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For Iranian Jews who have been cheering Trump on, his new deal is hard to stomach
When Iranian Jews woke up on Feb. 28 to news that the United States and Israel had killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and were striking regime infrastructure across Iran, many felt something they had not experienced in decades: hope that they might see a free Iran in their lifetime.
Social media was filled with praise for President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Iranian Americans gathered in Los Angeles, Great Neck, N.Y., and Washington to celebrate what many believed could be the beginning of the end of the Islamic Republic.
Now, four months later, as the U.S. and Iran have signed a memorandum of understanding that appears to leave the Islamic Republic very much intact, Iranian Jews who spoke to the Forward say that sense of excitement has given way to disillusionment.
The new deal between the U.S. and Iran — notably, Israel, which was a major player in the war, has been left out — extends the current ceasefire by 60 days, during which the Strait of Hormuz will be reopened, and the two sides will work to establish a framework for future negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program and U.S. sanctions.
While the full text of the deal has not been released, critics worry the agreement could ultimately provide the regime with economic relief while leaving the Islamic Republic intact.
While many details remain elusive, it’s clear the current deal is at odds with Trump’s rhetoric at the beginning of the conflict, when he spoke of regime change. During the wave of anti-regime demonstrations in Iran in January, Trump encouraged Iranian protestors on social media, stating, “KEEP PROTESTING – TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!!… HELP IS ON ITS WAY.” After the Supreme Leader was killed, Trump told the Iranian people that the moment to seize back their country was close at hand.
“I couldn’t believe the U.S. actually struck and took out Khamenei like that with Israel. It was surreal,” said Matthew Nuriel, anLos Angeles–based Iranian American Jewish activist, who works as community engagement director at JIMENA, an organization for Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews. “We poured into Westwood, into the federal building area. It was like a street party. There was this real feeling of hope.”
But as time went on, Trump’s rhetoric softened. He suggested that regime change had already taken place — apparently referring to the succession of Khamenei by his son Mojtaba, and said on Sunday that he “never cared about regime change.”
“We saw light at the end of this 50-year tunnel,” said Michelle Ahdoot, an Iranian Jew from Great Neck. “Everyone was saying, ‘Next year in Tehran.’”
“But then slowly it started falling out of reach,” she said. “You would hear at dinner tables, ‘Has this all been for nothing?’”
The new agreement, she said, has been “devastating” for many in the community.
“We’re confused with this, disappointed and incredibly disheartened,” Ahdoot said. “I just don’t see how any deal with a terrorist regime could be good for anybody.”
Many interviewees also expressed concerns that the deal could leave Israel vulnerable to Iranian aggression if the final agreement does not include provisions on Iran’s proxy network and missile arsenal.
Most Iranian Jews fled the country during and after the Islamic Revolution that swept the country in 1979 and changed life fundamentally for minorities. Sharia became the law of the land, and chants of “death to America” and “death to Israel” became fixtures at schools and public events. Once numbering around 100,000, today Iran’s Jewish population is somewhere between 8,000 and 10,000. Many of Iran’s Jews fled to Israel and the United States, where they have wished to one day return to the place they once called home, perhaps not to live, but certainly to visit on their own terms.
While there is little polling on the political views of Iranian Americans or Iranian American Jews, several interviewees said Iranian Jews have generally been among Trump’s strongest supporters because of his policies toward both Israel and the Islamic Republic. Several community members interviewed by the Forward said they viewed him as a break from decades of American policy that they believed had failed to challenge the Iranian regime and its proxy network that has terrorized the Middle East, especially Israel.
“Overwhelmingly, people have been pro-Trump the past couple of years,” Ahdoot said. “People joke that he’s our Moshiach.”
Elizabeth Shirian, a member of the Iranian Jewish community in Great Neck, agreed, stating many remain supportive of Trump even as they question the agreement.
“The Iranian Jewish population is pro-Israel, and so that’s a big reason why they’re supporting him,” she said. “Everyone wants to stay pro-Trump, but obviously they’re very confused by him trying to make a deal with Iran.”
Nuriel said that for many, a Trump presidency felt like a rare opportunity to take down the regime.
“We’ve seen where the Democratic Party lies. It’s all about keeping the status quo, and the Republican Party under Trump definitely felt like a huge break from that,” Nuriel said.
“I think the JD Vance-style isolationist mindset is growing within the Republican Party, so if this doesn’t happen under Trump, it feels kind of like a nail in the coffin,” they added.
Marjan Keypour, an Iranian Jewish human rights activist, said that now, many community members are struggling to reconcile their faith in Trump with a deal they fear could strengthen the Iranian regime.
Keypour said she has been struck by how many community members assume the administration has a broader strategy that has yet to become public.
“Members of the Iranian Jewish community that are generally very supportive of Trump are still hoping that there is a bigger master plan that we don’t know of,” she said.
She worries that this trust has also discouraged some from speaking openly about their concerns.
“The people who raised questions or expressed anxiety were dismissed as liberals, as anti-Trump, as anti-Israel,” she said. “They’re just willing to sit down and just watch what happens, rather than speaking out about their concerns, sharing the vivid experience they have about their regime, and how they can not be trusted.”
Whether the new agreement ultimately weakens the Islamic Republic or helps preserve it remains to be seen. But for many Iranian Jews who celebrated in the streets just weeks ago, the dream of a free Iran suddenly feels much further away.
“I genuinely pray and hope that all of these feelings that I have, and that so many of us have, are wrong,” said Nuriel. “I hope Trump is playing 4D chess. I hope the regime will topple. I would love nothing more than for those people to be right.”
The post For Iranian Jews who have been cheering Trump on, his new deal is hard to stomach appeared first on The Forward.
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The Netherlands will return to Eurovision after boycott over Israel
(JTA) — The Netherlands will return to the Eurovision Song Contest, overriding a broadcaster that withdrew over Israel’s actions in Gaza.
The Dutch organization that oversees public broadcasting, the Nederlandse Publieke Omroep, said on Wednesday that it will take over the country’s entry to Eurovision after Avrotros, the broadcaster that usually takes part in Eurovision for the Netherlands, pulled out of the 2027 event in Burgas, Bulgaria.
Avrotros said last month that it withdrew because the event “can no longer be considered neutral,” citing Israel’s inclusion amid “the severe humanitarian suffering in Gaza and the ongoing restrictions on press freedom.”
Avrotros dropped out of the most recent contest in May 2026, and the Netherlands did not participate after the NPO ruled out identifying another broadcaster. Spain, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia also boycotted this year’s Eurovision. Israel’s participation in the world’s largest music contest has become a source of intense controversy, sparking mass protests. The contest drew 35 million fewer viewers this year.
For the next Eurovision, NPO is assigning the broadcaster NOS to provide coverage of the event and an “independent team of experts” to select the Dutch act.
“We understand that participation in the Eurovision Song Contest evokes mixed feelings in the Netherlands,” said Jet de Ranitz, the chairman of the NPO’s executive board. “We have explicitly asked the [European Broadcasting Union] to once again make the unifying character of the festival an important part of the event, in recognition of a time of geopolitical unrest, war, and polarization.”
The NPO added that the EBU, which owns the contest, has “taken significant steps regarding the rules of the Eurovision Song Contest.” The EBU introduced changes in August that included barring countries involved in armed conflict from hosting the competition. It also made adjustments to the voting process after accusations of politically motivated voting.
Avrotros said the new rules were not sufficient to ensure that Eurovision remains “independent and neutral.”
Martin Green, the director of Eurovision, said in a statement that the contest was “delighted to welcome the Netherlands back” in 2027.
Ireland is set to boycott Eurovision again in 2027 after RTÉ, the national broadcaster, said last week that its position “remains unchanged.”
RTÉ cited “the appalling and ongoing loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk,” adding that it was “deeply concerned by the continued denial of independent access to international journalists to the territory.”
Spain could also stay out of Eurovision next year. José Pablo López, the president of Spanish broadcaster RTVE, announced at a Senate hearing on Tuesday that he supported a continued boycott, saying it was “painful that Israel continues to participate.”
Meanwhile, Belgium confirmed its participation despite calls for a boycott by its public media unions.
“Participation is in no way an endorsement or normalization of what is happening in Gaza and the rest of the world,” said Frederik Delaplace, the CEO of the Flemish broadcaster VRT. “We do note, however, that the EBU is no longer shying away from these difficult societal and geopolitical issues.”
The post The Netherlands will return to Eurovision after boycott over Israel appeared first on The Forward.
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Police label shooting in Belleville, Ontario, a hate-motivated attack against the Jewish community
(JTA) — TORONTO – The shooter who opened fire on a Belleville, Ontario, synagogue Sunday evening committed an anti-Jewish hate-motivated offense, according to the city’s police chief.
“This was a deliberate attack directed at members of the Jewish community during one of the holiest observances of the year,” Belleville police chief Murray Rodd said at a press conference on Thursday, adding that the shooter had combustible materials, including gasoline, in his truck.
He said the threat posed to Jewish communities required increased alertness on the part of Canadian law enforcement. Police stationed outside the Sons of Jacob synagogue had engaged in a shootout with the assailant, Sean Ward, that prevented him from entering the building as members of the congregation were about to begin Yom Kippur services.
Rodd noted that the force had a long-time relationship with the Jewish community that involved “our proactive pre-positioning of on-duty staff” to ensure the safety of Jewish worshippers. “One of the messages to my colleagues around the province and the country is: It is clearly time that we all be proactive.”
Rodd said the efforts of Constables Jeff Smith and Michael McCurdy prevented the attacker from using the explosive materials he had with him, as well as a “significant” amount of ammunition.
Smith, who was stationed outside of Sons of Jacob to provide security, remains in critical condition but is making progress, according to Rodd. Ward later died of his wounds from the exchange with police.
“[The shooter] had the means, the mechanism, and the motive to perpetrate a greater act. The only thing that stopped entry into the synagogue to execute the intent were the two officers,” said Rodd. “He was equipped with other weapons and the means to carry on a gun battle for a long period of time.”
The CBC reported that police obtained a video of the attack in Belleville, a town over 100 miles east of Toronto on the north shore of Lake Ontario. On the video, Ward is heard shouting. Police report he is saying, “You are going to die for the Jews.”
Rodd confirmed that before Ward targeted the Sons of Jacob, he scoped out the synagogue grounds. “We know that there was a reconnaissance in the presence of our officer, but nothing that would have alarmed him or would have triggered him to be on the defensive,” Rodd said.
Ward was a former member of the Canadian Armed Forces. Rodd noted.
“He was shot multiple times in multiple places,” Rodd said. “He has everything extending from fractures to wounds, and is still bearing shrapnel.”
The post Police label shooting in Belleville, Ontario, a hate-motivated attack against the Jewish community appeared first on The Forward.
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US Senate Democrats seek sanctions on those facilitating controversial West Bank settlement project
(JTA) — A slate of U.S. Senate Democrats, led by staunch Israel supporter Chris Coons, is seeking to sanction individuals and businesses linked to a controversial settlement expansion in the West Bank.
The massive E1 project, which would add 3,401 housing units east of Jerusalem, would effectively bisect the West Bank, inhibiting the prospects for a contiguous Palestinian state in the West Bank. It would also further separate the West Bank from East Jerusalem, which Palestinians seek as the capital of a future state. Israel recently issued new construction tenders for the project, following the government’s approval of the plans last summer.
Coons, of Delaware, introduced legislation this week that would target “any foreign person” deemed “responsible for or complicit in” the construction or financing of, or investment in, the planned E1 settlement, as well as the leaders of any entity that has engaged in such activities.
“As Palestinian civilians face a campaign of devastation and fear from violent extremist settlers, the United States must send a strong message that this behavior is unacceptable,” Coons said in a statement.
Israel, he added, must demonstrate “that it remains committed to freedom, security, prosperity, and self-determination for all Israelis and Palestinians.”
Global leaders have slammed the prospective development, as have many U.S. lawmakers. Yet even amid the increased criticism of the Israeli government, the bill is unlikely to advance in a Congress with Republican majorities in both chambers.
Coons thus far has garnered support from 18 of the Senate’s 44 other Democrats, including three co-authors: Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Ron Wyden of Oregon and Ruben Gallego of Arizona. Wyden is Jewish and a longtime Israel supporter.
“For decades, American presidents from both parties have warned successive Israeli governments that construction in E1 threatened the viability of a Palestinian state and was unacceptable to the United States,” Coons said.
As unlikely as it is that the bill will pass, its introduction is symbolic of the chasm that has grown in recent years between Israel and the Democratic Party. The legislation is led by Coons, who has a solid pro-Israel record. Previous sanctions backed by Democrats, including by former President Joe Biden, have generally targeted settler violence and offensive weapons, while this bill centers on what Israel’s government would regard as a conventional building project.
Warren, Wyden and Gallego all voted in favor of a failed resolution authored by independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, which sought to stop the sale of military bulldozers to Israel. Coons, who voted against the measure, was one of just seven Democrats to do so.
While Warren’s position on Israel has fluctuated in recent years, she has consistently maintained that Israel has a right to defend itself and has voted against measures to boycott, divest from and sanction Israel. But she has been a sharp critic of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and suggested conditioning military aid to Israel on compliance with U.S. and international humanitarian law.
Regarding the E1 settlement sanctions bill, Warren said the U.S. “must use all diplomatic and economic tools available to counter rapid settlement expansion and extremist settler violence.” These “spiraling trends” risk undermining “the prospect of lasting peace for Israelis and Palestinians,” she added.
The bill would sanction “foreign persons that have facilitated Israeli settlement construction in the E1 area,” including those who have submitted tender bids, offered guarantees to such bids, signed development or lease agreements, provided construction-related services or financed related infrastructure.
The sanctions would “block and prohibit all transactions in property and interests in property” of such a person in the U.S., with exceptions made for those providing humanitarian assistance or conducting intelligence activities in the area.
“The E1 settlement project is a move towards de facto annexation of the West Bank,” Warren stated. “Those who choose to facilitate settlement construction should understand that they risk losing access to the U.S. financial system.”
Wyden, who has a similar record of backing Israel while criticizing Netanyahu, slammed the prime minister’s “disgraceful policy of expanding West Bank settlements,” noting that such activity “crosses a clear red line and makes Palestinian statehood and lasting peace even more difficult.”
He, too, urged the U.S. to “stand up against Netanyahu’s campaign of violence and aggression against Palestinian civilians” by sanctioning those who “are complicit in this unlawful action.”
The fourth co-author, Gallego, in recent months has shifted his stance from pro-Israel centrist to a fierce and outspoken opponent of the country’s current military operations.
“Proposed Israeli construction of new settlement homes in the E1 area would cut off East Jerusalem from the West Bank and threaten a viable Palestinian state,” he said.
Describing the project as “a step in the wrong direction,” he noted that “for decades, Democrats and Republicans alike have pushed for a two-state solution.”
Coons, Warren, Wyden and Gallego are not alone in hammering the advancement of the E1 project. Their bill followed collective action taken by the United Kingdom, France and Canada earlier this month, when the countries decided to ban goods from West Bank settlements and Jewish areas of East Jerusalem.
At the same time, the U.K. and 11 other nations released a joint statement announcing “their intention to introduce national and/or support European restrictions on trade in goods with settlements which are illegal under international law.”
At the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham warned that the E1 settlement’s construction would “threaten to put a viable Palestinian state beyond reach.”
“We want to see the suffering and death finally come to an end,” Burnham added. “We want to see Israeli and Palestinian people living side by side in peace and security.”
Back in Washington, joining the four co-authors of the bill were 15 other senators who signed on as cosponsors, most of whom are likewise long-time allies of Israel but sharp critics of the Netanyahu government.
The co-sponsors include Michael Bennet of Colorado, Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Mark Kelly of Arizona, Andy Kim of New Jersey, Jeff Merkley of Oregon, Chris Murphy of Connecticut, Patty Murray of Washington, Jack Reed of Rhode Island, Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Adam Schiff of California, Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Peter Welch of Vermont.
The liberal pro-Israel group J Street welcomed the legislation, with its president, Jeremy Ben-Ami, declaring “the end of the era in which right-wing Israeli governments could ignore U.S. demands to halt settlement expansion.”
The post US Senate Democrats seek sanctions on those facilitating controversial West Bank settlement project appeared first on The Forward.
