National Briefs
‘Slap on wrist’ for anti-Israel protester who harrassed ‘Zionists’ on NYC subway
(JNS) — Jewish groups have expressed outrage after a man was sentenced on Wednesday to community service for hassling New York City subway riders last summer.
“A mere four hours of community service and an anti-bias course for blatant antisemitic harassment? This is not justice — it’s a disgrace,” Liora Rez, executive director of StopAntisemitism, a grassroots watchdog organization, told The New York Post.
On June 10, 2024, Saleh, along with a group of masked anti-Israel activists, jumped onto a subway car at the Union Square Station.
Saleh shouted “Raise your hand if you’re a Zionist,” and then, “This is your chance to get out,” according to a video that circulated on social media.
Saleh had faced coercion and attempted coercion charges, but those were dismissed by a judge because of “facial insufficiency,” prosecutors said in court.
Saleh would have faced up to a year in prison if he’d been convicted on the coercion charge, according to The Post.
Mayor Eric Adams also condemned the incident at the time: “Threatening New Yorkers based on their beliefs is not only vile, it’s illegal and will not be tolerated. Let this be a lesson to all those who think they can act illegally and then hide: The NYPD will find you and charge you in accordance with the law,”
Saleh will be performing community service at the Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, a pro-gay Jewish group.
Federal health department to investigate medical schools over pro-Palestinian graduation protests
(JTA) — A tool for policing campus antisemitism, which since Oct. 7 had been largely limited to the U.S. Department of Education, is now expanding into other federal departments under President Donald Trump’s directive.
The Department of Health and Human Services announced this week that it, too, will be conducting Title VI investigations into allegations of antisemitism.
The first investigations are into four elite medical schools — at Harvard, Columbia, Brown and Johns Hopkins universities — that the department said received “reports of antisemitic incidents during their 2024 commencement ceremonies.”
In a statement, HHS said it will seek to determine whether those medical programs “acted with deliberate indifference regarding events that may have impacted Jewish students’ rights to access educational opportunities and benefits.” And authorities are signaling that federal funding for medical research at these universities could be on the line if they fail to comply, with the release spotlighting hundreds of millions of federal dollars that have reached the schools under investigation.
“The reviews come in response to reported incidents of antisemitism and displays of offensive symbols and messaging during the ceremonies, including alleged expressions of support for terrorist organizations,” a press release from the department announced Monday.
Trump picks lawyer and Fox contributor Leo Terrell to lead federal antisemitism task force
(JTA) — The Trump’s administration announced Monday that it was creating a new cross-agency task force to forcefully address antisemitism, and named an official to lead it. But he’s not Jewish.
Leo Terrell, an attorney, former O.J. Simpson supporter and ex-Fox News contributor, was appointed by the president to serve as a senior counsel in his Justice Department’s civil rights division. In that role, Terrell will also oversee the task forces, which are overseen by Justice but will include representatives from Department of Education as well as Health and Human Services.
Terrell has taken on his new appointment with gusto, tweeting about a Columbia University protest on the first day of the new semester.
“Attention Board of Trustees of all colleges and universities allowing antisemitic behavior to take place. You have a fiduciary duty to protect Jewish students!” he wrote. “Expect a letter from me in the immediate future!” This week Terrell made good on that promise, as the Department of Education announced new Title VI antisemitism investigations into several universities as part of the task force’s duties, including Columbia.
Man who fired gun outside NY synagogue while shouting ‘Free Palestine’ pleads guilty to hate crime
(JTA) — A man who fired a gun in the air outside of an Albany, New York, synagogue while shouting “Free Palestine!” has pleaded guilty to hate crime and firearms charges.
The Justice Department announced on Tuesday that Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, 29, had pleaded guilty to obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs by threat of force as well as two gun-related charges. He faces seven to 20 years in prison as well as a fine of up to $750,000. He will be sentenced in federal court on June 6.
According to the Justice Department’s statement, Alkhader walked up the front steps of Temple Israel, a Conservative congregation, on Dec. 7, 2023 — two months after Hamas’ attack on Israel and shortly before the beginning of Hanukkah that night. He then took a shotgun out of a duffel bag and fired it in the air twice while shouting “Free Palestine!” He also attempted to take down an Israeli flag flying outside the synagogue.
The incident caused the synagogue daycare to lock down. Alkhader was arrested shortly afterward.
Bipartisan House group reintroduces Antisemitism Awareness Act
(JNS) — Legislation to beef up efforts to combat Jew-hatred got a new lease on life Wednesday when a bipartisan group of U.S. House members reintroduced the Antisemitism Awareness Act.
The legislation, which requires the U.S. Department of Education to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism, passed the House overwhelmingly in the last Congress but never came up for a vote in the Senate. U.S. Sens. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) are introducing the same measure in their chamber.
A spokesperson for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told Jewish Insider on Wednesday that he will also co-sponsor the Senate bill.
“There is no reason why this should not be the law of the land,” said Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), a lead sponsor of the bill. “It’s time that everyone understood — and there is no confusion — what antisemitism is.”
Supporters said that passing such a bill will allow students to go to administrators and show them how specific incidents are antisemitic under the law and require them to take action to address them.
The Orthodox Union Advocacy Center also praised the introduction of the bill. Former President Joe Biden expanded the use of the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act to cover bias towards Jews, saying in September 2023 that the government would interpret Title VI of the act as banning “discrimination on the basis of shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics, including certain forms of antisemitism, Islamophobia and related forms of bias and discrimination” in federally funded programs and activities.
