INTERNACIONAL
Family of man who coined ‘genocide’ fights institute using his name to accuse Israel of war crimes
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A growing coalition of prominent U.S. rabbis is urging Pennsylvania’s Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro and state officials to review the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, arguing that the group has distorted the legacy of Raphael Lemkin, the Polish Jewish jurist who coined the term «genocide» by using his name to accuse Israel of committing genocide.
Joseph Lemkin, a New Jersey attorney and nephew of Raphael Lemkin, said the family acted reluctantly but felt compelled after seeing how the institute’s materials were reaching younger audiences.
«A combination of factors led us to take formal steps against the Lemkin Institute,» Lemkin told Fox News Digital. «I had heard about the Lemkin Institute’s disturbing position but initially thought it was best to let the institute continue in anonymity.
«However, when my 16-year-old son (at the time) asked me if I knew about the institute and what they were espousing on social media, I became more concerned about the impact the institution’s conduct would have on the next generation.
GROUP ACCUSED OF HIJACKING RAPHAEL LEMKIN, THE MAN WHO COINED THE TERM GENOCIDE, TO FUEL ANTISEMITISM
International lawyer Raphael Lemkin helped draft the Genocide Convention, which maps out prevention and punishment for the crime of genocide. (Getty images)
«I knew I had to do something to let the public know that the Lemkin Institute was not supported by my family. It was taken to the next level when I was connected with Rabbi Margolin of the European Jewish Association. His communication with my family made us realize that this was a far-reaching concern that should be addressed more formally.»
Raphael Lemkin coined the term «genocide» in 1944 after studying the destruction of European Jewry and helped inspire the 1948 U.N. Genocide Convention. His family says his name was never meant to be used to brand the Jewish state as genocidal, a claim they say inverts his life’s work.
The family’s complaint asks Pennsylvania officials to examine the nonprofit’s use of Lemkin’s name in public materials, including its Oct. 13, 2023, «active genocide alert,» which labeled Israel as committing genocide just days after Hamas’ Oct. 7 massacre.
Lemkin said the timing of that alert was a turning point. «
The active genocide alert is very concerning. It made us realize the horrible agenda of the Institute,» he said. «Merely days after Israelis were killed, raped, tortured and taken hostage and with no action yet taken by Israel to defend itself, the alert was issued. This makes it clear that the institute has an anti-Israel agenda and (is) not genuinely concerned about human rights and certainly not concerned about attacks on Jews. Whether the institute considers its positions as anti-Semitic … it is clear that its agenda foments antisemitism.»
EX-HAMAS HOSTAGE EMILY DAMARI RECOUNTS 471 DAYS OF SURVIVAL IN GAZA: ‘EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED’
Former Harvard University President Larry Summers claimed that the school has not been «swift» enough in combating the antisemitism spreading throughout campus. (Joseph Prezioso/Contributor)
In recent weeks, a series of letters from prominent rabbis have been submitted to state officials, reinforcing the concerns raised by the Lemkin family.
Rabbi Marvin Hier, founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, urged the state to review whether the group’s use of «Lemkin» misleads the public about Raphael Lemkin’s historical mission. Rabbi Aryeh Ralbag, chief justice of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada, also weighed in, calling the «genocide» label applied to Israel a distortion of historical truth. Similar letters came from rabbis Yitzchak Lasry and Tal Peretz, along with additional submissions from Rabbis Dana, Ovadia and Tobali.
«In terms of rabbis taking a position, I think this is extremely important,» Lemkin said. «If an organization uses Raphael’s name to distort or invert his legacy, religious and moral leaders have a duty to defend historical truth. … When a revered public figure’s name such as Raphael, is misused, it becomes a form of false witness, which, as I understand it, is contrary to Jewish law and ethics.»
HAMAS VICTIM MEMORIAL FEATURING SHIRI BIBAS AND SONS TARGETED BY VANDALS IN MILAN, ITALY
Protesters at NYU April 22 accused the school of being complicit in genocide. (Nikolas Lanum/Fox News Digital)
The rabbinic push comes as the Anti-Defamation League reports record-high antisemitic incidents in the U.S. Rabbis and family members argue that labeling Israel as «genocidal» under Lemkin’s name does more than distort history. It reinforces rhetoric that spills into real-world antisemitism.
Lemkin said the connection is clear to him.
«In terms of feeding narratives to help antisemitism spread, it seems obvious, and I believe it is supported by empirical evidence that spikes in accusations that Israel is committing genocide correlate with surges in antisemitic incidents in the U.S.,» he wrote. «From my perspective, using the ‘genocide’ trope against Israel doesn’t advance peace or justice. It just brings back antisemitic patterns. It turns the memory of Jewish victimhood into an accusation against the Jewish people and corrupts a word coined to prevent another Holocaust.
«Candidly using the word genocide against Israel while ignoring Darfur, Rwanda and Syria and others erodes the moral credibility of human rights activists, spotlighting their true antisemitic motivations.»
Lemkin also warned that antisemitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric is becoming more mainstream.
«My view of this political moment – The recent anti-Zionist rhetoric is massively troubling and scary, not only from the streets and campuses but increasingly by elected officials,» he said. «What we used to see confined to the fringe extremists is being heard in legislative chambers and political rallies.»
He said he accepts criticism of Israeli policy but rejects efforts to delegitimize Israel’s existence.
«When political leaders adopt language condemning Zionism, it is denying Jewish peoplehood itself. Such language by politicians normalizes prejudice and puts our Jewish communities at risk.»
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
A sign at an anti-Israel demonstration encampment at Columbia University in New York April 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Stefan Jeremiah)
Asked how his uncle would respond today, Lemkin said, «I think he would be truly pained to see his name or life’s work used to distort his mission. He stood for the protection of all people and especially understood the Jewish people’s right to live in safety and self-determination.»
«To honor Raphael memory,» he said, «would be to stay true to his moral clarity by calling out real injustice and to reject rhetoric that twists his legacy and turns his message of hate against those for whom he first spoke.»
Fox News Digital reached out to the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention for comment but did not receive a response.
anti semitism,israel,pennsylvania,holocaust
INTERNACIONAL
86 Dems vote with Republicans to condemn socialism in wake of Mamdani’s mayoral victory
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted in favor of a resolution condemning socialism Friday morning, with several Democrats crossing the aisle to rebuke «socialist policies» in the U.S. following Zohran Mamdani’s recent election as the mayor-elect of New York City.
Eighty-six Democrats joined Republicans in supporting the measure in a 285-98 vote. Two members, Rep. Deborah Ross, D-Pa., and Rep. Janelle Bynum, D-Ore., voted present.
Notably, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. — who endorsed Mamdani just days before the mayoral election — also voted in favor of the measure.
The resolution, introduced by Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., highlights a list of the economic system’s failures and serves as a rebuke of political forces inching toward more socialist platforms. Among other items, it asserts that socialism has led to famine and mass murder under the Cuban Castro regime, the Chinese rule of Mao Zedong, the ongoing Venezuelan regime of Nicolás Maduro and others.
«Resolved by the House of Representatives that Congress denounces socialism in all its forms and opposes the implementation of socialist policies in the United States,» the text reads.
SOCIALIST WAVE GOES COAST-TO-COAST AS HISTORIC WINS SHAKE UP THE 2025 MAYORAL ELECTIONS
Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., speaks during a roundtable discussion at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Mar. 3, 2025. (Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
While the resolution itself isn’t binding, the congressional rebuke comes as socialism — and its political momentum — have taken up a larger share of the national spotlight in recent months.
Progressive candidates like Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and others have continued to push for an increased government role in public services like healthcare and education. That’s dovetailed with new champions of progressive policies like Mamdani, a self-described socialist.
The resolution also comes as Mamdani is set to meet with President Donald Trump on Friday.
Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., said he believes socialism is incompatible with the American ideal of freedom. He applauded the resolution on Friday morning.
«It always leads to a destruction of liberties for people,» Donalds said of socialism.
DEMOCRATS DID START THE FIRE OF SOCIALISM. NOW, THEY ARE AFRAID IT WILL BURN THEM
New York City Democratic Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani celebrates as he takes the stage at his election night watch party at the Brooklyn Paramount in New York City on Nov. 4, 2025. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
He noted that socialism requires a top-down structure of authority to manage the distribution of resources. That, he believes, is a trait shared by other forms of oppressive government.
«We have a responsibility to defend the American core of capitalism, free markets and liberty [against] socialism, democratic socialism, communism, authoritarianism, fascism,» Donalds said.
While increasingly progressive wings of the Democratic Party have enjoyed momentum in recent months at a time when the party has struggled to unite behind a cohesive brand, not all Democrat lawmakers view socialism’s emergence as something the party should embrace.
Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., one of the members who voted for the disapproval resolution on Friday, has opposed overtly socialist platforms, urging his Democrat colleagues to return to a more centrist path.
REPUBLICANS PUSH TO MAKE MAMDANI THE NEW FACE OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
Rep. Tom Suozzi, D-N.Y., speaks during a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept. 3, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
«I talk about being a new kind of old-fashioned Democrat and giving policy prescriptions about what we need to do to address people’s concerns about the economy and affordability and the cost of living and wages,» Suozzi wrote on X earlier this month. «The answer is not the populism of Donald Trump or Zohran Mamdani — it’s about giving specific policy prescriptions.»
politics,congress,socialism
Paneles solares instalados recientemente en la casa de Joelma Morães Anjo, residente de toda la vida de la isla de Paquetá, cerca de Belém, Brasil, el 16 de noviembre de 2025. Cientos de millones de personas en todo el mundo aún carecen de acceso a la electricidad, y solo en el hemisferio occidental, unos 17 millones no tienen acceso a ella, mientras que otros 60 millones dependen de pequeños generadores que utilizan diésel, uno de los combustibles más contaminantes y caros. (Alessandro Falco/The New York Times)Vista lejana de cruceros anclados que sirven como hoteles temporales para algunos de los miles de asistentes a la conferencia de las Naciones Unidas sobre el cambio climático, COP30, celebrada en Belém, Brasil, el 16 de noviembre de 2025. Cientos de millones de personas en todo el mundo aún carecen de acceso a la electricidad, y solo en el hemisferio occidental, unos 17 millones no tienen acceso a ella, mientras que otros 60 millones dependen de pequeños generadores que utilizan diésel, uno de los combustibles más contaminantes y caros. (Alessandro Falco/The New York Times)
Antonia Maia, quien vivió la mayor parte de su vida sin electricidad hasta que este año instaló un sistema de paneles solares y baterías en su casa, en la isla Paquetá, cerca de Belém, Brasil, el 16 de noviembre de 2025. Cientos de millones de personas en todo el mundo aún carecen de acceso a la energía eléctrica, y tan solo en el hemisferio occidental, unos 17 millones no tienen acceso a ella, mientras que otros 60 millones dependen de pequeños generadores que utilizan diésel, uno de los combustibles más contaminantes y caros. (Alessandro Falco/The New York Times)
Joelma Morães Anjo, residente de toda la vida de la isla de Paquetá, cerca de Belém, Brasil, en su casa, donde hace apenas unos meses, el 16 de noviembre de 2025, se instaló un sistema confiable de electricidad mediante paneles solares. (Alessandro Falco/The New York Times)
Estilos
La hija de Joelma Morães Anjo ve un video en su teléfono inteligente en su casa, donde hace apenas unos meses se instaló un sistema confiable de electricidad mediante paneles solares, en la isla Paquetá, cerca de Belém, Brasil, el 16 de noviembre de 2025. (Alessandro Falco/The New York Times)
Tras jugar al fútbol, unos niños se reúnen en una casa con electricidad para cargar sus teléfonos y jugar a videojuegos en la isla de Paquetá, cerca de Belém, Brasil, el 16 de noviembre de 2025. (Alessandro Falco/The New York Times)
Participantes y jugadores en un torneo de fútbol juvenil en la isla de Jutuba, cerca de Belém, Brasil, el 16 de noviembre de 2025. (Alessandro Falco/The New York Times)INTERNACIONAL
Israel-Hezbollah border tensions rise as terror group rearms, resists US- backed ceasefire
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist movement Hezbollah is rebuilding its military arsenal on Israel’s northern border, as experts warn that another war between the two sides could be on the horizon. The latest developments come a year after the U.S. helped broker a ceasefire between the parties.
On Wednesday, IDF spokesman Nadav Shoshani, said Hezbollah had engaged «in a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement.» Shoshani also released a video showing the rearming, claiming the terror group was «operating to reestablish its assets in the village of Beit Lif.»
Critics argue that the U.N. peacekeeping force, UNIFIL, is not fulfilling its mandate to disarm the terror group and the Lebanese Armed Forces are moving too slowly, which has led to continued Israeli actions against the terrorists. The IDF has been launching near-daily strikes against the group’s infrastructure and operatives inside Lebanon.
IRAN SMUGGLED $1B TO HEZBOLLAH THIS YEAR DESPITE US SANCTIONS, TREASURY OFFICIAL SAYS
Hezbollah fighters attend the funeral of their commander Wissam al-Tawil, in the village of Khirbet Selm, south Lebanon, Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024. A war of words that has unfolded in Lebanon show longstanding schisms in the small country over Hezbollah, now amplified by the militant group’s role in the Lebanon-Israel border clashes and by fears that an already crisis-hit Lebanon could be dragged into an all-out war. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)
Sarit Zehavi, a leading Israeli security expert on Hezbollah from the Israel Alma Research and Education Center, told Fox News Digital that Hezbollah does not currently «have the capability to carry out an October invasion. They had it prior to Oct. 7, 2023. They can send in a few terrorists. I want to believe it will take a few years to get those capabilities back.»
Fox News Digital exclusively reported last year on Hezbollah’s war plan to invade northern Israel and carry out a scorched-earth campaign against the Jewish state.
A day after the Iran-backed Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and massacred over 1,200 people, Hezbollah launched missile attacks against Israel.
A strike against Hezbollah that the Israeli Air Force says was carried out overnight. (Israeli Air Force)
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE MIDDLE EAST’S HEZBOLLAH AND HAMAS GROUPS?
Zehavi said, «Both the IDF and Hezbollah are very active. The IDF is very active to stop the rehabilitation of Hezbollah and Hezbollah is very active in rebuilding. Hezbollah learned lessons. It has been more problematic to smuggle weapons to Lebanon from Syria. It is happening. But the Syrians intercepted weapons.»
She noted that the «Syrian regime is willing to fight Hezbollah to fight weapons smuggling. Hezbollah is relying more on manufacturing rockets.»
Zehavi, who lives in northern Israel, said that «almost half of Israeli attacks on Hezbollah are south of the Litani river. We see a lot of investment from Hezbollah in drones, short-range rockets, mortars and anti-tank missiles.»
On Tuesday in Germany, prosecutors started a trial against an alleged Hezbollah member running «an extensive drone program for some time.»
The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office said the suspected Hezbollah operative Fadel Z joined Hezbollah more than 10 years ago and worked as a «foreign operator» for the group’s drone program in 2022 in Spain and Germany.
Zehavi said it suffered a defeat of its leadership via the Mossad pager attack on its commanders. However, she added, «Iran immediately provided oxygen to Hezbollah for treatment to help revive Hezbollah.»
Hezbollah fighters carry the coffin of four fallen comrades who were killed Tuesday after their handheld pagers exploded, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, on Wednesday, Sept. 18. (Bilal Hussein/ AP)
ISRAEL DEGRADES IRAN-BACKED HEZBOLLAH TERRORISTS IN SPECTACULAR PAGER EXPLOSION OPERATION: EXPERTS
She outlined Israel’s main defense strategy against Hezbollah. First, the IDF has positions in Syria and Lebanon. «We cannot have civilians on the front line. The IDF is on top of hills in Israel and Lebanon and can see everything and can respond quickly to terrorist activities. This means when an Israeli woman opens her window and used to see a Hezbollah flag, she now sees an Israeli flag. This gives her a sense of security. This was not present before Oct. 7.
She estimates Hezbollah has 50,000 terrorists and 50,000 reservists. «We killed a few thousand terrorists.»
The IDF made dramatic advances in eradicating Hezbollah’s missile arsenal. «We degraded 80%» of the rockets, Zehavi said, noting the elimination of sizable numbers of Hezbollah’s long-range and highly accurate missiles.
Edy Cohen, a Lebanese-born Israeli scholar of Hezbollah, said, «There is no lack of arms for Hezbollah in Beirut and Lebanon. Lately, we saw many reports that Hezbollah received arms from Syria and Iran is trying to send arms by civilian Iranian airplanes.»
Lebanese Hezbollah fighters are taking part in cross-border raids, part of a large-scale military exercise, in Aaramta bordering Israel on May 21, 2023 ahead of the anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000. (Fadel Itani/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
HEZBOLLAH’S NEIGHBORS: ISRAELI BORDER COMMUNITY UNDER CONSTANT ATTACK FROM TERROR GROUP
He said there is enormous pressure on Hezbollah and every week Israel is killing Hezbollah operative. The Shiite community in Lebanon wants Hezbollah to retaliate against Israel, said Cohen, adding, «For the Shiite community Hezbollah is the state.»
Cohen said the IDF is gathering intelligence information about Hezbollah’s arsenal and attacking almost every day its leaders and operatives.
Hezbollah terrorists are taking part in cross-border raids, part of a large-scale military exercise, in Aaramta, bordering Israel, on May 21, 2023 ahead of the anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000. (Fadel Itani/NurPhoto via Getty Image)
He warned that because «Hezbollah said it will not disarm its militia … the big war will come.»
Fox News Digital reported in early November that Trump’s U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Thomas Barrack, who also serves as envoy to Syria, said that Lebanon is a «failed state,» because of its «paralyzed government.»
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
He also noted that Hezbollah retains 40,000 fighters and between 15,000 and 20,000 rockets and missiles, noting the terror group pays its militia $2,200 per month, whereas the Lebanese Armed Forces soldiers earn $275 a month and have inferior equipment as well.
israel,terrorism,conflicts,lebanon,national security
‘Palanca’ millonaria para la Juventus
86 Dems vote with Republicans to condemn socialism in wake of Mamdani’s mayoral victory
Pampita aclaró las dudas sobre su peinado carré que se volvió viral: “No es peluca”
La Casa Rosada acelera el documento final sobre la ANDIS y apunta a presentar las irregularidades antes del cierre del año
Mientras el mundo busca energías limpias, millones siguen sin tener electricidad
Dónde conviene irse de vacaciones según la evolución del tipo de cambio
Desde su prisión domiciliaria, Cristina Kirchner recibió a nueve economistas del PJ
Resumen de los octavos de final del Mundial Sub 17: clasificados, fixure y cruces
La Justicia limitó las visitas a Cristina Kirchner en su prisión domiciliaria
