"As part of extended research documenting architectural items from villages in the Golan together with Prof. Haim Ben-David and Dr. Benny Arubas, we documented over 150 items in the Yahudiya Nature Reserve, most of them in secondary use in the abandoned Syrian village. But the synagogue's location wasn't known until now," says Dr. Mechael Osband from the Zinman Institute of Archaeology at the University of Haifa and senior lecturer in the Department of Land of Israel Studies at Kinneret College.

"We identified an unusual concentration of items and column segments placed on a path in the abandoned modern village, and there we decided to conduct an examination. Already at the beginning of the excavation, dozens of architectural items were revealed, and later, to our surprise, the southern wall of the building was also revealed with three openings facing toward Jerusalem," he added.

Although hundreds of architectural items from the Byzantine period were previously documented in the Yahudiya Reserve area, the location of the synagogue remained a mystery. In previous archaeological surveys, more than 150 items were collected and documented, including lintels, column segments, and decorated basalt stones, most of which were reused in secondary applications within the abandoned village within the reserve.

Now, following a focused excavation, the building itself has been revealed for the first time: two rows of stones from the building's southern wall built from hewn stones with three openings. Next to them, two lintels were discovered close to their original location, opposite the openings, one of them decorated.

Additionally, many decorated items were discovered outside the southern wall and inside the building – some in stone collapses and earth fill, and some in secondary use from later periods. In past surveys conducted at the site, many items of monumental and public construction were discovered, including menorah decorations. The Golan region, where the synagogue is located, was formerly a Jewish area during the Roman and Byzantine periods – from the first century BCE until the 7th-8th centuries CE. The building's outline, approximately 13 meters wide and about 17 meters long, indicates that it was built in the basilica style – a rectangular building with two rows of columns and benches built along the walls – an architectural form characteristic of ancient synagogues in the Land of Israel.

According to Dr. Osband, the discovery of the southern wall, which is over 13 meters long and has openings facing toward Jerusalem, combined with items found and known from other synagogues previously revealed – such as Holy Ark shelf fragments and more – constitutes clear evidence of the building's designation as a synagogue.

The Israel Nature and Parks Authority notes that the excavation is being conducted in collaboration with the University of Haifa, with assistance from the Hecht Foundation, the Department of Land of Israel Studies at Kinneret Academic College, and assistance from reserve manager Nael Daabous and the staff working at the Yahudiya Reserve.

According to Dr. Dror Ben-Yosef, archaeologist from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority: "The discovery of the ancient synagogue at Yahudiya testifies more than anything to Jewish settlement in the Golan already 1,500 years ago, when the Jewish community flourished in the Golan. Besides this synagogue, about 25 other ancient synagogues have been discovered in the Golan, testifying to the strong Jewish presence in the Golan. These synagogues served not only as places of prayer but also as centers of learning and the core of Jewish identity. The Sages frequented these buildings and disseminated Jewish knowledge to all community members, from children to the elderly. We intend to complete the excavation of the magnificent synagogue at Yahudiya in the future and make it accessible to all reserve visitors."

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The Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver condemned hateful graffiti discovered at the Victoria Emanu-El synagogue, the oldest continuously operating synagogue in Canada, which describes itself as a warm, progressive Conservative-stream place of worship. The Jewish group described the incident as an assault on Jewish institutions that threatens the security and dignity of the entire community. Federation officials declared their unwavering solidarity with Victoria's Jewish population while denouncing the act as an attack on fundamental community values. It comes just days after Canada announced that it would recognize "Palestine" if the Palestinian Authority carried out several reforms, prompting outrage in Israel, which has said such recognition – which comes on the heels of France, the UK and other G-7 countries making similar moves – only rewards Hamas' atrocities in the Oct. 7 war.

Today, on Tisha B'Av, the holiest day of mourning in the Jewish calendar, Congregation Emanu-El in Victoria, BC, the oldest synagogue in continuous use in Canada, was vandalized with vile, antisemitic graffiti. A thread 1/8 ##bcpoli https://t.co/WEYA0qcVRc

— Nico Slobinsky (@nicoslobinsky) August 3, 2025

"Acts of antisemitism like this are not just attacks on Jewish institutions – they are attacks on the safety, dignity, and values of our entire community," the federation stated in social media posts. The organization emphasized that no individual should experience fear in their place of worship while acknowledging the ongoing nature of antisemitism challenges. "This is a painful reminder that the fight against antisemitism is far from over. We will continue to work with our partners across British Columbia to confront hate in all its forms and ensure that our communities remain safe, inclusive, and strong."

"Jews are evil! Because genocide is evil! Stop genocide stop the Jews! Jews are murdering thousands of gentile children in the future Palestinians will get their revenge against you child-killing Jew-monsters!," the graffiti on the synagogue read, referring to the ongoing war in Gaza.

British Columbia Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger responded by declaring that antisemitism has no place in the province and confirmed that hate vandalism, speech and intimidation constitute criminal acts rather than protected expressions. Krieger announced provincial expansion of the Hate Crimes Unit to recognize and investigate hate-motivated crimes while bringing charges against perpetrators.

"This is why we are expanding the Hate Crimes Unit for BC, to recognize and investigate hate-motivated crimes and bring charges against perpetrators," Krieger explained on X. The minister directed individuals to contact local police for non-emergency hate-motivated incidents and call 911 when necessary.

Meanwhile, Victoria Police in Australia launched a separate search for a male suspect believed connected to multiple incidents involving spray-painted offensive phrases at a Melbourne synagogue. The unknown perpetrator targeted the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation in South Yarra on five different occasions between March 11 and July 30, local media reported.

CCTV footage released by authorities shows the male arriving each time on a black e-scooter before retrieving a spray paint can and writing offensive phrases on building walls. Victoria Police described the suspect as frequently wearing a long black jacket and black and white face covering, according to the Australian outlet ABCNews.

"During the July incidents, the male wore a Scream mask, which completely covered his face," a police spokesperson stated, according to ABCNews. Detective Inspector Martin McLean indicated authorities believe the perpetrator operates alone based on investigation findings.

"There's certainly a pattern of behaviour. It's always with a spray-can, and always targeting the synagogue," McLean explained, according to ABCNews. "At this stage we have nothing to suggest he's working with anyone else."

Police characterized the suspect as Caucasian, bald with a medium build while expressing certainty that community members possess knowledge of the individual's identity or have observed the person before or after incidents. Detective McLean emphasized law enforcement's serious view of such abhorrent public behavior, according to ABCNews.

"Police certainly take a dim view of this sort of abhorrent behaviour in the public arena. If we can have any help in regards to this matter that would be greatly appreciated," McLean stated. Investigations continue as authorities urge anyone with information or witness accounts to contact Crime Stoppers.

"There is absolutely no place at all in our society for hate-based behaviour," a police spokesperson declared, according to ABCNews.

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Lavi Furniture Industries, the leading company in designing and manufacturing synagogue furniture, has launched three technological innovations in the past year that enhance the prayer experience in synagogues. Even after thousands of years of Jewish tradition, there is still room for innovation.

The innovations include a retractable partition to separate men's and women's sections, a multi-position prayer book holder that improves reading comfort, and a unique drawer system for storing and retrieving Torah scrolls. These solutions, developed in response to specific needs of synagogues, have become standard products available to all communities. "There is nothing that cannot be solved," says Roni Evron Dasberg, a senior designer at Lavi. "The original thinking of our customers challenges us and drives us to develop innovative solutions."

The retractable partition

The traditional partition between men's and women's sections has received a significant upgrade. It was designed by Lavi's engineering department with an understanding of usage scenarios in the synagogue. The partition can be raised and lowered by any woman or man in the synagogue. No physical strength or usage instructions are required. The mechanism has been tested in environmental conditions and usage cycles and is suitable for thousands of opening and closing cycles.

"The partition comes down in two cases," explains Eran Shamir, CEO of the company, "during Torah lessons and bar mitzvah celebrations, when candies are thrown at the celebrant. This way, women can also participate in this tradition." The new partition, which combines traditional wood carvings with contemporary design, allows for simple raising and lowering – even on Shabbat. The partition can be installed in both existing and new synagogues.

Multi-position prayer book holder

Many worshippers, especially those over 50, struggle with reading from prayer books and the Torah. Lavi's R&D team developed an innovative prayer book holder that offers a comprehensive solution: while standing, the holder elevates the book and brings it closer to eye level; while sitting, it positions it at an optimal angle for reading. The holder also retains previous features such as a flat position for placing tefillin. The innovation, which was integrated into Lavi's seating system about a year and a half ago, received enthusiastic responses from worshippers.

Revolution in the Holy Ark

At the synagogue in Tal Menashe, established in memory of Captain Yedidya Lev who fell in Gaza, a unique engineering solution was born. "We were required to develop a system that would allow access to each Torah scroll separately, without moving others," says Doron Klein, Operations Manager. "It was a challenge that required creative thinking."

The solution: an advanced drawer system that carries three to four Torah scrolls. Each drawer moves smoothly on special steel rails, combining strength with gentle movement. Custom metal supports ensure secure holding of the Torah scrolls. The innovation, which began as a local solution, has become a product suitable for many communities in Israel and around the world.

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French police are investigating a suspected terrorist attack in southern France after a powerful explosion occurred near the "Beit Yaakov" synagogue in the city of La Grande-Motte, causing a fire earlier today (Saturday).

A community police officer was injured in the explosion, and minor damage was caused to the building's lower floor. According to a report by AFP, the explosion resulted from the ignition of two vehicles, one of which contained a gas cylinder. Footage in French media shows the suspect wearing a Palestinian flag and a keffiyeh.

French President Emmanuel Macron called the incident an "act of terrorism" and stated that the fight against antisemitism is an "ongoing battle."

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said a search for the suspects is underway and described the incident as an "antisemitic attack." He emphasized, "We will not yield in the face of antisemitism and violence."

French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced that it was an "arson attack" and that the background to the event is "clearly criminal." He declared that police forces would be reinforced at the scene and that security around Jewish institutions across the country would be heightened.

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Shalom Boguslavsky's new book boasts probably the longest book title you have ever read: "The Unlikely and Oft-Overlooked Story of the Rise and Fall of Jewish Eastern Europe." The first sentence in this highly popular history book, written by the tour guide, lecturer and blogger, who has a strong passion for Eastern Europe, proudly tells us that, "It is a ridiculous feat to recount five hundred years of history in one book."  But Boguslavsky was forced to tell this story in one book as it is precisely this 500-year period from the 15th century to the Holocaust that creates a clear narrative arc: at the start of the 16th century (the period of the Expulsion of the Jews of Spain, the growing strength of the Ottoman Empire and the conquest of America by the Europeans) there were only a few tens of thousands of Jews in Eastern Europe; by the mid-18th century (prior to the American War of Independence and the French Revolution) this number had already grown to 750 thousand; and by the end of the 19th century (the birth of Zionism, the eve of the First World War, against the backdrop of a tremendous wave of emigration to America), there were some 6.5 million Jews there.

But Boguslavsky's book does not necessarily deal with these relatively well-known global events, which accompanied the rise of Judaism in Eastern Europe, but actually focuses on the no less interesting but much less remembered (or "oft-overlooked" in his words) developments of that particular area. Who are the people and the cultures who shared the Eastern-European domain with the Jews? What is the connection between the Jewish mythology of that period – the shtetl, the incessant battles between the Hasidim and the Litvaks (the Misnagedim or "opponents" who later took on the term Litvaks as they came from Lithuania) and so on – and the reality of the other surrounding nations and states? Our inability to perceive the conditions leading to the development of such a major force in world Jewry, does to a large extent underscore the importance of one of the maps presented at the beginning of the book: that large land of two kingdoms Poland-Lithuania, which at the time encompassed Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, and Kaliningrad. This is an immense swathe of land that has changed over the years, it expanded and was later downsized, it was partitioned and then reunited, and for the duration of those hundreds of years it was plagued by revolutions no less than those occurring in Western Europe. This certainly had an impact on the Jewish population.

Boguslavsky's interest in the Jews of Eastern Europe began as a necessary part of his profession. "I began to travel to Eastern Europe, mainly to Ukraine, due to personal circumstances, and also as I was extremely interested by it," recounts Boguslavsky. "The more I traveled the more I became captivated with it, and I thought: I travel in any event and deal with guiding and tourism, so why shouldn't they pay me for those trips? So, I began to take groups of tourists with me. I obviously needed to engage in an orderly effort to learn the relevant material so as not to talk garbage when providing commentary on the sites in question. When I learned the general history of those places, it cast Jewish history in a completely different light, and gave me the broader context that I had been missing until then, and that people usually are not aware of. The second thing that happened is that I was overly critical of certain images that had been traditionally associated with the Jews of Eastern Europe. They still remained firmly implanted in my head, but then, gradually I began to see things that did not really fit in with those images."

The first thing that Boguslavsky noticed, which contradicted those preconceptions that had "been implanted in his head," he claims was the number of Jews spread across the lands of Eastern Europe. "There were simply masses of Jews there," he says. "At some point, more than three-quarters of world Jewry were concentrated in that region. This was information that was already available, but it became much more present and tangible when I was there and saw the little that remained of it with my own eyes. It is still possible to feel the prominent presence of the Jews in that region to this day. The first example that caused me to understand this was one of the remains of the synagogues that I saw. Even the little that remained of it was extremely grand and majestic. I thought to myself that it is from the literature written about that period, rather than the academic research, that we always tend to gain the impression of the small, shabby and pitiful shtetl with the non-Jews on one side of the river and the Jews on the other side, and everything is so small and abjectly impoverished. And then, all of a sudden, you see a synagogue hewn from stone in the center of the town, a magnificent edifice built by the King of Poland's own personal architect. Thus, a number of factors began to accumulate that did not correspond with the image that I had entertained, and so I began to delve into this subject a little more.

"In the beginning, I thought to myself, 'Wow, how smart I am, I have unearthed completely new ground here,' but as soon as I began to read I immediately grasped that I had not uncovered anything at all. Everything that I thought I understood – the world of academic research already knew. Prof. Majer Bałaban, Prof. Israel Heilperin and all the leading lights in this field have already written everything there is to write much more eloquently than I could write. But it transpires that there is a gap between what is known to the world of academic study and the popular perception of things. And I, in my profession, am supposed to give this out to people who do not hail from an academic background or who have been dealing with such issues for their entire lives. And so, this is how I decided to take the leap and try and bridge that gap."

Where did the Cossacks come from?

The book weaves the general history of the region with the local Jewish history and the Jewish memory, or the Jewish mythology of Eastern Europe. Familiarity with the broader view of the story, says Boguslavsky, sheds a different light on our story, that of the Jews. "If you ask historians dealing with Jewish history what was the greatest event that occurred in the last third of the 18th century, the rise of the Hasidic movement will always stand out together with the bitter split between the Hasidim and the Misnagedim, Boguslavsky points out. "Ostensibly, this is an internal Jewish theological-ideological dispute, a fight for the spiritual leadership of the Jews, and similar issues. However, when you study the wider picture, you come to understand that all this took place in parallel to the Civil War, revolutions, invasions, and severe internal political strife in the Polish-Lithuanian kingdom. The Jews were involved in all these affairs. At that time, the historic Four-Year Sejm (Parliament) discussions were well underway, which were intended to determine the fate of the kingdom, and the Jews sent their emissaries to it, took part in the rebellions, and played an important role in the wars – both as victims but also as fighters, here and there. So, to what extent did the Jews who lived at that time really regard the halakhic disputes, such as the question of whether it is permitted to stand on your head during prayers, as a central issue? I don't know and there is no way of checking this. But we really should not be telling our story without the broader context."

How does that context have a specific impact?

"The issue of the denunciatory letters sent by opponents of Hasidism to the Russian government is a central pillar in the conflict between the Hasidim and the Misnagedim. I have heard this story more times than I care to remember, and I have never come across anybody who mentions that there is a wider context to the use of such a tool: the Russian government in those areas, which were given over to Russia following the partition of the Polish-Lithuanian kingdom, was completely new, it had just materialized there. So, everybody was trying hard to prove to the new administration that they were loyal to it and that the other side was full of treachery and plans to undermine it. This is also a government, and once again it is important to mention here the wider context, which until that point had not come across any Jews at all. Until that time, there had been no Jews in Russia so that its government had absolutely no idea who these people were and what was happening among the Jews. So now, each side was convinced that it had been presented with a golden opportunity to go to the new administration and present to it the reality of the situation as it saw it, and in a manner that would support its own cause.

"This is not the only context. This dispute is also connected to the processes of modernization that were just beginning to take shape at that time. The leadership crisis in the Jewish world that led to the rise of Hasidism is a direct outcome of the crisis of modernity. The Enlightenment is not the only thing that was born out of that crisis. Hasidism too, as well as the Misnagedim movement, along with the Enlightenment, are modern phenomena. These are three distinct movements that appear at the same time, against the same background, and under the same circumstances. I believe that this puts the whole story in a much more interesting context than the purely internal Jewish theological and sociological aspect that it has been customary to talk about."

Another example is that of the Khmelnytsky Uprising in the mid-17th century, clearly one of the more severe traumas that is indelibly etched in Jewish historical memory – but without any context. "The story usually goes something like this: people called Cossacks, known by and familiar to only a handful of people, suddenly appeared from nowhere, and they slaughtered us because they are antisemites with a deep-rooted hatred of anything Jewish," says Boguslavsky. "The truth is that this is correct, as who did not hate Jews during that period? Having said that, when you zoom out from what was clearly a horrific series of pogroms, you see a historical event in dimensions that are reminiscent of the Thirty Years' War, one of the longest and most destructive conflicts in Western European history, which was just coming to an end when the Khmelnytsky Uprising began. We are talking about several decades of wars resulting in millions of dead and wounded, with a whole spectrum of factors involved. An epic drama of which we remember an episode that lasted for a year and a half and which was not necessarily the most fatal event for the Jews at that time, but regarding which the most eloquent text was written, which also survived, the book "Yeven Mezulah" or the "Abyss of Despair", written by Rabbi Nathan Nata ben Moses Hannover. What would have happened had this book not been written or had it not survived? We might have completely forgotten about this event or not even known about it."

A highly selective memory

The book is replete with figures we have heard of, but also brings to life from the 'abyss of despair' colorful characters, who might not have left a personal stamp on history but their stories are no less riveting. One of these figures, whose story to a large extent is the story of the entire period, is Fabus Abramovich of Kraków. "A rogue and a con artist who took over the community in Kraków at the end of the 18th century. This is an amazing story. He was the leader of the opposition in the community. In the Jewish communities of that period, an oligarchy comprising just a few families was able to rule all the community institutions for more than a hundred years on occasion, even though elections were actually held annually. In terms of the situation in those days, this was one of the most democratic forms of government that existed on Earth, but such an oligarchy also gives rise to opposition, which is usually composed of those people who were not given the jobs that they believed they ought to have been given. In the 18th century, when the initial buds of mass politics were just beginning to sprout, the opposition began to portray itself as ostensibly being the force that represents the 'simple people' against the 'arrogant elite'. Of course, had they succeeded and risen to power they would have acted precisely as those preceding them did. These struggles were always a sordid affair, but the events in the community of Kraków were especially sordid and violent.

"Our man, Abramovich, took advantage of the fact that Kraków was conquered time and again by various forces during the period of the partition of Poland-Lithuania. Against the background of this tumult, he succeeded in creating a devious bureaucratic manipulation that would appoint him as a dictator to rule over the community. Jewish communities in Europe were run for hundreds of years by a joint leadership of four 'parnasim' (heads of the community), each one running the community for one month at a time on a rotation. Underneath the parnasim were the 'tovei ha'ir', the good (elder) citizens, who themselves were above the rest of the community. This form of government, which has roots in the Hellenistic-Roman world, ensured decentralization of power, creating checks and balances. The community rabbi too had his own form of power. Abramovich left this entire structure in place in Kraków but then placed himself above it all as a sort of dictator. He managed to convince the community that the governor had appointed him to this position; while he persuaded the governor that the community had asked him to assume that position. He relied on the fact that both sides would fail to uncover the deception.

"In the end, it failed, and the deception was indeed exposed. This story, apart from the fact that it is extremely entertaining, reflects the fact that the leadership structure of the Jewish communities, which worked so well for hundreds of years, had ceased to function by the end of the 18th century. Due to its inherent weakness, all sorts of issues began to crop up, such as the Hasidic takeover and manipulations such as that of Abramovich.'"

One of the declared goals of the book is to change the image of Jewish Eastern Europe. "The image that we have is of a later period, the end of the 19th century and the turn of the 20th century. The period about which authors such as Sholem Aleichem and others wrote, the era of mass emigration to America, was one rife with crises. People tend to emigrate when bad things occur. The Jewish town was old and decrepit at that point, and the majority of the Jews were living under the rule of the Russian Empire, an extremely despotic and antisemitic form of government. This is the period addressed by the literature with which we are familiar and these are the memories that people carry with them.

One of the declared goals of the book is to change the image of Jewish Eastern Europe. "The image that we have is of a later period, the end of the 19th century and the turn of the 20th century. The period about which authors such as Sholem Aleichem and others wrote, the era of mass emigration to America, was one rife with crises. People tend to emigrate when bad things occur. The Jewish town was old and decrepit at that point, and the majority of the Jews were living under the rule of the Russian Empire, an extremely despotic and antisemitic form of government. This is the period addressed by the literature with which we are familiar and these are the memories that people carry with them. They are not historians, they do not have an overall perception of the periods from the 15th century onwards, in some of which life was better and in some it was much worse. They are familiar with what they remember, and the tendency is to assume that the reality with which we are familiar is the fixed, permanent situation. This picture is not completely baseless, although it is somewhat exaggerated, and this is the death knell. But we are interested in the entire period, not only the demise but also the ascendancy and the golden period of prosperity.

"To all of this, we need to add the existing image that we have regarding Poland, Ukraine, Belarus and the rest of the places that make up the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. We regard these as being extremely antisemitic areas, where the local inhabitants are breastfed on antisemitism. This has always been a matter of concern for me. Could the Jews be such complete idiots who specifically went to those places where they were so hated? That is simply not logical. If so many Jews chose to live there of all places, this must mean one of two things. Either the fact that there were so many Jews there led to the hatred of our people, and this is not very flattering for us as Jews, or that the situation there was not as bad as in other places.

"And lo and behold, just as it was clear to anybody living throughout those eras, it was indeed not as bad there. In other places, where we do not regard the local inhabitants to be antisemites from birth, they simply did not allow the Jews to settle among them. The best method of not being attributed the current image of an antisemite was prevalent already back in the Middle Ages, by expelling all the Jews, and in this manner, nobody would accuse you of antisemitism. This is the reason why nobody accuses the English of being antisemitic. They threw out all the Jews back in the 12th century and since then, everything there has been just 'peachy keen'. The Jews lived in Eastern European countries and thus they were subject there to the best things and the worst things too. And it is from here too that we have the most historical sources and memories."

The fact that masses of Jews lived in this region distorts the perception as to the actual scope of persecution of the Jews. "If a war is being waged – and wars at the time were without intervention from the High Court of Justice or human rights groups such as B'Tselem, with armies massacring civilian populations without any remorse, just for the fun of it – then in a place that was home to tens of thousands of Jews, then it is a predictable consequence that hundreds and thousands of Jews would be killed. If the same type of war occurs elsewhere, where only a few thousand Jews were living, then a few dozen or perhaps a few hundred Jews would be killed. Clearly, thousands of Jews being killed leaves a much more lasting impression, but this does not necessarily mean that the warlords and the soldiers in those places with a much denser Jewish population were more antisemitic. We remember one event, and the other, smaller event, we have never heard of – and this is what shapes the story."

Their rise and fall

The book paints the rise of Jewish Eastern Europe in bold colors along with the years of its glory and grandeur, but it also focuses equally on the long and hard years of its demise. Boguslavsky succeeds in persuading the reader of the existence of a strong bond between the overall geopolitical processes and the severe crisis experienced by the Jewish population. "In the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Jews developed into a status of their own within the feudal order, just like the classic classes of the nobility, the peasants and the bourgeois," he explains. "In Poland-Lithuania there were two parallel urban classes: A Christian urban class and a Jewish urban class, more or less equal in size. One of the issues that set the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth apart from Western Europe was that it was engaged in the conquest and settlement of non-developed lands, mainly in Ukraine and Belarus. In the process of the settlement and regulatory organization of these territories, the government and the nobility encouraged different types of people to settle there: urban dwellers, peasants, and Cossacks. The Jews had good reason to take an interest in settling down there, as they had been pushed aside and removed from other locations, and this led to a situation whereby they developed into an extremely important factor in these areas.

"Therefore, the entire system in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth became dependent on the Jews in relation to a number of matters – for example, in the mediation efforts between the nobility and the peasants, or in the field of public administration. Somebody had to manage the estates, postal services, fishponds, and forests. The concept of a 'leaseholder', which is very familiar to us from Jewish literature, comes from here. Leaseholding is the accepted method of management in the feudal regime – a type of privatization: the government or the noblemen who own the estate do not manage the day-to-day running of the lands on their own. They issue a 'tender' and then check to see who is ready to run everything and pass on the profits to them. This is privatization in its pre-modern form. The Jews were also responsible for the transportation of goods. The peasants would grow agricultural produce and the Jews would then export this. The local Jewish merchant purchased the goods from the peasants and then sold them wholesale at a regional fair, and from here the produce was then transferred to the next fair, and it would proceed from one fair to another until it was eventually shipped abroad. The imported goods would also be passed on via the Jews. The result is that large parts of the largest country in Europe were simply unable to function without the Jews.

"In other places, the Jews were not involved in leaseholding. In Medieval times, the Jews were traditionally involved in commerce, but here the commerce actually moved aside somewhat in favor of the leaseholding. This is based on the fact that the Polish nobility took control of the Jews in the 16th century: the Parliament of Nobles was much more powerful than the king, and the nobles simply succeeded in taking control of the asset that was called the Jews. They took it from the king for themselves, just as they took other assets, and in essence, they used the Jews for whatever they deemed to be important to them."

All this was turned on its head once modernity appeared at the doorway and the social order was undermined. "The nobility began to decline and the state became more centralized. During this modern era, the king was not made any weaker and actually gained power: suddenly there was no such thing as every nobleman doing whatever took his fancy. And so, the status of the Jews was undermined. Their unique role was eroded. And as soon as the Jews become like everybody else, then those selfsame 'everybody elses' no longer wished for the Jews to be part of them. And this is what leads to their demise. Prior to the rise of nationalism, society was divided up into groups – there were nobles and peasants, there were Catholics and Protestants, and there were also Jews. But, then when all of a sudden there is a collective identity, the question inevitably arises: Are the Jews really part of it? These questions arise and this is also the trigger for the revival of Jewish nationalism, which did not occur in a vacuum, disconnected from what was happening in the greater environment surrounding the Jews at that time."

Jewish Eastern Europe has become a genuine magnet for young Israelis these days. Do you understand why this is happening at this specific juncture?

"The truth is that I have no clear answer to this. I can however hazard a guess: This is a reaction to the dismissal of the Diaspora, which was an extremely acceptable approach in Israel until not so long ago. People who made aliyah from Eastern Europe preferred to leave behind what was there, but after a few generations there is no longer any sense of urgency to escape from this, and now, all of a sudden, they are beginning to show interest and they really wish to learn. This is part of a natural process of searching for your roots, even among today's youngsters. The discourse surrounding identities picked apart the liberal 'Israeli' identity, and so young people whose families came from Eastern Europe are now asking themselves why everybody has an identity apart from me. Suddenly everybody is looking for their own personal identity."

Boguslavsky (47), a resident of Jerusalem ever since he made aliyah at the age of five, is married with two children. Until a number of years ago, he was known to the followers of the blog entitled "Drop the Scissors and Let's Talk about it". Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he became a social media influencer and even almost a media star. The strongly opinionated and well-reasoned analyses he published on social media regarding the war attracted considerable attention, turning him into one of the leading commentators in that field for some time, even though he is neither a journalist nor an academic researcher of the conflict.

"It became a part of my routine," he says. "I used to travel to Ukraine several times a year, I have friends there, colleagues, acquaintances, and relatives, and so when the war broke out, it naturally preoccupied me and is still doing so. Writing on that topic provided me with a form of escapism. This is a war that I felt was 'close to home' so that by writing about it on a more intellectual level, I was able to stand back and distance myself from it to some extent. Apart from that, I also saw that many people were writing nonsense about what was going on there and that really annoyed me.

"Truth be told, this is often the trigger that gives me the impetus to start writing: I see that someone else is writing absolute baloney and I feel a need to correct them. That's the reason that people write on the internet, no? And indeed, the knowledge that people in the West and in Israel have about Ukraine is sorely lacking, to put it delicately. I don't claim to be an expert on that country, but in view of the overall paucity in that field I am a genuine 'lily in a field of thorns'. The professional experts, almost all of them, are experts on Russia – and based on their expertise on Russia they tend to extrapolate and project their knowledge onto other post-Soviet states, usually looking at issues via a Russian prism. This is why what they said was hot air, and somebody had to portray a different picture of things and write less nonsense. I'm sure that there are those who will beg to differ but this is how I saw things."

You have recently ceased to write about this topic.

"I don't like repeating myself. If I have written something a number of times, then I get fed up. In addition, during the initial months of the war I spent long hours, often close to 12 hours a day, just going over all sorts of Telegram channels and other sources of information in a variety of languages in order to get my hands on the rawest of information available. It is not possible to go on living in that fashion for a long time. So today, I still try and keep up to date but not with the same intensity.

"And also – I wore myself out. There is a limit to the number of atrocities to which you can become exposed. When October 7 came round, I had already developed the ability, even before you actually see what is in the photo, to scroll down the feed as you know that this will be a trigger. Your finger knows to skip over it before your eye identifies what is in the image, because you really need to maintain your sanity."

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It took jurors five hours to come to their conclusion: The man accused of murdering 11 Jewish worshippers at the Tree of Life*Or L'Simcha Synagogue in Pittsburgh on the morning of Oct. 27, 2018, is guilty on all counts.

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Robert Bowers, 46 at the time of the mass shooting, has now been convicted on 63 charges, including 11 capital counts each of obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death and of using a firearm to commit murder; and 11 counts of hate crimes resulting in death.

Video: Reuters

"I am grateful to God for getting us to this day. And I am thankful for the law enforcement who ran into danger to rescue me and the US attorney who stood up in the court to defend my right to pray," said Rabbi Jeffrey Myers, who survived the attack, following the verdict.

"Today, I'm focused on being with my congregation and praying, singing and clapping in praise of God as we do each Shabbat. In the face of the horror our community has experienced, I can think of no better response than practicing my Jewish faith and leading worship," he added.

The Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh said it "continues to stand with the families, witnesses and first responder community most directly impacted by the deadly synagogue shooting."

The organization added that the shooting's impact extends far beyond those in the local community and thanked "the citizenry of the greater Pittsburgh region for standing with the Jewish community since October 27, 2018, and supporting our communal efforts towards healing and resiliency."

The American Jewish Committee stated that justice has been served.

"We realize it does little to ease the pain for the families and friends of the 11 people murdered at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh simply for being Jewish and practicing their faith. However, we hope this verdict allows them to continue the slow process of healing if not closure," it stated.

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and national director of the Anti-Defamation League, noted that the attack was the deadliest antisemitic violence in US history.

"The hate and conspiratorial thinking that fueled this violence has not gone away," he stated. "We thank the jurors for their service, and we hope this brings closure to those who lost loved ones five years ago."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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Turkish police have arrested 15 people for alleged links to the extremist Islamic State group, the country's official news agency said late Saturday, following days of security warnings by Western consulates.

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Anadolu news agency, sourcing an Istanbul police statement, said the group was detained for purportedly planning attacks on the Swedish and Dutch Consulates in Istanbul as well as on churches and synagogues. But the police added they couldn't ascertain any "concrete threats" against the locations.

Video: Turkey issues warning on consulate closures over 'security threats' / Reuters

The intelligence that led to the police operation stated that the group may have received instructions from an affiliate of IS called Islamic State-Khorasan Province, which is active in South Asia and Central Asia.

Sweden and the Netherlands have been the subject of angry protests in Turkey after an anti-Muslim activist burned the Muslim holy book in Stockholm. and a similar action took place in The Hague.

This week, a group of Western countries temporarily closed down their consulates in Istanbul over security concerns. Turkish government officials accused them of failing to share information on the security threat that led to the closures and of aiming to cause harm to Turkey.

In November, a bombing on Istanbul's bustling Istiklal Avenue, located in the heart of the city and near a number of foreign consulates, killed six people and wounded several others. Turkish authorities blamed the attack on Kurdish militants but they have denied involvement.

Several months ago the local media reported that Turkey's National Intelligence Organization (MIT) uncovered an Iranian plot to assassinate an Israeli-Turkish businessman using a network of alleged hitmen.

Another report, by Iran International, claimed that the Mossad intelligence agency foiled an Iranian terrorist plot against a staffer of the Israeli Consulate in Istanbul last year.

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Following the Jan. 15 hostage situation at a Texas synagogue, Jewish organizations in the United States have reignited their push for Congress to double the funding of the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, ensuring that more targeted non-profit institutions such as synagogues get federal funding to invest in protection.

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While none of the hostages, including Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker of Beth Israel Synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, was hurt in the ordeal, organizations such as the Jewish Federations of North America and the Orthodox Union are pointing to increasing threats to Jewish institutions to justify an increase in the NSGP from $180 million annually to $360 million.

"If the events in Colleyville do not reinforce how crucial nonprofit security grants are in securing our communities, I don't know what will," said JFNA president and CEO Eric Fingerhut in a news release on Sunday.

Elana Broitman, JFNA senior vice president, said the request was not new, as the Jewish community has been calling for $360 million in funding for a number of years. While still not funded at the ideal level, support had been growing – doubling last year to $180 million.

That number was still only enough to cover 45% of funding requests made by non-profit organizations last year, of which approximately $220 million worth of requests were not granted because of insufficient cash, said Broitman.

Another $100 million for the NSGP was written into the Build Back Better bill, which has stalled.

But as Congress works to pass an omnibus spending package before the latest Continuing Resolution (CR) funding the government expires in February, the organizations see this as a perfect opportunity to increase the NSGP grant budget.

After the Texas hostage situation, the urgency has increased, Broitman said – not just in the Jewish world but for other targeted communal facilities that can also access the grant funding.

"I mean, the antisemitic trend is horrendous, and there are law-enforcement reports that really show that it is the worst among religiously motivated hate activities. That said, we're the canary in the coal mine," said Broitman. "This fund goes beyond Jewish communities, and I think everybody recognizes how important it is."

The NSGP grants go toward security measures in non-profit organizations, including religious centers, museums and houses of worship. These measures include the installation of security cameras, secure doors, barriers and active-shooter training drills.

Cytron-Walker said the training he was provided helped him act against the hostage-taker.

Additional security measures through this and other programs also helped avert further loss of life at the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting and other attacks on synagogues.

"When something happens in one place – regardless of what details were in the particular attack – the security risk in other places of course rises because we always worry about copycat attacks, and every incident is a little bit different," said Broitman. "And so the more we can protect institutions, the higher the bar for breaching those institutions."

"We're rallying the community because we just have to protect our vulnerable institutions," she said.

'Definitely more in ballpark of where demand level is'

According to Nathan Diament, executive director of the OU Advocacy Center, the $360 million figure was proposed by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) himself a few years ago.

Diament said the omnibus spending package will be the obvious place to include the amount, as congressional leaders and heads of the appropriation committees have started meeting to negotiate the omnibus to cover the remainder of the fiscal year.

The $360 million, he said, will be "definitely more in the ballpark of where the demand level is."

Diament had just concluded a Zoom meeting on Tuesday organized by the Orthodox Union with more than 1,000 synagogue representatives from across the nation, in addition to department officials such as US Attorney General Merrick Garland, US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Majorkas, FBI director Christopher Wray and FBI deputy director Paul Abbate.

Besides messages of solidarity from the administration officials, the synagogue representatives were promised that the agencies would do whatever they could to bolster the community's security as well as go through practical steps that synagogues could take in the coming weeks.

NSGP funding and other security resources provided by Homeland Security and the FBI were also part of the discussion, according to Diament, as well as practical steps for the synagogue representatives.

"For example, the FBI director said to the synagogue leaders, 'If you or your synagogue leadership doesn't currently have an open line of communication to your local FBI field office, you should pick up the phone and start that now because that's an important relationship to have,'" he said.

Diament added that another security measure the OU has been advocating for years was for the federal government through the US Department of Justice and other grant programs to provide more resources to local police specifically to increase patrols and presence around synagogues and other houses of worship.

"If we're in an environment in which houses of worship are targets, we need a more regular – at least, hopefully, only on a short-term basis – but we need a more regular police presence at houses of worship," he said.

Eric Fusfield, director of legislative affairs for B'nai B'rith International, said his organization has long supported the increase.

"One result of Colleyville is the growing awareness that such attacks can occur anywhere, at any time, from multiple sources," he said. "Also, the FBI's hate-crimes data affirm that the Jewish community is by far the most vulnerable among religious groups."

Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, the denomination Beth Israel is affiliated with, noted that Muslim, Christian and other faith leaders quickly gathered to support the congregants.

"While the uptick of antisemitism is clear, we've never lived in a community where there's more solidarity," he said.

Anna Eisen, the founding president of Beth Israel, experienced that first-hand, citing support "from neighbors, strangers, churches, the governor" and others.

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"I feel safer," she said. "I know now I'm a part of this community and this country."

Some advocacy groups and lawmakers have cited the Texas hostage situation in calling on the Senate to take up Biden's nomination of Deborah Lipstadt to serve as a special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism.

The Emory University professor's nomination languished last year, forcing Biden to resubmit her name two weeks ago. The Anti-Defamation League called on the Senate to "act now" to show the urgency of confronting antisemitism.

"We need to treat antisemitism not as an aberration but an everyday reality," said Jonathan Greenblatt, chief executive officer of the ADL.

Rabbi Noah Farkas, the president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, said he has been speaking with rabbinic colleagues in the wake of the Texas incident and many have trepidations about leading services.

"To be a Jew in America today, to wear Jewish ritual garb like the yarmulke or a Star of David, is an act of courage, and I would say defiance as well," Farkas said.

The attack underscores how "the Jewish community is an affected and targeted group," said Bradley Orsini, senior national security adviser for Secure Community Network, which consults with major Jewish organizations on security.

He took part in a weekend webinar that drew about 1,600 Jewish community leaders to update them on the Colleyville situation. "We really need to keep preparedness in front of us," he said.

JNS.org contributed to this report.

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British police said Thursday they have arrested two people in connection with Saturday's hostage-taking at a synagogue in Texas.

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Counter-Terrorism Police North West said one man was arrested Thursday in Birmingham, central England, and another in the city of Manchester. They were being held for questioning and have not yet been charged.

Malik Faisal Akram, a 44-year-old British citizen, took four people hostage at a Texas synagogue in a 10-hour standoff that ended in his death. Akram entered the United States as a tourist about two weeks earlier and spent time in Dallas-area homeless shelters before Saturday's attack at Congregation Beth Israel, in the suburb of Colleyville.

Two British teenagers were arrested as part of the investigation on Sunday and later released without charge.

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British media outlets reported Tuesday that the gunman who took four people hostage at a Texas synagogue that ended in his death was investigated by UK domestic intelligence service MI5 as a possible "terrorist threat" in 2020. Authorities, however, concluded he posed no danger, and the investigation was closed.

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Britain's Home Office did not immediately comment on the reports.

US authorities on Sunday named 44-year-old British citizen Malik Faisal Akram as the hostage-taker in Saturday's 11-hour standoff at a Texas synagogue.

Four people at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville were taken hostage after a gunman entered the building during Shabbat morning services that were being live-streamed. The live stream appeared to capture some of the incident before it was removed.

One of the hostages was released in the evening, according to police. Later in the night an elite FBI hostage rescue team breached the building and rescued the remaining captives, including the rabbi, according to local and federal officials.

Over the weekend, police in the UK announced two teenagers had been taken into custody in connection with the standoff. The teenagers are Akram's sons, two US law enforcement officials told AP. The officials were not authorized to discuss the investigation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

On Tuesday, police in Britain said the teenagers had been released without charge.

In a video of the synagogue service that was streamed live on Facebook, Akram can be heard saying, "They let me in. I said 'Is this a night shelter?' and they let me in and they gave me a cup of tea so I do feel bad.

"I like the rabbi. He's a good guy. I bonded with him. I really like him… I've only been here for a couple hours, but I can see he's a good guy."

Federal investigators' involvement in the case appeared to point to Akram belonging to an Islamic terrorist group. Nevertheless, no terrorist organization has yet taken responsibility for the incident.

During the standoff, Akram could be heard on a Facebook livestream demanding the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist who is suspected of having ties to al-Qaida and was convicted of trying to kill US troops in Afghanistan. The prison where Siddiqui is serving her sentence is in nearby Fort Worth.

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