Jewish Political Briefing:  Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025

By Donald H. Harrison in San Diego

We encourage our readers to follow the links below to the stories that attract their interest.

INTERNATIONAL

The Bondi Beach massacre in which 15 innocents were murdered on the first day of Chanukah has had repercussions in Australia and around the world.  Australian Jewish News reports that Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told a news conference that the government will introduce new legislation that will include:
–Creation of an aggravated hate speech offence for preachers and leaders who promote violence.
–Increased penalties for hate speech promoting violence.
–Sentencing enhancement for hate in online threats or harassment
–Criminalizing  serious vilification based on race or advocating racial supremacy
–Developing a list of organizations whose leaders routinely engage in hate speech.
–Empowering the Home Affairs Minister (Tony Burke) to reject or cancel visas for those who spread hate and division in Australia.

Daniel Aghion, president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, said these measures reflect recommendations from the Jewish community over the last two years. “The history of antisemitism is that it can only be dealt with by prompt and effective leadership and a strong response,” Aghion said. “Until today, that is what has been lacking.”

Funerals for the 15 Bondi Beach victims have been proceeding, including that of Chabad Rabbi Eli Schlanger, and 10-year-old Matilda, whose family name previously had been given as Poltavchenko.  However, at her burial, her family name was given as Britvan.  She will long be remembered simply as “Matilda,” a name which her mother chose because it is typically Australian. Mourners have been singing “Waltzing Matilda” since her death was announced.

After a months’ long investigation, the University of Sydney on Monday, Dec. 15, fired Media and Communications Lecturer Rose Nakad who confronted Jewish students during a celebration of Sukkot and shouted “Free Palestine,” The Independent  reported. Sarah Aamidor, a biologist and seasonal teaching academic, told Nakad, a Palestinian, that the students had been celebrating a Jewish holiday, without any reference to Israel or Gaza, to which Nakad allegedly answered: “If you tell me you are an anti-Zionist Jew, I have no problem with you. A Zionist, whether they are Jewish, whether they are Christian, whether they are Muslim … is the lowest form of rubbish.”

Top police in the United Kingdom cities of London and Manchester issued a joint statement saying they will arrest demonstrators chanting “globalize the intifada” in response to the massacre of 15 people in Sydney, Australia.  “Now, in the escalating threat context, we will recalibrate to be more assertive,” the law enforcement officials.  British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis described the meaning of the phrase “globalize the intifada.”  He said “I’ll tell you the meaning – it’s what happened on Bondi Beach.”

In San Diego, at the behest of County Supervisor Joel Anderson, the County Administration Building was illuminated Wednesday, Dec. 17, in blue and white lights to celebrate Chanukah and to memorialize the 15 Bondi Beach victims and survivors.  (See photo above)  County Assessor Jordan Z, Marks commented: “The only time that Hanukkah was recognized by the County in this way was when Supervisor Anderson requested it. As a Jew, I’m grateful that Joel understands this is a sacred season of joy, love, and light.”  Marks and Andrson plan a menorah lighting ceremony on Monday, Dec 22.
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The mayor of Richmond, California, Eduardo Martinez, reposted on his social media account speculation that the Bondi Beach shooting may have been a false flag operation carried out by Israel-aligned paid actors who have a history of carrying out “anti-Jewish attacks in Australia and then blaming others.”  He later deleted this post, and apologized, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.  Martinez wrote:  “As I’ve said before we should not conflate Zionism with Judaism.  They are two separate beliefs.”  In response the Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area said “such rhetoric is dangerously antisemitic, deeply offensive, and wholly unacceptable — particularly coming from a sitting mayor.  Words from public officials carry weight and when those words echo antisemitic tropes they place people at risk”

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The U.S. Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump’s appointment of Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun as Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism.  Ronald Lauder, President of the World Jewish Congress, commented: “As we saw this week in Sydney, antisemitism is global, coordinated, and emboldened, and it demands leadership that understands the stakes and the responsibility of this role. The WJC serves Jewish communities in more than one hundred countries, and I look forward to engaging with Rabbi Kaploun as he works to protect them from the grave threats they face today.”

NATIONAL

Congresswomen Sara Jacobs and Laura Friedman, both California Democrats, were joined by Congressmen Don Bacon (R-Nebraska) and Juan Ciscomani (R-Arizona) in introducing a resolution condemning antisemitism in all its forms, including by such artificial intelligence systems as Grok, which in July “posted numerous antisemitic statements, praised Adolf Hitler, and repeated conspiracy theories.”

Jacobs, the lead sponsor of the resolution, said: “It’s never easy being Jewish in today’s world, but the rise of AI is making it even harder with the rapid creation, spread, and amplification of antisemitic content that makes Jewish people actively less safe. In Congress, we have a responsibility to name antisemitism for what it is, eliminate it in all its forms, and keep up with new and evolving ways for it to proliferate – like through AI and social media platforms. Corporations must play a role too in maintaining standards and safeguards for AI systems that protect human rights and the safety of all people, including Jewish communities. That’s why I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan resolution so we can stand together in ensuring that AI is not a vehicle for antisemitism.”

Friedman commented: “This bipartisan resolution sends an important message that we’re committed to building AI that reflects our values and protects our communities. We’ve already seen how AI is being used to spread antisemitism and hate. If we want AI innovation to thrive in the U.S., we need commonsense guardrails that protect people, prevent these tools from being weaponized, and support efforts to counter this threat.”
The bipartisan resolution:

–Condemns antisemitism in all its forms, including when it manifests and is amplified through AI and social media platforms, tools, and services.
–Affirms that combating antisemitism is a national priority and urges AI companies to adopt strong safeguards in consultation with antisemitism experts.
–Encourages standards and tools such as red teaming, risk-identification frameworks, and dedicated data sets to better detect and mitigate antisemitism in AI systems.
–Calls for improved data sharing and researcher access to enable evidence-based oversight of antisemitism on AI-enabled platforms.
–Supports digital literacy, Holocaust remembrance, and public awareness efforts, particularly for youth, to counter AI-driven antisemitic narratives.
–Encourages collaboration among government, civil society, academia, and industry to develop effective interventions against antisemitic content and harassment.
–Urges periodic public transparency reporting by AI platforms on antisemitic content and related safety measures.
–Reaffirms that efforts to address antisemitism on AI platforms must protect constitutional rights, including free expression, civil liberties, due process, and privacy, and avoid discriminatory or overbroad enforcement.
–Calls on all stakeholders to safeguard the dignity of Jewish communities and to advance AI innovation that upholds human rights, safety, and democratic values.

 

STATE & LOCAL

U.S. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-California) is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice for what President Trump says is a “sustained pattern of possible mortgage fraud.”  No charges have been preferred against Schiff, but in case they are, other members of Congress have been helping to build his legal defense fund.

Democratic Senators Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland have each contributed $10,000 through their political action committees as has former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.  NOTUS (News of the United States) reported that Pelosi’s spokesperson Ian Krager said, “Given President Trump’s obsession with using the courts for political retribution, Senator Schiff must be prepared to respond to his attacks.  Speaker Pelosi is helping him do so as a longtime colleague and friend.”

Schiff was active in 2020 in the House of Representatives vote to impeach Trump, and also in the House’s investigation of the Jan. 6, 2021 invasion of the Capitol Building.

 

PERSONAL

Today is a day of celebration for the Harrison family. On this date in 1966, Don and Nancy met each other at a dance at UCLA.  December 18^th is also the 17th birthday of our grandson Brian.  Mazal tov!

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Donald H. Harrison is publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World
mailto:editor@sdjewishworld.com