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American patron of Israeli archaeology becomes focus of New York’s antiquities trafficking unit
(JTA) – The crusading New York prosecutor who has been exposing illicit trafficking in the antiquities market through a succession of high-profile raids has zeroed in on his next big target: the private collection of Shelby White, the widow of a Wall Street legend and philanthropist known for donating to Jewish museums in New York and to the Israeli government agency charged with policing the antiquities trade.
As a result of the ongoing investigation into looted artifacts by Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Matthew Bogdanos, White has already relinquished at least two dozen items worth at least $20 million, according to reporting by New York magazine. Some of those artifacts have been returned to Italy and Turkey in recent months.
A request for comment submitted to a charity headed by White received no reply. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. thanked White in a Feb. 3 press release for cooperation with investigators.
The focus on White comes after Bogdanos’ Antiquities Trafficking Unit reached an unprecedented deal in December 2021 with another prominent antiquities collector and donor to Jewish causes. Michael Steinhardt, the former investor who founded Birthright Israel, surrendered 180 artifacts, including some that were stolen from Israel, and committed to never buying antiquities again in an agreement that spared him from possible criminal charges.
White serves as chair of an American charity called the Friends of the Israel Antiquities Authority. The charity funnels tax-exempt donations to an Israeli government office and law enforcement agency that sponsors archeological excavations and regulates the buying and selling of antiquities.
White has donated directly to the Israel Antiquities Authority through her family’s charity, the Leon Levy Foundation, which is named in honor of her late husband, a pioneer of mutual funds. Last June, the authority unveiled the Shelby White & Leon Levy Lod Mosaic Archaeological Center near Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport.
Many Jewish cultural institutions in New York have benefited from White’s donations. She is a director of the Center for Jewish History, which thanked her in 2010 for an $860,000 gift that has helped with the preservation of archival materials. Her foundation’s website also lists as grantees the Jewish Museum, the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side and a program dedicated to Jewish material culture at the Bard Graduate Center.
Since the Manhattan district attorney’s office put him at the head of a newly created antiquities trafficking unit in 2010, Bogdanos has upended the market for archaeological artifacts. Using a previously obscure New York law, he convinced the courts to regard the possession of stolen antiquities as potentially criminal, even if a collector had legally purchased the looted item in question. Since many of the antiquities that have entered the United States are believed to have been looted at one point in time, this legal precedent has jeopardized the status of many if not all major collections held in museums and by private individuals.
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The post American patron of Israeli archaeology becomes focus of New York’s antiquities trafficking unit appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Exclusive: Israeli Officials Harshly Critical of Steve Witkoff’s Influence on US Policy on Gaza, Iran, i24NEWS Told
US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Washington, DC, Jan. 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Carlos Barria
i24 News – Amid growing disagreements with the Trump administration over the composition of the Board of Peace for Gaza and the question of a strike on Iran, officials in Israel point to a key figure behind decisions seen as running counter to Israeli interests: Special Envoy Steve Witkoff.
The officials mention sustained dissatisfaction with Witkoff. Sources close to the PM Netanyahu told i24NEWS on Saturday evening: “For several months now, the feeling has been that envoy Steve Witkoff has strong ties, for his own reasons, across the Middle East, and that at times the Israeli interest does not truly prevail in his decision-making.”
This criticism relates both to the proposed inclusion of Turkey and Qatar in Gaza’s governing bodies and to the Iranian threat. A senior Israeli official put it bluntly: “If it turns out that he is among those blocking a strike on Iran, that is far more than a coincidence.”
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EU Warns of Downward Spiral After Trump Threatens Tariffs Over Greenland
European Union flags flutter outside the EU Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on June 17, 2022. Photo: Reuters/Yves Herman
European Union leaders on Saturday warned of a “dangerous downward spiral” over US President Donald Trump‘s vow to implement increasing tariffs on European allies until the US is allowed to buy Greenland.
“Tariffs would undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral. Europe will remain united, coordinated, and committed to upholding its sovereignty,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Antonio Costa said in posts on X.
The bloc’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas said tariffs would hurt prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic, while distracting the EU from its “core task” of ending Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“China and Russia must be having a field day. They are the ones who benefit from divisions among allies,” Kallas said on X.
“Tariffs risk making Europe and the United States poorer and undermine our shared prosperity. If Greenland’s security is at risk, we can address this inside NATO.”
Ambassadors from the European Union’s 27 countries will convene on Sunday for an emergency meeting to discuss their response to the tariff threat.
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Israel Says US Gaza Executive Board Composition Against Its Policy
FILE PHOTO: Displaced Palestinians shelter at a tent camp in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, January 14, 2026. REUTERS/Haseeb Alwazeer/File Photo
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday that this week’s Trump administration announcement on the composition of a Gaza executive board was not coordinated with Israel and ran counter to government policy.
It said Foreign Minister Gideon Saar would raise the issue with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The statement did not specify what part of the board’s composition contradicted Israeli policy. An Israeli government spokesperson declined to comment.
The board, unveiled by the White House on Friday, includes Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan. Israel has repeatedly opposed any Turkish role in Gaza.
Other members of the executive board include Sigrid Kaag, the U.N. special coordinator for the Middle East peace process; an Israeli‑Cypriot billionaire; and a minister from the United Arab Emirates, which established relations with Israel in 2020.
Washington this week also announced the start of the second phase of President Donald Trump’s plan, announced in September, to end the war in Gaza. This includes creating a transitional technocratic Palestinian administration in the enclave.
The first members of the so-called Board of Peace – to be chaired by Trump and tasked with supervising Gaza’s temporary governance – were also named. Members include Rubio, billionaire developer Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.