Sep 25, 2026

Jewish News Today: Canadian Synagogue Shooting Ruled Hate Crime, Two IDF Reservists Killed in Gaza, and UK Jewish Leaders Slam Ed Miliband's Iran Handshake

Synagogue Shooting in Ontario Confirmed as Antisemitic Hate Crime

Police in Belleville, Ontario have formally designated last Sunday's shooting at a local synagogue a hate-motivated attack against the Jewish community, according to the Forward. The city's police chief confirmed the classification, describing it as a deliberate anti-Jewish offense. The ruling marks a significant development following initial reports of the incident that were covered in this publication yesterday.

The confirmation will heighten concern among Jewish diaspora communities in Canada and beyond, where synagogue security has become an increasingly pressing issue.

Two IDF Reservists Killed in Gaza Drone Accident

Two Israeli reservists were killed on Thursday when a drone exploded during an operation in the Gaza Strip, according to both JNS and Jüdische Allgemeine. The Israeli military reported that a small explosive-laden drone detonated, and subsequently grounded attack and munition-dropping drones while it investigates whether a technical malfunction or enemy interference caused the deaths. The loss is a reminder of the continued human cost of the conflict for Israeli military families, many of whom have relatives serving in diaspora communities worldwide.

Ed Miliband Shook Hands with Iranian Foreign Minister, Met No Israeli Officials at UNGA

The Jewish Chronicle has revealed exclusively that British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband shook hands with Iran's foreign minister at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, while failing to meet with any Israeli official during the same visit. The Chronicle also reports that Miliband met with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whom the Israeli government has accused of inciting antisemitism. The revelations are likely to intensify scrutiny of the UK government's posture toward Israel and Iran among British Jewish communal organisations.

Sadiq Khan Accused of Failing to Engage Jewish Community Leaders

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has not held a one-to-one meeting with key Jewish communal organisations and stakeholders in the past year, the Jewish Chronicle reports, with Jewish leaders accusing him of an "extraordinary" failure to adequately engage the community amid ongoing attacks. The accusation comes at a time when antisemitic incidents in the UK capital remain at elevated levels, and will add to existing concerns about the responsiveness of civic leadership to Jewish communal security needs.

Zack Polanski Refuses to Affirm Israel's Right to Exist at By-Election Hustings

Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party, declared himself an antizionist and described Zionism as "racism" at a by-election hustings, refusing to back Israel's right to exist, the Jewish Chronicle reports. The statement from the leader of a party contesting British elections is likely to alarm Jewish voters who are already navigating a difficult political landscape in the UK.

Die Linke Victory in Berlin Raises Alarm Over Antisemitism Links

Following yesterday's reporting on the Berlin election result, the Jewish Chronicle has published analysis describing the victory of Die Linke as a cause for serious concern, citing what it characterises as the party's troubling links to Hamas sympathisers and a record of extremism and accusations of antisemitism. The piece warns that voters have handed a "resounding victory" to a party dogged by these associations.

Separately, Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, has spoken publicly about the collapse of Jewish-Muslim interfaith relations since the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October 2023, according to Jüdische Allgemeine. Schuster said contacts with Muslim organisations had been almost non-existent since that date, and expressed hope that bridges could be rebuilt in future. His remarks come amid a broader reckoning with communal relations in Germany that this publication has tracked over recent days.

Jewish Novelist Disinvited from Spanish Festival Over Israel Views

More than 350 writers and cultural figures have signed a petition defending Ariana Harwicz, a Jewish novelist disinvited from a literary festival in Spain because of her support for Israel, the Forward reports. The case has drawn significant attention to what signatories characterise as cultural blacklisting on the basis of political views about Israel, and echoes a pattern of exclusion that Jewish artists and intellectuals have reported across Europe.

Antisemitic Mural Appears on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles

An antisemitic mural appeared on Wilshire Boulevard in Los Angeles's mid-Wilshire district, the Forward reports. Los Angeles Jews who saw it described it as hateful and incendiary. The mural was removed by Thursday evening, according to the Forward, which notes that it was painted in a single day. The incident is among a series of antisemitic incidents across the United States reported this week.

Hate Crimes in New York: Knife Threat in Crown Heights

A Bronx man has been charged with a hate crime after allegedly threatening a Jewish man in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, with a knife, according to JNS. Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso was quoted by JNS as saying he was "appalled" and that "we cannot tolerate attacks on our Jewish neighbours." The charge follows a pattern of street-level antisemitic violence in New York City that Jewish communal security organisations have been tracking closely.

US Jewish Caucus Urges Preservation of Holocaust Office at State Department

Members of the Congressional Jewish Caucus have written to Secretary of State Marco Rubio urging him to preserve the State Department's dedicated Holocaust office as a separate entity, JNS reports. Lawmakers warned that merging the office with the antisemitism envoy's post could diminish its focus on restitution, survivor advocacy, and Holocaust memory — issues of direct significance to diaspora Jewish communities with family histories tied to these efforts.

GoFundMe Campaigns Used to Fundraise After Antisemitic Acts, Watchdog Warns

The antisemitism watchdog Stop Antisemitism has warned that individuals who have committed antisemitic acts are using GoFundMe campaigns to cover the financial consequences of their actions, according to JNS. Liora Rez of Stop Antisemitism was quoted as saying: "Allowing these campaigns to remain active only rewards hateful behaviour and creates a dangerous incentive for others to follow the same path."

Netherlands Returns to Eurovision, Overriding Broadcaster's Israel Boycott

The Netherlands will return to the Eurovision Song Contest after the Dutch public broadcasting oversight body decided to bypass the broadcaster that had refused to participate in protest at Israel's actions in Gaza, according to both the Jewish Chronicle and the Forward. The Dutch public broadcast network will handle the country's entry directly. The decision reverses a boycott and is being noted in the context of ongoing debates about cultural and institutional responses to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict across Europe.

Jewish Charter School Wins Legal Ruling in Oklahoma

A federal judge has ruled that Oklahoma cannot exclude a Jewish charter school from a state programme open to other charter schools, JNS reports. Attorney Daniel Chen of the Becket law firm stated that "the Constitution doesn't permit the state to welcome every kind of charter school except a religious one." The ruling has implications for Jewish educational institutions across the United States seeking equal access to public funding frameworks.

Jewish Community in Frankfurt Presses German Broadcaster on Restitution Case

The Jewish community of Frankfurt has sharply criticised Hessischer Rundfunk (HR), a major German public broadcaster, over its handling of a post-war restitution case, and is demanding swift action, Jüdische Allgemeine reports. The community has escalated its pressure on the broadcaster, though the specific details of the restitution matter are not fully set out in the available report.

Rabbi David Batzri, Leading Kabbalist, Dies at 85

Rabbi David Batzri, a Jerusalem-born kabbalist who headed Yeshivat Hashalom, a leading centre for the study of Jewish mysticism, has died at the age of 85, JNS reports. Rabbi Batzri was a significant figure in the world of Sephardic Jewish learning and his passing will be mourned across communities from Israel to the broader Jewish world.