Representative Ilhan Omar, a prominent member of the progressive "Squad" in Congress, has successfully defended her seat in Minnesota's 5th District Democratic primary, according to projections reported by BBC. The closely watched race concluded with Omar securing over 56% of the vote, solidifying her position as the party's nominee for the November election.

With 99% of votes counted, Omar received more than 67,000 votes, comfortably outpacing her closest rival, Don Samuels, a former Minneapolis City Council member. Samuels, who had narrowly lost to Omar in 2022, garnered just under 43% of the votes in Tuesday's primary.

Rep. Ilhan Omar wins her primary election in the 5th Congressional district of Minnesota!

Omar has defeated The 75-year-old Black man named Don Samuels, winning 56% of the votes or 67,524 with 95% of the votes in.

pic.twitter.com/GVfq0JBadC

— EXECUTIVE MEDIA (@EXECUTIVEXMEDIA) August 14, 2024

The victory comes at a time when other members of the "Squad" have faced significant challenges. Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri and Rep. Jamaal Bowman of New York both lost their primary races earlier this year, with pro-Israel groups investing heavily in their opponents' campaigns.

Unlike the races involving Bush and Bowman, the Super PAC operated by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) appeared to stay out of Omar's contest. However, The Intercept reported a last-minute effort by wealthy pro-Israel donors to raise six-figure sums in support of Samuels.

Omar, one of the first Muslims elected to the US Congress, has been a vocal critic of Israel's policies, particularly regarding the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Her stance on Israel has been a source of controversy throughout her tenure in office.

In February 2023, Omar was removed from the House Foreign Affairs Committee by the Republican-controlled House, citing previous comments she had made about Israel. Democrats decried the move as political retaliation for similar actions taken against Republicans when Democrats held the House majority in 2020.

The congresswoman's campaign received support from high-profile figures, including Senator Bernie Sanders and Vice President Kamala Harris. An internal poll conducted last month had suggested Omar held a 30-point lead over her challengers.

In the same primary elections, Minnesota Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar, who has served in the US Senate since 2007, also secured victory in her primary challenge.

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The announcement was made on Twitter on Monday, with the group sarcastically congratulating Omar on claiming the title of "our most vile Jew-hater."

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The tweet is accompanied by a video, complete with some celebratory confetti, laying out what brought the Minnesota Representative this questionable honor.

These include, among other things, suggesting that American Jews have dual loyalty, supporting the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement and getting an endorsement from former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.

Mazal Tov to #IlhanOmar on being named 2019's Antisemite of the Year! Thousands voted & the Freshmen Congresswoman came out on top as the most vile Jew hater!

America cannot afford leadership that perpetuates hatred against the #Jewish people! https://t.co/hrRKRxoYuo @Ilhan pic.twitter.com/NJFE3rcM9B

— StopAntisemitism.org (@StopAntisemites) January 6, 2020

"By defiance to ZOG Ilhan Omar is NOW the most important Member of the US Congress!" Duke announced in March 2019."

ZOG is a white supremacist acronym for "Zionist Occupied Government," which reflects the common white supremacist belief that the US government is controlled by Jews.

In summer 2019, Ilhan Omar, along with a fellow freshman Democrat Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), was banned from entering Israel with other US Representatives.

A long-time critic of Israel, she also slammed the change in US policy on Israeli settlements announced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

The NGO's mission statement says that "StopAntisemitism.org is a part of a nonprofit foundation that works to hold anti-Semites accountable and to create consequences for their bigoted actions by exposing the threat that they present to all Americans and showing how their ideologies conflict with American values, morals, and principles."

Also on Monday, Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon called on the US administration to "take action" against Omar for directly meddling in American politics.

Taking to Twitter, Danon said, "Here is a clear opportunity to prove that all the talk about standing up to #antisemitism is not just an empty promise."

.@StopAntisemites just named Congresswoman Ilhan Omar it's 2019 Antisemite of the Year. Here is a clear opportunity to prove that all the talk about standing up to #antisemitism is not just an empty promise, but will be followed by action. https://t.co/dxtQlnl5dQ

— Ambassador Danny Danon | דני דנון (@dannydanon) January 6, 2020

Since Omar was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2016 she has sparked controversy for repeatedly making statements that Jewish groups and her congressional colleagues called anti-Semitic.

Part of this article was originally published by i24NEWS.

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Thirty-six-year-old Matthew Amiot entered his guilty pleas on negligent fire charges Tuesday in St. Louis County District Court.

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The fire destroyed the Adas Israel Synagogue on Sept. 9. Authorities say Amiot used a lighter to ignite combustible materials outside the main building.

The complaint says Amiot admitted starting the fire and told police he tried to spit on it to put it out, but walked away when that didn't work.

Police say they don't believe the fire was a hate crime.

Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 25. The Star Tribune of Minneapolis reported that prosecutors were recommending probation.

The post Homeless man pleads guilty to burning down 117-year-old synagogue appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.

Matthew James Amiot, 36, of Duluth, was arrested Friday in the fire last week at the Adas Israel Congregation in downtown Duluth, the city's police chief, Mike Tusken, said at a news conference.

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Tusken said he has no reason to believe that the fire was a hate crime, although the investigation is ongoing. Police are recommending that prosecutors charge Amiot, who has no permanent address, with first-degree arson. A criminal complaint is expected to be filed midweek, he said.

The blaze started in a shed outside the synagogue and spread into the building early Monday, fire Chief Shawn Krizaj said. No accelerants were found.

Investigators from the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives were called in to assist in the investigation, which is standard when fires break out in places of worship.

One firefighter who was struck by falling debris was taken to a hospital, treated and released. That firefighter is still recovering from a concussion and doing well, Krizaj said.

Mayor Emily Larson said the city continues to offer "our heartfelt condolences" to the Adas Israel Congregation and the entire Jewish community.

"This has been a very, very difficult week for this community," Larson told reporters.

Phillip Sher, past president of the synagogue, would not speculate on a motive. "We're not out for vengeance. All I can find out of this event is sadness for everyone," he said.

Sher said it was "extremely sad" for the congregation not to have a home for the Sabbath on Saturday. The charred ruins were released to the congregation on Thursday, and the congregation is exploring how to remove the building, he said.

Steve Hunegs, executive director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, said in a statement Sunday that while authorities don't think the fire was a hate crime, "the destruction of Adas Israel Congregation remains a tragedy for generations of Jewish Duluthians." He added that the group has heard from families with decades of history within the congregation.

"We understand that our Jewish community feels uneasy in this current political and social environment where synagogues, mosques, and predominantly black churches have been attacked in recent years. The image of a house of worship ablaze is a searing reminder of the challenges we face with rising anti-Semitism and bigotry in this country," Hunegs said.

Police previously have had "multiple contacts" with Amiot, but nothing that rose to the level of arson, the police chief said. Authorities are unaware if Amiot has had previous contact with the synagogue. He remains in jail, and the police chief said that Amiot probably does not have a defense attorney yet.

The Adas Israel Congregation, described on its website as "Orthodox/High Conservative," includes among its 75 members both Modern Orthodox and traditionalist Conservative Jews.

Eight of 14 Torah scrolls, the holy books of Judaism, that were in the synagogue were saved.

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But further investigation will have to be done once the building is stabilized, Duluth Fire Chief Shawn Krizaj said.

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Firefighters responded to the fire at the Adas Israel Congregation in downtown Duluth at about 2 a.m. on Monday. Firefighters were still hosing down the building's blackened shell five hours later.

All that is left among the charred remains are the remnants of some structural walls. The building "is pretty much a total loss," Duluth Assistant Fire Chief Brent Consie said.

Authorities said they have some idea of where the fire began, Minnesota Public Radio News reported.

"Buildings typically do not start on fire for no reason," Duluth Police Chief Mike Tusken told reporters. "We have an idea, but we don't have enough facts right now for us to be absolutely sure what happened."

Police have spoken to a couple of people of interest in connection with the fire. But Tusken declined to say why they were of interest, other than that they were in the area.

Two investigators have been assigned from the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, which is standard when fires break out in places of worship.

Authorities say that eight of 14 Torah scrolls stored in the synagogue were saved.

One firefighter who was struck by falling debris was taken to a hospital, treated and later released.

Executive director Steve Hunegs of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas said his group was saddened by the synagogue's destruction and is monitoring the situation.

"We are in close communication with the leadership of Adas Israel Congregation and law enforcement in the Duluth area," Hunegs said in a statement. "The investigation into this incident is ongoing."

The Adas Israel Congregation, described on its website as "Orthodox/high Conservative," includes among its 75 members both Modern Orthodox and traditionalist Conservative Jews.

Construction of the synagogue was completed in 1902.

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In July, the two Democratic congresswomen announced they would be taking an official trip to both Israel and the Palestinian territories at the end of August, immediately sparking questions over how Jerusalem would handle the situation.

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On Wednesday, Israel Hayom reported that Tlaib and Omar would be arriving in Israel on Friday afternoon and would most likely be accompanied by at least one other US lawmaker with hostile views toward Israel, whose identity was still unknown. Tlaib and Omar had initially planned to land in Israel on Sunday, Aug. 18, but in an effort to mislead Israeli authorities, they apparently decided to hasten their arrival.

After their initial announcement, Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer said: "Out of respect for the US Congress and the great alliance between Israel and America, we would not deny entry to any member of Congress into Israel."

The two are expected to exploit their visit to launch an anti-Israel public relations campaign.

A law passed in 2017 allows Israel's Interior Ministry to bar any foreign national entry into the country if they have supported boycotting the Jewish state.

Israeli security officials, meanwhile, held secret deliberations in preparation for their possible visit to Jerusalem's Temple Mount, Channel 13 News reported on Wednesday.

According to the report, Israel's deputy national security adviser held a classified meeting to prepare for the visit, where he concluded: "There is high probability" that they will want to visit the Temple Mount due to the fact that both congresswomen are Muslim.

Following the meeting, Israel Police was reportedly instructed not to allow any Palestinian Authority official to accompany Omar and Tlaib to the holy site.

Unnamed sources who spoke to Channel 13 said Israel's security establishment prefers the congresswomen "don't come to Israel at all."

Over the weekend, US President Donald Trump reportedly told senior White House aides that Israel should deny them entry.

Citing three people with direct knowledge of the discussions, news and information website Axios reported on Saturday that Trump believes the two lawmakers should be barred from entering Israel based on their outspoken support for the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.

White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham denied the Axios report, saying that "the Israeli government can do what they want. It's fake news."

This article was originally published by i24NEWS.

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In "Dylan & Me: 50 Years of Adventures" (written with musician Kinky Friedman), Louie Kemp, who met Dylan at summer camp in 1953 and also produced his "Rolling Thunder Revue" tour, details his friendship with the singer from the time that they grew up in middle-class Jewish families in northern Minnesota, the Jewish Journal reported.

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Dylan, born Bobby Zimmerman, began embracing evangelical Christianity in 1979 while Kemp became a more observant Jew. He was determined to "bring Bobby home," he wrote.

Kemp explained that the American rocker's Judaism was a key part of who he was. He said, "There's no question in my mind that Bobby's drive to write songs that mattered was born at least in part from his roots as a Jew."

Dylan returned to his Jewish roots by 1983, and Kemp wrote a chapter in his memoir about taking the singer and actor Marlon Brando to a Passover Seder. That same year, Dylan's album "Infidels" included the pro-Israel track "Neighborhood Bully."

The final chapters of Kemp's memoir include a short story about Dylan attending a Yom Kippur service at the Santa Monica Chabad House in California in 2007 and being asked to open the ark for the Torah. Because of his usual disheveled attire – torn jeans and a hoodie – he was apparently mistaken by a congregant for a homeless person.

Dylan, 78, celebrated the bar mitzvah of his eldest son, Jesse, at the Western Wall in Jerusalem in 1983. Divorced twice, he has six children.

In a move that surprised many in literary circles, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2016 – the first time for any songwriter.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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