Weekly roundup of world briefs

Argentine Supreme Court discovers over 80 boxes of forgotten Nazi documents

By Grace Gilson

(JTA) — The Supreme Court of Argentina discovered over 80 boxes of material from the Nazis in its basement last Friday, prompting court officials to work with local Jewish organizations to review their contents.

The boxes were sent in 1941 from the embassy of Nazi Germany in Tokyo to German diplomats in Argentina. Their contents include Nazi postcards, photographs and propaganda material, which, the court said in a statement Monday, were “intended to consolidate and propagate Adolf Hitler’s ideology in Argentina.”

After the shipment came to Argentina, Argentine authorities feared the contents could affect Argentina’s neutrality at the time in World War II, and the boxes were referred to the Supreme Court.

It is unclear what action the court may have taken at the time, but the trove of material will now be reviewed in collaboration with the Association of Jewish Lawyers of the Argentine Republic and the local Holocaust Memorial Foundation.

The Supreme Court said the objective of the review is to discern “whether the material contains crucial information about the Holocaust and whether the clues found can shed light on still-unknown aspects, such as the global Nazi money trail.”

The discovery follows the declassification earlier this month by the Argentine government of more than 1,800 files on Nazi escape via “rat-lines” to South America. Argentine President Javier Milei ordered the declassification of the documents after a meeting with leaders from the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Maggie Gyllenhaal’s daughter reportedly arrested at Columbia library protest

By Grace Gilson

(JTA) — Ramona Sarsgaard, daughter of Jewish actress Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard, was reportedly one of the more than 70 pro-Palestinian protesters arrested at Columbia University last week.

During the protest on May 7, demonstrators occupied the school’s main library for several hours, with some vandalizing it, until Columbia’s acting president, Claire Shipman, authorized the NYPD to come in and conduct a mass arrest.

Sarsgaard, who is a freshman at Columbia, was given a ticket for criminal trespassing during the library occupation, according to the New York Post. The university has since suspended more than 65 students involved in the protest. It is unknown whether Sarsgaard was included among those suspended.

The library protest was organized by Columbia University Apartheid Divest, the school’s main pro-Palestinian coalition.

Pope Leo XIV calls for ceasefire in Gaza, release of hostages

By Philissa Cramer

(JTA) — Pope Leo XIV spoke directly about Gaza in his first Sunday address since being elected, marking his first public comments as pope about the 19-month-old war between Israel and Hamas there.

“I am deeply pained by what is happening in the Gaza strip,” he said, according to translations of the speech, delivered in Italian at the Vatican. “May a ceasefire immediately come into effect. May humanitarian aid be allowed into the civilian population and may all hostages be freed.”

He also decried the war in Ukraine and praised the ceasefire in a conflict between India and Pakistan.

The speech — in which Leo proclaimed, “Never again war!” — and other moves by the new pope are being closely watched by supporters of Israel, many of whom felt alienated by Pope Francis’ response to the war in Gaza.

Francis also called for the release of the hostages, whom Hamas abducted from Israel, in his frequent calls for a ceasefire. But he also suggested that Israel could be guilty of “genocide” in Gaza and attended the inauguration of a nativity scene at the Vatican that positioned baby Jesus on a keffiyeh, or Palestinian scarf; last week, the Vatican announced that he had willed his popemobile to the children of Gaza.

After Leo called for peace in his first public address as pope without mentioning Gaza, Rabbi Noam Marans, the American Jewish Committee’s director of interreligious and intergroup relations, emphasized that such calls are standard fare from the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica. “All popes want peace,” he said.

Activists smuggle goat onto Temple Mount

(JNS) — Jewish activists managed to smuggle a live goat onto the Temple Mount in Jerusalem using a supermarket bag on Monday.

The Israel Police confirmed that officers from the Jerusalem District arrested nine suspects in the Old City for allegedly assaulting police officers and attempting to disturb the public order. One of the detainees was found to be concealing a live animal in a bag.

The Temple Mount, revered by Jews and Christians as the site of the ancient Temples and by Muslims as the location of the Al-Aqsa mosque, is frequently a flashpoint for tensions. Under current Israeli policy, non-Muslim prayer and religious rituals are not permitted on the Mount. Attempts to perform animal sacrifices are strictly prohibited.

The police did not release the identities of the suspects or the fate of the goat.

Rioter sentenced for burning US flag, vandalism in pro-Hamas rally in DC

(JNS)  — Michael Snow, Jr., 25, of Durham, N.C., was sentenced to four months of probation and 40 hours of community service on May 9 for his part in a pro-Hamas protest outside Union Station in Washington, D.C.

The protest occurred during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to a joint session of Congress on July 24, 2024.

Snow burned a U.S. government-owned American flag, for which he was ordered to pay $525 in restitution for destruction of federal property, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

Snow pleaded guilty to the offense in February. Video posted to social media showed him grabbing one of two U.S. flags lowered by protestors from flagpoles in Columbus Circle, outside the train station, and carrying it into the crowd of protesters.

The video shows Snow throwing the flag onto the ground, pulling out a lighter and struggling to set the flag ablaze. Another protester handed him a bottle of charcoal lighter fluid, which he and another rioter used to set the flag on fire.

Protesters also sprayed pro-Hamas graffiti on multiple statues and structures on the federal property and replaced U.S. flags with Palestinian ones.

The National Park Service estimated that the total cost to clean up and repair the site was $11,282.23.

Pope Leo XIV pledges continued ‘dialogue’ with Jewish people

By Izzy Salant

(JNS) — Newly elected Pope Leo XIV sent a letter on May 8 to Rabbi Noam Marans, director of interreligious affairs at the American Jewish Committee, affirming his commitment to fostering Catholic-Jewish relations.

The letter, shared by AJC on Monday, states that the pope pledges “to continue and strengthen the church’s dialogue and cooperation with the Jewish people in the spirit of the Second Vatican Council’s declaration Nostra Aetate.”

“It is gratifying to see that, so early in his tenure, the pope has affirmed the importance of strong Catholic-Jewish relations,” Marans told JNS, adding that the letter was “unexpected but entirely welcome.”

“The pope recognizes that Nostra Aetate remains a call to action for stronger ties between the two faiths, and we stand ready to work with the Church to ensure that happens,” Marans added.

Nostra Aetate is the official 1965 declaration from the Vatican that states Jews cannot be collectively held responsible for the death of Jesus Christ and rejects antisemitism in all its forms.

“We are deeply moved that Pope Leo XIV, so early in his papacy, has reaffirmed his commitment to Catholic-Jewish relations,” AJC wrote. “As we approach the 60th anniversary of this landmark declaration, we look forward to working together to deepen understanding and cooperation.”

US sanctions individuals, entity with ties to Iranian nuclear-related research

(JNS) — The U.S. State Department is sanctioning three Iranian nationals and one Iranian entity with ties to Iran’s Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research, also known as SPND, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced.

Those sanctioned are involved in activities that currently or could potentially “materially contribute to the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,” Rubio stated, adding that these sanctions are intended to “delay and degrade” SPND’s ability to research and develop nuclear weapons.

“Iran continues to substantially expand its nuclear program and carry out dual-use research and development activities applicable to nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons delivery systems,” read Rubio’s statement. “Iran is the only country in the world without nuclear weapons that is producing uranium enriched to 60 percent, and it continues to use front companies and procurement agents to obscure its efforts to acquire dual-use items from foreign suppliers.”

On Sunday, the United States and Iran held another round of indirect nuclear negotiations, which Iran characterized as “difficult.”

Sa’ar in Japan for first official visit by Israeli FM in 15 years

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — Gideon Sa’ar arrived in Tokyo on Tuesday, marking the first visit by an Israeli foreign minister to Japan in 15 years.

Sa’ar is expected to hold high-level meetings with senior Japanese officials, including his Japanese counterpart Takeshi Iwaya. He will also address Japanese media in interviews and at a press conference aimed at reinforcing Israel’s narrative in the region.

The minister will speak at a reception hosted by Israel’s ambassador to Japan in honor of the country’s 77th Independence Day and is scheduled to meet with members of the Japan-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Association.

The visit is part of Israel’s broader diplomatic push to engage key international allies amid ongoing conflict and geopolitical shifts in the region.

Japan, the world’s fourth-largest economy and a G7 member, has played a supportive role toward Israel in recent months. Since Oct. 7, Tokyo has affirmed Israel’s right to self-defense, expressed solidarity, imposed sanctions on senior Hamas officials, and called for the immediate and unconditional release of Israeli hostages.

Zvi Feldman laid to rest after 43 years after disappearance

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — Sgt. First Class Zvi Feldman, who went missing during the First Lebanon War in 1982, was laid to rest Monday at Israel’s Holon Military Cemetery, bringing closure to a decades-long national and personal tragedy.

Feldman vanished during the Battle of Sultan Yacoub, a fierce tank engagement between Israeli and Syrian forces in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley. He was one of three Israeli soldiers reported missing after the battle. The remains of one, Sgt. First Class Zachary Baumel, were returned in 2019. The third soldier, Sgt. First Class Yehuda Katz, is still unaccounted for.

The recovery of Feldman’s body was made possible through a covert operation carried out by the Mossad and the Israel Defense Forces. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally notified the Feldman family of the discovery.

At the funeral, Feldman’s sister, Anat, spoke emotionally about her brother’s dedication to Israel. She described his return as a moment of deep pride and sorrow, calling him “a warrior who died defending our people.”

The repatriation highlights Israel’s longstanding commitment to bringing home all missing soldiers. Netanyahu emphasized this during his remarks, stating that the government had pledged to return Feldman and fulfilled that promise.

New museum opens at Czech industrial site where Schindler saved 1,200 Jews

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — The Museum of Survivors hosted its first visitors this weekend at the site of an old industrial plant in the Czech town of Brněnec 100 miles east of Prague, in an event timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

The former factory is where German businessman Oskar Schindler saved 1,200 Jews during the World War II. The compound was stolen by the Nazis from its Jewish owners in 1938 and turned into a labor camp.

The museum is not currently open on a daily basis but focuses on educational activities for students.

Schindler’s story was told in Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning 1993 movie, “Schindler’s List.”

Eighty years ago this month, Schindler received a golden ring from the grateful Jewish survivors, made with gold taken from their teeth and inscribed with the Hebrew words from Talmud: “Whoever saves one life saves the world entire.”

Schindler, who was posthumously recognized as a Righteous Among the Nations by the Yad Vashem World Holocaust Museum, is buried in Jerusalem.

Trump admin cancels $450m in grants to Harvard, above $2.2b axed

(JNS) — The federal Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism announced on Tuesday that it was canceling another $450 million in grants to Harvard University, beyond the $2.2 billion it terminated last week.

The task force, which includes the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services, and the U.S. General Services Administration, stated that “Harvard University has repeatedly failed to confront the pervasive race discrimination and antisemitic harassment plaguing its campus.”

The Cambridge, Mass., Ivy League school’s Presidential Task Force on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias has recognized its “shameful legacy” and exposed the reality that “Jewish students were subjected to pervasive insults, physical assault and intimidation, with no meaningful response from Harvard’s leadership.”

The task force noted recent reporting of a “pattern of endemic race discrimination” at Harvard Law Review, when the journal considered submissions.

“Even more troubling, the Harvard Law Review awarded a $65,000 fellowship—meant to ‘serve the public interest’—to a protester who faced criminal charges for assaulting a Jewish student on campus,” the task force stated. “The decision was reviewed and approved by a faculty committee, demonstrating just how radical Harvard has become.”

“Harvard’s campus, once a symbol of academic prestige, has become a breeding ground for virtue signaling and discrimination,” it added. “This is not leadership. It is cowardice. And it’s not academic freedom. It’s institutional disenfranchisement.”

American Muslims for Palestine must comply with Virginia subpoena for documents, judge rules

(JNS) — Devika Davis, a Richmond, Va., circuit court judge, ruled on May 9 that the Americans for Justice in Palestine Educational Foundation, a Falls Church, Va., nonprofit which is also known as American Muslims for Palestine, must comply with the state attorney general’s subpoena for financial documents, called a civil investigative demand.

Jason Miyares, the state attorney general, issued the demand in October 2023 over the nonprofit’s “noncompliance with the state’s charitable solicitation law” and allegations that it “may have used solicited funds for impermissible purposes, such as benefiting or providing support to terrorist organizations,” per the attorney general’s office.

“When charitable organizations operating in Virginia fail to follow the law, my office has a duty to act, and we will not allow legal delay tactics to interfere with that responsibility,” Miyares stated. “I will continue to ensure that charitable organizations operating in Virginia follow the law.”

According to the attorney general’s office, American Muslims for Palestine filed a petition to “modify or set aside” the demand. After the Richmond circuit court denied the petition in July 2024, the nonprofit “attempted to further delay compliance by continuing to refuse to respond to the” demand, which forced Miyares “to bring an enforcement action in January 2025,” it stated.

US government sanctions network smuggling Iranian oil to China

(JNS) — The U.S. federal government announced on Tuesday sanctions against an international network accused of smuggling billions of dollars’ worth of Iranian crude oil to China.

“The revenue from the sale of this oil funds the development of ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, nuclear proliferation and Iran’s terrorist proxies, including the Houthis’ attacks on Red Sea Shipping, the U.S. Navy and Israel,” Tammy Bruce, the U.S. State Department spokeswoman, stated.

The smuggling network operates on behalf of the Iranian Armed Forces General Staff and its front company, Sepehr Energy Jahan Nama Pars, Bruce stated.

“As long as Iran devotes its illicit revenues to funding attacks on the United States and our allies, supporting terrorism around the world and pursuing other destabilizing actions, we will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to hold the regime accountable,” she said.