Bea Foster tells MEE she was left 'heartbroken' after being forced out of anti-racism charity [that she helped to found] over Facebook post in which she called Israel an 'apartheid state' ... "APARTHEID – IT WASN'T OKAY IN SOUTH AFRICA. IT WASN'T OKAY IN NAZI GERMANY. WHY IS IT OKAY IN PALESTINE?"

Building Bridges Burnley (BBB), an interfaith anti-racist organisation she helped found more than 20 years ago, which was awarded the King's Award for Voluntary Service (KAVS) in November 2024.

Methodist preacher Bea Foster helped to found the anti-racism charity she was forced to leave- The case stems from an article published by the Jewish Chronicle newspaper in February 2025 alleging links between BBB and antisemitism which referenced Foster's involvement in protests calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and a social media post in 2023 which read: "APARTHEID – IT WASN'T OKAY IN SOUTH AFRICA. IT WASN'T OKAY IN NAZI GERMANY. WHY IS IT OKAY IN PALESTINE?"

Preacher launches legal challenge against UK government over IHRA antisemitism definition

Areeb Ullah

Published date: 9 July 2026

An elderly Methodist preacher is set to launch the first legal challenge to the UK government's use of a contested definition of antisemitism after ministers used it to force a charity to remove her as a trustee over a Facebook post in which she described Israel as an apartheid state.

Bea Foster, a 76-year-old community worker from Burnley, Lancashire, will argue that the government unlawfully penalised her for expressing political views on Israel and Palestine, breaching her rights to freedom of expression, freedom of association and protection from discrimination.

Speaking exclusively to Middle East Eye, Foster said her motivation to pursue the case stemmed from the misuse of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) definition of antisemitism by public and private institutions to shut down criticism of Israeli government policies. 

"The IHRA definition is proved to be used to undermine our ability to hold Israel accountable for its actions against the Palestinian people," Foster told MEE.

"Criticising the Israeli government is not saying you are antisemitic." ... READ MORE  https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/methodist-preacher-launches-legal-challenge-against-uk-governments-use-ihra-antisemitism

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"At a moment when Islam is framed as a source of division, it is worth recalling that on his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1964, Malcolm X encountered Muslims of all races, worshipping as equals together, an experience that transformed his understanding of race and human dignity. It revealed an Islam grounded not in fear, but universality, exposing the poverty of racial hierarchies and the distortions that sustain them." Kenneth Mohammed in The Guardian

Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Muslim worshippers perform dawn prayers at the Grand Mosque before the start of the annual hajj pilgrimage Photograph: Saudi Press Agency/APAImages/Shutterstock 

The real danger of Islamophobia? It rarely announces itself as hatred yet shapes how millions think

Kenneth Mohammed

 

 The difference in framing around antisemitism and anti-Muslim hatred distorts public understanding, inflames tensions and makes both Jewish and Muslim communities less safe

The horrific terrorist attack on the Islamic Centre of San Diego in California has been reported by many news outlets over the past few days. Yet as the story travelled across screens and news feeds, something more subtle unfolded: the language of reporting. Some outlets spoke of “teen suspects” and “three deceased” rather than murdered worshippers or a terrorist attack on a mosque. Words matter. They shape sympathy, urgency, and influence how violence is understood. Too often, the vocabulary of terror and extremism appears unevenly distributed; sharpened for some perpetrators but softened for others.

There is a growing sense that the world is slipping backwards – not through dramatic rupture, but through the steady normalisation of hate, the coarsening of public discourse and politicians increasingly fuelling division and racism.

Across the world... READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/may/25/danger-islamophobia-antisemitism-hatred-anti-muslim-abuse

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"...More troubling still is how sections of the media shape perception through selective framing and omission. A recent arson attack was widely reported as targeting a “former synagogue”, implying antisemitism while omitting that it was the subject of a fundraising effort by local young Muslims, who had already put down a hefty deposit to tranform the building into a mosque and community centre.

The problem is not whether antisemitism or anti-Muslim hatred exist – both plainly do. It is that selective framing distorts public understanding, inflames tensions and ultimately makes both Jewish and Muslim communities less safe. Today, where perception increasingly shapes reality, omission can be as powerful as misinformation itself..."

On Tuesday's #HolocaustRemembrance Day, we honour the memory of all those who perished in the Holocaust & the enduring legacy of those who survived. Today & every day, we must counter antisemitism, Holocaust denial & distortion and all forms of hatred.

 On Tuesday's #HolocaustRemembrance Day, we honour the memory of all those who perished in the Holocaust & the enduring legacy of those who survived.

Today & every day, we must counter antisemitism, Holocaust denial & distortion and all forms of hatred. https://un.org/en/observances 

https://x.com/UN/status/2016013548137181231  

 

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https://www.un.org/en/observances/commemoration-holocaust-victims-day

A warning to all people of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism and prejudice."

  - United Nations General Assembly Resolution A/RES/76/250 on Holocaust Denial

Holocaust Remembrance for Dignity and Human Rights

The United Nations was established in response to the horrors of the Second World War and the Holocaust. The Holocaust has had a profound impact on International Human Rights Law, resulting in the United Nations’ adoption of foundational documents in 1948: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

United Nations General Assembly Resolution 60/7 in 2005 designated 27 January as the annual International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust and established the Holocaust and the United Nations Outreach Programme. This date was chosen as it marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Birkenau German Nazi Concentration and Death Camp on 27 January 1945.

The International Day is a global reminder of the dangers of hatred, bigotry and antisemitism. The Day is a call to remember, reflect and take action to ensure such atrocities never happen again. The International Day is observed with commemorative events and activities at United Nations Headquarters in New York and the United Nations offices around the world.

Gaza City, Gaza: A displaced Palestinian girl looks out from her tent in Gaza City- Photograph: Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters- Holocaust remembrance and a tsunami museum: photos of the day –The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world Tuesday 27 January 2026 ... & "“I represent one and a half million children who were murdered and who are not here to speak for themselves,” Friedman told German media. “My story is representative of all their stories because we all had similar experiences. I was simply luckier than them, because I survived.”"

Gaza City, Gaza

A displaced Palestinian girl looks out from her tent in Gaza CityPhotograph: Dawoud Abu Alkas/Reuters

 

Holocaust remembrance and a tsunami museum: photos of the day – Tuesday

The Guardian’s picture editors select photographs from around the world

https://www.theguardian.com/news/gallery/2026/jan/27/holocaust-remembrance-and-a-tsunami-museum-photos-of-the-day-tuesday?CMP=share_btn_url#img-7

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& 

‘I was simply luckier’: Holocaust survivors warn against forgetting Nazi atrocities

People urged to stand up against populism and antisemitism as the world marks International Holocaust Memorial Day

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/27/i-was-simply-luckier-holocaust-survivors-warn-against-forgetting-nazi-atrocities 

"... Friedman, who emigrated to the US where she became a successful therapist, warned against the rise of the populist far-right in Europe. She said she would directly address the AfD, which is up for election in five states this year and is predicted to do well in at least three of them.

The anti-immigrant party, which backs policies such as the mass deportation of non-naturalised citizens, has repeatedly called for an end to what it calls “Schuldkult” or a “culture of guilt”, to describe the perpetuation of the memory of Nazi crimes.

“I want very much to face up to them, not to hide away from them,” said Friedman.

Kaja Kallas, the European Union’s top diplomat warned that antisemitism was more rampant than at any time since the Holocaust, and was “taking on new and disturbing forms”. She also warned of AI-generated content which was being deliberately created “to blur the line between fact and fiction, distort historical truth and undermine our collective memory”. 

The Frankfurt-based Anne Frank Educational Centre drew attention to a “flood” of AI-generated content being used like propaganda, in which the victims were ridiculed, with the aim of denying or trivialising them.

Representatives of the Jewish community across the world, including Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, urged people to show “civil courage” and stand up for democracy at a time when ...."  READ MORE   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/27/i-was-simply-luckier-holocaust-survivors-warn-against-forgetting-nazi-atrocities

Candles were placed at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin. Photograph: Liesa Johannssen/Reuters

 

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“I never thought I’d go on TV and beg for children not to be intentionally starved and that would be controversial.” Ms Rachel

https://youtubekids.tv/videos/miss-rachel/page/2

 Rachel Accurso

Rachel is a passionate educator who creates research-based videos to help toddlers and their families learn, bond, and thrive. Her videos infuse songs, games and nursery rhymes with strategies from experts to help children reach important milestones in the crucial early years of learning. Rachel believes all children are capable, brilliant and important. She loves learning from them and being around their contagious joy and wonder. 

 Rachel has two master’s degrees in education. She has one in early childhood development and one in music education. She is an advocate for children’s rights and works to ensure that all children have access to high quality early childhood education. She is an ambassador for Save the Children and Room to Grow.

​Her sweet little boy inspired the show and continues to inspire her work every day! She is married to the amazing, Mr. Aron, AKA HERBIE!     https://www.msrachel.com/

 

Ms Rachel  https://anniesnewletters.blogspot.com/search?q=Ms+Rachel

  

 

A Palestinian child in Gaza wearing a Ms Rachel shirt

 "I want my taxes to help children, not KILL them."  Ms Rachel 

Zohran Mamdani is rewriting the political rules around support for Israel. If support for Israel is no longer de rigueur in New York, it may soon not be obligatory in Washington. That is good news for Palestinians - by Kenneth Roth in The Guardian

‘The political shift on Israel that Mamdani’s victory represents should be a wake-up call for the Netanyahu government.’ Photograph: Lev Radin/Shutterstock

 Kenneth Roth

Thu 27 Nov 2025 06.00 EST

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be quaking in his boots at the decisive victory of Zohran Mamdani in the 4 November New York City mayoral election. Not because of absurd allegations of antisemitism for which there is no evidence, but because Mamdani has broken the longstanding taboo for successful New York candidates against criticizing the Israeli government. And he has only reinforced his approach in the month since his election.

New York has the largest Jewish population in the United States – and the second-largest of any city in the world after Tel Aviv. The longstanding assumption was that many Jewish voters prioritized the defense of the Israeli government over other issues, so criticism of Israel would set them against a politician.

Mamdani blew that assumption out of the water. During the campaign he spoke accurately and openly about the genocide that Israel was committing in Gaza. He insisted that all residents of Israel should have equal rights. He said he would arrest Netanyahu were he to show up in New York. Yet one-third of New York’s Jewish voters cast a ballot for him. As did many others.

Some Jews may have been uncomfortable with Mamdani’s criticism of Israel but liked other aspects of his candidacy, such as his relentless focus on affordability. Others, myself included, were attracted by his candor on such an important issue as Israel. Many were also probably appalled by the efforts of Mamdani’s principal opponent, Andrew Cuomo, to tar Mamdani with fact-free allegations of antisemitism.

Mamdani has only continued his openness on Israel since the election... READ MORE  https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/27/zohran-mamdani-israel-us-support

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Foreign journalists are still not allowed in Gaza & Israeli Settlers nearly club a Palestinian woman to death in the West Bank ... Arwa Mahdawi

 ".... Foreign journalists are still not allowed in Gaza

The Foreign Press Association (FPA) has said it is disappointed in the Israeli supreme court’s decision to grant the state of Israel another delay regarding the independent entry of journalists into Gaza. It’s a shame that more journalists in the western media aren’t screaming at the top of their lungs about the murders of their colleagues in Gaza and this assault on press freedom – not to mention the fact that Israel is still not allowing adequate aid into Gaza. At the very least, the western media should be asking what it is that Israel doesn’t want reporters to see. Evidence of torture, perhaps?

Settlers nearly club a Palestinian woman to death

The United Nations office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs recorded 71 incidents of Israeli settler violence against Palestinians and their property in the occupied West Bank across just one week. These include a brutal attack on a 55-year-old woman that was caught on camera...."

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/oct/25/why-is-trump-demolishing-the-white-houses-east-wing-because-he-wants-to 

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