Weekly roundup of world briefs

Secretary at Nazi concentration camp guilty of complicity in over 10,500 killings

(JNS) —The former secretary of the Nazi commander of the Stutthof concentration camp was convicted on Tuesday of complicity in the murders of more than 10,500 people.

Irmgard Furchner, 97, who worked as a typist at the camp in the German-annexed Free City of Danzig between 1943 and 1945, received a two-year suspended jail term.

While Furchner was a civilian, the judge presiding over the case in northern Germany agreed she was aware of what took place at Stutthof, where some 65,000 people — mainly Jews, non-Jewish Poles and captured Soviet soldiers — were murdered including in gas chambers.

During the proceedings, survivors of the camp, some of whom have since died, testified before the court.

Furchner tried to flee as her trial was set to begin in September 2021, leaving the retirement home where she lives and heading to a metro station. She was caught after several hours in the nearby city of Hamburg.

Stutthof was the first Nazi concentration camp set up outside German borders during World War II, in operation from Sept. 2, 1939. It was also the last camp liberated by the Allies, on May 9, 1945. The camp staff consisted of German SS guards and, after 1943, Ukrainian auxiliaries.

A crematorium and gas chamber were added in 1943. Mobile gas wagons were also used to complement the capacity of the gas chamber (150 persons per execution) when needed.

National Library of Israel receives 22-volume genealogical history of Ireland’s Jewish community

(JNS) — The National Library of Israel announced on Tuesday that it received a 22-volume genealogical history of Ireland’s Jewish community. According to NLI, this set of records benefits anyone with Irish-Jewish ancestry who is seeking to learn about their family lineage.

“The history of the Jews in Ireland goes back to the expulsion from Spain and Portugal, when a permanent settlement of Sephardic was established in the late 15th century,” NLI said in a statement. “There was an increase in Jewish immigration to Ireland during the late 19th and early 20th centuries from Eastern Europe. The community has always been small – with a high point of 5,500 persons in 1891— but is well established.”

“According to the 2016 Irish census,” NLI continued, “there were 2,557 Jews in Ireland, a 28.9 percent increase over the previous 2011 census, and more than half (1,539) living in Dublin.”

“My own quest began when my parents passed away 30 years ago, within eight months of each other,” Rosenblatt told JNS. “My sister then made a startling revelation: Our paternal grandmother who we had loved so much was not our ‘real grandma.’ It turned out that our biological grandmother, Marjan Klajn, had died in Poland, so my grandfather got remarried to the woman who I knew as my grandmother.”

At that point, Rosenblatt began researching his own roots. While recording his own family tree, Rosenblatt uncovered information on the entire Irish-Jewish community. The records span over 70,000 individual names, with many lineages going back 300 years. The oldest stretch as far back as 1555 (when most Irish Jews were of Spanish-Sephardic heritage).

Today, most Irish-Jewish ancestry hails from Eastern European Ashkenazi Jews from Lithuania and neighboring nations who arrived in the 1870s.

“Births, marriages, deaths, census, alien registration, synagogue memberships, home and business addresses, grave details and inscriptions are just a sample of the 22 volumes for families to discover their rich Irish heritage,” said Rosenblatt.

Western Wall rabbi tells European envoys: Jews don’t need your approval

(JNS) — Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, the rabbi of the Western Wall, chastised United Nations diplomats from four countries who refused to visit the sacred site, in an open letter on Friday.

The ambassadors of Italy, Romania, Slovenia and Moldova withdrew from a group visit to the Western Wall a week ago when the European Union ordered member-state representatives not to participate in any Israeli-hosted tour of eastern Jerusalem. While Moldova is not a member of the E.U., it is a candidate for membership.

Representatives from seven countries attended the visit as planned, from Thailand, Costa Rica, Belize, Serbia, Georgia, Haiti and Sierra Leone.

Rabinovitch wrote in his letter: “It was with extreme dismay that I heard of your decision not to attend the official tour of the Western Wall given by the State of Israel for ambassadors. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. Your decision to ‘avoid’ the tour was a resounding victory for evil, a deeply upsetting choice.”

He continued: “The Jewish nation does not need anyone’s approval for its eternal connection with Jerusalem and the Western Wall. This is a bond of thousands of years that was shaped by the love of a nation for its God and forged through the fire of destruction.”

He added, “It is a bond that is validated every single day by unusual archaeological findings from the days of ancient kings of Judah, discovered in the earth of Jerusalem. Had you joined the tour, you would have seen them yourself.”

Israeli Foreign Ministry praises conduct of 10,000 fans who traveled to Qatar

(JNS) — The Israeli Foreign Ministry said on Sunday that it had to deal with only isolated problems involving Israelis in Qatar, and praised the conduct of soccer fans who had traveled to the Gulf state to watch the FIFA World Cup.

According to Israeli diplomatic officials in Doha, 10 cases required diplomatic treatment, including one medical emergency in which an Israeli was hospitalized before being airlifted back home. The majority of the other incidents concerned misplaced or stolen passports.

There was also one Israeli arrested for a minor offense, but he was quickly released.

While Israel and Qatar do not have official diplomatic relations, thousands of Israelis traveled directly and indirectly to the Gulf Arab state for the World Cup, and arrangements were made to send a team of Israeli diplomats to deal with any complications that might emerge.

“We are happy to say that the entire event went off with virtually no problems,” Iris Ambor, head of the Israeli delegation at the World Cup, was quoted byi24News as saying. “We are full of appreciation for the Israeli visitors who took responsibility for themselves and acted with discretion throughout.”

According to FIFA, 4,500 visiting supporters identified themselves as Israelis. However, according to Israel’s Foreign Ministry, up to 10,000 citizens made it to Qatar, with thousands using non-Israeli passports to dodge potential security issues.

Israelis who traveled to Qatar were instructed by Israeli authorities to keep a low profile and not reveal their country of origin or religion. The Foreign Ministry also set up a webpage to instruct fans on how to respond to sensitive problems they could encounter.

Israeli envoy to France threatens to quit over incoming Netanyahu gov’t

Israeli court approves seizure of all cryptocurrency in terrorism-linked wallets

(JNS) — Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz revealed on Sunday that the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court last week issued a ruling approving the government’s seizure of any and all cryptocurrency assets from digital wallets that have funded terrorism.

Israeli authorities had previously been allowed to seize only those digital assets used to directly finance terrorist activity, but not additional funds in the same wallets.

Since the court ruling, Israel has seized $33,500 from digital wallets that last year funneled cryptocurrency to Hamas, Gantz’s office said. Authorities in Dec. 2021 confiscated some $750,000 in cryptocurrency from those wallets.

Israel has blacklisted more than 150 digital wallets, and last week’s decision means that their funds can now be confiscated.

In February, Gantz signed a seizure order for tens of thousands of shekels in cryptocurrency from 12 digital accounts for violating terror-financing laws. At the time it was already the third seizure of cryptocurrency in 2022.

Some 30 of the digital wallets seized belonged to businesses that assisted the Al Mutahadun currency exchange company, owned by the Shamlach family of Gaza. Al Mutahadun is one of two companies designated in 2021 as terrorist organizations on the recommendation of the Israel Defense Ministry’s National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing for their role in funneling funds to Hamas.

In 2019, Israeli financial news site Globes reported that Hamas had started raising funds by accepting Bitcoin donations through the U.S. crypto exchange Coinbase.

After four months, pregnant mother shot in terror attack leaves hospital with baby

(JNS) — Four months after she was shot in the stomach in a terrorist attack near King David’s Tomb in Jerusalem, a pregnant Jewish woman from New York has been released from hospital with her baby.

Liba Ahuva Schreiber, 37, was visiting Israel with her family when terrorists opened fire on them and other civilians waiting at a bus stop in August. Eight people were wounded.

Schreiber was rushed to Shaarei Tzedek Medical Center in critical condition, suffering from multi-systemic injuries. She was 26 weeks pregnant and forced to deliver early.

According to Arutz 7, her husband, Chaim Schreiber, said upon the release of his wife and newborn son from the hospital: “Blessed is He who performed a miracle for us in this place. We arrived here after Tisha B’Av and we are leaving on the eve of the Hanukkah holiday and are happy to celebrate Hanukkah at home with family.”

Israeli forces arrest terror shooting suspects in Nablus

(JNS) — The Israel Defense Forces arrested two Palestinian men in Nablus overnight on Sunday on suspicion of carrying out a drive-by shooting attack on an Israeli vehicle near the Havat Gilad outpost, north of Ariel in Samaria, on Friday.

The IDF said it acted on Shin Bet intelligence agency information to arrest Nasser Naqib, 47, a resident of the Askar camp in Nablus. Naqib served time as a security prisoner in the past and was a member of Fatah’s Tanzim terror militia, the IDF said.

Naqib’s son Mohammad, 21, was also arrested on suspicion of taking part in Friday’s attack, which did not result in injuries but did cause bullet damage to the vehicle targeted in the shooting.

Nasser Naqib is also suspected of trading in weapons, the IDF said.

“During the operation, a violent riot unfolded that included shots fired from the rioters at [Israeli] forces, who responded with riot dispersal means. When the forces exited [the area], large rocks were thrown at them and the forces responded with fire. A hit was identified,” the army stated.

The Palestinian Authority-run Wafa news agency said Israeli forces fired live bullets, rubber-coated rounds and tear gas during the clash, adding that two Palestinians were lightly injured.

‘Light will always prevail’: Biden invokes Hanukkah story during DC meeting with Ukraine’s Zelensky

By Ron Kampeas

WASHINGTON (JTA) — During a closely-watched press conference with Ukraine’s Jewish president, Volodymr Zelensky, President Joe Biden brought up the Hanukkah story, comparing Ukraine’s struggle against Russia to the Maccabees’ uprising.

“Tonight is the fourth night of Chanukah,” Biden said Wednesday standing next to Zelensky, who was on a last-minute visit to Washington to speak to Congress and appeal for the approval of more assistance for Ukraine. It was Zelensky’s first foreign trip since the start of Russia’s invasion in February.

“A time when Jewish people around the world, President Zelensky and many families among them, honor the timeless miracle of a small band of warriors fighting for the values and their freedom against a much larger foe and how they endured and how they overcame,” Biden continued. “How the flame of faith with only enough oil for one day burned brightly for eight days. The story of survival and resilience that reminds us on the coldest day of the year, that light will always prevail over darkness.”

It was a message that Zelensky himself struck in a message to Ukrainians just before the start of the holiday on Sunday.

Biden’s comments echoed a comparison between Zelensky and Judah Maccabee, the hero of the Hanukkah story, that emerged early on in Ukraine’s defensive war. “Zelensky gives modern Maccabee energy,” one writer wrote at the time.

Biden, along with Democrats in Congress and a number of Senate Republicans, wants to pass a $1.7 trillion spending bill before Congress adjourns at the end of the year.

The $1.7 trillion package unveiled this week also includes $3.8 billion in defense assistance for Israel and $305 million for security grants for nonprofits, an increase from $180 million. Jewish groups lobbied for the increase in nonprofit assistance, saying it was needed in the wake of a perceived increase in violent antisemitic attacks.

Knesset increases minimum numbers of lawmakers needed to form new faction

(JNS) — Following an intense session, the Knesset Plenum approved a bill increasing the minimum number of MKs needed in order to split into a new faction in the parliament, marking a political achievement to for Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu in his quest to form a government.

Within his Likud party, Netanyahu might soon face standoffs with some disgruntled MKs who will are not appointed to the government positions they desire. The new law eliminates the current option for four MKs to break away from their parliamentary group in that kind of scenario.

“The incoming government has a new catchphrase: ‘Bite Us,’” accused outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid during the plenum session before the vote. “The message is that it only cares about itself. Haredim only care about Haredim, Religious Zionism only cares about settlers and Likud members only care about Netanyahu and his trial. Anyone else, who didn’t vote for them, can ‘go bite them’—they will not work or be responsible for him. They have no interest in common life, in abiding the law, in balancing between Judaism and democracy and between security and civil rights.”

Netanyahu’s main political concerns within Likud are focused on a group of senior party members, including Israel Katz, Dudi Amsalem, David Bitan and Danny Danon. Under the previous law, four MKs could form a new faction in the Knesset without any ramifications. The new law, which rolls back the change initiated by Lapid’s government in order to destabilize Likud, reinstates the previous situation in which at least one-third of a party’s members are needed in order to split and form a new faction.

Putin congratulates Netanyahu on election win

In a phone conversation, Netanyahu stressed his determination to prevent

(JNS) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday congratulated Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu on his election victory, in their first phone call since the Nov. 1 vote.

The leaders mainly discussed the war in Ukraine, which Russia invaded in February, with Netanyahu expressing hope that the conflict and the suffering of civilians would end soon, according to a statement by Netanyahu’s office.

Israel has shied away from arming Kyiv over fears of upsetting Moscow, the leading player in Syria, where the Israeli military has in recent years conducted hundreds of strikes aimed at curbing Iran’s military entrenchment and the transfer of weapons to Hezbollah there and in Lebanon.

Netanyahu stressed to Putin his determination to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons and from reinforcing its military presence in both Lebanon and Syria.

The prime minister-designate informed President Isaac Herzog late Wednesday night that he had secured the necessary backing to form a government.

The new government will not be sworn in until next week at the earliest as Netanyahu and outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid agreed that the next Knesset plenum meeting will only be on Monday, after Hanukkah.

The deadline to swear in the government is Jan. 2.