Far-right lawmaker Grzegorz Braun shocks Polish parliament by using fire extinguisher on menorah

(JR) — In a shocking display, far-right Polish lawmaker Grzegorz Braun, a well-known antisemitic provocateur, used a fire extinguisher to blow out the candles of a menorah in Poland’s parliament building on Tuesday before calling Hanukkah “Satanic.” Videos from the scene showed white mist from the extinguisher filling much of a chamber in the building […]

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Berlin drops Mahmoud Abbas’ Holocaust hate speech case due to diplomatic immunity

BERLIN (JR) — Berlin’s attorney general dismissed incitement to hate charges against Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday, saying that the leader was protected by diplomatic immunity during a visit in 2022 even though Germany does not recognize the Palestinian Authority as a state. At issue was Abbas’ comments made during a press conference […]

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Barbra Streisand, Billy Crystal, Jamie Lee Curtis and more headline Claims Conference Hanukkah event for Holocaust survivors

(JR) — The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany hosted its seventh annual International Holocaust Survivors Night event Monday with a slate of Jewish celebrities, communal leaders and heads of state — many of whom drew connections between Holocaust memory, the ongoing war in Israel and subsequent rise of antisemitism around the world. The […]

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Javier Milei cites Hanukkah story, gives menorah to Zelensky during inauguration as Argentina’s president

(JR) — Javier Milei invoked the story of the Maccabees in his inaugural address as Argentina’s president on Sunday, extending the right-wing populist’s prominent fascination with Judaism as he celebrated his own improbable victory. “It is not by chance that this assumption takes place in the holiday of Hanukkah, the festival of light, and that […]

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Geert Wilders, far-right victor in Dutch elections, elicits sympathy and fear in Jewish voters

(JR) — The Dutch elections in November sent shockwaves through Europe, as voters delivered victory to Geert Wilders, a hard-right populist known for crusading against Islam, immigrants and the European Union — along with professing support for Israel. But for some Dutch Jews, who have watched an atmosphere of fear and antisemitism grow since the […]

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German state of Saxony-Anhalt now requires citizenship applicants to sign statement in support of Israel

BERLIN (JR) — Recognizing Israel’s right to exist is now mandatory for those who want to become German citizens in the former East German state of Saxony-Anhalt. Applicants living in the state will have to confirm in writing “that they recognize Israel’s right to exist and condemn any efforts directed against the existence of the […]

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