Punched for Looking Jewish in London

A man punched visibly Jewish women in London's Stamford Hill, one of them pushing a stroller. Shomrim, the Jewish volunteer patrol, says volunteers arrived Monday within 30 seconds of the first call and saw him punch a second woman twice in the face. They held him, and police arrested a 33-year-old man on suspicion of racially and religiously aggravated grievous bodily harm. ¹

Three Jewish Democrats near Albany launched a PAC for liberals who fight antisemitism. Aleinu-NY raised $5,000 in its first week, and its FAQ calls anti-Zionism "a form of anti-Jewish hatred." Founder Libby Post: "I used to say that I was a lesbian who happened to be Jewish. Now I say I'm a Jew who happens to be a lesbian." ²

JD Vance won't endorse Netanyahu, a day after Trump did. "I'm not getting involved in the Israeli elections," he told Mark Halperin. Israel votes October 27. In April, Vance backed Viktor Orbán in Hungary. Orbán lost. ³

Jackie Tohn and Timothy Simons of "Nobody Wants This" won $250,000 for charity on "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?" Simons played for the Silver Lake Children's Theatre Group, and Tohn's $125,000 goes to the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance. One lifeline went on asking host Jimmy Kimmel what he thought. They cashed out at the $500,000 question with none left, stumped by the names of Snoopy's siblings. Tohn, 46, announced her BRCA1 diagnosis earlier this year and had a preventative double mastectomy last December. She has said that as a Jewish woman in her 40s, no one had ever talked to her about BRCA. "Somehow it's 2026 and there is no pre-screening for ovarian cancer. And that's crazy," she said. ⁴

Today is 10 Cheshvan, and this week's parsha is Lech-Lecha. ⁵⁶ In it, a fugitive tells Abram that his nephew Lot has been captured. Rashi, citing the Midrash, says the messenger was Og, king of Bashan, who hoped Abram would die in the rescue so he could marry Sarah. ⁷