Vandals broke into the Jewish cemetery in Damascus overnight Wednesday and vandalized the kever of Hamekubal HaRav Chaim Vital, Z’tl, one of the talmidim of the Ari, z’tl. The intruders dug a pit near the kever to look for remains. Bachour Simantov, one of the few remaining Jews in Syria, told Kan News that he informed local authorities about the incident and they promised to find those responsible for the incident. The Alliance of Rabbis in Islamic Countries issued a statement saying: “We are shocked and saddened by the desecration of the tomb of Rabbi Chaim Vital, z”tl this Thursday in Damascus.” “Jews have lived in Syria for thousands of years and are an integral part of its history.

The mayor of Amsterdam apologized Thursday for the role the Dutch capital played in the persecution of its Jewish citizens during World War II, saying the government at the time “let its Jewish residents down terribly.” Speaking at an event marking Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day, Mayor Femke Halsema said that civil servants in Amsterdam played an active role in the murder of some thousands of Jewish citizens of the city. Three-quarters of Dutch Jews were murdered during the Holocaust, a much higher percentage than in other Western European countries such as Belgium and France. Of the estimated 80,000 Jews who lived in Amsterdam at the outbreak of World War II, only some 20,000 survived, the highest number of victims in Western Europe.

Walter Frankenstein, who survived the Holocaust by hiding in Berlin with his wife and infant children and spent his later years educating young people to keep the events alive in memory, has died. He was 100. Klaus Hillenbrand, a close friend who wrote a book about Frankenstein, confirmed the death on Tuesday. He said Frankenstein died on Monday. The foundation that oversees Berlin’s Holocaust memorial also confirmed that he died Monday in Stockholm. Frankenstein was born in 1924 in Flatow in what is now Poland but was then part of Germany. Three years after the Nazis came to power, in 1936, he was no longer allowed to attend the town’s public school because he was Jewish.

Azerbaijan’s security services revealed on Shabbos that it thwarted an Iranian attempt to assassinate Rabbi Shneur Segal, the main Chabad Rav in the country. In the fall, an Iranian Quds Force commander met with Agil Aslanov, a drug trafficker from Georgia, the Washington Post reported. The office showed Aslanov a photo of Rabbi Segal and gave him detailed instructions on how to kill him. Aslanov agreed to assassinate him and also attack an education center in exchange for $200,000. Aslanov traveled to Baku and recruited a local accomplice, and they began to track Rabbi Segal.

Jewish residents of Norway increasingly fear seeking medical care due to growing anti-Israel sentiment among healthcare workers, Yisrael Hayom reported. Norway, which rewarded the Palestinians for the October 7 massacre by recognizing a Palestinian state, has one of the most anti-Israel governments in the world. In a letter to health authorities, Jewish leaders in Norway warn that in a situation not seen since World War II, Jews are hiding their identities in medical settings.

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.