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NY federation CEO offers rare criticism of Israel’s right-wing government
(New York Jewish Week) — The head of North American’s largest Jewish federation made the rare step of criticizing proposed legislation by Israel’s government and “imploring” its prime minister to shelve it.
In an email sent Friday to supporters of the UJA-Federation of New York, its CEO, Eric Goldstein, wrote that he is “alarmed” by recent judicial reforms introduced by Israel’s newly installed justice minister. The reforms, a priority of what has been described as the most right-wing government in Israeli history, would allow Israel’s parliament to override decisions by the Supreme Court and further politicize the selection of its justices.
“The current proposed legislation raises dramatic concerns,” wrote Goldstein, an attorney who was named to head UJA-Federation in 2014. “It eviscerates the role of the judiciary by allowing Supreme Court decisions to be struck down by the barest majority of the Knesset — undermining the very foundations of Israel’s democracy and subjecting all minority groups to the tyranny of the majority.”
“I respectfully implore” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make good on previous pledges that he would block laws that threatened the independence of Israel’s justice system, wrote Goldstein.
Jewish federations — umbrella philanthropies that are set up to serve the range of Jewish denominations and political expressions — seldom publicly criticize the Israeli government, whose social service sector is among their biggest beneficiaries. Goldstein acknowledged as much in his letter, writing that “many insiders advised that off-the-record conversations with senior government officials would be more productive than strident public pronouncements.” (UJA-Federation is a funder of 70 Faces Media, the New York Jewish Week’s parent company.)
In his message, Goldstein is careful to note his pro-Israel bona fides, noting that two of his four children immigrated to Israel and now live in Tel Aviv, including one serving in the Israeli military. And after acknowledging complaints on Israel’s right that the Supreme Court had grown less accountable to the Israeli public, Goldstein wrote, “Judicial reform can be achieved without threatening the fundamental democratic character of Israel.”
Israel’s new right-wing government has sent waves of anxiety through the leadership of America’s largest Jewish organizations, who worry that liberal-leaning rank-and-file Jews will become alienated from an Israeli government that includes far-right ideologues like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. Last month, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism — representing American Judaism’s largest denomination— wrote that the “extremist political agenda of this new government is profoundly distressing, representing radical policy shifts that are antithetical to the core values of liberal Jews.”
Read more from our CEO, Eric S. Goldstein, on the challenge of proposed judicial reform in Israel. https://t.co/q43KdUVyFP pic.twitter.com/L0mxe7LHBU
— UJA-Federation of New York (@UJAfedNY) January 20, 2023
Goldstein addressed concerns over alienation in his letter. “[T]here’s an instinct among some in our community to turn their back on Israel in moments of serious disagreement. But cutting ties or support for Israel is precisely the wrong response,” he wrote. “To the contrary, this is the moment to engage even more, using all the means at our disposal to help sustain a Jewish and democratic Israel.”
To that end, Goldstein wrote that UJA’s Israel office and the Forum of Foundations in Israel are meeting with “dozens” of Israeli philanthropies “to think together about shared strategies for addressing the current moment… and to discuss joint funding initiatives to counter the impact of potential new governmental policies and legislation.”
Representing often fractious communities, especially on Israeli domestic affairs, federations try to avoid political statements or positions. One of the few exceptions has been a decades-long, often public disagreement over policies in Israel that appear to discriminate against the non-Orthodox religious denominations, which represent a majority of affiliated American Jews.
But Goldstein said his concerns over the judicial reforms are consistent with the federations’ support for various causes that some think will be undermined by the new Israeli government’s policies. “We’ve long invested in programs and nonprofits that amplify diverse voices and work to build bridges of understanding, helping to create spaces for all the tribes of Israel — Secular, Haredi, Arab, LGBTQ+, Ethiopian, and more,” he wrote.
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Gaza Water Provider Suspends Services After Hamas Detains Staff Member
Displaced Palestinians run to fill containers with water amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Gaza City, Nov. 6, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
A Gaza company that operates water desalination plants serving nearly half of the enclave’s population has stopped operations to protest at the detention by Hamas of one of its staff.
Youssef Yassin, a board member of the Abdul Salam Yassin Company, said the move would affect more than 1 million people who normally receive water from the company.
Over 70 trucks that carry water containers across the enclave have also stopped operations, he added, risking further supply disruption after the pipeline network was badly damaged during the war.
“I know it is catastrophic but protecting our employees is a sacred issue,” Yassin told Reuters.
Yassin said Hamas had given no reason for the arrest late on Monday. Hamas had no immediate comment when contacted by Reuters on Tuesday.
Hamas has been gradually reasserting control in areas of Gaza that Israel has withdrawn from as post-war talks over its future grind on. Foreign powers demand the terrorist group disarm and leave government but have yet to agree who will replace them.
Israel continues to control around half the Gaza Strip.
The move is a rare show of dissent against Hamas, which has run the Palestinian enclave since 2007. Demonstrations briefly erupted in March and April, demanding an end to the war and that Hamas give up power, but fizzled out after a warning that public disorder would not be tolerated.
If the protest by the company persists, it could exacerbate the chronic water crisis in the enclave, which was worsened further by two years of war.
Israel stopped all water and electricity supply to Gaza early in the war but resumed some supplies later.
Most water and sanitation infrastructure has been destroyed and pumps from the aquifer often rely on electricity from small generators, for which fuel is rarely available.
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US Cancels Washington Meetings With Lebanese Army Chief Over Remarks on Israel, Sources Say
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, and members of the Lebanese cabinet meet to discuss efforts to bring all weapons in the country under the control of the state, at the Presidential Palace in Baabda, Lebanon, Aug. 5, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Emilie Madi
The US has canceled meetings in Washington with Lebanese armed forces commander General Rudolf Hachem after objecting to a statement the army issued on Sunday about border tensions with Israel, Lebanese officials familiar with the matter said.
A Lebanese security official told Reuters the cancellations were “sudden and shocking” and prompted Hachem to call off the trip. Hachem had been due to arrive in Washington on Tuesday for meetings on military assistance and border-security cooperation.
The US Embassy in Beirut did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Washington is a key backer of Lebanon’s army, providing support of more than $3 billion over the last two decades in a policy aimed at supporting state institutions in a country where the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah has long held sway.
In Sunday’s statement, the army accused Israel of “insisting on violating Lebanese sovereignty, causing instability, and obstructing the army‘s deployment in the south.”
It condemned the “latest attack” on a UNIFIL peacekeeping patrol and said Israeli actions required “immediate action” from friendly states as they amounted to “a dangerous escalation.”
The Israeli military occupies five posts within Lebanon and frequently carries out airstrikes in the country’s south that it says are targeting Hezbollah terrorists.
Israel and Lebanon agreed to a ceasefire a year ago that required the Lebanese Islamist group not to have any weapons in the south and for Israeli forces to fully withdraw from Lebanon.
Under the terms of the truce brokered by the US and France, Lebanon’s armed forces were to confiscate “all unauthorized arms,” beginning in the area south of the Litani River – the zone closest to Israel.
Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem has said the agreement only applies to the area south of the Litani.
Israel accuses Hezbollah of trying to rearm, while Lebanon’s government accuses Israel of violating the agreement by not withdrawing and continuing to carry out airstrikes.
US Republican Senator Joni Ernst said she was “disappointed” in the Lebanese army‘s position. “[They are] a strategic partner, and, as I discussed with the CHOD [army chief] in August, Israel has given Lebanon a real opportunity to free itself from Iran-backed Hezbollah terrorists.
“Instead of seizing that opportunity and working together to disarm Hezbollah,” Ernst added, “the CHOD is shamefully directing blame at Israel.”
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Eurovision Host Austria Backs Israel’s Participation, Aims to Stage Record Event
Director General of Austria’s ORF, the host broadcaster for the next Eurovision Song Contest, Roland Weissmann attends a news conference in Vienna, Austria, Nov. 18, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger
Austrian national broadcaster ORF, which will host next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, said it wants Israel to take part despite several countries’ objections and hopes it can host the biggest event in years despite boycott threats.
Eurovision, an annual feast of pop music and high camp from around Europe and as far afield as Australia, became embroiled in a dispute over the war in Gaza in 2025 and 2024 and was hit by street protests over Israel’s participation.
The national broadcasters of five countries – the Netherlands, Slovenia, Iceland, Ireland, and Spain – have called for Israel to be excluded from the contest over the number of civilians killed during Israel’s war against Hamas.
Those broadcasters have said they will boycott the 70th song contest in Vienna or consider not taking part if Israel does.
“Now is the time for diplomacy,” ORF Director General Roland Weissmann told a press conference when asked about talks ahead of next month’s annual meeting of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), at which the issue will be discussed and potentially voted on.
The EBU is an alliance of public broadcasters that organizes and co-produces the annual event.
“We have used the time wisely, we have held diplomatic talks behind the scenes, and I am very, very optimistic that we will have a record number of participating broadcasters,” he added.
Austria and Germany are among Israel’s staunchest allies in the European Union, in part due to their historical atonement for the Nazi Holocaust. They hope a US-brokered ceasefire that took effect in Gaza on Oct. 10 will soften opposition to Israel taking part.
Hamas-led terrorists took 251 hostages during the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel and killed another 1,200 people, starting the war in Gaza.
Three countries’ broadcasters are likely to rejoin the song contest next year, organizers said: Romania, Bulgaria, and Moldova. They withdrew over costs. Canada has also been reportedly considering joining, which would make it the Americas’ first participant.
Asked if Canada should join, Weissmann said: “Hurrah, hurrah, Canada! Yes, of course. Everyone is welcome. We are happy to host the world.”