Mideast War blowback

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The House Tuesday night overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling on Hamas to immediately release all hostages in Gaza, and another affirming Israel’s right to exist as an independent state.

The Hamas resolution — which also condemns the group for taking hostages and for launching the terrorist attack on Israel on Oct. 7 — cleared the chamber in a unanimous 414-0 vote.

Lawmakers approved the Israel resolution in a 412-1-1 vote. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) was the lone “no” vote, while Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) voted present. The measure, in addition to reaffirming Israel’s right to exist, also rejects calls for Israel’s destruction, condemns Hamas’s attack on Israel, and “recognizes that denying Israel’s right to exist is a form of antisemitism.”

Massie said he opposed the Israel resolution “because it equates anti-Zionism with antisemitism,” adding in a post on X: “Antisemitism is deplorable, but expanding it to include criticism of Israel is not helpful.” Tlaib, the only Palestinian American serving in Congress, has been critical of Israel’s response to the Hamas terrorist attack, accusing its leaders of conducting genocide as the number of civilian casualties in Gaza increases.

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), who introduced the resolution, said the U.S. “must do everything it can to stand by its greatest ally in the Middle East.”

“Not only does Israel have a right to exist,” he said on the House floor, “they have a right to defend themselves and the only way that this ends peacefully is for Hamas to surrender.”

Students and city officials are pushing back against accusations of antisemitism at Hillcrest High School in Queens after a Jewish teacher was targeted in a protest, even as local Jewish leaders are demanding accountability after the incident.

Video of the unruly protest, which took place Nov. 20 and exploded into public view over the weekend, drew widespread criticism of the school and charges of antisemitism, including from New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

But speaking at a press conference at the school on Monday, Schools Chancellor David Banks, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and student leaders rejected the charges, even as they denounced the incident, said some students would be suspended over it and

“So many of the students who were running or jumping had no idea what was even going on. They were doing what 14- and 15-year-olds do,” Banks said. “The notion that this place is radical, these kids are radicalized and antisemitic, is the height of irresponsibility.”

Banks said he had sought to understand what triggered the mayhem at the school in conversations with students and found out that social media played a central role.

“Young people today, they’re not watching, with all due respect, New York 1 or NBC or ABC,” Banks said. “They consume their information through social media, specifically TikTok and others, and what they are seeing on a daily basis are children and young people in Palestine, Palestinian families being blown up.”

As a result, “they feel a kindred spirit with the folks in the Palestinian community,” Banks said.

“When they all of a sudden saw this image of the teacher that says, ‘I Stand With Israel,’ the students articulated to me they took that as a message that I’m affirming whatever is happening to the Palestinian family and community,” Banks said. “That made sense to me,” Banks said.

After initially tweeting that the incident was a “vile show of antisemitism,” Adams took a softer tone at a press conference at City Hall Tuesday, where he said Banks had done the “right thing” by visiting the school and echoed Banks’ blaming of social media, saying online algorithms were “destroying our children and this is one of the examples.”

Deputy Chancellor Dan Weisberg said at the City Hall press conference that public perception of the incident was wrong. “It is unfair the way aspersions have been cast and broad brush criticism has been made of students,” he said.

It was meant to be a peaceful protest from the very beginning, but some of these students lack maturity,” said the school’s senior class president, Muhammad Ghazali. “These students have the right to go out there and protest, but it’s just the way they protested was wrong.”

Khadija Ahmed, a Hillcrest student, said, “The message that we really wanted to get out there was that we wanted Palestine to be free but the message got lost and lots of people were hurt mentally.”

Around 400 students, out of 2,500 at the school, had “acted disruptively” during the incident, Banks said. He said it was not acceptable and that the education department would take steps to respond to it.

“Violence, hate and disorder have no place in our schools,” Banks said. “Antisemitism, Islamophobia and all forms of bigotry are simply unacceptable.”

Banks said he would convene all of New York City’s school principals by the end of the week for a discussion about the Middle East conflict. He also said he spent Monday afternoon discussing the situation with Hillcrest students and staff and said an external partner would work with schools in response to the incident, tailoring the resources offered to individual schools.

Banks also said some students would be suspended at Hillcrest. But officials declined to elaborate about the number of students or other details of the punishment, citing privacy laws, and rejected calls to suspend hundreds of students.

“The message we sent to these students is it’s OK to protest,” Richards said. “It’s not what you say, it’s how you do it and how you say it.”

Banks, himself a graduate of Hillcrest, said the teacher was singled out due to her support for Israel and “Jewish identity” but said that contrary to media reports, she was sequestered safely on a different floor from the students who were protesting against her.

The teacher was already concerned about social media posts about her and in touch with police, who said they had responded to a 911 call at the school at around 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 20, about a teacher who had “received a threat from an unknown person on social media.”

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“There was no one barricaded or protests and/or riots at the location. There have been no arrests, and the investigation remains ongoing,” police said.

Banks said the student body at Hillcrest is around 30% Muslim and the faculty includes both Jewish and Muslim teachers. The chancellor said that in addition to the protest last Monday, a student warned the principal on Wednesday that demonstrations would continue as long as the teacher remained employed, with another rally planned for later that day. The school went into lockdown to head off that protest.

The incident has elicited criticism from a range of Jewish leaders and has inspired the formation of a new group, New York City Public School Alliance, that is pressing the city education department to do more to combat antisemitism in schools. The group announced itself during a press conference Tuesday afternoon on the steps of Tweed Courthouse, the education department headquarters.

“Chancellor Banks has failed our students, families and educators. He has failed at building safe and inclusive classrooms and schools for Jewish students, families and employees,” said founder Tova Plaut, an instructional coordinator for District 2 in Manhattan.

The group decried what it said was Banks’ “weak response” to the Hillcrest incident and demanded that he acknowledge the “extent of Jewish hate and anti-Jewish culture” in public schools; adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism; adopt a zero-tolerance policy toward antisemitism; restructure how schools address diversity to include Jews; and include Jewish heritage identity in curriculum and diversity and inclusion goals.

In Queens, local Jewish leaders said they wanted to see stronger action taken in response to the Hillcrest incident.

“Heads need to roll. The administrations need to be held accountable. It is no longer acceptable to hear, ‘Yes, we don’t want any antisemitism,’” said Sorolle Idels, who leads the Queens Jewish Alliance, a local Orthodox community group. “Your words are not enough.”

Idels alleged that the school had sought to keep the incident quiet, since there was no public response until after the New York Post report nearly a week after the incident. Banks rejected the allegation, insisting the city operated with full transparency. He also said other recent violent incidents in the school had been misrepresented in the media and were unconnected to the anti-Israel protest.

The United Federation of Teachers, New York City’s teachers union, issued a statement indicating the union was aware of the riot on the day it happened.

“The UFT has been working with the individual teacher, school safety, the DOE, and the NYPD since last Monday,” UFT President Michael Mulgrew said in a statement sent to the New York Jewish Week. “The union will continue to send staff to the building and to work with the administration, DOE safety personnel, school safety, and the NYPD to restore and maintain a safe environment for faculty, students, and staff.”

Contacted for comment, the American Federation of Teachers, the union’s parent organization, also sent Mulgrew’s statement. The head of the AFT, Randi Weingarten, is a vocal supporter of Israel who is there now with her rabbi wife. She called the riot a “vile act of antisemitism” on X over the weekend and said “many stepped up to deal with this” before it broke into public view.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on Wednesday warned about growing antisemitism in the U.S. and the "deep fear" he said Jewish people are experiencing.

Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish official in America, called the rise in antisemitism following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel a "crisis" in a more than 40-minute speech on the Senate floor.

"I have noticed a significant disparity between how Jewish people regard the rise of antisemitism, and how many of my non-Jewish friends regard it," Schumer said. "To us, the Jewish people, the rise of antisemitism is a crisis -- a five-alarm fire that must be extinguished. For so many other people of goodwill, it is merely a problem, a matter of concern."

Schumer's speech came on the same day an op-ed he wrote ran in The New York Times. In it, as the speech, Schumer pointedly criticized those he said who have used the conflict between Israel and Hamas as an opportunity to target Jewish people.

"The vitriol against Israel in the wake of Oct. 7 is all too often crossing a line into brazen and widespread antisemitism, the likes of which we haven't seen for generations in this country -- if ever," he said.

He said many Jewish people are feeling alone with antisemitic rhetoric abounding.

"Can you understand why Jewish people feel isolated when we hear some praise Hamas and chant its vicious slogan? Can you blame us for feeling vulnerable only 80 years after Hitler wiped out half of the Jewish population across the world while many countries turned their back? Can you appreciate the deep fear we have about what Hamas might do if left to their own devices?"

He added that criticism of Israel "can sometimes cross‌‌ into something darker, into attacking Jewish people simply for being Jewish."

Schumer said many Americans -- especially those who are younger -- "don't have a full understanding" of the history of oppression against Jews.

Schumer said he is troubled by pro-Palestinian protesters' signs and chants that include "from the river to the sea" and "by any means necessary."

"Obviously, many of those marching here in the U.S. do not have any evil intent, but when Jewish people hear chants like 'From the river to the sea,' a founding slogan of Hamas, a terrorist group that is not shy about their goal to eradicate the Jewish people, in Israel and around the globe, we are alarmed," he said.

The level of antisemitism experienced now leaves many Jewish people concerned about the future, Schumer said. Many Jewish people are "worried" about where these actions could lead, he said.

"All Jewish Americans carry in them the scar tissue of this generational trauma, and that directly informs how we are experiencing and processing the rhetoric of today," Schumer said. "We see and hear things differently from others because we are deeply sensitive to the deprivation and horrors that can follow the targeting of Jewish people -- if it is not repudiated."

Pro-Palestinian protesters did not pass up the opportunity to be seen by President Joe Biden, even at a memorial service.

Several chanting, sign-wielding demonstrators set up outside Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church in Atlanta, where former first lady Rosalynn Carter is being memorialized in a tribute service. Biden is attending, and his motorcade traveled by the scene.

The crowd engaged in chants of "Biden, Biden, you can't hide. We charge you with genocide!" as the motorcade approached.

Signs included "End all U.S. aid to Israel" and "Ceasefire now! Stop Israel and Biden's genocide."

Biden wasn't the only high-profile person to drive by the demonstration. Traveling with him were former president Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former first lady Michelle Obama, Sens. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, among others.

Seven people were taken into custody after fights broke out during a pro-Palestinian demonstration just a few blocks away from Rockefeller Center on Wednesday.

This all happened as thousands gathered to watch the annual Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting.

The NYPD was expecting the demonstration and amped up security in response, knowing it would be a chaotic scene with a rally right next to the tree lighting.

But despite the provisions, demonstrators were able to break through their barricades and at some points even surround and physically fight with police.

Seven people were taken into custody, including one minor. The rest will be charged with misdemeanors.

NYPD officers sprinted through Sixth Avenue, where police clashed with demonstrators off 47th Street, blocks away from the annual tree lighting.

More than 1,000 people gathered for the demonstration in support of Palestinians. Earlier, organizers told CBS New York they anticipated a peaceful night.

"All we're asking for is an end to the ongoing bombing of Gaza, the end to the siege and blockade that continues to place a chokehold on the Palestinian people," said Nardeen Kiswani, with Within Our Lifetime.

But arrests swiftly began, starting with a fight breaking out over someone holding up a sign of a swastika.

Throughout the night, the NYPD tried to contain the group by holding lines and putting up barricades, but tensions escalated, reaching a boiling point when some demonstrators and officers squared off, throwing fists and falling to the ground.

"Crowd came and attacked, and it was a melee," one witness said.

Eventually, the barricades and cops could not contain the crowd. People broke through and began marching through the streets while officers continued to make one arrest after another.

Police said this did not disrupt the nearby tree lighting celebration.

A protester is in critical condition after setting themselves on fire in an apparent "political protest" outside an Israeli Consulate office in Atlanta, police said.

The protester was outside a building that's home to businesses including the Israeli Consulate on Friday afternoon when a security guard noticed the individual was attempting to set themselves on fire, Atlanta police said at a news conference.

The security guard tried to stop the protester, but both the guard and protester suffered burns and have been hospitalized, police said.

Authorities said there is no "nexus to terrorism," but the incident was "likely an extreme act of political protest."

A Palestinian flag that was part of the protest was recovered at the scene, police said.

The protester suffered severe burns and is in critical condition, police said. The security guard was burned on the wrist and leg.

Gas was used as an accelerant, according to authorities.

Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., said Friday that his home was vandalized by activists pushing for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war.

A spokesperson from the congressman’s office told NBC News that Smith’s garage was vandalized with red spray paint calling for a cease-fire. The alleged incident in Bellevue, Washington, took place around the same time that Israel renewed its assault in Gaza after the end of a weeklong truce with Hamas.

During a podcast interview on the war between Israel and Hamas, actor Julianna Margulies asserted that Black people should be completely supporting Israel but have been “brainwashed to hate Jews.”

The claims that are just going viral were delivered on a Nov. 21 episode of “The Back Room With Andy Ostroy,” a podcast described as a humorous and honest take on politics and pop culture. The conversation was on the war in the Gaza Strip and Ostroy brought up “The U.S. and the Holocaust,” a 2022 documentary by Ken Burns.

Margulies, who is Jewish, jumped on it. “It should be mandatory watching, especially for the Black community, if I may, because Hitler got his entire playbook from the Jim Crow South,” she said.

Margulies, star of “The Good Wife” on CBS and Apple TV+’s “The Morning Show,” added: “The Nazis were watching how the Jim Crow South were treating slaves and said, ‘Oh, great call, let’s do that playbook. That’s what we’ll do to the Jews.’ Which is also why, in the Civil Rights Movement, the Jews were the ones that walked side by side with the Blacks to fight for their rights, because they know. And now the Black community isn’t embracing us and saying, ‘We stand with you the way you stood with us’?”

Margulies added that Jewish allies died for the cause of civil rights. But decades later, as the Israel-Hamas war ramps up, Democratic voters, and specifically Black voters, have been less emphatic about expressing support for Israelis versus Palestinians.

“Where’s the history lesson in that? Who’s teaching these kids?” she asked. “Because the fact that the entire Black community isn’t standing with us, to me, says either they just don’t know, or they’ve been brainwashed to hate Jews. But when you’ve been marginalized so much as a community, the way I feel we have, isn’t that when you step up?”

Margulies also mentioned a flyer for a screening of Black lesbian films on campus at Columbia University in October. A message shared with the flyer online read, “Zionists aren’t invited.” While doubling down on her messaging, the organizer of the event told the New York Post that it did not mean all Jewish people were disinvited.

And as someone who plays a lesbian journalist on ‘The Morning Show,’ I am more offended by it as a lesbian than I am as a Jew, to be honest with you,” she said. “Because I wanna say to them, ‘You f---ing idiots. You don’t exist. Like, you’re even lower than the Jews. A, you’re Black, and B, you’re gay, and you’re turning your back against the people who support you?’ Because Jews, they rally around everybody.”

Margulies has not responded to a request for comment by NBC News but she issued a statement apologizing for her words.

“I am horrified by the fact that statements I made on a recent podcast offended the Black and LGBTQIA+ communities, communities I truly love and respect,” Margulies said to Deadline on Friday. “I want to be 100% clear: Racism, homophobia, sexism, or any prejudice against anyone’s personal beliefs or identity are abhorrent to me, full stop. Throughout my career I have worked tirelessly to combat hate of all kind, end antisemitism, speak out against terrorist groups like Hamas, and forge a united front against discrimination. I did not intend for my words to sow further division, for which I am sincerely apologetic.”

That looks suspicoius.

Meanwhile, Christmas symbols, including angels with trumpets, are on display outside Moncton city hall. In light of the menorah decision, Weil called this "an indicator of discrimination."

"On the ground of city hall, there will remain a large Christmas tree, and there will remain angels flying around city hall," Weil said.

"We have absolutely nothing against the Christmas tree. We feel it is beautiful to have the Christmas tree, and we have nothing against the angels. But how can you justify having religious symbol from one religion and banning something from another religion?

At the meeting, the mayor said "city hall should be neutral as far as religion is concerned," Weil said.

[...] in making the city's case, Arnold cited a 2015 Supreme Court ruling against municipal councils opening their meetings with prayer.

Republicans scorched elite college presidents at a more than five-hour campus antisemitism hearing Tuesday — but Harvard University President Claudine Gay arguably got the worst of it.

Several lawmakers piled onto Gay, Harvard’s first Black woman leader, pressing her to outline her stance on Israel’s right to exist and whether student calls for “intifada” or “from the river to the sea” chants on campus violate the school’s code of conduct. She was also asked if she believes “calling for the mass murder of African Americans” is protected free speech, and if she has expelled or fired anyone on her campus in response to explosive demonstrations.

The presidents of the University of Pennsylvania and Massachusetts Institute of Technology also testified on Capitol Hill before the House Education committee, but Republicans largely set their sights on scrutinizing Harvard’s leader.

House Education and Workforce Chair Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) slammed Harvard as “ground zero for antisemitism” following the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on Israel. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.), a Harvard alum, once again called for Gay’s resignation after an adversarial line of questioning.

Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Va.), the top Democrat on the committee, acknowledged that campuses have become polarized and have seen a rise in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents.

“To be clear, this discrimination is nothing new,” Scott said in his opening remarks. “Any student of history knows that it did not start with the Oct. 7 attacks; or diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives; or any one new event. My colleagues would do well to recall this country has a centuries-long history of racism and white supremacy.”

Gay denounced antisemitism, and even admitted the university has “not always gotten it right.” But she also took responsibility for confronting antisemitism on her campus.

MIT’s Sally Kornbluth was rarely the target in the most heated exchanges, and American University professor Pamela Nadell, the Democrats’ sole witness, faced few fiery questions from Republicans.

Here are five key moments from the hearing:

Stefanik goes after Gay
Stefanik, who arguably gave Gay the worst grilling at the hearing, stood firm on her previous call for Gay to resign from the job she has had for five months. Nearly half a dozen times, lawmakers deferred some of their time to the fourth-ranking House Republican, who proved to be the leader of Harvard’s toughest critics on the panel.
Stefanik compared students calling for “intifada” on campus with a “Harvard student calling for the mass murder of African Americans,” and demanded Gay answer “yes or no” to whether she agreed these sayings were protected speech at Harvard.

“You are president of Harvard, so I assume you’re familiar with the term ‘Intifada,’ correct?” Stefanik asked Gay, to which she agreed. “Then you understand that the use of the term ‘intifada,’ in the context of the Israeli-Arab conflict, is indeed a call for violent armed resistance against the State of Israel, including violence against civilians and the genocide of Jews?”

Gay responded: “That type of hateful speech is personally abhorrent to me.”

Gay held on to that answer, repeating it often and adding that some of the chants used by students were “thoughtless, reckless and hateful language,” as Stefanik continued to chide the university president.

Stefanik also took things a step further, asking Gay whether the statements from student groups that support Palestinians or their demonstrations violated the school’s code of conduct.

“It is at odds with the values of Harvard,” Gay said. “We embrace a commitment to free expression, even of views that are objectionable, offensive, hateful.”

Stefanik also asked if there would be any disciplinary actions taken against students who called for “intifada” or chanted “from the river to the sea.”

“When speech crosses into conduct that violates our policies, including policies against bullying, harassment or intimidation, we take action,” Gay said. “We have robust disciplinary processes that allow us to hold individuals accountable.”

Gay cited student rights to privacy as the reason why she could not detail incidents of discipline used on campus, but said “disciplinary processes are underway.”

The response wasn’t enough for Stefanik, who also called out Harvard for ranking “the lowest when it comes to protecting Jewish students.”

“This is why I’ve called for your resignation, and your testimony today — not being able to answer with more parity — speaks volumes,” Stefanik said.

When lawmakers deferred their time to Stefanik, she asked Gay why Harvard refused to fly the flag of Israel when the university had previously allowed the Ukrainian flag to be flown on campus. She also asked whether Gay was aware of stickers placed on food items on campus that allegedly called for “Israeli apartheid.”

Gay acknowledges that she hasn’t ‘always gotten it right’
Each of the college presidents testifying Tuesday denounced antisemitism and condemned the Hamas attack on Israel.

But Gay went as far to acknowledge that her institution has made some missteps.

“This is difficult work, and I admit that we have not always gotten it right,” she said. “As Harvard’s president, I am personally responsible for confronting antisemitism with the urgency it demands.”

Additionally, Gay, in response to questioning from Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.), said she would do things differently when it came to how she acknowledged a letter from student groups that blamed Israel for the Hamas attacks and spurred vast public outcry against the university

“Had I known that the statement issued by the students would’ve been wrongly attributed to the university, I would have spoken sooner about it,” Gay said. “But I was focused on action that weekend, not statements.”

The presidents were also pressed by lawmakers to discuss discipline for students who have engaged in protests or antisemitic speech. Some House members also zeroed in on whether the presidents have disciplined any Students for Justice in Palestine chapters. Rep. Eric Burlison (D-Mo.) mentioned that some universities have booted the group off of their campuses.

Each of the presidents said that while they rejected some of the student group’s speech, they do not punish students for their views — only for their conduct and behavior.

“Any conduct that violates our rules against bullying, harassment and intimidation, we take action,” Gay said.

Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.) also pressed Gay on why the university did not react quickly to campus incidents and the Hamas attacks. Gay received the most public outcry over a perceived slow response.

“Respectfully, the notion that Harvard did not react is not correct,” Gay said. “From the moment I learned of the attacks on Oct. 7, I was focused on action to ensure that our students were supported and safe.”

Republicans scrutinize Penn’s ‘Palestine Writes Festival’
Penn President Liz Magill arguably took second place for the toughest grilling out of the three presidents.

Lawmakers scrutinized Magill’s response to the school’s participation in a “Palestine Writes Festival” in September, which is mentioned in the federal civil rights complaint against her institution.

A complaint filed with the Education Department cites the festival as a catalyst for antisemitic incidents on campus. Magill said antisemitic speech at the event was “abhorrent” to her and that the institution put safety precautions into place.

Democrats were also tough on Magill
Several Democrats also demanded answers from Magill. Rep. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) said making antisemitism a partisan issue is “disgusting” before pressing Magill on whether she had the authority to stop the festival.

“We have probably thousands of speakers to campus every single year — many of them I disagree with,” she said. “I don’t cancel them or censor them in advance of their arrival to campus.”

Norcross pushed, asking Magill if she would have the right to cancel an event if there were security concerns. She replied: “Our approach is not to censor based on the content, but to worry about things like the safety and security, and the time and place, and manner in which the event would occur.”

Magill also said she was concerned about the antisemitism from some of the speakers and the fact that the event occurred on one of the holiest days for Jewish people, which is why she condemned the antisemitism of the speakers despite supporting academic freedom to let the event go on.

Reps. Susan Wild (D-Pa.) also leaned into Magill. Wild asked Magill what the line is between free speech and speech that incites violence. She also asked what Magill would do if she knew there would be more protests with similar language used.

“Our approach with all rallies, vigils and protests is that our public safety officers and something called open expression observers are present at all of them,” Magill said.

[b]Republicans needle presidents on Israel, Hamas and race[b]
Each Republican on the committee had their moment to pummel the college presidents for their response to antisemitism on campus. Here are some of their most interesting exchanges:

— Foxx demanded that the presidents say whether or not they believed in Israel’s right to exist. All three presidents responded that they do believe Israel has the right to exist.

— Kiley asked Gay whether she believes Hamas is a terrorist organization. Gay responded she does.

— Rep. Aaron Bean (R-Fla.) told the college presidents: “Here’s your chance to tell America who’s gotten fired and what organizations you kicked off your campuses. Does anybody want to jump in?” None of the presidents replied.

— Several lawmakers chastised Harvard for being “dead last” on FIRE’s College Free Speech Rankings. Some asked what percentage of conservative professors teach at the institutions, to which Gay and Magill responded that they do not keep track of that statistic.

— Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Utah) slammed diversity initiatives on campuses and said DEI is “a failure to protect Jewish communities across the country at your universities.”

He accused the presidents of not giving the same respect for efforts to protect Jewish people as they have for other social justice movements.

“I just remember a couple of years ago when we were dealing with Black Lives Matter,” he said. “Try to talk about Blue Lives Matter, Jew Lives Matter, Arab Lives Matter — they call it racist. It’s time for us to focus on what’s happening on your campuses.”

Owens then pivoted to asking Gay about different graduation ceremonies for students of different races, aligning it with segregation. To which Gay responded: “I oppose segregation.”

A Hanukkah celebration in Virginia has been canceled, and Jewish symbols have been removed from holiday light displays, amid Israel's ongoing war with Hamas.

Hanukkah is Judaism's "festival of lights" and Jews gather with family and friends on eight consecutive nightfalls to light one additional candle in the menorah. This year, Hanukkah will be celebrated from December 7 to 15.

A menorah lighting had been scheduled to take place at the 2nd Sundays Art and Music Festival in Williamsburg, Virginia, on December 10, but it has since been cancelled. Shirley Vermillion, the festival's founder, told the Daily Press that the menorah lighting "seemed very inappropriate" given the war.

"The concern is of folks feeling like we are siding with a group over the other... not a direction we ever decide to head," Vermillion told the newspaper.

She said that while the festival was inclusive to different religious and cultures, the board was keen to avoid religious affiliations and that Christians and other groups who have asked to perform at 2nd Sundays have been turned down in the past.

Vermillion has been contacted for comment via the festival's website.

The United Jewish Community of the Virginia Peninsula issued a statement slamming the decision, and said festival organizers had offered to reinstate the event if it were held under a banner calling for a ceasefire.

"We should be very clear: it is antisemitic to hold Jews collectively responsible for Israel's policies and actions, and to require a political litmus test for Jews' participation in community events that have nothing to do with Israel," the statement said. "Those standards would never be applied to another community."

The menorah lighting would have been led by a local community rabbi and "had nothing to do with Israel or the conflict," the statement added.

Meanwhile, a Star of David was removed from a holiday light display in Westbrook, Maine, and replaced with a dreidel, which is played during Hanukkah.

Arab American residents had complained about the Star of David, finding it "offensive in relation to the conflict currently in the Middle East," Westbrook Mayor Michael Foley said, according to the Portland Press Herald

a statement on Facebook, Foley said the decision to remove the Star of David was based on legal requirements. A city employee had purchased and displayed the Star of David light display in an effort to promote inclusivity, Foley wrote.

"This decision aligns with legal requirements including the U.S. Constitution's Establishment Clause and subsequent court rulings which determined certain icons to be non-religious, including Christmas trees, dreidels, and snowflakes," he wrote.

"We know this is a frustrating decision for some members of our community. However, we take our legal responsibilities very seriously and this means providing a light show that everyone in our diverse community can equally enjoy."

Havering Council has changed its decision to cancel the display of Hanukkah candles outside its town hall this year.

It had cited "escalating tensions from the conflict in the Middle East" as the reason a permeant candelabra would not be installed.

But after a backlash, the leader of the council, Ray Morgon, said it would now go ahead as planned.

Mr Morgon said he "fully appreciates" why it is "important".

The local authority said it had been "concerned with any possible vandalism or other action against the installation."

The council had planned to install a temporary menorah, which would be taken down after the event.

A statement previously said due to an "increase in the number of hate crimes in Havering, both towards the Jewish and Muslim community, and after consulting with the leader of the council, we believe it would be unwise to move forward with the installation, which could risk further inflaming tensions within our communities."

The Muslim Association of Britain said in a statement it was "incredibly concerned" at the move, and described it as "offensive to our Jewish brothers and sisters".

It offered to help steward events for Hanukkah and provide extra security if needed.

They said they would "stand shoulder to shoulder with British Jews in the face of the scourge of antisemitism".

However, after a meeting with Jewish community leaders in the area on Friday, the decision has been reversed.

Rabbi Aryeh Sufrin MBE, executive director of Chabad North London & Essex, said: "Following a positive meeting at Havering Council we are absolutely delighted that council leader Ray Morgon carefully listened to us and has come to the conclusion that we will all continue with our original plans.

The U.S. government issued security guidance for faith-based communities on Wednesday as the country faces a terrorism threat level so elevated it prompted the FBI director to say he sees "blinking lights everywhere."

The DHS guidelines describe practical steps faith-based groups can take to be alert to the threat environment and to respond with cost-effective protective measures.

Recommendations include developing a security plan, putting an individual or a committee in charge of security, completing risk assessment, coordinating with local community and identifying available resources.

FBI Director Christopher Wray told a Senate committee on Tuesday: "I've never seen a time where all the threats are so many different threats are all elevated, all at exactly the same time. That's what makes this environment that we're in now so fraught."

Asked if he saw blinking red warning lights, Wray responded, "I see blinking lights everywhere I turn."

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas amplified the message on Wednesday, saying DHS was working with the FBI and other agencies to share information with the private sector and general public, including steps they can take to mitigate threats, he said.

Mayorkas and Attorney General Merrick Garland spoke to faith leaders later in the day on ways to identify and prevent hate crimes and security threats. Both officials stressed the importance of community engagement with local leaders and law enforcement in prevention efforts.

"We are meeting today at a time when the fear so many communities are facing is palpable," Garland said in opening remarks.

More than $950,000 has been raised for the recovery of one of the three college students of Palestinian descent who was shot in Vermont and is currently paralyzed from the chest down, according to a GoFundMe page set up by his family.

One of the bullets that hit Hisham Awartani on Nov. 25 is lodged in his spine, his family said.

"Hisham's first thoughts were for his friends, then for his parents who were thousands of miles away. He has demonstrated remarkable courage, resilience and fortitude - even a sense of humor - even as the reality of his paralysis sets in," the fundraising page, which was set up on Saturday, states.

Awartani, Kinnan Abdalhamid and Tahseen Ali Ahmad are childhood friends who graduated from a private Quaker school in the West Bank and now attend colleges in the eastern U.S.

In a cruelly ironic twist, Hisham's parents had recommended he not return home over winter break, suggesting he would be safer in the US with his grandmother," the fundraising page states. "Burlington is a second home to Hisham, who has spent summers and happy holidays with his family there. It breaks our hearts that these young men did not find safety in his home away from home."

Awartani, who speaks seven languages, is pursuing a dual degree in math and archaeology at Brown University, where he is also a teaching assistant, the fundraising page said. He told his college professors that he is determined to start the next semester on time, according to the fundraiser.

A 28-year-old man is accused of firing shots on the grounds of Temple Israel and yelling “Free Palestine” before he was arrested.

Albany Police are investigating the incident as a hate crime.

The suspect, whose name has not yet been released, is being interviewed by detectives, according to Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins.

“There is no threat to the community. All the information we have right now in this case is this person was acting alone,” he said.

Hawkins said he is not sure what the charges will be at this point. The man may face federal charges as the FBI is investigating.

The suspect fired from a staircase on the grounds of the synagogue. Police found two shell casings at the scene. He does not know in what direction the suspect fired.

Officers were on scene within a minute, according to Hawkins.

The suspect fled in a southbound direction and was confronted by a person in a vehicle in a nearby parking lot. The gunman then reportedly said he felt he was victimized, Hawkins said. He then encountered police. He made the remark about Palestine when he was being arrested.

No one was injured.

St. Peter’s Hospital and St. Peter’s Nursing and Rehabilitation Center were locked down for patient safety. The preschool at the synagogue also was in lockdown.

Dozens of people are conducting a "sit-in for Palestine" at the University of Washington (UW) Thursday.

The group United Front for Palestinian Liberation entered the Gerberding Hall on the UW campus Thursday afternoon and occupied the UW president's office, according to a flier posted on social media. The group said they refused to leave until the UW president agreed to their demands.

The protest comes on the first day of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival of lights, that began at sundown. The pro-Palestinian group is demonstrating within earshot of the university's planned Menorah lighting ceremony, however, leaders claimed their demonstration has no relation to the ceremony.

KOMO News reporter Jeremy Harris saw about six Seattle police officers go into Gerberding Hall just after 5 p.m. There are still about 25 people inside the building as of 6 p.m.

The speakers in the crowd said those who have remained are prepared to be arrested, but have also told the crowd to "be ready to move" if police try to make arrests.

The 28-year old suspect who allegedly fired two shotgun rounds at a Jewish temple in Albany has been identified as Mufid Fawaz Alkhader.

According to Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins, the suspect allegedly fired on the front steps of the Temple Israel at 1:56 p.m. Thursday before running away. He said police responded to the scene a minute after the shots were heard.

“The suspect fled in a southbound location and officers were actively attempting to find the suspect. A short time later, about 2-300 yards away, the suspect was confronted by another subject in a lot nearby. This was 2:09 p.m.” said Hawkins.

Hawkins explained that the witness said the suspect told him he was feeling victimized.

Hawkins said it’s unclear what direction the suspect was firing.

There were no injuries reported and no damage done to the building.

Harvard President Claudine Gay is apologizing for her comments at a House antisemitism hearing on Tuesday, carefully parsed language on free speech that has seen some call for her resignation.
Gay got into a heated back and forth with Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) on Tuesday after the lawmaker asked, “At Harvard, does calling for the genocide of Jews violate Harvard’s rules of bullying and harassment?”

Gay said “depending on the context” it could violate the policies and that “antisemitic speech when it crosses into conduct that amounts to bullying, harassment, intimidation — that is actionable conduct and we do take action.”

In an interview with student newspaper The Harvard Crimson on Thursday, she apologized for that interaction.
“I am sorry,” Gay told the outlet. “Words matter.”

“When words amplify distress and pain, I don’t know how you could feel anything but regret,” she added.

The backlash has been swift and fierce against Harvard, as well as the other two colleges represented, with Stefanik and Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Calif.), both Harvard alums, saying Gay should resign.

Rabbi David Wolpe announced Thursday he was resigning from Harvard’s advisory group that aimed to combat antisemitism, citing the environment at the university and Gay’s testimony.
The White House declared it was “unbelievable that this needs to be said: Calls for genocide are monstrous and antithetical to everything we represent as a country.”

“I got caught up in what had become at that point, an extended, combative exchange about policies and procedures,” Gay told the student newspaper. “What I should have had the presence of mind to do in that moment was return to my guiding truth, which is that calls for violence against our Jewish community — threats to our Jewish students — have no place at Harvard, and will never go unchallenged.”