Australian federal police launched an investigation regarding suspicions that the recent antisemitic attacks in the country are funded by “overseas actors.” According to a report by Australian media outlet 9News, the “overseas actors” may be paying local criminals, sometimes in cryptocurrency, to carry out the attacks. Following the most recent attack on a daycare in Sydney, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese convened Australia’s national cabinet. A decision was made at the meeting to establish a national database to track “antisemitic crime and other antisemitic incidents and behaviors.” Australian Federal Police (AFP) Commissioner Reece Kershaw said on Tuesday evening: “There is no doubt there is an escalation of antisemitism in Australia.

In yet another antisemitic incident in Australia, a Sydney daycare center was set on fire overnight Monday and an outer wall was sprayed with antisemitic graffiti. The building was badly damaged but fortunately, no one was injured. Security camera footage revealed two masked men, one pouring flammable material and igniting it and the second man spray-painting graffiti. The daycare center is not a Jewish-affiliated institution but is near the Marouba Shul and an Orthodox Jewish school. Due to the antisemitic graffiti, the police is investigating the incident as a hate crime. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited the site on Tuesday morning and convened Australia’s national cabinet to discuss the surge of antisemitic attacks.

Azerbaijan’s security service announced on Tuesday that officers arrested two suspects for allegedly plotting to assassinate a senior “religious figure” in the country. According to the statement, the suspects acted on behalf of a foreign state, with sources in the Jewish kehilla in Azerbaijan saying that the foreign state was Iran and the senior “religious figure” was a Jew, Kan News reported. Security services said that Ogil Aslanov, a criminal involved in drug trafficking, traveled to a foreign country and met with local security officials who presented him with a picture of “a member of a religious community in Azerbaijan” and offered him $200,000 to assassinate him.

Polish President Andrzej Duda is urging his government to ensure Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu won’t be arrested so he can enter the country for the commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. Polish media outlets reported last month that Netanyahu will not attend the ceremony due to fears of arrest in the wake of the arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in November 2024. Following the ICC’s announcement, Deputy Polish Foreign Minister Władysław Bartoszewski, who is overseeing the January 27 ceremony, stressed Poland’s obligation to adhere to ICC decisions. “We are obligated to respect the decisions of the ICC,” Bartoszewski said.

The Chabad of Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles sustained severe damage in the out-of-control wildfires currently raging in Los Angeles. The Chabad house stated: “We hope you and your loved ones are safe and well during this difficult time. As the Palisades Fire continues to affect our community, we wanted to share an update…the night is still a very long one, and the winds are still raging. We need all of your prayers to overcome this dangerous fire. We are in touch with many community members, some of who have not yet evacuated, and we are doing our best to help them connect with first responders to ensure their safety.” “Baruch Hashem, we are grateful for our safety and are holding onto hope as we navigate the challenges ahead.

The new rebel government in Syria announced amendments to the country’s school curriculum that have raised ire among its citizens and serious concerns about its Islamist slant, CNN recently reported. The amendments to the curriculum include changing the phrases “those who are damned and gone astray” to “Jews and Christians” and the “path of goodness” to “the Islamic path.” According to the report, the changes were posted on the Education Ministry’s Facebook page, and caused an outcry among Syrian citizens. “The current government is a caretaker government that does not have the right to make these amendments to the curricula,” one Syrian wrote in response to the ministry’s Facebook post.

Bachour Simantov, one of the few remaining Jews in Syria, met with one of the members of the new Syrian rebel government. The video was published by Kan‘s Arab Affairs correspondent Roi Kais. In the video, the government representative, Muhammad Badriah, is heard saying: “Good evening to everyone from Damascus from the home of the head of the Jewish community in Damascus – Bachour Simantov. ” “Reassure us that you’re okay,” Badriah says to Simantov. “Thank G-d, everything is good,” Simantov responds. “What’s the situation in Syria?” Badriah asks. “It couldn’t be better,” Simantov responds. “It’s stable.” Badriah says: “The Assad regime no longer exists and there’s no more fear. There are no checkpoints, no secret police. The one whose name shouldn’t be mentioned [Assad] won’t return.

In this Damascus suburb, the handful of remaining Jews in Syria can again make pilgrimages to one of the world’s oldest synagogues where people from throughout the region once came to pray. Syria’s 13-year civil war left the synagogue partially destroyed. Walls and roofs have collapsed. Some artifacts are missing. A marble sign in Arabic at the gate says it was first built 720 years BC. Since insurgents overthrew President Bashar Assad in early December, people have been able to safely visit the widely destroyed Jobar suburb that was pounded for years by government forces while in the hands of opposition fighters. Syria was once home to one of the world’s largest Jewish communities. Those numbers have shrunk dramatically, especially after the state of Israel was created in 1948.

There are currently only four Jews living in Syria, all elderly, according to a report by the Justice for Jews from Arab Countries (JJAC) organization. The three men and one woman live in the capital city of Damascus. Rabbi Dr. Eli Abadi, co-president of JJAC, told Ynet that until five years ago, there were 13 Jews in Syria, but some passed away and others left the country. Regarding the few Jews who remain in Damascus, Rabbi Abadi said, “They have their homes and don’t want to leave. They’re already accustomed to life there.” According to Rabbi Dr. Abadi, the four Jews aren’t afraid of the new situation in the country. “They weren’t afraid of the revolution in Syria or the fall of Assad. They don’t feel they’ll be harmed. They can leave but they’re used to life there.

The Guatemalan police carried out a massive raid of the Lev Tahor cult at the border between Guatemala and El Salvador on Friday, rescuing 160 children and teens and 40 women after testimonies of severe abuse at the cult’s compound. The raid, involving over 400 police officers, soldiers, and psychologists, took place following testimonies from four minors who escaped from the cult last month and provided shocking details to the police about serious offenses. A formal complaint was filed to the Guatemalan state prosecutor’s office, which decided to launch an operation to rescue the minors in the cult.