ISSUES

At CUFI, we are focused on several key issues with the goal of defending Israel’s strength, security, and sovereignty.

If you want to keep up with all things Israel, sign up for CUFI’s Daily Briefing – our daily news roundup created exclusively for CUFI members. Every morning, Monday through Friday, receive an email with some of the top headlines in the news so you are always informed and ready to debunk lies with the truth.

In The News

Iranian Helicopter Came Close to US Warship: Pentagon

An Iranian navy helicopter came close to a US Navy warship in the Gulf of Oman and circled it three times in an incident that ended without an impact on US operations, the Pentagon said on Monday.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the Iranian helicopter came within 75 feet of the Essex warship.

“It’s dangerous because it could lead to...

In The News

US Ambassador to UN in First Visit to Jerusalem Discusses Anti-Israel Bias, Antisemitism

US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield met with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and other senior government officials during her first visit to Israel to discuss cooperation between the two countries at the UN.

Bennett called Thomas-Greenfield a voice of reason in an institution otherwise biased in its treatment of...

Event Recaps

February 7 – Why Israel? – Westbrook, ME

Pastor Eric Samuelson of The Rock Church/Scarborough and Pastor Mutima/Bethel Christian Church were both CUFI Israel Trip Alumni pastors. They hosted a Friday night "Why Israel?" event to help introduce the work of CUFI to both of their very diverse church congregations. Many of their church leaders were in attendance and from the prolonged time...

In The News

Hezbollah planned to murder Israeli in Colombia to avenge Soleimani

Hezbollah planned to assassinate an Israeli national in Bogota as part of an operation that also targeted Americans to avenge the January 2020 killing of Iranian al-Quds Force commander General Qassem Soleimani, a Colombian newspaper reported Sunday.

The El Tiempo newspaper said the Israeli targeted by the Lebanese terror group was a former...

In The News

Could Qatar’s role in Afghanistan foreshadow Hamas takeover in West Bank?

On Sunday video emerged of a military parade in Kabul, Afghanistan. Lines of military vehicles, Taliban members in modern military uniforms with all the tactical kit and standardized rifles to go along with it.

You’d be mistaken if you thought you were seeing a “terrorist” or “militia” force here, it was a standardized army that suddenly...

In The News

New York man tells hometown of his desire to run over Jews

An antisemitism watchdog group identified a speaker by the name of Nick Collela who had expressed desires to run over his Jewish neighbors with his car, according to ABC and The Algemeiner.

His statements were made at a Planning Board meeting last Wednesday in Haverstraw, Rockland County, New York. There has been a reported increase in the...

In The News

$10,000 reward offered for info on antisemitic attack in Brooklyn

A $10,000 reward has been offered for information about an unidentified man who assaulted a Jewish man in Brooklyn on November 11.

The 25-year-old victim was reportedly assaulted by a man thought to be about 19 years old and 5'10" in height who shouted abuse before fleeing, according to The Algemeiner.

The NYPD has begun investigating and...

In The News

Israel’s Ice Cream Battle Heats Up

Since Ben & Jerry’s announced in July that it would no longer sell its ice cream in Gaza and the West Bank, its British owner, Unilever PLC, has sought to do damage control. Now Unilever faces an unlikely player in international statecraft: U.S. state attorneys general.

Unilever Chief Executive Officer Alan Jope has said it rejects the...

In The News

Israel skips Poland antisemitism meet, but some still see thaw in ties ahead

A Polish opposition politician expressed regret at the passage of a law this summer that limited Holocaust restitution efforts, and said he hopes ties between Poland and Israel — put in deep freeze by the legislation — will be repaired soon.

“I personally, from the very beginning, was opposed to both legislations that made so much damage to...

In The News

18-year-old suspect arrested in Austin synagogue arson case

A suspect has been arrested related to a fire set at an Austin synagogue, Congregation Beth Israel, on Oct. 31.

Franklin Barrett Sechriest, 18, was arrested Wednesday by arson investigators with the Austin Fire Department. Investigators identified Sechriest using surveillance footage that showed the license plate on the car he allegedly used to...

In The News

Kristallnacht: The light extinguished 83 years ago still burns bright

Thousands of houses of worship and public institutions around the world were illuminated this week to mark the observance of Kristallnacht.

“Synagogues were burned down on Kristallnacht, and the world stood by and remained silent,” says Shmuel Rosenman, chairman of the March of the Living.

On November 9, 1938, the Nazis burned1,400...

In The News

For 2nd time in a month, IDF fighter jets escort US bombers through region

For the second time in a month, the military said Thursday that Israeli F-15 fighter jets escorted United States B-1 bombers through the region, in a tacit threat to Iran.

According to the Israel Defense Forces, the fighter jets accompanied two B-1B heavy bombers and an American KC-10 refueling jet through Israeli airspace as they headed west...

In The News

Four Israeli creations make Time Magazine’s ‘Best 100 Inventions of 2021’

Four Israeli tech companies were named in TIME Magazine’s annual list of 'The Best 100 Inventions of 2021’ released this week.
The “groundbreaking inventions” included Covid and malaria vaccines, a toy robot to support hospitalized children, and other “inventions that are making the world better, smarter and a bit more fun,” TIMES said.
To...

In The News

NY’s Democratic governor blasts anti-Israel party members

New York Governor Kathy Hochul slammed members of her party who oppose Israel during an address to the Jewish community on Wednesday.
“As a member of Congress a decade ago, I stood firm with Israel when they were under assault, and even more recently as a Democrat now I reject the individuals in my party who are making this an issue and...

In The News

‘I Will Not Be Intimidated’: Israeli Ambassador to UK Evacuated After Event Amid Pro-Palestinian Protest

British ministers denounced on Wednesday the harassment of Israel’s ambassador to the United Kingdom by anti-Israel protestors after an event at the London School of Economics (LSE) the previous night, which saw her swiftly evacuated by security as protesters tried to reach her car.

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel said she was “disgusted” by the...

In The News

Rift Opens Between Syrian Dictator Assad and Head of Iran’s Terrorist Army in Syria

A major rift has opened between Syrian President Bashar Assad and the head of Iran’s terrorist army in Syria, Arabic-language media reported Wednesday.

According to the Saudi news outlet Al Hadath, a source described as familiar with the issue said that Assad and other high-ranking members of the Syrian regime have “excluded” Mustafa Jawad...

In The News

Assad regime said to shun Iranian commander for nearly starting war with Israel

Syria’s leadership has shunned the commander of Iran’s Quds Force in the country after he almost caused an “unwanted regional war” with Israel, according to a report Wednesday.

Mustafa Javad Ghafari has also been “excluded” over a series of actions he took that were viewed by dictator Bashar Assad as “a major breach of Syrian sovereignty at all...

In The News

Israel, UAE, Bahrain, US launch drill in Red Sea in apparent message to Iran

The navies of Israel, the United States, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain launched a joint exercise in the Red Sea this week, the American military said, in an apparent threat to their shared adversary, Iran.

The exercise comes just over a year after Israel normalized ties with the UAE and Bahrain. Though Israel has conducted exercises...

In The News

On 83rd anniversary of Kristallnacht, Austria dedicates new memorial to murdered Jews

On the 83rd anniversary of Kristallnacht and in a clear gesture that it is finally taking public responsibility for its past, the government of Austria unveiled the Shoah Wall of Names Memorial, its first public Holocaust memorial. Located in Ostarrichi Park in the center of Vienna, it pays tribute to the 64,440 Austrian Jewish children, women and...

In The News

Drone strikes Iran-backed militias in eastern Syria

An unidentified drone carried out strikes on Iranian-backed militias near the Syrian-Iraqi border in the early hours of Wednesday morning, according to an opposition-linked war monitor.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the strike targeted weapons caches belonging to pro-Iranian militias in the Bukamal region of eastern...