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Five thousand firefighters struggled Tuesday to contain multiple wildfires raging across northern Portugal that are blamed for causing at least six deaths including four firefighters and forcing an unknown number of residents to flee their homes. Some 100 fires reported by national authorities stretched the firefighting brigades. Authorities have yet to give figures on how many people have had to evacuate and how many homes have been lost. Over 50 people have been injured. Civil Protection official André Fernandes said that three firefighters had died while traveling by road Tuesday, but it was not known if their vehicle had crashed before it was engulfed by flames. The deaths of two civilians were confirmed, one from burns and the other from cardiac arrest, and one more firefighter died from an unspecified illness while on duty, over the weekend. With no rain forecast, national authorities prolonged an alert for fires until Thursday. The measure included a ban on farmers using heavy machinery to harvest crops because of the risk of sparks that could start more fires. The hot, dry conditions behind the outbreaks in Portugal came while downpours caused flooding in central Europe. “I would like to say within a word of calm and tranquility we also need to be realistic,” Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro said late on Monday. “We will endure difficult hours in the coming days. We need to prepare for it and we need to come together for it.” Among the hardest hit areas is the district of Aveiro, south of the northern city of Porto, but blazes were also raging out of control in other wooded areas. Portuguese state broadcaster RTP showed images of houses burnt to the ground and smoke billowing over charred terrain in the area of Castro de Aire. Ground units were supported by Portuguese water-dropping aircraft. Fellow European Union members Spain, France Italy and Greece have committed to providing eight more planes to help local forces. “The EU stands with Portugal as it battles major wildfires,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a message on X. “I thank France, Greece, Italy and Spain for their rapid reaction. This is EU solidarity at its best.” Still, televised images showed some residents wielding tree branches and buckets of water to try to save their homes from encroaching fires. Portugal was devasted by massive fires in 2017 that killed over 120 people and burned over half a million hectares. (AP)

It is with great sadness that Matzav.comreports the petirah of Rav Shmuel Raber zt”l, rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Otzar HaTorah in Yerushalayim.

Rav Raber, who dedicated his life to teaching Torah and guiding thousands of talmidim, passed away at the age of 74 after a prolonged illness.

Rav Raber was a son of Rav Avraham Aba Raber and Mrs. Rachel Haber. He attended the Yeshiva of Kfar Chassidim, where he quickly gained the respect of his rabbeim, particularly Rav Eliyahu Lopian and Rav Mishkovsky.

After marrying his wife, Rav Raber began his career in harbotzas haTorah at the Daas Torah yeshiva in Yerushalayim. He later established and led the Otzar HaTorah yeshiva in the Ramot neighborhood of Yerushalayim, where he profoundly impacted the lives of countless bnei Torah.

Rav Raber was renowned for his unique approach to chinuch. Many heads of smaller yeshivas sought his advice on educating their talmidim. He was deeply loved by his talmidim, who saw him as a father figure. His teachings not only inspired them to embrace the Torah, but also imparted important methods for in-depth study of Torah.

Rav Raber was hospitalized at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Yerushalayim, where he passed away surrounded by his family.

Rav Raber is survived by his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

The levayah was held at the Otzar HaTorah yeshiva of Rechov Chizkiyahu Shabtai in Ramot. Kevurah took place on Har Hamenuchos.

Yehi zichro boruch.

{Matzav.com Israel}

The negotiations for Gideon Sa’ar’s entry into the government were suspended on Tuesday due to a complex security event which complicates replacing Defense Minister Yoav Gallant at this time, according to a source involved in the talks. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is currently at the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, where he held a lengthy meeting with Mossad chief David Barnea. According to a Maariv report, the security system received very serious warnings in recent hours – the element of surprise against Lebanon has been lost and may have flipped. A political source stated, “There is currently an ongoing ‘not simple’ security incident, during which it may not be feasible to replace the Defense Minister, and they might have to wait a bit for it to conclude.” The source added, “The Prime Minister is currently in security consultations and has not been personally involved in the negotiations since this morning.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Rabbi Avraham Noach and Devora Paley have celebrated the birth of a son, their second son born after the tragic deaths of their children, Menachem and Yaakov Yisrael Paley in the vehicular terror attack on Erev Shabbos Parshas Yisro at a bus stop in the Ramot neighborhood.

Just last week, the family celebrated the Bar Mitzvah of their son, Moishe, who survived the attack. Moishe was a meter away from Rav Alter Shlomo Lederman, who was murdered.

Additionally, the Paley family recently announced the engagement of their eldest daughter to Shloimy Steinharter, a talmid at Yeshiva Bais Mattisyahu.

Reb Avraham Nachum Paley, who miraculously survived the attack and has since recovered b’siyata diShmaya, serves as a Rosh Kollel in Ramot.

A month after the attack, the Paley family welcomed a son named Yonasan Refoel. Now, as mentioned, they have welcomed another son.

Additionally, another simcha: The widow of Rav Alter Yaakov Lederman got remarried last Tuesday in Yerushalayim to Reb Menachem Aryeh Konigsberger, a Chernobyler Chossid.

{Matzav.com Israel}

The Shin Bet thwarted a Hezbollah attempt to assassinate a former senior Israeli security official which was set to be carried out in the coming days, the Shin Bet revealed on Tuesday afternoon. In its announcement, the Shin Bet also revealed for the first time that Hezbollah was behind the attempted attack in Yarkon Park in Tel Aviv in September 2023. The Shin Bet found a Claymore explosive device, which is known to be used by Hezbollah, with a remote activation mechanism based on a camera and a cell phone  that was set to be activated by Hezbollah from Lebanon. “Operational preparation and the activity of the forces prevented the attack in the final stages of implementation,” the Shin Bet stated. “The target of the attack has been briefed by the security forces and is being updated accordingly. At this stage, it is not possible to provide further details.” “The device is similar in its characteristics to the Claymore device used by Hezbollah on September 15, 2023 in Yarkon Park, which was intended to hit an Israeli official. The assessment in the security system is that the Hezbollah elements involved in the current incident were behind the attack in September 2023. It should be emphasized that the infrastructure was under surveillance for a long time.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)  

The United States remains engaged with intermediaries from Egypt and Qatar to craft a new ceasefire proposal for the ongoing Gaza conflict, according to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller on Monday, as reported by Reuters.

For several weeks, officials have indicated that a new plan is forthcoming, with the aim of securing an agreement that includes the release of hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7.

Miller told the press that Washington is actively collaborating with these mediators to finalize the details of the proposal, stating that “it’s a proposal that can get the parties to an ultimate agreement.”

“I don’t have a timetable for you other than to say that we are working expeditiously to try to develop that proposal,” Miller added.

The U.S. has been advocating for a ceasefire and a hostage release plan, originally outlined by President Joe Biden in May, though Hamas has repeatedly dismissed all proposals offered to it.

Last week, Hamas once again asserted its negotiators’ willingness to agree to an “immediate” ceasefire with Israel in Gaza, based on a prior U.S. proposal without additional stipulations from any party.

Miller pointed out on Monday that the main sticking points in the negotiations remain Israel’s determination to keep forces in the Philadelphi corridor, as well as the specifics surrounding the exchange of hostages and terrorist prisoners held by Israel.

His statements echoed those of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who last week countered the pessimism surrounding a potential hostage deal, promising that the U.S. would soon put forth a fresh proposal.

“On the ceasefire, here’s what I can tell you: More than 90 percent of the issues have been agreed, decided. So we’re down to a handful of issues – not even a handful of issues – that are hard but fully resolvable, in our judgment. And as we’ve said before, when you get down to the last 10 percent, the last 10 meters, those are, almost by definition, the hardest ground to cover. But we believe that these are fully resolvable,” Blinken explained to reporters.

“Right now, we’re working intensely with our Egyptian and Qatari counterparts to work together to bridge any remaining gaps. And in the coming time, very soon, we’ll put that before the parties and we’ll see what they say,” he added.

{Matzav.com}

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A Cornell University professor who praised Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, calling it “exhilarating” and “energizing,” has returned to his teaching role at the prestigious upstate Ivy League institution, as reported by The New York Post.

History Professor Russell Rickford had been on “voluntary leave” for a year following widespread backlash after he was caught on video expressing support for the Hamas assault at an off-campus protest.

“It was exhilarating, it was energizing… I was exhilarated,” Rickford stated at the rally before later issuing an apology for his remarks, which glorified the killing of innocent civilians.

According to The Post, Rickford is now teaching two courses this semester, African Americans Vision of America and Socialism in America, in addition to leading a seminar.

Cornell University acknowledged in a statement to The Post that Rickford was not disciplined for his inflammatory statements. The institution declined to comment on whether he received pay while on leave.

Rickford’s words were condemned at the time by Cornell’s leadership as “reprehensible,” with the administration describing them as reflecting a “complete disregard for humanity.” However, Joel Malina, Cornell’s Vice President for University Relations, explained that Rickford’s right to free speech protected him from disciplinary measures.

“Since Professor Rickford’s comments were made in his personal capacity during his own time, the university leadership determined that his conduct in this case did not meet the threshold required for any disciplinary action,” Malina said.

Congresswoman Claudia Tenney voiced her objections, sending a letter to Cornell’s interim president, Michael Kotlikoff, protesting Rickford’s reinstatement.

“I am deeply appalled by Cornell’s decision to continue employing Mr. Rickford after his horrendous remarks celebrating the murder of innocent people and inciting violence,” Tenney wrote in the letter, which was shared with The Post.

“No matter one’s stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, describing the death of human beings, including women, children, the elderly, and Holocaust survivors, as energizing’ or exhilarating’ is indefensible,” Tenney continued.

“Rickford’s role at the university gives him the power to shape and influence the minds of young people. This position comes with a higher expectation of conduct, one that rejects antisemitic rhetoric and open endorsement of terrorism. By spreading such vile views, Rickford has not only violated his ethical duties as an educator but has also endangered the Jewish community and damaged Cornell’s reputation,” Tenney concluded.

In its statement, Cornell emphasized that Rickford had apologized and voluntarily stepped away from his position for the remainder of the academic year.

However, the university maintained that under the framework of academic freedom, Rickford’s comments did not meet the criteria for disciplinary action. “In accordance with well-established principles of academic freedom, Cornell follows a process to determine whether public remarks like those made by Professor Rickford at an off-campus political event fall under the umbrella of protected speech or cross the line into prohibited bias, discrimination, or harassment,” Malina wrote.

This controversy surrounding Rickford is just one of several antisemitic incidents that have taken place on Cornell’s campus in the past year.

In the most severe case, a student was arrested after threatening to kill Jewish students on campus.

The threats were posted on an online forum about fraternities and sororities in October, prompting concern among students and leading to warnings for Jewish students to avoid the campus’s kosher dining hall.

The student, Patrick Dai, later admitted to posting the threats and was sentenced in August to 21 months in prison.

Cornell University President Martha Pollack stepped down in May, though she insisted that her resignation was unrelated to the protests against Israel or the incidents of antisemitism on campus.

{Matzav.com}

Allowing people to bet on the outcome of U.S. elections poses a great risk that some will try to manipulate the betting markets, which could cause more harm to the already fragile confidence voters have in the integrity of results, according to a federal agency that wants the bets to be banned. The Commodities and Futures Trading Commission is trying to prevent New York startup company Kalshi from resuming offering bets on the outcome of this fall’s congressional elections. The company accepted an unknown number of such bets last Friday during an eight-hour window between when a federal judge cleared the way and when a federal appeals court slammed the brakes on them. Those bets are now on hold while the appellate court considers the issue at a hearing Thursday. At issue is whether Kalshi, and other companies, should be free to issue predictive futures contracts — essentially yes-no wagers — on the outcome of elections, a practice that is regulated in the U.K. but is currently prohibited in the U.S. The commission warns that misinformation and collusion is likely to happen in an attempt to move those betting markets. And that, it says, could irreparably harm the integrity, or at least the perceived integrity, of elections at a time when such confidence is already low. “The district court’s order has been construed by Kalshi and others as open season for election gambling,” the commission wrote in a brief filed Saturday. “An explosion in election gambling on U.S. futures exchanges will harm the public interest.” The commission noted that such attempts at manipulation have already occurred on at least two similar unapproved platforms, including a fake poll claiming that singer Kid Rock was leading Michigan Sen. Debbie Stabenow, which moved the price of re-elections contracts for the senator during a period in which the singer was rumored to be considering a candidacy. He ultimately did not run. It also cited a case in 2012 in which one trader bet millions on Mitt Romney to make the presidential election look closer than it actually was. “These examples are not mere speculation,” the commission wrote. “Manipulation has happened, and is likely to recur.” Unlike unregulated online platforms, Kalshi sought out regulatory oversight for its election bets, wanting the benefit of government approval. “Other election prediction markets … are operating right now outside of any federal oversight, and are regularly cited by the press for their predictive data,” it wrote. “So a stay would accomplish nothing for election integrity; its only effect would be to confine all election trading activity to unregulated exchanges. That would harm the public interest.” The commission called that argument “sophomoric.” “A pharmacy does not get to dispense cocaine just because it is sold on the black market,” it wrote. “The commission determined that election gambling on U.S. futures markets is a grave threat to election integrity. That another platform is offering it without oversight from the CFTC is no justification to allow election gambling to proliferate.” Before the window closed, the market appeared to suggest that bettors figured the GOP would regain control the Senate and the Democrats would win back the House: A $100 bet on Republicans Senate control was priced to pay $129 while a $100 bet for Democratic House control would pay $154. (AP)

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The IDF on Monday eliminated Ahmed Aish Salame al-Hashash, the head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad’s rocket unit in Rafah. As per Gazan terrorists’ customary mode of operation, Al-Hashash was using Gazan civilians as human shields and firing rockets at Israel from the humanitarian area in Khan Younis. After taking measures to protect civilians, IDF fighter jets carried out a precision strike, killing Al-Hashash. “Al-Hashash was responsible for the Islamic Jihad’s rocket attacks from Rafah and was an important source of knowledge in PIJ’s rocket array,” the IDF said. “During the war, Al-Hashash was responsible for firing rockets from inside the humanitarian area toward Israeli civilians.” “At the time of the strike, Al-Hashash was embedded and operating inside the humanitarian Area in Khan Younis. Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence.” “Terror organizations in the Gaza Strip are systematically violating international law, exploiting civilian institutions and the population as human shields for terrorist actions. The IDF will continue to operate with strength and determination against these terrorist groups.” (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

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Israel’s security cabinet has added a new war goal: to return the residents of the north to their homes, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced early Tuesday morning. Israel’s security cabinet met in the Kiryah in Tel Aviv on Tuesday night following the meetings of US special envoy Amos Hochstein with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant earlier in the day. Hochstein flew to Israel as part of the Biden administration’s last-ditch attempt to forge a diplomatic solution to the Hezbollah terror group’s ongoing attacks on Israel. However, both Gallant and Netanyahu made it clear to Hochstein that “the window for a diplomatic solution” has passed and Israel must do what it takes to restore security to its northern border. There are currently 68,500 displaced Israelis who were evacuated from their homes close to the northern border in the wake of the October 7 assault and subsequent Hezbollah attacks on Israel. And of course, there are hundreds of thousands of Israelis living in the north in communities that were not evacuated but are under constant Hezbollah fire. Returning those residents to their homes, which will not be possible without an all-out war with Hezbollah, has now been added  to the preexisting war goals of the destruction of Hamas and the return of the hostages, an apparent signal that Israel has decided to launch a war with Hezbollah Ynet reported that senior IDF officials support extending the war to the north, saying that there’s no possibility of returning northern residents to their homes with a diplomatic agreement alone. Even those who initially supported a diplomatic agreement have changed their minds in the wake of Hezbollah’s increasingly aggressive attacks that have lasted for almost a year. The IDF has learned more about the operations of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force along the border. Although most Radwan terrorists have been killed or fled northward, they left behind much infrastructure and military sources say that IDF forces must carry out a ground operation to dismantle it. (YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

WATCH:

The United States announced new sanctions Monday against a commercial spyware company headed by a former Israeli military officer whose program allowed easy access to almost any information stored on a smartphone. U.S. officials and private researchers say Intellexa Consortium’s products have been used for mass surveillance campaigns around the world, allowing unscrupulous users to track and obtain sensitive information from dissidents, journalists, political candidates and opposition figures. The penalties target five people and one organization connected to Intellexa, a Greece-based network of companies with subsidiaries in North Macedonia, Hungary, Ireland and the British Virgin Islands. The company developed and sold a suite of spyware tools known as Predator that allowed entry into a target’s device without requiring them to click on a link or attachment. The program would then grant access to the camera and microphone as well as any data or files stored on the compromised phone. “The United States will not tolerate the reckless propagation of disruptive technologies that threatens our national security and undermines the privacy and civil liberties of our citizens,” said Bradley T. Smith, acting undersecretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence. Several subsidiaries of Intellexa and two employees, including its founder, were sanctioned earlier this year by the Biden administration. Last year, the Commerce Department blacklisted Intellexa and one of its subsidiaries, denying them access to U.S. technology. The five people subject to the new penalties each held senior positions at Intellexa or one of its subsidiaries, U.S. officials say. The Aliada Group, another subsidiary based in the British Virgin Islands, also was sanctioned over allegations of enabling financial transactions for Intellexa that totaled tens of millions of dollars, officials said. Messages left with Intellexa and its executives were not immediately returned Monday. Intellexa was created in 2019 by former Israeli military officer Tal Dilian. Dilian and Sara Hamou, a corporate offshoring specialist who has provided managerial services to Intellexa, were penalized earlier this year in what Biden administration officials said was the first time sanctions were issued over the misuse of spyware. Individuals and organizations under sanctions are prohibited from engaging in business or financial transactions within the U.S. or with U.S. entities. Amnesty International’s Security Lab published a report last year that found Predator had been used to target but not necessarily infect devices connected to the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, and the president of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-Wen, as well as Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, and Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D. Europe also has faced a number of spyware incidents. Predator spyware was reportedly used in Greece, a revelation that helped precipitate the resignation in 2022 of two top government officials, including the national intelligence director. (AP)

The withdrawal of U.S. troops from Niger is complete, an American official said Monday. A small number of military personnel assigned to guard the U.S. Embassy remain, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters. Earlier this year, Niger’s ruling junta ended an agreement that allowed U.S. troops to operate in the West African country. A few months later, officials from both countries said in a joint statement that U.S. troops would complete their withdrawal by the middle of September. The U.S. handed over its last military bases in Niger to local authorities last month, but about two dozen American soldiers had remained in Niger, largely for administrative duties related to the withdrawal, Singh said. Niger’s ouster of American troops following a coup last year has broad ramifications for Washington because it’s forcing troops to abandon critical bases that were used for counterterrorism missions in the Sahel. groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group operate in the vast region south of the Sahara desert. One of those groups, Jama’a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin, known as JNIM, is active in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, and is looking to expand into Benin and Togo. Niger had been seen as one of the last nations in the restive region that Western nations could partner with to beat back growing jihadi insurgencies. The U.S. and France had more than 2,500 military personnel in the region until recently, and together with other European countries had invested hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance and training. In recent months Niger has pulled away from its Western partners, turning instead to Russia for security. In April, Russian military trainers arrived in Niger to reinforce the country’s air defenses. (AP)

A top aide to Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson apologized for referring to police as “f***ing pigs” but denies charges that she heckled the only Jewish member of the Chicago City Council, WTTW News reported.

While Kennedy Bartley, 29, the mayor’s managing deputy for external relations, “apologized for her anti-police remarks, she declined to express regret for posting ‘From the river to the sea. Palestine will be free. Amen!’ on her private account on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, on Oct. 9—just two days after the Hamas attacks on Israel,” per WTTW.

“Bartley said she does not agree with some Jewish American groups that the phrase is antisemitic,” the news organization reported. “Bartley said it is a call for freedom for Palestinians and the establishment of a Palestinian state, not a call for the destruction of Israel.”

“Bartley said she did not understand when she made that post that the phrase ‘from the river to the sea’ had been ‘weaponized’ by those who want Israel to cease to exist. That is the stated goal of Hamas, considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. government,” WTTW added. “While Bartley said she would be more ‘mindful’ of that context in the future, she declined to say she would never use the phrase again.”

Debra Silverstein, an alderman and the Chicago City Council’s lone Jewish member, said of Bartley’s post that “to me and, I’m sure, to the majority of the mainstream Jewish community, it was similar to a congratulations to Hamas, an internationally known terrorist organization,” per the Chicago Sun-Times.

Scott Waguespack, another city alderman, told the Sun-Times that he heard Bartley and others “snapping and whistling and jeering” while Silverstein spoke before the City Council, before the mayor cast the tie-breaking vote to call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

“That’s why I yelled. That was the first time I’ve sort of been like, ‘Hey, be quiet and don’t be disrespectful,’” Waguespack told the Sun-Times. “I thought it was extremely disrespectful and trying to shout her down.”

“I’m not Jewish, but I don’t understand this. I would think that the community would see that behavior as deep behavior that’s not gonna go away with an apology,” Waguespack told the paper.

Silverstein told the Sun-Times that Bartley tried to call her but that “I’m not forgiving that fast.”

(JNS)

Iran’s new reformist president insisted Monday that Tehran didn’t want to enrich uranium at near-weapons grade levels but had been forced to by the U.S. withdrawal from its nuclear deal with world powers. The comments by President Masoud Pezeshkian, in response to a question by The Associated Press at his first news conference, underlines a campaign promise he made to try to see international sanctions on the Islamic Republic lifted. However, it remains unclear just how much room for negotiation Pezeshkian will have — and just who will be in the White House come next year. “I think, we said many times, we don’t want to do this at all. We want to solve our technical and scientific needs, we are not looking for nuclear weapons,” Pezeshkian said. “We adhered to the framework written in the (nuclear deal). We are still looking to maintain those frameworks. They tore them, they forced us to do something.” He added: “If they don’t continue, we will not continue,” Pezeshkian’s comments came as Iran enriches uranium up to 60% purity, which is just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Iran long has insisted its nuclear program is peaceful, but Western nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency say Iran had a military nuclear program up until 2003. Iran’s supreme leader, the 85-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has opened the door to possible negotiations by earlier telling its civilian government there was “no harm” in engaging with its “enemy.” There have been indirect talks between Iran and the U.S. in recent years mediated by Oman and Qatar, two of Washington’s Middle East interlocutors when it comes to Iran. Pezeshkian’s new foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, also was deeply involved in negotiating the 2015 deal. Meanwhile, tensions between Iran and Israel have hit a new high during the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Tehran launched an unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel in April. A shadow war between the two countries over the years reached a climax with Israel’s apparent attack on an Iranian consular building in Syria that killed two Iranian generals and others. The July assassination in Tehran of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, suspected to have been carried out by Israel, also prompted Iran to threaten to retaliate against Israel. Pezeshkian, meanwhile, said that Iran wouldn’t give up its ballistic missile arsenal “unless all are disarmed in our region.” He made a point to say that Israel should disarm after earlier criticizing its conduct in the ongoing war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. “We need military power for the security of our people and country,” he said. “We will not lose our defense power unless all are disarmed in our region. If America also respects our rights, we have no dispute. Do not sanction or threaten us, we will not be threatened.” (AP)

In early February, nearly 100 protesters who called for Pennsylvania to divest from Israel bonds were arrested at the state Capitol. “Israel is our greatest ally in the Middle East, and I will always stand with them,” Stacy Garrity, the state treasurer, said at the time. “Israel bonds are a smart, dependable investment with a proven track record, and it’s especially important to show our support at a time when the people of Israel are facing horrific terrorism.”

Pennsylvania invests some $56 million in Israel Bonds, including a $20 million investment since Oct. 7, according to an Oct. 12 press release from the state treasurer. That investment has been a frequent area in which Erin McClelland, Garrity’s Democratic challenger, has criticized the state treasurer.

McClelland, an Allegheny County Department of Human Services policy adviser, and a former substance abuse and mental-health counselor, has described Israel Bonds often as risky investments.

“Moody’s downgraded Israel’s credit rating citing concerns of foreign political instability, governance, debt/GDP ratio since March 2023,” she wrote in February. “The increasing risk in economic indicators is not a smart, stable investment for workers’ pensions or the Pennsylvania Treasury.”

“Hyper-polarization of economic data makes for bad policy. The downgrade of Israel’s credit rating is a setback,” she wrote in another February post, sharing a quote from Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, who said that Israel doesn’t judge its economic strength based on how the world evaluates it.

“This disproportionate and inflammatory response from their finance minister is very alarming,” she added. “This is not where we should invest workers’ pensions and Pennsylvania tax dollars.” (JNS sought comment from McClelland several times.)

McClelland has also said that investing in Israel bonds could make Pennsylvania a potential terror target. “We’ve seen an increase in those attacks since October,” she told the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle. “We saw the Aliquippa Water Authority get hacked by Iran because they use an Israeli-made software system.”

Garrity, a 30-year Army Reserve veteran, told JNS the commonwealth’s longstanding holdings of Israel Bonds are evidence of its nonpartisan nature, and state treasurers must use the “prudent investor standard” in their decisions rather than playing partisan politics with taxpayer funds.

“On both sides of the aisle, regardless of your political party, Pennsylvania has been investing in these bonds,” she told JNS.

The Keystone State has held Israel Bonds since 1993, with a typical balance of $20 to $40 million, according to Garrity. The current balance represents about 2% of the state’s entire fixed-income allocation, and all purchases, including those after Oct. 7, fall within the state Treasury’s investment policy statement, she said.

“It’s one of the better-performing fixed income investments that we have,” Garrity told JNS. “Israel Bonds have strong returns above market. They’re very reliable, and so they clearly meet the standard.”

Garrity added that her decision and that of her predecessors to invest in Israel Bonds goes beyond solid financial returns.

“With Israel being our greatest ally in the Middle East, I’m always going to stand with them, and that is why we invested the additional $20 million,” she told JNS. “It’s part of the reason state treasurers of both parties have invested in them for more than 30 years.”

“Investing in Israel Bonds is a great investment for the commonwealth, and it’s a great investment in democracy,” she added.

Six months after Oct. 7, Israel Bonds said its global sales since the massacre had surpassed $3 billion, with more than 35 U.S. state and municipal bodies investing a total of $1.7 billion.

The total figure is nearly three times the company’s average annual sales volume in recent years.

McClelland has stated that Pennsylvania should focus on investing in American companies rather than foreign entities, insisting that her criticism of Garrity’s practices is not focused narrowly on Israel.

But Garrity told JNS that it is a best practice in investing to diversify internationally.

“Foreign markets and individual stocks are going to move in different circles in U.S. markets and reduce volatility in the portfolio,” she said.

“Some of the world’s best companies are domiciled outside of the United States,” she added, citing companies like Nestle, Samsung, Anheuser-Busch and Airbus.

In her visits to all 67 counties in Pennsylvania, Garrity has heard broad support for Israel Bonds, she told JNS.

“They applaud when I talk about investing in Israel Bonds,” she said.

She told JNS that she was protested twice—in February at the state Capitol and in March, when activists conducted a “die-in,” pretending to lie dead on the ground, in front of the state Treasury office building.

“The only die-in that happened was Oct. 7, so that really doesn’t bother me,” Garrity told JNS of the protest. “There’s just a lot of unfortunate death, but I’m former military, so I don’t get so squishy, and I think the thing to do is stand by our great ally.”

(JNS)