Israeli actress Gal Gadot visited Hostage Square on Sunday, August 17, as tens of thousands of Israelis protested the government’s continued fighting in Gaza and demanded the release of the hostages. Gadot met with families — including former hostage Yocheved Lifshitz — to support calls for a deal to free the remaining captives.                                                                          Jerusalem Post coverage

Deborah Lyons, Canada’s antisemitism envoy, resigned three months early, citing burnout from “waking up every day to a fight,” and frustration over how hard it was for her “to get people to speak up” since taking the role after Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Jews were the most targeted group for hate crimes in Canada in 2024, with 920 incidents reported — more than any other religious, racial, or identity group, said Canadian Jewish News.

The French National Assembly has voted unanimously to promote Alfred Dreyfus to the rank of brigadier general. Dreyfus was the Jewish army captain arrested in 1894 on false espionage charges — passing military secrets to the Germans — that were a reflection of virulent antisemitism in the French military. Dreyfus had been publicly stripped of his rank and sentenced to life in prison.

He was sent to Devil’s Island in 1895. Released from Devil’s Island after five years, he lived in a state of house arrest for several years before being officially exonerated in 1906.

The Senate must still vote for the bill to become law, but it is expected to pass with a large majority.

Alex Soros, son of billionaire philanthropist George Soros, married Huma Abedin, longtime Hillary Clinton aide and ex-wife of former congressman Anthony Weiner, on June 21 in Watermill, NY.

Democrats are beginning to mobilize for a run to the White House in 2028. The Forward provided a preview: There are five Jewish governors: JB Pritzker of Illinois, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania; Josh Stein of North Carolina; Jared Polis of Colorado, and Josh Green of Hawaii.

Also mentioned is Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who is the highest-ranking Jewish elected official, and Rahm Emanuel, former U.S. Ambassador to Japan, previously Mayor of Chicago, and Barack Obama’s Chief of Staff.

Dave Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, is paying for a trip to Auschwitz for two customers involved in making an antisemitic sign at his Philadelphia bar. According to the Forward, two customers, one a Temple University student, asked two waitresses to make the light-up sign usually reserved for messages celebrating birthdays or a sports team’s win. Portnoy said he fired the two waitresses and is sending the two customers to tour the notorious concentration camp. Temple University suspended the student.