Weekly roundup of world briefs

Palestinian terror cell arrested in Jenin

(JNS) — Israeli forces on Tuesday arrested a terrorist cell in Jenin, in northern Samaria, that intended to carry out an attack “in an immediate time frame.”

Five terrorists were detained during the operation carried out by the Israel Defense Forces, Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and Border Police, according to a statement from the IDF.

The IDF’s Duvdevan undercover counterterror unit, a paratrooper patrol and a Shin Bet-directed military unit conducted the morning arrests, seizing ammunition and military equipment.

During the raid in Jenin, gunmen fired at the Israeli forces and threw an explosive device at them. The soldiers returned fire and hits were detected.

Two other wanted suspects were arrested overnight in counterterrorism operations elsewhere in Judea and Samaria.

In A-Ram, adjacent to Ramallah, Israeli forces arrested a wanted man. During the raid, rioters burned tires and threw stones at the soldiers, who responded with crowd disbursement measures. Another suspect was arrested in the village of Abu Najim, where Molotov cocktails and stones were thrown at soldiers, who employed crowd disbursement methods.

The wanted men were transferred for questioning.

No injuries to Israeli forces were reported.

The prevention of the imminent terrorist attack comes after a shooting on April 7 that killed two sisters in the Jordan Valley; their mother later succumbed to her wounds. A car-ramming attack the same day in Tel Aviv killed a tourist visiting from Italy and wounded several others.

After backlash, Trump campaign no longer looking to hire Laura Loomer

(JNS) — Former President Donald Trump reportedly directed aides to hire right-wing provocateur Laura Loomer for his presidential campaign. But after a backlash, he changed his mind, according to New York Times reporting.

Loomer, 29, who is Jewish, has twice run unsuccessfully for Congress. She has self-identified as a “proud Islamophobe.”

Calls for Trump to distance himself and his campaign from Loomer came from none other than Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who tweeted that Loomer is “mentally unstable and a documented liar,” who “tried to get hired on the Ye campaign after the infamous Mar-a-Lago dinner, but Kanye West refused to hire her so now she’s running to Trump.”

Greene, who has her own history of controversial statements, accused Loomer of associating with “alleged FBI informant and weirdo Nick Fuentes.” (Greene has also been said to have associated with Fuentes, although she has publicly denounced his racism and antisemitism.)

“Outrageous. Her defamatory talking points are in lockstep with the Democrats,” Loomer wrote of Greene on Twitter. “You’re a disloyal liar,” she added.

Chabad students lead seders in 66 countries, including Peru, Thailand and Nepal

(JNS) — In Cusco, Peru, they had to make their own kosher wine for Passover from scratch. In Manang, Nepal, they drove 20 hours through snowy mountains in a jeep packed with food and gear for the seders. And after 40 hours to get from New York to Pai, Thailand, they found their hired help was a no-show since it was a local holiday.

These are some of the more colorful Passover experiences of some 800 Chabad yeshivah students—the largest number to date—who traveled to 66 countries and 26 U.S. states to help those who would otherwise have no seder.

In Pai, where the help did not show, 250 people attended a seder—the first one held in the town, Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky, executive director of Merkos 302, told JNS. He added that 70 rabbinical students were assigned to assist 10,000 people attending seders in Thailand.

The Passover liturgy in the Haggadah describes the four sons—the wise, the wicked, the simple and the one unable to ask—but the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, famously called for adherents to reach out to the fifth son, who isn’t even at the seder.

“Most organizations would focus on places with a larger population of local Jews or where it is more practical to organize logistically,” said Kotlarsky. “This project focuses on ensuring that no Jew is left behind on Passover, no matter where.”

Austin synagogue arsonist pleads guilty to hate crime

(JNS)— Franklin Sechriest of San Marcos, Texas, pleaded guilty on April 7 to multiple charges in connection with setting fire to Congregation Beth Israel in Austin on Oct. 31, 2021. He faces up to 20 years in prison and $250,000 in fines.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 23.

Sechriest was caught on video camera carrying toilet paper and a five-gallon container towards the synagogue before running away after the blaze began. Cameras also recorded the license plate of his car.

The defendant’s antisemitism-filled journals reveal that earlier days before the attack, he had visited the synagogue parking lot to “scout out a target.” His writing further includes an admission to the crime, which caused $25,000 in damage. “I set a synagogue on fire,” he wrote that day.

Following the attack, Sechriest chronicled news of the investigation of his crime in his journals.

The FBI and the Austin Fire Department investigated the case.

“Antisemitism has no place in our society, and hate-fueled violence will not be tolerated,” said Kristen Clarke, assistant attorney general for civil rights at the U.S. Justice Department. “By targeting a house of worship, the defendant attempted to intimidate and disrupt the Jewish community.”

The Anti-Defamation League recorded an increase in antisemitic incidents in 2022 in Texas, which it calls the state with the fifth most such incidents in the country.

‘Palestine solidarity’ group at Harvard University erects annual ‘apartheid wall’

(JNS) — As part of its annual, week-long attack on Israel, during which it accuses the Jewish state of apartheid, the Harvard University student chapter of the Palestine Solidarity Committee created an “apartheid wall.”

During the last week of March, the six-part display proclaimed in part: “There is no Zionist state without racism colonialism ethnic cleansing” and “Boycott Divest Sanction,” referring to the Jewish state.

The wall also featured an upside-down U.S. flag and claimed that Harvard “upholds apartheid,” warning students that “we are all complicit.” (Two of the panels appear to be repeats from a 2019 iteration.)

The claim that “the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor” is antisemitic, according to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.

A student organizer told The Harvard Crimson that intersectionality informs the programming. In recent years, the academic concept of “intersectionality” has inspired anti-Israel activists to reach out to and collaborate with other campus groups they regard as similarly oppressed, including ethnic advocacy organizations, African-Americans, feminists and those promoting LGBTQ rights.

“It’s very important to highlight the significance and impact of solidarity between Palestinians and other occupied groups around the world,” said organizer Dalal Hassane.

Sarah Bolnick, a senior and co-president of Harvard Israel Initiative, told the Crimson: “It’s supposed to be beautiful and symbolic, but I think if you look at it, it really is very offensive and aggressive.”

Bolnick described the wall as “hate speech,” an analysis in line with the IHRA definition of antisemitism given the inclusion written on the installation of the opening statement describing Israel as requiring “racism” and “ethnic cleansing.”

Lapid meets with Jewish leaders in New York

(JNS) — Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid met with American Jewish leaders in New York on Monday as part of a United States trip intended to repair ties amid a divisive debate on judicial reform back home.

The meeting was hosted by the Jewish Federations of North America at UJA-Federation of New York’s headquarters in Manhattan and included senior heads of prominent mainstream Jewish groups in North America including the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee and the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish American Organizations.

Lapid has been a vocal opponent of the judicial reform legislation proposed by the coalition led by Benjamin Netanyahu, who succeeded Lapid as prime minister of Israel late last year. He has encouraged the mass demonstrations and a general strike that paralyzed the country and resulted in Netanyahu suspending the legislative push until the parliamentary summer session opens on April 30.

Many leaders of the North American Jewish community have also waded into Israel’s internal debate, expressing their own concerns.

Lapid spoke to the Jewish leaders in New York about the importance of the two countries’ shared democratic values. The Israeli-U.S. partnership is more important than ever, he emphasized.

He urged the senior officials not to give up on the Jewish state, saying that governments come and go but the country is here to stay.

Jewish Federations of North America Chair Julie Platt said, “We have expressed our strongest possible encouragement that every party must do its utmost to seek and find compromise” on the judicial reforms.

Lapid also met separately with Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.).

PBS documentary focuses on ‘Jews of the Wild West’

(JNS) — Amanda Kinsey, an Emmy-award-winning filmmaker, came up with the idea of a documentary on Jews who lived in the Wild West while digging through the Beck Archives in the basement of the University of Denver library.

“I was blown away by this archive,” said Kinsey. “I just thought these were beautiful stories that deserve to be told.”

The new documentary, “Jews of the Wild West,” tells those stories, including that of silent film star Max Aronson; Sephardic painter Solomon Carvalho; non-Native American tribal leader Solomon Bibo; and Wyatt Earp’s wife, Josephine Marcus Earp, a Jewish actress renowned for her beauty.

By 1912, more than 100,000 Jewish immigrants had moved to the West, according to the documentary, which records that by 1900, most “notorious” Wild West towns had Jewish mayors.

“There is the story of Jewish migration to the Western United States, and then there is the narrative of the Wild West itself,” said Kinsey. “To me, what the strength of the film is, is the intersection of those two experiences.”

“Truly, the Jewish community had a vitally important role in the development of the West—of cities, of commerce, of communities. And they always brought their faith with them,” said Rabbi Joe Black of Denver’s Temple Emanuel, who is interviewed in the film.

Kinsey, who is not Jewish, also hopes the documentary helps combat antisemitism. “I felt that this was really an opportunity to help amplify Jewish voices. And in doing so, my hope is that it helps stand up to that hate,” she said.

Greece buys $400 million worth of Israeli missiles

(JNS) — Greece has signed a government-to-government contract with Israel for the purchase of 1.44 billion shekels ($400 million) worth of Israeli-made missiles, the Israeli Defense Ministry announced on Monday.

The deal involves a purchase of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems’s Spike missiles and was led by the Defense Ministry’s International Defense Cooperation Directorate.

The Spike anti-tank guided missiles use advanced camera sensors for guidance and can be launched from some 45 different military platforms on land, in the air and at sea.

Some 40 countries around the world use the Spike missiles, including 19 E.U. countries and NATO allies, the ministry said.

“More than 34,000 missiles from the Spike family have already been delivered to various countries around the world and more than 6,000 of them have been launched, both during training as well as for operational use,” the Defense Ministry said.

Commenting on the sale, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said “this project joins a series of agreements between the State of Israel and the Hellenic Republic, and further emphasizes the strong partnership between our countries and our defense establishments, as well as our mutual commitment to ensuring regional stability. I commend our defense industries: Our technological capabilities enable the State of Israel to make positive economic and political achievements.”

Maj. Gen. (res.) Yoav Har-Even, CEO and president of Rafael, added that “we welcome the agreement with the Greek Ministry of Defense and thank the Israeli Ministry of Defense for promoting cooperation with Greece in general and in regards to this deal in particular. The Spike missiles will strengthen the Greek army’s portfolio of operational tools and we expect further expansion through strategic collaborations in the near future.”

Israeli military deploying troops to Tel Aviv amid surge in terror

(JNS) — The Israel Defense Forces is deploying soldiers to Tel Aviv to reinforce the police presence there amid a surge in terrorism.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant decided on the move following security assessments, the military said Monday.

It comes after an Italian tourist was killed and seven other foreigners were wounded on Friday night in a car-ramming attack in central Tel Aviv. The terrorist, identified as Arab Israeli Yousef Abu Jaber, 45, from Kafr Qasim, 12 miles east of Tel Aviv, drove his vehicle into a crowd on a busy seaside promenade in the heart of the coastal city.

The fatality was identified as 35-year-old Alessandro Parini from Rome.

The IDF move also comes against the backdrop of heightened tensions with the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip, Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon and Syria.

Terrorists in the Gaza Strip fired 44 projectiles, including rockets and anti-aircraft missiles, towards southern Israel overnight Thursday. Israel Air Force jets responded by hitting more than 10 Hamas targets in the Palestinian enclave, including weapons manufacturing sites and attack tunnels.