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Tree of Life Obtains $1 Million in Federal Funding to Develop Antisemitism Curriculum
The facade of the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Nov. 3, 2018. Photo: Reuters / Alan Freed
The US federal spending bill for fiscal year 2024 that was enacted last week to keep the government open into the fall included the allocation of $1 million to the Tree of Life organization in Pennsylvania to help it develop a school curriculum that will focus on tackling antisemitism and other forms of hate.
The fund gives Tree of Life Inc. “the resources to develop and implement K-12 curriculum to help educators and students to identify and challenge antisemitism and identity-based hate,” according to a news release from US Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA), who helped secure the funding. “With in-person and virtual instruction of the curriculum, thousands of students will be provided the tools to disrupt hate.”
Tree of Life Inc. was created following the antisemitic attack in October 2018 at the synagogue located in Squirrel Hill, Pittsburgh, that was home to the three congregations of Tree of Life, Dor Hadash, and New Light. Shooter Robert Bowers killed 11 people in the onslaught, which is considered the deadliest antisemitic attack to take place in US history. Bowers was convicted and sentenced to death last year.
The federal spending bill includes $250,000 for the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia “to develop education programming and materials to help students better understand the history and present-day impact of antisemitism.” It will also “provide them with the tools to address discrimination online and in their communities.”
The $1.2 trillion spending bill passed the Senate, 74-24, and the House, 286-134, before being signed into law by President Joe Biden on Saturday. Both of Pennsylvania’s senators and four of the five House members from western Pennsylvania, where Pittsburgh is located, voted for the spending bill. The lone exception was Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.).
Demolition began in January on the Tree of Life synagogue in an effort to reconstruct the building and have it honor the 11 people who were killed in the 2018 antisemitic attack. A memorial to the victims will also be constructed outside of the synagogue.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
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