Episode Details

HEADLINES
US demands Iran open Hormuz shipping lanes
Protests surge at Israeli real estate fairs
Iceland opens Beit Shvidler center mikveh

The time is now 9:01 PM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report.

In Regional Impacts, the United States is demanding that Iran publicly state it will stop attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz and guarantee that all lanes remain open for shipping with no tolls. Iran has told Washington that recent attacks on shipping in the strait were from an errant part of their system, one senior official said. US officials described conversations between the two countries as productive in recent days, and said the Iranians would either issue a public statement acknowledging that all channels of the Strait of Hormuz are open and that ships are no longer being attacked, or risk an outcome that is not favorable for Iran. The officials emphasized that the United States has military options to keep Iranian nuclear sites inaccessible. In a related development, President Donald J. Trump spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, amid the most recent spate of increased US-Iran tensions, focusing on freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and broader regional tensions. The call came a day after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Saudi Ambassador to the United States Reema bint Bandar Al Saud at the White House.

In Antisemitism and Anti-Jewish Hate, as global antisemitism rises, demand for Israeli real estate is growing. For more than four decades, Shelly Levine, founder and CEO of Tivuch Shelly Real Estate, has presented Israeli properties to clients across the United States, Canada, and England, organizing housing fairs, community presentations, and private meetings to build connections with Israel. Today, Levine says hostility has intensified at these events over the past three years, turning what used to be straightforward presentations into occasions marked by demonstrations and increased security. During a recent trip to the New York Tri-State area, she encountered large demonstrations, and in Teaneck, New Jersey, she faced further demonstrations as well, reflecting a broader rise in protests tied to the Israel-Arab conflict.

In Uplifting News, Europe’s smallest Jewish community gets a home of its own — soon with geothermal mikveh. Reykjavik is now home to the Beit Shvidler Jewish Center of Iceland, a roughly 9,000-square-foot building in downtown, renovated from a former bar and, earlier, the headquarters of a political party. The center houses a synagogue, a seminar room, a kosher shop, a community kitchen, a youth center, a library lounge, and a security center, providing the community with facilities it has never had in one place. The project was funded largely through community donations, and the Jewish community will soon also gain a mikvah heated geothermally, leveraging Iceland’s abundant volcanic heat. The Beit Shvidler project sits alongside the residence of Rabbi Avraham and Mushky Feldman, who have worked on the island since 2018, and the center is in the running for the world’s northernmost Chabad house.

Thank you for tuning in to this Israel Today: Ongoing War Report update.
I'm Noa Levi. Stay safe and informed.
Keep in mind that this AI-generated report may contain occasional inaccuracies, so consult multiple sources for a comprehensive view. Find the code and more details in the podcast description.

SOURCES
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/iran-news/article-902141
https://t.me/DefenderDome/22084
https://www.jpost.com/business-and-innovation/real-estate/article-901925