Sep 27, 2026

Jewish News Today: Iran Behind Belgian Jewish Site Attacks, UK Asylum Scandal, and German Town Bans Holocaust Memorial Stones

Three stories bearing directly on the safety and memory of Jewish diaspora communities dominate today's Jewish news: Belgium's intelligence chief has publicly blamed Tehran for a series of attacks on Jewish sites in Liège and Antwerp; a UK parliamentary row has erupted after it emerged that Britain granted asylum to a guard of a senior Hamas figure who then allegedly plotted a terror attack against Jews; and an Israeli diplomat has expressed shame after a German town voted to ban Stolpersteine — the memorial stones embedded in pavements to commemorate Nazi victims.

Belgium: Iranian Intelligence Behind Attacks on Jewish Sites in Liège and Antwerp

Belgium's intelligence chief has confirmed that Tehran is responsible for attacks on Jewish sites in the cities of Liège and Antwerp, according to JNS. The report adds that a main suspect in the Iranian-run network was recently arrested in Turkey. The revelation places the attacks within the broader pattern of Iranian-directed activity targeting Jewish communities across Europe — and will intensify concern among Jewish communities in Belgium and neighbouring countries about the reach of state-sponsored threats on their doorstep.

UK Asylum Scandal: Hamas Chief's Guard "Plotted Terror Attack Against Jews"

The UK government granted asylum to a man who had served as a guard for a senior Hamas figure and who subsequently allegedly plotted a terror attack against Jews, the Jewish Chronicle reports. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch described the revelation as an "appalling scandal." The Jewish Chronicle does not name the individual in the headline summary provided. The disclosure is likely to intensify existing pressure on the British government over its asylum screening processes, and will be of acute concern to the UK Jewish community at a time when security around communal institutions is already heightened.

Germany: Israeli Envoy "Ashamed" After Town Bans Stolpersteine

An Israeli envoy has condemned a German town's decision to ban Stolpersteine — the small brass memorial stones laid in pavements to mark where Nazi victims once lived — calling the move an additional wrong inflicted on those already murdered. "The murders cannot be undone," the envoy said, according to JNS. "Denying the victims' remembrance adds another grave wrong: It continues the effort to erase them from history." JNS does not name the specific town in the summary provided. For Jewish communities in Germany, where Stolpersteine have been laid across the country, the decision strikes at a form of public memory that has become central to how German society acknowledges the Holocaust at street level.

New York: "NAZA" Documentary Draws Sold-Out Crowd and Protests at US Premiere

The anti-Israel documentary "NAZA," screened at the New York Film Festival, drew a sold-out audience alongside significant protests at its US premiere, JTA reports. Separately, JNS reports that the Israeli-American Council (IAC) organised a counter-rally outside Lincoln Center, where excerpts from "October 7: Bearing Witness to the Massacre" were shown to coincide with the film's screening. JNS also published a rebuttal from an Israeli military source who stated that "no strike was ever decided based on an algorithm," describing the multi-stage approval process the IDF uses for airstrikes in Gaza — a direct response to claims made in or around the film.

Israel and Morocco Deepen Abraham Accords Ties with Embassy Upgrade

Israel and Morocco have announced an upgrade of their diplomatic missions as part of a deepening of their Abraham Accords partnership, JNS reports. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar marked the announcement by saying: "The friendship between the Moroccan and Jewish peoples has deep roots and a rich history." The development represents a concrete institutional step forward in normalisation, and will be noted by Jewish communities — particularly those of Moroccan heritage — in the UK, France, and North America.

Lebanon: IDF Strikes Hezbollah After Drone Attack on Troops

The IDF struck Hezbollah following a drone attack on Israeli troops launched from Lebanese territory, JNS reports. The Israeli military warned that "any use of force" from Lebanese territory against Israeli civilians or soldiers would be met with a "decisive response." The exchange marks a continuation of cross-border hostilities; diaspora communities with family in northern Israel will be monitoring developments closely.

Culture: Stephen Sondheim, Jewish Identity, and a New Biography

A new biography of Broadway composer Stephen Sondheim by Daniel Okrent, reviewed by JTA, asks how much — and how little — Jewish identity shaped the legendary composer's life and work. The book's framing question — whether Sondheim's was a "Jewish life" — touches on a theme of perennial resonance for assimilated diaspora Jews: the relationship between cultural achievement, personal identity, and communal belonging.