Latest news with #Jewish
New York Post
21 minutes ago
- Politics
- New York Post
NYC's free summer meal program offers halal food, without listing kosher options
The city Department of Education's summer meal program for NYC youths boasts a variety of halal options at more than 25 locations citywide, but kosher food 'must be specially ordered,' officials told The Post. Free breakfasts and lunches will be served at hundreds of locations – schools, pools, libraries and parks – for anyone up to 18 years old, including all students from both public and private schools. 'You don't need to sign up, show any papers, or have an ID to get these meals,' the DOE says. 'Just head to one of our spots and enjoy a delicious breakfast and lunch.' Halal food – permissible for Muslims to eat under Islamic law – is available for the taking by anyone who shows up at the listed locations. Kosher food, for observant Jewish kids, is not mentioned on the DOE website. 4 DOE food worker Maria Gonzalez said she gave out 100 meals from a food truck in Haffen Park in the Bronx on the first day of the free summer meal program Friday. J.C. Rice Only when asked by The Post, the DOE said kosher meals 'must be specially ordered, and they are only available upon request. However we do not currently have any applications for kosher meals.' The glaring omission angered some Jewish advocates. 'The DOE's clear promotion of halal options alongside silence on kosher meals highlights a gap that needs urgent attention,'' said Karen Feldman, a DOE teacher and co-founder of the NYCPS Alliance, which fights antisemitism in the city public schools. 'Jewish families who keep kosher deserve the same outreach to feel fully included in this important program.' 4 A DOE food truck gave out free summer breakfasts and lunches to youths in Prospect Park, Brooklyn. J.C. Rice A similar controversy erupted in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, when the City Council's Jewish Caucus demanded that Mayor De Blasio's DOE include kosher meals along with vegetarian and halal food for Muslims in its free meal program. The DOE does not track students by religion, but an estimated 10 percent of NYC public-school students, roughly 100,000, are Muslim. The number of Jewish kids in NYC public schools is unclear, but 105,776 K-12 students enrolled in private Jewish schools in 2024-2025, said Gabriel Aaronson, director of policy and research for the non-profit advocacy group Teach Coalition. Poverty and hunger plague many NYC Jews, among other groups. The Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, which serves more than 325,000 clients, says it provides emergency food that meets the cultural and religious dietary needs of both kosher and halal-observant households. 4 Karen Feldman, a DOE teacher and co-founder of a group fighting antisemitism in public schools, faulted the city's free summer meal program's failure to list kosher meals for Jewish kids. Gregory P. Mango The DOE's summer menus offer a variety of halal options it says meet Islamic guidelines. For instance, a breakfast of egg and cheese on a buttermilk biscuit, home fries, and fresh fruit; and a lunch of chicken tenders with dipping sauce, garlic knot and corn. Other halal breakfasts include waffles, zucchini and banana bread, whole-grain bagels and buttermilk pancakes. Lunches feature pizza, mozzarella sticks, beef patties, falafel, chicken sandwiches, veggie burgers and empanadas. Kosher foods meet Jewish dietary laws, including restrictions on certain animals like pork and shellfish, separation of meat and dairy, and specific slaughtering and preparation methods. If ordered, the DOE said, a kosher breakfast would include a muffin, granola or cereal, plus yogurt, an apple, and milk. A lunch would consist of hummus, tuna or egg salad, whole wheat bread, grape tomatoes, apple and milk. 4 The DOE posted July summer meals with multiple halal options, but none for kosher food, angering some Jewish advocates. DOE Last week, the DOE would not detail its preparation or purchase of halal and kosher foods. 'We are thrilled that our summer meals program is returning this year, making sure that our youngest New Yorkers are fed and nourished,'said DOE spokeswoman Jenna Lyle. Funding for the summer meal program comes out of the DOE's yearly $600 million budget for all school food.
Axios
23 minutes ago
- Politics
- Axios
Attacks on Muslims flood mainstream after Mamdani win
Zohran Mamdani's victory in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary triggered a wave of Islamophobic attacks — including from sitting members of Congress — that once might have disqualified the perpetrators from public office. Why it matters: Openly racist rhetoric has become normalized at the highest levels of American politics. Islamophobic and antisemitic incidents both reached an all-time high in 2024, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Anti-Defamation League, respectively. The mainstreaming of Islamophobic rhetoric in political discourse comes a decade after President Trump called for "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States" as part of his 2016 campaign. Driving the news: Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) urged the Justice Department to denaturalize and deport Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and became a U.S. citizen in 2018. Under federal law, denaturalization is an extreme measure typically reserved for cases involving fraud during the naturalization process. The other side: Mamdani, who would be the first Muslim mayor of New York, has spoken openly about the violent threats and hateful messages he's received throughout the campaign. He told MSNBC that he sees his victory as "an opportunity for me to introduce the fact that being Muslim is like being a member of any other faith." The big picture: The fractured media ecosystem — splintered into hyperpartisan echo chambers — has made the public shaming of racism less effective. Attacks that once would have drawn bipartisan outrage now circulate with impunity — especially on social media platforms, where hate can go viral. The baseless attempts to link Mamdani to Islamist terrorism could alarm some voters, especially amid rising antisemitism in a city that is home to the world's largest Jewish population outside of Israel. Yes, but: Some of Mamdani's loudest critics are already unpopular in New York, raising the possibility that their Islamophobic posts could backfire — and further galvanize his coalition into a history-making victory. Catch up quick: Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist, defeated former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo by assembling a young, multiracial coalition in one of the nation's largest and most diverse cities. That coalition included progressive Jewish voters in Manhattan, college-educated liberals in Brooklyn's Park Slope and working-class communities in Queens. Mamdani, currently serving in the New York State Assembly, is of Indian ancestry. He was born in Uganda and moved to New York at age 7. After his victory, MAGA activists and Republican lawmakers took to social media to attack Mamdani's faith, heritage and left-wing politics. "Zohran 'little muhammad' Mamdani is an antisemitic, socialist, communist who will destroy the great City of New York. He needs to be DEPORTED," Ogles posted on X. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) posted an AI-generated image of the Statue of Liberty wearing a black burqa. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) tied Mamdani's victory to what she called America's "forgetting" of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. What they're saying: "Wow. Just wow," James Zogby, co-founder of the Arab American Institute, told Axios after reviewing the posts. Zogby said Islamophobia is becoming more brazen because "there are no repercussions." "We see the same Islamophobia from the same bigots anytime a Muslim runs for public office," said Basim Elkarra, executive director of CAIR Action, the political arm of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. "Now it's been normalized." Zoom out: Since Sept. 11, 2001, Muslim and Arab Americans have periodically been the targets of racist and Islamophobic political campaigns. In 2005, then Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) suggested the U.S. could "take out" Islamic holy sites if attacked by radical Muslim terrorists. In 2010, the proposed Park51 Islamic community center in Lower Manhattan — branded the " Ground Zero Mosque" by activist Pamela Geller, founder of Stop the Islamization of America — became a national campaign flashpoint. Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (R-Mich.), who became the first two Muslim women elected to Congress in 2018, have faced years of Islamophobic attacks from Republicans and conservative media. State of play: Muslim Americans have built broader, multiethnic coalitions and political alliances in recent years. "I don't think [Islamophobia] is going to fly this time," Zogby said. Elkarra echoed that view, saying Mamdani's popularity could help him withstand the wave of attacks he's likely to face. There are currently an estimated 3 to 4 million Muslim Americans in the U.S. Between the lines: Days before the primary, Mamdani became embroiled in controversy for declining to condemn the phrase "globalize the intifada" during a podcast with The Bulwark. Mamdani, a longtime critic of Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, said the phrase represented to him "a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights." The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) responded by urging all New York City candidates — without naming Mamdani — to "disassociate themselves from and avoid using language that plays into antisemitic tropes." Calls to "globalize the intifada," the ADL said, invoke a decades-old history of attacks on the Jewish people and amount to "an act of incitement that encourages violence against Jews." The bottom line: Mamdani has condemned antisemitism and promised to be a mayor for all New Yorkers — one who will be laser-focused on the city's affordability crisis.
Local Sweden
37 minutes ago
- Politics
- Local Sweden
Inside Sweden: What's missing from Jimmie Åkesson's apology for his party's past?
The Local's Deputy Editor Becky Waterton rounds up the biggest stories of the week in our Inside Sweden newsletter. Advertisement Sweden Democrat leader Jimmie Åkesson apologised to the country's Jewish population this week after the party released the second half of its "white book", a document reporting the history of the party from 1989 to its entry into parliament in 2010. The document, written by Uppsala University historian Tony Gustafsson, confirmed among other things that the party emerged from Bevara Sverige Svenskt (Keep Sweden Swedish), a racist, right-wing extremist and nationalist campaign organisation, in the late 80s. The Sweden Democrats continued to use the Keep Sweden Swedish slogan on campaign materials in its early years. It also confirmed that the party published antisemitic material during the 1990s. Members of the youth organisation, it said, openly listed to antisemitic white power music, dreamt of racial war, detested homosexuality and praised the Ku Klux Klan and the Holocaust. During a speech at political festival Almedalen, Åkesson apologised for his party's antisemitic past. 'I apologise deeply and ask for forgiveness, personally and on the behalf of the Sweden Democrats, that there was a time that my party was home to people with antisemitic views.' 'Antisemitism does not belong in Sweden, does not belong in Swedish politics, and should always be fought,' he added. Advertisement He also said that he felt 'uncomfortable that there was actually a time when Jews in Sweden had completely rational reasons to view the Sweden Democrats of the time with concern and fear.' "I deeply regret, and apologise, that my party at the time could be perceived as threatening and frightening for Jews in Sweden,' he added. Åkesson's apology was welcomed in many corners, including by Aron Verständig, the chair of the country's Jewish Council. However, it left something to be desired – not only because of the fact that Åkesson was quick to use it as a political opportunity to absolve his party of blame and point fingers at the Swedish left instead. It's not exactly hard to find examples of the views mentioned in the Sweden Democrats' white book from members of the party in recent years. As recently as last year, one of the party's MPs was caught on tape belting out a racist chant at the party's EU election night event. The same year, a Sweden Democrat politician in Gothenburg was ejected from her position as a lay judge after claiming that 'the left, liberals and globalists [a common code word used by the far-right to refer to Jewish people]' were conspiring to replace Swedes with immigrants. Sure, both of those Sweden Democrats were kicked out of the party, but there are other, often more senior members of the party who have made similar statements with no consequences. Barely a year ago, Åkesson himself wrote an article using white nationalist language where he claimed that Swedes were being systematically replaced by immigrants. Advertisement If the Sweden Democrats, as he claimed in his speech at Almedalen, have successfully cleaned up their act, why then, did Sweden's extreme right fringe groups celebrate the party's election gains back in 2022 as a move forward for the racial ideology movement? Is Åkesson's apology real, or just a political tool to try to disarm the opposition next time they point out the fact that the Sweden Democrats still have problems with racism and Nazi sympathisers in their party? Where is the apology Sweden's Islamic Association has asked for, after Muslims in Sweden have been the target of Islamophobic abuse from the Sweden Democrats for years? Where is the apology for immigrants, particularly immigrants of colour, who among other things were depicted as stupid, violent or dangerous in videos spread by the Sweden Democrats' troll factory last year? Where is the apology for the LGBT+ community, after top Sweden Democrat Björn Söder's comments claiming that Pride had 'close and legitimate links to pedophilia'? Those examples aren't ancient history dug up from decades ago ‒ they all took place within the last few years. That period of change Åkesson claims the party went through in 1995 looks like it still has a long way to go. Advertisement In other news Sweden is set to roll out language and civics tests for citizenship next summer. But the universities tasked with developing the tests say that timeline doesn't give them nearly enough time. Looking for a change of career? Despite an ongoing period of low growth, Swedish employers are crying out for staff in multiple professions, according to new figures ‒ and not all of those jobs require years of training. GAMES: Have you tried The Local's games for Membership+ subscribers yet? We've got a new crossword and word search puzzle out now The vice-chancellors of four of Sweden's largest universities are warning that Europe could end up "a scientific backwater" unless it deepens its collaboration with China. No more than 15 naturalisation applications were approved during Sweden's recent citizenship freeze, statistics reveal. But the processing of cases is hopefully picking up pace. Are you on summer holidays yet, or will you be heading off soon? Whether it's going for a swim, climbing Kebnekaise, exploring the Gothenburg archipelago, enjoying a platter of prawns, or discovering a new city, we want to hear your best recommendations for making the most of the Swedish summer. The former US ambassador to Sweden, Erik Ramanathan, is back in Sweden for the Almedalen political week in Visby. He told The Local why he thinks Nato countries can still rely on US support despite US President Donald Trump's rhetoric, and why he'll be attending Stockholm Pride. Sweden's Liberals officially chose their new party leader this week ‒ Simona Mohamsson, who vowed to bring "tough love" to immigration and integration politics in her first speech as party leader. Will one of her first moves be to change the Liberals' stance on the far-right Sweden Democrats? We've also put together our monthly list of the new laws, events and other things changing in Sweden next month. Thanks for reading, Becky Waterton Deputy Editor, The Local Sweden Inside Sweden is our weekly newsletter for members which gives you news, analysis and, sometimes, takes you behind the scenes at The Local. It's published each Saturday and with Membership+ you can also receive it directly to your inbox.
Egypt Independent
an hour ago
- Politics
- Egypt Independent
Israeli forces kill 15-year-old Palestinian boy after settlers attack West Bank towns, officials say
Jerusalem CNN — Israeli forces shot dead a Palestinian teenager in the West Bank on Wednesday, Palestinian health authorities said, as settler violence against Palestinians surged in the occupied territory. The military shot 15-year-old Rayan Tamer Hawshiya in the neck, the Ministry of Health in Ramallah said, after troops raided Al Yamoun, near Jenin. Residents in the northern town reported 'heavy Israeli gunfire,' according to the minstry. The Israeli military said that 'terrorists hurled explosive devices at IDF forces' in Al Yamoun on Wednesday, adding that no IDF injuries were reported. 'Afterward, the forces identified terrorists approaching them while holding additional explosives,' the military told CNN. 'The forces responded with fire, and hits were identified.' Separately, a 66-year-old Palestinian woman died from injuries after Israeli police shot her in the head in occupied East Jerusalem, according to local media reports. Zahia Joudeh al-Obeidi 'succumbed to her wounds' after Israeli police stormed Shuafat refugee camp, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. Israeli police said they launched an investigation into the circumstances of the death of an 'East Jerusalem resident,' adding that the resident was 'pronounced dead' by medical officials upon arrival at Shuafat checkpoint. The killings came on the heels of a spate of attacks in the West Bank town of Kafr Malik, where Israeli settlers set fire to Palestinian homes and vehicles in what one Israeli opposition politician called a 'violent Jewish pogrom.' Several people were killed and wounded, according to Palestinian and Israeli authorities. Rayan Tamer Hawshiya, aged 15, was killed by Israeli forces in a town near Jenin, in northern West Bank, officials say, where violence against Palestinians has spiraled in recent months. Hawshiya Family The details of the deaths in Kafr Malik are unclear. The Palestinian foreign ministry said the settlers opened fire on Palestinian residents, while Israeli authorities said there was a firefight between Palestinian gunmen and Israeli security forces. At least three Palestinians were killed and several were wounded, according to Palestinian officials. The Israeli military said 'several' people were killed in the central town, but did not specify whether they were Palestinian or Israeli. Israel has ramped up military operations in the West Bank, displacing thousands of Palestinians and razing entire communities as it targets what it says are militants operating in the territory. Last year, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the state 'must deal with the threat (in the West Bank) just as we deal with the terrorist infrastructure in Gaza, including the temporary evacuation of Palestinian residents.' He later warned that the tens of thousands of Palestinians who have fled their West Bank homes would not be allowed to return. Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of inflicting 'massive, deliberate displacement of Palestinian civilians' and making 'much of the territory unlivable' in violation of international law. Israeli settlers have also increased attacks on Palestinian communities and their properties, according to the United Nations' human rights office. Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 947 Palestinians, among them 200 children, in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, between October 7, 2023 and June 12, the UN reported on June 20. Between October 7, 2023 and June 26, at least 39 Israeli civilians have been killed in the West Bank, according to Israeli government officials. Israel has occupied the West Bank since seizing the territory from Jordan in 1967. In late May, the Israeli government approved the largest expansion of Jewish settlements in the area in decades. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, 'Stripped of basic dignity' In Kafr Malik, social media video geolocated by CNN showed residents panicking as a fire consumed a home and a loud pop rang in the distance. Another video showed a parked car in flames as a resident attempted to extinguish it with a water hose. The IDF said security forces were deployed to the scene after 'dozens of Israeli civilians' had set properties on fire. On arrival, the IDF said, the security forces were met with gunfire and rocks hurled by what it described as 'terrorists' and they returned fire. 'Hits were identified, and it was later reported that there were several individuals injured and fatalities,' the IDF said, adding that five Israelis were arrested. Israeli opposition politician Yair Golan condemned the settler attack, saying: 'What happened this evening in Kafr Malik was a violent Jewish pogrom – dozens of rioters set fire to homes and vehicles, and assaulted Palestinians and security forces.' Palestinian women walk past a charred vehicle, as they survey the destruction wrought Israeli settlers in the West Bank village of Kafr Malik, on Thursday. Ilia Yefimovich/Shortly after the violence in Kafr Malik, there was another settler attack close to the nearby village of Taybeh, according to the Israeli rights organization B'Tselem, which shared footage of masked men torching a parked car. Three people were injured and three cars were set on fire, it said. A third settler attack took place around Jericho, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, which said eight people were injured due to smoke inhalation after a house was set on fire. Mourners carry the bodies of young Palestinians who were killed by Israeli settlers in Kafr Malik. The UN has warned that there is 'no respite' for communities there. Ammar Awad/Reuters A UN official warned there has been 'no respite' for Palestinian people in the northern West Bank, where he accused Israel of imposing 'systematic forced displacement' on refugee communities in 'violation of international law.' 'Out of the spotlight of the regional escalation, camps in the northern West Bank have faced ongoing destruction, with dozens of buildings demolished in the last twelve days,' Roland Friedrich, the director of affairs for UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestine refugees in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, posted on X on Wednesday. 'Even now, Israeli security forces are continuing to demolish homes and buildings in Jenin, Tulkarm, and Nur Shams camps. Stripped of basic dignity, many families have not even been able to save their belongings ahead of anticipated bulldozing.'
Vancouver Sun
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
'Political expediency': Lawyer for IDF soldiers critical of war-crimes probe
There is a growing backlash after the RCMP announced this month it is investigating whether Canadian citizens involved with clashes in or around Israel were in contravention of this country's Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes Act. Amid outcry from Jewish groups, the force said it wasn't a criminal probe, but to 'collect, preserve and assess information' for potential future prosecutions. Foreign governments, such as Belgium and Brazil, have also opened investigations into their own citizens who served with the Israel Defense Forces. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Lt.-Col. (ret.) Maurice Hirsch, director of the Initiative for Palestinian Authority Accountability and Reform, at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, suggests these are politically motivated probes. He has been retained by IDF soldiers who have been questioned by foreign government representatives. Hirsch has previously served as senior legal analyst for Human Rights Voices in New York, lawyer for the Israel Defense Forces, director of the legal department for Palestinian Media Watch, senior military consultant for NGO Monitor, and adviser to the Israeli Ministry of Defense. Dave Gordon interviewed Hirsch for the National Post. What do you think motivates foreign governments who seek these investigations? I can't tell you exactly as to what their motivation is, but I believe that it's somewhere in the realms of political expediency, and internal demographic politics. It requires these governments to almost change what they've been doing traditionally, even to the point of potentially abandoning allies. Their voter base has changed. And so now you have a situation where you need to almost pander, to cater, to a more fringe population. In May, U.K. government lawyers told the High Court that there was no evidence Israel was deliberately targeting civilians in Gaza, and that evidence exists of Israel making efforts to limit harm to civilians. If the government doesn't believe that war crimes are being committed, then obviously they won't then take that forward, and actively engage in an investigation of something that they don't believe is happening. But if the government is so prejudiced, and predisposed, that war crimes are being committed, then obviously you launch an investigation. What evidence would a foreign investigation need, to theoretically try a soldier in court? Video footage, forensic analysis, operational logs — all impartially examined. What they have is so weak and poor, it's impossible to say it's 'evidence.' I think it's just so circumstantial and flimsy, even imagined. Organizations are gathering information from social media, when IDF soldiers put up videos of their activities in the Gaza Strip, and those videos are predominantly taken out of context and given a criminal shade. They'll destroy a civilian building, which is a war crime, but clearly not if it's a military target. For example, a place where weapons were stored, where terrorists were encamped, that had tunnels going underneath it. All of these possible scenarios. And so the video itself shows absolutely nothing. Governments are looking at reports and statements from people who have left Gaza, and can say anything they want. This whole effort, really, is a huge waste of time, resources and energy. It's entirely impotent, because without knowing exactly what the military goal was in any given circumstance, there's no way you can actually assess the actions of the soldier. There's a legal mechanism that already exists in Israel, to prosecute soldiers who have broken laws? Without question. There is an entire investigative process. Everyone knows they exist. And yet this almost sanctimonious drive, seems to be to ignore that reality, and pushes for these ad hoc courts to somehow take charge. In media interviews, you contend that there is no formal support from the Israeli government for IDF (soldiers), to defend them against foreign investigations. Is that still the case? That still appears to be the case. There are certain ministries that are involved in a risk assessment, and are there to help, I think, the higher ranking officers. But my experience till now has been that the lower ranking soldiers find it very, very difficult to get any support whatsoever from these ministries, and that I fear is very dangerous. Of these Israeli departments which you criticize, are they aware of the shortcomings you speak of? So the difficulty is, that they don't know even the extent of the exposure that the soldiers are facing, and wouldn't know necessarily to be able to provide assistance to everyone in need. You're talking about potentially hundreds of thousands of people. This is just a question of personnel and manpower. It's overwhelming right now, especially where we're busy fighting a war. On a government-to-government level, how is this issue being dealt with? There are discussions on all different types of levels, and without again getting into too much detail, I think in many cases, a lot of the work is being done diplomatically. The opening of an investigation is dependent on a government decision, rather than anyone presenting to a court with alleged evidence. That's already a very big step forward than what used to be the case in England, where any organization could claim that X had committed war crimes, submit any type of evidence they had to a local magistrate, and that magistrate could then issue an arrest warrant. With predominantly friendly governments, the hope is that they can be diplomatically persuaded, or dissuaded, from going down a certain path. Which steps should the Israeli government take to address these investigations? I think it needs to be a conglomerate of different actors, because the problem requires different solutions and different involvement. I would suggest a joint task force of the Justice Ministry, the Foreign Ministry, the Defense Ministry, each one contributing in their own unique way to providing the best support possible. And sometimes the support needed is relatively simple, just to say that that X person was not in active duty in any type of a position, that could be considered relevant, when the alleged war crimes happen. This interview has been edited for brevity. (National Post contacted the IDF spokesperson's unit and the spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and received no response.) Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our newsletters here .
