Jewish groups

A former bodyguard for a Hamas leader was granted British citizenship before being arrested over an alleged plot to carry out a terror attack against Jews in Europe, according to a report. The case is likely to intensify scrutiny of UK security vetting and citizenship procedures for people with ties to militant groups.

Jewish advocacy groups are protesting Benjamin Netanyahu's address at the United Nations in New York. The demonstrations come as the Israeli prime minister speaks to the General Assembly amid ongoing controversy over Israel's policies and the war in Gaza. Organisers say they want to signal that not all Jewish communities back his government's positions, though details of the groups and scale of the protests were not specified.

A federal court ruling has cleared the way for a Jewish charter school to open in Oklahoma. The decision is significant because charter schools are publicly funded, raising unresolved questions about the separation of church and state. The case is expected to draw further legal challenges as other states and religious groups watch closely for its implications on publicly funded religious education.

Dutch State Secretary Silvio Erkens says he is open to a ban on slaughtering animals without stunning, a practice currently permitted for religious reasons. His comments have sparked debate in the Netherlands over whether an end to unanesthetised slaughter is near, touching on animal welfare concerns and religious freedom, with reactions expected from Jewish and Muslim communities and farming groups.

A renewed push for religious charter schools is drawing attention, centering on the Ben Gamla Jewish charter school proposal in Oklahoma alongside the St. Isidore Catholic case. Supporters argue states cannot exclude religious groups from charter programs, while opponents warn the move blurs the line between church and state and could reshape publicly funded education across the country.

Britain's Green Party has voted to adopt a new policy declaring itself an anti-Zionist party and treating Zionism as racism. The move, reported by UPI, is likely to prove divisive, drawing criticism from Jewish community organisations and pro-Israel groups while being welcomed by pro-Palestinian activists, and it reignites debate over the boundaries between criticism of Israel and antisemitism in British politics.

A 94-year-old Jewish barrister has been arrested in the UK for publicly supporting Palestine Action, a group banned under UK terrorism legislation. The detention of someone of advanced age, and a Jewish legal professional, at a pro-Palestine demonstration has drawn widespread attention, with critics arguing the arrests highlight the sweeping reach of the UK's proscription laws and their impact on free speech and protest rights.

Anniversaries are being marked of the Battle of Cable Street, when on 4 October 1936 thousands of East London residents, trade unionists, Jewish and Irish groups and anti-fascists blocked Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists from marching through the Jewish East End, clashing with police at Cable Street in Stepney. Posts recalling the day are drawing comparisons with modern anti-fascist and anti-racist organising.

On October 4, 1936, anti-fascist demonstrators in London's East End blocked Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists from marching through Cable Street, clashing with police sent to protect the march. Local unions, communists, Jewish groups and residents barricaded the streets under the slogan 'They shall not pass.' The anniversary is being marked in labor history posts, with commenters framing the battle as a landmark of united anti-fascist resistance.

An opinion piece argues that pro-Israel lobbying groups are losing their influence over U.S. electoral politics, but warns they will fight to hold on to it. The author, writing from a Jewish perspective, says American Jews are watching closely and that the community's future depends on waking up to these shifts. The piece reflects an ongoing debate on the left about money, advocacy and Middle East policy in American elections.

The Green Party has voted to adopt a policy that equates Zionism with racism, according to a report in the Guardian. The decision, taken at a party vote, immediately places the party among the few political groups in Europe to formally endorse such a definition. The move is likely to reignite debate over antisemitism, anti-Zionism and free speech within left and green politics, and to draw criticism from Jewish organisations and pro-Israel groups.

Mother Jones reports on a shifting dynamic between the United States and Israel, examining how Jewish political groups and electoral politics are reshaping the alliance. The piece suggests the relationship is no longer straightforward, with internal debates among American Jewish organisations and election-year pressures complicating traditional support for Israel in Washington.

Jewish Canadian organizations and the Palestinian Students and Scholars at Risk Network are holding a virtual news conference to press the federal government to resolve lengthy study permit delays affecting Palestinian graduate students already admitted to Canadian universities. The joint call highlights growing concern that students admitted to Canadian programs remain unable to begin their studies, and that the backlog is leaving vulnerable scholars in limbo.

The World Jewish Congress announced that its Representative to the UN in Geneva and Director of Diplomacy delivered a statement under Item 7 at the UN Human Rights Council. Item 7 is the council's standing agenda item on the human rights situation in Palestine and other occupied Arab territories, so the statement addresses how that item is handled.

Twelve Jewish teachers have filed human rights complaints against a group of Ontario school boards and teachers' unions, alleging discrimination. The complaints, reported by CBC, add to ongoing debates in Canada about antisemitism in schools and workplaces, which have intensified amid tensions over the Israel-Hamas conflict. The claims will now proceed through the province's human rights tribunal process.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Councilwoman Nithya Raman disagreed on Gaza and whether the term genocide applies to the conflict, during a forum hosted by the Jewish Federation. The split highlights divisions among local Democratic leaders over the Israel-Hamas war and the language used to describe its toll on civilians.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and her challenger, Congresswoman Laura Raman, voiced differing positions on the Gaza conflict during a forum hosted by the Jewish Federation. The exchange highlighted how the Middle East conflict has become a point of division in the Los Angeles mayoral race, drawing attention from voters and community groups following the debate.

Reports say parts of Israel's settler movement are preparing to return to Gaza, decades after settlements there were dismantled in 2005. The claims follow the war between Israel and Hamas and growing calls among some Israeli groups to re-establish a Jewish presence in the territory. Observers warn such a move would inflame tensions and conflict with international positions on Gaza's future.

Britain's Green Party has voted to classify Zionism as a form of racism, according to Reuters. The decision, taken at a party gathering, is likely to provoke strong reactions from Jewish groups, critics and supporters of Israel, and will fuel an ongoing debate within British politics about antisemitism, anti-Zionism and the boundaries of acceptable political language.

World Jewish communities are calling on the incoming United Nations Secretary-General to confront antisemitism within the global body. In coordinated statements carried by Jewish publications in the United States and internationally, community groups are urging the next UN leader to reform institutions and rhetoric they say have enabled anti-Jewish bias at the organisation. The appeals come as the UN prepares for a transition in leadership.

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and councilmember-Nithya Raman rival appears at a mayoral forum addressing Jewish Angelenos. The two officials spoke to members of the city's Jewish community, discussing issues relevant to that constituency as part of ongoing civic engagement ahead of the election cycle.

A judge's decision has cleared a path for a Jewish charter school in Oklahoma, according to Oklahoma Watch's Education Watch. The ruling advances a contested effort to establish a religiously affiliated charter school, a question that has drawn national attention over the boundaries between religious education and publicly funded charter programs in the United States.

A mayoral forum hosted by a Jewish community group was dominated by discussion of Israel-Palestine, with candidates pressed on the conflict and related local concerns. The event reflects how international Middle East politics increasingly shapes local election campaigns, with candidates' positions on the issue becoming a deciding factor for many voters.

Zohran Mamdani has put forward a plan to address antisemitism that Jewish organizations say is inadequate because it does not confront anti-Zionism as part of the problem. Groups have voiced dissatisfaction with the proposal, arguing it sidesteps a central issue. Critics say the plan reflects Mamdani's own positions on Israel, which have drawn scrutiny throughout his political rise.