, which published an image of the defaced meal on social media.
“Whoever is responsible for this must be immediately fired,” the statement read. “This is 1941 and Jews will NOT put up with this hate.”
StopAntisemitism is sickened to see a @JetBlue passenger receive his kosher meal with “zionazi” written on it.
Whomever is responsible for this must be immediately fired – this is 1941 and Jews will NOT put up with this hate. pic.twitter.com/HNr0hVrhgD
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) August 8, 2025
In a press release, JetBlue confirmed it has launched an ongoing investigation to determine which flight was involved, emphasizing that no complaints or reports have been filed by customers so far.
“We have zero tolerance for hate, bias, or discrimination,” the statement read. “If we determine that any individual associated with JetBlue or our catering partners was involved, we will take swift and appropriate action.”
This latest incident came after a similar report days earlier on an Iberia Airlines flight from Buenos Aires to Madrid, where a Jewish passenger found “Free Palestine” written on their kosher meal tray, prompting the Spanish airline to launch an investigation.
“Iberia is conducting a comprehensive investigation, involving both its internal teams and external catering suppliers, to fully understand the incident and implement all necessary corrective actions,” the airline told The Algemeiner.
“We unequivocally condemn all forms of discrimination, hate speech, and any behavior that violates the dignity of individuals,” the statement said. “These actions are completely unacceptable and contradict the core values of respect and inclusion that define our company’s identity.”
In a separate incident, Spanish airline Vueling faced backlash after forcibly removing a group of French Jewish teenagers from a flight from Valencia to Paris, allegedly for singing in Hebrew.
The forced removal of the group has triggered political outrage in France, after their group leader was handcuffed by Spanish police and a government minister insulted the teens as “Israeli brats.”
The Spanish low-cost airline denied the allegations, insisting the incident was not related to religion but rather that the group was removed because of its members’ “highly combative attitude that was putting the safety of the flight at risk.”
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‘This Is Outrageous’: Netanyahu Repeats Threat to Sue NYT for Defamation Over Skeletal Child Photo
The New York Times newspaper. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday repeated his interest in filing a lawsuit against The New York Times, following the newspaper’s misleading use of a photo depicting an emaciated Palestinian child in Gaza.
In a press conference, Netanyahu noted the historical pattern of Jewish demonization before mass violence, including through Medieval blood libels which crescendoed with the Holocaust.
“Today the Jewish state is being maligned in a similar way,” Netanyahu said. “And the international press has bought hook, line, and sinker Hamas statistics, Hamas claims, Hamas forgeries, and Hamas photographs. For example, these three children.” He pointed to a screen which featured images of tiny, skeletal bodies, allegedly the result of an Israel-enabled famine in pursuit of a genocide against the Palestinian people.
Netanyahu identified the first one as Osama Al-Rakab and said, “He is in Italy getting treatment because Israel got him out. That’s what he looks like today. He has a genetic disease that damages the lung and digestive system and makes it hard to absorb nutrients and gain weight. So Israel facilitated Osama’s travel to Italy where he got the medical aid that transformed his position.”
Continuing explaining the stories behind the photographs, Netanyahu named the second child featured, Abdul Qader al-Fayoumi, and said, “He suffers from a genetic neurological disorder, spinal muscular atrophy, a degenerative condition that causes muscle wasting, weakness, and severe weight loss. Unrelated to nutrition, this was the real cause of his frail appearance, not starvation. In fact, he was treated in Israel in 2018, but it doesn’t help because it’s a congenital disease and it defies most treatment.”
Gesturing to the screen again toward a logo of The New York Times, Netanyahu said, “The third one is the most celebrated one. This is a New York Times cover photo on the front page of Mohammed Zakaria Ayoub and his mother.”
The image appeared in the July 30 article “Young, Old and Sick Starve to Death in Gaza: ‘There Is Nothing.’” After the initial story went viral, The Times had to add an editors’ note revealing that the 18-month-old boy maintained pre-existing health issues that contributed to his current condition.
The prime minister explained that the child “is suffering from a genetic illness you’re familiar with. It’s called cerebral palsy. His mother is well-fed and his brother is healthy.”
Netanyahu walked back to the podium and said, “I’m looking right now into the possibility of a governmental suit against the New York Times because this is outrageous.” He held up his fingers to indicate a tiny square and added, “Of course a correction was postage size, I don’t know where it was buried. But this is outrageous; these are the three most celebrated photos, and they’re all fake.”
Israel’s prime minister then returned to his introductory point about medieval blood libels, saying, “It’s the kind of malignant lies that were leveled at the Jewish people in the Middle Ages, and we won’t suffer, we won’t allow it to go unchallenged, and this is the purpose of this press conference. I hope you will open your eyes to a simple fact: Hamas lies.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says he is looking to sue the New York Times for spreading ‘malignant lies’ about the starvation of Gazan civilians. pic.twitter.com/lnl7L5oGkr
— Adam Milstein (@AdamMilstein) August 10, 2025
Netanyahu had previously declared his support for filing a lawsuit against the New York Times in a Thursday interview with Bill Hemmer on Fox News.
“I’m actually looking at whether a country can sue The New York Times,” Netanyahu said. “And I’m looking into it right now, because I think it’s such a … it’s such clear defamation.”
Referencing Ayoub, Netanyahu told Hemmer that the image was “supposed to then represent all these supposedly starving children” but that “they put in this picture of a child who has cerebral palsy.”
In a statement to Fox News, a spokesperson for the Times pushed back against Netanyahu’s threats of a lawsuit, saying, “Children in Gaza are malnourished and starving, as New York Times reporters and others have documented. Mr. Netanyahu is referring to an update we made to a story about how the food crisis is affecting the civilian population. After publication, we learned that a child shown in that story — in addition to being severely malnourished — also had pre-existing health problems. That additional information gave readers a greater understanding of his situation.”
The spokesperson added that “attempts to threaten independent media providing vital information and accountability to the public are unfortunately an increasingly common playbook, but journalists continue to report from Gaza for The Times, bravely, sensitively, and at personal risk, so that readers can see firsthand the consequences of the war.”