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Iran targets every Jew Nov. 29–Dec. 5, 2024 • Toldos • 28 Cheshvan 5785 • Vol 23, No 41
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Chabad emissaries ‘remain steadfast’
Thousands of Israelis on mullah’s hit lists
By Nissan Shtrauchler, Israel Hayom A somber mood pervades Chabad-Lubavitch communities globally in the aftermath of Rabbi Zvi Kogan’s murder, allegedly carried out by Uzbekistan-based assassins working at Iran’s behest. One message resonates: Devoted emissaries, operating thousands of centers worldwide, will persist in their mission, undeterred by this brutal act of violence. See Chabad emissaries on page 2
Message from Chabad: ‘Fear is not an option’ Commentary by Tzvi Freeman, Chabad.org Rabbi Zvi Kogan worked tirelessly to grow Jewish life in the UAE. He was murdered by thugs. Why? Because they want Jews to be afraid. And it’s normal to be afraid. But for the Jewish people today, fear is not an option. See Chabad’s message on page 2
Rabbi Zvi Kogan.
Chabad.org
Bibi: We’ll sock truce-breaking H’bollah The IDF will respond “forcefully” to all violations of the ceasefire deal with Iranianbacked Hezbollah in Lebanon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Tuesday night. He said he was “totally committed” to the security and rehabilitation of Israel’s north-
ern communities —and to blocking Iran. “I am determined to do anything needed to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon,” he said. As for Hezbollah, “We have pushed them decades back … taken out the organ-
ization’s top leadership … destroyed most of their rockets and missiles … killed thousands of terrorists and we demolished their underground terror infrastructure abutting our border, infrastructure they had been building for years.”
By Yoav Limor, Israel Hayom Iranian intelligence services have assembled comprehensive profiles of thousands of Israelis, identifying them as potential targets in both domestic and international operations, security sources reveal. The scope of targeting encompasses current and former defense officials, academics and scientists, Israel Hayom has learned. Several hundred individuals have been designated “high-risk” targets, with some receiving explicit threats. This systematic campaign, sustained for more than a decade, represents Iran’s calculated response to a series of assassinations of Iranian scientists and officials attributed to the Mossad and Israel. Tehran has retaliated by establishing terror cells across multiple countries, seeking to strike Israelis residing in or traveling to these locations. Planned attacks have been uncovered in Turkey, Azerbaijan, Thailand, and several Western European nations. Most were prevented through timely intelligence sharing between Israel and local security agencies, resulting in real-time arrests of Iranian terror cells and operatives across multiple jurisdictions. See Mullah’s hit lists on page 4
If Hochul’s cooked, Torres might be the chef
TR
For The Jewish Star Israel and the fight against antisemitism are not the only things Rep. Ritchie Torres has on his mind. Torres, whose Bronx district includes Riverdale, is one of Israel’s staunchest defenders in Congress. Now he’s defending New Yorkers against a criminal justice system some say is broken; in doing so, he’s set himself up to challenge Gov. Kathy Hochul in 2026. Torres, a progressive gay Latino Democrat, this week attacked the “complicity of the State and City in the murder of three New Yorkers who were savagely stabbed to death in a homicidal rampage.” The alleged killer is a 51-yearold homeless man with numerous
encounters with law enforcement who was released from Rikers early despite having assaulted a corrections officer. The New York Post featured Torres’ criticism on its cover on Monday (photo). Torres called Hochul “the new Joe Biden.” He said she’s “a Democratic incumbent who is less popular in New York than Donald Trump” and may lose to a Republican in 2026, “an outcome not seen in 30 years.” “Waiting until it’s too late gave us a Republican President in 2024 and could give us a Republican governor in 2026,” he added. “With few exceptions, nowhere was there a greater swing toward Donald Trump than in New York, which
was a vote of no confidence in the leadership of New York state,” he said. The largest swing of any county in New York towards Trump occurred in Torres’ Bronx county, driven by a significant shift towards Republicans among Latino voters. A poll in September showed that Hochul had just a 34% job approval rating, and in 2022 she defeated then-congressman Lee Zeldin by just 6 percentage points, the worst performance by a Democrat in a statewide race in two decades. Though Torres has not directly criticized New York City Mayor Eric Adams by name in the way that he has called out Hochul, pundits suggested Torres could also
make a run for Gracie Mansion in the 2025 election as Adams fights federal bribery charges. At a press conference on Monday, Hochul said “it’s more fun to have a big headline, something splashy, but there’s no substance behind it. … Look at the real record of what we’ve done. … We’ve come a hell of a long way from where we were when I took office three years ago.” Asked if she was upset that Torries “is using this crime as sort of a springboard to a gubernatorial campaign,” she responded: “I actually don’t care what he’s doing.” Since taking his seat in Congress in 2021, Torres, 36, has been widely lauded by the Jewish community for his vocal support.