Earlier this month, Massachusetts reported a “troubling” 20.5% increase in antisemitic hate crimes in 2024 in the state amid an overall decline in hate crimes. Chicago stated on Friday hate crimes in the city “fell by 25% in 2024, with substantial declines across nearly every category.” One of the categories that didn’t see a decline is anti-Jewish hate crimes, which Chicago said was “of particular alarm” and which “surged” by 58% and accounts for 37.6% of all reported hate crimes in the city. 

“This is part of a national increase in anti-Jewish hate crimes but is especially troubling given that Jewish residents represent just 3% of Chicago’s population,” according to the office of Brandon Johnson, the city mayor.

The mayor’s office also said that hate crimes against gay men were up, but the press release didn’t say how much.

The Chicago Commission on Human Relations 2024 report on hate crimes and incidents, which was filed to the mayor on Friday, states that there were 79 anti-Jewish hate crimes in Chicago in 2024, up from 50 the prior year. Of the 79, 8% were assaults, 5% battery and 47% were criminal damage.

In 2024, Jews were the main target of hate crimes in Chicago (79), followed by black people (33 incidents, down from 76 the prior year) and gay people (45, up from 36). There were six anti-Muslim hate crimes, down from 16 the prior year, and five anti-Arab incidents, the same number as the prior year.

The commission listed hate crimes against gay men (21% of all hate crimes) before anti-Jewish ones (37.6%) both within the body of the report and in its section on “findings and recommendations.” It estimated that between 3% and 4% of Chicagoans are gay men and that about 3% of Chicagoans are Jewish.

The Chicago mayor, who broke a Chicago City Council tie and voted for a resolution demanding a ceasefire in Gaza in January 2024, has drawn widespread criticism for anti-Israel statements and actions. The Chicago Jewish Alliance said in April that it was “outrageous” that Johnson was photographed wearing a keffiyeh. 

The Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest stated in August 2024 that it was “beyond disappointed” by Johnson’s “ongoing support” for anti-Israel protests.

In October, the Consulate General said that it was “appalling” and “incomprehensible” that the city education board president, whom Johnson appointed, had posted antisemitic content and supported Hamas.

Morton Klein, national president of the Zionist Organization of America, told JNS that Johnson “only legitimizes, mainstreams and promotes antisemitism and Israel-bashing” by having “insensitively” worn a keffiyeh, which “symbolizes hatred of the Jewish state,” alongside a Council on American-Islamic Relations official.

The Chicago mayor’s decision to highlight anti-gay attacks “before the more prevalent and serious antisemitic attacks makes it clear that this mayor is not only not protecting Jews but is motivating hostility and anger and verbal and physical violence against Jews.”

“He is clearly a frightening, heartless menace to the Jewish people,” Klein told JNS.

The Jewish Community Relations Council, an umbrella group for Chicago Jewish organizations, stated that it will hold two public hearings to address the “unnerving trend” in anti-Jewish hate crimes.

(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-37052883-1', 'auto'); ga('send', 'pageview'); var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-K6H02W22XT'; document.head.appendChild(script); script.onload = function () { window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-K6H02W22XT'); gtag('event', 'page_view', { 'Topics': 'israel-at-war,ceasefire,hamas,swords-of-iron,gaza-strip', 'Writers': 'david-isaac', 'publication_date': '25/1/16', 'article_type': 'Article', }); }

Laura Ben-David had more careers than most people—professional photographer, social media expert, writer, makeup artist, preschool teacher and nurse, to name just a few.

She also had more close friends than anyone I know, with tributes to her pouring in from around the world after her death in Jerusalem on July 17 from ovarian cancer at age 56.

Full disclosure: Laura was a close friend and part of a small group of English-speaking American immigrants in Jerusalem called “Ladies Who Drink.” We get together almost every Shabbat morning for kiddush, which involves breakfast wine and whiskey. Even when she was very ill and in a wheelchair, Laura would make the effort to come.

“As I set the table for our weekly 'Ladies Who Drink' kiddush I felt an incredible emptiness where she should have been,” said close friend Laura Cornfield, director of MediaCentral. “She always sat to my right, the right-hand lady for me and anyone who needed her.

"She was pure joy—whether at Thanksgiving dinners, her bachelorette party, her engagement party, birthday celebrations, or any time you sat down with her. It was always a party. There was always a picture to capture the moment, but no photo could ever truly capture the immense happiness she brought to every place she was.”

Laura met and married Ray Barishansky just over two years ago. For those of us who have been married a long time, following Laura and Ray’s love story was inspiring. Although he lived in the United States, they met online during COVID-19 after both of their fathers had passed away from the disease. They spoke for hours every day before they even met in person.

Laura, a mother of six and a grandmother of nine, told Ray right from the start that she would not leave Israel and he agreed to move to the Holy Land, upending his life for "the love of his life."

Laura made aliyah on a Nefesh B'Nefesh flight in 2002 from Boca Raton, Florida, with four young children, to the community of Elazar in Gush Etzion. She had two more children in Israel and in 2007 published a book titled Moving Up: An Aliyah Journal, a humorous account of her family's immigration.

Here is how she described shopping at the Malcha Mall, once the largest mall in the Middle East. “Because this mall is in Jerusalem, there happens to be a large percentage of obviously observant Jews. It’s really a hard thing for me to explain, it was almost like being at a synagogue or a special rally for a Jewish cause, except that we are all simply ‘at the mall.’ The point here is that I became so emotional over the whole thing that I started to cry. It was just one more reminder of where I am and why I am here. Because this land is MINE.”

Laura grew up in Monsey, N.Y. and attended the Yeshiva of Spring Valley. “She was really creative in her expression of her Jewishness, and it was constantly evolving for her,” said Hindy Weinger, who grew up with Laura and also made aliyah. “She went beyond the definitions of what it’s like to be a Jewish woman. She had creativity and a sense of adventure and was always defining her own path. But she was always passionate about being a Jewish woman.”

That passion was evident in Laura Ben-David's Jewish Life Photo Bank, a project of Chochmat Nashim, an Israeli-based organization that promotes women's rights in the Orthodox community. The photo bank contains hundreds of images of women from around the Jewish world, many taken by Laura.

One of her photographs was published by JNS a week before her death. “The elimination of women’s images in the Orthodox world has real-life consequences,” the Photo Bank’s website states. “It damages women’s financial, religious and health rights. It leaves our girls without visuals of role models and promotes an unhealthy, sexualized view of women.”

Laura also worked for Shavei Israel, which helps people with Jewish ancestry in Latin America, India and Africa connect with their Jewish roots, convert and often move to Israel.

She started writing and photographing as a way of sharing her aliyah story. “I’m an Israel advocate and that is a very big part of what motivates my work,” she told Eve Harow on a recent podcast called “Rejuvenation: Somewhere Under that Rainbow” on the Land of Israel Network.

 “I love to show Israel to the world and that’s actually how I started writing. When I first made aliyah, right away I started writing. I was never a writer until I stepped off the plane and then all of a sudden, I was like, 'I need to share all of this with all of the people who didn’t just do this.' I started to write and I wanted to do everything I could to show what this amazing experience of life in Israel was for me and get it out there.”

Laura loved photography and would clamber, climb and contort herself to get the right shots. A few months ago, a group of friends surprised her with a curated exhibit of her photos, now permanently on exhibit at Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek Medical Center, where she received treatment. Speaking on the podcast, she said she had been overwhelmed with gratitude to have an exhibition of her life's work.

“This is something I always wanted to do but wasn’t able to do before,” she said. "I am suffering from cancer and my friends have helped beyond all expectations, but this was something beyond, beyond. They decided to do something that would really lift my spirits. It’s still beyond my comprehension that they went all out and did this for me.”

Laura had a smile that could light up a room and she loved adventure.

“Laura Ben-David was light. Her smile could brighten a room, even until the very end,” said her close friend Maayan Hoffman. "She had a quiet but vibrant presence and carried herself with such grace, never complaining, even as her illness changed her body. She loved a good gin and tonic, a glass of wine, trying new foods. And she always knew just the right thing to say—whether it was ‘I love you,’ ‘You can do it,’ or a quiet word of support behind the scenes. Knowing I’d see her at least once a week brought me so much joy. My life will be different without her. I will miss her deeply.”

All her friends agreed that Ben-David lived life to the very fullest. Robin Sirkin traveled to Abu Dhabi with Laura a few years ago. "Laura had a unique way of infusing every day with joy and adventure,” she said. “Once she had her morning coffee (and defrosted from her not-so-morning-person mode), it was go-time—whether we were exploring opulent palaces, riding camels across the desert, or holding on for dear life during a heart-pounding jeep ride across the dunes.

"She was never far from her camera, capturing each moment with such passion and precision. The photos she took on that trip remain some of my most cherished memories, not just because they freeze moments in time, but because they are filled with the essence of who Laura was—her spirit, her laughter, her love of life.”

(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-37052883-1', 'auto'); ga('send', 'pageview'); var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-K6H02W22XT'; document.head.appendChild(script); script.onload = function () { window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-K6H02W22XT'); gtag('event', 'page_view', { 'Topics': 'israel-at-war,ceasefire,hamas,swords-of-iron,gaza-strip', 'Writers': 'david-isaac', 'publication_date': '25/1/16', 'article_type': 'Article', }); }

A cast member at London’s Royal Opera House unfurled a PLO flag during the final curtain call of Giuseppe Verdi’s Il trovatore on Saturday night, prompting a brief scuffle with a venue official who attempted unsuccessfully to remove the flag.

The incident occurred at the end of the opera's 11-show run.

Video footage from the audience captured the performer standing silently and displaying the flag while the audience applauded. Efforts by an official to confiscate the flag were resisted, with the artist holding on until the conclusion of the curtain call. Other performers stood nearby, some appearing startled as the situation unfolded behind them.

https://twitter.com/Telegraph/status/1946870317890056276

The Royal Ballet and Opera denounced the protest, calling it "completely inappropriate for a curtain call."

A spokesperson said the act was "spontaneous and unauthorized" and emphasized it was not approved by management, noting the company’s commitment to political impartiality.

PLO flags have appeared regularly at anti-Israel protests amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The identity of the cast member remains unknown at this time.

(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-37052883-1', 'auto'); ga('send', 'pageview'); var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-K6H02W22XT'; document.head.appendChild(script); script.onload = function () { window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-K6H02W22XT'); gtag('event', 'page_view', { 'Topics': 'israel-at-war,ceasefire,hamas,swords-of-iron,gaza-strip', 'Writers': 'david-isaac', 'publication_date': '25/1/16', 'article_type': 'Article', }); }

It was a textbook atrocity—if, of course, schools still allowed textbooks that teach the truth about the Middle East. Villages were overrun. Families were burned alive. Young girls were gang-raped while their parents were forced to watch.

Syria’s terrorist warlord-in-chief—currently being feted thanks to his Western-suited charm offensive—is a Salafi-jihadi alum of both al-Qaeda and ISIS. Naturally, progressive fanboys—and gals—hold him up as a savior. Meanwhile, his jihadi stormtroopers went right back to their old tricks: massacring Druze, Christians, Alawites, Kurds—anyone who doesn’t fit the caliphate’s approved demographic.

The world responded as it always does: with apathy and silence. Not even a hashtag. Arabs slaughtering Arabs? Who cares?

And then Israel acted. Precision strikes. Rapid deterrence. Moral—and operational—clarity.

The result? A ceasefire. A grudging, fragile halt to the sectarian slaughter. Suddenly, other nations take note, and the Syrian regime decides—how quaint!—that perhaps massacring minorities isn’t worth the fallout. A few targeted attacks from the IDF and Damascus rediscovers its ability to say, “Enough!"

Now, if this were a Hollywood movie, the credits would roll right there: Jews save the innocents; cue swelling strings; Bradley Cooper plays Benjamin Netanyahu and the Academy applauds.

But this isn’t Hollywood. This is reality—where Jews acting morally, heroically, is the one plotline no one dares to pitch. Come to think of it, no one dares pitch it in Hollywood either.

So instead of gratitude, the world erupts in fury—not at the child-raping savages, but at the one country that dared to stop them.

Because here’s the rule: when Arabs rape, burn and butcher other Arabs, it’s “sectarian violence”—if it’s noticed at all, that is. But when Israel steps in to stop the slaughter, it’s a war crime. Why?

Because Israel’s problem is never really what it does. It’s what it is. The Jewish state. Living, breathing, armed Jews. The world is full of people waging their holy wars against Israel; meanwhile, Israel stands alone as a holy people waging war.

And that’s what really offends. 

The modern left—a curious mix of Marxists, bureaucrats, and trust-fund anarchists—claims to love minorities, oppressed peoples, the marginalized, the forgotten. And when it’s Muslims killing Muslims—or anyone else—the left always seems distracted by other priorities. After all, Islamists hate the West, just like the left does.

Hence the keffiyeh fashion trend: symbol of colonialist genocide, worn without irony by petulant children—of all ages—denouncing the one country that does anything to stop genocides—Israel—while having tantrums that the jihadi genocide against Israel is being resisted—by Israel.

But last week, as soon as Israel stepped in to stop the genocide of ethnic and religious minorities, the left suddenly focused its ire on Syria with laser-like intensity. Not on the rape, torture and murder—but on Israel.

The oppressed Arabs disappeared altogether. The Jewish saviors became “aggressors” and the BBC scrambled to book emergency panels of Qatar-funded Middle East “experts” to explain how Israel’s actions are war crimes, and how Jews are somehow responsible for jihadist sexual slavery in rural Syria.

To condemn Israel for preventing genocide is not misguided; it’s monstrous. But then, moral monstrosity is having quite the renaissance in the West.

This isn’t geopolitics. It’s not even diplomacy. It’s civilization versus savagery—and the only ones bothering to show up on the side of civilization are wearing Stars of David on their uniforms.

And maybe that’s the problem. Maybe the world prefers Jews to stay in our role: powerless and persecuted. Useful victims. Poetic martyrs. As they say, the world loves dead Jews, not so much living ones. Not rescuers. Not heroes. Not sovereigns. Not armed.

And it’s driving them meshuga (crazy). Israel doesn’t just defy its enemies—it humiliates its moral critics.

Every time Israel acts to protect life, it exposes the moral vacuity of its detractors. It lays bare the perverse malevolence of the “human rights” industry, the corruption of academia and the global conspiracy promoting evil that is the United Nations.

Israel holds a mirror up to the monstrosity of the chattering class. Israel raises the bar for all nations and for all humanity. And that is why they hate Israel.

You see, despite the naive delusion of the original Zionist notion that a Westphalian nation-state would render Jews “normal” and accepted among the nations, Israel—as a Jewish collective—has turned out, surprise, to be sui generis. It remains Ivri—Hebrew—the one who stands on the other side. Alone.

Israel stubbornly refuses to conform to the norms of “humanity” and “civilization”—misnomers if ever there were any. Instead—G-d bless her—Israel plays the role begun by the first Jew, Abraham, who set a new standard for human decency and goodness.

Most Israelis of this generation were not born into host cultures and neither were their parents. And the more organically and fully Jewish Israel becomes, the more distinct it becomes, the stronger and more resilient it discovers itself to be. 

Reminding the world that there is such a thing as good versus evil—that has always been the Jews’ mission. And that, apparently, is the real war crime. Because, you see, the Jews remember.

We remember when the world watched Jews burn and did nothing. We remember the polite excuses. The Red Cross silence. The bureaucratic neutrality. Of course, we remember—from Kristallnacht to Oct. 7, 2023, nothing has changed.

And so, last week, Israel refused to be apathetic, silent, passive—even though the victims this time were not its own citizens, but its neighbors. Not Jews, but Arabs—related by blood and faith to one of Israel’s most loyal and prominent minorities.

And that’s the real sin. The Jew in exile was the conscience of the world—and was hounded, tortured, expelled, and murdered for it. Now the Jewish state has become the conscience of the world—and the world can’t bear it.

It can’t bear that the people it consigned to the role of eternal victim are not only defending themselves but rescuing others. It can’t bear that those it tried—and still tries—to eradicate are growing in military prowess and moral power. 

And it’s not just the world. There is a large American assimilationist Jewish identity that abhors anything that reminds the world that Jews are different—and always have been. They cling to the fantasy that the left’s utopias—progressivism, socialism, academia—are their Promised Land. They bear a special hatred for the Jewish state and for anyone who dares stand with it.

So they lash out. They project. They seethe. They cry “genocide!” every time Israel refuses to sit down and shut up.

Well—too bad. Because last week, while the West was tweeting, Israel was saving lives. The ceasefire—the halt to the slaughter of innocents—didn’t come from Geneva or The Hague. It came from Jerusalem.

So let the world rage. Let the podcasters bloviate. Let the UN condemn. Let Bernie Sanders, AOC and Zohran Mamdani blubber into their Ben & Jerry’s.

Israel rose. Israel acted. Israel saved. Not just like a lion; like a Lion of Judah. And if that offends you, ask yourself why.

But know this: the Jews—at least the Jews with a future—no longer care. History is watching. And, thousands of years later, the Jews—once again—are writing it. Am Yisrael Chai!

(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-37052883-1', 'auto'); ga('send', 'pageview'); var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-K6H02W22XT'; document.head.appendChild(script); script.onload = function () { window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-K6H02W22XT'); gtag('event', 'page_view', { 'Topics': 'israel-at-war,ceasefire,hamas,swords-of-iron,gaza-strip', 'Writers': 'david-isaac', 'publication_date': '25/1/16', 'article_type': 'Article', }); }

Jonathan Whittall, who leads the Israeli operations of OCHA—the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs—will no longer be allowed to stay in Israel after Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar instructed officials to deny him with a new Israeli residency permit after the current one expires.

Whittall maintains residence in Jerusalem while splitting duties between Jerusalem and Gaza. The decision ensures he will not be able to continue his activities in Israel beyond the end of August.

OCHA staff routinely deliver skewed, agenda-driven reports that create defamatory portrayals of Israel unsupported by evidence, including inflated Gaza civilian casualty statistics that required later corrections and underreported humanitarian aid truck numbers that failed to reflect actual delivery volumes, sources at the Foreign Ministry in Jerusalem say.

Notable examples include OCHA Director Tom Fletcher's false accusation that Israel would cause 14,000 infant deaths in Gaza within two days—a claim he subsequently retracted.

Most recently, Whittall, who frequently visits Gaza, publicly asserted that Gaza contains "conditions created to kill."

Whittall further declared, "What we are seeing is carnage. It is weaponized hunger. It is forced displacement. It's a death sentence for people just trying to survive. It appears to be the erasure of Palestinian life."

Foreign Ministry representatives emphasize that such inflammatory rhetoric against Israel represents both falsehood and distortion while violating U.N. behavioral standards that mandate staff neutrality and require unbiased professional conduct.

Originally published by Israel Hayom.

(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-37052883-1', 'auto'); ga('send', 'pageview'); var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-K6H02W22XT'; document.head.appendChild(script); script.onload = function () { window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-K6H02W22XT'); gtag('event', 'page_view', { 'Topics': 'israel-at-war,ceasefire,hamas,swords-of-iron,gaza-strip', 'Writers': 'david-isaac', 'publication_date': '25/1/16', 'article_type': 'Article', }); }

Brig. Gen. (res.) Giora Even-Epstein, the most successful fighter pilot in the history of the Israeli Air Force, died in Ramat Hasharon on Saturday at the age of 87.

Even-Epstein, who began his military career in a rear-echelon position and rose to become a living legend, downed 17 enemy aircraft over the course of three wars—16 against Egyptian jets and one against an Egyptian Mi-8 helicopter. He is ranked first all-time against supersonic fighters with 15 victories.

He was an active IAF pilot from 1961 until 1997, when he retired at age 59. Over his service, he accumulated 9,000 sorties in fighter aircraft and approximately 5,000 flight hours.

A rocky road to the cockpit

Born in 1938 and raised on Kibbutz Negba, Even-Epstein was inspired early on by watching Air Force training exercises near his home. He completed basic training during the 1956 Sinai Campaign and went on to serve in the Air Force's Ordnance Corps. Twice rejected from flight school on medical grounds—an enlarged heart and low pulse from athletic activity—he refused to give up.

After volunteering for the Paratroopers Brigade and completing the squad commanders' course, he was assigned as a parachuting instructor. Discharged in 1959, he returned to agricultural work on the kibbutz, but re-enlisted three years later. He finally appealed the earlier flight school rejections and was accepted, seven years after his initial enlistment.

Even-Epstein graduated flight school with honors in 1963, initially assigned to the 124th Helicopter Squadron. Unhappy with the placement, he refused to fly and appealed directly to then-Air Force commander Ezer Weizman (the future president of Israel), who reassigned him to a fighter squadron. He began in the 113th Squadron and later flew Dassault Super Mystère fighter-bombers.

17 kills across three wars

Even-Epstein's first confirmed kill came during the 1967 Six-Day War, when he shot down an Egyptian Sukhoi jet. As deputy squadron commander during the 1967–1970 War of Attrition, he recorded four more kills.

His greatest combat success came during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, when he downed 12 aircraft, including four in a single sortie: seven MiG-21s, two Sukhoi-7s, two Sukhoi-20s and a Mil Mi-8 helicopter. For his actions, he was awarded the Medal of Distinguished Service.

Following the war, he was appointed commander of the 117th Squadron, which flew Mirage III fighters. His aircraft bore 17 kill markings, symbolized by Xs.

He retired from active duty in 1977 and began flying for El Al. In reserve service, he commanded the 254th Squadron and retrained on the F-16 fighter jet.

Even-Epstein's 17 kills made him the world's top jet ace, a distinction he held until his death. In recognition of his achievements, the Israel Defense Forces promoted him to brigadier general in a 2018 ceremony at Air Force Headquarters, led by then-IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eizenkot and Air Force commander Maj. Gen. Amikam Norkin.

At 79, Even-Epstein published a memoir, "Aces of Aces," detailing his many combat experiences as a fighter pilot. It was translated to English as "Hawkeye: The Enthralling Autobiography of the Top-Scoring Israel Air Force Ace of Aces."

Originally published by Israel Hayom.

(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-37052883-1', 'auto'); ga('send', 'pageview'); var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-K6H02W22XT'; document.head.appendChild(script); script.onload = function () { window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-K6H02W22XT'); gtag('event', 'page_view', { 'Topics': 'israel-at-war,ceasefire,hamas,swords-of-iron,gaza-strip', 'Writers': 'david-isaac', 'publication_date': '25/1/16', 'article_type': 'Article', }); }

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suffered food poisoning and has been ordered to rest at home for three days, his office said on Sunday.

After falling unwell during the night, Netanyahu "was examined at his home by Professor Alon Hershko, the head of the Department of Internal Medicine at Hadassah Ein Kerem," the Prime Minister's Office said.

"It was found that he is suffering from an intestinal infection caused by eating spoiled food," the PMO continued. "Following further tests, the prime minister's condition was assessed as good, and he is currently receiving IV fluids due to dehydration associated with the illness.

"In accordance with his doctors' instructions, the prime minister will rest at home for the next three days and will manage the country's affairs from there," the statement concluded.

Two months ago, the prime minister underwent a routine colonoscopy at Jerusalem's Shaarei Zedek Medical Center.

Netanyahu, 75, had undergone an operation on Dec. 29 to remove his prostate after a urinary tract infection caused by a benign prostate enlargement was found during a previous routine examination.

On March 31, 2024, the prime minister underwent successful hernia surgery at Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem's Ein Kerem.

On Dec. 31, 2023, following routine annual checkups by his medical team and personal physician, Netanyahu received a clean bill of health after undergoing an emergency cardiac procedure earlier in the year.

(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-37052883-1', 'auto'); ga('send', 'pageview'); var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-K6H02W22XT'; document.head.appendChild(script); script.onload = function () { window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-K6H02W22XT'); gtag('event', 'page_view', { 'Topics': 'israel-at-war,ceasefire,hamas,swords-of-iron,gaza-strip', 'Writers': 'david-isaac', 'publication_date': '25/1/16', 'article_type': 'Article', }); }

A pro-Palestinian activist protesting the participation of an Israeli team in the Tour de France was detained by security guards after attempting to disrupt the cycling race near the finish line on Wednesday.

Video footage that went viral showed the man jumping a barricade and running toward the racers while shouting objections to the Jewish state's participation in the world's most prestigious bike race.

Israel is represented at the Tour de France by the Israel-Premier Tech team, though no Israelis are among the eight riders participating in this year's July 5-27 competition.

https://twitter.com/CollinRugg/status/1946254134426149276

In April, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement dubbed Israel Premier-Tech "Team Genocide," calling on BDS supporters to stage "peaceful protests" against its presence at the Tour de France.

"We call for more peaceful protests than ever along the routes of cycling races where Team Genocide is participating, including the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France and Vuelta a España," the organization said, naming the three Grand Tours and adding, "Let's make sure the road is closed to genocide perpetrators."

Members of the Israeli cycling team also faced pro-Palestinian protests during the Amstel Gold Race in the Netherlands in April and at the Giro d'Italia in May. 

The Tour de France consists of 21 stages, with the event wrapping up at the Champs-Élysées in Paris on July 27. Stage 11, stretching over 150 kilometers (93 miles), took place around Toulouse on Wednesday.

Founded more than 10 years ago by Israeli businessman Ron Baron and former rider Ran Margaliot, Israel Premier-Tech is competing this year for the sixth consecutive time in the Tour de France, its 112th edition.

"What we are doing is carrying the good name of Israel, the name of an open, tolerant, fair-play, sporting nation. It's especially important in this difficult period—post-Oct. 7, 2023," Sylvan Adams, the team's owner, told JNS on July 10, referencing the Hamas-led massacre.

(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-37052883-1', 'auto'); ga('send', 'pageview'); var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-K6H02W22XT'; document.head.appendChild(script); script.onload = function () { window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-K6H02W22XT'); gtag('event', 'page_view', { 'Topics': 'israel-at-war,ceasefire,hamas,swords-of-iron,gaza-strip', 'Writers': 'david-isaac', 'publication_date': '25/1/16', 'article_type': 'Article', }); }

Israeli model Melanie Shiraz was crowned "Miss Universe Israel" on Saturday night and will represent the country at the international Miss Universe pageant in Thailand in November.

The Miss Universe Israel pageant, now in its second year under its current format, is organized by Jewish American businessman Edgar Sakhain, owner of Edgar Entertainment, with the support of the Israeli Consulate. It replaces the iconic Beauty Queen of Israel contest, which for years launched the careers of many Israeli models.

Though intended to select a representative for Israel to Miss Universe, the Israeli competition has for the second consecutive year been held in Miami.

Shiraz, 26, competed as "Miss Caesarea," despite currently living in California. According to her profile on the contest's website, she is an Israeli entrepreneur and content creator with a background in innovation, public diplomacy and the arts.

She succeeds Miss Israel 2024, Ofir Korsia, who represented Israel last year with distinction.

Originally published by Israel Hayom.

(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) })(window,document,'script','https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga'); ga('create', 'UA-37052883-1', 'auto'); ga('send', 'pageview'); var script = document.createElement('script'); script.src = 'https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtag/js?id=G-K6H02W22XT'; document.head.appendChild(script); script.onload = function () { window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; function gtag(){dataLayer.push(arguments);} gtag('js', new Date()); gtag('config', 'G-K6H02W22XT'); gtag('event', 'page_view', { 'Topics': 'israel-at-war,ceasefire,hamas,swords-of-iron,gaza-strip', 'Writers': 'david-isaac', 'publication_date': '25/1/16', 'article_type': 'Article', }); }