anti-Semitism

Lithuanian Jewish Community Appeals to Prosecutor General over Hate Crimes

Lithuanian Jewish Community Appeals to Prosecutor General over Hate Crimes

Unpunished vandals continue to target spaces belonging to the Lithuanian Jewish Community. Last week, for the second time, perpetrators smashed the window of the Community’s Bagel Shop. Security camera footage clearly shows this was not an accident but a deliberate act aimed at one of the most frequently visited spaces of the :LJC. Sadly Lithuanian police seem incapable of recognizing crimes which exhibit the signs of anti-Semitism; instead they prioritize incidents solely based on material damage. While a few dozen or even a few hundred euros might not seem like a large sum, violence motivated by ethnic hatred is a hate crime punishable by imprisonment.

We emphasize this is not the first clearly anti-Semitic incident. Our Israeli flag was stolen and desecrated; glass near the children’s club in the Community building was smashed; the Vilnius Choral Synagogue was vandalized; the Šiauliai Jewish Community has been attacked multiple times and our Bagel Shop has repeatedly become a target for anti-Semites. Regrettably, in none of these cases did the Lithuanian police or prosecutors take meaningful action to identify and punish the perpetrators. This sends a dangerous message to malicious actors: they may spread hatred and endanger members of the community without consequence.

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Natalja Cheifec on Vegetarianism and Judaism

Natalja Cheifec on Vegetarianism and Judaism

Natalja Cheifec continues her lecture and discussion series on Jewish tradition. The next internet zoom meeting on Thursday will focus on vegetarianism in Jewish life. From the story of Cain and Abel in biblical history, Nazi theories about subhumans to the 21st century controversial ad campaign “Holocaust on your plate,” she’ll cover the gamut of issues from the micro to the macro view on diet, including:

• When the dinner table transforms into a “sacred altar;”
• Joy from meat and wine: myth or truth? {from Maimonides);
• Jewish principles regarding meat consumption;
• The heirarcyh of all God’s creatures;
• Sympathy for animals in Jewish tradition, why people were given dominion over the animals, and the contradiction of pity for animals and meat consumption.

To receive zoom credentials, click here.

Time: 6:00 P.M., Thursday, July 17
Place: zoom vidphone app, internet

France Institutes Annual Dreyfus Day

France Institutes Annual Dreyfus Day

lechaim.ru

French president Emmanuel Macron has announced that July 12 will be a national day of remembrance for captain Alfred Dreyfus, the Jewish officer unjustly convicted of treason due to public anti-Semitism, starting in 2026.

“From now on, July 12 will be Dreyfus Day, a day of truth and justice triumphing over hatred and anti-Semitism,” the Elysee Palace said in an official statement. The date was chosen to commemorate the decision of the French Court of Cassation on July 12, 1906, which fully acquitted Dreyfus. On the same day in 1935 Dreyfus died at the age of 76.

Alfred Dreyfus, a Jewish captain in the French army, and was the victim of a fabricated case in 1894. He was accused of passing secret documents to Germany. Despite the lack of evidence, he was sentenced to life imprisonment and sent to hard labor in Guyana. The case was accompanied by mass anti-Semitic demonstrations.

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Coordinated Terror Attacks on Jews in Melbourne

Coordinated Terror Attacks on Jews in Melbourne

by Geoff Vasil

Pro-Hamas activists staged coordinated terror attacks on Jews in Australia’s second city Melbourne on Friday evening, July 4.

Police and fire were called to the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation shul where around 20 members of the community were at Sabbath table under the direction of Rabbi Dovid Gutnik. A boy in the outer vestibule alerted celebrants the outer double doors were on fire. The fire was contained before it could spread beyond the doors. Fire inspectors quickly determined an accelerant had been used to light the blaze. Victoria State Police anti-terrorism officials used public surveillance cameras to track down the perpetrator, 34-year-old Angelo Lorez from western Sydney, and he was arrested that night in the Melbourne Central Business District. During the arrest police dsicovered he was armed with a banned weapon, but police didn’t report whether that was a gun or a knife. He is being held for two weeks prior to an initial hearing.

Almost simultaneously a group of around 20 people wearing hoods, masks and Palestinian scarves marched through Melborne’s core, the Central Business District or CBD, banging drums, waving signs and chanting “Death, death, death to the IDF.”

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Hostages Reveal Horrific Details of Sexual Abuse by Hamas

Hostages Reveal Horrific Details of Sexual Abuse by Hamas

Warning: This information contains details that may be unacceptable to hypersensitive people!

A major new report by Israeli and international experts brings together for the first time the testimonies of 15 freed hostages who survived sexual abuse in Hamas captivity. According to the Sunday Times, only one of these victims, lawyer Amit Susanna, who was held in Gaza for 55 days, has previously spoken publicly. The others have remained silent until now.

The study called Project Dina was initiated by professor Ruth Halperin-Kaddari, director of the Rackman Center for the Advancement of Women at Bar-Ilan University. It was co-authored by former Israeli deputy attorney general and judge Nava Ben-Or and international law expert and former chief military advocate Sharon Zagagi-Pinchas. The project was funded in part by the UK government.

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Lithuanian Jewish Community Condemns Desecration of Ponar Memorial Complex

Lithuanian Jewish Community Condemns Desecration of Ponar Memorial Complex

The anti-Semitic attack on the Paneriai (Ponar) Memorial Complex commemorating the victims of the Holocaust there victims there is an act of vandalism equivalent to the desecration of graves.

During World War II 96% of Lithuania’s Jewish population, more than 200,000 people, were murdered. Nearly half were killed in Paneriai. There is no Litvak family untouched by the Holocaust, which is why Paneriai is not merely a place where we lay flowers and light candles several times a year. It is a sacred site where every patch of soil covers the bones of the murdered. Here we mourn our loved ones, reliving their terror and suffering each time we visit. It is cowardly and despicable to fight the dead, yet such is the tactic of terrorists, to rape women, to kidnap and torture the elderly, to murder children in front of their mothers. And to smash windows, attack synagogues which also house schools and shoot diplomats. This attack at the Paneriai Memorial Complex is part of a global wave of rising anti-Semitism.

Regrettably the number of anti-Semitic acts of vandalism in Lithuania continues to increase. But no matter what the terrorists do, the Lithuanian Jewish Community will continue to stand firm with Israel in its struggle for survival and its right to self-defense.

We thank everyone who has condemned this attack and we call upon Lithuanian law enforcement and state institutions to take action and identify those responsible for this anti-Semitic offense.

Vilna Gaon Museum Presents Samuel Bak Catalog

Vilna Gaon Museum Presents Samuel Bak Catalog

The Samuel Bak Museum at the Vilna Gaon Jewish History Museum’s Tolerance Center will host a presentation of a catalog of works of art by Samuel Bak. There will be a number of speakers including Bak himself.

Time: 6:00 P.M., July 2
Place: Samuel Bak Museum, Naugarduko street no. 10, Vilnius

The War with Iran: Aftermath

The War with Iran: Aftermath

by Geoff Vasil

The aftermath of what the US administration is calling the 12-Day War (referring to the Six-Day War in 1967 when Moshe Dayan took the whole of the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt) is somewhat contentious.

Jonhny-come-lately the United States joined the fray but then attempted to take over the strategic ciurse of the conflict. As in World War I and World War II, when first the European powers then the Soviet Union had expended countless troops to win the war, the United States joined late, then allowed themselves to declare peace.

In the case of the latest 12-Day War, US president Trump declared mission accomplished, and demanded the state of Israel cease hostilities.

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Where in the World is Diego Garcia?

Where in the World is Diego Garcia?

by Geoff Vasil

I always used to ask myself that every time i heard Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego on television.

Back in the 1980s Brøderbund Software released a game by the same name which became extremely popular with school children. It went on to become a children’s game show on the Public Broadcasting System network in the United States. Later the newcomer network Fox picked it up as well.

The games and series are essentially a mystery where clues are given to the current location of the arch-villain Carmen Sandiego, head of the international association of bad guys called V.I.L.E., shades of SPECTRE, HYDRA and KAOS.

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The War with Iran: No Contest

The War with Iran: No Contest

by Geoff Vasil

Critics contend the claim Iran is weeks away from a nuclear bomb has been a talking point for at least a decade if not 30 years now.

Israel and the International Atomic Energy Commission say Iran has violated restrictions on uranium enrichment under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in the last several months.

Iran says this is their first violation and that they don’t want and never have wanted a nuclear bomb.

If Iran has been accused of the same thing for over a decade, and Israel maintains that the danger is here at the door, which side is right?
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Actually, it turns out all sides are right. The reason is simple. the funny little secret about nuclear bombs is that they aren’t very high technology at all. In fact, the basic atomic bomb is as simple as smashing two rocks together.

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On the War in Israel and the Situation in Lithuania

On the War in Israel and the Situation in Lithuania

Israel along with every country in the world has the right to self-defense. As has become known from open sources, Iran has come dangerously close to producing a nuclear bomb, and that is a direct threat to Israel, named by Iran as their second-greatest enemy. We therefore view Israel’s actions as the necessary defense.

This situation is especially painful to members of the Lithuania Jewish Communit as, despite our love and respect for Lithuania, Israel is the homeland of the Jews and the only Jewish state in the world, where many of our elderly parents and other friends and loved ones live, and our children sserve in the ranks of the Israeli Dfense Forces. Our hearts and our prayers are with them and have been with them and wuth the hostages taken and held by terorists since October 7, 2023,

We support Israel unconditionally in the country’s struggle for existence and call on all nations of the world to come together against terrorism of the highest level.

The Lithuanian Jewish Community, which includes 32 member-organizations in Lithuania and abroad, also invites the Government of Lithuania and the governments of other countries to exert all efforts to insure the safety of the Jewish communities and their members who fund themselves the targets of anti-Semites.

We are also extremely grateful to the people of Lithuania who support Israel and also ask that the public assess critically the information they are receiving, and ask that information provided by Israel be trusted over that of other parties in the conflict, and that only verified information be shared.

Am Yisrael chai.

Faina Kukliansky, chairwoman
Lithuanian Jewish Community

From Lithuania to Israel via Siberia

From Lithuania to Israel via Siberia

The Vilnius Jewish Public Library is pleased to announce a presentation of a  translation of Shmaryahu Pustopetsky’s book From Lithuania to Israel via Siberia on Monday, June 16.

Translators Regina Kopilevich, an accomplished genealogist and tourist guide for Jewish Vilna, and historian and author Dalia Epšteinaitė will discuss the book with sociologist and historian Violeta Davoliūtė who specializes in family studies as moderator.

Pustopetsjy was a military officer in pre-World War II independent Lithuania, and was deported to Siberia, He was an active member of the Beitar movement before the Holocaust. In the book, he discusses both world wars, Litvak culture in the 1930s, the story of the so-called prisoners of Zion and the brutal prison camps under Stalin.

Time: 6:00 P.M., Monday, June 16
Place: Vilnius Jewish Public Library, Gedimino prospect no. 24, Vilnius

Geert Wilders: If Jerusalem Falls, So Do We

Geert Wilders: If Jerusalem Falls, So Do We

Dutch Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders delivered a strong speech to the Dutch parliament supporting Israel, and said Israel’s fight with terrorist organizations is a fight for the West itself. He said: “If Jerusalem falls, so will Paris, and Berlin. Israel is fighting for all of us.”

JNS reported the speech was made June 4 as Wilders’s party was considering leaving the ruling government coalition because of the failure by coalition partners to keep pledges on controlling immigration into the Netherlands.

Wilders also said: “A mother in Holland can sleep peacefully because a mother in Israel is staying awake to see if her son returns home from battle. Israel is an outpost of freedom. It is the only democracy in the Middle East and if it falls, so will Europe.”

Wilders decried the “almost anti-Semitic” statements made by opposition leader Frans Timmermans slandering the state of Israel. Wilders mused on the loss of moral compass among so-called leaders in the West who “are ready to condemn a state that is defending itself, and remain silent about those who are shooting up orphanages.”

Terrorist Lights 12 Jews on Fire in Colorado

Terrorist Lights 12 Jews on Fire in Colorado

Mohamed Soliman, an illegal alien resident in El Paso, Texas, and originally from Egyot, used a home-made flamethrower and Molotov cocktails to set 12 Jews on fire Sunday afternoon in Boulder, Colorado.

One victim was a Holocaust survivor.

Soliman targeted the weekly Sunday silent march by members of the Jewish community in Boulder held to remember the hostages still kidnapped in Gaza.

Soliman yelled “free Palestine” and claimed the Coloradan Jews were “burning my people.”

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New Holocaust Remembrance Project Echoes

New Holocaust Remembrance Project Echoes

A new Holocaust remembrance project called Echoes kicked off in May of 2025, subtitled “Conversations with Holocaust Survivors using Artificial Intelligence.” The project was first demonstrated in Thessaloniki, Greece recently with staff from the Lithuanian Jewish Community participating. Thessaloniki has had a Jewish community for over 2,000 years.

Project partners include the Saloniki Jewish Museum, the European Commussion, CERV, the Lithuanian Jewish Community and others.

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Moshe Kantor Elected President of European Jewish Congress

Moshe Kantor Elected President of European Jewish Congress

Pledges solidarity with Israel and to fight anti-Semitism

The European Jewish Congress has elected Dr. Moshe Kantor to a fifth term as president. At its General Assembly held in Jerusalem on Wednesday, delegates from more than 40 national representative Jewish organizations overwhelmingly elected Kantor as president, with the veteran Jewish leader gathering almost two thirds of the vote. Kantor replaces outgoing interim president Ariel Musicant, who opposed him in this election.

Full story here.

Trump Expresses Condolences over Shooting of Israeli Diplomats in US Capital

Trump Expresses Condolences over Shooting of Israeli Diplomats in US Capital

President Donald Trump called Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday to express condolences and his personal shock for the murder of two Israeli embassy personnel in Washington, D.C., Yaron Liszczynski and Sarah Milgrim.

Netanyahu thanked Trump for the efforts he and his administration have made to fight anti-Semitism in the United States.

The shooter Elias Rodriguez targeted an AJC event for young diplomats at the Capital Jewish Museum near the Israeli embassy. This was the first successful assassination of a foreign diplomat in Washington, D.C., since the car-bomb killing of former Chilean diplomat Orlando Letelier in 1976.

Jewish Communities across Africa

Jewish Communities across Africa

Photo: Delegates from around the world attended the Jewish Africa Conference

The third Jewish Africa Conference, an event spearheaded by the American Jewish Committee (AJC), Mimouna Association (Morocco) and the American Sephardi Federation (ASF), took place during April in Cape Town.

The conference was supported by the Cape SA Jewish Board of Deputies, with a welcome address by chair of the board Adrienne Jacobson. Predecessor conferences were held in New York in 2019 and in Rabat, Morocco, in 2022. The event took place at the Old Shul, the SA Jewish Museum and the Kaplan Centre for Jewish Studies at the University of Cape Town.

According to Wayne Sussman, director of the AJC Africa Institute who oversaw conference proceedings, “We all know that the South African Jewish community has made a rich contribution to Jewish life around the world. This is also true with other African Jewish communities. They have strong traditions and customs. Many made a huge impact on their respective countries. This conference allowed Jews from across Africa and scholars interested in Jewish African life today to come together and make sense of how we carry on building our respective communities and ensure we preserve our past properly.”

While we in South Africa tend to think of Jewish life from an Eastern European bias–because the bulk of our community is of Ashkenazi origin–Jewish life in fact traces a great deal back to Africa. With roots in ancient Egypt, Jewish religious and cultural practice are certainly a significant feature of the African continent.

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No More Student Visas for Harvard

No More Student Visas for Harvard

Department of Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem announced Thursday the cancellation of visas for foreign students at Harvard College.

The Trump administration had been demanding information from Harvard about misconduct by foreign exchange students there. Harvard refused to furnish that information.

Noem told Fox News current foreign student visa holders at Harvard would have to seek enrollment at other universities and Harvard’s participation in the foreign student visa program had been suspended, meaning no new visas would be issued for foreign nationals seeking to matriculate or continue studies there.

The Trump administration’s conflict with Harvard College stems from attempts to insure the civil rights of Jewish students and teachers be respected at American universities.

Hamas Activist Murders Couple, Wounds Two in American Capital

Hamas Activist Murders Couple, Wounds Two in American Capital

Elias Rodriguez, 30, from Chicago, opened fire outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., Wednesday evening just after 9:00 P.M. local time. Ear-witnesses inside the museum reported two volleys of shots which killed an Israeli couple leaving an event there and wounded two more. All four victims worked for the Israeli embassy adjacent to the museum. Rodriguez had been seen walking outside the museum apparently waiting for the event to end.

Event organizers required registration before divulging the time and place of the event, which was intended for young diplomats, according to media reports.

The suspect reportedly hid his gun outside then posed as a pedestrian fleeing the shooting to gain entrance to the museum. Security let him in. When police arrived on the scene outside, the young man began chanting “free Palestine.” He told police he was unarmed and surrendered to them, continuing his chanting in handcuffs.

According to media reports, Israeli spokespeople have said they will strengthen security at Israeli diplomatic installations around the world because of this event and rising anti-Semitism.

This was the first successful assassination of a foreign diplomat in Washington, D.C., since the car-bomb killing of former Chilean diplomat Orlando Letelier in 1976.

Update: Media outlets have dropped the report of two additional victims wounded in the attack.