A book seller in New York has agreed to return a 16th century Hebrew Bible, which was for sale for $19,000, to the Budapest Jewish school from which the volume was taken illegally, the U.S. Justice Department stated on Monday.

"With this forfeiture, a small, but meaningful, piece of the history of the Jewish faith will be returned to its rightful owner, the Budapest Rabbinical Seminary," stated Damian Williams, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York.

The book is a Chumash (the Five Books of Moses) with Haftorah texts, weekly readings from Prophets and Writings that are read on Shabbat and festivals. The Jewish Theological Seminary of the University of Jewish Studies in Budapest, Hungary, did not deaccession the text, which Giovanni di Gara printed in 1588 and 1589.

"The Di Gara Text went missing for nearly 80 years after it was looted from the Budapest Rabbinical Seminary during the city’s occupation by Nazi forces in 1944," Williams stated. "We may never know how it ended up in the Southern District of New York, but it is now returning home."

Per the agreement between the Justice Department and the unnamed seller, the book bears a stamp indicating that it comes from the 19th century Italian rabbi and scholar Lelio Della Torre. Several years after the rabbi died around 1871, his collection was sold to the Budapest Rabbinical Seminary, and the book in question is published in an 1872 catalog of the collection, which the seminary owns, per the Justice Department.

"In 1944, in the midst of World War II and the Jewish Holocaust, Nazi forces invaded Budapest and seized and occupied the Budapest Rabbinical Seminary, looting its holdings," the Justice Department stated. "The Di Gara text is believed to have disappeared during this period. At no point did the Budapest Rabbinical Seminary deaccession—that is, formally remove from its collection—the Di Gara text."

Hungarian officials told the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in March 2023 that a Manhattan-based vendor was apparently selling the volume on AbeBooks for $19,000. The vendor told Homeland Security later that month that he acquired the volume in the 1980s "without knowledge of its provenance" and said he would turn it over to Homeland Security "if served with valid legal process," per the Justice Department.

Homeland Security agents served the vender with a seizure warrant in April 2023, and the vendor forfeited the volume voluntarily, per an Oct. 4, 2024 judge's order.

Writing on the one-year anniversary of Hamas’s Oct. 7 terror attack in southern Israel, 85 retired U.S. generals and admirals stated in a letter, which the Jewish Institute for National Security of America released, that “there should be no daylight between our two countries.”

“The United States should fully stand by Israel, including supplying it expeditiously with the critical weaponry it needs to fight this common battle against the Iranian axis,” the retired military leaders wrote.

“Today, a year after Hamas’s barbaric attack on Israel, we remember and mourn alongside Israel. However, as retired American military leaders witnessing the threats that Israel still faces from Iran’s terror network—from Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iran itself—we also urge the United States to learn a fundamental lesson from the past year,” the retired leaders wrote, “the critical imperative to support Israel fully in not only defending itself but also defeating our common adversaries.”

“The war that the Iranian axis launched a year ago is not just a war against Israel, nor is it being fought only in the Middle East,” they stated. “Oct. 7 is not an isolated incident, but one front in a much larger global civilizational struggle.”

“There should be no ceasefire until Israel’s operations have succeeded in creating the conditions necessary for its citizens to return to their homes to live in peace and security,” they added. “So, too, should the United States arm and assist Israel as it responds to Iran’s latest attack against it.”

The Israel Defense Forces miraculously rescued a Yazidi woman last week who had been captive in the Gaza Strip for the last 10 years and reunited her with her family in Iraq. She was only 11 years old when she was taken by ISIS in 2014 from the Kurdistan region and sold as a “war bride” to a fellow jihadist in Gaza. What made her eligible to be treated as human chattel? She was Yazidi, and her religion was Zoroastrian. She was not Muslim. Sadly, this same story has played out over and over again in Bangladesh, the country of my youth, where Hindu girls are regularly kidnapped and used as sex slaves and war brides, and never seen by their families again. Over the past two months, since the coup in Bangladesh, the fire of jihad has consumed many more Hindu families.

With the one-year mark of Israel’s ongoing defensive war against jihadist, genocidal forces from Gaza—and Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and the Palestinian Authority—it is more important than ever that people understand that the enemy Israel faces is fueled by religious extremism and not by legitimate grievances; that the forces of jihad have many targets and many victims; and that Israel and the Jewish people have natural allies in the region and in the diaspora. The Hindu community is one such ally. Over the past year, my organization, Hindu ACTion, has been honored to stand alongside many other Hindu organizations in numerous U.S. states in solidarity with Israel and in support of efforts to combat antisemitism.

Hindus and Jews share many common cultural character traits. We are both ancient peoples with deep traditions, a peace-loving culture of liberalism and tolerance, and a strong focus on family, community, education and hard work. We run into each other in business life in many fields, including IT, medicine and engineering, but we can certainly stand to get to know each other more deeply.

The Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7 represented an earth-shattering trauma for Israel and the Jewish diaspora, as well as a shock to moral people around the world. For many of us, it also opened the collective memory of the Bangladesh 1971 War of Independence—a story rather unfamiliar in America. In 1971, when Bangladesh split from Pakistan, Hindus were over 22% of the population. They were ruthlessly targeted by jihadist Muslims for murder, rape and abuse. In the span of eight months, 3 million Hindus were murdered, and hundreds of thousands of Hindu women and girls were raped, with many kidnapped to be kept as sex slaves and jihad “war brides,” to achieve the goal of conversion to Islam. The Hindu population had fallen to 13% by 1974 and to around 8% today.

Some Holocaust museums honor the memory of these victims by telling this story, but we find it is still not widely known. Needless to say, the pain of Oct. 7 resonated in our community from the start. The anti-Hindu violence of the past two months has brought those old memories even more to the surface.

The media seems not to have any room to report on the renewed saga of jihadist violence in Bangladesh. If you don’t follow Indian newspapers, you can be forgiven for not being aware that in August, a quiet military coup happened in Bangladesh, and that it was immediately followed by Oct. 7-style jihadist attacks targeting Hindus. Angry mobs burned dozens of Hindu temples and hundreds of Hindu homes, and murdered, raped and mutilated dozens of Hindu families. Some 10,000 Hindus abandoned their homes and businesses within the first two weeks to flee for their safety, and order has yet to be restored.

We need to know each other’s stories in order to be able to support each other. On this anniversary of Oct. 7, I am reaching out to share our story with you and to let your community know that our community stands with yours. Wishing success and safety to Israel’s security forces, and praying for the safe return of the Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

Namaste.

U.S. congressional leaders released videos, attended ceremonies and issued statements on Monday to mark the one-year anniversary of Hamas’s Oct. 7 terrorist attacks on southern Israel. Almost all of the statements from Congress expressed solidarity with the Jewish state, although some of Israel’s harshest critics denounced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who is Jewish, posted a photo of himself praying at the Reform synagogue that he attends in Park Slope in Brooklyn.

“As we mark Oct. 7, I prayed at my synagogue, Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn, for the victims of Hamas’s terrorism, the hostages and their families,” Schumer wrote. “On Oct. 7, Hamas displayed such viciousness to try to scare Israelis, Americans and the world into submission, but they failed.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) issued statements supporting Israel and memorializing those killed in the Hamas attacks.

Johnson called on the Biden administration to do more to support the Jewish state in the face of the threat that Iran and its proxies pose.

“The terror and antisemitism we’ve witnessed have demanded full resolve from America’s leaders, which is why Congress passed legislation in the spring to provide Israel with necessary military aid and support,” Johnson wrote.

“Today, at this critical time, following a second direct attack by Iran and ongoing terror from Hezbollah, Americans must insist that the Biden-Harris administration stand unequivocally with Israel and against the terrorist regime in Iran, as we continue to pray for peace and security in Israel,” he said.

With Congress in its October recess ahead of the November elections, many elected officials attended events in their districts to mark the anniversary of the attack.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), who is Jewish, helped congregants at the “blended” congregation Ramat Shalom Beth Israel Synagogue install 1,200 plastic red anemone flowers (calanit in Hebrew) on Sunday to represent the victims of the attack and the communities around the Gaza border area where those flowers are common.

“The wildflowers in southern Israel have become symbols of resiliency,” wrote Andrew Jacobs, the rabbi of the synagogue, which combines Conservative and Reform traditions. “We’ve planted them outside to honor the memory of those we’ve lost and remind ourselves that we are a resilient people.”

Some members of Congress focused on the effect that the Oct. 7 attacks have had domestically in the United States, including an alarming rise in antisemitic incidents and crimes, as recorded by the FBI and Jewish advocacy groups.

Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), chair of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, wrote that she will continue to lead investigations into schools and colleges that permit Jew-hatred on campus.

“No one will forget the K-12 student walkouts featuring calls to ‘kill the Jews’ and ‘bring Hitler back,’” she wrote. “No one will forget the harassment and suffering Jewish students have faced this past year.”

“The committee’s aim today is the same as day one: to ensure that Jewish students can sit in a classroom with the same sense of safety, dignity, and respect as any other student,” she added. (Hearings with presidents of universities about antisemitism on campus before Foxx’s committee have led to several high-profile resignations.)

Accused of ‘undermining ceasefire negotiations’

Many of Israel’s fiercest critics in Congress were notably silent on Monday or used the occasion to criticize the Jewish state. 

Of the eight members of the so-called “Squad” of left-wing progressives, Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) and Cori Bush (D-Mo.) did not issue statements about the Oct. 7 anniversary through their offices or on social media.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) condemned both Hamas’s attack and Netanyahu.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu pursued a path of mass revenge, killing over 40,000 Palestinians, blocking humanitarian aid, pushing Gaza to the brink of famine while only further endangering the lives of hostages and consistently undermining ceasefire negotiations,” she wrote.

Ocasio-Cortez also blamed the Biden administration for the ongoing conflict, adding that it “has failed in its responsibility and own stated goals to prevent a wider regional conflict.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who has frequently partnered with members of “The Squad” to criticize Israel, also used the majority of his statement commemorating the attacks to criticize Netanyahu.

“Netanyahu’s extremist government has not simply waged war against Hamas,” Sanders wrote. “It has waged total war against the Palestinian people.”

Sanders also accused Netanyahu of having “consistently sabotaged efforts to obtain a ceasefire deal and secure the release of hostages,” claiming that the Israeli prime minister introduced new demands whenever an agreement was imminent.

Biden administration officials have repeatedly said in recent weeks that it is Hamas, not Netanyahu, that introduced last-minute demands that made a Gaza ceasefire agreement untenable.

J.D. Vance, the Republican vice presidential nominee, headlined a “Remembering Oct. 7” event on a sun-drenched afternoon in Washington, D.C., which brought hundreds of attendees to the National Mall.

“The best way to end the war, and I believe the only way to end the war, is if Hamas would let the hostages go,” the Ohio senator said on Monday at the event, which the Philos Project organized with other Christian and Jewish cosponsors.

Vance blasted the Biden administration for failing to secure the release of the remaining hostages, whom Hamas holds in Gaza, stating that U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris “haven’t done a thing.” 

“Use your authority to help bring them home,” he told Biden and Harris. “We can do it. We just need real leadership.”

Hamas started the war when it attacked the Jewish state on Oct. 7, 2023, and “Israel is going to finish it,” Vance said. He and his running mate, former President Donald Trump, “want to give Israel the right and the ability to finish what Hamas started,” he said.

If elected, Trump and Vance will make sure that “America will protect our American Jewish brothers and sisters,” he said. “We will stop funding anti-American and anti-Jewish radicals.”

‘Jews are not alone’

Luke Moon, executive director of the Philos Project, a nonprofit that promotes “positive Christian engagement in the Near East” in “the spirit of the Hebraic tradition,” told JNS that he had his team apply for a permit in May for the event on the National Mall.

“I just wanted to get it before Hamas does, because I figured they would try to do something,” he said.

After securing the grounds, Moon invited Christian and Jewish organizations to sign on. “We’ve got to do this together,” he told JNS. “We’ve got to show that the Jews are not alone—that they have a lot of friends.”

The event drew support from U.S.-based Jewish advocacy groups, including Israeli-American Council, StandWithUs and End Jew Hatred, as well as Christian organizations like Israel Allies Foundation, American Christian Leaders for Israel and International Christian Embassy Jerusalem.

Moon told JNS that the goal of the rally was to focus on “celebrating the heroes, the people who ran to the front lines,” and to encourage attendees to “well up with courage to fight another year, another two years, however long it takes until we push back against the evil we see around us.”

The event featured a diverse docket of speakers, including media personality Zach Sage Fox, former Wisconsin governor Scott Walker, Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts and Richard Goldberg, a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Egyptian peace advocate Dalia Ziada added an outside perspective, and Israeli-American rapper Kosha Dillz, Colombian religious musician Johan Manjarres and Israeli country music artist Omer Netzer performed on stage.

“It’s very important for Americans of all kinds of religious backgrounds to come here and say that we stand in solidarity with Israel, with Jewish people,” Roberts, of Heritage, told JNS. 

“I happen to be someone who’s Roman Catholic. I think it’s really important in particular for Christians in the United States to understand that if Israel and Jews can be attacked, all of us can be,” Roberts said. “This is an event not just about recognizing the tragedy of last year but about looking forward—that this also needs to be a year of victory.”

Unifying message

JNS asked Roberts what victory would mean going forward.

“Hamas ceases to exist, and for us in the United States, that any antisemitism in any of our institutions is totally eradicated,” the Heritage president said. “Until and unless that is the case, we’re not going to assume victory.”

Roberts, whose organization focuses on public policy and advocacy, lamented that “we have allowed institutions of higher learning, our K-12 schools, to teach nonsense, to teach hatred,” referring to the wave of anti-Israel and antisemitic activity nationwide.

The Heritage Foundation “would support really going after some of the funding mechanisms for all of these protesters, for the institutions that support them,” he told JNS. “That’s the kind of conversation we have to have if we want to solve the problem of antisemitism.”

Fox has made videos since Oct. 7 that have shined a light on hypocrisy and a lack of education among anti-Israel protesters. He told JNS that he hopes Monday’s rally will spread “a message of unity.”

“We’re standing here with Christians, Muslims. I just met Native American chiefs, who are here in solidarity with Israel,” he said. “We are trying to show that even if you disagree with people on one matter, Israel is what matters.”

Fox, who emceed the rally, has been disappointed in the lack of clear messages, or even outright silence, from many Hollywood Jews and influencers. 

He told JNS that his newfound fame is a “double-edged sword.”

“Some days it feels like a lonely battle, but honestly, when I read the comments and the views, they speak for themselves,” he said of his videos, which have garnered over 1 billion views and impressions since the war began. 

“When you see those metrics, you realize that you’re chipping away day-by-day at this indoctrination that’s happened to our culture, especially young people,” he told JNS.

Susan Michael, the U.S. director for the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, an outreach group that connects churches to Israel, told JNS that she was particularly proud that Monday’s crowd included pro-Israel Muslims and Hindus, as well as Christians.

“It shows how important it is for us to come out in the streets, be seen and to stand with Israel and to remember the horrific terrorist attack of last year,” she said. “We do not want the world to forget, and a part of today is to bring that remembrance of what Israel suffered.”

Liora Rez, the founder and executive director of the grassroots StopAntisemitism watchdog, told JNS at the rally that it is critical for Israel’s friends, who showed up on Monday, to continue advocating even, and especially, in less friendly conditions, when Jew-hatred manifests.

“Don’t be quiet. Speak up, and if you see something that kind of stirs your stomach, contact us,” Rez said. “It’s so important for the public to show that American values and Israeli values are one and the same.”

One year after the horrific events of Oct. 7, Israel stands at a crossroads. From the depths of tragedy and war, our nation has been tested like never before. Rockets, terror and massacres, shock and devastation followed by funerals and heartbreak, prayers and more prayers—our nation has experienced a seismic shift.

But in the face of unimaginable pain, our true strength has emerged. We recognize that this is a fight for our survival. We also realize that at this moment, the tragedies we face must be converted into an opportunity to redefine our future. The Jewish people must unite, overcome the cracks in our foundation and transform this crisis into a moment of triumph—where we don’t merely survive but build a stronger, more resilient society for generations to come.

Over the past year, we have witnessed the incredible spirit of the Jewish people coming together as a united and powerful force—mobilizing, contributing, supporting and standing resilient in the face of an unthinkable reality. The hardships we have endured have shown that despite our differences, when we are under threat, we know how to stand as one—like an unbreakable wall, defending our cherished homeland.

A year has passed, and cracks are beginning to appear beneath the surface. Sometimes subtle and unseen, they creep down to the roots, threatening to weaken our foundation and destabilize us. The war forced upon us a year ago is not just a battle against an enemy intent on our physical destruction, it is a fight for our core values and our right to live securely on this land.

In these sacred days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the value of life is placed front and center as it says, זָכְרֵנוּ לְחַיִּים מֶלֶךְ חָפֵץ בַּחַיִּים “Remember us for life, O King who desires life.” As a people who cherish life, live for life and toast to life, it is our moral and historical duty to transform this crisis into an opportunity for growth and renewal.

From the depths of mourning and loss, and from the deep roots that bind us to this land, we will stand strong, rebuild and flourish. Amid the confusion and the economic and social challenges, we will keep building our shared future, step by step, brick by brick. After this difficult year, we will continue to strive to bring back the hostages by any means necessary, dismantle the terror networks around us and strike a decisive blow to our enemies, projecting unwavering strength and confidence. As long as we remain united and resolute in defending our future, no force on earth can break us. In this battle for survival, there is no room for compromise. We are all in this together, committed to a single, vital goal: securing the future of the Jewish people and the State of Israel.

A year has passed since the unspeakable horrors of Oct. 7. Yet we have demonstrated that our enemy cannot and will not defeat us. With unwavering clarity, we say loudly and unequivocally: We are here to stay. For the entire Jewish people, whether they live here, will live here, or even if they never will live in this land, Israel is the home of all of us. There is no alternative. Our unity is not optional; it is essential. We will turn this crisis into a historic turning point, where the Jewish people not only survive but triumph, emerging stronger and more resilient as a society. This is our moment of decision, and we must choose victory. We will prevail—because there is no other choice.

In this special Oct. 7 episode of "Jerusalem Minute," JNS CEO and Jerusalem bureau chief Alex Traiman and Middle East correspondent Josh Hasten focus on all seven war fronts that Israel has been fighting since thousands of Hamas terrorists breached the Jewish state's southern border one year ago.

They also review important lessons to learn on the anniversary of Oct. 7; Iran’s attack and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's initial comments; what to expect from Jerusalem's response; French President Emmanuel Macron’s misstep; and Israel’s war economy.

Don’t miss the up-to-minute news on “Jerusalem Minute!” Subscribe to ‪‪@JNS_TV‬.

Marking one year since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in southern Israel, former president and current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump paid a personal prayer visit on Monday afternoon to the Ohel in Queens, N.Y., the resting place of the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson.

Millions of people send written prayers via email and snail mail to the Ohel, while some 400,000 make pilgrimages there every year. Located at the Old Montefiore Cemetery, the Ohel is open 24/7 and has long been a place for reflection for private citizens and world leaders alike, for Jews and non-Jews, each coming to the holy site to pray, seek inspiration and find solace.

Trump was welcomed by Rabbi Abba Refson, director of the visitor’s center at the Ohel, and Rabbi Motti Seligson, a spokesman for Chabad-Lubavitch. Also present were families of hostages still being held by terrorists in the Gaza Strip; Jerry Wartski, a survivor of the Auschwitz death camp; Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, chairman of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, the educational arm of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement; and Rabbi Levi Shemtov, director of American Friends of Lubavitch in Washington, D.C., among others.

On his way into the Ohel, Trump placed a few coins into the large tzedakah box near the entrance in keeping with Jewish tradition to increase charitable giving at this time of year.

The Rebbe’s Ohel is the most visited Jewish holy site in North America, drawing people from all walks of life in a way similar only to the Western Wall in Israel. It is common for people to visit the Ohel to pray in proximity to a personal or professional milestone—whether a bar or bat mitzvah, wedding, anniversary, starting a new business or overcoming personal challenges. Indeed, the former president has survived two assassination attempts over the last few months.

In many ways, Trump’s visit is the continuation of a family tradition: Before both presidential elections, his daughter, Ivanka Trump, and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, paid late-night, media-free visits to the Ohel.

The Rebbe has been honored by every U.S. president since Jimmy Carter, who in 1978 began the tradition of proclaiming the Rebbe’s birthday as Education and Sharing Day, U.S.A. In 1994, the Rebbe was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of his “extraordinary life and work.”

The Rebbe was born in 1902 in what is today Ukraine, arriving in the United States in 1941 after escaping from Nazi-occupied Europe. A decade later, following the passing of his father-in-law and predecessor the Sixth Rebbe—Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn—he assumed leadership of the worldwide Chabad-Lubavitch movement.

Far from focusing only on the revival of the Jewish people, the Rebbe turned his gaze outward to the world at large, emphasizing a universal vision for a better world. He spoke of the goodness inherent within all of humankind and the infinite potential of every individual and each good deed. He believed in the fundamental need to nurture this good within man via a moral and ethical education, especially among children, who must be impressed upon from the youngest age that it is within their capacity to change the world for the better.

Throughout his lifetime, the Rebbe expended thousands of hours meeting and corresponding with people from all walks of life, among them rabbis, statesmen and laypeople; Jews and non-Jews; Presidents Carter and Ronald Reagan; New York Rep. Shirley Chisholm; and New York Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.

Visiting the resting place of the righteous is a long-held tradition in Judaism. The Talmud recounts how Caleb visited Hebron to pray at the Maarat Hamachpela (“Cave of the Patriarchs”), the resting place of the biblical patriarchs and matriarchs. Resting places of Jewish mystics and sages in Israel and Europe are considered sacred spaces and have been visited by Jews and non-Jews for centuries.

The timing of Trump’s visit—two days after Rosh Hashanah—is significant, as special emphasis is placed on visiting these sites on the days leading into Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Reprinted with permission by Chabad.org/News.

The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Monday on a Hamas fundraising network that raked in millions of dollars for the terrorist group.

The sanctioned individuals and entities include a Gaza-based, Hamas-run bank and a Yemeni national living in Turkey, who runs a “sham charity” and an international network of businesses to fund terrorism.

“As we mark one year since Hamas’s brutal terrorist attack, Treasury will continue relentlessly degrading the ability of Hamas and other destabilizing Iranian proxies to finance their operations and carry out additional violent acts,” stated Janet Yellen, the Treasury secretary.

In its statement, the department noted that as of early 2024, Hamas continued to raise up to $10 million monthly through sham or front charities with names like “the Charity Association of Solidarity with the Palestinian People” and “Union of Good.”

The Treasury Department’s statement notes that Hamas’s investment portfolio once included more than $500 million in assets, “enabling Hamas’s leaders to live in luxury outside the Palestinian territories.”

Monday’s sanctions are the eighth such round of designations that the Biden administration has imposed on Hamas and its financial backers since Oct. 7, 2023. 

It follows the U.S. Department of Justice’s announcement in September that it filed criminal charges against Hamas leaders, including Yahya Sinwar, one of the architects of the Oct. 7 attacks and the terror group’s chairman.