IT HAS been stated several times in this column that The Jerusalem Post is like a revolving door, with former members of the editorial staff returning, often after long absences. There are currently close to a dozen such people on the paper’s payroll or writing regular columns.
The most recent returnee is Ruth Marks Eglash, who has been appointed editor of the paper’s flagship magazine, The Jerusalem Report. An award-winning journalist and author, she has worked for various local and international news outlets and brings a wealth of experience to her new role.
■ ANOTHER award-winning journalist who writes a regular column for The Jerusalem Post is author, orator, and storyteller Barbara Sofer, who, this week, together with her good friend and colleague Barbara Goldstein, was the recipient of Hadassah Israel’s Builders of Jerusalem Award.
Both Barbaras are passionate Zionists who were born in the United States but since their adolescence have been strongly connected with Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America. Both held leadership positions in Young Judea and later in Hadassah. Both moved to Israel and remained involved with Hadassah, returning periodically to the US for speaking engagements or to attend national and regional conferences. They also accompanied Hadassah missions to Poland and Israel.
Barbara Goldstein has been the Hadassah representative on the boards of major Zionist organizations and is currently Hadassah Israel’s ambassador-at-large.
Barbara Sofer, who is the Israel director of public relations for Hadassah, originally signed a one-year contract. Twenty-five years later, she’s still there, having told Hadassah’s story, both that of the organization and that of the medical center, to countless international journalists, written stories about patients and medical staff, led tours throughout the hospital, and made moving films about the roads to recovery.
The awards ceremony and the gala dinner to mark the occasion were held in the spacious restaurant of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center. The fact that it was filled to capacity with relatives, friends, and Hadassah well-wishers is indicative of the affection and esteem in which the two women are held.
Hadassah functions are almost always fundraisers. This one was no exception. Monies donated were earmarked for the Gandel Rehabilitation Center at Hadassah Mount Scopus, where miracles are performed on wounded soldiers and injured civilians on a daily basis.
■ CHANGES IN schedule are commonplace in the life of President Isaac Herzog. The terror attack in Jerusalem on Monday was a case in point.
Herzog, who flew to London on Tuesday for an official visit to the UK, had to wind up several issues on Monday, but upon hearing that some of the victims of the terrorist attack were hospitalized at Shaare Zedek Medical Center, less than a 15-minute drive from his official residence, Herzog and his wife headed for the hospital in the early evening to visit the victims and to speak to their families and to medical staff.
He later said, “Michal and I came to visit some of those wounded in the horrific attack this morning at the Ramot junction. People going about their daily lives, on their way to work, to teach, were murdered in cold blood, and others were critically and seriously wounded by vile terrorists.
“What we are seeing is absolute evil. And in the face of absolute evil, we must continue to fight with all our strength. Israel is a strong country. Am Yisrael Chai (the Jewish people lives)!”
Relating to having seen families praying and hoping, he wished all the wounded a complete and swift recovery and expressed full confidence in Shaare Zedek’s doctors and nurses.
“Above all,” he added, “the people of Israel must be strong and understand that we are going through a difficult period. In the end, we will emerge from it, just as we have emerged from other difficult times.
“This is a very painful day, but we will know how to move forward. Our victory is in continuing our lives, our routines, despite everything and against all odds.”
He also expressed his condolences to families who had been bereaved by the attack and wished them better days ahead. In his desire for better days, Herzog concluded: “With all my heart, I pray that we will see all the hostages home.”
■ A FEDERAL lawsuit against Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories, has been filed in the Federal District Court in Colorado by the National Jewish Advocacy Center on behalf of Christian Friends of Israeli Communities and Christians for Israel USA.
The lawsuit, which is for defamation, trade libel, and tortious interference, contends that Albanese launched a malicious and false campaign accusing the charities of war crimes and other heinous acts, claims that the plaintiffs declare to be wholly baseless. Albanese knowingly published these falsehoods despite explicit warnings from one of the charities and the US Department of Justice that her accusations were defamatory and dangerous.
“If a racist antisemite gains a position of power and proceeds to abuse the public platform she enjoys in order to perpetuate lies about American religious organizations for their compassion toward and allyship with the Jewish people and the Jewish State of Israel by smearing them and calling for them to be blacklisted and sanctioned, she can and should be held liable for defamation,” said Rachel Sebbag, NJAC litigation counsel, who is representing the plaintiffs.
This past June, Albanese took her long history of blatant antisemitism to the next level by issuing a false report claiming US companies and their executives who work with Israel are enabling genocide.
Albanese launched a smear campaign against the complainants, telling both plaintiffs in an April 24, 2025, letter that they’ve engaged in “gross human rights violations,” war crimes, crimes against humanity, apartheid, crimes of aggression, willful killing, and willfully causing great suffering.
“Persecution of Israel, the Jewish people, and their supporters is not new. Albanese’s goal is to cut off our love and support for Israel, and she tramples our freedoms in the process,” explained Willem Griffioen, chairman of Christians for Israel International and Christians for Israel USA. “We share a faith in the God of Israel, and we will be that voice standing for the truth, even if we ourselves are being attacked. We will not be silent.”
■ THE WORLD Jewish Congress, in partnership with the German NGO What Matters, this week unveiled the acclaimed exhibition “Sports. Crowds. Power.” at the United Nations Palais des Nations in Geneva, underscoring the influence of sports in the rise and power of the Nazi regime, in celebration of the International Day of Peace. The exhibition, which closed at its present venue today, coincided with the first week of the UN Human Rights Council’s 60th session.
The exhibition moves on to Geneva’s main stadium, where it will remain from September 15 to 19, 2025. First launched at Berlin’s historic Olympiapark during UEFA Euro 2024, in collaboration with the Berlin Sports Museum, the exhibition traces how the Nazi regime used football to promote its ideology, persecute Jewish athletes and clubs, and marginalize those who did not conform.
It features powerful personal stories of athletes who continued to play in ghettos and concentration camps, as well as an exploration of the incomplete post-war reckoning with exclusion and extremism in football culture.
“Today, as Jews and Israelis are once again being excluded from sporting and cultural forums, Sports. Crowds. Power. should serve as a stark warning of what happens when hatred and persecution are allowed to thrive unchecked,” said WJC Israel CEO Sara Friedman following her remarks at the opening.
“Bringing this exhibition to the United Nations is our way of sounding the alarm. The diplomatic community has an obligation to reflect on the dangers and the deadly consequences of silence and inaction. Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, we must ensure that the sporting community stands firmly against antisemitism,” she added.
“Football has always reflected the societies in which it is played – at times reinforcing prejudice but also creating opportunities for solidarity and resilience,” said Daniel Lörcher, managing director of What Matters.
The exhibition is presented in cooperation with the Permanent Mission of Germany to the UN and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, in partnership with UNESCO, UPEACE, the OIF, OSCE/ODIHR, the European Union, and a coalition of 33 UN Member States.
“This exhibition is part of the World Jewish Congress’s longstanding engagement with the United Nations in Geneva to raise awareness about the dangers of antisemitism and the importance of learning lessons from the history of the Holocaust,” said Dr. Leon Saltiel, the WJC’s representative to the United Nations in Geneva. “Moments like these are an opportunity to join forces to protect human rights and democratic values,” he continued.
The exhibition is a component of the WJC’s Together Through Sport initiative, launched in 2023 in partnership with What Matters to combat discrimination and promote inclusion in football through education, remembrance, and community action.
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