Israel slams Mamdani for serving as ‘Hamas mouthpiece’
(JNS) — The Israeli Foreign Ministry blasted New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday for “acting as a mouthpiece for Hamas propaganda” over his statement on the second anniversary of the October 7 massacre accusing the Jewish state of genocide and war crimes.
The rebuke of the far-left mayoral frontrunner comes ahead of the Nov. 4 election in New York City, where his anti-Israel views have caused a split among American Jewry.
“Two years after Hamas launched its barbaric massacre against Israel and the Jewish people, Mamdani has chosen to act as a mouthpiece for Hamas propaganda — spreading Hamas’s fake genocide campaign,” the Israeli Foreign Ministry wrote on social media. “By repeating Hamas’s lies, he excuses terror and normalizes antisemitism. He stands with Jews only when they are dead. Shameful.”
In his earlier statement, Mamdani said the U.S. government had been “complicit” in a “genocidal war” against Hamas.
“Two years ago today, Hamas carried out a horrific war crime, killing more than 1,100 Israelis and kidnapping 250 more. I mourn these lives and pray for the safe return of every hostage still held and for every family whose lives were torn apart by these atrocities,” Mamdani wrote.
“In the aftermath of that day, Prime Minister Netanyahu and the Israeli government launched a genocidal war: a death toll that now far exceeds 67,000; with the Israeli military bombing homes, hospitals and schools into rubble,” Mamdani added, citing the unverified figures issued by the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza.
Police find no evidence of hate crime in attack on New Jersey rabbi
(JNS) — An attack on a local rabbi over the weekend “was not a hate crime or bias-related incident,” the Bergenfield, N.J., police department said on Monday.
Rabbi Avraham Wein, assistant rabbi at Congregation Keter Torah in neighboring Teaneck, N.J., and a faculty member at Torah Academy of Bergen County, a Modern Orthodox yeshiva high school for boys, was assaulted on Sunday afternoon outside his Bergenfield home.
Police say Jeffrey Zicchinella, a 40-year-old male from Ridgefield Park, N.J., stepped out of his vehicle and assaulted Wein in an unprovoked attack. A nearby resident quickly intervened to help, and both he and Wein sustained minor injuries.
Zicchinella is charged with two counts of simple assault and is being held in the Bergen County Jail. While police ruled out an antisemitic motive, they have not provided an alternative.
“This was a random act of violence,” Bergenfield Police Chief Mustafa Rabboh said on Monday. “No words were exchanged prior to the assault, and there is no indication that this attack was motivated by race, religion or ethnicity. It was simply an act of unprovoked violence, and the suspect will be charged as such.”
Rabboh said increased police patrols will continue throughout the community.
There was no immediate response from Wein or the local Jewish community.
Bari Weiss, Free Press founder who started as antisemitism crusader, named editor-in-chief of CBS
(JTA) — Bari Weiss, the journalist who first rose to prominence for her campus campaign alleging antisemitism two decades ago, has been named editor-in-chief of CBS News, a stunning ascent that marks one of the most consequential appointments in American media in recent years.
The appointment came as Paramount Skydance, led by David Ellison, announced its $150 million purchase of The Free Press, the publication Weiss founded in 2022. Weiss will oversee both outlets as editor-in-chief, reporting directly to Ellison. The move marks a major shakeup for a legacy news division long associated with mainstream liberalism and a bet on Weiss’s brand of provocative centrism.
Ellison’s involvement adds another layer of intrigue. The son of Larry Ellison, the Oracle founder known for his pro-Israel philanthropy, David has in recent months gained attention as his father helped spearhead a bid to acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations. The forced sale, mandated by a new U.S. law aimed at separating the platform from its Chinese ownership, has drawn political scrutiny and elevated the Ellisons’ influence at the intersection of media, tech and geopolitics.
For Jewish observers, Weiss’s trajectory carries special resonance. Her public identity has long intertwined with Jewish causes, Israel advocacy and debates over antisemitism and free speech.
Nadler accuses RFK Jr of antisemitism over claim that ‘early’ circumcisions lead to autism
(JTA) — Rep. Jerry Nadler accused Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of antisemitism on Thursday after the health secretary said he believed “early circumcisions” were a cause of autism.
“Children who are circumcised early have double the rate of autism, and it’s highly likely because they’re given Tylenol,” Kennedy said in a meeting about his push to discourage the use of Tylenol among pregnant women over autism concerns, which has drawn widespread concern among medical professionals over its lack of evidence. President Donald Trump, who was present, said there was ample evidence for Kennedy’s concern but neither man cited any.
Kennedy, who has previously drawn antisemitism allegations over his comments about COVID-19, did not mention Jews in his comments. But circumcision is closely associated with Judaism. Traditional Jewish law requires the medical procedure to be performed on boy babies when they are eight days old as a signifier of their bond with the Jewish people. Male converts to Judaism also undergo circumcision.
“This is an antisemitic remark. I call on all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to clearly denounce it,” posted Rep. Jerry Nadler, the New York City Jewish Democrat, about Kennedy’s comments.
Sandy Koufax jersey marks 60-year milestones in American Jewish history
(JTA) — In a surprise for his congregation on Yom Kippur, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove brought out a Los Angeles Dodgers jersey. But it wasn’t the version worn last year when the Dodgers defeated both the Mets and the Yankees on their path to a World Series win. Instead, it was the version worn in 1965 by Sandy Koufax when the Jewish ballplayer famously skipped a postseason game for Yom Kippur.
“Sixty years ago, nobody knew where Sandy Koufax was,” Cosgrove said, alluding to contested lore about whether Koufax attended synagogue that day. “But we know where he was not.”
Cosgrove, a Dodger fan himself, said he had studied the episode and determined that “the mythology that came to be associated with it” was more significant than Koufax’s decision not to play. What was most important, the rabbi said, was that American Jews learned that they could embrace their Jewish identity without giving up their hard-fought place in mainstream society.
“Koufax, by way of his unique athletic ability, was at stratospheric levels of American celebrity, and then he chose to remain chosen, to not compromise his religious convictions — a watershed moment,” Cosgrove said. “No longer must Jews remain shy about public Jewish identification. Koufax’s refusal to pitch gave Jewish life a kickstart.”
