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Penn Hillel vandalized by person ‘experiencing a crisis,’ say police

(JTA) — A person whom police said had been “experiencing a crisis” entered and vandalized the Hillel at the University of Pennsylvania early Thursday.

The incident ignited fears on a campus where some Jews were already on high alert because of an upcoming Palestinian literature festival featuring speakers who have been accused of antisemitism.

The vandalism occurred as the building was being opened for the day just before 7 a.m., when Orthodox Jewish students meet for morning services. The alleged intruder slipped into the building behind a member of the Hillel community;  smashed a table and podium; flipped over a table and trash can in the lobby; scattered papers; and yelled profanities, according to a report in The Daily Pennsylvanian.

Multiple students told the newspaper that they heard from witnesses that the intruder had made antisemitic comments, including, “F—k the Jews” and “They killed JC,” a reference to the accusation that Jews killed Jesus. The person also yelled, “Jesus is king.”

The intruder was in the building for about a minute before building staff chased him out and services went on as planned, according to a statement from Penn Hillel. No students witnessed the incident itself, the statement said.

Students said they were unnerved by what happened, the evidence of which was still visible later in the morning.

“When I heard, my stomach just immediately dropped,” Maya Harpaz, a junior and executive board member of Hillel, told the Daily Pennsylvanian. “It’s definitely a scary feeling that this could happen to somewhere that you consider very safe on campus.”

In an early comment, a representative from Hillel tied the incident to both the Jewish calendar and the Palestine Writes festival, which is set to begin Friday and run until Sunday afternoon. Pro-Israel groups from across the country have condemned the festival, and some have called on Penn to cancel it.

“This person did not accidentally choose to enter our building. He did not accidentally choose to shout antisemitic slogans. He chose our building,” the Hillel representative wrote to the Daily Pennsylvanian. “He chose to do so just three days before Yom Kippur. He chose to do so one day before a number of speakers are coming to campus who have histories of making antisemitic and hate-filled statements against Jews. This was not a coincidence.”

The exact details of the incident are still being determined. At first, a statement from Hillel indicated that the alleged intruder was a student. But in a later statement posted on the Hillel’s Instagram account, that description was reworded to “an unknown member of the campus community.”

The person in question had been behaving erratically before entering the building and was subsequently transported for “further evaluation,” Penn’s Division of Public Safety wrote in a statement to campus police, the university newspaper reported.

The Hillel building already has security in place during the hours that it is open. Hillel has asked the university to immediately begin providing full-time security in front of the building.

Starting on Friday, the Hillel is organizing a “Shabbat Together” demonstration “celebrating Jewish pride, unity and togetherness” in response to the Palestinian festival.

University president Elizabeth Magill wrote in a letter to Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, on Wednesday that she would not intervene in the conference, citing the university’s “commitment to open expression and academic freedom,” which she wrote “are central to our educational mission.” But she wrote that the university was working with the Hillel to “provide support” ahead of the literature festival and had increased security for on-campus Jewish groups during the High Holidays, which began on Sept. 15 and conclude at the end of Yom Kippur on Monday night.

“Especially at this moment where we are all witnessing a dramatic rise in antisemitic incidents, including on college campuses, I am personally committed more than ever to addressing antisemitism in all forms,” she wrote.

Sydney Freedman, a senior and an active member of the Orthodox community, found the lobby in a chaotic state when she arrived late to services, she told the student newspaper.

“This morning when I went to pray with my community like I do every day, I found that the building was vandalized, and someone had come in and started yelling really violent and aggressive statements against my people,” Freedman told the Daily Pennsylvanian. “I felt so guilty about feeling scared and then something like this happens and it’s just really telling.”


The post Penn Hillel vandalized by person ‘experiencing a crisis,’ say police appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

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Lebanon Must Disarm Hezbollah to Have a Shot at Better Days, Says US Envoy

Thomas Barrack at the Brooklyn Federal Courthouse in Brooklyn, New York, U.S., November 4, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo

i24 News – Lebanon’s daunting social, economic and political issues would not get resolved unless the state persists in the efforts to disarm Hezbollah, the Iranian proxy behind so much of the unrest and destruction, special US envoy Tom Barrack told The National.

“You have Israel on one side, you have Iran on the other, and now you have Syria manifesting itself so quickly that if Lebanon doesn’t move, it’s going to be Bilad Al Sham again,” he said, using the historical Arabic name for the region sometimes known as “larger Syria.”

The official stressed the need to follow through on promises to disarm the Iranian proxy, which suffered severe blows from Israel in the past year, including the elimination of its entire leadership, and is considered a weakened though still dangerous jihadist outfit.

“There are issues that we have to arm wrestle with each other over to come to a final conclusion. Remember, we have an agreement, it was a great agreement. The problem is, nobody followed it,” he told The National.

Barrack spoke on the heels of a trip to Beirut, where he proposed a diplomatic plan for the region involving the full disarmament of Hezbollah by the Lebanese state.

The post Lebanon Must Disarm Hezbollah to Have a Shot at Better Days, Says US Envoy first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Report: Putin Urges Iran to Accept ‘Zero Enrichment’ Nuclear Deal With US

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian on the sidelines of a cultural forum dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the birth of the Turkmen poet and philosopher Magtymguly Fragi, in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Oct. 11, 2024. Photo: Sputnik/Alexander Scherbak/Pool via REUTERS

i24 News – Russian President Vladimir Putin has told Iranian leadership that he supports the idea of a nuclear deal in which Iran is unable to enrich uranium, the Axios website reported on Saturday. The Russian strongman also relayed the message to his American counterpart, President Donald Trump, the report said.

Iranian news agency Tasnim issued a denial, citing an “informed source” as saying Putin had not sent any message to Iran in this regard.

Also on Saturday, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated that “Any negotiated solution must respect Iran’s right to enrichment. No agreement without recognizing our right to enrichment. If negotiations occur, the only topic will be the nuclear program. No other issues, especially defense or military matters, will be on the agenda.”

The post Report: Putin Urges Iran to Accept ‘Zero Enrichment’ Nuclear Deal With US first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Syria’s Al-Sharaa Attending At Least One Meeting With Israeli Officials in Azerbaijan

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa speaks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron after a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, May 7, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq/Pool

i24 News – Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa is attending at least one meeting with Israeli officials in Azerbaijan today, despite sources in Damascus claiming he wasn’t attending, a Syrian source close to President Al-Sharaa tells i24NEWS.

The Syrian source stated that this is a series of two or three meetings between the sides, with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani also in attendance, along with Ahmed Al-Dalati, the Syrian government’s liaison for security meetings with Israel.

The high-level Israeli delegation includes a special envoy of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, as well as security and military figures.

The purpose of the meetings is to discuss further details of the security agreement to be signed between Israel and Syria, the Iranian threat in Syria and Lebanon, Hezbollah’s weapons, the weapons of Palestinian militias, the Palestinians camps in Lebanon, and the future of Palestinian refugees from Gaza in the region.

The possibility of opening an Israeli coordination office in Damascus, without diplomatic status, might also be discussed.

The source stated that the decision to hold the meetings in Azerbaijan, made by Israel and the US, is intended to send a message to Iran.

The post Syria’s Al-Sharaa Attending At Least One Meeting With Israeli Officials in Azerbaijan first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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