Minnesota Democrat decries Netanyahu in statement about Israeli attack in Doha
(JNS) — Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), who mentioned Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in a September 2024 statement ostensibly about murdered hostages in Gaza, again decried the Israeli premier in a new statement about what she said was an “illegal” Israeli strike in Doha.
The Jewish state said that it targeted Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital.
The Minnesota Democrat, who is the ranking member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, stated that Qatar is “a neutral nation that has mediated peace talks for nearly two years between Israel and Hamas.”
“This unprovoked attack on the nation of Qatar is a flagrant violation of international law that harms prospects for peace between Israel and Hamas and jeopardizes the return of Israeli hostages in Hamas captivity,” she stated. “Israel’s actions today are yet further evidence that the government of Prime Minister Netanyahu has become a destabilizing force in the Middle East.”
Gillibrand holds the line
(JTA) — Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand is holding firm to her criticism of Democrats who condone the pro-Palestinian slogan “globalize the intifada.” At a meeting with Jewish leaders in Borough Park, a heavily Orthodox Jewish neighborhood of Brooklyn, Gillibrand said the phrase was equivalent to saying “end Israel” and “destroy Jews.”
Her stance offered an implicit rebuke of Mamdani, who has declined to condemn the phrase despite repeatedly saying he would “discourage” it.
Though Gillibrand did not name Mamdani, she said, “I’m going to make sure that my Democratic colleagues — who sometimes, in my opinion, don’t use the right words or aren’t sensitive to the impact of those words — I will use my expertise to give them this perspective.”
Jewish real estate developers convene emergency meeting to support Andrew Cuomo
(JTA) — The sirens are blaring for some of New York’s wealthiest. On Tuesday morning at 8:30 a.m., a group of real estate tycoons gathered to meet Andrew Cuomo in Midtown’s Seagram Building and help him defeat Mamdani.
An email about the emergency meeting came Monday night from Jeff and Lisa Blau, a powerful couple in real estate and investment who have donated generously in the city, including to Jewish groups.
“Sorry for the late notice, but there is no more time for delay, discussion, or dithering — we must act decisively to ensure that the next mayor of New York is Andrew Cuomo,” said the email seen by The New York Times.
Lisa Blau is the executive director of Be Counted NYC, which has been calling on New York Republicans and non-affiliated voters to switch their party registrations to allow them to have an impact through primary elections.
The invitation was signed by other influential Jewish developers and philanthropists including Aby Rosen, who co-owns the Seagram Building, and Laurie M. Tisch, a billionaire who is also the NYPD commissioner’s aunt.
Ahead of mayoral election, Brooklyn synagogue demands voter registration to attend High Holiday services
(JTA) — Congregation Shaare Zion, a large Orthodox synagogue serving the Syrian-Jewish community in Brooklyn, is taking an unprecedented step in the run-up to New York City’s mayoral election: Members and their spouses must show proof of voter registration before they can secure seats for the High Holidays.
One of the largest Sephardic synagogues in the country, Shaare Zion announced the requirement in a letter to congregants last week that framed the election as a moment of acute risk for Jews in New York.
“In approximately two months, New York City will be electing its next Mayor,” the synagogue’s executive committee wrote, according to a copy obtained by Yeshiva World News. “The outcome of this election could result in very serious problems throughout the city and, in particular, the Jewish communities across the city including our own. The safety and quality of life for our community and our institutions may be at serious risk.”
The letter continued: “As a result, we have no choice but to require that all of our members and their spouses provide proof of voter registration prior to securing their High Holiday seats.”
This move is seen as a response to the frontrunner status of Zohran Mamdani, the Muslim democratic socialist lawmaker whose criticism of Israel and support for the boycott movement have unsettled many Jewish leaders.
Emma Stone, Jonathan Glazer join growing list of Hollywood figures boycotting Israeli film institutions
(JTA) — A boycott circulated by film-industry luminaries targeting Israeli film and cultural institutions is picking up steam days after its release, with more big names like Emma Stone and Bowen Yang signing onto a list that now numbers more than 3,000.
A growing number of Jewish creatives are also signing on, including Jonathan Glazer, the director of the Holocaust film “The Zone of Interest” and an executive producer on the new Palestinian-led Gaza drama “The Voice of Hind Rajab.”
Abbi Jacobson, Eric Andre, “The Bear” star Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Oscar-winning screenwriter Arthur Harari and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker are among the other Jews who have joined the list. Some of the non-Jewish names now include Guy Pearce, Harris Dickinson, Elliot Page and Peter Sarsgaard. The petition, circulated by the group Film Workers For Palestine, pledges “not to screen films, appear at or otherwise work with Israeli film institutions — including festivals, cinemas, broadcasters and production companies — that are implicated in genocide and apartheid against the Palestinian people.” It names organizations like the Jerusalem Film Festival, but says the boycott does not apply to Israeli individuals.
The group says they are inspired by a similar boycott that had targeted Apartheid South Africa. Actors Javier Bardem and Susan Sarandon helped to promote the petition on social media.
