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WATCH: Leftist Host Scorns Israeli Hostage’s Sister, Pushes Hamas Talking Points in ‘Disturbing’ Interview
By Joshua Klein (Breitbart)
Leftist political commentator Briahna Joy Gray, former national press secretary to Bernie Sanders, is being described as a callous “monster” after repeatedly demeaning an Israeli hostage’s sister and dismissing her pleas while pushing pro-Hamas talking points, including Israel’s culpability for the stall in hostage talks, denial of October 7 atrocities, and even the suggestion that support for Israel led to the 9/11 terror attacks, in a “disturbing” interview.
During an interview on the Hill TV’s Rising on Tuesday, co-host Briahna Joy Gray spoke with Yarden Gonen, the sister of Romi Gonen, who is currently being held hostage in Gaza.
The 23-year-old Romi, a choreographer who Yarden described as someone who loves to paint and work with autistic children, was among those kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 7. After hiding for hours, Romi was ambushed by terrorists, resulting in her being shot and taken.
“Mommy, I’m afraid. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know where to go,” were the last words she spoke to her mother on the phone amidst the chaos.
Yarden, who is a nurse, described how terrorists, some as young as 18 years old, had dragged her sister by the hair, debated whether to kill her, and pistol whipped her head until she blacked out while kidnapping her to Gaza.
While Yarden Gonen insisted that the “entire free world is at risk” because of Hamas, Gray persistently attempted to put the blame for the hostages’ fate on Israel rather than on Hamas.
Addressing the complexity of securing the return of the hostages through a ceasefire while also ensuring the elimination of the existential threat to Israel posed by Hamas, Gonen offered an analogy of a terror organization in Mexico attacking Americans and posing a threat to the United States.
Gray responded, “I don’t think we would endeavor to eliminate all Mexicans if that were to happen.”
Gonen responded by saying she didn’t say anything about eliminating all Palestinians before attempting to pivot back to her sister.
Gray also dismissed photographs taken by ZAKA, an Israeli voluntary emergency response organization, claiming that the group’s reporting “has been roundly discredited by both Israeli and American media sources.”
ZAKA’s reports from October 7 have offered extensive details of the aftermath of the massacre.
When Gonen highlighted the minimal food her sister was likely receiving as a hostage, Gray accused Israel of blocking aid to Gaza. However, Gonen noted that most aid trucks make their way to Gaza and that Hamas has repeatedly blocked aid from reaching their own civilians.
Gray, who has nearly 400,000 followers on X, continued to push Gonen in an attempt to blame Netanyahu for the current hostage situation, with the hostage’s sister finally firing back: “I see you really want to discuss political [matters] and that is not my profession,” noting that an Israeli deal is currently “on the table” and “we’re waiting for Hamas to say yes.”
“I’m here to talk about my sister, please help me spread her story [and] make people understand what she’s going through as a woman in 2024,” she pleaded.
“We are not [living] 200 years ago; it is not ok that we have a terror organization that’s controlling the free world and people in the west are letting it happen. … What did I do wrong? Or my sister? We did nothing wrong,” she added.
After Gonen warned that cowering to terrorism could lead to another 9/11-like attack, citing recent Michigan rallies where residents chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel,” Gray pushed back, saying there was no threat of terrorism posed by the radicalization of Arab and Muslim communities in the Wolverine State, even going so far as to say that “one of the rationales that was presented for 9/11 was discussed with America’s support of Israel’s continued occupation of Palestine.”
Gonen concluded by telling Gray that “I really hope that you, specifically, will believe women when they say that they got hurt–” but was cut off by the irritated host, who rolled her eyes, sighed and stopped her mid-sentence, stating, “All right, thanks for joining…”
In response, many expressed outrage on social media over Gray’s callousness.
“The family member of an Israeli hostage pleads with Briahna Joy Gray to believe Jewish women who have been abducted, tortured, and raped by Hamas. Instead of projecting empathy, as a normal person would, Gray rolls her eyes, her mouth dripping with contempt,” wrote Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY).
“Gray has a hatred for the Jewish State so visceral and fanatical that it renders her cruelly indifferent to the value of Jewish life,” he added.
“This woman, Briahna, is so filled with antisemitic contempt it’s almost unbelievable. I’ve never seen an interviewer display such a disgusting unprofessional and disrespectful attitude towards their own guest,” wrote journalist Emily Schrader.
“Is it really that hard to stand against sexual assault — as a woman no less?!” she added. “I think we should send Briahna to Gaza.”
“When I labeled Zionophobia a neural pathology, colleagues said: No, it’s just a political opinion. Now, watch the rolling eyes of Briahna Joy Gray as she refuses [to] accept reality; are these the eyes of a mentally heathy political commentator?” asked Judea Pearl, a Chancellor’s Professor at UCLA and the president of the Daniel Pearl Foundation, named after his son, murdered terror victim Daniel Pearl.
“No low this person won’t sink to, truly disgusting,” wrote activist and writer Hen Mazzig, senior fellow at The Tel Aviv Institute.
“Monsters exist,” wrote one influencer. “Some of them host TV ‘news’ and ‘commentary’ shows.”
“This is one of the most disturbing interviews I have ever seen. Both interviewers treated Yarden Gonen, the sister of Israeli hostage Romi Gonen, with such disrespect and disgust… persistently discredited the atrocities committed on 10/7 and then had the audacity to roll her eyes at Yarden, when she asked her to believe all women,” wrote one X user.
Gray has faced severe criticism for promoting antisemitic tropes, denying Hamas’s sexual violence on October 7, and defending those advocating for Israel’s destruction.
In December, Gray came under fire for appearing to deny the expulsion of more than 850,000 Jews from Arab countries after Israel’s establishment in 1948.
She also declared that “there’s not a group on earth that’s killed more people and enacted more global terror than white Christians.”
Last month, Gray was mocked after suggesting that Hamas, a U.S.-designated Islamic terror group whose charter calls for relentless jihad, seeks to build a peaceful democratic state.
The Jewish State is currently at war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip following the October 7 massacre, whereby the terrorist group perpetrated the deadliest attack against Jewish people since the Nazi Holocaust. The massacre saw the torture, rape, execution, immolation, and abduction of hundreds of Israeli civilians, as well as widespread Palestinian support for it.
The Iranian proxy Islamist terrorist organization targeted attendees at a music festival and civilians in southern Israeli towns, all while thousands of rockets rained down on Israeli civilian centers.
The massacre resulted in terrorists killing approximately 1,200 people and wounding more than 4,800, with at least 242 hostages taken — more than half of whom remain in Gaza. The vast majority of the victims are civilians and include dozens of American citizens.
Concerns about Hamas’s treatment of hostages continue to be raised, as Israeli authorities investigate substantial allegations of rape and sexual assault related to the October 7 massacre, having collected over 1,500 testimonies — including of gang rape and post-mortem mutilation.
IDF International Spokesman Lt. Col. Richard Hecht stated that the Israeli army is “absolutely” concerned about such violence against hostages. His comments came amid firsthand accounts of freed captives at a meeting with Israeli officials, after several shared testimonies of various abuses during their captivity in Gaza.
Over a dozen young Israeli women remain hostage in Gaza.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart
New history museum in Tel Aviv cites ‘nakba’ in timeline of city
(JNS) A new Tel Aviv museum that tells the history of the city uses the term nakba—Arabic for “catastrophe”—in describing the founding of Israel.
The usage of contested Palestinian terminology and narrative in an Israeli city-run museum comes at a time when an intense war of narrative is underway around the globe over Israel’s history.
The reference to nakba appears at the new City Museum in central Tel Aviv in a timeline of the history of Tel Aviv and Jaffa. The museum, which opened its doors earlier this year at the site of the historic city hall building at Bialik Square, was established by the Tel Aviv Foundation in collaboration with the Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality.
The timeline, titled “Tel Aviv-Jaffa Time,” is one of the first exhibits visitors see on the walls at the entrance to the museum, and includes two parallel lines, one for the history of Jaffa and the other for the history of Tel Aviv, which merged in 1950, when both came under the municipality of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, as it is today.
The timeline for 1948, the year of Israel’s Independence, states, “The Nakba, occupation of Jaffa,” in Hebrew, Arabic and English with a picture of a bombed-out government compound building in Jaffa. On the lower line, the parallel timeline for the city of Tel Aviv reads, “Declaration of Independence” with a photo of Israel’s founding father and first prime minister David Ben-Gurion.
After citing the nakba, the timeline for Jaffa continues with “Jaffa refugees under closure” in 1949 with a photo of barbed wire, and “Yafo annexed to Tel Aviv” in 1950, using the Hebrew word for Jaffa, with a symbol of the municipality.
The other exhibitions on the main level of the museum, which are geared towards city residents, school groups and visitors from abroad, deal with lighter subjects, including “Legends in the Sand,” “Is Tel Aviv a Global City?” “Local and International,” and “Between Sacred and Secular.”
A lower-level exhibition encompasses an interactive city stories exhibition, a video of historic shots of Tel Aviv, and fun in the sun at the city’s beaches. It also has a stand for “What can only happen in this city,” allowing visitors to affix Post-It notes. Many, in a sign of the times, read: “Bring them home,” referring to the more than 120 Israelis still held hostage by Hamas in Gaza.
The Tel Aviv Foundation referred a JNS query about the Palestinian terminology used in the timeline exhibition to the Tel Aviv Municipality.
In a written response, the municipality said: “The City Museum tells the story of Tel Aviv-Jaffa, a story that begins before the establishment of the city of Tel Aviv, which originated as a neighborhood that was born out of Jaffa.”
The city statement then endorsed the museum’s usage of the terminology nakba. “The timeline represents two perspectives of history, Jewish and Arab. By the nature of things, the Arab residents of Jaffa viewed the War of Independence and its results as a nakba (‘catastrophe’) for them.”
CNN’s Elie Honig Says Fani Willis’ Trump Case ‘May Not Get Tried Ever’ After ‘Surprising’ Decision
CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig said on Thursday that a Georgia appeals court order to pause the racketeering case against former President Donald Trump might lead to the trial never taking place.
The appeals court on Wednesday ordered Judge Scott McAfee to halt all proceedings pending its coming ruling on the defendants’ effort to disqualify Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from the case due to her romantic relationship with special prosecutor Nathan Wade and allegedly receiving financial benefits from appointing him. Honig on “CNN News Central” said there is zero chance the trial will take place before 2025 and that it may never take place if defendants are successful in getting Willis disqualified.
WATCH:
“What was surprising was yesterday’s announcement when the court of appeals said, ‘okay, trial court, while we’re taking this case over the next several months, everything stops down there and .. this is an important point, when the trial judge issued his ruling, he said, ‘okay, defendants, Donald Trump and others, you can try to take this up to the appeals court, but while that‘s all happening, we’re going to carry on here with our normal pretrial business.’ Now that’s all paused,” Honig said. “Now there’s no way this case gets tried before the end of 2024, may not get tried ever if Donald Trump and the other defendants win on this appeal.”
The appeals court consented to take up the matter in May and will hear oral arguments on Oct. 4. McAfee previously enabled Willis to remain on the case although he found “a significant appearance of impropriety” in her relationship with Wade.
McAfee compelled Wade to resign from the case as a condition of permitting Willis to remain on it. His ruling found “reasonable questions” regarding whether the pair testified honestly about the timing of their relationship, which they asserted commenced following Wade’s appointment.
Defendants argued in their appeal that removing Wade was “insufficient to cure the appearance of impropriety the Court has determined exists.” Wade covered expenses during multiple vacations he and Willis took together, bank statements revealed.
Both asserted during a hearing that Willis reimbursed Wade using cash she kept in her home. Wade pointed to cash reimbursements as a justification for why he only had a single receipt for a flight showing she covered any expenses during their travels together, which they claim was “roughly divided equally.”
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Trump ally Steve Bannon must surrender to prison by July 1 to start contempt sentence, judge says
(AP) — Steve Bannon, a longtime ally of former President Donald Trump, must report to prison by July 1 to serve his four-month sentence for defying a subpoena from the House committee that investigated the U.S. Capitol insurrection, a federal judge ruled Thursday.
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols in Washington granted the Justice Department’s request to make Bannon begin his prison term after a federal appeals court panel last month upheld his contempt of Congress conviction.
Bannon is expected to seek a stay of the judge’s order, which could delay his surrender date.
“I’ve got great lawyers, and we’re going to go all the way to the Supreme Court if we have to,” he told reporters outside the courthouse. Bannon cast the case as politically motivated, saying “this is about shutting down the MAGA movement.”
“There’s not a prison built or jail built that will ever shut me up,” Bannon said.
Bannon was convicted nearly two years ago of two counts of contempt of Congress: one for refusing to sit for a deposition with the Jan. 6 House Committee and the other for refusing to provide documents related to his involvement in Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
Nichols, who was nominated to the bench by Trump, a Republican, had initially allowed him to remain free while he fought his conviction because the judge believed the case raised substantial legal questions. But during a hearing in Washington’s federal court, Nichols said the calculus changed after the appeals court panel said all of Bannon’s challenges lack merit.
“I do not believe the original basis for my stay exists any longer,” Nichols said.
Bannon can appeal his conviction to the full U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court. Prosecutor John Crabb told the judge it was “very unlikely” Bannon would succeed in getting his conviction thrown out.
Bannon’s lawyer at trial argued that the former adviser didn’t ignore the subpoena but was still engaged in good-faith negotiations with the congressional committee when he was charged.
The defense has said Bannon had been acting on the advice of his attorney at the time, who told him that the subpoena was invalid because the committee would not allow a Trump lawyer in the room and that Bannon could not determine what documents or testimony he could provide because Trump has asserted executive privilege.
Defense lawyer David Schoen told the judge it would be unfair to send Bannon to prison now because he would complete his entire prison sentence before he exhausted his appeals. Schoen said the case raises “serious constitutional issues” that need to be examined by the Supreme Court.
“In this country, we don’t send anyone to prison if they believe that they were doing something that complied with the law,” he told reporters.
A second Trump aide, trade adviser Peter Navarro, was also convicted of contempt of Congress. He reported to prison in March to serve his four-month sentence.
Navarro, too, had maintained that he couldn’t cooperate with the committee because Trump had invoked executive privilege. But courts have rejected that argument, finding Navarro couldn’t prove Trump had actually invoked it.
The House Jan. 6 committee’s final report asserted that Trump criminally engaged in a “multi-part conspiracy” to overturn the lawful results of the 2020 election and failed to act to stop his supporters from attacking the Capitol, concluding an extraordinary 18-month investigation into the former president and the violent insurrection.
Bannon is also facing criminal charges in New York state court alleging he duped donors who gave money to build a wall along the U.S. southern border. Bannon has pleaded not guilty to money laundering, conspiracy, fraud and other charges, and that trial has been postponed until at least the end of September.
Hamas said to have rejected ceasefire proposal
(JNS) Hamas has rejected the Israeli hostage-ceasefire deal, claiming that it is fundamentally different than the one presented by U.S. President Joe Biden on May 31, the Saudi daily Asharq al-Awsat reported on Thursday.
The Gaza-based terror group sent a clarification memorandum to the Palestinian terror factions on Wednesday, the text of which was seen by the news outlet. It claims that the current proposal “does not promise a permanent ceasefire, the occupation’s forces will remain in Gaza, and when they receive the hostages, they will renew the destruction against our nation.”
Hamas is demanding an end to the war and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Strip, two conditions Jerusalem rejects. The Israeli War Cabinet’s goals remain the same: returning the hostages, defeating Hamas as a military and political force in Gaza and ensuring that Gaza can never again threaten Israel. Hamas has pledged multiple repeats of its Oct. 7 atrocities.
Hamas spokesman Jihad Taha confirmed to the Qatari news outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed the terrorist group’s demands for a permanent ceasefire and a comprehensive Israeli withdrawal.
Qatar’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that it had handed Biden’s three-phase ceasefire proposal to Hamas, and that the document is “much closer” to the positions of both sides.
An Israeli official told Kan News on Thursday that Jerusalem has not received a formal reply from Hamas regarding the proposal.
The War Cabinet decided on Wednesday not to send a delegation to Qatar until Hamas provides a formal answer. The Cabinet was again scheduled to meet on Thursday night, but that meeting was canceled, along with a broader Security Cabinet meeting.
Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported on Thursday that discussions have started in Cairo between senior Egyptian officials and Palestinian terror factions on the day after the war in Gaza. At the same time, a delegation of Egyptian intelligence officials arrived in Ramallah to meet with senior Palestinian Authority officials about a potential role they could play in post-war Gaza.
A U.S. official in Cairo told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that “the American administration has finally settled on the need for the next day’s talks to stop the war to go in parallel with the ceasefire negotiations,” stressing that CIA Director William Burns and U.S. Middle East adviser Brett McGurk are visiting the region this week for that purpose.
U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday “the ball is in Hamas’s court.”
“We are waiting for a response from Hamas,” said Sullivan. He acknowledged that the terror group in Gaza might well choose to continue the conflict instead.
“That wouldn’t be terribly out of character for a vicious and brutal terror group, but what we hope they do in the end is see that the best pathway to an end to this war, the return of all the hostages, a surge of humanitarian assistance, is to accept this proposal,” he added.
“The onus is on Hamas and will remain on Hamas until we get a formal response from them,” said Sullivan.
The Biden envoy also clarified that Israel had accepted the deal when a reporter suggested otherwise.
“I take issue with the end of your question when you said Israel rejected the proposal,” said Sullivan. “The prime minister’s own adviser went out publicly and said they accepted the proposal. They have reaffirmed that they have accepted the proposal…[it] is a proposal Israel accepted before and continues to accept today. The ball is in Hamas’s court,” he added.
In an interview with Time magazine published on Tuesday, Biden said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was under “enormous pressure” to forge a ceasefire deal with Hamas.
“The last offer Israel made was very generous in terms of who [Palestinian prisoners] they’d be willing to release, what they’d give in return, et cetera. Bibi [Netanyahu] is under enormous pressure on the hostages…and so he’s prepared to do about anything to get the hostages back,” said Biden.
Freeing the hostages is the main reason the White House is pushing for a ceasefire, Biden said.
Hostage families call for pressure on Hamas
On Thursday, The Hostages Families Forum released a statement calling for additional pressure to be applied on Hamas to agree to the deal.
“After eight months, the Israeli government has proposed a deal, with support from the international community. A deal that aims to bring all the hostages home—the living for rehabilitation and the murdered for burial,” the statement reads.
“The recent tragic news of the murder of four hostages—Chaim, Yoram, Amiram and Nadav—who were kidnapped alive, highlights the urgent need for an immediate resolution. Their deaths serve as a reminder that each day in captivity puts the lives of the remaining hostages at grave risk.
“The negotiating parties have a moral and ethical obligation, supported by the mediators and the international community, to apply the necessary pressure on Hamas to accept the proposed deal. Negotiating teams must convene immediately to bridge any gaps and finalize the agreement without delay.”
Eyal Kalderon, whose cousin Ofer Kalderon was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7 and is still being held in Gaza, told JNS on Thursday that he hopes the reports regarding Hamas’s rejection of the ceasefire are wrong.
“I am hoping that this will not be Hamas’s official response because Israel gave a lot in this proposal, we are even willing to end the war at the end of the process, and we are very much hoping that Hamas will understand how good a deal this is,” he said.
“We demand from all sides, including the mediators, that they do everything to seal this deal. We will not accept failure because of minor details,” he added.
“If reports that Hamas rejected the deal are true, we would need to understand the cause for their rejection. If they were to ask for a clear declaration regarding the end of the war, we would demand our government make one,” he said.
However, he continued, “If Hamas demands the full withdrawal of IDF forces without returning the hostages in the first phase of the deal, we will not accept it.”
Yael Adar, whose son Tamir, 38, was declared dead in captivity in January, told JNS, “Unfortunately, nothing changes. I understand that we must wait, but all this waiting for Hamas’s answer to the Israeli proposal is unbearable.”
She expressed hope for a deal to “bring an end to the tragedy that the families are experiencing” and give them “hope for a different reality.”
Zvika Mor, whose 23-year-old son Eitan is being held by Hamas in Gaza, told JNS on Thursday, “I think that I knew before seeing reports that Hamas would not take this deal, because the terrorists want to maintain their sovereignty over Gaza and Israel cannot allow it to happen. As such…it was a bad deal for Hamas.”
Mor is the co-founder of the Tikva Forum for Families of Hostages, an alternative to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum.
In April, Mor organized a rally outside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence in Jerusalem advocating for increased military pressure on Hamas by launching an operation in Rafah to destroy the terror group’s last bastion.
“Israel must keep pressing Hamas through military operations and we must keep fighting until we’ve achieved all the objectives of this war,” Mor told JNS. “That is, to destroy this terror organization and to release our hostages. Israel cannot allow Hamas to remain in Gaza,” he added.
World leaders back Biden proposal
Also on Thursday, leaders of 16 countries, including many whose citizens were taken hostage on Oct. 7, issued a statement backing Biden’s ceasefire proposal, calling on Hamas to “close this agreement.”
“There is no time to lose,” read the statement, which was signed by the leaders of Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Thailand and the United Kingdom. The United States, too, signed the statement.
“As leaders of countries deeply concerned for the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, including many of our own citizens, we fully support the movement towards a ceasefire and hostage release deal now on the table and as outlined by President Biden on May 31, 2024,” the text stated.
Noting that Jerusalem is “ready to move forward” with the terms proposed by Biden on Friday, the world leaders stressed that the deal would lead to an “immediate ceasefire and rehabilitation of Gaza together with security assurances for Israelis, and Palestinians, and opportunities for a more enduring long-term peace and a two-state solution.”
Mira Sofer, age 76 passed away on Wednesday, June 5, 2024.
Mira Sofer, age 76 passed away on Wednesday, June 5, 2024.
Mira was a founding member of WIZO USA and the embodiment of a Jewish Leader, a true WIZO woman and mentor to many. Her love and kindness were felt throughout our community. Mira left a tremendous impact on WIZO and everyone she touched, she will be forever cherished.
WIZO NY expresses our heartfelt condolences to her husband, Beny Sofer, her children, Oren and Fiancé Rachel Amar, Amit and daughter in law, Randi Sofer, Lior and daughter in law, Arielle Sofer, a WIZO NY Rising Leader, daughter in law Lisa Mansour, and her grandchildren.
A funeral service for Mira will be held Friday, June 7, 2024 from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM at Park East Synagogue, 163 E 67th St, New York, NY 10021.
Following the funeral service will be a graveside service from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM at Wellwood Cemetery, 1400 Wellwood Ave, West Babylon, NY 11704.
SHIVA SCHEDULE:
For Long Island friends and family
The Home of Amit & Randi Sofer
Friday (only), June 7th, 5:00pm to 7:30pm
68 Swan Court Roslyn, NY 11576
(following the burial)
For all friends and family
Sunday, June 9th
10:00am to 2:00pm &5:00pm to 8:30pm
The Alteneu Synagogue 107 East 70th Street New York, NY, 10021
Monday, June 10th
11:00am to 2:00pm & 5:00pm to 9:00pm
The Home of Mira & Beny Sofer 530 East 72nd Street, Apartment 20C New York, NY 10021
Tuesday, June 11th 10:00am to 1:00pm
The Home of Mira & Beny Sofer 530 East 72nd Street, Apartment 20C New York, NY 10021
Soroka Medical Center Saluted at the Pierre Hotel “Pillars of Progress” Gala
By Lieba Nesis
American Friends of Soroka Medical Center celebrated its 11th annual “Pillars of Progress” gala on Tuesday June 4, 2024 at the Pierre Hotel with cocktails beginning at 6 PM. This year over 340 attendees, double the amount of last year, came to salute the hospital, which was established in Beersheba in 1959, for its heroic undertakings during the October 7thHamas massacre where it treated the largest number of wounded. During the past 8 months Soroka has cared for more than 3,100 casualties, including more than 52 wounded soldiers in the past week alone-with 6 in critical condition.
Soroka, located 25 miles from the Gaza Strip, is the only major medical center for the entire south of Israel, and the only Level-1 trauma and tertiary care in the region. Its patient volume per year is immense with 600,000 outpatient admissions, 84,000 inpatient visits, 32,000 surgeries, 17,000 babies delivered and 250,000 emergency visits. The evening honored three giants in the field of medicine and leadership: Dr. Rabbi Elie Abadie, Dr. Joel Sheinfeld and Dr. David Goldberg. The legendary Abadie is the leader of the Edmond J Safra Synagogue and the founder of the Moise Safra Center in Manhattan. He received both his rabbinical degree and his MD from Yeshiva University and is fluent in English, Spanish, Hebrew, Arabic, French, Italian and Portuguese-he is the ultimate Renaissance man. He is currently the Senior Rabbi of the Jewish Council of the Emirates, the Chief Rabbi of the Association of Gulf Jewish Communities, and the Chairman of the Council of Sephardic Sages.
Married to his wife Elise Eichler for over 37 years and currently residing in Dubai, he has made a worldwide name for himself as one of the few rabbis able to bridge the gap between the Muslim and Jewish communities. His hesitancy in receiving the honor was indicative of his humble demeanor as he accepted his award to a standing ovation and huge plaudits from the adoring crowd as he remains a pillar of the Sephardic community. Abadi remarked that in responding to the needs of his congregation he often acts in a dual capacity as both spiritual and physical adviser.
Other esteemed awardees included renowned urologist Dr. Joel Sheinfeld who was introduced by media personality Dan Abrams who credited Sheinfeld with saving his life after his diagnosis of testicular cancer a little over 20 years ago. As Vice Chairman and Deputy Chief of Urology at Memorial Sloan Kettering, Sheinfeld has pioneered lifesaving treatments in both testicular and urological care. In honor of his exemplary contributions The Dr. Joel Sheinfeld Urology Institute was established at Soroka in January 2024 to benefit the Negev and raise the standard of medical care in the entirety of Israel. The final honoree Dr. David Goldberg, an esteemed internist at Columbia Doctors and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center for the past 30 years and an expert in travel medicine, Lyme disease, HIV and community acquired infections received his award with little fanfare. His expertise in navigating the Covid pandemic proved critical to Soroka during challenging times.
This year Soroka’s prominence as a dominant provider of care during the October 7th massacre was highlighted by a video that depicted the horrors of that day unfolding as doctors described trying to dodge missiles while also caring for incoming patients that began arriving at 7:30 AM. More than 5300 employees were mobilized after they declared the event an MCI-mass casualty incident-at 8 in the morning. At 3 PM a peak was reached as more than 1300 clinicians were called to the hospital with reinforcements from other hospitals including 28 nurses and 18 physicians gathering at Soroka. The hospital quickly reorganized its hospital space, equipment and resources to accommodate the severely wounded requiring trauma care, surgery and imaging.
In the early hours of October 8th more than 130 wounded were transferred to alternative hospitals by ambulance and helicopter to prepare for additional casualties and restock supplies. A total of 674 casualties were treated that day, as the previous daily record was 300, as more than 3100 casualties have been tended to since October 7th the largest mass casualty event at a hospital ever recorded. The necessity for supportive care for hospital caregivers and first responders was established due to the enormity of the tragedy. Under the guidance of the Director General Dr. Shlomi Codish, Soroka emerged triumphant in its efforts at rehabilitation in both physical and mental care. Emcee and Channel 12 News Anchor Tara Rosenblum noted that 85-year-old hostage Elma Avraham was recently discharged from Soroka after five months in intensive care and rehabilitation after being held as a Hamas hostage for 51 days along with pediatric emergency nurse Nili Margalit who recently returned to work at Soroka after treating her fellow captives in Hamas tunnels.
Rosenblum noted that Joe Lieberman’s Jewish pride was one of the reasons she resisted suggestions to change her name. Honorary Gala chairs Hadassah and Joe Lieberman were saluted as Joe who recently passed away in March from an accidental fall was an ardent supporter of Soroka and Israel. A grief stricken Hadassah was joined by her granddaughter who recounted her extraordinary experience on Birthright Israel and her grandfather’s devotion to the State. The extraordinary dinner which included short ribs, chicken and smoked salmon for $2,000 a ticket concluded after 10 PM as guests expressed gratitude to Soroka-a paradigm of excellence during unforeseen circumstances.
Ben Gvir declares ‘Jerusalem and the Temple Mount are ours’ amid Flag March unrest
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called for complete Jewish control of Jerusalem during a Flag Day speech on Wednesday’s Jerusalem Day celebration.
He declared that “Jews prayed freely” on the Temple Mount, an action that flouted the long-standing protocol forbidding Jews from praying on the Temple Mount to avoid sparking interreligious conflict.
Ben Gvir said, “I came back here, for one thing, to convey a message to Hamas…This is our Jerusalem, Our Damascus Gate, our Temple Mount!”
He added, “Today, according to my policy, Jews entered the Old City freely, and they also prayed freely on the Temple Mount. ”
“We say in the simplest way – this is ours. This is the message to Hamas,” Ben Gvir declared.
“I pray for the wounded, I pray for the release of the kidnapped. But I say – we need to defeat Hamas and Hezbollah and win the war,” he explained.”
“This ours, our Temple Mount, our Damascus Gate – let the whole world know it,” Ben Gvir concluded.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office issued a statement, ‘The status quo at the Temple Mount has not changed and will not change.”
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Jerusalem police announced, “Throughout the day thus far, 18 suspects have been arrested on suspicion of violent offenses, assault, threats, and disorderly conduct.”
The statement continued, “Earlier, some of the blocked roads were reopened, and the police continue to operate to maintain security and order.”
The police arrested five 16-year-olds who threw objects at journalists close to Damascus Gate.
However, some journalists claimed the police, not just the protesters, were restricting their access.
A Yediot Aharonot police correspondent, Inon Yttach, posted on X, “Today, the journalists were the focus of the police and the marchers.”
He added, “During the flag march, the police decided it was inappropriate for newspapers to cover from the steps of the Damascus Gate and began pushing us towards a nearby garden.”
“During the fight, as you can see, the policeman started pinching me in the stomach. They thought they wouldn’t see, but here is the picture before you,” he concluded.
Hochul Shelves NYC Congestion Pricing Plan at the 11th Hour Due to Controversy
Hochul Shelves NYC Congestion Pricing Plan at the 11th Hour Due to Controversy
Edited by: TJVNews.com
In a surprising move, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Wednesday that she is indefinitely postponing the implementation of the highly anticipated congestion pricing plan, according to a report on Wednesday in the New York Times. The decision comes just weeks before the plan was set to go into effect, sparking a wave of reactions from various stakeholders.
Governor Hochul cited the potential unintended consequences of the congestion pricing system as the primary reason for her decision. “After careful consideration I have come to the difficult decision that implementing the planned congestion pricing system risks too many unintended consequences,” she stated, as was indicated in the NYT report. She directed the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (M.T.A.) to pause the program indefinitely.
Hochul acknowledged the challenging nature of the decision, noting the ongoing economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on working families. She expressed concern that the toll, which would have charged drivers using E-ZPass up to $15 to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street, could further strain middle-class households. “Let’s be real: A $15 charge may not seem like a lot to someone who has the means, but it can break the budget of a hard-working middle-class household,” Hochul said, as per the NYT report.
The announcement has drawn significant criticism from environmentalists, transit advocates, and economists. Many accused Governor Hochul of abandoning a plan that had been decades in the making, suggesting that the decision was influenced by political considerations in an election year. The information provided in the NYT report said that the congestion pricing plan, which would have been the first of its kind in the nation, was slated to begin on June 30 and was expected to significantly reduce traffic congestion and generate substantial revenue for public transportation improvements.
Environmental groups and transit advocates expressed their disappointment, arguing that the plan was crucial for reducing carbon emissions and improving air quality in one of the world’s most congested urban areas, the NYT report affirmed. They also emphasized the potential benefits for public transit funding, which is desperately needed to maintain and enhance New York City’s aging transit infrastructure.
Economists, who had supported the plan as a means to manage urban congestion and generate economic benefits, were also dismayed by the postponement. Noted in the NYT report was that they pointed out that congestion pricing has been successfully implemented in other major cities around the world, such as London and Stockholm, leading to reduced traffic congestion and improved public transit systems.
In the days leading up to her announcement, Governor Hochul informed the White House and the top House Democrat, Hakeem Jeffries, of her plans. Two individuals familiar with the conversations stated that Jeffries remained neutral on the issue and did not direct Hochul to delay the plan.
The governor’s last-minute doubts began to circulate in Albany on Tuesday night, quickly becoming the focal point of discussion by Wednesday morning, the penultimate day of the legislative session. The NYT report said that while few lawmakers openly supported the optics of taxing their constituents, many had come to see the plan as a necessary evil after decades of debate, hearings, studies, and planning.
Governor Hochul herself had been a public advocate for the plan, telling attendees at the Global Economic Summit in Ireland just two weeks prior that implementing congestion pricing was critical to “making cities more livable.”
The congestion pricing plan is currently facing eight separate lawsuits, with plaintiffs including the Trucking Association of New York and New Jersey Governor Philip D. Murphy. The NYT report revealed that Murphy’s case, being argued in Federal District Court in Newark, is considered the most serious challenge to the plan. The plaintiffs are seeking a more comprehensive environmental study, arguing that the plan’s impacts have not been adequately assessed.
These legal battles highlight the complexity and high stakes of implementing such a significant policy change. The ongoing court cases underscore the contentious nature of congestion pricing and the diverse interests affected by its potential implementation.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries has expressed conditional support for a temporary pause to better understand the financial impact on working-class New Yorkers. According to the NYT report, Andy Eichar, a spokesman for Jeffries, stated, “To the extent immediate implementation of congestion pricing is being reconsidered, Leader Jeffries supports a temporary pause of limited duration to better understand the financial impact on working-class New Yorkers.”
The future of the congestion pricing plan remains uncertain. While the temporary pause provides an opportunity for further study and consideration, it also delays the potential benefits that proponents argue are desperately needed. The ongoing legal battles will play a crucial role in determining the plan’s viability and implementation timeline.
Former Defense Minister: ‘Iran is planning a Holocaust for Israel within 2 years’
By Vered Weiss, World Israel News
Former Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, in an interview with army radio on Wednesday, warned that Iran is planning a holocaust for Israel within two years.
He said, “We are being targeted by an Iranian plan for our destruction.”
“After Iran obtains a nuclear bomb… Iran will attack Israel to destroy it from many fronts with tens of thousands of missiles at the same time,” he added.
“They are planning a holocaust for us in the next two years,” Liberman declared.
On Tuesday, Liberman said in an interview on 103FM, “We must understand that Iran is planning an all-out attack within two years, where their entire axis is working against Israel.”
He added, “A credible and severe attack from Iran itself, from Lebanon by Hezbollah, from Gaza by Hamas, from Syria by Sh’ite militias, from Iraq and its [Iran-backed] militias, and from the Houthis in Yemen.”
Liberman concluded, “Of course, they will also try to spark something in Judea and Samaria.”
During a meeting, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh declared that they would see the day when “Israel will be eliminated.”
US TEACHERS PUT POSITIVE SPIN ON HITLER, ASK STUDENTS TO DRAW SWASTIKAS
Haniyeh was visiting Iran, representing Hamas at the funeral of Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash.
“The divine promise to eliminate the Zionist entity will be fulfilled, and we will see the day when Palestine will rise from the river to the sea,” Khamenei told Haniyeh during the meeting.
Haniyeh responded, “God willing we will see that day together.”
Referencing recent anti-Israel protests on college campuses, Iranian religious leader expressed approval of widespread endorsement of their joint cause.
“Who would have believed that one day, slogans in support of Palestine would be raised in US universities and that the flag of Palestine would be raised there?”
Anti-Israel Stanford Protesters Injure Police Officer as They Vandalize President’s Office on Last Day of Classes
Susannah Luthi(Free Beacon)
Anti-Israel protesters at Stanford University injured a police officer during a vandalism spree inside and outside the president’s office early Wednesday, the last day of classes, and spray-painted graffiti reading, “Kill cops” and “the resistance.” They locked themselves in the building with bike chains and zip ties, forcing law enforcement to break a window to enter.
Sad to see this at Stanford today 😢
University staff are currently taping butcher paper over the vandalism, as it will take careful effort to remove the spray paint from the 135-year-old stone of the Quad. Some damage is permanent, leaving a visible scar. pic.twitter.com/v1OSO532e7
— Steve Jurvetson (@FutureJurvetson) June 5, 2024
Thirteen students were arrested, according to a Stanford spokeswoman. Stanford’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter in an Instagram post urged supporters to rally in front of a local jail where protesters were detained. The protesters said they were there to pressure Stanford to divest from Israel, disclose past investments, and drop discipline proceedings that administrators have initiated for anti-Israel demonstrations.
“We are appalled that our students chose to take this action and we will work with law enforcement to ensure that they face the full consequences allowed by law,” Dee Mostofi, Stanford’s assistant vice president for external communications, said in a statement. “All arrested students will be immediately suspended and in case any of them are seniors, they will not be allowed to graduate.”
American war memorial vandalized by Free Palestine protestors in Stanford: pic.twitter.com/KOKBRqdEYo
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) June 5, 2024
Mostofi noted that protesters shoved and injured a police officer while they were “interfering with a transport vehicle.”
The break-in and vandalism at the president’s office, which the university said led to “extensive damage,” are the latest examples of campus turmoil fomented by anti-Israel activists. Earlier this year, a mob took over the campus green for 120 days and harassed Jewish students. Last month, students launched a “People’s University for Palestine” on campus, prompting disciplinary warnings from administrators—which in turn drew backlash from influential Muslim and progressive groups.
Wednesday’s takeover of the president’s office started at 5:30 a.m., the Stanford Daily reported, as about 10 students locked themselves inside with bike chains, ladders, and chairs, while putting tin foil over security cameras. Around 50 others linked arms around the outside, chanting and spraying graffiti.
Graffiti messages left by the protesters included “F**k Amerikka”–sprayed on a campus war memorial–“Death 2 Isr@hell,” and “Free Palestine.”
One protester, hiding her face behind a mask and sunglasses and wearing a keffiyeh scarf, posted a video of herself from inside the office. She declared that the building would be renamed “Dr. Adnan’s Office” after Palestinian surgeon Adnan Al-Bursh, who died last month in an Israeli prison.
Here is a real live Keffiyeh Karen who took over the office of Stanford Univerisity’s President Waller, stated her demands and refused to leave until all her demands are met.
It ended with her arrest but the sense of entitlement is astounding. pic.twitter.com/wplDbSZY7n— Manhattan Mingle (@ManhattanMingle) June 5, 2024
The video also features a photograph of Refaat Alareer, a Palestinian who was killed in a December airstrike. Alareer compared progressive Rep. Ilhan Omar (D., Minn.) to “an Israeli Neo-Nazi” after the congresswoman, who frequently criticizes Israel, condemned Hamas’s Oct. 7 terror attacks on women and children. He also asked whether a Jewish infant who had been murdered by Hamas on Oct. 7 had been baked to death in an oven “with or without baking powder.”
Stanford has seen high-profile turnover over the last year, after former president Marc Tessier-Lavigne resigned following claims that he included manipulated data in some of his research. Under his tenure, law school students shouted down a conservative federal judge in violation of Stanford’s free speech policies, only to be defended by Stanford’s diversity dean. Tessier-Lavigne was replaced as president by classicist Richard Saller.
The mob at @Stanford defaced a memorial to Americans killed in the line of duty.
If you think this is just about Israel, you are delusional. pic.twitter.com/fWYILMcrsn
— Aviva Klompas (@AvivaKlompas) June 5, 2024
Stanford is just one of many California campuses trying to manage anti-Israel disruptions as the academic year winds down. Across the public University of California system, tens of thousands of academic workers—graduate student teachers and researchers—are striking in alliance with anti-Israel protesters. So far, the strike has spread from UC Santa Cruz to UCLA, UC Davis, UC Santa Barbara, and UC San Diego, according to social media posts from the union. California’s public employee labor board has rejected pleas from UC administrators to end the strike.
Teamsters Join Forces With Israel-Hating Labor Union That Backs ‘Resistance’ Against Jewish State
Chuck Ross-Free Beacon
In April, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ Chicago chapter hosted a rally where activists chanted “Death to America” to protest the United States’ handling of the Israel-Hamas war. Now, the Teamsters have joined forces with a controversial labor union that has endorsed Palestinian “resistance” against Israel and refers to Zionism as “inherently evil.”
The Teamsters board of directors voted unanimously on Tuesday to accept the Amazon Labor Union as a formal affiliate, the former union announced. The Amazon union garnered widespread praise after organizing a warehouse in Staten Island in 2022, but has since been marred by financial struggles, mismanagement, and failed efforts to organize two other Amazon warehouses. Amazon union founder Christian Smalls, who has been at the center of the labor group’s infighting, called the Teamsters partnership a “historical day for labor in America” that will allow both to “take on Amazon together.”
The sentiment was echoed by Teamsters president Sean O’Brien, best known for being challenged to a fight by Washington Free Beacon Man of the Year Markwayne Mullin (R., Okla.) during a Senate hearing last year.
The alliance raises questions for the Teamsters, which represents 1.3 million workers in the delivery and transportation industries. The Teamsters union has largely avoided weighing in on the Israel-Hamas war, in contrast to counterparts like the United Auto Workers, which has called for an Israeli ceasefire in Gaza.
Amazon Labor Union, along with Smalls, has defended the Hamas attack, accused Israel of waging genocide in Gaza, and referred to Zionism as “inherently violent.” After Hamas’s October 7 attack, Smalls tweeted “from the river to the Sea,” a rallying cry for the destruction of the Jewish state. And Smalls, who once took a makeshift guillotine to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’s home, wrote “it’s Viva Palestine all day and all night just like it’s Viva Cuba!”
In December, the union said Palestinians have an “inalienable right to … resistance” against Israel. It called on Amazon to end a cloud computing partnership with the Israeli government, and proposed training sessions for Amazon union members to combat the “lies and disinformation” of “the Zionist regime and its imperialist backers.”
Amazon Labor Union attorney Jeanne Mirer leads a left-wing group that has called for “armed struggle” against Israel over the “unlawful occupation” of Palestinians. The group, the National Lawyers Guild International Committee, urged the United States to remove terrorist designations for Hamas and other groups, claiming they are “engaged in exercising their fundamental and protected right to self-defense.”
The Amazon Labor Union paid Mirer’s law firm $150,000 last year, according to the union’s financial disclosure. Another organization led by Mirer, the International Commission for Labor Rights, donated $425,000 to the union, the largest contribution to the union last year.
The Teamsters vote comes as political observers keep a close eye on the union’s endorsement for the 2024 presidential race. While the union has historically backed Democrats—and endorsed Joe Biden in 2020—it recently hosted a forum for former president Donald Trump. The Teamsters, which has said it will issue an endorsement later in the summer, donated $35,000 to the Republican National Committee earlier this year, its first contribution to Republicans since 2004.
The Teamsters did not respond to a request for comment.
The Lasting Impact of the Penn Encampment
Eyal Yakoby- Free Beacon
This year, the erection of an unlawful tent encampment on the campus green by anti-Israel student groups presented a stark challenge to university administrators: They could act swiftly to restore order so that law-abiding students could take part in storied spring traditions, or they could allow the protesters to run the show, forcing the relocation and rearrangement of several year-end undergraduate rituals.
Although Penn’s interim president, Larry Jameson, cited “credible reports of harassing and intimidating conduct” emanating from the tents and described them as a “blatant violations of university policies,” he remained reluctant to move swiftly and disband it.
I graduated from Penn on May 20 and saw firsthand how that delay—16 days—disrupted traditions like Hey Day and my graduation ceremony.
A tradition that began in the early 20th century, Hey Day marks the ascension of junior year students to the senior class. The event is held on the green outside Penn’s College Hall, where, this year, the protesters had pitched their tents.
Jameson had to clear the encampment or move Hey Day elsewhere. Handing a victory to the protesters, who had six days earlier spray-painted “Zios get fuckt” on a campus statue of Benjamin Franklin, Jameson moved the location of Hey Day, and the encampment remained.
Even after two weeks of dithering, when police moved in to remove the encampment on May 10, gates blocked off the center of campus where I once stood.
For 150 years, graduating seniors walked through campus before receiving their diplomas. This year’s class, of which I am a member, could not and did not follow the path trod by our predecessors during our graduation ceremony.
The modifications may appear small, and maybe we should shrug them off. But they marred the spirit of what should have been purely celebratory events. These are not just formalities but collective experiences that connect the present to the past, and the university leadership’s unwillingness to enforce rules and regulations deprived the law-abiding members of the class of 2024 of the opportunity to participate in shared Penn traditions.
Penn presidents, to my knowledge, managed to uphold these traditions during the Great Depression and through the two World Wars and the Cold War. This university leadership proved unable and unwilling to protect them in the face of an unlawful encampment in 2024, which says more about the nature of the school’s leadership than about the severity of the threat.
A fellow Penn student expressed this sentiment poignantly: “Hey Day has been a tradition for years and years, decades, and it’s been on this grass. This encampment is on property that we pay for as tuition payers.”
That remark echoed a broader sentiment of disappointment and disillusionment among students, including me, who won’t forget that university leaders allowed anti-Semitic protesters a final victory even after the encampment was swept away.
After NYC Hit-and-Run E-Bike Incident, JCRC’s Rabbi Michael Miller Says: “I’m Lucky to Be Alive”
Edited by: TJVNews.com
In a harrowing incident on May 21, Rabbi Michael Miller, a prominent Jewish leader in New York City, was struck by a hit-and-run e-bike driver, resulting in a broken leg. The New York Post reported on Wednesday that the incident occurred as Rabbi Miller was returning home from a Jewish heritage event downtown to his Upper East Side residence.
Rabbi Miller, who served as the head of the Jewish Community Relations Council for 35 years and is a retired NYPD chaplain, had just exited the No. 6 train station at 77th Street and Lexington Avenue when he was blindsided by an out-of-control e-bike driver, according to the information provided in The New York Post report. The driver, traveling the wrong way down a one-way street, hit Miller as he attempted to cross Third Avenue at 77th Street.
“I fell on the asphalt and broke my right leg. I suffered a contusion on my left leg,” Miller recounted to The Post. Despite the severe impact, he expressed relief that he did not hit his head during the fall. Writhing in pain on the ground, Miller was further shocked by the driver’s reaction. “The e-bike driver looked at me for 2 or 3 seconds — and then drove off,” he told The Post, describing the heartless nature of the hit-and-run.
“I’m lucky to be alive,” Miller told The Post from his rehabilitation facility, where he is undergoing physical therapy and learning to walk again with the aid of a massive boot and a walker.
Fortunately, a good Samaritan from the neighborhood witnessed the incident and promptly called 911. Emergency medical services arrived quickly and transported Miller to the hospital. Indicated in The Post report was that the NYPD reported that no arrest had been made, and the investigation was ongoing. At the scene, a detective from the 19th Precinct interviewed Miller, leveraging his long-standing connections with the NYPD due to his role as a chaplain.
Rabbi Miller was taken to NY Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Hospital, where he underwent nearly 24 hours in the emergency room. The report in The Post said that during his stay, doctors inserted a titanium rod into his broken leg to aid in the healing process. Despite the serious injury, Miller expressed a sense of gratitude, recognizing that the outcome could have been much worse.
Members of the Jewish Community Relations Council and other community leaders have called for swift justice and increased safety measures for pedestrians.
The incident also highlights the growing concerns over e-bike safety in New York City. The rise in e-bike usage has been accompanied by a significant increase in accidents, often involving pedestrians. The lack of regulation and enforcement regarding e-bike operations on city streets has led to numerous dangerous encounters, prompting calls for stricter controls and better infrastructure to protect both riders and pedestrians.
The day after his surgery, Miller received a phone call from Mayor Eric Adams, a long-time acquaintance. The Post reported that during their conversation, they discussed the urgent need for tougher regulations and enforcement against reckless e-scooter drivers. Mayor Adams expressed his support for Miller and reiterated the city’s commitment to addressing the issue.
Miller has become a vocal advocate for stricter laws to regulate e-bikes and mopeds. He demands tougher licensing requirements and harsher penalties for reckless drivers who endanger pedestrians. “Something needs to be done about electric bikes. People are afraid to walk the streets,” Miller told The Post, emphasizing the disregard many e-bike riders have for traffic laws.
Coinciding with Miller’s advocacy, Mayor Eric Adams and the NYPD announced a summer crackdown to seize illegal motorized scooters, mopeds, bikes, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), and other unregistered vehicles from city streets, according to the information provided in The Post report. This initiative aims to improve pedestrian safety and reduce the number of accidents caused by unlicensed and reckless drivers.
The crackdown is part of a broader effort to address the surge in e-bike usage and the associated risks. The city plans to implement more stringent measures to ensure that e-bike and moped riders adhere to traffic laws and operate their vehicles safely.
Miller’s determination to walk again and his active participation in physical therapy reflect his resilience and dedication. His story serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of community leaders in driving change and advocating for public safety.
Rabbi Attacked Outside Chelsea Synagogue; Assailant Shouts “Dirty Jew”
Rabbi Attacked Outside Chelsea Synagogue; Assailant Shouts “Dirty Jew”
Edited by: Fern Sidman
In a highly distressing incident on Tuesday outside the Chelsea Shul on West 23rd Street in Manhattan, Rabbi Chezky Wolff was attacked by a man who allegedly hurled anti-Semitic invectives before striking the rabbi with a heavy tote bag, as was reported by the New York Post. This altercation, which took place in front of the synagogue, has heightened concerns about rising anti-Semitism in New York City.
Rabbi Wolff was standing outside the Chelsea Shul when a dog ran towards the synagogue’s open doors. Concerned for the safety and decorum of the space, the rabbi asked the dog’s owner to put the animal on a leash, according to The Post report. The owner, later identified in the media as Aleksander Janik, reacted with hostility. According to Wolff, Janik called him a “dirty Jew,” prompting the rabbi to start recording the encounter on his phone.
ATTN New Yorkers: this man hit Rabbi Chezky Wolff outside of his Synagogue with his bag and called him a “Dirty Jew”.
Location: Chelsea Shul on West 23rd between 6th and 7th avenues.
Recognize him? DM us! pic.twitter.com/HZFwsnsOAX
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) June 5, 2024
According to Janik, a well-known personal shopper to the stars, admitted to pushing Rabbi Chezky Wolff, which led to a heated exchange and accusations of anti-Semitism. “Yes, I pushed him. I pushed him with my bag,” Janik told The Post on Wednesday. However, he contested the severity of his actions, insisting that it was a defensive move rather than an aggressive attack.
The confrontation began when Rabbi Wolff followed him and recorded him with his phone after a dispute involving Janik’s off-leash dog near the Chelsea Shul. Feeling harassed, Janik admitted to lashing out to send a clear message. “Please go away. Don’t harass me. He was just constantly behind me and it was just inappropriate to follow me with his phone,” Janik explained to The Post.
UPDATE: the attacker has been identified as NYC resident Aleksander Janik Sobieski.@NYPDHateCrimes @NYPDTips @ktdonleavme https://t.co/SssD5BF14C pic.twitter.com/XqBX4NMbiL
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) June 5, 2024
“I protect my dog and myself. A stranger man who’s following me with their phone in my face, I ought to protect myself. I don’t know him,” Janik told The Post. He also defended his reaction by pointing out that his dog was not a cause for such intense anger. “When he opened the door, he was very angry, upset. I don’t know why. It’s just a dog. It’s not like you can be upset at a dog.”
Janik’s social media presence, filled with images of him alongside celebrities and attending high-profile events, adds another layer of complexity to the incident. His Instagram account, which prominently features the message “‘Ubuntu’ is an ancient African word meaning ‘humanity to others,’” seems to stand in stark contrast to the aggressive behavior captured in the footage.
Surveillance footage obtained by The Post provides a detailed account of the incident. The video shows Janik first slapping the phone out of Wolff’s hand and then striking Wolff in the head with his tote bag. The Post report indicated that the attack, witnessed by stunned diners nearby, resulted in Rabbi Wolff grabbing his head and picking up his belongings from the sidewalk as Janik, accompanied by his unleashed dog, walked away seemingly unperturbed.
Rabbi Wolff pursued Janik, demanding an explanation for the anti-Semitic slurs and violent behavior. Indicated in The Post report was that the footage shows Wolff persistently following the assailant, who remained indifferent and quickly ducked into an apartment building on the same block.
The NYPD and paramedics responded to the scene, but details about the incident were not immediately available from the police. The rabbi’s lawyer, Cary London of Shulman & Hill, indicated that Janik was hiding in his Chelsea high-rise apartment to avoid identification and questioning, the Post report said. “He’s hiding in his Chelsea high-rise until they identify him,” London stated.
“The assault was provoked when Wolff asked the stranger to put his dog on the leash,” London explained to The Post.
Community leaders and organizations have condemned the attack, calling for swift justice and increased efforts to combat anti-Semitism. The incident calls attention to a broader pattern of escalating anti-Semitic incidents in recent years, prompting renewed calls for vigilance and solidarity.
Despite the attack, Rabbi Wolff did not sustain any serious injuries. However, the emotional and psychological impact of the incident has been profound. Wolff, a father of six, expressed fear and concern over the hate exhibited by his apparent neighbor. Rabbi Wolff’s resilience and continued dedication to fostering unity and peace within the community are commendable.
As of the latest reports, the NYPD has yet to make an arrest in connection with the assault.
Speaking to The Post, Cary London, a member of the Chelsea Shul congregation and Wolff’s lawyer, described the incident in detail. “He stands in front so the dog obviously doesn’t go in and the guy comes up after the dog. [Wolff] says, ‘Can you please just put the dog on a leash,’ and the guy looks at him and goes, ‘Dirty Jews’ in disgust,” London recounted.
London emphasized the upsetting nature of the incident, particularly in the current climate of increasing anti-Semitism. “It’s just upsetting in this environment that this is what the Jews are going through right now,” he said.