Weekly roundup of world briefs

Sweden pleads for the life of Iranian-Swedish physician set to be executed in Iran for spying for Israel

By Ron Kampeas

(JTA) — The Swedish foreign minister pleaded with Iran to spare the life of a Swedish-Iranian physician who was convicted on charges that he was spying for Israel, saying they were trumped up.

“Sweden condemns the death penalty and is working to ensure that the verdict against Ahmadreza Djalali is not enforced,” Ann Linde said Tuesday on Twitter, adding that she had spoken to her Iranian counterpart, Javad Zarif.

Djalali, a renowned emergency medicine physician, was visiting Iran in 2016 when he was arrested. He was charged with, among other things, spying for Israel.

The doctor has told human rights groups that his confessions in 2017 were extracted by torture and threats against his family. He also said the charges were retaliation for refusing to spy for Iran.

Djalali told his wife that he was moved in recent days to a different prison to prepare him for execution.

Columbus Jewish couple say they were victims of anti-Semitic hate crime by their neighbor

By Ben Sales

(JTA) — A Jewish couple in Columbus say their neighbor yelled anti-Semitic threats at them and threw rocks through their window.

Federal, state and county authorities are investigating the incident as a hate crime, according to the local ABC affiliate.

Nick and Tiffany Kinney say that on the night of Nov. 7 their neighbor approached them, spat on them and said he was “tired of us liberals,” then said “horrible things about Hitler, it’s no wonder Hitler burned our people, he knows we are Jewish,” Nick Kinney told ABC-6.

According to Tiffany Kinney, the neighbor said, “I’ll put a bullet through your head like Hitler.”

The couple believe the neighbor then threw the rocks that shattered their door and window.

Seth Rich’s parents, Fox News settle over false claim he was killed for leaking damaging information in 2016 election

By Ron Kampeas

(JTA) — Fox News and the parents of Seth Rich, the Jewish Democratic National Committee staffer killed near his Washington, D.C., home in 2016, settled the family’s lawsuit over a story that intimated he was killed for leaking damaging information about Democrats.

Joel and Mary Rich said they were “pleased with the settlement of this matter and sincerely hope that the media will take genuine caution in the future,” a number of outlets media reported Tuesday.

The conditions of the settlement and any payment were not revealed.

“We are pleased with the resolution of the claims and hope this enables Mr. and Mrs. Rich to find a small degree of peace and solace moving forward,” Fox News said.

The settlement comes as the family was set to depose Sean Hannity and Lou Dobbs, top Fox News hosts who peddled the falsehood.

The Riches sued Fox and a number of others involved in posting the story, which Fox eventually retracted, for “intentional infliction of emotional distress.” A federal judge dismissed the suit two years ago, but an appellate court returned it to the lower court.

Rich, 27, a Nebraska native, was shot dead while walking home before dawn on July 10, 2016. Police have speculated that he was the victim of a robbery gone awry. Rich’s body was found about a block from his home with his wallet, watch and cellphone still in his possession. His murder remains unsolved.

His death sparked several conspiracy theories falsely suggesting that he was targeted by Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign because he had leaked damaging emails.

A defamation lawsuit by Rich’s brother against individuals who peddle the conspiracy theory remains outstanding.

(JNS) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday night welcomed the news that Jonathan Pollard, a former U.S. intelligence analyst who served three decades in prison for espionage on behalf of Israel, was no longer restricted by his parole, enabling him to immigrate to the Jewish state.

“For many years, [Netanyahu] has been committed to, and consistently worked towards, securing Pollard’s release,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

Netanyahu thanked outgoing Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer for “responsibly and sensitively leading the contacts” with the administration in Washington, according to the statement.

Netanyahu “hopes to see Jonathan Pollard in Israel soon, and together with all Israelis, extends his best wishes to him and his wife, Esther.”

Pollard’s lawyers, Eliot Lauer and Jacques Semmelman, announced on Friday that the U.S. Parole Commission had declined to renew their client’s parole conditions and issued a certificate terminating his parole.

These conditions, which were placed on Pollard since his release from prison in 2015, included remaining in New York City for at least five years, having his computer use monitored by the U.S. government and wearing a wrist monitor.

Israel’s Health Ministry says lockdown possible over Chanukah

By Assaf Golan, Maytal Yasur Beit-Or and Eran Itzkovitch

(Israel Hayom via JNS) — Israeli Health Ministry Director General Hezi Levy said on Thursday that he doesn’t know if there will be a lockdown over Chanukah, “but we are identifying an increase in morbidity, and it could lead to new restrictions.”

Levy made the remarks at a special press conference following the decision by the so-called “Coronavirus Cabinet” to allow for Eilat and the Dead Sea to be designated as “tourism islands,” in addition to an easing of restrictions on the number of customers allowed inside stores and an opening of zoos.

“Today, 780 verified patients have been identified out of around 50,000 tests. There is a slight increase in morbidity,” he said, noting that the number had remained stable among younger members of the population.

“The rate of reproduction is now hovering around 1.08, a higher value than the target we set out for moving forward with the framework for easing restrictions. As for hospitalized [patients], there is a plateau in the number of serious patients, without any sharp increases or decreases,” he said.

Levy said that “absent a catastrophe,” fifth- and sixth-grade students would be allowed to return to in-person learning on Tuesday as planned. He called on the teachers of those students to be tested for the coronavirus before returning to school.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge claimed that states could avoid a lockdown if their citizens adhered to coronavirus guidelines. Lockdowns should be a “last resort,” he said. “There would be no need for lockdowns if 95 percent of people wore masks, instead of the [current] 60 percent,” he said.

He noted that hundreds of millions of people around the world are living under various kinds of lockdown, and that this is putting pressure on healthcare systems and leading to mass unemployment, an increase in psychological problems, drug use and gender-based violence. He noted that last week, more than 29,000 people died of the virus, or one person every 17 seconds, and that over the past two weeks, Europe has seen an 18 percent increase in coronavirus-related deaths.

While Kluge said that progress on developing a vaccine for the virus was encouraging, the world must not become complacent, as the vaccines would not be available over the winter, and as result, many countries could still see their healthcare systems collapse under the pressure of a sharp spike in infections.

As of Sunday morning, Israel’s total number of COVID-19 cases since the outbreak of the pandemic stood at 327,435, 8,508 of which were active. There were 318 people in serious condition, 120 of whom were on ventilators, and a national death toll of 2,757. By the end of Friday, before the weekend, when testing is sparse, the rate of infection was 1.8 percent.

This article first appeared in Israel Hayom.

Despite uptick in COVID-19, White House to host annual Chanukah party

(JNS) — Despite a significant rise in the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, which has reached some of its highest numbers in America to date this month, the White House will host its annual Chanukah party on Dec. 9 at 3 p.m., according to an official invitation.

The scheduled date is one day before the eight-day “Festival of Lights” begins on the evening of Dec. 10. The holiday runs through the evening of Friday, Dec. 18.

Whether the festivities at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue will be indoors or outdoors remains to be seen. Stephanie Grisham, spokesperson for first lady Melania Trump, whose office organizes the party, did not respond to a request for comment.

The White House has come under fire for hosting indoor events, after which a number of attendees have later been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Marijuana plants seized from Argentine synagogue’s courtyard

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (JTA) — Police seized two pots of marijuana plants from the courtyard of a historic synagogue in Medanos, a small village in the Buenos Aires province.

Medanos, once the rural home of about 100 Argentine Jews, is in the Villarino district. Villarino Mayor Carlos Bevillacua said the synagogue was not responsible in any way for the marijuana seized last week and that people took advantage of the empty space, which was closed during the coronavirus pandemic.

The synagogue, built between 1913 and 1915, is designated a heritage site and was in the process of being turned into a museum before the pandemic struck earlier this year.

A local Argentine TV station made a video report about the synagogue in January.

Netanyahu met with Saudi crown prince in Saudi Arabia, Israeli media reports

By Ron Kampeas

(JTA) — In what would be a first, the Israeli media is reporting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Saudi Arabia for a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

The meeting Sunday included U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and focused on Pompeo’s agenda of furthering Iran’s isolation before President Donald Trump transfers power to his successor, Joe Biden. Yossi Cohen, the chief of Israel’s Mossad spy agency, also was present, according to the reports. Bin Salman is seen as Saudi Arabia’s effective ruler.

The Saudi foreign minister, Faisal bin Farhan, denied the reports on Monday. Israeli reporters tracking flights identified a flight from Israel to Noem, a major Saudi coastal city, where the meeting purportedly took place.

Netanyahu and bin Salman fear Biden will be more accommodating toward Iran.

The reports of the meeting come after the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan have launched normalization agreements with Israel brokered by the Trump administration.

Far-right activists in Germany planning to protest ‘Zionism’ in front of synagogue

By Cnaan Liphshiz

(JTA) – Right-wing extremists in Germany are planning to demonstrate for “freedom for Palestine” and against “Zionism” in front of a synagogue.

The event is scheduled for Tuesday in Brunswick, 120 miles west of Berlin, the Braunschweiger Zeitung reported Friday.

Separately, on Friday, an unknown individual threw a large stone slab at a window of the Jewish Community in Essen, 150 miles west of Brunswick, the RIAS anti-racism watchdog group reported. No one was hurt in the incident, which police are investigating as a possible hate crime.

The organizers of the Brunswick rally belong to the far-right Dierechte party and have advertised the event on social networks as scheduled to take place between 7:33 and 7:45 p.m. – a reference to the 12 years in power of the Nazi Party 1930s and ’40s.

“Freedom for Palestine – Humanity is non-negotiable. Stop Zionism!” the slogan for the event reads.

City authorities said they have not authorized the demonstration and will disperse it if it takes place.

In Wesel, a town 20 miles northwest of Essen, unidentified individuals stole a large stone plaque from the local Jewish cemetery that  displayed the names of hundreds of Jews and other victims of Nazism, Radio K.W. reported Friday.

Egyptian star faces lawsuit for having picture taken with Israeli

(JNS) — Egyptian singer and actor Mohamed Ramadan is facing a lawsuit after posing for pictures with Israeli celebrities in Dubai. A hearing is scheduled for Dec. 19, the Egypt Independent reported on Monday.

Emirati journalist Hamad al-Mazrouei originally posted the picture of himself, Ramadan and Israeli pop star Omer Adam on Twitter. Al-Mazrouei commented on the photo before deleting it from Twitter: “The most famous artist in Egypt with the most famous artist in Israel, Dubai brings us together.”

Before it was taken down, the photo was picked up by Israel’s official Arabic-language Twitter. Other pictures, of the Egyptian star posing with Israeli actor Elad Tesla and soccer player Dia Saba, also went viral.

Ramadan is a very popular figure in the Arab world.

The Egyptian Syndicate of Artists announced on Monday that it was suspending Ramadan pending an investigation, Ahram Online reported.

Ramadan must return to Egypt for questioning by a union committee before the first week of December, the syndicate stated.

Dutch politician resigns after anti-Semitism revealed among party members

(JNS) — Dutch politician Thierry Baudet, the head of the Dutch Forum for Democracy Party, said on Monday that he would step down before the upcoming parliamentary election in March after allegations of anti-Semitism among young party members were made public, Reuters reported.

The offending comments were allegedly posted in a chat group of the party’s youth movement, according to the report.

“They are terrible messages — Nazism, anti-Semitism, racism — they are ideas I want nothing to do with. I want to take political responsibility as head of the party and will give up my spot on the ballot,” said Baudet in a video posted on Twitter.

The Dutch politician said that while he would step aside as party leader, he would still remain in parliament.

California school-district students, parents targeted again by anti-Semitism

(JNS) — A California school district is taking action after Jewish students and their parents were targeted by anti-Semitism for the second time this school year.

Anonymous accounts on TikTok and Instagram posted “hateful messages, including references to false claims the Holocaust never happened, rape and homophobia,” wrote David Sondheim, the principal of Redwood High School, in a Nov. 17 letter to the district community.

The Instagram account and TikTok videos have been removed.

In September, similar social-media posts targeted Jewish students of the Tamalpais Union High School District, which includes Redwood High School, in Marin County, across the Golden Gate Strait from San Francisco. Central Marin Police has been investigating the matter.

Tamalpais Union High School District superintendent Tara Taupier said that “law-enforcement and school officials heard from many students and parents who believe they knew who was behind the posts but have not yet been able to verify the identity,” and that “law enforcement is still working to positively identify the perpetrator and is exploring every avenue available to hold this person accountable.”

“We also are working collaboratively with the county to provide ongoing learning opportunities to our families and the broader community to help fight anti-Semitism and create a culture of acceptance within our school and across our towns,” said Taupier.

In his letter, Sondheim wrote: “To say that I am saddened is an understatement. I am angry and disgusted that our community is again facing anti-Semitism on social media.”

“While we believe that it is likely this is the activity of one or only a few people, we again remind our community that we stand in support of our Jewish students in the face of this antisemitic hate and bigotry,” he wrote. “Hatred and bigotry from even one person is an attack on all of us and contrary to the respect for everyone we work to instill in the RHS community.”