12/14 Links Pt2: The BBC Proves That It’s ‘News You Can’t Trust’; Jewish antisemitism denial; NYTs Whitewash of Gaza Poetry Professor Was ‘Inaccurate,’ an Editors’ Note Now Concedes ~ EoZ

From Ian:

The BBC Proves That It’s ‘News You Can’t Trust’

When asked to provide proof of that alleged “racial slur,” the BBC journalist whose name appears on the written report replied, “This was actually something picked up by my editors not me and they wanted to reflect that briefly in the piece.”

Analysis of the same footage carried out by the Jewish Chronicle and others presents a different picture to the one promoted by the BBC — saying there was no slur uttered.

The BBC was challenged on its claim by members of the British Jewish community, including the Board of Deputies, as well as by two members of the House of Lords, Ian Austin and Michael Grade.

On December 13, the Jewish Chronicle reported that the Metropolitan Police “has found no evidence of the BBC’s claim that an anti-Muslim slur was voiced by one of the victims of the antisemitic abuse incident on Oxford Street two weeks ago.”

Nevertheless, nearly two weeks after its reports promoting the notion of such a slur having been used, complaints from members of the public and community organizations have yet to be answered by the BBC.

Bizarrely, the BBC appears to so far have elected to dig in on this issue rather than responding appropriately to criticism of obviously highly problematic reporting that raises many questions beyond those of accuracy.

That chosen course of action clearly indicates to BBC audiences just how committed the corporation actually is to earning and keeping their trust.

Hundreds Rally Against Anti-Jewish Coverage By BBC Following Bus Incident

As many as 250 Britons stood outside of the headquarters of the publicly funded British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in London on Monday night to demand that it take accountability for anti-Jewish coverage on the network.

The crowd chanted “BBC, where the proof? BBC, tell the truth” in response to an on-air report during Hanukkah about an attack on a bus full of Jewish teens in Central London. In its coverage of the event, according to Campaign Against Antisemitism, the BCC reported that racial slurs against Muslims were made by young riders.

“This incident is one of many in which the BBC has victim-blamed Jewish people for antisemitism, downplayed racism towards Jews, platformed antisemites and fueled antisemitism in Britain,” the group said in announcing the event.

“We don’t want to be here, but we have to be here because we have to say: ‘BBC news, stop blaming Jews,’ ” said Gideon Falter, chief executive of the Campaign Against Antisemitism, during the rally.

He went on to note that “we see no evidence for the @BBC’s claim, which is a distraction from the real story, which is that Jewish teenagers were prevented by racist thugs from celebrating Hanukkah.”

HonestReporting Lodges Complaints Following London Police’s Dismissal of Anti-Muslim Slur Claims Against Jews

In our complaint to the BBC, we note that, contrary to the BBC’s allegations, “the Metropolitan police have examined the evidence and heard no such slur,” before making clear that the “claim is an utter sham and deeply offensive to the Jewish community. There are no ‘two sides’ here. Jews were being abused. They did not do any abusing of their own. Insinuating that they did is outrageous.”

We also note the BBC’s failure to adequately address the problem, despite widespread condemnation from Britain’s Jewish community:
The BBC has repeatedly parried complaints about this false accusation instead of doing the decent thing and admitting that the claim simply has no basis. It’s outrageous and deeply offensive. It’s bad enough when Jews are attacked on the streets of London, but for them to then be falsely accused of hurling abuse themselves constitutes a total failure to meet basic journalistic standards.”

The message ends with the simple call: “Apologize already.”

Now that the Met Police has announced that it has examined the evidence and found no proof of any anti-Muslim slur, why has the BBC still failed to respond?

With the corporation so far unwilling to admit any wrongdoing, HonestReporting has also lodged a formal complaint with the regulatory body, Ofcom. In our complaint to the independent industry regulator, we note that:
The issue is so severe and so outrageous, with the BBC refusing to apologise for over 10 days now, that Ofcom’s intervention is clearly necessitated.”

BBC Repeatedly Tarred by Antisemitism
This episode is just the latest in a string of incidents that call into question the BBC’s impartiality regarding Israel and Jewish people. In May, HonestReporting helped expose the antisemitic tweets of reporter Tala Halawa, following a lead by GnasherJew. After an HonestReporting tweet went viral, the issue received widespread media coverage, and the BBC eventually fired Halawa some weeks later.

And just last month, an HonestReporting investigation uncovered numerous antisemitic social posts by another BBC employee, Nasima Begum.

Hardly surprising for an organization that has suppressed an allegedly damning report which would have exposed its deep-seated anti-Israel bias.

It is now abundantly clear that the BBC has a serious problem that must be urgently addressed.

Jewish antisemitism denial

In what can only be characterized as the latest example of Jewish self-loathing, a group of morally deranged faculty has joined forces to create a new organization, the sole purpose of which is to derail the adoption and use of the working definition of anti-Semitism drafted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).

The organization, the Jewish Faculty Network (JFN), is comprised of some 140 Canadian academics who last March published a statement in which they decried the IRHA definition, suggesting at that time that, “as Jews,” they wished to “add our voices to a growing international movement of Jewish scholars to insist that university policies to combat antisemitism are not used to stifle legitimate criticisms of the Israeli state, or the right to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people.”

What Jews could possibly interfere or take issue with a tool for identifying anti-Semitic behavior and expression when it manifests itself? Why would anyone, Jewish or not, try to reject a working definition of anti-Semitism that has been adopted by some 35 countries, international organizations, and 30 universities, all of which see the IHRA definition as an important vehicle for ameliorating a surge of anti-Semitism, both on campuses and outside the university walls?

The answer is revealed when these woke activist professors finally disclose why they object to efforts to have the IHRA definition adopted on their respective campuses: regardless of whether or not it helps expose anti-Semites, for the JFN the greatest concern, “the most serious problem . . . is that the definition is tied to a series of examples of which many are criticisms of the Israeli state.” For this group, whose members are an active and vocal part of the campaign to decry the very existence of the Jewish state, linking instances of anti-Israelism with anti-Semitism is completely unacceptable, because, they contend, the use of the IHRA definition “threatens to silence legitimate criticism of Israel’s grave violations of international law and denial of Palestinian human and political rights.”

Only in the inverted reality of academia could a group of Jewish professors denounce a tool which has as its core purpose to identify and define current-day instances of anti-Semitism, preferring, instead, to stand in solidarity with Israel’s ideological enemies, the same individuals who are largely responsible for the present tsunami of Jew-hatred or campuses, disguised as “criticism of Israel.” In fact, as supporters of the IHRA definition have urged universities to adopt it, the very people who object to its use are the ones complicit in propagating the bigotry it was created to address.

The “Soup Nazi” Syndrome

As recently as this past past month, the following attacks occurred, one closely after another;
- A Jewish woman in Brooklyn, New York was attacked and slapped in the face by a random assailant who accosted her. The attacker, a young woman in her 20s, asked the Jewish woman: “Are you a Jew?”, then attacked the victim, slapping her.
- A few days later, a suspect was arrested by the NYPD for an anti-Semitic spitting attack in Crown Heights.
- In late October, the NYPD Hate Crimes Unit announced it had opened an investigation after a Jewish man in Crown Heights was hit in the head with an unknown projectile.
- On November, 4, a visibly pregnant 33-year old Jewish woman was assaulted by a man in Crown Heights while walking on Eastern Parkway. The man opened a juice bottle and threw it at her face. He also yelled, “You people disgust me.”
- Several days later, a 25-year old Jewish man in Crown Heights was assaulted by five men, one of whom punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground yelling, “You dirty Jew”.

How are we to understand the empowerment and lack of inhibition enjoyed by Jew haters in the public domain?

As we seek out answers, the natural inclination is to look outwards and demand accountability by politicians, intellectuals, celebrities, or just about anyone outside of the Jewish tribe. Little if any effort has been made to point out how members of the tribe, primarily liberal and progressive Jews have contributed to the rapid rise of Jew hatred.

The normalization and trivialization of the Holocaust and Jew hatred might be a good starting point. Progressive Jewish organizations have for many years vilified Israel and compared the Jewish state with Hitler’s Germany. However the entertainment industry and specifically Jewish celebrities have contributed more than their share in diluting and trivializing the significance of the Holocaust and delegating Jew hatred to a punch line.

Head of ADL Blasts Muslim Advocacy Org CAIR for ‘Blatant Antisemitism’

CAIR then issued a strong statement of support for Billoo’s conspiracy theories, doubling down on her antisemitism. The group said those who pointed out Billoo’s racism “use false allegations of antisemitism in a cynical attempt to silence American Muslims who speak up for Palestinian human rights.”

It targeted Greenblatt for opprobrium, calling his criticism of Billoo’s hate speech “hateful remarks,” and blasted the ADL for “singling out and smearing Muslim leaders who support Palestinian human rights.”

CAIR then endorsed a so-called #DroptheADL social media campaign.

The group later appeared to deny that it had defended Billoo and her antisemitic statements, or that Billoo had made such statements at all, tweeting Sunday, “Yeah, that’s not what she said or what we believe. But go ahead, keep lying.” It then accused the Israeli newspaper the Jerusalem Post of being “a mouthpiece for Israeli apartheid.”

Greenblatt issued a strident response, saying Billoo “blamed America’s Jewish institutions — from civil rights orgs to respected campus orgs to charitable orgs to virtually every synagogue in the US — for a variety of America’s ills, including Islamophobia. Classic conspiratorial antisemitism.”

“She spins a vast conspiracy around Jewish orgs supporting poverty, homelessness, and police brutality and attacking Muslim Americans for their opposition,” he said. “Claiming that American Jews are working to subject our fellow Americans to poverty and brutality is wildly antisemitic.”

“Ms. Billoo’s speech was not a critique of Israeli policy. It was part of a long campaign to push American Jews out of social justice and civil rights spaces,” Greenblatt asserted. “To be clear, Ms. Billoo’s speech, and CAIR’s support for it, are both blatant acts of antisemitism.”

UPDATE - Indigo Bay & Bloor and all of its vendors will be pulling this book from their shelves. Great job @Dani_Sababa

We must never stand for the erasure of the Jewish people from lands we have been apart of for thousands of years! https://t.co/Jn0AfUWnUT
— StopAntisemitism.org (@StopAntisemites) December 14, 2021

Groundbreaking Win Against Palestinian Anti-Semitic Propaganda

Antisemitism at the Toronto District School Board has led to a backlash that the Board undoubtedly did not expect. It was high time that the largest school Board in Canada, and the fourth largest in North America, faced accountability regarding its use of public funds to promote a pro-Palestinian agenda as part of its “equity” and “diversity” program. The Board’s actions go back to Operation Guardian of the Walls in May, and climaxed with the targeting of a Jewish school board trustee who was taken to the woodshed by the Board for pointing out a disturbing incident of antisemitism displayed by the TDSB’s equity advisor.

The backlash has been unprecedented, involving virtually every Jewish group and supporter of democracy in the Toronto area, and includes a rare statement by the Toronto Board of Rabbis. It ultimately resulted in a victory, in a groundbreaking, precedent-setting vote put to the TDSB Trustees to strike down an antisemitic motion. The battle was intense, and demonstrated what collective determination for the good could accomplish.

Enter Black Lives Matter, Pro-Palestinian Activist
The complicated series of events that led to the storm began in late September, when author and activist Desmond Cole was hired by the Toronto District School Board to give a talk about anti-black racism. Cole veered off course to lecture teachers and administrators about “Palestine.” He claimed that “those troubled by the phrase ‘Free Palestine’ have a vested interest in the continued oppression of Palestinian people.”

He went on to interrupt and talk over superintendent Lorraine Linton and executive superintendent Shirley Chan, stating:
“If people interpret ‘Free Palestine’ as being violent, it is because they are benefitting from Palestinians being unfree…In the same way if you answer ‘Black Lives Matter’ with ‘All Lives Matter,’ you must have some investment in Black lives being undervalued.”

Cole does not accept the idea that one could advocate for black lives and all lives at the same time. Under Canada’s constitution, of course, all are equal.

Cole should also be questioned about the Islamic State’s genocide against black Christians in Africa, and the countless blacks who are being murdered by blacks in inner cities; this would reveal how much he really cares about black lives. Nor does he address the issue of blacks being held slaves in Mauritania, Sudan and Algeria by Arabs.

It doesn’t take a genius to recognize an agenda behind Black Lives Matter, and gaping holes in that organization’s stated concern for black lives. The group’s co-founder, Patrisse Cullors, has also made clear the group’s support for the Palestinian jihad; she has “called for the ‘end’ of Israel at a 2015 panel hosted a Harvard Law School. Anything white is deemed as ‘the imperialist project.’”

Antisemitic Professor Who Was Kept on at UNC Spreads More Jew Hatred Than Ever

This semester, Kylie Broderick taught the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) course on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, despite her publicly promoting the view that Israel should not exist, declaring that Palestinians are the only legitimate side in the conflict, and urging “everyone at UNC … [to] boycott Israeli products.”

She even scheduled a quiz on Yom Kippur — the holiest day of Judaism.

Now a new video has emerged, in which Broderick declares, “The concept of objectivity is a colonizer’s tool and one we must discard entirely,” and that “objectivity is neither desirable nor possible in teaching history.”

In this new video, recorded at the end of November, Broderick spoke on a “Teaching Palestine” virtual panel, complaining, that the UNC administration “spent a good deal of time examining my ability to be objective, whatever that means.”

Broderick states that instructors should aim to be activists who “teach justice in the classroom.”

She reports that UNC wanted her to meet with Jewish Studies faculty, calling it a nonsensical request, describing “university leaders” as “either illiterate or more likely deliberately cowardly.”

Her talk begins, “I want to recognize I am also on stolen and unseeded indigenous territory here in North Carolina,” and went on to refer to the United States and Israel as “twin settler colonies.”

Broderick promoted the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement (BDS) during the panel, and earlier in 2021, she signed a letter affirming her commitment to promote BDS “in the classroom and on campus.”

And UNC still chose her to teach a course on Israel and the Palestinians.

CUNY Chancellor Rejects Law Student Call to End Academic Ties With Israel

City University of New York Chancellor Matos Rodriguez called for “dialogue, tolerance, and civil engagement” in response to a recent resolution passed by the law school’s student government seeking an end to cooperation with Israeli universities and castigating several Jewish and pro-Israel groups on campus.

Passed on Dec. 2, the Law Student Government Association (LSGA) resolution said that CUNY Law School’s collaboration with Israeli researchers and institutions made it “complicit” in alleged war crimes committed by Israel, and condemned Hillel, Bulldogs for Israel, and other student organizations at CUNY for their support of the Jewish state.

“To be clear, CUNY cannot participate in or support BDS activities and is required to divest public funds from any companies that do,” Rodriguez said Friday, citing New York state policy. “The resolution also states that CUNY and the CUNY School of Law are complicit in censoring Palestinian solidarity organizations and in committing war crimes against the Palestinian people, a characterization that we completely reject.”

“It also calls on the University to end all academic exchange programs with Israel which is contrary to a university’s core mission to expose students personally and academically to a world that can be vastly different to their own, particularly through international exchange programs,” he continued.

“Now more than ever, I believe it is incumbent on all of us, especially those of us in higher education, to promote tolerance and civic engagement, and to commit ourselves to coming together, hard as it may often seem, to forge mutual understanding as members of this widely diverse university community,” Rodriguez said.

ADL report: Anti-Israel student groups top drivers of anti-Semitism on campus

In the last academic year, pro-Israel college students have felt vilified and ostracized as anti-Israel and anti-Zionism sentiment proliferates at schools nationwide, according to a report by the Anti-Defamation League.

Findings included in “The Anti-Israel Movement on U.S. Campuses, 2020-2021,” identify the campus anti-Israel movement as being led by student groups and certain professors. Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) continue to be two of the most influential anti-Israel campus groups, allied often with like-minded organizations such as Young Democratic Socialists of America, Palestinian Youth Movement and American Muslims for Palestine.

SJP, which has 180 chapters and organizes protests, BDS resolutions and “disseminates propaganda” through social media and other outlets—is by far the “most active” anti-Israel group on university campuses in the United States and Canada. Also very active in spreading anti-Israel and anti-Zionist sentiment on campus, the report said, is the group Jewish Voice for Peace.

Seventeen colleges brought BDS measures up for a vote by the student government in 2020-21, and 11 have passed them, adding to the ongoing rise of anti-Israel activism on campuses.

New Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner Urged to Resign After Past ‘Antisemitic’ Rhetoric Revealed

A group of prominent Austrian public figures have joined with the country’s Jewish student union to demand the resignation of the newly-appointed interior minister who once accused a rival political party of working for its “American and Israeli masters.”

An open letter published on Monday called on Gerhard Karner of the conservative ÖVP Party to quit his post because of his “antisemitic rhetoric.” Signatories to the letter included the celebrated playwright and novelist Elfriede Jelinek, the Israeli-Austrian historian Doron Rabinovici, the former president of Austria’s Supreme Court, Irmgard Griss, and Cornelius Obonya, a popular Austrian actor. The letter was initiated by the Austrian Union of Jewish Students (JOH).

The controversy over Karner emerged last Thursday — three days after his appointment — with the publication of an article in the German newsmagazine Spiegel that exposed his long history of bellicose rhetoric towards political opponents.

One of the examples cited occurred during the 2008 state election campaign in Austria. In a statements that were quoted at the time by APA, Austria’s national press agency, Karner charged that the social democratic SPÖ Party was “working against the country with their American and Israeli masters” and that they were “poisoning the climate.”

The letter’s signatories declared themselves “shocked and concerned” by Karner’s appointment, questioning how this squared with the government’s announcement earlier this year of a national action plan to combat rising antisemitism. The letter argued that the antisemitic nature of Karner’s 2008 comment was “obvious … on the one hand it expresses the idea of the ‘Jewish world conspiracy’ and on the other hand it makes use of the centuries-old legend of the ‘Jewish well poisoner’.”

Worst Time in Modern History to be an Anti-Semite, Study Shows (satire)

A new study from the Iranian Institute for the Advancement of anti-Semitism revealed that it’s the worst time in history to be an anti-Semite. The study showed that, since the inception of the Jewish state, it has become increasingly more difficult for assholes to persecute the Jews.

When they started, the researchers said they hoped to show that persecuting Jews was as easy as “old times”, noting that “they are the only people on the planet running away from Europe towards the Middle East”, and that the concentration of Jews in one place would be easier to wipe them out, but they discovered that’s not the case.

One idiot in the study responded by saying he felt “now that they had somewhere to go, it was a lot harder to kick them from country to country like we used to”. They also discovered that the creation of the Israeli Defense Forces posed serious obstacles to “sending them back to the ovens”.

The study did note that there was some room for optimism, pointing out that “it’s pretty easy to convince someone you’re anti-Israel not anti-Semitic” with the research showing a severe spike in anti-Semitic incidents on US college campuses, a place where an Israeli flag can garner more animosity than an ISIS flag. He noted: “It’s progress – not much – but we’re getting there. You have to start with the kiddies”.

New York Times Whitewash of Gaza Poetry Professor Was ‘Inaccurate,’ an Editors’ Note Now Concedes

The New York Times has published a six-paragraph “Editors’ Note” walking back as “inaccurate” and incomplete an article about a Gaza poetry professor. Pro-Israel groups had assailed the article as a whitewash.

The note, which appears in the Dec. 14 print edition of the newspaper and atop the online version of the November 17 original Times article, says the story “about Refaat Alareer, a Palestinian professor who includes a discussion of Israeli poetry in his literature classes, gave an inaccurate portrayal of the professor.”

The note goes on to say that after the article was published, “Times editors reviewed additional information that is at odds with the article’s description of Mr. Alareer, a literature professor at Islamic University in Gaza.”

The Times reporter appears to have witnessed — and reported on — a class put on for show, for his benefit, the note suggests: “In the class witnessed by a Times reporter, Mr. Alareer taught a poem by the Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai, which he called ‘beautiful,’ saying it underscored the ‘shared humanity’ of Israelis and Palestinians. He said he admired how it showed that Jerusalem is a place ‘where we all come together, regardless of religion and faith.’”

The editors’ note says, though, that “in a video of a class from 2019, he called the same poem ‘horrible’ and ‘dangerous,’ saying that although it was aesthetically beautiful, it ‘brainwashes’ readers by presenting the Israelis ‘as innocent.’ He also discussed a second Israeli poem, by Tuvya Ruebner, which he called ‘dangerous,’ adding ‘this kind of poetry is in part to blame for the ethnic cleansing and destruction of Palestine.’”

The editors’ note goes on, “When The Times asked Mr. Alareer about the discrepancy, he denied that there was a ‘substantial change’ in his teaching and said that showing parallels between Palestinians and Jews was his ‘ultimate goal.’ But he said that Israel used literature as ‘a tool of colonialism and oppression’ and that this raised ‘legitimate questions’ about Mr. Amichai’s poem.

The editors’ note concludes, “In light of this additional information, editors have concluded that the article did not accurately reflect Mr. Alareer’s views on Israeli poetry or how he teaches it. Had The Times done more extensive reporting on Mr. Alareer, the article would have presented a more complete picture.”

If you want steady stream of anti media bias reporting tweets involving Israel follow our friends @CAMERAorg or @GileadIni etc directly. I do not subscribe and refuse to link to NY Times.

TY ??
— Ron M. (@Jewtastic) December 14, 2021

“Apartheid” and the Media’s Complicity in a Modern-Day Libel

A new report from NGO Monitor issues a much-needed challenge and rigorous critique of one of today’s most dangerous libels against the Jewish State: the claim that Israel is an “apartheid” state. The authors, Joshua Kern of 9 Bedford Row and Anne Herzberg of NGO Monitor, expertly demonstrate the real academic and legal analysis absent from those accusations lobbed against Israel.

The report is divided into three parts. First, it reviews what apartheid actually looked like in South Africa. Second, it details the history of the apartheid accusation against Israel. Third, it actually analyzes the international law surrounding the crime of apartheid. In early 2022, a companion report will be issued that will apply the law to the situation in Israel, putting the facts to the legal test.

Each of these parts serves a crucial purpose.

Groups like Human Rights Watch (HRW) try to argue we shouldn’t look to the South African experience as illustrative of what the crime of apartheid involves, since such a comparison would inevitably expose the superficial nature of HRW’s libel against Israel. Kern and Herzberg correctly point out in Part I that not only is the South African experience practically relevant, but also legally relevant, considering the Apartheid Convention expressly refers to it.

Similarly, in Part III, the authors do what Israel’s defamers refuse to do: provide an “objective or measurable standard for what practices amount to apartheid.” As articulated by another legal expert, Professor Eugene Kontorovich of George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School, when it comes to HRW’s “apartheid” libel, “there is no baseline for its accusations.” In other words, what groups like HRW and B’tselem do is distort the facts on the ground and then shape the law to fit those distorted facts. Herzberg and Kern instead perform legal analysis as it is meant to be done. They analyze and determine the scope and meaning of the law based on actual legal principles and only then apply the law to the facts.

This understanding is what really colors Part II’s thorough analysis of how the accusation of “apartheid” against Israel began and has evolved over the decades, as well as how CAMERA’s work as a media watchdog comes into play.

Janine di Giovanni, veteran war correspondent and fellow at @JacksonYale, admonishes Jews collectively to oppose the crimes of "their government". She has a history of anti-Jewish hostility, going back to 2004 when she angrily confronted an interviewer: "Are you Jewish?" (1/3) pic.twitter.com/7IBS0ixaJ4
— John-Paul Pagano (@johnpaulpagano) December 13, 2021

Here's the full run of Martin Himel's "Jenin: Massacring Truth", which is a good documentary on the Manichaen anti-Israel and anti-Jewish narrative that erupted in European media during the start of the Second Intifada. (3/3)https://t.co/X2hOZqEiP5
— John-Paul Pagano (@johnpaulpagano) December 13, 2021

Assailant Who Subjected Brooklyn Rabbi to Brutal Attack Is Sentenced to 11 Years in Jail

A Brooklyn man has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for a brutal assault on a rabbi in 2018 that left the victim badly bruised and with a fractured rib.

Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Donald Leo passed sentence on the offender, 44-year-old James Vincent, one month after a jury found Vincent guilty of strangulation as a hate crime and assault as a hate crime, among other charges. On April 21, 2018, Vincent engaged in an unprovoked attack on Rabbi Menachem Moskowitz as he walked home from shabbat services at a synagogue in the Crown Heights section of the borough.

The stiff sentence won fulsome praise from Jewish advocates in Brooklyn, where Orthodox Jews have frequently been targeted for violent assaults in recent years.

“Gratified to learn the perpetrator of this vicious hate crime on Menachem Moskowitz was sentenced by the Judge to 11 years in prison,” the United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg and North Brooklyn (UJO) tweeted. “We hope this serves as a deterrent for others who consider attacking anyone based on hate.”

In an interview in the immediate aftermath of his ordeal, Moskowitz admitted that he feared Vincent would kill him.

“As I was walking home I passed a man smoking a cigar on the corner of Rutland and Schenectady and I said ‘good afternoon’ to him,” Moskowitz said at the time, explaining that “it’s a nice neighborhood and everyone is close.”

UK Court Jails Man Who Verbally Abused Jewish Couple at Manchester Tram Stop

A British man has been jailed by a court in the UK for assailing a couple waiting at a tram stop with antisemitic abuse.

Adam Boyle, 32, was convicted for the incident on October 7 in the city of Manchester. Described by police as “visibly intoxicated,” Boyle approached the couple at the city’s Victoria Station while they waited for a tram to the nearby town of Bury.

As Boyle began screaming antisemitic abuse in the faces of the couple, two off-duty police officers who were passing intervened immediately, rushing to aid the couple and arrest Boyle.

Boyle, a resident of Birmingham in central England, will spend six-and-a-half months in jail.

After Boyle’s conviction was announced, local police officers in Bury posted a notice on Facebook recounting the incident.

“After spotting the couple at the station Boyle approached them before getting close to their faces and shouting antisemitic abuse at them,” they wrote. “Thankfully two off-duty police officers were nearby and witnessed the verbal assault and Boyle was immediately arrested.”

Boyle was found guilty of Racially/Religiously Aggravated Intentional Harassment/Alarm/Distress at Birmingham and Solihull Magistrates Court.

Shomrim have released a video of a gang of teens harassing a Jewish child on his way back from school.

They're appealing for information. pic.twitter.com/guZJfMKSe2
— The Jewish Chronicle (@JewishChron) December 14, 2021

We've updated our site to expose @jntwyatt's antisemitism & Holocaust denial. Like so many antisemites, Jeff supports the Palestinian cause & is "anti-Zionist."

Can our followers in Canada report him to the authorities? https://t.co/2iVnaNehja
— GnasherJew®????? (@GnasherJew) December 14, 2021

Tory MP compares NHS COVID Pass to Nazi Germany during BBC Radio 5 interview

Marcus Fysh, the Conservative Party MP for Yeoville, compared the NHS COVID Pass to Nazi Germany during a BBC Radio 5 interview earlier this week.

During the interview, Mr Fysh told interviewer Rachel Burden that if people don’t feel safe and secure going to a pub or a restaurant without COVID restrictions, then they should not go. He said: “You don’t tell other people what they should do with their bodies.”

Ms Burden replied that the point that she was making was that “you’re not telling someone what to do with their body other than to say they’ve taken a test.” Mr Fysh responded: “You are segregating society based on an unacceptable thing. We are not a ‘papers please’ society. This is not Nazi Germany, okay?”

“No, I don’t think it is,” Ms Burden replied, adding: “And I think there’s a long, long way between what people are being asked to do and Nazi Germany.”

In August, Campaign Against Antisemitism created an Instagram post detailing why it is wrong to compare vaccines to the Holocaust.

Azerbaijan to commemorate International Holocaust Day

Azerbaijan will for the first time mark International Holocaust Day on January 27, becoming one of only a handful of Muslim-majority countries to commemorate the day.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev made notice of this decision in a meeting earlier this month with Rabbi Marc Schneier, a longtime advocate for Jewish-Muslim relations, while also committing to funding a Jewish school in the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku.

Schneier said he had asked Aliyev to take this step during their meeting, and that Aliyev readily agreed.

“President Aliyev said in response, ‘We would very much like to do this, and to be a part of it,’ and said that he would instruct his Foreign Ministry to coordinate with Israel’s ambassador to Azerbaijan in planning the commemoration events for the day,” said Schneier. “I think this is one more step, one more benchmark in Aliev’s unparalleled solidarity and commitment to his indigenous Jewish community, and to world Jewry and the State of Israel.”

Aliyev also committed to providing funding for the growing Chabad Ohr Avner Jewish school in Baku, and asked the rabbi there to update him in the event of any future financial distress at the school, giving his commitment to funding any such shortfall as well.

Israeli tech removes drone threat from Pope mass - exclusive

An Israeli anti-drone company’s technology removed a rogue drone that was interrupting a mass held by Pope Francis with 60,000 worshippers in Slovakia, The Jerusalem Post can exclusively report.

The highly sensitive incident, which was managed and resolved by D-Fend, occurred back on September 15, but the embargo on revealing it to the public has only been removed now.

There were also 90 bishops and 500 priests present during the incident at the giant event.

D-Fend said it worked with the Slovakian Interior Ministry to protect the pope, his retinue and attendees from the threat of rogue drones throughout multiple events in Slovakia from September 12-15, culminating with the open-air Mass in Šaštín, home to the National Marian Shrine. The EnforceAir product developed by D-Fend was deployed with its ground-level tactical kit to provide 360-degree coverage.

In addition to the overflowing crowd, there were several counter-drone security challenges, including many antennas and communications systems in the area, with an associated high radio frequency interference environment, said D-Fend.

South African Government Faces Call to Apologize to Miss South Africa After Top 3 Finish

The South African government is being urged to apologize to Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane after she finished in the top three of the Miss Universe competition in Israel on Sunday night — after her own country withdrew its support for her efforts because she would not boycott the Jewish state.

While several Arab nations participated in the Miss Universe pageant, the South African government, under the influence of the anti-Israel “boycott, divestment, and sanctions” (BDS) movement, urged Mswane to withdraw. When she refused, the South African government said it would not support her candidacy.

Congratulations to our @MissUniverse 2021 2nd runner-up @Lalela_lali 💃✨

We are sooo proud of you for relentlessly pursuing what sets your heart on fire!#MissUniverse #lalela pic.twitter.com/LJhDZ8KrKM
— Miss South Africa (@Official_MissSA) December 13, 2021
On Sunday night, Mswane turned in an classic performance, finishing in the top three as 2nd Runner-up. Now, Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa is being urged to apologize.

South African news outlet Independent Online reports:
Citizens for Integrity on Monday called on Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa to apologise to Miss South Africa Lalela Mswane after she made the top three at the 70th Miss Universe pageant which was held in Eilat, Israel, this morning, without government support.

“Mr Minister, Lalela’s reputation and standing are far more advanced now than they could even have been had the bullying and attempts to force her to withdraw from the Miss Universe Pageant being successful. You offered her nothing but threats in South Africa. You would have left her with nothing, except a lack of dignity,” said Mark Hyman and Willie Hofmeyr, directors for Citizens for Integrity.

“Your threats that it could prove disastrous to her future and public standing seem a little hollow. Will you greet her on her triumphant return to South Africa? The world is her oyster and millions of South Africans celebrate with her. As the Israelis say, ’mazal tov!’ As South African say ’siyakubongela’.”

Miss USA Vows to Come Back to ‘Wonderful’ Israel

Miss USA Elle Smith, who reached the top 10 on Monday’s Miss Universe pageant in Eilat, called Israel “wonderful” and vowed to be back.

The Kentucky beauty shared with Breitbart that she was looking forward to touring the country on her own.

“I’m going to be back. After Miss Universe I’ll come back to Israel and be able to explore on my own and just relax and explore the country in its entirety because it’s just a wonderful place,” Smith said.

The 23-year-old added that she was lucky to room with Miss Israel, Noa Cochva. “She knows the country best so I’ve got the inside scoop on the best places to go.”

Syrian-American journalist visits Israel to cover Miss Universe

Israel Delivers Water Pallets to Tornado-Ravaged Kentucky Communities in Joint Aid Truck With Chabad

The Israeli government, Jewish groups and an Israeli non-governmental humanitarian aid agency are stepping up efforts to help communities hit by devastating tornadoes in Kentucky.

Alex Gandler, Deputy Consul General of Israel’s mission to the Southeast in Atlanta, told The Algemeiner that after Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s pledge on Sunday to “offer any assistance needed,” it was decided to donate pallets of water to those affected by the storms in western Kentucky.

In Kentucky, which bore the brunt of the tornadoes that struck the central US Friday, at least 74 have lost their lives and more than 109 are reported as unaccounted for. The tornadoes destroyed hundreds of houses, leaving many of those who survived homeless, with some 28,000 homes and businesses still without power Tuesday.

“We stand with our friends in Kentucky at this difficult time and will continue to offer any support that we can,” Gandler said in an emailed statement.

The Consulate General of Israel to the Southeast partnered with Chabad of Kentucky to deliver the water and additional supplies to three locations in Graves County on Monday. Gandler said the Israeli Consulate in Atlanta is also in contact with the Kentucky Governor’s office, the Kentucky Emergency Management and elected officials, to continue to provide support to hard-hit areas as needed.