ISSUES

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

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Holocaust

Banknote Helps Holocaust Survivor Reunite With Soldier Who Liberated Her

The great-grandson of Auschwitz survivor Lily Ebert, Dov Forman, 16, shared an interesting story about how the family's matriarch reunited with the soldier who liberated her.

Forman said that his great-grandmother showed him an Allied military authorities' (Alliierte Militärbehörde) banknote inscribed with a hopeful message. A message that also...

Iran

US Military Convoy Attacked in Iraq By Pro-Iranian Militia

A US military convoy was ambushed in southwestern Iraq on Saturday, as gunmen attacked and torched three large trucks carrying equipment and logistical materials for US forces in the country, according to London-based daily Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

The trucks were traveling from Basra when they were targeted between Diwaniya and Samawah. Gunmen forced...

University of Wisconsin Hillel Discovers ‘Free Palestine’ Spray-Painted on Building

The outside of the Hillel building at the University of Wisconsin in Madison was vandalized on Tuesday, according to the organization.

The words “Free Palestine” appeared on the concrete structure that welcomes people to the building, also known as the Barbara Hochberg Center for Jewish Student Life.

“We view this act of vandalism as targeting...

Senior Hamas Commander Flees Gaza Aboard IDF Boat

A senior Hamas commander escaped from the Gaza Strip aboard an Israel Defense Forces boat on Saturday.

The commander, from Hamas’s military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, is said to have commanded the terrorist organization’s naval commando unit, and is suspected in the Gaza Strip of collaborating with Israel, reported Israel’s Channel...

DeSean Jackson Accepts Fellow NFL Wide Receiver Julian Edelman’s Invite to Learn More About Holocaust

New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman got a positive response from fellow NFL player DeSean Jackson after the Jewish athlete offered to educate the latter about the Holocaust.

On Thursday, Edelman, whose father is Jewish, invited the Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver to go with him to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in...

Dozens of Graves in Europe’s Oldest Jewish Cemetery Vandalized, Desecrated

Dozens of graves in what is believed to be the oldest Jewish cemetery in Europe were vandalized and desecrated last week, the European Jewish Association (EJA) said on Sunday, according to multiple media reports.

The graves were in Heiliger Sand, the Jewish cemetery in Worms, Germany. The community in the city, renowned for counting the famous...

Turkey

Turkey’s President Formally Makes Hagia Sophia a Mosque

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday formally reconverted Istanbul’s sixth-century iconic Hagia Sophia into a mosque and declared it open to Muslim worship, hours after a high court annulled a 1934 decision that had turned it into a museum.

The decision to reconvert Hagia Sophia — a former cathedral that was turned into a mosque after...

Iran

Iran Sought Illegal Goods For Nuke Program – German Federal Intel

Iran’s regime made efforts to secure illicit goods for its nuclear program, adding new urgency to the crisis surrounding Tehran's alleged atomic weapons activity, the domestic intelligence service of the Federal Republic of Germany disclosed in its new report on Thursday.

According to the intelligence document reviewed by The Jerusalem Post, “In...

Iran

Multiple Explosions Heard West of Tehran, Triggering Sirens, Power Outage

Sirens, power outages reporteafter explosion rocks area west of Tehran, allegedly in IRGC military base

A series of explosions were reported west of Tehran early on Friday, according to media sources.
Iranian state run confirmed reports of an explosion, yet divulged no more information. The Iranian Mehr News Agency also reported explosions in...

Turkey

Turkey Lashes Out At New US Support For Cyprus

Turkey is lashing out at the United States as Washington moves closer to providing Cyprus with military aid as the disputed island nation develops closer energy ties with Israel.
The Turkish reaction came after the US Embassy in Cyprus said Wednesday that the United States planned to provide international military education and training to the...

Pompeo Says US to Prevent Iranian Oil Shipments to Hezbollah

We’ll do everything we can to make sure that Iran cannot continue to sell crude oil anywhere,' Pompeo said

The US will not allow Iran to ship oil to Lebanon's Hezbollah, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced at Wednesday's press conference.
"We’ll do everything we can to make sure that Iran cannot continue to sell crude oil anywhere,...

Holocaust

Memorial Dedicated to Albanians Who Rescued Jews During the Holocaust

A memorial to Albanians who rescued Jews during the Holocaust, established jointly by the US and Albania, was dedicated on Thursday, with the US ambassador to Albania calling the country’s legacy of rescuing Jews “an inspiring story of humanity, courage, and honor.”

The memorial in the Grand Park of Tirana was established by the US Commission for...

Archeology

World’s 1st Necklace? Prehistoric Painted Shells, Once on Twine, Found in Israel

Sometime around 160,000 to 120,000 years ago, early man began to string together painted shells and display them, according to a new international, interdisciplinary study published in the open-sourced PLOS One journal this week.

The authors, a team of scientists led by Tel Aviv University’s Daniella E. Bar-Yosef Mayer and University of Haifa’s...

Online Retailer Shein Sells Swastika Necklace, Backlash Causes Take-Down

Online clothing retailer Shein sold a swastika necklace on its site, but quickly took it down after it received backlash on Twitter. 

The necklace, titled "Swastika," was priced $2.50. With many users expressing their disbelief at the fact that such an item could be sold by any company.

"In case u needed another reason to boycott Shein: they are...

Iran

Explosions, Power Outages Reported Near Tehran

Explosions were reported west of Tehran on Thursday night, with some initial reports claiming that the explosions occurred at a missile depot belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

According to the Iranian Mehr News Agency, the explosions were reported by social media users west of Tehran and in the cities of Garmdareh and...

Canadian MP Running for Prime Minister Vows to Move Embassy to Jerusalem

Canadian lawmaker Erin O’Toole vowed Wednesday to move his country’s embassy in Israel to Jerusalem if he were to become the next prime minister.
“Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish people, and the modern presence there just cements this. The Knesset , the Supreme Court and Foreign Ministry are all in west-Jerusalem,” O’Toole said in a...

Iran Inks Deal With Assad Regime to Boost Syria’s Air Defenses

The Tehran and Damascus regimes signed a military cooperation agreement on Wednesday as part of which Iran will boost Syria’s air defenses, according to media reports.

The head of Iran’s armed forces, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, was quoted by state TV as saying the deal was meant to “confront pressures by America.”

In recent years, Israel has...

Jewish Students Face Increased Harassment on University Campuses

The US.-based AMCHA Initiative says a rise in harassment of Jewish students on college campuses is linked to anti-Zionist activism, according to its yearly report published Tuesday.
Titled "Understanding Campus Antisemitism in 2019 and Its Lessons for Pandemic and Post-Pandemic US Campuses," the report maintained its relevance in the post-COVID-19...

Archeology

Unprecedented 4,200-Year-Old Rock Art Etching of Animal Herd Found in Golan Tomb

An extremely rare example of megalithic rock art was recently identified in northern Israel’s Yehudiya Nature Reserve inside a 4,200-year-old stone burial chamber.

The unique discovery of a clearly composed, artistic rendering of a herd of animals is shifting the way archaeologists think about the little-understood peoples who created the...

Iran

Pompeo: US Seized Iranian Weapons on Way to Houthi Rebels in Yemen

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Wednesday that US and partner forces seized a boat in June carrying Iranian weapons to Houthi rebels in Yemen as he renewed his call for the UN Security Council to extend an arms embargo on Iran.

"The Security Council must extend the arms embargo on Iran to prevent further conflict in the region,"...