Mistrial declared in case against anti-Israel protesters who occupied Stanford president’s office
(JNS) — A Santa Clara County judge declared a mistrial on Feb. 13 after jurors deadlocked in the case against five current and former Stanford University students accused of occupying the university president’s office during a June 2024 anti-Israel protest and causing extensive damage.
The five protesters faced charges of felony vandalism and conspiracy to trespass. Robert Baker, a deputy district attorney, told JNS that the jury count was 8-4 guilty on the conspiracy charge and 9-3 guilty on the vandalism charge.
District Attorney Jeff Rosen told JNS that “this case is about a group of people who destroyed someone else’s property and caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.”
“That is against the law, and that is why we will retry the case,” Rosen said.
Tali Klima, spokeswoman for the Bay Area Jewish Coalition, told JNS that “regardless of their cause or political beliefs, these students committed crimes and should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
“By declaring its intent to retry the case, the district attorney’s office has affirmed that the safety of Jews, students, and indeed, the entire community is its top priority,” Klima said.
Bomb threat causes evacuation of synagogue in Charleston, SC
(JNS) — Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, a historic Reform synagogue in downtown Charleston, S.C., established in 1749, was evacuated on Feb. 17 after receiving three threatening phone calls, including one that conveyed a bomb threat, according to synagogue leadership.
“Our partners at the Charleston Police Department responded immediately, swiftly establishing a secure perimeter while first responders, including representatives of the FBI and CPD’s K-9 unit, conducted a thorough sweep of our campus,” the congregation stated.
“While we are thankful that no harm occurred, we are shaken by the reminder that antisemitism and threats of violence remain a reality in our world today,” the synagogue added. “No community should have to contend with fear simply for gathering in prayer, learning or celebration, and yet, this moment only strengthens our resolve.”
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) stated that “police searched and nothing was found, but the fear was real, and the hate was real.”
“We stand firmly with the Jewish community in Charleston, across South Carolina, throughout America and all over the world,” she wrote. “To our Jewish brothers and sisters: We stand with you.”
“Antisemitism has no place in Charleston or anywhere else,” Mace added. “You should never have to wonder if your synagogue is safe.”
A defunct synagogue, reminder of a once-proud community, collapses in Pennsylvania’s coal region
(JTA) — An abandoned synagogue in Pennsylvania’s coal region, which until the early 2000s had served Jewish residents of Mahanoy City for more than 80 years, collapsed late Feb. 18, officials and neighbors told the local media.
Emergency crews responded to reports of falling walls and scattered debris at the former Beth Israel Synagogue, a brick building whose cornerstone was laid in 1923. Crews began demolishing what was left of the building and carted away the debris.
“It’s sad to see the buildings go, I lived in Mahanoy City or I worked here my whole life, and one by one these historic buildings seem to be going,” Paul Coombe, president and historian of the Mahanoy Area Historical Society, told television station WFMZ.
According to local histories, Mahanoy City’s first organized Jewish congregation dated to 1888. Jewish merchants and families had settled in the area — about an hour and a half northeast of Harrisburg — at the turn of the century.
“When we talk about the Jewish communities and the Rust Belt, the Jews didn’t come to be part of that particular industry or that particular labor. They came to support it,” said Alanna Cooper, chair of Jewish Studies at Case-Western University. “They understood that it was important for that economic niche to be there in order to support the people who were working the mines or doing the industrial labor.”
At its peak, the Jewish population in the borough rose to around 50 families, who established the synagogue and, in the 1930s, a Jewish cemetery. Like many small-town Jewish communities in the Rust Belt, the congregation at Beth Israel dwindled as the industry and local economy declined in the decades after World War II.
Calls for censure of Jewish congressman who suggested he values dogs over Muslims
(JNS) — Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) is facing censure and calls for his resignation from some Democrats after he wrote a social media post suggesting that he values dogs more than Muslims.
Fine, who is Jewish, wrote on social media on Feb. 15 that “if they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.”
The Florida congressman said he was writing in response to a comment from Nerdeen Kiswani, founder of the anti-Israel protest group Within Our Lifetime, weighing in on a debate in New York City about dog litter.
“Finally, New York City is coming to Islam,” Kiswani wrote on Feb. 12. “Dogs definitely have a place in society, just not as indoor pets. Like we’ve said all along, they are unclean.”
Kiswani later said that she was joking and denied claims from Fine that she was a “key” adviser to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Democrats slammed Fine’s posts and accused him of anti-Muslim bigotry.
“Randy Fine is a disgrace to the United States Congress,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) stated. “He is an Islamophobic, disgusting and unrepentant bigot.”
Jeffries did not call for specific action to be taken against Fine. He said instead that Republicans should hold him “accountable” and that “Democrats will not let the racist and bigoted behavior of Randy Fine go unchecked.”
Spike Lee says his pro-Palestinian NBA All-Star Game outfit wasn’t meant as a dig against Deni Avdija
(JTA) — The director Spike Lee says he was not targeting the first Israeli NBA All-Star when he wore a pro-Palestinian outfit to the All-Star Game on Feb. 15.
Lee’s outfit featured a keffiyeh-patterned sweater and a bag strap with images of the Palestinian flag. Some of his critics charged that he had chosen the outfit especially because Deni Avdija, the Israeli star of the Portland Trail Blazers, was taking the court.
Lee sought to put that idea to rest in a post on social media late Feb. 17, saying that, as a superfan of the East Coast New York Knicks, he wasn’t as familiar with West Coast teams like the Trail Blazers and didn’t know that Avdija was Israeli.
“There has been some conjecture about what I wore to the games on Saturday and Sunday. The clothes I wore are symbols of my concern for the Palestinian children and civilians, and my utmost belief in human dignity for all humankind,” Lee wrote. “What I wore was not intended as a gesture of hostility to Jewish people or to support violence against anyone, nor was it intended as a comment on the significance of Deni being an an All-Star.”
About his lack of familiarity with Avdija, whose World Team fell short in the round-robin contest featuring 28 NBA stars, Lee added, “He can BALL. NOW I DO KNOW.”
