Weekly roundup of world briefs

Thousands expected at Western Wall for Jerusalem Day 5785

(JNS) — The Western Wall Heritage Foundation is preparing to host tens of thousands of visitors for Jerusalem Day 5785, marking 58 years since the reunification of the city during the Six-Day War.

Festivities begin Sunday evening with a public prayer service and the unfurling of a giant Israeli flag at the Western Wall Plaza, attended by senior religious and public officials. This year’s flag ceremony is dedicated to the memory of Eyal Chaimovsky, the late director of the Jerusalem Development Authority.

Events continue through Monday, including a festive morning prayer, a special broadcast for elementary school students nationwide, and the iconic Flags March in the evening with mass participation.

Live streams and full schedule are available at: thekotel.org.

$10m reward for info to disrupt Hezbollah finances in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay

(JNS) — The U.S. Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program is asking for information about Hezbollah funding networks in Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, the department stated on May 19.

The program, run through the Diplomatic Security Service, has been offering a $10 million reward for information that disrupts “the financial mechanisms of the terrorist organization,” the department said.

Those who back Hezbollah have raised money for the terror group in the three countries via money laundering, drug trafficking, smuggling charcoal and oil, illegal diamond trading, forging documents, counterfeiting U.S. dollars and smuggling large amounts of cash, cigarettes and luxury goods, per the State Department.

German detained after attacking US Embassy building in Tel Aviv

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — Israeli security forces arrested a German tourist who hurled a bag with materials to produce Molotov cocktails toward the U.S. Embassy branch office in central Tel Aviv, according to widespread reports on Monday.

The German tourist, 27, reportedly spat at a security guard outside the diplomatic mission and threw his bag at them before fleeing the scene.

Security forces were called to examine the suspicious bag and found the items suspected of being materials used to create Molotov cocktails, the Israel Police confirmed in a statement to JNS on Monday evening.

The suspect was arrested following a search by police officers, the municipal policing motorcycle unit and Municipal Security Patrol personnel, police said.

According to Israel’s Arutz 7, the suspect said during questioning that he committed the alleged attack out of anger at the American government.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem told JNS on Monday night, “As a matter of policy, we do not comment on active investigations.”

Trump proclaims Jewish American Heritage Month

(JNS) — As he issued a proclamation to commemorate Jewish American Heritage Month, U.S. President Donald Trump stated that “there has never been a greater friend to the Jewish people” than his administration.

Trump’s action followed the passage last week of a House resolution in support of the annual commemoration, which takes place each May.

The president noted the increase in Jew-hatred in the United States since the Hamas-led terror attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

“Since those horrific attacks, the Jewish community in the United States, and around the world, has faced an incredible trial, though one that was not unfamiliar in Jewish history,” Trump stated. “College campuses and city streets erupted into violence. Blood libels were displayed proudly at protests. Those wearing yarmulkes were openly assaulted in the streets.”

“The America that its Jewish citizens felt that they once knew appeared to have shifted completely,” he added.

The president promised to “use every appropriate legal tool at my disposal to stop antisemitic assaults gripping our universities.”

“We will proudly stand with our friend and ally, the State of Israel. I will never waver in my commitment,” he said, noting that Jew-hatred has been “disguised as anti-Zionism, Holocaust denialism and false equivalencies.”

“We will never deviate from our conviction that antisemitism has no place in the greatest country in the world,” he stated.

Harvard president declines to testify at Senate panel on higher education

(JNS) — Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), chair of Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, stated that Alan Garber, president of Harvard University, declined to appear at an upcoming Senate hearing focusing on “issues in higher education.”

“I invited Harvard to testify. It is my firm belief that every person and institution should have the right to make their case,” said the senator. “There appears to have been tolerance of antisemitism on Harvard’s campus. This would have been the chance for Harvard to emphasize its value as a research institution and to tell the committee and the country how it is addressing antisemitism.”

Scheduled witnesses for the Wednesday hearing include other two university presidents: Michael Lindsay at Taylor University, a private Christian school in Indiana; and Mark Brown at Tuskegee University, a Historically Black College and University in Alabama.

“Rarely are HBCUs or religiously oriented universities mentioned in conversations about how to improve America’s higher education system,” added Cassidy. “This needs to change because they have their own valuable stories to tell.”

The federal Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism announced last week that it was canceling an additional $450 million in grants to Harvard University, beyond the $2.2 billion it froze in April.

IDF kills Hezbollah terror operative in Southern Lebanon

(JNS) — An Israel Defense Forces aircraft on Monday struck and killed a member of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force in the area of Houla in Southern Lebanon, the military announced.

The development comes after the IDF on Saturday eliminated a Hezbollah commander in the area of Mazraat Jemjim, north of Tyre city in southwestern Lebanon. According to the IDF, that terrorist was involved in efforts to rebuild Hezbollah infrastructure in the region.

“The rebuilding of terrorist infrastructure and related activity constitutes a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon,” the military said in a statement.

The situation in Lebanon remains volatile following the end of the truce with Beirut on Feb. 18. The ceasefire took effect on Nov. 27 and ended more than a year of war, after Hezbollah began attacks on the Jewish state on Oct. 8, 2023, one day after the Hamas-led massacre in southern Israel.

Although Jerusalem has withdrawn most of its ground forces since the war ended, it still controls five strategic positions in Southern Lebanon. Israeli officials have stated that the IDF will retain control of these areas until the Lebanese army demonstrates it can maintain security there.

Houthis threaten naval blockade of Haifa port

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — Yemen’s Houthi terrorist group announced late on Monday that it was expanding its campaign against Israel by imposing a “naval blockade” on the Haifa Port. 

The military spokesman of the Iranian-backed rebels, Yahya Saree, warned that vessels enroute to or docked at the key Israeli commercial hub in the north of the country would now be considered military targets.

“All companies with ships present in or heading to this port are hereby notified … the aforementioned port has been included in the target bank,” Saree declared in a televised statement.

The Houthis claimed the move is in response to Israel’s continued military operations in Gaza.

The declaration follows a pattern of escalating threats. Earlier this month, the Houthis threatened a full aerial blockade of Israel after firing a missile at Ben-Gurion Airport. On Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces intercepted a missile launched from Yemen, triggering air-raid sirens across central Israel.

In retaliation, Israel has targeted Houthi-controlled sites in Yemen used for arms transfers, including strikes on the ports of Hodeidah and Salif.

Delta resuming flights to Israel

By Etgar Lefkovits

(JNS) — Delta Air Lines is resuming flights to Tel Aviv on Tuesday, becoming the first U.S. carrier to restart service following the Houthi missile attack on Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport earlier this month.

Delta Air Lines will resume flights to Tel Aviv on Tuesday, becoming the first U.S. carrier to reinstate service following a recent Houthi missile attack near Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport.

The Atlanta-based airline confirmed to JNS that it will restart daily nonstop service between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and Tel Aviv. The first flight to Israel is scheduled to depart Tuesday afternoon, with the return flight to New York set for Wednesday morning.

Delta’s decision to lead the return of U.S. carriers to Israel puts it ahead of its main rival, United Airlines. The Chicago-based airline has postponed the resumption of its twice-daily Newark-to-Tel Aviv service until mid-June, following an extension of its temporary suspension.

It remains unclear whether Delta’s move will prompt United to accelerate its return to the Israeli market.

“We continue to closely monitor the situation, and will make decisions on resuming service with a focus on the safety of our customers and crew,” United said in a statement.

A Delta spokesperson told JNS on Monday that all flights to Israel were fully booked through next week, underscoring strong demand despite ongoing regional tensions.

Meanwhile, Dallas-based American Airlines has yet to resume service to Israel and has remained absent from the market since suspending operations following the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

The May 4 Houthi missile attack, which breached both U.S. and Israeli missile defense systems and landed near Ben-Gurion Airport, triggered a wave of cancellations by international airlines. The disruption came just as major foreign carriers had begun resuming service to Israel this spring.

IDF thwarts weapons smuggling attempt from Egypt

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — The Israel Defense Forces overnight Tuesday announced that it had foiled another attempt to smuggle weapons and ammunition across the border from Egypt via an unmanned aerial vehicle.

The drone, which was successfully intercepted, was found to have been carrying 19 pistols, three automatic rifles and ammunition, according to the IDF. 

The drone and its contents are now in the hands of the Israel Police.

Terrorists have increasingly taken to using drones to attempt to smuggle both weapons and drugs across the Egypt-Israel border. Weapons smuggling across Israel’s eastern border with Jordan has also seen a marked uptick in recent months.  

Lufthansa group extends suspension of Tel Aviv flights

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — The Lufthansa Group announced Tuesday that it is extending its suspension of flights to Israel through the second week of June.

The group—which includes SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Eurowings—said that following a fresh assessment of the security situation, it will halt all flights to and from Tel Aviv through June 8. The previous suspension had been set to expire on May 25.

Nearly all major international carriers suspended service to Israel on May 4, after a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels struck an area near Ben-Gurion International Airport.

The decision by several airlines, including Lufthansa Group, to extend flight suspensions by an additional two weeks comes as Delta Air Lines prepares to become the first U.S. carrier to resume flights to Israel on Tuesday — a significant boost for the country’s aviation sector.

Hungarian budget airline Wizz Air resumed operations to and from Tel Aviv last week, following Spain’s Air Europa, which restarted service earlier this month.

Former Hamas hostage Omer Shem Tov honored at Fenway Park

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — Omer Shem Tov, who was abducted by Hamas during the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre and spent 505 days in captivity, threw out the ceremonial first pitch at Fenway Park on Monday as the Boston Red Sox celebrated Jewish Heritage Night.

Shem Tov, 22, wore a Red Sox jersey with his name and the number 25. He also donned a yellow ribbon in solidarity with the estimated 58 hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza, and his sneakers bore the inscription “Bring them home.”

The event was part of Shem Tov’s U.S. visit, during which he has spoken publicly about his ordeal and urged international efforts to secure the release of remaining hostages.

He was released on Feb. 22, 2025, under the terms of a temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

Envelope with ‘suspicious powder’ found at health minister’s Knesset office

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — An envelope containing “suspicion powder” was sent to the Knesset office of Israeli Health Minister Uriel Buso, Israeli media reported on Tuesday.

In accordance with protocol, police were notified and the envelope along with the suspicious substance were transferred for further examination by the appropriate authorities, Israel Hayom reported.

A package containing a suspicious powder was also sent to Buso’s office in June. The minister was examined by medics and found not to be showing any symptoms after opening the package. However, his office was temporarily shut down following the incident.

A suspicious envelope was also received at the Israeli Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem in December 2024.

In January 2023 and again in February of this year, suspicious envelopes were discovered at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, leading to security guards and forensic teams being rushed to the scene.

Ye’s ‘crusade’ to normalize Nazi language will cause ‘real damage,’ ADL says

(JNS) — Millions of people have viewed a new song by Kanye West, who goes by Ye, that glorifies Adolf Hitler and which some social media platforms have banned.

Daniel Kelley, director of strategy and operations at the Anti-Defamation League and interim head of its Center for Technology and Society, told JNS that Ye is just one man. “But his crusade to normalize Nazi language will inflict real damage on our society,” Kelley said.

“Our culture is vulnerable to influencers who popularize hate,” he added.

YouTube and others removed the pro-Nazi song, but it has received a lot of attention on X, where Ye has more than 33 million followers.

“When phrases like ‘Heil Hitler’ are made more popular, our cultural safeguards or taboos against overt antisemitism crumble,” Kelley told JNS.

“Antisemitic incidents continue to break records,” he added. “Unfortunately, as our research shows, it is likely that this trend will only continue as Ye and other influencers make antisemitism acceptable.”

Virginia’s governor signs executive order combating campus antisemitism

(JNS) — Glenn Youngkin, the governor of Virginia, signed an executive order that combats antisemitism in the state’s public schools and institutions of higher education.

“No one should be unsafe in the classroom or on campus or feel targeted because of their religion or heritage,” said Youngkin. “This executive order reaffirms and strengthens the commonwealth’s commitment to safe educational environments free from discrimination and continues our actions against antisemitism and anti-religious bigotry in public schools and institutions of higher education.”

The new executive order directs the Virginia Department of Education to create and publish resources and actionable steps to combat Jew-hatred in academic institutions throughout the state. It also requires that schools update their codes of conduct to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism to treat antisemitic or other forms of religious bigotry “in the same manner” as any other form of discrimination.

It further directs the Virginia Secretary of Education to work with government officials to establish a new working group to “design a comprehensive reporting and tracking mechanism for alleged incidents of antisemitism and other anti-religious bigotry.”

That group must report its findings by Sept. 1.