New York Councilwoman Inna Vernikov posted a video showing a group of Muslims praying against the wall of a Jewish girls school, alarming residents as antisemitism in the city skyrockets.

This is an ALL GIRLS Jewish school in my district. I’m all for prayer and free speech, but why do a bunch of GROWN MEN need to do this right outside of a school full of little Jewish girls??? Is not this what MOSQUES are for? Is this intentional? Mayor Mamdani @NYCMayor any words… pic.twitter.com/iFRPnGVblQ

— Councilwoman Inna Vernikov (@InnaVernikov) May 15, 2026

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The judge ruled that the state acted “contrary to law” when it said that the yeshivas ceased to be schools when they were deemed out of compliance with the law.

By Mike Wagenheim, JNS

Shortly after the New York State Education Department pulled the accreditation of six Brooklyn yeshivas, Richard McNally, a judge on the state’s Supreme Court, issued an injunction last week staving off their closure.

The department said that the schools, located in Borough Park and Williamsburg, didn’t comply with the state law requiring that private schools provide “substantially equivalent” education to that of public schools, because, it said, the yeshivas provided inadequate teaching in math, science, and English.

A new law, which the state legislature passed over the summer, allows schools to create educational “pathways” to comply with state law.

The state’s Education Department said the yeshivas were ineligible to take advantage of the new law, since they were already said to be out of compliance when the law passed.

(The state told the schools that they had to end operations by June 30.)

Parents at the yeshivas were informed that students would need to find alternative educational options for the 2025-26 school year.

McNally ruled that the state acted “contrary to law” when it said that the yeshivas ceased to be schools when they were deemed out of compliance with the law.

Instead, the judge said, the yeshivas were still schools—just noncompliant ones. As such, he said, the yeshivas have the opportunity to apply for and undergo evaluation for alternative pathways.

The ruling allows the yeshivas to remain open during that process and to receive public funding for services, such as transportation and special education.

The New York Times has published several articles claiming that Brooklyn yeshivas do not provide adequate education. Critics have called those articles antisemitic.

“This case may have long-term implications if, in the future, any school is declared non-equivalent,” Agudath Israel stated. “Based on this ruling, a school can still choose to avail itself of a pathway. The ‘non-school’ argument was soundly defeated.”

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Felon who raged at Jewish families outside a synagogue pleads guilty to illegal gun charges.

By World Israel News Staff

A Michigan man who threatened parents and children at a synagogue pleaded guilty to illegal gun possession charges last week, after he plotted to unleash “God’s wrath” on Jews.

Hassan Chokr, 35, was a convicted felon out on bail when he attempted to purchase automatic weapons in order to massacre Jewish children at Temple Beth El, a Bloomfield Hills, Michigan synagogue.

Shortly before trying to buy the guns in December 2022, Chokr drove through the parking lot of a synagogue and Jewish preschool, threatening parents and kids.

Witnesses said that Chokr had made chilling antisemitic threats and used hateful slurs.

According to local news reports, Chokr shouted “You are all going to die!” “You’re going to pay!” and “F— you, Israel,” at adults and children.

After his tirade, he drove to a nearby gun store. While examining guns for sale, Chokr told the store’s owners that he was buying the weapons in order carry out “God’s wrath.”

Because Chokr was already a convicted felon, he failed a background check and was unable to purchase the weapons.

Prosecutors charged Chokr in December 2022 for being a felon in possession of weapons, after lying on his gun license application and illegally holding the guns while in the store.

Chokr pleaded guilty to the charges in late May 2025, and will be sentenced in September. He faces up to 15 years in prison.

“The federal government must do everything in its power to stem the rising tide of antisemitism. Chokr’s attempt to purchase several deadly firearms in an apparent attempt to follow through on his menacing threats against parents and preschoolers as they walked into a place of worship represents every American’s worst nightmare,” United States Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. said in a media statement.

Gorgon stressed that “we will not allow anyone to terrorize our Jewish neighbors. We are committed to protecting every American and their right to live and worship free of fear.”

Shortly after his arrest, Chokr cursed at the judge supervising his preliminary hearing, calling her a “Zionist b—-” and “Jewish b—-.”

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The 26,473 students at the 63 schools covered in the Teach survey represent about 10% of the Jewish students in the four states.

By Vita Fellig, JNS

Amid rising Jew-hatred since Oct. 7, 2023, Jewish day schools in New York, New Jersey, Florida and Pennsylvania are spending almost 85% more on security, per an April 2025 report from Teach Coalition, the Orthodox Union’s Jewish educational advocacy group.

Each of the 63 Jewish day schools in those states, which the report covered, spent $184,228 annually on security on average during the 2022-23 school year, or about $445 per student.

They charged some 40% of students a separate security fee, and overall, spent some 1.85% of their total budget on keeping people safe.

By 2024–2025, that figure rose sharply to $339,297 annually per school on average—an 84% increase—or $807 per pupil.

Gabriel Aaronson, director for policy and research at Teach, told JNS that security costs for Jewish day schools are rising almost 10 times faster than other school expenses.

“Overall, budgets for these schools went up by about 9% over the course of two years,” he said. “But security expenses ballooned by 84%. It’s not like all costs went up evenly. Security is what has really skyrocketed.”

Jewish schools are carrying a heavier financial burden, which is unrelated to general inflation or rising economic costs, according to Aaronson.

“Non-Jewish schools don’t face this kind of extra cost,” he said. “It’s almost like an antisemitism tax. Schools are paying more just because they’re Jewish, through no fault of their own, and that’s a really powerful point when we talk to legislators.”

Families ultimately assume the burden via higher tuition fees.

“In the 2022-23 school year, about 40% of students were paying a separate security fee,” Aaronson told JNS. “Now, in the 2024-25 school year, it’s 52%, and another 26% of students attend schools where tuition increased directly because of higher security costs.”

“Ultimately, every additional dollar that schools spend on security ends up coming from parents,” he said.

The 26,473 students at the 63 schools covered in the Teach survey represent about 10% of the Jewish students in the four states. Some of the schools have fewer than 100 students, and others have more than 1,000.

Rabbi Dani Rockoff, head of school at the Westchester Day School, told JNS that the Modern Orthodox school in Mamaroneck, N.Y., with about 320 students, had to increase security personnel since Oct. 7.

“The security that we provide is above and beyond what it already costs to run a school, from dealing with facility costs to having excellent teachers, so the fact that we need to provide all these other measures on the security front for a school is quite onerous,” he said.

“Security is important in any school, not just Jewish day schools, but as Jews and supporters of Israel living in this country who are proud Zionists, we recognize the sad reality that this fact makes us a target to some,” Rockoff said.

Government support via federal and state funding has been critical in helping the school defray security costs, according to Rockoff.

“We don’t want our students to worry about security. We just want them to feel safe,” he told JNS. “For parents, sending their most precious possessions—their children—to a Jewish day school to learn the values of Judaism and supporting Israel, it’s critical that they can trust that the school is an environment where they can express their identity freely.”

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The man wrote: ‘What is happening in Gaza is not okay. I am going to shoot three children from your school.’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Dutch police are searching for a 31 year old man who threatened to kill children at a Jewish school in Amsterdam.

The man sent an email in early February saying, “What is happening in Gaza is not okay. I am going to shoot three children from your school. I have been watching them for a while. Enough, you will pay in blood.”

Dutch police reported, “We believe the suspect is a 31-year-old man who is currently staying in Turkey and has not yet been arrested.”

Authorities did not mention whether an extradition order had been sent to Turkish officials.

Despite the threats, the Cheider School is still operating, albeit under tight security.

There are growing concerns about antisemitism in Amsterdam.

Earlier this month, two IDF soldiers vacationing in Amsterdam were forced to flee the city after an anti-Israel group doxxed them online.

The group “Israel Genocide Tracker” posted personal details and photos of the two soldiers, accusing them of “genocide in Gaza.”

On X, “Israel Genocide Tracker” wrote, “After participating in the Gaza genocide, this Israeli tank commander from the 52nd Battalion—who was involved in kidnapping hundreds of civilians, especially in Jabalia, and who enjoyed taking selfies with them—landed in Amsterdam today for a vacation.”

In December, Israeli football fans were attacked by an antisemitic mob in Amsterdam.

Footage from the attacks shows fans being beaten, chased with knives, and dodging vehicles attempting to ram into them.

There were reports of attempted stabbings and assailants throwing victims into a river.

Maariv reported at the time that there was at least one attempted kidnapping, with many seeking shelter from the riot by barricading themselves in stores and buildings.

Danny Danon, Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, characterized the violent attack as a “pogrom.”

He wrote on X, “These are the true faces of the supporters of the radical terrorism we are fighting. The Western world needs to wake up now!!”

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Incident marks second time in six months that gunmen targeted Jewish school in Toronto; none injured.

By World Israel News Staff

Unknown perpetrators shot at a Jewish school in Canada on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for Jews, causing damage to a building but no injuries.

A bullet shattered a window at the Bais Chaya Mushka girls school in the North York neighborhood of Toronto on Saturday, according to media reports.

Notably, the shooting was the second of its kind in months, as unknown gunmen previously targeted the school in May.

“We understand this is deeply unsettling for the Jewish community,” said Inspector Paul Krawczyk, who confirmed local police had opened a hate crime investigation into the incident.

Krawczyk said the shooting likely took place around 4 a.m.. There were no reports about the gunfire made to the police at the time, he added.

“We’re asking anyone who is in the area or who could have dash cam footage or other CCTV footage to please step forward and provide us with that evidence. Your help is vital to the work we do and to find those responsible,” he said.

Referencing the previous shooting at the school, Krawcyzk told Canadian media that “while we can’t say whether these incidents are connected at this time, it’s certainly a key aspect of our investigation.”

Local police will be stepping up their patrols in the North York neighborhood, which is a heavily Jewish enclave within Toronto.

“I’m very disturbed to hear that last night, as families marked Yom Kippur, there were shots fired at a Jewish school in Toronto,” wrote Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a statement on his X account.

“As we wait for more details, my heart goes out to the students, staff, and parents who must be terrified and hurting today,” he added.

“Antisemitism is a disgusting and dangerous form of hate — and we won’t let it stand.”

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No injuries were reported, although there was clear evidence of gunfire.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Police are currently searching for two suspects who fired a weapon outside of a Jewish girls elementary school in Toronto at 5 am on Saturday morning.

The incident took place at Beis Chaya Mushka school at Dufferin Street and Finch Avenue West in North York, Toronto.

https://twitter.com/Joe_Roberts01/status/1794418165025288295

No injuries were reported, although there was clear evidence of gunfire.

The two suspects arrived in a vehicle and shot at the school shortly before 5 am.

A surge in antisemitism is fueling a rise in the number of hate crimes in Canada’s largest city, according to data collected by the Toronto Police Department.

In March, Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw provided an update on hate crimes in the city, revealing that the Jewish community remains the group most targeted by hate crimes in Toronto.

Not only are Jews the most targeted group for hate crimes in the city, an absolute majority of hate crimes in Toronto targeted Jews.

Jews make up just 3.5% of the city’s overall population of 2.795 million.

Of the 84 hate crimes committed between January and March 2024 in Canada’s largest city, 56% targeted members of the Jewish community. February saw the highest number of antisemitic incidents in the last three years.

Since October 7, hate crimes in Toronto have increased by 93% compared to the same period last year.

The International Delicatessen Foods store, based in a predominantly Jewish neighborhood in Toronto, Canada, and reportedly owned by Jews of Russian origin, experienced a bomb attack, smashed windows in January.

In addition, anti-Israel protests became so virulent in Toronto that some protesters were seen wearing suicide vest, implicitly praising terrorists attacks against Israelis.

In late February, a student was targeted at Toronto’s Ontario College of Art & Design University (OCAD) when antisemitic messages and death threats directed at her personally were written on the walls.

“I had never felt so sad in my life,” Samantha, who also goes by Sam, told CTV News

Sam, who is the former president of the school’s Jewish club said, “They were all like horrible things about me, horrible things about Jews.”

“I started getting death threats. There was even sexual connotations relating to my mother and Hamas,” she said.

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The school sent out a message in the early afternoon advising the community that it was “in a developing active shooter situation.”

By JNS

A Jewish day school in Memphis, Tenn., went into lockdown for about 45 minutes on Monday afternoon after a man fired several shots nearby.

No injuries were reported at the Margolin Hebrew Academy/Feinstone Yeshiva of the South.

The man was shot dead by police.

“We have recently learned that the shooter at the Margolin Hebrew Academy was himself Jewish and a former student at the school,” stated Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.). “I am pleased the academy had effective security and that the police acted quickly to protect students.”

Earlier in the day, the congressman had denounced the “apparent act of violent antisemitism.”

At about 12:20 p.m., officers received a call that a white man armed with a handgun was at the school, according to Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn (“C.J.”) Davis.

The man reportedly fired his weapon outside the school. No injuries were reported, and the suspect fled prior to officers’ arrival, according to Davis.

An alert went out to officers across the country for a suspect driving a maroon Dodge Ram pickup truck with Calif. tags, Davis said. When officers conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle, the driver exited armed with a handgun. A Memphis officer then fired his weapon, hitting the suspect, who was taken to a local hospital in critical condition and eventually died.

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is investigating, she added.

The Orthodox school, which enrolls students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12, sent out a message in the early afternoon advising the community that it was “in a developing active shooter situation,” according to Fox 13 News.

“We can confirm that no one has been hurt in any way, and everyone is now safe, thank G-d,” it added. “Our campus is completely closed. Thank you for your understanding.”

Reports on social media stated that the suspect, who has yet to be identified publicly, fired between two and four gunshots.

Michael Masters, national director and CEO of Secure Community Network, posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the network “and partners tracked and identified the individual who fired shots at Margolin Hebrew Academy in Memphis.”

Davis said “I am proud of the vigilant and quick response of MPD officers who mitigated a potential mass-shooting situation today. Many thanks to our neighboring jurisdictions for also providing critical information to stop the suspect’s actions.”

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