US Syria envoy meets Netanyahu after Golan rocket attack
(JNS) — U.S. Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Wednesday, a day after terrorists in Syria fired two rockets at the Golan Heights.
“Israeli Prime Minister @Netanyahu and I met in Jerusalem today to discuss Syria and the broader region,” Barrack, who also serves as ambassador to Turkey, posted to social media.
“@POTUS envisions a Syria that cannot be used as a Platform by any 3rd party nation state, or non nation state, to threaten Syria’s neighbors, including Israel,” he added.
Germany saw a record 8,627 antisemitic incidents in 2024
(JNS) — Germany recorded a historic spike in antisemitic incidents last year, with 8,627 cases — the highest annual figure ever documented — marking an 80% increase over the 2023 total, a government watchdog reported Wednesday.
The figure comes from the 2024 report by the Federal Association of Research and Information on Antisemitism, or RIAS, which has tracked such incidents nationally since 2018 and in Berlin since 2015.
On average, the 2024 tally amounts to roughly 24 incidents per day — or one every hour — the nonprofit organization noted.
Public figures in Italy: In support of Israel, against the hunt for Jews
(JNS) — Hundreds of intellectuals, journalists, former politicians and public figures have signed a petition condemning the wave of antisemitic and anti-Israel protests in Italy, marking a powerful and meaningful show of support for Israel, at a time when the government in Rome has adopted an increasingly critical tone toward Jerusalem.
The petition, titled “In Support of Israel and Against the Hunt for Jews,” was published on Sunday in the newspaper Il Riformista and has since sparked widespread discussion. Within two days, over 1,150 additional signatories joined, with 650 signing on Monday and approximately 500 more on Tuesday.
Argentina’s rabbi-ambassador to Israel says El Al will launch direct flights to Buenos Aires
(JTA) — A canceled flight on his way to assume his new job might well have added urgency around one of Rabbi Axel Wahnish’s first big breakthroughs as Argentina’s ambassador to Israel: direct flights between Tel Aviv and Buenos Aires.
Wahnish, the personal rabbi of Argentine President Javier Milei, was originally scheduled to depart from Buenos Aires on Aug. 14, 2024, to begin his tenure in Israel. But his Air Europa flight — which included a connection in Europe — was canceled due to a surge in tensions between Iran and Israel.
As most commercial airlines scrapped their Tel Aviv routes amid the turmoil, only El Al, Israel’s national carrier, and its subsidiaries reliably stayed in the air. Now, Wahnish has announced that El Al will begin flying between Argentina and Israel, in both a powerful symbol of the countries’ alliance and a practical boon for travelers like him.
