A Revised Buffer Zone Bill is Back, This Time With a Veto-Proof Majority. SJP Praises and Calls for the Release of the Boulder Firebomber. Federal Charges Brought Against UMich. Protestors.

This week’s newsletter is dedicated to the Soviet Jewry Movement, which increased in momentum after Israel’s Six-Day War ended on June 10, 1967. Propelled by the desire to emigrate to Israel, the United States or anywhere Soviet Jews wished to live and practice freely, the movement was a 37-year battle to free Jews from Soviet state-sponsored antisemitism.

Refusniks protesting for the right to leave to Israel. Photo Source: Unpacked Media.

Although it started in 1963, the Soviet Jewry Movement took on a new energy in 1967 after the Israeli victory over Egypt, Jordan and Syria in the Six-Day War. Facing a multi-state Arab mobilization, Israel launched a preemptive offensive on the Egyptian air force, and pushed back Jordanian and Syrian forces on the western and northern fronts, reshaping their place in the Middle East.

Photo Source: Associated Press

The Soviet Jewry Movement accelerated after the Israeli victory. While the Soviet Union doubled down in publishing anti-Zionist propaganda and refusing exit visas, Soviet Jews embraced a new level of Jewish pride. Requests to emigrate increased significantly after Israel’s defeat of its Arab neighbors. American Jews also began a fierce advocacy campaign - “Let me People Go” - for their fellow Soviet Jews. Spanning three decades, the Soviet Jewry Movement with its American allies mounted significant political pressure and resulted in large-scale emigration of Jews out of the Soviet Union.

In the start of the 20th century, the Russian Empire had 5.7 million Jews. Today, an estimated 123,000 Jews live in Russia.

• BUFFER ZONE BILL IS BACK WITH A VETO-PROOF MAJORITY

  • On Thursday, June 11, New York’s City Council introduced a revised buffer zone bill with a veto-proof majority. The bill, which previously passed City Council but was vetoed by Mamdani over concerns of free speech and protest, has been revised to cover elementary, middle and high schools. Above the Scroll covered the protests outside of Park East Synagogue, where were the impetus for the bill, in this newsletter.

    

Photo Source: The City

• What you need to know:

  • Universities and other higher education institutions have been excluded from the bill.

  • The bill passed City Council with a supermajority of 35 votes. A supermajority can override a veto by the mayor.

  • The mayor’s office says they are reviewing the new bill.

  • Politico reports Speaker Julie Menin spoke to the mayor about the bill.

    “I think the new bill really addresses some concerns that we had heard.” - Speaker Menin

  • NY1 reports the bill does not impact how NYPD will respond to protests, and also noted Speaker Menin and Councilmember Eric Dinowitz felt the narrower bill addressed concerns about student safety.

    “This new bill really accomplishes the mission of the original bill in that it creates safe access perimeters around schools.” - Speaker Menin

    “We’re going to keep a lot of people safer by requiring transparency and accountability with the NYPD as it relates to harassment outside of our schools.” - Eric Dinowitz

MORE IN NYC NEWS

• NY POST EDITORIAL BOARD ON MAMDANI AND ANTISEMITISM

  • Published after the subway attack last week, the Editorial Board of the NY Post wrote this piece, titled As Antisemitic Hate Crime Soars in NYC, We Must All Make Up for Mamdani’s Support of Hate.

    • While the editorial pages of the NY Post lean conservative, the issues presented should be concerning for all New Yorkers. The Editorial Board cites antisemitic hate crimes skyrocketing since last year, protests explicitly targeting Jewish communities, pushback from the mayor on protests around houses of worship, and silence on incidents like last week’s subway attack.

  • The Editorial Board writes the incidents, ranging from the Park Slope Food Coop boycott to the mayor endorsing candidates that attend pro-Hamas rallies on October 8, serve as

    “evidence of how normalized this hate has grown, even if the haters routinely pretend it’s just “anti-Zionism.”

    “With the mayor rooting for the haters, that obliges every other elected, celebrity and anyone else with a public platform to stand up taller and speak out louder. Stay silent, and the hate will only grow.”

• ANTISEMITIC SUBWAY ATTACKER HELD ON $10,000.00 BAIL

  • Diana Smith, the woman who was videotaped attacking a young Jewish woman on the subway last week, was given $10,000.00 bail by a Judge on Monday. Smith is caught on video physically assaulting the Jewish woman, ripping out her hair and saying Jews eat kids, among other verbal accusations.

    • She appeared via a virtual hearing from Bellevue Hospital.

    • Smith is being held in the psychiatric ward and has been charged with assault, criminal obstruction of breathing, aggravated harassment, among other charges which are being treated as hate crimes.

ANTISEMITISM IN AMERICA

• FEDS BRING CHARGES AGAINST UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN ANTI-ISRAEL PROTESTORS

  • Federal charges were brought against eight people this week related to pro-Palestinian protests that occurred at the University of Michigan after October 7, 2023. The defendants face multiple charges for actions allegedly taken to push UMich., the Board of Regents, Jewish Federation of Detroit, and others to divest from Israel.

  • The charges range from vandalism, “conspiracy to transmit threats, witness intimidation and destruction of property to prevent seizure”.

  • The indictment cites eight defendants, ranging in age from 21 to 28, six of whom are Michigan residents. If found guilty, they face potential prison time.

    

    Photo Source: Jewish Insider via Jordan Acker,

    University of Michigan Board of Regents member.

    June 2024.

  • The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan made this statement regarding the indictment:

    “In America, we rule by law not by fear. These alleged threats and attempts to terrorize government officials, businesses, and the Jewish Federation are anti-American. We will counter intimidation with justice.” - Jerome Gorgon Jr.

  • The NY Times reports that critics of this indictment say this is a direct effort by the Trump administration to chill speech and merge criticism of foreign policy with antisemitism.

    • It is noteworthy that a significant number of the actions brought against the defendants occurred in 2023 and 2024 under the Biden administration.

  • The defendants are accused of direct threats and harassment of multiple University of Michigan leaders, including vandalizing their homes and offices, as well as the Jewish Federation of Detroit.

    • Threats on the then president Santa Ono of the university were made against his family, stating his “entire family is now on my hit list.”

    • The indictment says the inverted red triangle and handprint, symbols associated with Hamas and terrorism, were used against the victims, as well as bloody baby dolls, tents, and bullhorns at the private residence of one University of Michigan board member’s home. Another Jewish university regent’s member’s home was also targeted while his young children were home. His wife’s car was spray-painted with the Hamas symbol and jars filled with urine were thrown through his home’s window.

      

Source: Michigan Advance via Facebook

• SJP GROUP PRAISES BOULDER TERRORIST IN A NOW DELETED POST

  • Boulder Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) published a post on social media praising the firebomber, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, who committed a terrorist attack last year against “Run for their Lives,” a weekly group walk advocating for the release of the hostages.

    • The post has since been deleted, but the Boulder SJP website calls for the release of Soliman and supports his acts of terrorism that burned 29 people and killed 82-year-old Karen Diamond.

      

      Photo Source: CBS News, Karen Diamond.

    • Their website is filled with dehumanizing, antisemitic language and the glorification of a terrorist.

      • They call people peacefully gathered for hostage walks “colonists” who call for “ongoing genocide” while claiming “they wish death upon every child in Gaza.”

      • They claim Soliman “chose the only sane response available to a rational human being confronted with the normalization of genocide. He refused the comfortable position of the grateful immigrant and the role of obedient subject, choosing confrontation with a violent system over passive proximity to the comfort of empire.”

        • As reference, Soliman was an Egyptian immigrant who was in the United States illegally after overstaying his visa. Above the Scroll covered this story, Soliman’s plea and life sentence last month.

          • He pled guilty to 101 charges and 68 sentence enhancers, including first degree murder, 52 counts of attempted murder, among multiple other charges.

    • The Denver Post reached out to SJP for comment and their requests went unanswered.

      

  • The University of Colorado Boulder denounced SJP’s social media post and said the group is not a recognized student organization.

    “Glorification of violence is abhorrent and does not reflect the University of Colorado Boulder’s values. We denounce antisemitism and violence in all forms, and prohibit discrimination and harassment on the basis of protected class.”

  • Jewish groups and the Boulder Country District Attorney called SJP’s post vile, abhorrent and antisemitic.

• Germany - a Berlin bakery is forced to close due to continuous post-October 7 harassment. Babka & Krantz had two locations (one of which was adjacent to a Holocaust memorial known for being where the Nazis created their “final solution” for the Jews) which have both closed.

  • One location closed last November, the second original location has now closed, with the owners citing they were “subjected to constant verbal abuse” since October 7. Shahar Elkin and Marcin Liera-Elkin, a married couple and owners of the bakery, say construction also affected their business, but it was consistent harassment including their car being vandalized, verbal and physical attacks, hate letters, and more, that led to the closure of both locations in less than a year.

    “We really don‘t know if Berlin is still the right place for us.” - Marcin Liera-Elkin

• London - a fifth suspect is charged in connection to the arson attack that torched four Hatzola ambulances and damaged a synagogue in March 2026.

  

  • The suspect, Subhan Ahmed, 18, a British citizen is charged with assisting an offender. The other four suspects range in age from 17 to 20 years old, and have been charged with “committing arson destroying or damaging property being reckless as to whether life would be endangered."

  • A trial date is set for January 2027. Investigations are ongoing as to whether these individuals are part of a shadow group - Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia - linked to Iran.

• Colombia - Gustavo Petro, Colombia’s president, at least for the next week until the run-off election slated for June 21, tweeted “Heil Hitler” on his X account. The social media post has not been taken down and has racked up 36.4 million views.

  

  Gustavo Petro@petrogustavo

  Heil Hitler

  

  El Espectador @elespectador

  “Colombia no necesita más retórica; necesita orden, autoridad y libertad económica”: Felipe Zuleta Lleras y Gemini IA 🔗👇 https://t.co/BP2CFuRiYI

  3:47 PM · Jun 7, 2026 · 36.4M Views

  10.6K Replies · 16.2K Reposts · 116K Likes

  • Petro, a left-wing politician, has defended the post saying it was a response to an op-ed supporting a right wing candidate. Petro has a history of antisemitic and anti-Israel comments and actions during his time in office.

  • The post sparked widespread condemnation, including 24 Latin American lawmakers that signed a statement condemning Petro’s post. The lawmakers stem from 14 countries and say:

    “Democratic leaders have a responsibility to promote a respectful public debate that is conscious of the weight of words.”

• THE FLOATERS BRINGS ALL THE SUMMER CAMP VIBES WE NEED

  • A Jewish summer camp is on the brink of closing. Bring on an all-star cast (Jackie Tohn, Sarah Podemski, Seth Green, Steve Guttenberg, Jill Kargman), everything you love about summer camp, and lots of Jewish pride and humor. Screenings around the country run all summer long.

• KNICKS FEVER TAKES OVER AND NYC IS HERE FOR IT

  • The NY Knicks epic run in the NBA finals is bringing New Yorkers together in a time when the city needed unity more than ever. Here is what we are loving about all things Knicks fever.

    • Jalen Brunson, who is also married to a nice Jewish girl, is the new messiah.

      

    • Move over black & white cookies. Zabar’s and Russ & Daughters are making blue and orange cookies through the finals. You can also get mini Knicks cupcakes by Baked By Melissa or macarons by Chef Daniel Boulud.

      

    • This Jewish kids moves are going viral:

• WEST POINT GRADUATES MORE JEWISH CADETS THAN EVER BEFORE

  • West Point, the prestigious military academy, had 30 Jewish cadets graduate in its 2026 class, the most Jews in West Point’s 224 year history.

    • The Forward reports that although the school’s public affairs office cannot officially confirm the graduating number of Jewish cadets because it “does not track or maintain official data on cadets’ religious affiliations,” an interview with Colonel Wallen, a Jewish leader associated with West Point Hillel, provided this information.

    • Wallen attributes October 7 and the increase in antisemitism to the enrollment of Jewish cadets at West Point. He said there have been no demonstrations or protest on campus:

      “This is one place that none of that has reared its ugly head. Not a hint of it. Because that’s just not who we are. There’s no place for hate of any kind at West Point.”

      

    Photo Source: Rabbi Hajioff Instagram

    • Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff hosted Jewish West Point students for shabbat and the holidays.

      “They really are the most remarkable bunch of men and women. From my talking to the students, I’d say there’s definitely been a shift of young men and women wanting to protect this country.”

GOOD JEWISH READS…

• Ora Magazine, the first luxury Jewish lifestyle magazine, just released its second issue featuring actress Emmanuel Chriqui and model-actress Nibar Madar. One cover shot in Hollywood, the other in Northern Israel. Ora is a celebration of Jewish life and culture, fusing the diaspora community with their Israeli mispacha.

  

• Highly recommend Wearing a Star of David Isn’t a Political Statement by Tali Aynalem. Through deeply personal essays, her Substack explores her Ethiopian Israeli American identity. An excerpt from the essay linked above:

  Wearing a Star of David is not a political statement. Saying you’re Israeli is not an act of aggression. Answering honestly when someone asks where you’re from is not a calculation that requires your full attention every single time. You are allowed to exist fully, in professional settings, in social settings, in every room you walk into, without apologizing for who you are.

  This is true everywhere. It is especially true when you’re the only one in the room. Because when you’re the only one, you are not just showing up for yourself. You are showing up for every other Jewish person that someone in that room will ever meet after you.

  Here is what I’ve learned after a decade of doing exactly that: most people are not threatened by your identity. They are curious about it. When you show up honestly, you become three-dimensional. You become a person, not a category. You give people something real to connect to, and real connection is the foundation of every meaningful professional and personal relationship I have ever had.