Flag with Star of David and two swastikas raised at NYU ahead of commencement

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📚 Star of David and swastikas flag raised over NYU building

• A blue and white flag displaying a Star of David, two swastikas and the letters “NYU” was seen hoisted over the roof of New York University’s Steinhardt building as graduates gathered for the school’s commencement on Wednesday, according to the student paper Washington Square News.

• “We are shocked and deeply troubled that this hateful symbol expressing antisemitism was raised on a flagpole overlooking Washington Square Park,” NYU spokesperson Wiley Norvell said to WSN, adding that administrators quickly removed the flag and were working with the NYPD to identify those responsible.

• It was not immediately clear who raised the flag or why. Some critics of Israel’s operations in Gaza have used imagery combining the Star of David and swastikas to imply that Israel is akin to the Nazis. Commencements have also been frontiers for student pro-Palestinian protest. NYU did away with live student speakers this year after a graduating student last year departed from approved remarks to condemn Israel.

🚨 Man pleads guilty to ramming car into Chabad headquarters

• Dan Sohail pleaded guilty on Wednesday to federal charges of damaging religious property for ramming his car into the Chabad-Lubavitch world headquarters in January. He admitted in Brooklyn federal court to intentionally damaging the building.

• Sohail had expressed interest in converting to Judaism before the incident and was described by family members and prosecutors as having mental health concerns. He was initially charged with hate crimes, which were dropped.

⚖️ Neo-Nazi group leader who plotted to poison Jewish children is sentenced

• Michail Chkhikvishvili, the leader of an online neo-Nazi group called the maniac Murder Cult, was sentenced to 15 years in prison at a Brooklyn federal court on Wednesday.

• Chkhikvishvili, a Georgian national, was extradited to the United States from Moldova last year. He pleaded guilty to plotting to kill Jewish children in New York with poisoned candy, along with inciting other mass casualty attacks worldwide.

🎓 Herzog cancels appearance at JTS commencement

• Israeli President Isaac Herzog will no longer give the commencement address at the Jewish Theological Seminary’s graduation ceremony, the school’s chancellor announced on Thursday morning.

• In an email to students, faculty, and guests, JTS Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz expressed “deep regret” that Herzog would not be in attendance. The email also included a letter from Herzog, dated May 12, which did not disclose the reason for his absence.

• JTS students had criticized Herzog’s scheduled appearance in a letter that accused him of inciting violence against civilians in Gaza and not taking action against settler violence in the West Bank.

• “JTS is among the Jewish world’s most esteemed institutions, and its bond with the State of Israel and the Jewish people runs deep,” Herzog wrote in his letter. “Regrettably, due to circumstances that prevent my travel to New York at this time, I will be unable to join you in person for the ceremony on May 19.”

✍️ Alex Bores’ father says ‘Zionists are Nazis’ online

• The father of congressional candidate Alex Bores, who is locked in a heated primary to replace retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler in a heavily Jewish district, has excoriated “Zionists” on social media in recent months, Jewish Insider reports.

• William Bores, a former union president representing broadcast industry workers, posted on his Threads account that “Zionists are Nazis” and both groups are “better when dead.” He also appeared to celebrate reports of Israeli civilians killed by Iranian missiles, including a residential security guard and an 11-year-old girl.

• On other occasions, William Bores appeared to mock expressions of Jewish religion. He commented that a video from a Hasidic wedding was “cult like” and the men wore “bizarre uniforms.”

• Alex Bores has said he believes the United States should continue its alliance with Israel. He said in a statement to Jewish Insider, “I love my dad, value what I’ve learned from him, and disagree with many of the things he’s said. His posts don’t reflect who I am or what I believe.”

🥯 Micah Lasher’s backers convene at bagel shop

• Meanwhile, Bores’ Jewish opponent Micah Lasher gathered some of his most high-profile supporters at Tal Bagels on Tuesday — including Nadler, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Morris Katz, a key strategist on Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s campaign who was recently officially hired by Lasher’s team.

• The gang was spotted shooting a TV ad for Lasher at the Upper West Side bagel spot, Politico reports. Bores and Lasher are also up against Kennedy scion Jack Schlossberg and lawyer George Conway.

💰 Long Island school district pays $125K to settle lawsuit over erased pro-Palestinian student art

• A Long Island school district agreed to pay a $125,000 settlement to a former student whose pro-Palestinian artwork was painted over in a high school parking lot.

• Half Hollow Hills High School West painted over a Muslim-American student’s artwork in her campus parking spot, which featured a keffiyeh pattern and watermelon alongside her name in Arabic and the phrase “Peace be upon you,” after it drew outcry from some parents. The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations filed a lawsuit on behalf of the student in 2025, alleging that the district had violated her free speech and caused her emotional distress.

💬 Vickie Paladino warns against ‘masked jihadis’ on X after settling dispute over Islamophobic posts

• Vickie Paladino, the NYC Council member who faced disciplinary proceedings over her Islamophobic social media posts and sued the council in response, reached an agreement with her colleagues to end the dispute on Monday.

• By Monday evening, Paladino was back on X with controversial commentary about the pro-Palestinian demonstration against an Israeli real estate event at a Brooklyn synagogue that night. She called the protesters “masked jihadis” and said that Mamdani was elected to facilitate “a revolutionary vanguard led by the Islamist-Marxist alliance.” Paladino also said the situation would worsen for Jews.