I don&#8217;t pray to Jesus. I never have. I was raised in a tradition that predates Christianity by a millennium, and when I pray — which I do, regularly, seriously — I do it in Hebrew, facing Jerusalem, according to a liturgy my ancestors carried through exile and persecution for thousands of years.
And I have absolutely zero problem with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth closing a Pentagon press briefing by <a href="https://www.war.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/4438625/secretary-of-war-pete-hegseth-and-chairman-of-the-joint-chiefs-air-force-gen-da/">asking the American people</a> to pray &#8220;on bended knee, with your family, in your schools, in your churches, in the name of Jesus Christ&#8221; for the safety of our troops.
Not an iota of irritation. Not a teaspoon of tumult.
The outrage is a performance — and a particularly threadbare one, conjured in response to perhaps the most banal, good-faith, unambiguously decent request a public official has made in recent memory.
When Hegseth stood at that podium and invoked Christ&#8217;s name on behalf of men and women in harm&#8217;s way, he was drawing on something Americans have done since before there was an America. George Washington is remembered kneeling in the snow at Valley Forge. FDR led the entire nation in prayer on D-Day, asking God for strength and providence as young Americans stormed the beaches at Normandy. Patton once called his chaplain and asked, point blank, for a prayer for good weather. This is the tradition Hegseth reached for — long, deep, distinctly American — the instinct of a nation that has always understood that some moments call for more than a press release.
The critics sputtering this week would have you believe that a cabinet secretary expressing his Christian faith in public is somehow a threat. To whom, exactly — to me? I am one of the people they&#8217;d presumably be defending. I am a Jew in a country that is, by any honest accounting, a majority-Christian nation with a majority-Christian culture and a majority-Christian history. I have known this every day of my life. It has never made me feel like a second-class citizen, because that is not what minority rights actually mean.
Minority rights mean the government cannot compel me to convert. They mean I cannot be prosecuted for my religion, fired from a federal job because I observe Shabbat, or told to leave the country because I don&#8217;t accept the Nicene Creed. They mean I have the full protection of the law and the full dignity of citizenship regardless of my faith. That is the promise of America, and it is a magnificent one — imperfectly but genuinely kept.
What it does not mean is that we all must pretend America has no religious character. It does not mean a Christian official must sand his faith down to a fine, inoffensive powder before speaking in public. It does not mean that mentioning Jesus at a press conference is an act of aggression against anyone.
The conflation of those two things — genuine religious persecution versus a majoritarian culture expressing itself — is doing serious damage to our civic life. Every time a Christian politician prays in public, a certain class of commentator treats it as a prelude to theocracy. This is not only dishonest. It is, as a Jew, a little insulting. It flattens my actual history — a history of pogroms and inquisitions and gas chambers — and asks me to treat a Pentagon official&#8217;s invocation of Christ as a comparable offense. I decline.
There is something else worth saying here. Every Saturday morning, in synagogues across America — certainly in mine — we recite a prayer for the safety of the United States Armed Forces. We do this whether American troops are in active combat or not. We do this because we understand, in the marrow of our tradition, that the soldiers who stand between a free society and its enemies deserve our gratitude and our supplication before God. Pete Hegseth was asking the American people to do what Jews have been doing in shul every week for generations. I recognize the impulse. I share it.
And this: if the worst my government is guilty of is asking faithful Americans to bend their knee in prayer and petition God for the safety of our troops, I will recommit myself to that government every day, and twice on Saturday. More Americans engaging in prayer can only be a positive movement for the nation.
The faith Hegseth expressed — one that asks its adherents to appeal to God on behalf of soldiers who may not come home — is not my enemy. It never has been.
America is a country where Christians pray, where Christian faith shapes public life, where references to Jesus are woven into the culture from the Pledge to the presidency. That is not a grievance. It is simply what a majority-Christian democracy looks like. A proud, observant Jew — or a Muslim, or a Buddhist, or an atheist — can accept that reality without feeling diminished by it. In fact, intellectual honesty requires it.
The capacity to hold both things at once — to cherish the legal protections that shield the minority while accepting the cultural reality of the majority — is one of the more demanding things American pluralism asks of us. It is also non-negotiable. It is the deal.
Hegseth asked people to pray for our troops. I hope they do. I will be saying my own prayers for those soldiers — in my own tradition, as I do each day.
* * *
Daniella Greenbaum Davis is an Emmy-award winning producer and communications strategist. Follow her on X: @DGreenbaum
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Secretary Of War Hegseth And Joint Chiefs Chairman General Caine Hold Briefing On Iran War

I’m Jewish. I Have No Problem With Hegseth’s Prayer.

I'm Jewish. I Have No Problem With Hegseth's Prayer.

Christianity

Jewish

Opinion

Pentagon

Pete Hegseth

Prayer

U.S. Military

All Jewish organizations in the Detroit area were advised to enter “lockout protocol” amid reports of an active shooter at a synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan.
&#8220;We are aware of a security incident at Temple Israel. We are advising all Jewish organizations to go into lockout protocol &#8211; nobody in or out of your building. More information to follow,” the Jewish Federation of Detroit advised in a statement.
Reports indicate that a car slammed into the temple, after which the driver exchanged fire with security before being killed. The suspect, who reportedly attempted to set off an explosive device, is dead, law enforcement confirmed to The Daily Wire. 
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard told people to shelter in place for at least a mile around the temple while law enforcement secures the scene. He said that “nobody at the moment has been confirmed to be hurt except potentially the shooter.”
“We&#8217;re looking to see if there&#8217;s more than one person, we&#8217;re still trying to figure that out, we&#8217;re trying to get access to the video at the moment,” he said, adding they were trying to confirm there were no assailants on foot.
Bouchard said that parents are looking to reunite with their kids at the local Jewish Center.
“It&#8217;s going to be secured by law enforcement, so no fear there. If you have nothing to do with the situation, don&#8217;t go there,” he said. He also said that there would be extra security in place at Jewish facilities in the area.
“All Jewish facilities in the area are going to have a lot of extra presence around it until we figure this out,” he said.
The FBI is also on the scene.
“FBI personnel are on the scene with partners in Michigan and responding to the apparent vehicle ramming and active shooter situation out of Temple Israel Synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan,” FBI Director Kash Patel said.

MixCollage-12-Mar-2026-01-13-PM-354

Jewish Organizations In Detroit Told To Lock Down Amid Synagogue Attack

Crime

Detroit

Michigan

Shooting

U.S.

Police rushed to a large Jewish synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, after an attacker rammed a vehicle into the building and opened fire on Thursday afternoon.
The attacker targeted Temple Israel, which is the largest Reform congregation in the United States. Aerial footage showed smoke pouring out of the building as first responders rushed into the synagogue.
A law enforcement source <a href="https://x.com/MaryMargOlohan/status/2032169431200399865?s=20">confirmed</a> to The Daily Wire that the shooter was armed with a rifle and rammed a car into the synagogue before being killed by armed security in a shootout. The vehicle, which the attacker drove through the doors of the building, caught on fire, and the shooter&#8217;s body was burned.
A security guard at the synagogue engaged the attacker and &#8220;shots were fired,&#8221; according to Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard. The shooter was found dead in the vehicle. One security guard was injured after he was hit by the attacker&#8217;s vehicle, but he&#8217;s expected to recover, according to Bouchard. Thirty law enforcement officers were also treated at the hospital for smoke inhalation after they ran into the smoke-filled synagogue to identify any potential threats and locate any victims.
The sheriff <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qa2QqMTKLbw">told</a> reporters that no one else in the synagogue was injured.
Temple Israel also has a preschool, and runs a drive-thru food pantry on Thursdays, according to its website. Sheriff Bouchard said &#8220;everyone&#8221; in the preschool had been accounted for.
Authorities were still working to secure the area and ensure that there wasn&#8217;t a second attacker who might have escaped and fled on foot, Bouchard added. Schools in the area remained in lockdown.
The FBI was also on the scene and is now leading the investigation, calling it a &#8220;targeted act of violence against the Jewish community.&#8221;
&#8220;FBI personnel are on the scene with partners in Michigan and responding to the apparent vehicle ramming and active shooter situation out of Temple Israel Synagogue in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan,&#8221; FBI Director Kash Patel said.
The FBI <a href="https://x.com/FBIDetroit/status/2017244001225564419">held</a> an &#8220;Active Shooter Attack Prevention and Preparedness&#8221; training for clergy and staff at Temple Israel in January.
President Donald Trump said has been briefed on the attack, which he called &#8220;a terrible thing.&#8221;
&#8220;I want to send our love to the Michigan Jewish community and all of the people in the Detroit area following the attack on the Jewish synagogue earlier today,&#8221; Trump said.
Following reports of the attack, Jewish organizations were told to go into lockdown. West Bloomfield has the highest Jewish population in Michigan.
&#8220;We are aware of a security incident at Temple Israel. We are advising all Jewish organizations to go into lockout protocol &#8211; nobody in or out of your building. More information to follow,&#8221; the Jewish Federation of Detroit said.
Aerial footage and video from the ground outside the synagogue showed a massive police presence as officers with long guns walked near the building.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
AERIAL VIEW (via <a href="https://twitter.com/FOX2News?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FOX2News</a>): Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan as law enforcement on scene of reported &#8220;active shooter.&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/livenowfox?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@livenowfox</a> <a href="https://t.co/9icJskNiEK">pic.twitter.com/9icJskNiEK</a>
— Josh Breslow (@JoshBreslowTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshBreslowTV/status/2032148766296256754?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
After the attack, Temple Israel released a statement on social media, confirming that &#8220;all 140 students in our Susan and Harold Loss Early Childhood Center, our amazing staff, our courageous teachers, and our heroic security personnel are all accounted for and safe.&#8221;
&#8220;As you have no doubt heard, Temple Israel was the victim of a terrorist gunman who was confronted and neutralized by our security personnel who are truly heroes. Our teachers followed their training and kept the children safe and calm,&#8221; Temple Israel added. &#8220;We are deeply and humbly grateful to our teachers, staff, security, law enforcement, and Shenendoah Country Club that welcomed us, fed us, and sheltered our staff, teachers, children, and parents. What incredible neighbors we have. What incredible police force we have. This note is coming to you before we know anything about our future programming or services, or any investigation. We wanted you to know we are safe, and we love you all.&#8221;
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said the attack on Michigan&#8217;s Jewish community was &#8220;heartbreaking.&#8221;
&#8220;Michigan&#8217;s Jewish community should be able to live and practice their faith in peace. Antisemitism and violence have no place in Michigan I am hoping for everyone&#8217;s safety,&#8221; Whitmer added. &#8220;Thank you to law enforcement for their swift action.&#8221;
In 2022, a Muslim man named Hassan Chokr drove through the synagogue parking lot of Temple Beth El, a large reformed synagogue in nearby Bloomfield Township, Michigan, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/muslim-felon-threatened-jewish-preschoolers-then-tried-to-buy-guns-doj">shouted</a> antisemitic threats toward preschoolers and their parents. After Chokr was told to leave, he went to a gun store in Dearborn, Michigan, and tried to buy multiple firearms. He was sentenced to 34 months in prison last September.
Last September, a man rammed his truck into a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Grand Blanc, Michigan, before getting out and opening fire. Four people were killed in that <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/multiple-injured-church-burning-after-mass-shooting-in-michigan">attack</a> before police killed the attacker.
The attack on Temple Israel in Michigan came shortly after a gunman opened fire at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. Three people were wounded in the shooting, and the gunman was killed. The Old Dominion shooter was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/old-dominion-university-gunman-identified-as-ex-national-guardsman-turned-isis-operative?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Jennie+Taer&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=1&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Old+Dominion+University+Gunman+Identified+As+Ex-National+Guardsman+Turned+ISIS+Operative">identified</a> as Mohamed Bailor Jalloh, a former National Guard soldier who was previously convicted of supporting ISIS. Jalloh was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/heroic-students-rally-to-stop-gunman-who-carried-out-suspected-terror-attack-at-old-dominion?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Leif+Le+Mahieu&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=2&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=Heroic+Students+Rally+To+Stop+Gunman+Who+Carried+Out+Suspected+Terror+Attack+At+Old+Dominion">subdued</a> by &#8220;a group of brave students,&#8221; according to FBI Director Patel.
This is a developing story; refresh the page for updates.

law_enforcement_montage

Security Guard Takes Out Shooter In Michigan Synagogue Attack

Synagogue

Days after Hamas attacked Israel in 2023, killing some 1,200 people and sparking the war in Gaza, an inverted red triangle was spray-painted on the front of a Jewish bakery in Sydney, the first of a string of antisemitic incidents in Australia.
Sixteen months and thousands of arson, firebombing, graffiti, and hate-speech incidents later, the head of the nation&#8217;s main intelligence agency declared that antisemitism was his number one priority in terms of threat to life.
Sunday&#8217;s shooting attack on a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney&#8217;s Bondi Beach, which killed at least 12 people and wounded dozens, brought to reality a fear that many Australian Jews say they have been living with: that they are no longer safe in the country that was supposed to protect them.
&#8220;This is the worst fears of the Jewish community,&#8221; Alex Ryvchin, co-CEO of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, told Sky News. &#8220;It&#8217;s been bubbling under the surface for a long time, and now it&#8217;s actually happened.&#8221;
Australia&#8217;s Jewish diaspora is small but deeply embedded in the wider community, with about 150,000 people who identify as Jewish in the country of 27 million. About one-third of them are estimated to live in Sydney&#8217;s eastern suburbs, including Bondi.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, calling the Hanukkah shootings a devastating terrorist attack targeting Jewish people, said his government would &#8220;dedicate every resource to making sure you are safe and protected.&#8221;
Amid constant reports of Jewish parents afraid to take their children to daycare and Jewish schools hiring extra security, the government last year appointed its first special envoy to combat antisemitism.
&#8220;Being Jewish, it&#8217;s been a very challenging few years,&#8221; said Terry, who gave only his first name and was at a nearby Hanukkah event that was put into lockdown.
&#8220;Maybe we need to move to Israel one day. The irony is that that&#8217;s looking like the only real safe place in the world we can be as Jews.&#8221;
Ryvchin&#8217;s organisation logged some 1,600 anti-Jewish incidents in the year to September 30, about three times the number in any year before the Hamas attack and Israel&#8217;s response, according to a report it published this month.
One of those incidents was antisemitic graffiti on Ryvchin&#8217;s former home near Bondi Beach in January, the report said.
Other incidents included a childcare centre firebombed and emblazoned with antisemitic graffiti, also in Sydney&#8217;s eastern suburbs, and two public hospital nurses who were sacked after being captured on a social media video-chat platform saying they would turn away Israeli patients.
&#8220;The inevitable has happened now,&#8221; said Rabbi Levi Wolff of Central Sydney Synagogue, speaking in Bondi. As a Jew in Australia, he added, &#8220;You&#8217;re always looking behind you.&#8221;
Reporting by Byron Kaye and Pete McKenzie; Editing by William Mallard

AUSTRALIA-CRIME

For Australia’s Jews, Bondi Shooting Feels Tragically Inevitable

antisemitism

Australia

Global Politics

I recently listened to the daughter of a Hamas sheikh share her story — one that serves as a warning for New York’s mayoral election. For her safety, I’m withholding her name. 
Her mother was Jewish and escaped their Arab village in Israel soon after giving birth. Her father was a wealthy, devout Muslim sheikh with multiple wives. At 14, his daughter chose to live with him, hoping for family and belonging. Instead, what she found was indoctrination and abuse.
Her father woke her routinely in the middle of the night to test her on the Quran. Beatings were justified because, in the Quran, women are only capable of reaching heaven if the men around them are satisfied. At 15, he forced her to marry her 22-year-old cousin. She immediately became pregnant. At six months, her husband beat her in the street for stepping outside her home without permission. She lost the baby at his hands. Her father blamed her — and made her thank her husband for not killing her.
Her father was embedded in Yasser Arafat’s inner circle — the leader of the Palestinian Authority (PLO), and architect of the Second Intifada. The men around her spoke of Israel as a meal to devour “bite by bite” — relentless, incremental, unending. In conversations she overheard, the goal was never compromise. The hate was endless.
She escaped at 17. Homeless, terrified, and alone, when an Israeli social worker discovered her and soon discovered Judaism’s light: a faith rooted in justice, kindness, and human dignity. Today, she raises her children in freedom and dedicates her life to protecting girls from the same abuse she endured.
Her warning is simple: no matter what you give, negotiate, or attempt at nation-building, political Islam’s hate will never stop. 
The ideology that brutalized her doesn’t stay overseas — it is finding its way into our American cities. Hamas wages physical war in Gaza, but its politics are being waged in local councils and mayoral races, where figures like Zohran Mamdani repurpose Hamas-style rhetoric of “resistance” and “liberation” under the banner of socialism.
I’ve seen it firsthand — radical doctrine pushed under the guise of progressive policy. Over the past two years, I helped apply pressure to block two BDS resolutions at the council level in Nashville, Tennessee. This isn’t theory — it’s unfolding through politics, education, and activist networks quietly advancing Islamist agendas to destabilize the West.
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<h3>Politics:</h3>
Islamist‑backed groups like <a href="https://www.cair.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Directory.pdf">CAIR sponsor or support at least 235 elected officials</a> at state and federal levels, shaping policy and narrative — including in the current New York mayoral race. Once in office, these politicians import religious ideology into governance, reshaping norms and weakening Western culture. 
CAIR’s Unity &amp; Justice Fund reportedly contributed <a href="https://www.jns.org/cair-reportedly-donated-100000-to-support-mamdani-campaign-for-nyc-mayor/">$100,000 to Zohran Mamdani’s campaign</a>, reinforcing the alliance between Islamist networks and democratic‑socialist politics. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Representative Elise Stefanik (R-NY) have called for a federal investigation into CAIR’s funding sources, questioning whether the organization is financed or directed by Hamas or other terrorist groups. 
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has renewed efforts to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization — a network whose U.S. affiliates, including the North American Islamic Trust (NAIT), hold the deeds to hundreds of mosques and Islamic centers across the United States. CAIR has documented ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, including being listed as a member of its Palestine Committee in the 2007 Holy Land Foundation terrorism‑financing trial, and was named an unindicted co‑conspirator.
<h3>Political Symbols And Education:</h3>
Anti-American and anti-Israel rhetoric are being woven into classrooms, books, and art — disguised as “diversity” or “multiculturalism.” This summer, a public school in downtown Nashville hosted “<a href="https://x.com/StopAntisemites/status/1966492472827101673">Keffiyeh Day</a>,” celebrating a political symbol tied to Yasser Arafat and the Second Intifada. <a href="https://combatantisemitism.org/cam-news/virginia-high-school-students-glorify-violence-in-horrifying-mock-kidnapping-videos/">At Thomas Jefferson High School in Northern Virginia</a>, students from the Muslim Student Association reenacted Hamas kidnappings in keffiyehs to promote their group. These are not isolated incidents — they reflect a broader ideological initiative.
<h3>The Socialist Cover For Islamist Ambition:</h3>
Words like justice, freedom, victim, oppressed, and occupation are being repurposed to advance extremism. Mamdani, who up until recently has refused to condemn chants to “globalize the Intifada” while promoting the anti-American and anti-Israel BDS movement, exposes how Islamist talking points are being mainstreamed through progressive politics. Under the banner of equity and oppression, Mamdani blurs the line between social justice and political Islam — turning compassion into a Trojan horse for division. His rhetoric mirrors the same moral inversion used by groups like Hamas and the BDS movement: recasting terrorists as victims, and democracies like America and Israel as oppressors. It’s not solidarity — it’s subversion.
The solution is not compromise — it’s clarity. If we elect leaders without Western values, we erase Western values.
Just as the daughter of the Hamas sheikh found light after darkness, our communities must commit to deradicalization, education, and the moral courage to say a definitive “no.”
The fight is no longer overseas. It’s here — on our American soil. We must act now, before the next bite is taken.
* * *
<a href="https://www.instagram.com/alyssarosenheck/">Alyssa Rosenheck</a> is a bestselling author, photographer, and advocate. Her forthcoming book, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/White-Blonde-Jew-Extremism-Reclaim/dp/1637748329/ref=sr_1_1?crid=UJ7NPIJLIAN4&amp;dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.W7OErBmXjvcOkzIL6CaMWA.HJFSsuAGn5R9HuLVL4y2TZQ4fCAJZ29OsWCYVOVWZpY&amp;dib_tag=se&amp;keywords=white+blonde+jew&amp;qid=1761853630&amp;sprefix=%2Caps%2C114&amp;sr=8-1">White. Blonde. Jew.</a>, turns the three words meant to silence her into a roadmap for courage and clarity in an age of extremism.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Residents Cast Ballots In New York City Mayoral Election

She Fled Hamas. Now She’s Warning New York About Mamdani.

Hamas

Israel

Middle East

New York City

Radical Islam

Western Civilization

Yasser Arafat

Zohran Mamdani

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) still could not commit on Sunday to endorsing Zohran Mamdani, the self-proclaimed Democratic socialist who won his party&#8217;s nomination in the New York City Mayoral race.
Jeffries, who&#8217;s been asked about endorsing Mamdani on a number of occasions, told ABC&#8217;s Jonathan Karl that he was looking forward to &#8220;continuing&#8221; conversations with Mamdani — and although he didn&#8217;t rule out an endorsement altogether, the fast-approaching general election is becoming more and more likely to pass before he does so.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries tells <a href="https://twitter.com/jonkarl?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JonKarl</a> that he has not endorsed Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic candidate in the New York City mayoral race, but says he is looking forward to “continuing” conversations.
Read more: <a href="https://t.co/wHsSsY4AJk">https://t.co/wHsSsY4AJk</a> <a href="https://t.co/hlxOyFmicq">pic.twitter.com/hlxOyFmicq</a>
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1979930411577831734?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 19, 2025</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;I want to also ask you, we&#8217;re getting closer to the New York mayor&#8217;s race,&#8221; Karl began. &#8220;You still haven&#8217;t endorsed Zohran Mamdani, have you?&#8221;
&#8220;I have not,&#8221; Jeffries declared.
&#8220;Why is that?&#8221; Karl wondered.
&#8220;Well, as I&#8217;ve indicated, I expect to have a conversation with him at some point this week, in advance of early voting which begins next weekend in New York City,&#8221; Jeffries replied. &#8220;And I will certainly have more to say about the mayor&#8217;s race and about our Democratic nominee prior to early voting beginning.
Karl continued to press, however, asking, &#8220;What is though that has held you back? I mean usually, this is someone that won a Democratic primary, you know, usually it wouldn&#8217;t be that much of a question whether or not a Congressman from the city of New York, the Democratic leader would endorse him. What&#8217;s giving you pause?&#8221;
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&#8220;Well, we&#8217;ve had very good conversations over the last few months in advance if the government shutting down,&#8221; Jeffries said, although he did not directly address Karl&#8217;s question. Instead he referred to those conversations as &#8220;forward-looking,&#8221; &#8220;community-based,&#8221; and focused on &#8220;efforts to make New York City more affordable.&#8221;
He gave a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/spin-cycle-how-do-you-solve-a-problem-like-mamdani">similar answer</a> when he was asked over the summer whether he&#8217;d throw his weight behind Mamdani, saying at the time that he wanted to have &#8220;a conversation&#8221; with the candidate first.
&#8220;Our districts don’t overlap. I have never had a substantive conversation with him. And so that’s the next step in terms of this process to discuss his vision for moving the city forward and addressing the issues that are important to the communities that I represent,” he said, and called on Mamdani directly to “clarify” his position on Israel.
“Globalizing the Intifada, by way of example, is not an acceptable phrasing,” Jeffries concluded. “He’s going to have to clarify his position on that as he moves forward. With respect to the Jewish communities that I represent, I think our nominee is going to have to convince folks that he is prepared to aggressively address the rise in antisemitism in the city of New York, which has been an unacceptable development.”
Others have suggested that Jeffries, who represents a district that is 11% Jewish, has concerns about Mamdani’s support for BDS — “Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions” — against Israel or his claim that, as mayor, he would have Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrested if he came to New York City.

House Minority Leader Jeffries Holds Capitol Hill Press Conference

Hakeem Jeffries Won’t Commit To Endorsing Commie Mamdani For NYC Mayor

Hakeem Jeffries Won't Commit To Endorsing Commie Mamdani For NYC Mayor

Gaza

Media

Politics

New York Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani would not say whether he thinks Hamas should disarm despite being asked several times during an interview with Fox News&#8217;s Martha MacCallum on Wednesday.
“Do you believe Hamas should lay down their weapons and leave the leadership in Gaza?” MacCallum asked, referencing reports that Hamas has continued killing Palestinian civilians and has not returned all of the deceased hostages&#8217; bodies — including American citizens — in accordance with the deal made earlier this week.
“I think those are bodies and remains that should absolutely be returned, and I think that I have no issue with critiquing Hamas or the Israeli government, because my critiques all come from a place of universal human rights,” Mamdani replied. “And my focus, however, is right here in New York City and transforming the most expensive city in America into one that’s affordable for each and every New Yorker.&#8221; 

Mamdani has faced scrutiny over his stances on Israel throughout his campaign, scrutiny that has not abated since the remaining living hostages were released earlier this week. The New York City area has the largest Jewish population outside of Tel Aviv, according to the Jewish Virtual Library. 
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&#8220;But do you believe that Hamas should lay down their weapons and leave the leadership in Gaza?” MacCallum pressed Mamdani.
“I believe that any future here in New York City is one that have to make sure that’s affordable for all. And as it pertains to Israel and Palestine, that we have to ensure that there is peace. And that is the future we have to fight for.”
“But you won’t say that Hamas should lay down their arms and give up leadership in Gaza?” MacCallum asked. 
“I don’t really have opinions about the future of Hamas and Israel beyond the question of justice and safety, and the fact that anything has to abide by international law. And that applies to Hamas, that applies to the Israeli military, applies to anyone you could ask me about,” Mamdani responded.
Election Day in New York City is on Nov. 4, and Mamdani is currently in a high-profile battle against former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo — running as an independent — and Republican Curtis Sliwa. The candidates are scheduled to debate on Thursday night. Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams recently dropped out of the race, and most polling shows Mamdani leading the pack by double digits, according to The<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/polls/nyc-mayoral-election-polls-2025.html"> New York Times</a>.

Mamdani Won’t Say Hamas Must Disarm, Cede Leadership In Gaza

mamdani

California State University, Northridge, is facing a wrongful termination lawsuit from an employee who alleges he was fired “because of his political views against antisemitism and advocacy on behalf of Jewish students and faculty.”
Sam Lingrosso, the university&#8217;s former Director of Academic Employees Relations, says in a <a href="https://peterlawgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/2025-08-11-First-Amended-Complaint_Conformed-4.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complaint</a> that his December 2024 firing was the result of his efforts to assist Jewish faculty who raised safety concerns related to on-campus antisemitism in the wake of Hamas&#8217;s October 7 attack on Israel, especially near its one-year anniversary. According to a news release, Lingrosso is seeking damages under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act.
“CSUN had a duty to protect their Jewish faculty members and ensure a safe learning environment, free of threats and harassment,” Eyal Farahan, an attorney with the Peter Law Group, which filed the complaint, said in a statement. “Sam’s work should have been celebrated but, instead, he was unlawfully terminated in violation of multiple California statutes that protect employees from harassment.”
The 2023 attacks led to a surge in anti-Israel activism and antisemitic incidents on college campuses throughout the United States. The demonstrations, which ranged from encampments to protests, raised major red flags for Jewish students and staff on those campuses.
In the complaint, it outlines how Lingrosso asked campus police to “facilitate a safety plan” for a professor who raised concerns about “unsettling remarks written on posters he had displayed outside his office depicting American hostages in Israel” and voiced concerns that Jewish students had of “harassment or violence” in the wake of “pro-Palestinian demonstrations on campus.”
Attorneys for the plaintiff wrote in the complaint that Interim Associate Vice President for Faculty Affairs Christina L. Von Mayrhauser had given “unwarranted criticism” and undermined Lingrosso, saying it was “a direct consequence of Plaintiff’s proactive efforts to protect the safety and well-being of Jewish faculty and students.” In one incident, the aforementioned professor sent an email to &#8220;Jewish faculty and allies&#8221; thanking Lingrosso for his efforts to improve address safety concerns, but Von Mayrhauser allegedly took issue with a line in the professor&#8217;s message.
&#8220;The contrast between Plaintiff’s decisive actions and others’ inaction — particularly in Professor Katz’s statement that Plaintiff &#8216;has been focused on DOING things rather than talking about them&#8217; — was interpreted by Von Mayrhauser as a direct affront to her leadership. Her reaction was marked by visible displeasure and indignation, as she viewed the email as an attack on her authority and an attempt to undermine her credibility within the institution,&#8221; the complaint states.
Farahan added that campus leadership &#8220;failed to take meaningful action to confront hate and ultimately fostered a climate of indifference and fear&#8221; amid serious antisemitism woes at universities nationwide.
The university disagreed with the claims made in the lawsuit in a statement to The Daily Wire on Monday afternoon.
“California State University, Northridge is aware of a legal complaint filed by a former at-will employee. These spurious allegations are completely unfounded and the University will vigorously defend against them. The University remains committed to maintaining an inclusive and supportive environment for our entire campus community,&#8221; the university said in a statement.

1497993_me-ucla-pro-palestinian-protest_JEY

Lawsuit Alleges University Met Jewish Safety Advocacy With ‘Unwarranted Criticism’

anti-Israel

California State University

Education

Palestine

This past May, I graduated from UCLA Law — not as your typical student, but as a father of four who proudly wore T-shirts with American and Israeli flags every day since October 7, 2023, to show my appreciation for America and my support of Zionism. After enduring firsthand antisemitism and religious discrimination, I sued. While sitting for the Bar this past July, I settled with UCLA for a permanent injunction and <a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/ucla-settles-antisemitism-suit-with-6-13m-payout-as-feds-allege-discrimination/">$6.13 million</a> (In honor of the 613 commandments in the Torah). That same day, the Justice Department found UCLA in violation of <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-finds-university-california-los-angeles-violation-federal-civil-rights">federal civil rights laws</a>. As Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon noted, &#8220;UCLA failed to take timely and appropriate action in response to credible claims of harm and hostility on its campus.&#8221;
I’m grateful for the federal government’s swift investigation and actions, including freezing $584 million in grants and proposing a $1.2 billion fine, which have begun to hold UCLA accountable. This past week a federal judge&#8217;s preliminary injunction temporarily restored most of those NIH and NSF grants amid an ongoing lawsuit, this short-term reprieve doesn&#8217;t absolve the university&#8217;s civil rights violations or halt the push for lasting penalties.
Yet, lawsuits from UC unions and statements from California officials, alongside criticism from some Jewish groups calling these efforts ‘misguided and punitive,’ sow cynicism about the real threats Jewish students face. <a href="https://jewishjournal.com/commentary/opinion/383774/trumps-ucla-funding-cut-hurts-science-and-fails-to-protect-jewish-students/">Article</a> after <a href="https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2025-08-19/ucla-1-billion-trump-antisemitism?fbclid=IwY2xjawMRwrBleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETF4T1JsV25OTExCM1pDS3M3AR4Fi1kj0Y5eCUpmbtVOsPwqu8bOvRPbV7r57ot5HFAxVla808tPvx19vm-8UQ_aem_2VyFLfrWJ5zIpGSJ1dD6kQ">article</a> and <a href="https://sites.google.com/view/jewsforuc">statement</a> upon <a href="https://jpac-cal.org/2025/08/12/jpac-opposes-demand-of-a-1-billion-settlement-with-ucla/">statement</a> claim efforts to hold UCLA accountable have nefarious motivations and won&#8217;t protect Jewish students. The irony is that not holding UCLA accountable for persistent failure to address antisemitism is what truly endangers Jewish students. To those who stayed silent when Jews were excluded from campus areas and mobs called for &#8220;Intifada&#8221;: kindly sit this one out.
We can debate the details and methods for addressing UCLA&#8217;s abhorrent antisemitism, but one thing is clear: UCLA&#8217;s sidestepping shouldn&#8217;t fool anyone. They&#8217;re ignoring antisemitism, rather than confronting it head-on.
Even more troubling: Why are some Jewish organizations providing cover for UCLA? Ask <a href="https://crownheights.info/chabad-news/886911/poll-show-that-jewish-university-students-overwhelmingly-feel-chabad-on-campus-supports-them/">Jewish student leaders on campus</a>, and they&#8217;ll tell you only a handful of legacy groups have been helpful. It&#8217;s bad enough that some did nothing to empower students; now, they&#8217;re undermining our efforts.
<div id="attachment_982587" style="width: 825px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-982587" class="size-large wp-image-982587" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/MixCollage-07-Oct-2025-04-24-PM-8454-815x576.jpg" alt="Credit: Yitzy Frankel" width="815" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/MixCollage-07-Oct-2025-04-24-PM-8454-815x576.jpg 815w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/MixCollage-07-Oct-2025-04-24-PM-8454-300x212.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/MixCollage-07-Oct-2025-04-24-PM-8454-768x543.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/MixCollage-07-Oct-2025-04-24-PM-8454-1536x1086.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/10/MixCollage-07-Oct-2025-04-24-PM-8454-2048x1448.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 815px) 100vw, 815px" />Credit: Yitzy Frankel</div>
From personal experience, I can spotlight one: the Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC). My friend Shabbos Kestenbaum and I met with SWC leaders, including the CEO, but nothing came of it. Now, they&#8217;ve &#8220;<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DNRZv--y-en/?img_index=1">proudly</a>&#8221; signed a letter just last month with the Jewish Public Affairs Committee (JPAC) opposing the federal funding freeze and penalty, claiming it &#8220;does not make Jewish students safer&#8221; (Blind to the reality that perhaps it’s unchecked antisemitism that is making campus unsafe for Jewish students). When I contacted them about how their support spreads lies and misinformation — directly harming Jewish students and covering up antisemitism — I got no response. SWC&#8217;s credibility is now being <a href="https://www.jewishvoicesnj.org/articles/california-jewish-groups-say-trump-1b-demand-of-ucla-does-not-make-jewish-students-safer/">weaponized</a> to shield antisemites, offering silent consent to UCLA&#8217;s inaction instead of demanding real change.
The JPAC statement SWC endorses claims &#8220;meaningful progress is underway.&#8221; Here&#8217;s the reality:
<ol>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Governor Newsom&#8217;s &#8220;<a href="https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Golden-State-Plan-to-Counter-Antisemitism.pdf">Golden State Plan to Combat Antisemitism</a>&#8220;: This April 2024 pamphlet mentions &#8220;Islamophobia,&#8221; &#8220;Arab Americans,&#8221; &#8220;anti-Arab,&#8221; &#8220;anti-Muslim,&#8221; and &#8220;Muslim&#8221; a combined 24 times across 16 pages—undermining the supposed focus on antisemitism. It&#8217;s mostly fluff about councils making recommendations and commissions assessing data, and it&#8217;s proven ineffective at UCLA.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">A <a href="https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/press-room/updates-uc-campus-climate-efforts">Letter</a> from the UC President: It supposedly bans encampments, masking to conceal identity, and blocking campus access, while enforcing time, place, and manner restrictions. But encampments were already illegal, students are never asked to unmask, and rules are openly flouted, with little to no real enforcement.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Praise for Chancellor Frenk: He &#8220;established a dedicated antisemitism initiative, suspended student groups fostering hostility toward Jews, and delivered forceful remarks.&#8221; In truth, Frenk offers empty words. His only action against SJP followed their protest at a Jewish regent&#8217;s <a href="https://dailybruin.com/2025/02/05/pro-palestine-protesters-demonstrate-outside-uc-regent-jay-sures-home">literal doorstep</a>, harassing him and his family. In June 2024, UCLA&#8217;s Administrative Vice Chancellor, Michael Beck, needed <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C8Ed7ALOPSo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">security guards</a> to fend off a masked mob — protection not extended to students.</li>
</ol>
That suspension? Meaningless. Less than two weeks later, SJP held another rally in the same spot as the encampment, complete with drums, megaphones, masks, and a poster glorifying Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. They marched through an academic building, pulled a fire alarm to evacuate classes, blocked streets, and assaulted people — including elbowing me and stealing my USA/Israel flag from a friend nearby — in front of UCLA security.
This was one of many violations, including a grotesque 2024 rally on the anniversary of October 7. After these rallies, their gear is wheeled to the <a href="https://x.com/camhigby/status/1923137670005297443">Muslim Student Association</a> as security turns a blind eye and chases off journalists like Cam Higby. UCLA&#8217;s &#8220;response&#8221;? Sending Student Affairs Monitors to gently &#8220;cajole&#8221; the mob into compliance.
I know UCLA&#8217;s apathy firsthand: UCLA refused to help press charges against encampment participants or discipline any students or faculty. As Andy Ngo <a href="https://x.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1844150116518854735">reported</a>, a law student, Taylor &#8220;Sanyika&#8221; Maloney, remains an enrolled student despite assaulting pro-Israel protesters on camera — including harassing me. She celebrated the murder of Charlie Kirk, openly supported Hamas, and advocated for killing cops. Because UCLA stonewalled law enforcement, the LA City Attorney dropped charges against her and dozens more.
If UCLA truly cared, it would adopt <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1d3ERibWx5D8pS1ky_a8yUX99osE_NqlI/view">recommendations</a> from the Jewish Faculty Resilience Group (JFRG) as a baseline. Instead, this grassroots powerhouse, which has been at the forefront of fighting antisemitism at UCLA, has been ignored and retaliated against.
Donors to large Jewish organizations: Don&#8217;t ask them what they&#8217;re doing for students — ask students what they&#8217;ve done for us. Support groups that students and faculty vouch for.
UCLA&#8217;s environment silences pro-Israel voices. In May 2024, they blocked a pro-Israel speaker, as the Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/ucla-blocked-pro-israel-event-conservative-student-group-says">reported</a>. The Daily Wire knows UCLA&#8217;s tactics: In 2017, they dropped an unconstitutional &#8220;<a href="https://www.thecollegefix.com/ucla-drops-unconstitutional-security-fee-demand-ben-shapiro-talk-legal-threat/">security fee</a>&#8221; for Ben Shapiro&#8217;s event. In 2024, I had the honor of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9OY9krfwX0">introducing Ben Shapiro</a> to a packed crowd (with hundreds outside), despite UCLA&#8217;s obstacles.
As a father of four children under eight — equal parts adorable and mischievous — I know misbehavior doesn&#8217;t change without consequences. Federal cuts and penalties are forcing change; they must continue despite lawsuits and smears. Research grants matter, but they should go to institutions that uphold civil rights, not violate them. Other universities, take note: Defy accountability, and pay the price.
* * *
Yitzy Frankel graduated from UCLA Law in May 2025 and now works in criminal defense litigation with renowned trial attorney Michael D. Schwartz. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Esther, and four young children. You can follow him on X <a href="https://x.com/YitZionist">@YitZionist.</a>
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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US-POLITICS-HEALTH-SCIENCE-TRUMP-PROTEST

No One Should Help UCLA Dodge Consequences. Especially Not Jewish Organizations.

American Universities

Anti-Semitism

Intifada

Pro-Palestinian

Protests

UCLA

At 43 years-old, I can look back at my life with a deep sense of pride — and, if I’m honest, a touch of longing. I’ve spent my entire adult life building my career, climbing ladders, taking risks, and proving to myself that I could be independent and successful. And in many ways, I’ve achieved exactly what I set out to do.
I own my home. I’ve built financial security that allows me to stand firmly on my own two feet. My parents and grandparents are healthy and happy. I have a circle of incredible friends who inspire me, challenge me, and support me through every chapter. And I have three gorgeous nephews who light up my world in ways I never could have imagined. These are blessings I don’t take for granted.
One of the accomplishments I’m most proud of is that through my own hard work, I was able to leave a marriage that wasn’t right for me. Because I was financially independent, I had choices. I could walk away and rebuild my life on my own terms. That freedom is something I cherish deeply.
But with all that said, there are things I wish I’d done differently. When you’re young and ambitious, it’s easy to believe you can have it all — career, independence, love, family — without having to make tough decisions. You put your head down, keep pushing forward, and tell yourself there will be time later. For me, later came faster than I expected.
If I could offer advice to young women just starting out, it would be this: leave space for the things that matter most. A healthy, loving relationship with a partner who brings out the best in you. The chance to conceive and raise a child. The opportunity to create a life that isn’t only about work, but about shared dreams, purpose, and faith.
Two moments have profoundly shaped this perspective. The first came after October 7, when I traveled to Israel as part of one of the first American volunteer groups. While I spent my days preparing meals for soldiers and harvesting crops, it was the people I met who left the deepest mark. Many had lost loved ones only weeks earlier, yet they carried on with remarkable strength, sustained by family and community. Even as they sent their children off to war, they remained united — grounded in faith and bound by an unbreakable sense of solidarity.
The second moment was the assassination of Charlie Kirk — and the extraordinary strength Erika Kirk displayed in its aftermath. In Charlie and Erika, I saw everything I believed was possible for myself one day. They came together as two accomplished individuals and built a life rooted in love, family, and faith. Watching and rewatching videos of them — as partners, as parents — stirred something deep within me, awakening a longing I hadn’t fully realized was there.
It brought me back to my own childhood, the eldest of three, watching my parents put aside their own wants to nurture our needs. Through their actions, they instilled in us the core values of our Jewish faith: prioritizing family, pursuing education, and giving back to those less fortunate. My parents made sure our faith wasn’t just taught but lived — from leading a Jewish Federation mission to Israel to sending my sister and me to study in the Holy Land. Those experiences didn’t just deepen my connection to Judaism and the state of Israel; they shaped how I understood love, commitment, and what it means to build a life of purpose.
As I sat with those memories, I couldn’t help but ask myself, with a heaviness I can’t quite put into words: how did I fall so far from that path?
Don’t limit your options because you’re so determined to prove your strength or independence. Being headstrong can serve you well in the boardroom, but it can also blind you to what truly fulfills the heart. There is immense purpose in building a family and in nurturing a partnership where both people grow together.
I wish I had discovered this earlier in life — the profound beauty that comes with faith, love, and building a family. My career has given me so much, but it has also required sacrifices I didn’t fully understand at the time. If I could go back, I would tell my younger self to be just as intentional about her personal life as she was about her professional one.
As I approach my 44th birthday, I feel the weight of limited options. Yet, thanks to breakthroughs in technology, I have hope — hope that I can bring a Jewish child into this world. While I have yet to meet a Jewish partner to share this journey, I cannot waste another moment. The chance to experience the profound joy of creating life and carrying forward my heritage is too precious to delay.
So to those just beginning their journey, take my advice: find yourself while also making room for the relationships and experiences that will bring you joy beyond titles, promotions, or accolades. A meaningful life isn’t built only in offices or boardrooms — it’s built in the quiet moments of connection, faith, and love. And those are the things I wish I’d done.
* * *
Jessica Piha is the Communications Director at USAFacts, a nonpartisan not-for-profit civic organization committed to making government data easy for Americans to understand. She resides in Kirkland, Washington with her dog Figgy.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
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Young woman sitting on edge looks out at view

The Things I Wish I’d Done

Business

Charlie Kirk

family

Marriage

Women

Our nation just witnessed the tragic shooting of Charlie Kirk, who was not only a leading voice for conservatives but was a bold believer and passionate advocate for faith in Jesus Christ and a Christian worldview. It’s been barely two weeks since a mentally ill individual terrorized the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis, killing two children and injuring 18 others.
Unfortunately, these two incidents are just the most recent examples of how religious persecution, once a threat continents away, has arrived on the doorstep of faithful Americans.
Over the past several years, religious persecution has risen sharply worldwide. Last year, <a href="https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/">380 million Christians</a> around the world faced “high levels” of persecution. According to <a href="https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/">Open Doors</a>, that number is up 15 million from the previous year. That is the highest number ever recorded. But Christians are not the only religious group facing a steep surge in hostilities. Jews around the world are experiencing a dramatic increase in victimization as well after Hamas’s grisly attack against Israel on October 7. <a href="https://www.adl.org/resources/report/top-5-global-antisemitic-trends-october-7-one-year-impact-report">Antisemitic incidents skyrocketed</a> around the globe, particularly in Europe, where reports of antisemitism rose by <a href="https://www.adl.org/resources/report/top-5-global-antisemitic-trends-october-7-one-year-impact-report">1,000% in some countries</a>. 
According to the <a href="https://www.adl.org/resources/press-release/us-antisemitic-incidents-skyrocketed-360-aftermath-attack-israel-according">Anti-Defamation League</a>, antisemitism has jumped 361% in the United States. That trend began in 2013 but has dramatically increased in the months and years following the October 7 attack. Hostility has also surged against Christians and churches. A report published by the <a href="https://downloads.frc.org/EF/EF25H55.pdf">Family Research Council</a> found that incidents of violence against churches have gone up 740% since 2018.
The data alone shows a concerning rise in hostility against people of faith, but people of faith themselves are also feeling the effects. A recent American Jewish Committee <a href="https://www.ajc.org/AntisemitismReport2024/GeneralPublic">survey </a>of American Jews revealed that more Jews in America feel the threat. In the survey, 92% of the participants expressed that antisemitism had increased over the past five years. Among the general public, the survey found that 71% of the participants believe that antisemitism is a growing problem.
Christians are feeling the pressure, too. Over the past 16 years, the Survey Center on American Life has tracked Christians’ feelings of discrimination. In <a href="https://www.americansurveycenter.org/newsletter/why-most-evangelicals-say-they-face-a-lot-of-discrimination/#:~:text=Daniel%20A.,less%20than%20they%20used%20to.">2009</a>, the survey found that most evangelical Christians rejected the notion that they were experiencing discrimination, with only about four in ten (42%) saying Christians faced “a lot of discrimination.”
Over the next decade, that number had rapidly shifted. By <a href="https://www.americansurveycenter.org/newsletter/why-most-evangelicals-say-they-face-a-lot-of-discrimination/#:~:text=Daniel%20A.,less%20than%20they%20used%20to.">2023</a>, most Christians said they were experiencing discrimination. The number jumped to 60% when asked if they had experienced “a lot of discrimination.”
I’ve spent years working and ministering in the most dangerous places in the world for Christians to live. I am acutely aware of what religious persecution looks like and what it is like to live under religious oppression. In Northern Nigeria, a place where more Christians are killed for their faith than anywhere else in the world, I see the impact of persecution every day.
Persecution doesn’t happen overnight; it’s a slow, gradual process that takes time. It begins by marginalizing people of faith, rendering them lower-class citizens. We saw this in Nazi Germany when the propaganda against Jews portrayed them as less than human. We can see it today in how people of faith are portrayed in modern mainstream media. Christians and Jews are often portrayed in a negative light and are labeled as traditional oppressors who want to stunt culture’s inevitable evolution. 
These sentiments, in turn, create general hostilities toward people of faith. And when hostilities happen (like the recent Annunciation Catholic School shooting or the Covenant School shooting in 2023), the mainstream media largely ignores them or misrepresents the motives behind the attacks. As hostilities grow and aggressors feel they can get away with acts of discrimination and violence, the cycle continues to spiral to a fever pitch.
I’ve seen this cycle play out time and again in Northern Nigeria. In just 10 short years, Nigeria has become the most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian.
What is often not accounted for, however, is the positive effect that persecution can have on the faith community.
Persecution often produces an indelible resolve among people of faith. When experiencing persecution, people of faith can become more resilient and deepen their faith. Tertullian said it this way, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.”
Throughout history, this phenomenon has been observed in both Christian and Jewish cultures. The more they are persecuted, the more resolute they become, growing not only in faith but in numbers as well. The key for people of faith to endure the persecution of our day is to use the hostilities, discrimination, and violence as a motivation to stand firm in their beliefs.
All of us in the faith community should realize that acts of hostility only validate the legitimacy of our Judeo-Christian values and the spiritual battle we are in. Scripture teaches us that true believers will suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12, Matthew 5:10). It also encourages us to stand up in those times and resolve never to back down, no matter the cost (Ephesians 6:12).
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<a href="https://www.acrossnigeria.org/ourfounder" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brad Brandon</a> is the founder and CEO of <a href="https://www.acrossnigeria.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Across Nigeria</a>. Since 2018, he has been actively serving in predominantly high-risk, highly persecuted areas like Northern Nigeria and other parts of West Africa.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Church memorial for the mass shooting victims that killed two children and injured 21 people in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Why Christians And Jews Are Facing A New Wave Of Hostility

Annunciation Catholic School

Christians

Church

Jews

Nigeria

Religion

How is it possible that Jews in New York could support a mayoral candidate that labels Israel genocidal and calls for the “intifada to be globalized?”
The <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/08/04/nyregion/zohran-mamdani-jewish-voters-gaza.html">New York Times</a> would have us believe that there are many such Jews. I have trouble believing anything the NYT prints on this subject given the overwhelming evidence that they lie, distort and manipulate when it comes to Jews and Israel, as proven by their recent story about starving children in Gaza based on an altered photo, and their infamous lie about a bombed hospital in October 2023. So, it’s no surprise that in their Mamdani story, two of the five Jews interviewed work for the Mamdani campaign.
Even without such distortion, however, it is true that some Jews voted for Mamdani in the Democrat primary, and will vote for him again in the general election. 
I am an Orthodox Jewish film director, author and influencer, which is to say, a visible Jew both on the street and online. So, I’ve been getting asked, “What’s the story with your fellow Jews? How could they vote for a man who hates Israel and hates the Jews?”
To understand this, you first need to know something about Jews, namely, that we’re all different. We’ve been around for so long, and lived in so many countries, and fallen into so many different categories, that there is no such thing as a typical Jew.
Non-Jews, whether they love us or hate us, tend to lump us all together. They’re not entirely wrong because we’re not primarily a religion or a nationality – we’re a family. Now, every family contains different types of and categories of people, but the family remains distinct because relatives resemble each other physically, intellectually, temperamentally and spiritually.
Jews are not only a family, but we are also uniquely bound to God through the Torah and its system of commandments, as well as our shared destiny and connection to the Holy Land of Israel. The question is, why would a Jew who inherits our unbroken wisdom tradition stretching back 3,700 years turn his back on it?
Some chafe at the demands of the commandments. Others simply think they have a better idea, be it a credo they dreamed up or an “ism” to which they subscribed. And some turn their backs on our family to fit in at work, school, cocktail parties or online.
In seeking to curry favor with the Jew-hating mob, these Jews do enormous harm.
They often open their statements about Israel with, “As a Jew…” and then they parrot lies about Israel fabricated by the Gaza Ministry of Health, an entity created by Hamas to serve as the media arm of their terrorist organization. One glance at a fact-based website like StandWithUs.com, or even at a simple map of the region renders the bulk of these lies comically inept. After all, how can one Jewish state among 56 Muslim countries – most of which were not Muslim before the sword brought Islam to their lands – be labeled the “colonizer?”
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Statistically, Jews are well-educated, high-achieving and score above average on IQ tests. Why then do some Jews fall for these obvious fabrications? One reason is that siding with Jew-haters against Israel makes them feel virtuous, and we must never underestimate the power of feeling virtuous. That feeling is so addictive that they indulge in it even at the cost of lives: when the As-a-Jews speak out against Israel and get quoted by the enemies of Israel, they strengthen the hearts of Hamas terrorists.
Senior Hamas official <a href="https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2025/08/03/palestinian-state-is-one-of-the-fruits-of-october-7-emboldened-hamas-credits-its-violence-for-gains-as-released-hostage-video-spurs-outcry/">Ghazi Hamad</a> said on Al Jazeera that the recent push by multiple nations to recognize Palestine as a state is the fruit of October 7. In other words, their plan is working. Why would any government reward a terrorist state for the murder and rape of Israeli civilians? Because Hamas claims, “Israel commits genocide, and even the Jews admit it.” And as long as that plan is working, Hamas will keep firing rockets from their children’s bedrooms so they can shriek with victim-glee when Israel inevitably counter strikes. This is how the Hamas death cult operates. This is the modern version of that ancient evil, child sacrifice.
And the murderous phase of the present cycle is lasting longer than it would otherwise because those As-a-Jews give cover to our enemies. Their virtue-signaling costs lives.
Now let us recall that despite our family resemblances, Jews are all different. Most Jews are not As-a-Jews.
In my <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/05/11/u-s-jews-connections-with-and-attitudes-toward-israel/">Orthodox community</a>, Jews are overwhelmingly supportive of Israel, even when they disagree with its government, and we also oppose communism, socialism, and any &#8220;ism&#8221; that privileges people based on their genes rather than merit. In this time of elevated danger to the Jewish people, we’re also profoundly grateful to live in a country that rejects antisemitism like every other racism, and to have allies who can see through Hamas/Iran lies about Israel. Increasingly, we’re also exercising our Second Amendment right to bear arms – with care and training – to protect our families. God forbid the Jew haters who daily chant violence against us come to kill us, we will not be a soft target.
The percentage of Jews who subscribe to these societal views drops significantly when we look at Jews in non-Orthodox denominations, collectively known as liberal Judaism. This term should not be confused with liberal politics, because there are many religiously liberal Jews who are politically conservative. It’s true that religiously liberal Jews do tend to be politically liberal but even so, they are not Mamdani Jews. If they’re affiliated with a synagogue, they tend to support Israel and feel a visceral connection to the Jewish people.
Mamdani Jews are usually those who’ve untethered themselves from Torah entirely. Either they’ve never been exposed to Judaism, or they’re actively against it. They’ll give many reasons why, but their disconnection allows them to generate their own system of morality, and to fit in with the Jew-haters who lionize them. At least for a while. Historically, such Jews get attacked in the end just like the rest of their family.
The Jew-haters offer new and different reasons for their hatred in every generation: we’re too stand-offish or we’re too assimilated, we’re too rich or we’re too poor, we’re stateless or we have a Jewish state. Perhaps the simplest reason is that we’ve lived in exile for so long, that we’ve learned how to arrive on a new shore, identify what success looks like in that culture, and attain it in one generation, even while retaining our ancient traditions and transmitting them to our children. Invariably, we succeed by contributing to the nation that hosts us.
The Mamdani Jews go awry because they jettison the guard rails of Torah and tradition while retaining otherwise positive Jewish qualities like studiousness, generosity of heart, and sympathy for the underdog. Without the Torah’s holistic system for living, these lovely traits can cause an individual’s moral system to skid off the rails and cause great harm.
This process is summed up by an old adage: one who is kind to the cruel will end up being cruel to the kind. In this case, Mamdani Jews support the Hamas death cult because they’re moved by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-hamas-photo-propaganda-dupes-the-west-and-fuels-bds?author=Alyssa+Rosenheck&amp;category=undefined&amp;elementPosition=72&amp;row=3&amp;rowHeadline=Latest+News&amp;rowType=Vertical+Carousel&amp;title=How+Hamas+Photo+Propaganda+Dupes+The+West+And+Fuels+BDS">pictures</a> of sickly children, and they shut their eyes to the evidence that the sickly child’s well-fed siblings have been cropped out by cynical terrorists and their willing accomplices in the media. The result is more innocent lives lost, not less.
We try desperately to open the eyes of our brethren to these facts, yet they remain clenched shut.
Perhaps they keep their eyes shut because if they were to absorb these facts, they would have to open their eyes to many more. They’d have to make an accounting of their choices in a life untethered from Torah and Jewish tradition – a fearless moral inventory – and such a process is not for the faint of heart.
I pray these Mamdani Jews will remember who they are, and the family they come from, before our enemies force them to remember with a globalized intifada. In the meantime, I hope the rest of the family will join our allies and vote against <a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/zohran-mamdani-and-the-jews-14af43f4?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=ASWzDAiXzeTg6rT_DtLVtkWHw22Y7q0ybjI7ZcoEh0OYYjwlT5NyVSaIVojQJVPeQu0%3D&amp;gaa_ts=689cb022&amp;gaa_sig=lT5KNgm62Sfsp4Z8hzGOleVUIcosspzZlBFzbQN9sOr_1OBrZLQwnJiF8THoYFxy3dKjy7fyQE7t-62e3mVs5g%3D%3D">Mamdani</a> because he is an enemy of the Jews, meritocracy, Israel, and America.
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Salvador Litvak is the director of &#8220;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnkqomKfd90">Guns &amp; Moses</a>,&#8221; coming back to theaters across America <a href="https://www.fathomentertainment.com/releases/guns-moses/">Sept. 7-11</a>, and the author of his bestselling book, &#8220;Let My People Laugh: Greatest Jewish Jokes of All Time!&#8221; Learn more at <a href="http://salvadorlitvak.com/">salvadorlitvak.com</a>
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

NYC Mayoral Candidate Zohran Mamdani Holds News Conference

Why Would A Jew Vote For Mamdani?

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