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Fearing ‘constitutional and social collapse,’ Israel’s president begs for compromise on judicial reform
(JTA) — Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, issued a stern warning to Israelis on Sunday night: The country is “on the brink of constitutional and social collapse” over proposed judicial reforms that would give lawmakers veto power over the Supreme Court.
In a televised address on the eve of a pivotal moment in the proposal’s trajectory, Herzog outlined a potential compromise that he said would protect Israel’s judiciary while addressing the concerns of the right-wing governing coalition, which says the Supreme Court has grown too liberal and unresponsive to public opinion.
Herzog, whose role is primarily ceremonial, exhorted the government, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, not to advance proposed legislation right now, while saying he would make himself available “at all hours of the day” for compromise talks. He said he feared a steep cost if the government moves forward with proposals that have animated massive protests as well as criticism from foreign governments and Jewish and business leaders.
“For a while, we have no longer been in a political debate, but are on the brink of constitutional and social collapse,” Herzog, a former leader of the Labor opposition party who once ran against Netanyahu, said early in the speech. “I feel, we all feel, that we are in the moment before a clash, even a violent clash. The gunpowder is about to explode.”
Later, he added, “The biggest challenge of all is maintaining the unity of the people of Israel. I am fully committed to this, and if required, I may even request to appear before the committee in a precedent-setting and exceptional manner, in order to present the proposed principles in depth. I am ready to do anything — I repeat, everything — so that we can overcome this difficult dispute.”
Members of the political opposition quickly welcomed Herzog’s proposal for compromise talks, while some members of the governing coalition dismissed it. “The president’s compromise proposal is irrelevant,” tweeted Moshe Gafni, a member of Knesset who leads the United Torah Judaism party. “If they wanted a compromise, they should have come 30 years ago, not now.”
Netanyahu did not immediately respond. Earlier on Sunday, he had defended his government against the mounting protests. “I condemn the calls for a civil war just because one side lost the elections,” he said.
Herzog plaintive speech came as Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, prepares to consider the proposed reforms for the first time on Monday. Critics of the proposed changes from all over the country plan to call out of work and school to protest outside the Knesset building in Jerusalem. Some 200,00 Israelis across the country protested the reforms last night.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden weighed in against the proposals for the first time this weekend, saying that “an independent judiciary” is part of “the genius of American democracy and Israeli democracy.” His administration responded positively to Herzog’s call for compromise.
Herzog’s speech was broadcast live on Kan, Israel’s public broadcaster, which itself has faced criticism from members of the governing coalition.
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Australian Teen Wounded While Shielding Children During Bondi Attack Says She Is Not a Hero
Bondi shooting survivor Chaya Dadon, 14, holds a pendant, in the shape of Israel, and a partial Star of David engraved on it, that she bought a few hours before the shooting in Sydney, Australia, Dec. 19, 2025. Photo: Reuters/Cordelia Hsu
As two gunmen opened fire on hundreds celebrating Hanukkah on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, 14-year-old Chaya Dadon’s mind was clear.
Across from where she had taken cover from the gunshots under a bench, Dadon saw two children stranded out in the open, beside their wounded parents.
“I knew in that moment, I felt like Hashem was sitting right next to me,” she said in an interview with Reuters, using a Hebrew name for God. “He was whispering into my ear, ‘This is your mission: go save those kids.’”
The schoolgirl left the safety of her hiding spot, pulled the children away, and jumped on top of them, covering their bodies with her own. At some point, she was shot in the thigh. But she kept shielding them, reciting the Shema, a Jewish prayer.
“I knew I got shot, but I wasn’t even worried. I channeled all that energy that I had into strength, and I made sure that I knew I had to be there for those kids,” she said.
“If I could give up my life saving these children, that’s what I was going to do.”
Her father eventually found them and took her to get help. “When he found me, he told me this after, that I had the girl in this arm and the boy in this arm. And I was just kissing them.”
Sunday’s attack, which officials described as an act of terrorism, killed 15 people and wounded dozens more in Australia’s worst mass shooting in nearly three decades. Police allege the Islamic State-inspired attack was carried out by Sajid Akram, 50, and his 24-year-old son Naveed. Sajid was shot dead by police at the scene, while Naveed has been charged with 59 offenses including murder and terror.
Dadon’s story is one of several accounts of bravery and heroism that have emerged in the attack’s aftermath, and she resists being singled out.
“I don’t feel like I’m a hero. I feel like everyone was a hero in that situation,” said the teenager, who attended the annual event with a friend.
“I’ve been going my whole life,” she said. “It’s usually such an amazing event.”
Dadon spent four days at the Sydney Children‘s Hospital before returning home on Thursday. She is now walking with crutches, which she has decorated with stickers commemorating some of those who were killed.
She still does not know the children she shielded but hopes to connect with them again.
“Those little kids that have been through things that no one should have been through,” she said, but the ordeal would make the Jewish community stronger.
“Even if they can’t see it now, everyone is going to grow stronger because I really feel like that situation, everyone was tested.”
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In Pre-Recorded Message, Rob Reiner Encourages Holocaust Survivors to Be Resilient
Rob Reiner speaking in a pre-recorded message that was shared during the Claims Conference’s International Holocaust Survivors Night 2025. Photo: Screenshot
Famed Jewish Hollywood director Rob Reiner encouraged Holocaust survivors to “be resilient” in a video he recorded before he was killed that was shown for the first time on Thursday as part of The Claims Conference’s 9th annual International Holocaust Survivors Night.
Reiner and his wife, Michele, were found dead on Sunday at their home in Los Angeles. Their 32-year-old middle son, Nick Reiner, has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the stabbing of his parents and is being held without bail. Reiner co-starred in the sitcom “All in the Family” before becoming the famous director behind movies such as “This Is Spinal Tap,” “Spinal Tap: The End Continues,” “Stand by Me,” “The Princess Bride,” “When Harry Met Sally…” and “A Few Good Men.”
The Claims Conference, known officially as the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, is a nonprofit organization that, according to its website, seeks to “secure material compensation for Holocaust survivors around the world.”
In his message for the Claims Conference event, Reiner began by talked about his personal connection to the Holocaust. His wife’s mother survived Auschwitz while her extended family was murdered in the Nazi death camp. Reiner’s aunt was also in Auschwitz.
“If ever we needed to be resilient, it’s now,” Reiner said in his message. “We’re living in a time now where what’s happening in our country is scary and reminiscent of what we’ve seen happen in the past, and we just hope that we can all survive this and that we can hold on to our democracy. Let’s be resilient.”
Greg Schneider, executive vice president of the Claims Conference, said Reiner started working with the annual International Holocaust Survivors Night a few years ago. “He understood the importance of remembering the Shoah and honoring Holocaust survivors,” Schneider explained, using the Hebrew term for the Holocaust. “Shoah remembrance was deeply personal to Rob Reiner. Rob and Michele, we will carry on your values of acting with honesty, integrity, knowledge and education.”
The annual virtual event by the Claims Conference celebrates Holocaust survivors around the globe, while also honoring them for their sacrifice and contributions to the world. The special livestream program features a menorah lighting ceremony at the Western Wall in Israel and this year’s virtual event was co-hosted by actor and director Noah Emmerich, whose credits include “The Americans,” “The Truman Show,” and “Beautiful Girls.”
The livestream also paid tribute to Holocaust survivor Alex Kleytman, who was among the victims murdered on Sunday in the antisemitic attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia.
Seventeen Holocaust survivors from around the world spoke during the Claims Conference event, including survivors from The Netherlands and South Africa, and the theme of this year’s program was resilience. The livestream also featured celebrity guests such as Barbra Streisand, Billy Crystal, Julianna Margulies, Jason Alexander, Tovah Feldshuh, Debra Messing, Mayim Bialik, and Patricia Heaton. There were musical performances from Grammy and Tony Award winner Barry Manilow and the New York-based a cappella singing sensation, Six13. Footage was also shown from a concert and ceremony by Yad Vashem, Israel’s memorial to the Holocaust, to honor Holocaust survivors, with music originally arranged by 105-year-old Auschwitz survivor and conductor László Roth.
Crystal was among a group of Reiner’s close friends in Hollywood, including Albert Brooks, Larry David, and Martin Short, who issued a joint statement following Reiner’s death. They remembered him as “not only a great comic actor” but also “a master storyteller” who drew on everything he learned from his father, famed actor Carl Reiner, and his mentor Norman Lear, the legendary producer who created and cast Rob in “All in the Family.”
“Going to the movies in a dark theater filled with strangers having a common experience, laughing, crying, screaming in fear, or watching an intense drama unfold is still an unforgettable thrill. Tell us a story audiences demand of us,” the statement said, as cited by The Associated Press. “There is no other director who has his range. From comedy to drama to ‘mockumentary’ to documentary, he was always at the top of his game. He charmed audiences. They trusted him. They lined up to see his films.”
They also said in part that his “comedic touch was beyond compare” and that “to be in his hands as a film maker was a privilege but that is only part of his legacy.”
“Rob was also a passionate, brave citizen, who not only cared for this country he loved; he did everything he could to make it better and with his loving wife Michele, he had the perfect partner,” the statement said. “Strong and determined, Michele and Rob Reiner devoted a great deal of their lives for the betterment of our fellow citizens … They were a special force together-dynamic, unselfish and inspiring. We were their friends, and we will miss them forever. There is a line from one of Rob’s favorite films, ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ ‘Each man’s life touches so many other lives, and when he isn’t around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?’ You have no idea.”
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Nearly 18,000 Gather at Barclays Center for Menorah Lighting in Tribute to Sydney Hanukkah Attack Victims
Eli Drizin reciting the blessing for lighting the menorah at Barclays Center on Dec. 18, 2025. Photo: Provided
Nearly 18,000 people gathered at Barclays Center in New York City on Thursday night for a menorah lighting that honored the 15 people murdered in Sunday’s terrorist attack at a Hanukkah celebration on Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia.
“Nets fans, tonight as we celebrate the Jewish festival of light, we ask you to help us mourn the lives of those lost in the senseless attack that took place at the Bondi Beach Hanukkah festival in Sydney, Australia on Sunday,” the Barclays announcer told the crowd. “Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the victims, their families and friends, and the worldwide community.”
The NBA’s Brooklyn Nets took on the Miami Heat on Thursday night at Barclays Center. Between the first and second quarters of the game, a giant menorah decorated with basketballs was lit by 14-year-old Brooklyn resident Eli Drizin, who is the nephew of Rabbi Eli Schlanger, one of two Chabad rabbis killed in Sunday’s attack in Sydney. Fans in the arena stood in solidarity with Sydney’s Jewish community as the teen lit the menorah on the fifth night of Hanukkah. The candle lighting was also broadcast on television.
Drizin was accompanied by Rabbi Mendy Hecht of Chabad Prospect Heights and Rabbi Shimon Rivkin, director of Chabad Teen Network (CTeen) International, which co-organized the evening in collaboration with the Nets. After Drizin recited the blessings and lit the menorah, attendees broke into dance, which drew a standing ovation from the arena.
In an interview last year, the late Rabbi Schlanger said that in response to antisemitism, Jews should “be more Jewish, act more Jewish, and appear more Jewish.”
“After all that we’ve been through, having this big stage to share the Rebbe’s message that we could all be ambassadors of light, that each person could take the light of God and make it theirs and bring more light, is the most powerful thing,” said Rabbi Mendy Hecht. “This big menorah lighting was a huge uplift in morale for our people.”
CTeen is the world’s largest Jewish teen organization with 842 chapters in 67 countries. Thursday night’s event was attended by Jewish teens from across the New York tri-state area, and following the menorah lighting ceremony, young CTeen participants played a special halftime game on the home court of the Brooklyn Nets and also participated in post-game free throws.
“In light of the horrific events in Sydney, it’s so important for us to be together at this time, proudly celebrating our tradition,” said Jake Zborovsky, a junior at Northern Highlands High School in Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, and member of Valley Chabad CTeen who played in the halftime game. “It was an honor to represent on the court.”
“Tonight, we saw the next generation refuse to be intimidated,” said Rabbi Shimon Rivkin. “Despite the tremendous pain, we cannot lose hope; the future of the Jewish people is bright, and these teens are leading the way.”
Chabad has hosted menorah lightings at major sporting events since 1987, with the first taking place at Hard Rock Stadium, formerly known as the Joe Robbie Stadium, in Florida. CTeen has previously organized ceremonies at Sunday Night Football games and SoFi Stadium.
The Nets roster includes Israeli players Danny Wolf and Ben Saraf. The Miami Heat beat the Brooklyn Nets 106-95 on Thursday night.