Uncategorized
Mayhem at Jewish Federations conference in Tel Aviv as protesters and panelists fight over judiciary and immigration
TEL AVIV (JTA) — A panel at a major American Jewish conference here descended into pandemonium as protesters in the audience shouted down a leading far-right politician.
Panelists also sniped at each other over the government’s controversial attempt to overhaul Israel’s judiciary and its threat to tighten immigration rules.
Security personnel forcibly ejected multiple protesters from the event, which took an unplanned five-minute break to calm the tensions in the room. It was the first reprimand of protesters at a conference whose organizers had made clear they expected them and supported any that did not interfere with the proceedings.
“We wanted very much to include anyone who wanted to be here, to learn and to be part of the conversation. It’s unfortunate it was disrupted so we couldn’t engage in the kind of learning we had hoped for,” Jewish Federations of North America board chair Julie Platt told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency after the interrupted panel. “It was more than we expected.”
The drama at the event surrounded Simcha Rothman, an Orthodox lawmaker who is one of the architects of, and a vocal advocate for, the government’s proposal to sap power from the Supreme Court. Protests against him on Monday began before his speaking engagement and followed him throughout his remarks.
Rothman is the most prominent advocate for the judicial overhaul to speak at the General Assembly, a conference taking place in Tel Aviv and organized by the Jewish Federations of North America. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was scheduled to speak at the conference’s opening on Sunday night but backed out hours earlier in the face of protests.
Monday morning’s events came about 12 hours after hundreds of protesters demonstrated outside the General Assembly’s opening event. Inside the conference kickoff on Sunday night, addressing the protesters, Platt said, “We see you, we hear you and we are inspired by your love of Israel.”
Rothman opted to come and met opposition in the conference’s halls almost immediately. While sitting with a reporter in the gathering’s breakfast area, a small gaggle of protesters arrived at his table and started chanting “shame” in Hebrew. One protester offered Rothman a bracelet bearing the word “democracy,” which has become the anti-government protests’ one-word slogan, and another yelled, “Rothman, go to hell.”
Some protesters were removed by security guards at the Jewish Federations of North America conference in Tel Aviv, April 24, 2023. (Ben Sales)
The protests intensified at the morning panel, which centered on proposals to change Israel’s Law of Return affording automatic citizenship to Jews, their children and grandchildren. Every time Rothman spoke, a group of protesters standing in a kind of informal ring around the room shouted him down with chants of “shame” and “liar,” in both Hebrew and English. Protesters on one side of the room held Israeli flags — another mainstay of the street protests — as well as an LGBTQ rainbow pride flag.
Multiple protesters were dragged out of the event by security — at least one of whom came back in and continued protesting. One yelled, “Rothman is destroying Israel, destroying our future! My kids! My kids!”
Rothman repeatedly had to pause his remarks and shot back at the protesters throughout his comments.
“What we see here is exactly the problem we need to address, a person that shouts ‘democracy’ while trying to shut up other people,” Rothman said after a protester shouted, “You’re an enemy of the Jewish people!” Rothman later said, “Some people are looking for consensus only when they’re in the opposition.”
The shouting was not limited to protesters in the audience. Rothman’s co-panelists were Yohanan Plesner, the president of the Israel Democracy Institute think tank, and Alex Rif, founder of the One Million Lobby, which advocates for Russian-speaking Israelis. Plesner objected in strong terms both to Rothman’s views on the Law of Return and to the judicial overhaul.
“The government came in with an agenda to fundamentally alter the fragile arrangements that existed for 75 years,” he said. “Somehow this balance was kept because the Supreme Court played a balancing role, and the Knesset and government respected that role.”
Rothman at one point suggested that Plesner join the protests and criticized him personally.
“The person that is the head of the Israeli Democratic Institution [sic] basically praises the idea that an undemocratic organization in Israel, powered in Israel, unelected… will make a decision that as we see are very tense,” Rothman said, referring to the Supreme Court. “Not the democratic body politic of the State of Israel, God forbid.”
Plesner responded by saying, “You’re misrepresenting what I said. Every democracy has an independent court that protects rights.”
Rothman responded, “They lied to you, they lied to the public in the U.S., they lied to the public in Israel.”
The panel’s stated topic, the Law of Return, also led to sharp disagreement. Rothman is in favor of making the law more restrictive by canceling the provision allowing the grandchild of a Jew to gain citizenship. The clause has allowed for a significant proportion of Israel’s Russian speakers to immigrate.
Rothman said the idea of canceling the clause “is not new, it’s not [originally] from this government, it’s to deal with the problem that arose … in the 90s,” when large numbers of Jews immigrated from the former Soviet Union. Because he said the change would mostly affect immigrants from eastern Europe, he suggested it shouldn’t be as concerning to American Jews and added, “Sadly, some people are trying to make this issue a split between American Jewry and Israeli Jewry in an unjustified way. We need to have this conversation and find a solution.”
Rif responded by accusing Rothman of telling Russian-speaking Israelis, ”You’re here by mistake.” She called on Israel to ease immigration for Jews from Russia and Belarus. In an explicit allusion to last century’s American Jewish activism on behalf of Soviet Jewry, which employed the slogan “Let my people go,” she brandished a sign onstage reading “Let my people in.”
Both Rif and Plesner drew cheers from the audience when they spoke.
“When you change the law of Return, you close the door for them forever for the Jewish people,” she said of Russian speakers already living in Israel. “You’re telling them, ‘We don’t want you here.’ Now, they’re living here for 30 years feeling second-class.”
Following particularly intense protests and onstage argument, Jewish Federations personnel called for a five-minute break. Protests against Rothman continued following the break, though the panel’s discussion continued. After the break, Plesner offered an olive branch of sorts to Rothman.
“I want to say, to Simcha Rothman’s credit, that he is a staunch ideologue. I disagree, almost, with everything he says, but he’s a staunch ideologue,” Plesner said. “Before the elections he said exactly what he’s going to promote. We sat together, and he said so.”
—
The post Mayhem at Jewish Federations conference in Tel Aviv as protesters and panelists fight over judiciary and immigration appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Uncategorized
Eurovision announces new voting measures following allegations of Israeli interference
(JTA) — The organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest have revised this year’s voting rules after broadcasters from several countries accused Israel of interfering in last year’s audience poll.
The new guidelines, which were announced Friday, reduce the number of votes allotted to each fan from 20 to 10, split fan votes with input from a professional jury and discourage promotional campaigns by third parties, according to Eurovision.
“No broadcaster or artist may now directly engage with or support campaigns by third parties — including governments or their agencies — that could distort the vote,” Eurovision director Martin Green wrote in a statement.
The European Broadcasting Union, which runs Eurovision, also pledged to “expand the contest’s advanced security systems” and monitor fraudulent activity.
While the announcement of the new voting guidelines did not mention Israel, it appeared to have been spurred by outcry following last year’s competition, where Israel’s Yuval Raphael took second place after winning a notable lead from the audience vote. Social media posts had exhorted supporters of Israel around the world to vote as many times as possible.
Following her win, the public broadcasters from Spain, Ireland, Belgium, Iceland and Finland called on the European Broadcasting Union to conduct an audit of its audience voting system, with some alluding to Israel manipulating the vote. (Green rejected the allegations of Israeli influence at the time.)
Several European countries, including the Netherlands, Slovenia, Iceland, Ireland and Spain, also announced in September that they would or may boycott the competition if Israel is allowed to participate.
Following the announcements, the European Broadcast Union announced it would allow member countries to vote on Israel’s participation, but changed its plans following the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in Gaza last month. The broadcasting union plans to discuss Israel’s participation at its December meeting.
The chancellor of Austria, which is set to host this year’s competition, has also reportedly pressured its public broadcaster not to host the competition if Israel is barred.
“I truly hope that this robust package of measures provides assurance for artists, broadcasters and fans alike,” said Green of the new voting guidelines. “Above all I hope it allows for the Contest to acknowledge the sometimes-difficult world in which we live but resist attempts to turn our stage into a place of geopolitical division.”
The post Eurovision announces new voting measures following allegations of Israeli interference appeared first on The Forward.
Uncategorized
With stories from Jews across the globe, this graphic anthology wants to expand how we see Jewishness
When photographer Julian Voloj heard about the first Jewish Comic Con in Brooklyn, he knew he had to meet its creator, Fabrice Sapolsky. Voloj, who was born in Germany to Colombian parents, had previously authored a number of graphic novels, including Ghetto Brother, the story of former gang leader Benji Melendez, a Puerto-Rican Jew. Voloj and Sapolsky connected at the 2016 convention and realized they shared a vision: a comic that would depict diverse Jewish stories.
Sapolsky, who is French-American with Ashkenazi and Sephardic roots, had been a comic creator for many years, including for Marvel and DC.
“He had this network of illustrators,” Voloj said. “I had the network of ethnically, racially diverse Jews.”
Voloj serves as the executive director for Be’Chol Lashon, an organization dedicated to highlighting Jewish diversity through community events and art. In November 2023, with the organization’s support, Voloj and Sapolsky created a sampler of their imagined anthology Hyphen: Jewish Stories in Our Own Words featuring three stories about Jews who did not fit the archetypal image of what a Jew should be, whether that be because of their racial identity, ethnic identity, or LGBTQ+ identity.
After sharing the Hyphen preview at synagogues and Jewish community centers, Voloj and Sapolsky secured funding to create the official anthology which contains 12 stories — including their own.
Some of the subjects wrote their stories, but others worked with Voloj to figure out what they wanted their section to be.
Haftam’s story of escaping war in Ethiopia starts with an explanation of the holiday of Sigd, which takes place 50 days after the end of Yom Kippur and marks another day of repentance for Ethiopian Jews. Natan’s chapter about battling his unibrow includes a crash course on the Bukharian Jewish language. The section on Eddna, a Jewish woman from Mumbai who eventually immigrates to Israel, provides history on Jews in India.
“You not only get a personal narrative, but also a broader story,” Voloj said.
Although some don’t accept the validity of all the ways Hyphen presents Jewishness, Voloj sees the wide variety of Jewish practice on display in Hyphen as part of what makes Judaism special.
“The terminology for me is always [to] say it’s Jewish communities,” Voloj said. “There’s not something like the Jewish community. So even if you have two Hasids, they might not agree on anything. If you’re a Satmar or if you’re Chabad, I mean, there’s very different philosophies.”
Voloj said that there has also been a lot of excitement and emotional responses to Hyphen.
“I feel like what people can relate to, it’s personal stories. So one story is about a woman that grew up in India, but she’s also like a single mom,” Voloj said. “Her son moves to Israel, and she decided to just follow him. So it’s like basically a story about motherhood,”
The fact that Hyphen is a comic has also helped to broaden its appeal.
“It’s such an American thing and such an intergenerational thing,” Voloj said. “We had the JCC events, there were some people who were over 60. And there the youngest persons were under 10.”
Because they had limited space and wanted each chapter to represent a different identity, a lot of stories didn’t make it into the anthology. Voloj hopes that in the future, they can continue the series.
“At the end of the book, we have photos of the main storytellers. So you can actually see these are all real people,” said Voloj. “And that gives it a nice note like, ‘Oh, yeah, these are like all the different faces of Judaism, and they all look different.’”
“I think that’s a beautiful thing to show. And I feel like it’s a great way to build bridges.”
The post With stories from Jews across the globe, this graphic anthology wants to expand how we see Jewishness appeared first on The Forward.
Uncategorized
Northwestern University Demands Dismissal of CAIR Lawsuit Targeting Antisemitism Prevention
People walk on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, US, April 9, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Vincent Alban
Northwestern University on Wednesday submitted a motion to dismiss a lawsuit, filed by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which aims to cancel an antisemitism prevention course.
As previously reported by The Algemeiner, CAIR — an organization that has been scrutinized by US authorities over alleged ties to the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas — sued Northwestern University over the matter last month, arguing that the course in question violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and that it serves as a “pretense” for censoring “expressions of Palestinian identity, culture, and advocacy for self-determination.”
In its filing, Northwestern University argued that CAIR’s claims are political, not legal, and preclude adjudication in a court of law.
“Plaintiffs fail to allege facts showing intentional race, ethnicity, or national origin discrimination,” a copy of the motion obtained by The Algemeiner said. “Plaintiff’s allegations, even accepted as true, describe ideological disagreement, not actionable discrimination.”
Filed on behalf of the Northwestern Graduate Workers for Palestine (GW4P) group, the suit arrived in federal dockets with a request for a temporary restraining order to halt the course, which the university mandated as a prerequisite for fall registration, and the rescission of disciplinary measures imposed on nine students who refused to complete it.
The suit primarily takes aim at Northwestern’s adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism and its application to the training course, which, at its conclusion, calls on students to pledge not to be antisemitic.
Used by governments and other entities across the world, the IHRA definition describes antisemitism as a “certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.” It provides 11 specific, contemporary examples of antisemitism in public life, the media, schools, the workplace, and in the religious sphere.
Beyond classic antisemitic behavior associated with the likes of the medieval period and Nazi Germany, the examples include denial of the Holocaust and newer forms of antisemitism targeting Israel such as demonizing the Jewish state, denying its right to exist, and holding it to standards not expected of any other democratic state.
“Plaintiff, GW4P lacks standing to sue,” Northwestern argued in Wednesday’s motion. “The complaint does not allege facts establishing organizational or associational standing, and the allegations center on ideological alignment rather than protected characteristics.”
Several lawsuits have challenged universities’ quelling riotous anti-Zionist activity on other grounds, such as Students for Justice in Palestine’s (SJP) unsuccessful lawsuit against Columbia University last year, but none have argued that allowing antisemitism to thrive is inclusive of Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian identities and that fighting it is discriminatory.
However, CAIR argued that the IHRA definition is anti-Arab and anti-Palestinian, discriminating against both cultures while being hostile to CAIR’s vision of Palestinian self-determination.
“Northwestern requires students to complete a training course elaborating on that definition and requires them to attest that they to abide by conduct policies that incorporate that discriminatory definition,” CAIR’s complaint said. “The training course and attestations discriminate against Arab students whose racial and national origin identities are fundamentally incompatible with this definition.”
This is the latest CAIR activity in a long line of initiatives that have prompted a storm of controversy, as previously reported by The Algemeiner. In September, for example, US Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) exposed materials which CAIR distributes in its local activism — notably its “American Jews and Political Power” course — to spread its beliefs. Some of it attempts to revise the history of Sharia law, which severely restricts the rights of women and is opposed to other core features of liberal societies.
Additionally, since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel, CAIR’s chapter in Philadelphia has lobbied the state government to enact anti-Israel policies and accused Gov. Josh Shapiro of ignoring the plight of Palestinians. In a 2023 speech following Hamas’s Oct. 7 atrocities, CAIR’s national executive director, Nihad Awad, said he was “happy to see” Palestinians “breaking the siege and throwing down the shackles of their own land.”
CAIR has extensive links to jihadist groups which suppress freedom and promote hate, according to some experts.
“CAIR itself has a long history of terrorist ties in particular to the Muslim Brotherhood, illustrated by the fact that in the Holy Land Foundation (HLF) terrorism financing trial, CAIR was named an unindicted co-conspirator, and evidence showed direct financial interactions between CAIR and the now-defunct Hamas-linked charity,” Asaf Romirowsky, a Middle East expert and executive director of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME), told The Algemeiner last month. “This tactic of trying to turn antisemitism on its head in order to deflect from the nefarious activities of groups who have actual ties to terrorism is part of a larger strategy we see employed by Palestinian groups on campus such as the SJP. All of the above validates why the State Department is considering designating CAIR as a foreign terrorist organization.”
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in August that the United States was actively working to designate the Muslim Brotherhood, a key ideological backer of Hamas that has been linked to CAIR, as a foreign terrorist organization.
On Sunday, US President Donald Trump told Just the News that an official designation is forthcoming, a comment confirmed by the White House the following day.
Last week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced the state-level designation of the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as terrorist organizations.
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.