Weekly roundup of world briefs

Hamas fires rockets at Tel Aviv for first time since Jan. 1

(JNS) — Air-raid sirens blared across Tel Aviv and its suburbs on Monday afternoon, warning of incoming rockets from the Gaza Strip for the first time since Jan. 1.

Local reports said at least 10 rockets were fired towards the greater Tel Aviv area, sending millions of civilians racing for shelter.

Hamas’s Al-Qassam Brigades “military” wing confirmed it fired a volley of rockets at the city “in response to the Zionist massacres of civilians.”

There were no reports of casualties resulting from the attacks. Israel’s Kan News public broadcaster reported that a vehicle was hit by shrapnel in Rishon Letzion, but that nobody was wounded.

The Israel Defense Forces expressed cautious optimism last month in the wake of a decrease in the number of rocket launches. The sharp drop in rocket attacks is a direct result of the IDF’s ground offensive, during which many launch sites have been destroyed, the military added.

Just after midnight on Jan. 1, Hamas welcomed in the new year by firing a wave of rockets towards southern and central Israel. The Iron Dome defense system intercepted most of the projectiles, with others hitting open areas.

House seeks accountability on VA employee’s pro-Hamas social media

(JNS) — A group of 15 members of the U.S. House of Representatives, led by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) and Rep. Mike Bost (R-Ill.), sent a letter to Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis R. McDonough on Jan. 25, urging the department to take greater action against an attorney who shared antisemitism on social media.

This recent correspondence was a follow-up to a Dec. 13 letter.

The congressional leaders wrote that Shekeba Morrad had posted “an openly antisemitic and disrespectful video … on Instagram mocking Israelis pleading for the return of Israeli hostages being held in Gaza.”

The letter noted that following an internal investigation, “Morrad was counseled and required to complete harassment training as a solution for her actions.”

But Stefanik and her colleagues did not regard such disciplinary action as sufficient, writing: “We are incredulous that you believe this is an adequate response. The statements made by Ms. Morrad are abhorrent and insensitive, and we agree with you that they do not align with VA’s core values.”

The Congress members demanded that McDonough provide them with all documents associated with the fact-finding and recommendations.

Specifically, they stated that “as the Department has already determined the appropriate response to Ms. Morrad’s actions, we would presume these documents are readily available. As such, please provide to us no later than Feb. 8, 2024, any documents, evidence, and witness transcripts related to the internal investigation of Ms. Morrad’s actions.”

Harvard antisemitism task force co-chair skips forum on related challenges

(JNS) — A Harvard University professor who is facing pressure to step down from the school’s antisemitism task force due to his minimizing Jew-hatred and criticism of Israel, skipped a speaking engagement in New York on Sunday.

“I would invariably be asked to speak about the goings on at Harvard, and since the task force is only now just being put together and its plan of action is being formed, it would not be appropriate for me to make public comments at this time,” said Derek Penslar, director of the Center for Jewish Studies at Harvard, in a statement.

Gavriel Rosenfeld, president of the Center for Jewish History, read Penslar’s statement at the center’s forum on “Addressing Antisemitism: Contemporary Challenges.” Penslar was slated to speak on a panel about defining anti-semitism, which Rosenfeld moderated.

Kenneth L. Marcus, founder and chairman of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, and Miriam Elman, executive director of the Academic Engagement Network, were the other panelists.

Other speakers at the event included a state senator; three city council members; Pamela Nadell, an American University historian who testified before a House committee on Dec. 5 with the presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and American Jewish history professor Jonathan Sarna of Brandeis University.

Jonathan Brent, executive director of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, also moderated a panel.

LA man pleads guilty to threatening to kill Jews, Asian Americans

(JNS) — A California man pleaded guilty to “a federal charge of stalking and admitted to engaging in a 14-month campaign, in which he threatened a victim and threatened to shoot synagogues and ‘exterminate’ Jewish people and Asian Americans,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California announced on Monday.

Andre Morrow Lackner, 35, of the Los Angeles neighborhood of Northridge, has been in federal custody since December 2022. He will be sentenced on June 3.

He sent abusive text messages, including “Hitler was right about you people” and “I want to see every single Jew exterminated from this earth,” to a victim between June 2021 and October 2022, per court documents. 

He also texted “Would you like to celebrate the next synagogue shooting?” and “I will make sure I kill a Jew before I leave this Earth,” as well as “We need to start more Asian hate and wipe” Asian people “off the planet too,” per the attorney’s office.

“The text messages Lackner sent the victim placed her in reasonable fear of death and serious bodily injury to herself or one of her immediate family members,” it added.

Martin Estrada, the U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, stated that his office “will remain steadfast in standing up to hate and working to unite our community.” 

“We must hold accountable those like this defendant who make vile, antisemitic and racist threats that put victims in fear for their lives,” Estrada added. “I applaud law enforcement for acting decisively to intervene and protect the victim.”

“The defendant’s abhorrent words and actions caused his victim to experience fear of harm and death,” added Donald Alway, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office. “The FBI urges victims of stalking to contact law enforcement to make a report.”

Alabama Democratic Party compares convicted killer’s execution, the Holocaust

(JNS) — On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey (R) posted on social media about remembering “the millions of lives lost to unfathomable hatred—mindful that antisemitism still tries to resurface in our world.”

“To never again see such evil carry out, we will always continue to preserve the memory of this painful history,” the governor wrote.

That anti-evil post rubbed the Alabama Democratic Party the wrong way. “A man was gassed to death for 22 minutes Thursday with your permission but yes, tell us more about ‘never again seeing such evil carried out,’” the party posted.

The state’s Democratic party referred to the execution of Kenneth Eugene Smith, 58, who was convicted of killing Elizabeth Sennett, 45, in 1988. The victim’s son noted that Smith “had been incarcerated almost twice as long as I knew my mom,” the Associated Press reported.

Smith was executed using nitrogen gas “a first-of-its-kind method that once again placed the U.S. at the forefront of the debate over capital punishment,” the AP reported. “The state said the method would be humane, but critics called it cruel and experimental.”

To Alabama Democrats, however, the execution of a convicted killer was comparable to the genocidal massacre of Jews during the Holocaust.

“The Alabama Democrats’ social media has a history of trying to compare Republicans to Nazis,” reported the Alabama-based Yellowhammer News. “Late last year they tried to say U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) was acting like a Nazi.” 

The Anti-Defamation League criticized Alabama Democrats at the time for the comparison.

Connecticut school district bid to demote Rosh Hashanah fails to pass board vote

(JNS) — Stamford Public Schools, a school district in Stamford, Conn., voted 5-3 last week to remove Columbus Day and Veterans Day as official holidays, when school is closed, the Stamford Advocate reported.

Joshua Esses, who pushed to have the days removed for the next two school years, said that the school year was otherwise ending too late, in mid-June.

He also sought to downgrade Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holiday, and the second day of Rosh Hashanah as official school holidays. That motion “received no support from the rest of the board,” per the Advocate.

In rabbinic tradition, Rosh Hashanah is considered a yomah arichtah, or one long day, rather than two days.

Joint Israeli-US effort to provide free legal aid to Oct. 7 victims

(JNS) — The Israel Bar Association, in partnership with the New York State Bar Association, is launching an “historic” effort to provide pro bono legal assistance to victims of Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre, the two organizations announced on Monday.

The project, modeled after the large-scale pro bono legal efforts provided after the Al-Qaeda terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, is an initiative of Adv. Amit Becher, head of the Israel Bar Association, and New York State Bar Association President Richard Lewis, according to a press release.

“Many of the victims and their families have so much to think about, so we are hoping to bear some of their burden, specifically on legal matters, recourse and undertakings,” stated Becher.

The Israel Bar Association had received “countless inquiries regarding legal issues from victims and their families,” he said, “so we sought to create a holistic response and make it as easy and efficient as possible to receive answers to the myriad of questions we are already receiving.”

Henry Greenberg, shareholder at international law firm Greenberg Traurig’s New York office and a former president of the New York Bar, assisted in building an online platform to provide free legal advice to Israeli citizens affected by the Oct. 7 attacks and the war against Hamas.

The new website will match Israelis in need of legal counsel and representation to a network of volunteer lawyers with relevant areas of expertise.

“As legal professionals, we believe strongly in the concept that justice will prevail, so while the State of Israel and its people try to rise from the ashes of Oct. 7, just like we had to after 9/11, we must lead the fight for justice and equitableness,” Lewis said.

The Israel Bar Association has also been active in the international legal arena, sending delegations to international organizations and conferences and accompanying families of hostages held in Gaza and other affected parties in their quest for justice.

Blinken to visit Israel for 6th time since Oct. 7

(JNS) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Israel for three days beginning on Feb. 3, his sixth trip to the Jewish state since Hamas invaded the northwestern Negev on Oct. 7.

Blinken was in the country earlier this month for a series of meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other members of the War Cabinet.

The American diplomat’s most recent visit was reportedly tense, as he pressed Jerusalem to shift towards a less intensive third phase in its war against Hamas.

The Biden administration is exploring the possibility of leveraging arms shipments to Israel to place pressure on Netanyahu to scale back the fighting even more, NBC News reported on Sunday.

John Kirby, spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, later appeared to deny the report, telling reporters, “There has not been a change in our policy.”

During his last visit, Blinken also expressed support for “tangible steps” towards the creation of a Palestinian state in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip, speaking during a meeting with Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah.

Meanwhile, Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana is scheduled to head to Washington next week for a diplomatic visit during which he is expected to meet with the Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson.

Ohana has invited Thomas Hand, the father of 9-year-old Emily Hand, who was freed from Hamas captivity as part of a ceasefire in November, to join his visit along with other family members of hostages.

Israeli hockey wins gold at U20 tourney after ban reversed

(JNS) — Israel’s Under-20 men’s national ice hockey team skated to a gold medal with a perfect record at the world championship tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria, that concluded on Saturday.

The International Ice Hockey Federation initially banned the Blue and White’s participation in the U20 Division III Group A tournament due to supposed security concerns after the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre in the northwestern Negev and the ensuing war in Gaza.

This decision was reversed on Jan. 17, seven days after it was announced, after mounting criticism of the move, including a statement of concern from the National Hockey League in North America.

The gold medal was given to the Israel team on a day with symbolic meaning, with Saturday being International Holocaust Remembrance Day. 

In the final game of the tournament, Israel defeated Mexico 6-3, with two goals by Guy Aharonovich just 26 seconds apart in the third period. The team also notched wins against host Bulgaria, New Zealand, Kyrgyzstan and Turkey.

Israel scored 41 goals in the tournament while only allowing 14 against.

With the gold medal, the Israelis have been promoted to Division II Group B for the 2025 championship where they will face off against Australia, Belgium, Iceland, Serbia and Spain, which will be held in Ottawa, Canada, from Dec. 26, 2024 to Jan. 5, 2025.