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Popular German author says Orthodox Jews don’t work except for ‘diamond trading’ and ‘financial transactions’
(JTA) — A best-selling German author and philosopher apologized for saying during an episode of his podcast that Judaism bars Orthodox Jews from working, “except for a few things like diamond trading and a few financial transactions.”
The show’s moderator and co-producer, Markus Lanz, immediately agreed with Richard David Precht, saying “correct” and “accurate,” during the episode that aired Oct. 12 and focused on the Israel-Hamas war.
After a public outcry, the comment was edited out of the program, which is one of the most popular in Germany and is hosted by the mainstream broadcaster ZDF. Stereotypes of Jews not working, or only working with valuables, stem from medieval laws that restricted Jews from certain trades.
The Israeli embassy in Berlin tweeted on Saturday that those who don’t know anything about Judaism had “better say nothing about it than to rehash ancient anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.” The German-Israel Society said the two podcasters had reached “a new low.”
Precht apologized in a statement that was later tacked on before the episode. He said “we greatly regret” the “wording that caused offense and led to criticism, from among others the Israeli embassy.” He added that the comment “wasn’t even remotely meant the way it was understood.”
The broadcaster also included a written statement explaining why it had edited out the controversial statement: “Complex connections were presented in an abbreviated manner, which could be interpreted misleadingly,” it reads in part.
Precht, who is conservative and has written a series of pop philosophy books, has taken controversial positions in the past, including downplaying the threat of the coronavirus and objecting to aiding Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Journalist Moritz Post wrote in the Frankfurter Rundschau online news that Precht’s statement was not an apology: “He simply describes the misunderstanding of third parties, which he regrets.”
Criticism of religion is one thing, but “resorting to discriminatory clichés in this context to support critical argumentation insults religious feelings,” Post wrote.
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Israeli Strike on Tehran Kills Bodyguard of Slain Hezbollah Chief
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi lays a wreath as he visits the burial site of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon, June 3, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
A member of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah was killed in an Israeli air strike on Tehran alongside a member of an Iran-aligned Iraqi armed group, a senior Lebanese security source told Reuters and the Iraqi group said on Saturday.
The source identified the Hezbollah member as Abu Ali Khalil, who had served as a bodyguard for Hezbollah’s slain chief Hassan Nasrallah. The source said Khalil had been on a religious pilgrimage to Iraq when he met up with a member of the Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada group.
They traveled together to Tehran and were both killed in an Israeli strike there, along with Khalil’s son, the senior security source said. Hezbollah has not joined in Iran’s air strikes against Israel from Lebanon.
Kataeb Sayyed Al-Shuhada published a statement confirming that both the head of its security unit and Khalil had been killed in an Israeli strike.
Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli aerial attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs in September.
Israel and Iran have been trading strikes for nine consecutive days since Israel launched attacks on Iran, saying Tehran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons. Iran has said it does not seek nuclear weapons.
The post Israeli Strike on Tehran Kills Bodyguard of Slain Hezbollah Chief first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hamas Financial Officer and Commander Eliminated by IDF in the Gaza Strip
Israeli soldiers operate during a ground operation in the southern Gaza Strip, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, July 3, 2024. Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), in cooperation with the General Security Service (Shin Bet), announced on Friday the killing of Ibrahim Abu Shamala, a senior financial official in Hamas’ military wing.
The operation took place on June 17th in the central Gaza Strip.
Abu Shamala held several key positions, including financial officer for Hamas’ military wing and assistant to Marwan Issa, the deputy commander of Hamas’ military wing until his elimination in March 2024.
He was responsible for managing all the financial resources of Hamas’ military wing in Gaza, overseeing the planning and execution of the group’s war budget. This involved handling and smuggling millions of dollars into the Gaza Strip to fund Hamas’ military operations.
The post Hamas Financial Officer and Commander Eliminated by IDF in the Gaza Strip first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Report: Wary of Assassination by Israel, Khamenei Names 3 Potential Successors
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves during a meeting in Tehran, Iran, May 20, 2025. Photo: Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS
i24 News – Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei named three senior clerics as candidates to succeed him should he be killed, the New York Times reported on Saturday citing unnamed Iranian officials. It is understood the Ayatollah fears he could be assassinated in the coming days.
Khamenei reportedly mostly speaks with his commanders through a trusted aide now, suspending electronic communications.
Khamenei has designated three senior religious figures as candidates to replace him as well as choosing successors in the military chain of command in the likely event that additional senior officials be eliminated.
Earlier on Saturday Israel confirmed the elimination of Saeed Izadi and Bhanam Shahriari.
Shahriari, head of Iran’s Quds Force Weapons Transfer Unit, responsible for arming Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis, was killed in an Israeli airstrike over 1,000 km from Israel in western Iran.
The post Report: Wary of Assassination by Israel, Khamenei Names 3 Potential Successors first appeared on Algemeiner.com.