Uncategorized
Neo-Nazis rally outside Broadway preview of ‘Parade,’ about an antisemitic murder
(JTA) — Members of a neo-Nazi group rallied Tuesday night outside the Broadway theater that is hosting “Parade,” a play about the 1915 lynching of a Jewish man in Georgia.
“It was definitely very ugly and scary, but [also] a wonderful reminder of why we’re telling this particular story, and how special and powerful art and particularly theater can be,” star Ben Platt said in a statement on Instagram after the performance, the first preview in the revival’s Broadway run.
Platt stars as Leo Frank, the Jewish manager of an Atlanta pencil factory who was accused of murdering a girl whose body was found there in 1913. Despite little evidence, Frank was found guilty of killing Mary Phagan, who had worked at the factory, and was sentenced to death. In 1915, when Frank’s sentence was commuted to life in prison, he was kidnapped by an armed mob and lynched. The case spurred both the creation of the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish civil rights group whose activities include monitoring neo-Nazi activity, and the revival of the Ku Klux Klan white supremacist hate group.
The protesters, who identified with the National Socialist Movement, a neo-Nazi group headquartered in Florida that has a swastika in its logo, carried a poster that accused Frank of being a pedophile, according to videos shared from the incident. That allegation is frequently made by neo-Nazis who reject the consensus that Frank was innocent of the crime. They see the advocacy on his behalf as evidence of Jewish control of the media, a longstanding antisemitic trope.
The “Parade” protesters also distributed antisemitic literature and criticized the ADL, according to videos shared on social media from the scene. One video shared on Twitter suggested that at least some people present jeered the neo-Nazis. The protesters held a white banner with red capital letters reading “Leo frankly was a pedo.”
“Are you really doing the real work of an artist if you aren’t be[ing] protested by Neo Nazis?” a cast member, Prentiss Mouton, posted on Instagram, over a clip of the incident filmed from above. “If I wasn’t proud enough to be a part of this production it was solidified today.”
Platt, who is Jewish, said the incident underscored the need for “Parade” at a time when watchdogs say antisemitism is on the rise in the United States.
“I just think that now is really the moment for this particular piece,” he said. “I just wanted the button on the evening, at least for me personally, to be to celebrate what a beautiful experience it is and what gorgeous work all of my wonderful colleagues did tonight. Not the really ugly actions of a few people who are spreading evil.”
Platt thanked the Bernard Jacobs Theater for keeping cast and audience members “super safe and secure — as you will be, too, when you come see the show.”
“Parade” first played on Broadway in 1998. The musical written by Jason Robert Brown and Albert Uhry won Tony awards for best book and best score. The revival, which officially begins March 16, follows a seven-performance off-Broadway run last year.
—
The post Neo-Nazis rally outside Broadway preview of ‘Parade,’ about an antisemitic murder appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Uncategorized
Italy Says It Stands Ready to Train Police in Gaza
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks during an interview with Reuters in Rome, Italy, April 15, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
Italy stands ready to help train police forces in Gaza and elsewhere in the Palestinian territories, its foreign minister said on Monday, as Rome aims to play a role in stabilizing the Middle East.
“We are ready to train a new Gaza police force, and we are also ready to train a Palestinian police force,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told a news conference in Rome.
He confirmed that Rome was ready to participate as an observer in US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace initiative, and Italy had been invited to attend a meeting of the group this week in Washington.
Uncategorized
Alleged Bondi Beach Gunman Makes First Court Appearance
People stand near flowers laid as a tribute at Bondi Beach to honor the victims of a mass shooting that targeted a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on Sunday, in Sydney, Australia, Dec. 16, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Flavio Brancaleone
A man accused of opening fire on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach in an attack that killed 15 people appeared in court for the first time on Monday, Australian media reported.
Naveed Akram, 24, faces 59 charges over the Dec. 14 attack, including 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of wounding with intent to murder, and a terror offense.
Police allege he carried out the mass shooting with his father Sajid, 50, who was shot dead at the scene.
During a brief status mention at a Sydney court on Monday, Akram appeared via video link from Goulburn Correctional Center, a maximum-security prison southwest of Sydney, where he is being held on remand, media reported.
Akram wore prison greens and sat mostly in silence during the proceedings. He spoke only to acknowledge that he heard a discussion about extending non-publication orders for the details of the victims.
Outside court, Akram’s lawyer Ben Archbold said his client was doing “as well as he can be” given the “very onerous conditions” in prison.
Archbold said it was too early to say how Akram would plead and that he had not discussed details of the alleged attack with him.
“I haven’t spoken to him about the attack in that regard,” he told reporters.
“All that we’re doing at the moment is starting the process … we’re waiting for the brief to be served; there’s nothing more I can say.”
Archbold added that he had visited Akram in prison.
“He’s just a client, and he’s a client that needs to be represented. And we don’t let our personal view get in the way of our professional obligations. The matter has been adjourned; I have nothing more to say.”
The case is expected to return to court in April.
Uncategorized
Israel Post-War Economy to Grow Further in 2026 After 3.1% Gain in 2025
Israeli national flags flutter near office towers at a business park also housing high tech companies, at Ofer Park in Petah Tikva, Israel, Aug. 27, 2020. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Israel‘s economy grew 3.1% in 2025, official data showed on Monday, rebounding from a 1% pace in 2024, with growth expected to accelerate sharply as long as a fragile Gaza ceasefire holds.
Growth last year was led by a 7.1% rise in investment and a 5.9% gain in exports, along with a modest uptick in consumer spending. Heavy state expenditure during the two-year Gaza war, particularly on defense, gave an added boost to the economy, economists noted.
“The economy is recovering,” said Yonie Fanning, chief strategist at Mizrahi Tefahot Bank. “The indications for the first quarter of 2026 are also positive – you see that in the trade balance data, etc. So, I think it … sets the basis for continued recovery.”
Israel‘s economy in 2025 outpaced an OECD average of 1.7% and 2% growth in the United States. It also was above the Bank of Israel‘s estimate of 2.8%. The central bank projects a 5.2% growth spurt this year.
“What you’re seeing now is excess demand coming after the war, which is coupled with an increase of supply also, for example, in real estate. And so, you see that in investment, and you should see that more going forward in 2026,” Fanning said.
Per capita growth was 1.7% in 2025.
In the fourth quarter, gross domestic product grew an annualized 4.0% from the prior quarter, powered by a 33% jump in exports following an October ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
“This is relatively robust print, especially the business sector activity, impacted by a strong contribution from net exports,” said Leader Capital Markets Chief Economist Jonathan Katz.
A Reuters poll of economists had forecast an annualized 2.6% rate in the final three months of 2025.
Third-quarter GDP was revised to an annualized rise of 12.7% from a prior estimate of 11.1%.
The GDP data follow data published on Sunday showing Israel‘s annual inflation rate eased to 1.8% in January – its lowest level since June 2021 – from 2.6% in December, increasing pressure on the Bank of Israel to lower short-term interest rates next week for a third straight meeting.
Following the inflation data, “most people [in the market] don’t expect it to stay on hold,” Fanning said.
The shekel was flat at 3.09 per dollar, close to a 30-year peak hit earlier in February. Tel Aviv share indices gained as much as 0.3%.