JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.

WHAT’S DRIVING THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONVERSATION

Today: Israeli government boycotts Haaretz, ‘Nazi grandma’ dies, French poll finds 12% would welcome a Jew-free country, Texas Bible curriculum reopens church-state debate, and the secret Jewish history of gladiators.

OUR LEAD STORY

Rabbi Zvi Kogan was one of five Chabad rabbis stationed in the United Arab Emirates. He also managed a kosher grocery store. (Chabad/Getty)

Killed in the Gulf

The United Arab Emirates arrested three Uzbek nationals on Sunday in connection with the murder of Rabbi Zvi Kogan, a Chabad emissary to Abu Dhabi, who had been missing since Thursday. Emirati authorities did not disclose a motive. Nor did they mention Iran, which has previously carried out kidnappings in the country.

Israel called the killing a “despicable antisemitic act of terror.” Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, the U.S. envoy on antisemitism, tweeted that she was “horrified” by “this heinous act.”

Kogan, 28, managed a local kosher grocery store, which has been the target of online protests since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.

The U.A.E. has attracted some Jewish tourists since the signing of the 2020 Abraham Accords that normalized the country’s relations with Israel. Kogan, a dual citizen of Israel and Moldova, was one of five Chabad rabbis stationed there.

A crowdfunding effort for Kogan’s widow had raised more than $500,000 by this morning.

Also this weekend: Aviv Broek, a 21-year-old Israeli locksmith working in Memphis, was gunned down and killed late Thursday night after arriving to perform a job. Police are searching for a suspect and are unsure yet if the crime had any connection to his identity. (NY Post, Fox13)

ISRAEL AT WAR

Israeli strikes targeted Beirut suburbs over the weekend. (Getty)

The latest…

After a volatile weekend in which an Israeli strike on Beirut killed 29 people and Hezbollah barraged Israel with waves of 250 missiles, Israeli news outlets reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed in principle to a ceasefire deal brokered by the Biden administration. He is said to be weighing final details, including how to announce it, and whether to wait until Trump takes office. (Times of Israel)

Israel’s cabinet ministers approved on Sunday a boycott of Haaretz, the country’s oldest newspaper, which is critical of Netanyahu and widely respected internationally. The move came after the paper’s owner used the word “apartheid” to describe Israel. Haaretz said the move is meant to “dismantle Israeli democracy.” The government will no longer advertise in its pages and will cancel subscriptions for state employees. (Guardian)

Police shot and killed a gunman who opened fire Sunday at the Israeli embassy in Jordan. (AP)

Palestinians say they are being used as human shields by Israeli soldiers in the occupied West Bank, following similar claims in Gaza. (NY Times)

Sunday marked one year since the temporary truce in the Israel-Hamas war that included the release of 105 hostages. President Isaac Herzog said that every day Israel doesn’t bring the hostages home “is a failure.” Added Gabriela Leimberg, who was released but left behind two relatives: “Knowing that you have loved ones in Gaza is harder than being a captive.” (CBS News, Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel)

🎧 Tune in: The latest episode of our podcast, Make Art Not War, is out. Host Libby Lenkinski chats with Etgar Keret, the acclaimed Israeli short fiction author and occasional Forward contributor, about the power of storytelling during these tumultuous times. Listen to it now, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

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POLITICS

Pam Bondi, president-elect Donald Trump’s new nominee to lead the Justice Department, has touted her pro-Israel credentials and called out antisemitism on the left. (Getty)

The Trump transition…

Trump tapped Scott Bessent, described as a protege of Jewish billionaire George Soros, to be his treasury secretary. In a recent interview, Bessent said, “Let’s make America great again, and let’s make Iran broke again.”

Pam Bondi, Trump’s pick to replace Matt Gaetz as the nominee for attorney general, wants to crack down on pro-Palestinian protesters and reinstate Trump’s Muslim “travel ban.” She is also a registered lobbyist for Qatar.

Check out our complete guide to Trump’s Jewish advisers and pro-Israel cabinet.

Plus…

Rep. Ritchie Torres, Democrat of New York, has been an outspoken advocate for Israel and in the fight against antisemitism. Is he readying a bid to become the state’s next governor? (NY Jewish Week)

Trump aids are mulling measures to suppress the Palestinian protest movement, including potential deportations of foreign students involved in pro-Hamas activities. (NBC News)

Republicans have long sought the evangelical vote. But in the 2024 presidential election, they also wooed smaller faith groups, like the Amish and Chabad. (AP)

ALSO IN THE FORWARD

Paul Mescal, left, and Pedro Pascal in Gladiators II. (Paramount Pictures)

Witches, gladiators and a pastor

Are there any Jewish fighters in Ridley Scott’s new Gladiator sequel? Not really, but there are several Jewish actors in the film, including Lior Raz from Fauda. It begs the larger question: What was the role of Jews in ancient Rome’s famous bloodsport? Scholars offer Talmudic evidence. Read the story ►

Wicked and Gladiator II won at the box office, but another movie that made headlines this weekend is about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a pastor who plotted to kill Hitler. Our Robin Washington spoke with director Todd Komarnicki about criticism that the movie — based on a true story — takes liberties with the facts, and why the story is being co-opted by Christian nationalists. Read the story ►

Noa Fay at an ADL event last week in Washington, D.C. (Getty)

Icon of a movement

Noa Fay has spoken to Congress and at the United Nations. She’s appeared on TV, been feted by the Anti-Defamation League and is in talks with a Hollywood agent. She’s all of 23, a 2024 graduate of Barnard College who has been speaking out about antisemitism on campus since Oct. 7. Our editor-in-chief, Jodi Rudoren, talked to her about what the whirlwind celebrity has been like. Read her column ►

Bible study

Texas approved a controversial new curriculum Friday that inserts Christian Bible lessons into subjects like math, poetry and art appreciation. It’s likely to be challenged in court. Our Mira Fox, a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, looks at the history of public schools teaching about religion versus teaching religion. Go deeper ►

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

After a violent pro-Palestinian demonstration in Montreal, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada would not tolerate antisemitism. (Getty)

🇨🇦 An anti-Israel protest in Montreal on Friday turned violent when demonstrators smashed windows, attacked police and burned a dummy of Netanyahu in effigy. It came a day after someone yelled about the “Final Solution” at another Montreal rally … And in Toronto: A pro-Palestinian demonstration on Sunday featured someone dressed up as Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in his final moments. (JTA)

🇫🇷 A poll commissioned by France’s Jewish community found that 12% of the public thinks it would be good for the country if its Jews emigrated. (Haaretz)

😷 Prosecutors on Long Island dropped charges against a pro-Palestinian protester who was among the first people arrested under a county ban on wearing masks in public. The man had been wearing a kaffiyeh at a September rally outside an Orthodox synagogue. (AP)

📚 The National Library of Israel unveiled the personal archives of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, the world-renowned teacher who served as Britain’s chief rabbi and whose fourth yahrzeit was last week. (eJewishPhilanthropy)

🪦 A Jewish museum in Oklahoma held a funeral for the unidentified human remains of Holocaust victims it had in its collection for decades, following similar moves by other museums in recent years. (JTA)

🇩🇪 Ursula Haverbeck, known as the “Nazi grandma” and one of Germany’s most infamous Holocaust deniers, died at 96. (JTA)

🎤 Yuval Rafael, a survivor of the Hamas attack on the Nova music festival, is competing on The Next Star, an Israeli reality show. The winner will go on to represent the country at the 2025 Eurovision contest. (Instagram)

Shiva calls ► Robert Naftaly, a former president of the Jewish Federation of Detroit, died at 86 … Steven Rosen, who spent decades as AIPAC’s director of foreign policy, died at 82.

What else we’re reading…

Photos offer rare glimpse into Jewish shtetl life (BBC)

Yiddish news is having a renaissance, and print is still king (Religion News Service)

After a tough year, Jewish cookbook author Jessica Seinfeld finds sweetness (JTA)

VIDEO OF THE DAY

There’s a new four-part documentary about As1one (pronounced “as one”), a music group that bills itself as the world’s first Israeli-Palestinian boy band. They were working together before the war broke out — indeed they landed in Los Angeles to start recording songs on Oct. 6, 2023 — and say the ensuing months have made them closer. The series debuts on Paramount+ on Dec. 3; watch the trailer above.

Thanks to Jacob Kornbluh and Julie Moos for contributing to today’s newsletter, and to Jodi Rudoren for editing it. You can reach the “Forwarding” team at editorial@forward.com.

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