Jesse Orine -

After Australian literary festival drops Palestinian activist, citing Bondi massacre, dozens boycott in solidarity

January 9, 2026January 9, 2026Jesse Orine

An Australian writers’ festival is facing backlash after it announced it had removed an Australian-Palestinian author from its lineup over concerns her inclusion would “not be culturally sensitive” in the wake of the Bondi massacre. The decision by the organizers of Adelaide Writers’ Week to disinvite Palestinian Australian author, lawyer and activist Randa Abdel-Fattah comes […]

Following pressure from Jewish leaders, Australian PM Anthony Albanese announces inquiry into Bondi attack

January 8, 2026January 8, 2026Jesse Orine

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Thursday the launch of a Royal Commission inquiry, the country’s highest level of inquiry, into the antisemitic terrorist attack on Bondi Beach last month. The wide-ranging inquiry will also investigate the “nature and prevalence of antisemitism” in the country, provide recommendations to law enforcement to combat antisemitism and […]

This Jewish artist fought Nazis with a paintbrush, when art like his still mattered

January 8, 2026January 8, 2026Jesse Orine

I remember being freaked out, and fascinated, by my parents’ copy of Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales. It featured these especially lurid illustrations; I can still see a little girl in a red coat, trapped in a spider’s web and tormented by lizards, bats and a huge black spider with a skull and crossbones on […]

British Jewish groups call for resignation of police chief who banned Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from soccer match

January 7, 2026January 7, 2026Jesse Orine

Two British Jewish groups are calling for the ouster of a local police chief over claims that the force allegedly mishandled the banning of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans from a soccer game in November. The decision to ban the fans from a match against Aston Villa Football Club on Nov. 6 was initially made after […]

Venezuela’s Jewish diaspora is relieved to see Maduro deposed. But can they imagine returning?

January 7, 2026January 7, 2026Jesse Orine

TEL AVIV — It was the moment Samy Yecutieli had been anticipating for years, though he didn’t expect it to happen quite like this. Born and raised in Caracas, the security expert and now real-estate agent followed last week’s dramatic news of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro’s abduction by U.S. forces and subsequent court appearance in […]

BBC draws fire after airing Holocaust cello repair story that does not specially mention Jews

January 6, 2026January 6, 2026Jesse Orine

In a Christmas special this year, a BBC One program devoted a quarter of its episode to telling the story of a Jewish child refugee whose cello was damaged while fleeing the Nazis on the Kindertransport. But while the story itself is steeped in Jewish history, the segment of the program failed to make any […]

German antisemitism czar targeted in arson attack: ‘I will not be intimidated by this’

January 5, 2026January 5, 2026Jesse Orine

A property belonging to the antisemitism commissioner for the German state of Brandenburg was targeted in a suspected arson attack on Sunday. Andreas Büttner, the state’s commissioner of combatting antisemitism, wrote in a post on X that his family was home at the time of the attack, which targeted a shed on his property in […]

Eva Schloss, Holocaust survivor who promoted the story of her friend and posthumous stepsister Anne Frank, dies at 96

January 5, 2026January 5, 2026Jesse Orine

Eva Schloss, a Holocaust survivor who launched a foundation to advance the legacy of her childhood friend and stepfather’s daughter Anne Frank, has died at 96. Schloss’ family said she died Saturday in London, where she settled after the Holocaust and became a prominent voice among survivors. In 1990, she founded the Anne Frank Trust […]

Venezuela’s acting leader says ‘Zionist undertones’ marked US capture of Maduro

January 5, 2026January 5, 2026Jesse Orine

Venezuela’s acting leader, in an address to the nation on Sunday, said there were “Zionist undertones” to the U.S. military’s capture of President Nicolás Maduro. Delcy Rodriguez, a vice president under Maduro who is now the interim leader, has demanded the “immediate release” of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, since they were captured by […]

Irving Berlin’s 1926 interfaith marriage sparked a Jewish debate that, 100 years later, hasn’t gone away

January 2, 2026January 2, 2026Jesse Orine

Exactly 100 years ago, on Jan. 4, 1926, legendary American Jewish songwriter Irving Berlin married Ellin Mackay, a Roman Catholic heiress, in a civil ceremony in Manhattan’s City Hall. What some considered a misalliance of prominent figures from different worlds was the subject of much comment, as much for their class differences as their religious […]