Two Jewish heritage sites in the southeastern Polish town of Dolka were defaced over the weekend with anti-Israel graffiti and Nazi swastikas. The vandalism targeted the ruins of a shul destroyed by the Nazis during the Holocaust, as well as a recently erected memorial at the Jewish cemetery—built by local townspeople to honor the once-thriving Jewish community and its coexistence with their Polish neighbors before the war. The attack comes just days after a firestorm erupted over remarks made by far-right Polish European Parliament member Grzegorz Braun during a Holocaust remembrance ceremony in Jedwabne, where he shared a platform with Poland’s Chief Rabbi, Rav Michael Schudrich.

A BBC documentary about children’s lives in Gaza breached editorial guidelines on accuracy because it failed to disclose that the program was narrated by the son of a Hamas official, according to a report published Monday. The broadcaster removed the program, “Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone,” from its streaming service in February after it emerged that the 13-year-old narrator, Abdullah, is the son of Ayman Alyazouri, who has worked as Hamas’s deputy minister of agriculture. A review found that the independent production company that made the program did not share the background information regarding the narrator’s father with the BBC. It said that the production company, Hoyo Films, bears most responsibility for the failure, though it did not “intentionally” mislead the BBC.

The IDF and Shin Bet reported on Monday that Muhammad Nasr Ali Quneita, a terrorist in Hamas’s military intelligence unit in the Al-Furqan Battalion, was eliminated in a joint operation in the Gaza City area about a month ago. Quneita invaded Israel during the October 7 massacre and held Emily Damari in his home at the beginning of the war. According to the Shin Bet and IDF statement, he took a central part in Hamas’s terrorist activities. (YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)

A man from Australia has been charged with “malicious mischief” for allegedly smashing a glass case holding the Stone of Destiny, an ancient symbol of Scottish nationhood. Arnaud Harixcalde Logan, 35, appeared at Perth Sheriff Court on Monday to face the charge, which is similar to vandalism. Logan, whose address was given as Sydney, wasn’t asked to enter a plea and was ordered detained until a hearing next week. Police said that they were called to a “disturbance” at Perth Museum in central Scotland on Saturday, after reports of a kilt-wearing man attempting to smash the case containing the royal rock.

The Houthis in Yemen serve as the last functional Iranian proxy, still fighting the Jewish State and imposing an effective siege in the Red Sea. Despite a Houthi ban on interacting with any Israeli entity, Ynet managed to carry out an interview with a Houthi source, who clarified that the terror group will continue their fight to destroy the Jewish state even after the war in Gaza ends. Ynet: What do you want from Israel? “We want only one thing from the Zionist entity: its departure from the land of Arab Palestine, because we believe that its existence is invalid. Its end is an inevitable divine promise. Israel is a usurping entity, planted in the heart of the nation, based on murder, conquest, and desecration of holy places.

To Whom It May Concern, I’m writing this out of deep frustration and disappointment—and, frankly, with a heavy heart. I’ve lived in this neighborhood for several years now. During this time, I’ve struggled with long-term unemployment. I’ve reached out to people in the community—neighbors, acquaintances, “connections.” Time and again, I’m met with well-meaning but ultimately hollow phrases: “I’ll keep an eye out.” “I’ll let you know if I hear of anything.” Occasionally, someone sends me a job lead completely irrelevant to my background or skills. And then… silence. They forget. They move on. And I’m still here—still trying to provide for my family, still without steady work.

Arachnophobes beware: Customs officials on Monday released photos from a seizure of roughly 1,500 young tarantulas found inside plastic containers that had been hidden in chocolate spongecake boxes shipped to an airport in western Germany. Customs officials found the shipment at Cologne Bonn airport in a package that had arrived from Vietnam, tipped off by a “noticeable smell” that didn’t resemble the expected aroma of the 7 kilograms (about 15 pounds) of the confectionery treats, Cologne customs office spokesman Jens Ahland said.

A military investigation released Sunday concluded that serious operational failures—including poor coordination, miscommunication, and delayed deployment—contributed to the IDF’s inability to prevent a deadly Hamas assault on the southern city of Ofakim during the October 7 attacks. The probe, led by Brig. Gen. Oren Simcha, found that 15 Hamas terrorists infiltrated Ofakim around 6:40 a.m., killing 33 people—25 civilians and 8 security personnel—within the first 40 minutes. IDF troops arrived too late to affect the outcome of the battle, the report said. One of the closest military units, from the Chaim Laskov Officers Training School (Bahad 1), was mistakenly dispatched to the wrong location.

Senate Republicans will test the popularity of Department of Government Efficiency spending cuts this week by aiming to pass President Donald Trump’s request to claw back $9.4 billion in public media and foreign aid spending. Senate Democrats are trying to kill the measure but need a few Republicans uncomfortable with the president’s effort to join them. Trump’s Republican administration is employing a rarely used tool that allows the president to transmit a request to cancel previously approved funding authority. The request triggers a 45-day clock under which the funds are frozen. If Congress fails to act within that period, then the spending stands. That clock expires Friday. The House has already approved Trump’s request on a mostly party line 214-212 vote.

Two major countries are in the pipeline to possibly join the Abraham Accords: Saudi Arabia and Syria. In Syria, Bakr Simantov has won the title of ‘The Last Jew in Damascus.” Like many titles, it is a bit of an exaggeration, as there are four male Jews and two female Jews remaining in Damascus. Simantov serves as the head of the congregation of the smallest Jewish community in the world, despite its geographical proximity to Israel. In an interview with Shlomo Cooperman in the Hebrew Mishpacha magazine, Simantov said that in his 60 years in the Syrian capital, he has learned to live his life as a Jew alongside the development of the Jewish state across the border. It was not always easy, but now he feels that history has opened an opportunity that never existed before.