“… Iran’s regime hates Jews, hates women, hates gay people, hates the West. They hate and kill Muslims who think differently, like Salman Rushdie and Mahsa Amini. Their hate is a way of life. It is a way to preserve their oppressive rule. … There is only one member-state in the UN that openly states its wish to destroy another member-state. Iran has declared time and time again that it is interested in the “total destruction” of the State of Israel. And this building is silent. What are you afraid of? Has there ever been a time in human history where silence stopped violence? … [Iran] is a murderous dictatorship that is making every effort to get a nuclear weapon. If the Iranian regime gets a nuclear weapon, they will use it. … The Jews today have a state. We have an army. We have great friendships … We have capabilities and we are not afraid to use them. We will do whatever it takes: Iran will not get a nuclear weapon. We will not stand by while there are those who try to kill us. Not again. Never Again. …
“Israel’s economic and military strength allows us to protect ourselves but it also allows us something else: To strive for peace with the entire Arab world. And with our closest neighbors – the Palestinians. An agreement with the Palestinians, based on two states for two peoples, is the right thing for Israel’s security, for Israel’s economy and for the future of our children. … Despite all the obstacles, still today a large majority of Israelis support the vision of this two-state solution. I am one of them. We have only one condition: That a future Palestinian state will be a peaceful one. That it will not become another terror base from which to threaten the well-being, and the very existence of Israel. That we will have the ability to protect the security of all the citizens of Israel, at all times. …” – Israeli PM Yair Lapid to the UN General Assembly. (Times of Israel, Sept. 22, 2022)
“Tonight we heard a speech full of weakness, defeat and bowing of the head. After the right-wing government led by me removed the Palestinian state from the world agenda, after we brought four historic peace agreements with Arab countries that bypassed the Palestinian veto, Lapid is bringing the Palestinians back to the forefront of the world stage and putting Israel right into the Palestinian hole.” – former PM Bibi Netanyahu responding to PM Yair Lapid’s speech calling for a two-state solution. (i24, Sept. 22, 2022).
“If [opposition leader and former Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu manages to forge a narrow, extremist coalition, which is not good for Israel, invite me for an end-of-the-country interview.” —Defense Minister Benny Gantz to Kan 11 News. (WIN, Sept. 25, 2022)
“These apparent baseless allegations against Iran, that have been put on the agenda of the agency [IAEA] need to be removed first. But we believe and accept that to do so, there has to be some technical work to be done.” — Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor. The United Nations’ atomic watchdog said in May that the Iranians hadn’t provided “technically credible” explanations for uranium found in three undisclosed sites, and in June, the agency censured Iran over its failure to cooperate. The Islamic Republic responded by disconnecting some of the IAEA cameras monitoring its nuclear sites. Asked about whether Iran would undertake reforms, such as loosening hijab restrictions or disbanding the morality police in response to the anti-government protests following the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, Amir-Abdollahian said, “I’m telling you there is full democracy in Iran, you will have to see it for yourself. We are all saddened” by Amini’s death and “all the branches of power in Iran are at work to see what happened.” — Andrew Parasiliti and Elizabeth Hagedorn. (Al Monitor, Sept. 26, 2022)
“The Rosh Hashanah holiday turns believers to high moral guidelines which lie at the foundation of all global religions – humanity, piety, and mercy, inspires them to do good deeds. … It is very important that while retaining their loyalty to old spiritual traditions, Russia’s Jews make a hefty contributionto the preservation of cultural diversity in our country, to strengthening interethnic concord and the principles of mutual respect and religious tolerance.” — Russian President Vladimir Putin in his Rosh Hashanah message to the Jewish community. (WIN, Sept. 25, 2022)
“I remember as a young student … trying to figure out, how people get basically drawn in by Hitler. How did that happen? I’d watch newsreels and I’d see this guy standing up there ranting and raving, and people shouting and raising their arms. I thought, ‘What’s happened to these people? You saw the rally in Ohio the other night. Trump is there ranting and raving for more than an hour, and you have these rows of young men with their arms raised. I thought, ‘What is going on?’ So there is a real pressure, and I think it is fair to say we’re in a struggle between democracy and autocracy.” – former Sect of State Hillary Clinton speaking at a festival in Texas. (VIN News, Sept. 24, 2022)
“After a stellar year in 2021, Princeton University has an endowment of $37.7 billion. Over the past 20 years, the average annual return for the endowment has been 11.2 percent. Let us give Princeton the benefit of the doubt and assume that at least some of that was luck and maybe unsustainable, and that a more reasonable prediction going forward would be that Princeton can average a return on its investments of an even 10 percent a year. That puts Princeton’s endowment return next year at roughly $3.77 billion. Now—what is Princeton’s annual operating budget? $1.86 billion. The arithmetic here is not hard. $3.77 billion in investment income minus $1.86 billion in operating expenses leaves you with $1.91 billion.
“Princeton could let in every student for free. The university administrators could tell the U.S. government and all of its funding agencies, “It’s cool. We got this.” They could take out the cash registers in the cafeteria, hand out free parking to all visitors, give away Princeton sweatshirts on Nassau Street, and fire their entire accounts receivable staff and their entire fundraising staff tomorrow. They could say to every one of the hardworking professors on their staff: “You never have to spend even a second writing a grant proposal again.” Free at last! Free at last! Princeton may have become the first university in human history that does not require external funding for its continued operation. And even better, it can self-fund its own operations and have more than a billion dollars left over.” — Malcolm Gladwell. (Oh, MG, Sept. 21, 2022)
“For generations, elite colleges have been given a pass in accounting for what they’ve done in exchange for the massive benefits that they have received. The bill has come due. Soon, elite colleges are going to have to answer two simple questions. Why are they exempt from taxes? And what has America gotten in return?” — Evan Mandery. (Politico, Sept. 27, 2022)
ON EVE OF ROSH HASHANAH, ISRAEL SEES LARGEST WAVE OF NEW IMMIGRANTS IN 20 YEARS, JEWISH POPULATION REACHES 7 MILLION(Jerusalem) — Israel has accepted almost 60,000 new immigrants over the past Jewish year, the highest number in 20 years mainly driven by an influx of Russians and Ukrainians seeking refuge from the war between the two countries. During the Jewish calendar year 5782, a total of 26,000 olim – Hebrew word for new immigrants – were absorbed from Russia and 14,000 from Ukraine as Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, according to data released by the Jewish Agency on the eve of Rosh Hashanah. During the period between Sept. 1, 2021, and Sept. 1, 2022, immigrants were welcomed from 93 countries. A total of 3,800 immigrants arrived from the US and Canada; 2,500 from France; 1,600 from Belarus; 1,450 from Ethiopia; 1,100 from Argentina; 600 from the United Kingdom; 500 from South Africa and 400 from Brazil, according to the data. (Algemeiner, Sept. 25, 2022)
HALF OF ISRAELIS SAY IRAN NUKE SITES SHOULD BE ATTACKED, EVEN WITHOUT US SUPPORT (Jerusalem) – 49% of all Israelis, and 55% of those who are Jewish, strongly or somewhat agree that Israel should attack Iranian nuclear sites even without U.S. support, according to a survey by the Israel Democracy Institute. The study also found that less than a third of Jewish Israelis (31%) want the next government in Jerusalem to advance the two-state solution as a means of resolving the conflict with the Palestinians. A full 36% of Israelis, including 58% of Jews, do not want this paradigm to be promoted following the Jewish state’s Nov. 1 elections (11% of Jewish Israelis said they were unsure how the next government should proceed). (WIN, Sept. 25, 2022)
ABBAS DENOUNCES ISRAEL AT UN, IGNORES LAPID’S CONCESSIONARY SPEECH (NYC) — Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas condemned Israel in the strongest terms before the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Friday, dismissing a concessionary speech made by Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid the day before. Claiming “Israel does not believe in peace” and blaming it for intentionally “destroying the two-state solution,” Abbas accused Israel of a litany of crimes, from killing Palestinians “in broad daylight” to targeting Christian and Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem (“our eternal capital”) to preventing Arabs in Jerusalem from voting in Palestinian elections. He said the P.A. would pursue Israel in international forums, including the International Criminal Court in the Hague. (JNS, Sept. 23, 2022)
REPORT: ISRAEL TO SELL UAE AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM (Jerusalem) — Israel will sell a sophisticated air defense system to the United Arab Emirates. It is the first documented transaction of this nature between the two countries since they established diplomatic ties in 2020. The agreement demonstrates how, for some Arab states, settling the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been pushed aside in favor of national interests such as security, the economy, and the Iranian threat. (JNS, Sept. 22, 2022)
RUSSIA TARGETS ORTHODOX JEWS CELEBRATING HOLIDAY IN UKRAINE WITH IRAN-MADE DRONES: REPORT (Uman) — Russian troops intentionally launched Iranian drones over Uman, aiming specifically at Hasidic Jews who were celebrating Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year, in the Ukrainian city.. Despite warnings from Ukraine not to make the annual pilgrimage to Uman this year for safety reasons, tens of thousands of Orthodox Jews went to pray at the grave of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov (1772-1810), founder of the Breslov hasidic movement. Ukraine claims to have shot down the drones. (WIN, Sept. 27, 2022)
LEV TAHOR CULT MEMBERS ARRESTED IN MASSIVE RAID ON MEXICO’S BORDER (Mexico) — Twenty members of the Jewish cult Lev Tahor were detained in massive raids by law enforcement authorities in Mexico. The raid was carried out in a Mexican migration control facility on the country’s border with Guatemala, where the sect members were being held. Families of the detained Lev Tahor members protested the conditions in which they were kept in the facility, with information on their living situation “aggressively constricted” by Mexican authorities. The families also protested the arrests, claiming that the 20 Jews detained in the raid all had the necessary permits and paperwork to stay in the Central American country. Information on the cult obtained included reports of child abuse and neglect of the children, including photos of children in cages. (Jerusalem Post, Sept. 27, 2022)
ANTISEMITIC ATTACKS ON ROSH HASHANAH TARGET US JEWISH COLLEGE STUDENTS (Michigan) — Jews were targeted with antisemitic attacks on multiple college campuses on Sunday and Monday as Jews around the world celebrated Rosh Hashanah. In University of Michigan, antisemitic flyers were spread around the campus by white supremacist group the Goyim Defense League. Other attacks took place at NY’s Rutgers University. (Jerusalem Post, Sept. 27, 2022)
DOZENS DEAD, OVER 1,200 ARRESTED IN IRAN AS REGIME WARNS OF ‘DECISIVE’ CRACKDOWN (Tehran) — At least 41 people have been killed and more than 1,200 people have been arrested as Iranians protest against the in-custody death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini as of Monday. Protesters are demanding an end to the compulsory wearing of the Hijab and other violations of women’s rights in Iran. The regime sought to quell the protests by cutting off access to social media in more than a dozen cities in recent days, a move that has precluded the widespread killing of protesters in previous instances of unrest. (Fox News, Sept. 26, 2022)
CANADA TO IMPOSE NEW SANCTIONS ON IRAN (Ottawa) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that Canada will sanction “dozens” of Iranian individuals and entities, including the morality police, as security forces in Iran continue to crack down violently on protesters. Addressing the “women who are protesting in Iran and those who support them,” Trudeau said: “We are with you.” Trudeau said Canadians, along with millions of people around the world, want the government of the Islamic Republic to “listen to its people, end the suppression of their freedom and rights, and allow the women and all people of Iran to continue their lives freely and to comment in peace and tranquility.” (VOA, Sept. 26, 2022)
KREMLIN ANNOUNCES VOTE, PAVES WAY TO ANNEX PART OF UKRAINE(Moscow) — Pro-Moscow officials said all four occupied regions of Ukraine voted to join Russia in stage-managed referendums. According to Russia-installed election officials, 93 per cent of the ballots cast in the Zaporizhzhia region supported annexation, as did 87 per cent in the Kherson region, 98 per cent in the Luhansk region and 99 per cent in Donetsk. Possibly explaining the lower favourable vote in Kherson is that Russian authorities there have faced a strong Ukrainian underground resistance movement whose members have killed Moscow-appointed officials and threatened those who considered voting. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council issued a stark new nuclear warning to Ukraine and the West as Russia began releasing results of referendums (Globe and Mail, Sept. 27, 2022; Express Tribune, Sept. 27, 2022)
17 DEAD, 24 WOUNDED IN SCHOOL SHOOTING IN RUSSIA (Izhevsk) — A gunman opened fire in School No. 88 in Izhevsk, a city 960 kilometers (600 miles) east of Moscow, killing 17 people and wounding 24 others before shooting himself dead. Russia’s Investigative Committee identified the gunman as 34-year-old Artyom Kazantsev, a graduate of the same school, and said he was wearing a black t-shirt bearing “Nazi symbols.” No details about his motives have been released. (VIN News, Sept. 27, 2022)
ITALY SET TO ELECT RIGHT-WING EUROSKEPTIC PRIME MINISTER (Rome) — A conservative coalition led by Giorgia Meloni is set to win the majority of seats in Italy, securing the most conservative government since World War II, and setting up the Brothers of Italy Party leader to be the country’s first female prime minister. Local exit polls showed Meloni’s conservative coalition won between 41 and 45 percent, giving them the clear majority in both parliamentary houses. Brothers of Italy garnered the largest share of the vote, coming in at 26 percent. (National Review, Sept. 26, 2022)
EYE-OPENING POLL SHOWS GOP FAR AHEAD IN BATTLEGROUND STATES(Washington) — An ABC News/Washington Post poll of registered voters shows that Republicans are 21 points up against Democrats in battleground districts across the country. These aren’t even just likely voters — they are registered voters — and many key pollsters think Republican voters don’t even want to answer polling surveys because the FBI might take their cellphones away. The GOP is favored in three of the four issues rated most important by voters, the economy (considered important by 84 percent), education (77 percent), inflation (76 percent), and crime (69 percent). (The NY Sun, Sept. 26, 2022)
CANADA FINALLY ENDS VACCINE MANDATE FOR BORDER CROSSING(Ottawa) — Canada’s government website outlines what Covid restrictions are ending next month. Travellers no longer have to use ArriveCan to submit health info, nor will they need to submit proof of vaccination. There will be no more pre-testing or arrival testing at the border and isolation and quarantine measures are being tossed out. Health checks for travel via air or rail are also being thrown out. Finally, masks will no longer be mandatory on planes and trains. Last week, a collection of Canadian members of Parliament and border-city mayors, pressed upon Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that Covid border measures were hurting their country. (Post Millennial, Sept. 26, 2022)
WATCH: Jewish New Year Greetings from Israeli President Herzog: WIN, Sept. 25, 2022 — In honor of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year 5783, President Isaac Herzog has released a festive greeting to Jewish communities around the world.
Queen Elizabeth & The Jews: A Close Relationship for 70 Years: Honest Reporting Canada, Sept. 26, 2022 — During her 70 years on the throne as the British sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II enjoyed a close relationship with the Jewish community in the United Kingdom and around the world.
Trudeau sings Bohemian Rhapsody in London hotel days before Queen’s funeral. Canadian PM criticised for being ‘disrespectful’ and failing to show ‘decorum’ as footage emerges of his Saturday night fun: Twitter, Sept. 19, 2022