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2 dead, over 210 injured in synagogue bleacher collapse In West Bank settlement

By Andrew Lapin

(JTA) — Israeli paramedics said that at least two worshipers had been killed and at least 213 were injured in a bleacher collapse incident at a synagogue in the Judean Israeli settlement of Givat Zeev on Sunday.

The prayer gathering was held to mark the beginning of the Shavuot holiday. “Hundreds” of haredi Orthodox Jews were congregated at the synagogue in the Israeli settlement northwest of Jerusalem, which was still under construction, a Magen David Adom spokesperson told Israeli media. The two dead were reported as a 12-year-old boy and a 40-year-old man; the incident was deemed a “mass casualty event.”

A video from the synagogue, later broadcast on Israeli TV, shows the crowded bleachers collapsing and dozens of attendees falling to the ground. The building was still under construction, with visible exposed concrete and plastic sheeting used as windows, according to accounts of TV footage.

Israeli authorities, including the mayor of Givat Zeev, the police chief of Jerusalem and head of the Israel Fire and Rescue service, all said the building was dangerous and unfinished, and traded blame for the accident. Defense Minister Benny Gantz wrote on Twitter that “my heart is with the victims” of the collapse.

For many Israelis, the disaster contained eerie echoes of the deadly Lag b’Omer stampede in Mount Meron only a few weeks prior that killed 45 haredi Orthodox Jews at another overcrowded holiday celebration.

Victim of Lod lynch mob dies of wounds

(JNS) — Fifty-six-year-old Lod resident Yigal Yehoshua died on Monday, less than a week after being critically wounded by a mob of Arab rioters in the central Israeli city.

Yehoshua was struck in the head by a brick while in his car, as rioters hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails at police and passersby in the 80,000-strong Jewish-Arab city. A yeshiva, synagogues, municipal structures and dozens of vehicles have been torched during the unrest.

According to his wife, Irena, he was assaulted while on his way home from a Torah-scroll dedication in a nearby moshav.

“He managed to drive to the house [with his head wound], and even tried to park, but he hit some vehicles,” she told Channel 12, adding that while neighbors called an ambulance, she approached the driver’s side of the car and saw the “window shattered and his shirt soaked in blood.”

Yehoshua was rushed to the Sharon Medical Center (Assaf Harofeh Hospital), where he spent the following six days fighting for his life.

“I share in the sorrow of the family of the late Yigal Yehoshua, who was murdered in a lynching carried out by Arab rioters in Lod,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on Monday night.

“We will settle accounts with whomever participated in this murder; nobody will escape punishment. May Yigal’s memory be blessed and bound in our hearts forever,” he added.

As rockets rain down on Tel Aviv, foreign airlines suspend flights to Israel

(JNS) — Amid ongoing rocket attacks from Gaza, one after another foreign airline has suspended flights to Israel, multiple media outlets reported on Sunday, citing civil aviation officials.

According to the reports, most of the flights arriving on schedule—including those of Israel’s national carrier, El Al; its other two airlines, Israir and Arkia; and Ethiopian Airlines, Fly Dubai and Aegean Airlines—are being diverted from Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv to the Ramon International Airport in Eilat.

All departing flights will continue to take off from Ben-Gurion Airport.

Delta, United and Lufthansa were the first to cancel flights to Israel on Thursday, as hundreds of projectiles were fired at central Israel, including in the immediate vicinity of the country’s main hub of international travel and point of cargo entry.

Israel on Sunday entered the seventh day of what the military dubbed “Operation Guardian of the Walls,” a campaign to confront the terrorist threat from the Hamas-run enclave along Israel’s southern border.

Organization of American States designates Hamas a terrorist organization

By JTA Staff

(JTA) — The Organization of American States, an international coalition of 35 countries in North and South America, has designated Hamas a terrorist organization amid Israel’s worst bout of fighting with the group in years.

“The recent attacks launched by Hamas against the Israeli civilian population undoubtedly constitute attacks of a terrorist nature,” Luis Almagro of Uruguay, the OAS secretary general, wrote Monday in a statement. “Hamas’s terrorist aggression is unlimited and always seeks civilian victims, seeks to escalate conflict dynamics and armed actions, as well as sowing terror among innocent populations, be they Israeli or Palestinian.”

The Simon Wiesenthal Center’s Latin American branch applauded the move and pointed to four member states whose governments have expressed opinions counter to the OAS statement: Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico and Venezuela.

“We congratulate Secretary General Luis Almagro for clarifying this to the OAS’ member-states whose foreign ministries which have taken positions of ignorance or partiality,” Simon Wiesenthal regional director Ariel Gelblung said.

The Argentina Foreign Ministry released a statement last week titled “Concern about the situation in Israel and Palestine” expressing “deep concern” over what it deemed a “disproportionate use of force” by Israel as well as the rocket fire from Gaza.

The United States, a member of the OAS, already refers to Hamas as a terrorist organization.

The OAS, headquartered in Washington, D.C., is the world’s oldest regional organization, dating back to the First International Conference of American States held in the U.S. capital in 1889.

Israeli student in New Mexico hospitalized after alleged hate-crime attack

(JNS) — A Jewish student at the University of New Mexico was taken to the hospital after being the victim of an alleged hate-crime attack.

Israeli Roni Saponar was treated for internal bleeding and a concussion, reported KOB 4. The college freshman said a group of men beat him during a party in Albuquerque earlier in May when he was wearing a shirt that said, “Just Jew It.”

He claimed the suspects also stole his shoes and watch, and yelled anti-Semitic slurs at him.

“They weren’t just trying to take my stuff — there was a feeling behind it,” he said. “There had to be some kind of anger behind it.”

Saponar and his family members posted pictures of his injuries on social media to raise awareness about anti-Semitism.

He said, “I’m here because I want to portray a message: Be proud of who you are. That’s what it is; that’s why I want to do this.”

Scott Levin, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League’s Mountain States region, said the ADL is “outraged and appalled” by the violent attack, as well as the alleged anti-Semitism that prompted it.

“We strongly encourage law enforcement to fully investigate this assault, including the allegations of anti-Semitism,” he said. “And we encourage prosecutors to pursue hate-crime charges if evidence shows that the student was attacked by the group because of his Jewish identity.”

A spokesperson with the Albuquerque Police Department said it’s too early to determine if the incident was a hate crime. An investigation is ongoing; no arrests have been made.

Israel’s police chief in hot seat for likening both Arab and Jewish rioters to ‘terrorists’

By Itsik Saban

(Israel Hayom via JNS) — Israel Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai sparked an uproar on Tuesday night during a visit to the embattled city of Lod in central Israel when he called both Arab and Jewish rioters “terrorists.”

“We will bring anyone who disrupted the public order and engaged in vandalism to justice. It doesn’t matter right now if they were Jews or Arabs. We will bring all the terrorists to justice, from both sides. From my perspective, these are people who disrupted the peace and quiet for us all, and our job is to expel this crowd from society,” said Shabtai.

Shortly after the comments, Israel’s Public Security Minister Amir Ohana (Likud) lambasted the police chief.

“An outrageous statement by the commissioner that should never have been made,” said Ohana. “To treat the problem we must acknowledge it: Arab rioters attacked Jews, police officers, synagogues. The policy is to be aggressive against rioters and terrorists. There is not and never has been symmetry. Yes, a handful of people also attacked Arabs; they will be dealt with harshly. From here to ‘both sides’—the distance is very far.”

Religious Zionism Party chairman Bezalel Smotrich also assailed Shabtai, saying: “This is what a commissioner who spits in the face of the people of Israel on live television looks like, who on his watch have been attacked and murdered, their property looted and burned, their sense of personal security lost while living under siege and while entire communities are cut off throughout the night. From an ethical and practical perspective, this distorted approach explains, of course, the resounding failure of the police to restore peace and security.”

Yamina Knesset member Ayelet Shaked said, “Police commissioner, sir, I visited Lod today [Tuesday]. Your statement regarding belligerents from both sides is detached from the reality on the ground. Burned synagogues, burned apartments belonging to Jews and Jewish residents fearing and dreading the neighbors in their building. Sweeping the problems of mixed cities under the rug won’t solve them; a determined and aggressive operation to collect [illegal] firearms will.”

This article first appeared in Israel Hayom.

KKL-JNF to place portable bomb shelters in Israeli communities near Gaza

(JNS) — To help communities and residents living on the front lines in southern Israel and the Gaza Envelope, which are constantly exposed to rocket and mortar fire, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund, in coordination with the Israeli Ministry of Defense, will be placing new portable bomb shelters in strategic locations and cities so residents are better protected, and have accessible and immediate protection.

The development will be made possible with KKL–JNF’s worldwide organizations and with the help of Jewish and Israel-supporting communities from around the world, who are already showing their support as Israel fights to defend itself from terror attacks and constant barrages fired from the Gaza Strip.

KKL–JNF will acquire about 100 new, modern, portable bomb shelters — each capable of protecting dozens of citizens — in the hopes of saving as many lives as possible.

Avraham Duvdevani, global chairman of the organization, said it is “of paramount importance to help, assist and protect residents during these sorts of emergencies, as it is important during calmer days as well. Through this acquisition, it is taking part in the national effort, supporting farmers, agriculture workers and civilians so that they are able to maintain their livelihood and stay safe.”

IDF soldiers thwart terror attack in Hebron

(JNS) — Israeli soldiers thwarted a terrorist attack on Tuesday afternoon in the Jewish community of Hebron, the military said in a statement.

The suspect, who was armed with a “Carlo” submachine gun, a knife and explosives, arrived in a vehicle from the direction of Hebron’s Abu Sneineh neighborhood, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

“The terrorist, who apparently belonged to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, tried to ‘pull’ soldiers [towards him] by throwing firebombs at them, with the aim of detonating the explosives he was carrying,” said IDF spokesman Brig. Gen. Hidai Zilberman.

The Israeli forces initiated a standard arrest procedure, ultimately opening fire at the suspect. The explosives he was carrying detonated, killing him, said the IDF. No Israeli casualties were reported.

Reality TV star Erica Mena on Twitter: There’s ‘special place in hell’ for ‘These Jewish people’

By Gabe Friedman

(JTA) — Reality TV star Erica Mena tweeted “These Jewish people are really killing children” and added “A real special place in hell for them all.”

“I’m so disgusted with Israel,” Mena wrote to her nearly 275,000 Twitter followers, apparently referencing the ongoing violence between Israel and Gaza.

Journalist John-Paul Pagano captured the tweet from Monday before she took it down.

Mena appeared as a dancer in music videos for several famous rappers before appearing on VH1’s “Love & Hip Hop: New York” and “Kourtney and Kim Take Miami,” a spinoff of the “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” show. Mena has nearly 5.5 million followers on Instagram.

After taking down her original tweet, she added one on Monday that called Israel “devils” that are carrying out a “genocide.”

“I don’t care what anyone has to say. If you think it’s okay to kill young innocent children and remove people from their homes, you can go to hell along with the devils of Israel that are taking part in a genocide right now as we speak,” she wrote.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez leads push in Congress to block arms sale to Israel

By Asaf Shalev

(JTA) — A trio of progressive Congress members is about to propose a resolution to block a $735 million weapons sale to Israel over concerns about its actions in Gaza, Jewish Currents reported, citing an early draft of the resolution. 

The sponsors of the legislation targeting the transfer of precision-guided missiles to Israel are Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Mark Pocan of Wisconsin and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, all Democrats. 

The arms deal has made headlines as Israel and Hamas exchange fire in a round of fighting that started 10 days ago and has left hundreds dead, mostly Palestinians living in Gaza. 

“At a time when so many, including our president, support a ceasefire, we should not be sending ‘direct attack’ weaponry to prime minister Netanyahu to prolong this violence,” says an email obtained by Jewish Currents that was sent out by Ocasio-Cortez’s office to ask other lawmakers for support. “It is long past time to end the US policy of unconditional military arms sales, particularly to governments that have violated human rights.”

The progressive lawmakers appear to be picking up where the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Gregory Meeks, a fellow Democrat, left off. 

Meeks had considered sending a letter to the White House asking for a delay in the transfer of the arms shipment in light of the hostilities, but ultimately decided against it. His momentary consideration marked a shift in how congressional leaders have traditionally related to Israeli security matters. 

Biden tells Netanyahu he wants ‘de-escalation today’ in Gaza conflict

By Asaf Shalev

(JTA) — In their fourth phone call since fighting in Gaza began 10 days ago, President Joe Biden pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday to begin winding down the conflict immediately.

“The president conveyed to the prime minister that he expected a significant de-escalation today on the path to a ceasefire,” according to a readout of the call published by the White House. 

As the death toll in Gaza has reached 219, pressure is mounting on Israel to conclude its bombing campaign against Hamas and other militant groups that have been firing rockets at Israel. 

Earlier Wednesday, Netanyahu seemed to reject the pressure, saying in a statement that the Israeli military would continue fighting until it subdued the threat. He also thanked Biden for supporting Israel’s right to self-defense. 

A person briefed on the call between the two leaders told Axios that Biden was “firm” and that he made it clear he’s “done kidding around and Israel needs to finish it.”

Israel could not immediately decide on a ceasefire Wednesday because Netanyahu had chosen not to convene his Security Cabinet. 

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has also stressed the need for de-escalation in calls with his Israeli counterpart, Benny Gantz, according to Axios.