Katrina Armstrong, Columbia University’s interim president, stepped down on Friday as the school faced criticism over campus antisemitism, including the threat of losing $400 million in federal funding.

Armstrong’s departure means the Ivy League university in Manhattan will have its third leader in the space of a year. President Minouche Shafik resigned last August in the wake of massive protests that made Columbia the epicenter of student demonstrations over the Gaza war, and that led to a significant police response.

Now, Armstrong will be replaced by Claire Shipman, a former journalist and the co-chair of Columbia’s board of trustees. Armstrong will run the school’s medical center, a job she had before becoming acting president.

Armstrong contended with continued tensions around the Israel-Hamas war. Then, beginning in January, she met aggressive actions by the Trump administration that it said were a response to campus antisemitism. ICE is attempting to deport multiple people involved in the pro-Palestinian protests, including Mahmoud Khalil, who was arrested in Columbia housing and whose case has drawn global attention.

The administration also froze $400 million in federal funding to the school, demanding a litany of changes to how Columbia dealt with protests and to the oversight of an academic department. Columbia agreed to many of those changes, though Armstrong also reportedly downplayed them in a meeting with faculty.

Last year, Shipman decried antisemitism in testimony before Congress, and said she wasn’t satisfied with the school’s response.

“Antisemitism is dangerous and reprehensible. It has no place at Columbia or in our society, and I’m grateful as a citizen, and as co-chair of our board for the spotlight you’re putting on this ancient hatred,” she said in her remarks. She added soon afterward, “It is unacceptable. I can tell you plainly that I am not satisfied with where Columbia is at the moment.”

In a statement upon becoming acting president, Shipman said, “I assume this role with a clear understanding of the serious challenges before us and a steadfast commitment to act with urgency, integrity, and to work with our faculty to advance our mission, implement needed reforms, protect our students, and uphold academic freedom and open inquiry.”

This year’s NCAA college basketball tournament has, so far, been a good one for its most prominent Jewish personalities. Going into Friday night, four coaches of top teams, and one star on the court, are all still alive.

But by the time Saturday night rolls around, at least one of those people is going to be heading home.

That’s because Friday night, in addition to being the beginning of Shabbat, is when Jewish player Danny Wolf’s No. 5 Michigan will face off against No. 1 Auburn, led by Jewish coach Bruce Pearl.

The Shabbat Showdown between Wolf and Pearl is March Madness’ highest-profile Jewish face-off yet.

Wolf, a 7-foot junior who’s a threat in the lane and at the three-point line, has had a standout college career and is expected to be drafted into the NBA later this year. An Israeli-American, he attended Jewish day school, has faced antisemitism on the court and values the opportunity to dispel stereotypes about Jews and sports.

Pearl, who is Auburn’s all-time winningest coach, is outspoken about his Jewish identity and support for Israel. He took his team to Israel in 2022 and recently used a postgame press conference to draw awareness to Edan Alexander, the last living American hostage held by Hamas in Gaza.

Auburn is favored to win on Friday night and advance to the Elite Eight — but there’s nothing the bracket loves more than an upset. No matter who wins, another Jewish matchup is possible in the Final Four — or even the championship game.

Washington, D.C.’s Jewish federation is allocating $180,000 to help laid-off federal workers, the latest way the Trump administration’s slashing of the federal government is rippling out to Jewish organizations.

The sum is a multiple of 18, which signifies life in Judaism, and will be split: $100,000 will be distributed via local synagogue rabbis, and $80,000 will go to social service agencies that partner with the federation.

“Federation is stepping up to ensure that no one in our community has to navigate this hardship alone,” Jewish Federation of Greater Washington CEO Gil Preuss said in a press release. “In moments of uncertainty, we must depend on the strength of our Jewish community to provide the foundation we need to rebuild.”

More than 100,000 federal workers have been laid off in the government downsizing of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE agency, according to a CNN analysis. Approximately 20% of the federal workforce lives in the D.C. area.

Preuss said in an interview that local rabbis could provide financial assistance of up to $1,500 per family at their discretion to community members impacted by the layoffs, and that the federation’s fund would reimburse them. “We trust them to make the decision,” he said.

Trump and Musk’s funding cuts have already put the Jewish organizational world on alert, impacting several of their priorities:

• Jewish groups across the country were briefly thrown into crisis mode when the administration announced a short-lived, sweeping freeze on federal funding in January.
• Cuts to USAID have stopped the flow of government money to Israeli-Palestinian peace-building efforts.
• Cuts to FEMA have frozen federal funding for synagogue security.
• Trump also suspended funding for refugee resettlement, though that decision was recently blocked by a judge in a lawsuit brought by several refugee aid groups, including the Jewish group HIAS.

Other Jewish institutions in the D.C. area, including day schools, are feeling the effects of the layoff spree. Half of the parents of students at the Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School in Washington, D.C. are employed in some capacity by the federal government, according to Jewish Insider.

As at Columbia University, its fellow Ivy League school, Cornell University has had a pro-Palestinian student protest leader sought for deportation — as well as a handful of disruptive protests this year of the sort that drew attention from the Trump administration.

But Mike Kotlikoff, Cornell’s new president, says he isn’t too worried that protest activity on his campus will ignite the kind of sweeping federal sanctions Columbia has faced.

“I’m very comfortable with where Cornell is currently,” Kotlikoff said in an interview on Thursday, five days after being appointed permanently to the position he has held on an interim basis since July 2024.

“We’ve had a relatively peaceful two semesters this year,” he added. “We’ve had a couple of situations where individuals who were protesting really went over the line and infringed on other people’s rights, and in both of those cases, there were consequences for those infringements.”

Kotlikoff said he believed that conditions on campus for Jewish students are “pretty close” to where they stood on Oct, 6, 2023, the eve of Hamas’ attack on Israel, which ignited a war that has elicited widespread protests on campuses and elsewhere. He noted that both Hillel and Chabad are in the process of constructing new buildings and said there were more than 30 active Jewish organizations at Cornell.

“There’s really a lot of Jewish activity, Jewish life that [is] celebrated on campus,” he said. “I periodically go to Shabbat. I’m going to go to Passover Shabbat. So I think it’s pretty normal. If you ask most most kids, it’s it’s quite comfortable on campus.”

Kotlikoff, who is Jewish, assumes the permanent leadership of Cornell as universities face unprecedented pressure from the Trump administration over student protests on their campuses. Trump signed an executive order within days of taking office in January that vowed to deport “Hamas sympathizers” on campus under the mantle of combating antisemitism. Since then, Secretary of State Marco Rubio revealed on Thursday, at least 300 people have had their visas revoked.

One, Momodou Taal, is a Cornell graduate student. He has sued the Trump administration to block his deportation, saying that his free speech and that of his fellow pro-Palestinian students is being infringed upon. A federal judge issued a preliminary ruling against him on Thursday.

Kotlikoff did not comment directly on Taal’s case. But he said he believed that visa status should not limit the opinions students are allowed to express on campus — while leaving the door open to visa revocations if they are upheld by courts. The State Department is arguing that the pro-Palestinian student protesters it has targeted undermine U.S. foreign policy and the national interest, citing a rarely used legal provision.

“I think everybody should have free speech rights on our campus,” Kotlikoff said. “The question really is — and I don’t know the answer to this, it has to be adjudicated in court — what the actual basis of the government’s removing visas is. I think that is a question that should be adjudicated in the courts. It shouldn’t be based on First Amendment rights. But if you don’t follow the guidelines that are required as associated with your visa status, that’s a different issue.”

Some Jews have applauded the Trump administration’s crackdown, saying it is long overdue and needed to protect Jewish students who have felt threatened by anti-Israel activity. Others say they fear the Trump administration is weaponizing concerns about antisemitism to repress speech, undercut universities and pursue an anti-immigrant agenda.

Kotlikoff said Cornell had adopted four core principles “for how we would meet the political pressures that we’re currently seeing” that would allow the school to stick to its own values in such a contested environment. They include ensuring access for all, prioritizing diversity and making decisions based on merit. The last principle, he said, was obeying the law: “That is obeying the law as it’s written, not necessarily what’s asserted, but what is we believe is a lawful way to proceed.”

The Trump administration applied financial penalties to pressure Columbia into agreeing to overhaul supervision of some of its academic departments that teach about the Middle East. It’s in an unusual intervention of the federal government into academics at a private university, and the American Association of University Professors has decried the move.

Kotlikoff, too, drew criticism last year from AAUP for challenging a professor, in private emails that the Jewish Telegraphic Agency obtained, over the content of his course on Gaza. Kotlikoff said the incident reflected the way things are supposed to work — and noted that the course ultimately enrolled only a handful of students, while another course on the Middle East that calls on students to “leave your politics at the door and have a free exchange” of ideas enrolled hundreds.

“The choice of what to teach as faculty is a really a key part of academic freedom,” he said. “My private criticism of a course that was publicized was one around balance within the classroom. It’s something that we expect, and we’ve talked a lot about.”

But ultimately, he said, expectations for professors are the same as they are for students — and both retain a core right to express themselves, no matter what any advocate or the Trump administration may argue.

“We’re not suppressing speech, we’re not suppressing individual opinions,” he said. “But we are saying [to] you there are guidelines that protect all of our community’s rights, and my job as a university president is to protect everybody’s rights.”

Earlier this month, a pro-Palestinian activist named Helyeh Doutaghi was suspended from her job at Yale University and banned from campus over alleged links to a fundraising group that supports a Palestinian terrorist organization.

The trigger, according to the New York Times, was a report in an ostensible news site called Jewish Onliner.

The name was new to us here at the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and to many others in Jewish journalism. And, as it turns out, the people behind the site don’t see themselves as journalists reporting the news, even if they are pleased to be making it.

That revelation came to us after following digital breadcrumbs to identify a person involved with Jewish Onliner, which was registered as a website on Dec. 12.

The website’s registration shields the identity of its owner. And the site does not disclose its staff or have bylines on its articles, which it says use AI to focus on “combating antisemitism, exposing anti-Israel movements, and dissecting the radical forces undermining the values of the Western world.” But we tracked someone down.

The person affiliated with the site, who confirmed their involvement, is a recent immigrant to Israel from an English-speaking country with training and experience in open-source intelligence and counter-terrorism. The person said the team is multinational and not affiliated with the Israeli government. (The government is reportedly investing in AI-driven efforts to fight antisemitism.)

And the person agreed to answer questions via email on condition of anonymity, citing the threat of antisemitism.

The subsequent exchange addresses questions about how Jewish Onliner picks its targets, the role artificial intelligence plays in its work, why its content should not be considered journalism, the cost of anonymity and how the initiative is funded. The person said they drafted their responses in consultation with the rest of team behind Jewish Onliner.

At a time when small groups are having an outsized impact on U.S. policy — as Betar and the similarly anonymous Canary Mission have done when it comes to identifying pro-Palestinian student protesters whom the Trump administration subsequently seeks to deport — the exchange offers unusual insight into how one of those groups says it operates. We are publishing it here, lightly edited for length and clarity.

JTA: Why is anonymity so important for this project?

Jewish Onliner: The reason for the anonymity is pretty straightforward — and unfortunately necessary in today’s climate, where antisemitism has reached truly disturbing levels (as I’m sure you’re all too familiar with).

Given the nature of the initiative and the kind of work we’re trying to do here — often reporting on individuals and organizations with troubling connections — keeping things anonymous is the best way for all of us on the team to stay protected and avoid potential personal risks.

But honestly, part of it is also that we’re not really in this for the spotlight. We’ve got a solid team with strong tech skills, and we care deeply about where things are heading. Our focus is just on doing the work — digging into the issues that matter to the Jewish community and shedding light where it’s needed, whether that’s on antisemitism, anti-Israel campaigns, or the broader forces threatening Western values.

Would you consider what you do journalism? I ask because journalists rarely conceal their identities while reporting on issues that could put them at risk. The theory is that anonymity would hurt the credibility of the reporting. What do you think about that?

That’s a fair and thought-provoking question you raised.

After discussing with the rest of the team, we agreed that what we do doesn’t align with traditional journalism, nor would we characterize the initiative as a media outlet. The team is intentionally trying to carve out a different lane altogether.

What feels unique about our model is that it isn’t structured like a typical newsroom — there are no rigid roles like reporters or editors. Instead, each person handles every part of a project: conducting OSINT [open source intelligence] research, analyzing the findings, and writing the piece. AI tools also play a significant role in enhancing and accelerating the work (we’re also constantly working to improve our technology and add new abilities).

The reports we’ve produced often don’t fit neatly into conventional journalism. They are almost entirely based on verifiable OSINT and include in-depth analyses as well. Much of the content connects directly to US-designated terrorist organizations, some of which continue to operate freely on American soil. Given that the same individuals who conduct the research also publish the findings, the team ultimately decided that anonymity was the best approach to mitigate the added risks.

 We’re fully aware that anonymity may cause some to view our work with skepticism — that’s a tradeoff we’ve considered carefully.

Ultimately, the team felt the work should speak for itself. And for those willing to engage with it, we believe the value is clear.

Do you reach out to the targets of your investigation for comment? In my world, journalism, it’s considered absolutely essential to try to get comments from whoever you’re writing about — for fairness and to reduce the chance you’re making a mistake.

As I mentioned, we don’t see ourselves as journalists or a media outlet. We’ve described ourselves as a “hub for insights, actionable intelligence, exposés, and essential updates,” and I think that description fits us well.

But surely you have concerns about basic fairness and getting the story right. Is it truly possible to be fair while making accusations against named people anonymously and without giving them a chance to defend themselves?

Our anonymity is absolutely fair, because the facts speak for themselves. In the case of Yale, it was Samidoun — the terrorist organization outlawed by the United States, Canada, Germany, and Israel — that identified her as part of their network. [JTA: The U.S government last year declared the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network ”a sham charity” that raises money for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States since 1997.] Yale reviewed this fact, understood its irrefutability, and acted in whatever way it saw fit. The evidence was indisputable and spoke for itself.

[Doutaghi’s lawyer did not respond to an inquiry from JTA. She addressed the situation in a series of statements posted to her account on X. Her statements reject the accusations against her as a smear intended to suppress pro-Palestinian activism. “I am being targeted for one reason alone: for speaking the truth about the genocide of the Palestinian people that Yale University is complicit in,” Doutaghi’s statement says.]

What can you say about who runs and funds Jewish Onliner? The reason you cited for anonymity is the safety of the individuals involved — that doesn’t sound like a reason to keep the identity of any institution that may be behind the initiative anonymous. 

It might surprise you to learn that JO is actually a pretty low-cost initiative, so saying that it has “funders” might be a stretch.

We’re a small group of tech-savvy OSINT experts who decided to take action for the Jewish community and broader Western values. The minimal support we’ve received comes from a few concerned individuals who wanted to help us get started, but they’re busy with their own lives, jobs, and families.

Also, for what it’s worth, since we’ve seen this silly rumor floating around: No, we are not affiliated with, connected to, or supported by any government.

I also want to challenge you on that. The rumors that you are supported by the Israeli government hardly seem “silly.” The Israeli government has publicly said that it is spending millions on online influence campaigns, which reportedly make use of AI technology. Jewish Onliner would seem to fit the bill. Do you really fault people for concluding that you might be a government outfit?

As for the Israeli government, we have no idea what they may or may not be doing with any technology — and frankly, we don’t much care.

Not every civilian-run initiative addressing antisemitism using AI is tied to the Israeli government. Sometimes, believe it or not, people just care about these issues and want to try and help.

How many people are involved? What are their backgrounds?

As a matter of policy, the team has decided not to disclose any personal information related to its members. That said, we’re a multinational group of people hailing from multiple countries.

How do you pick your projects?

It’s generally a matter of what interests the members of the team and where we see an opportunity for impact. There’s no structured method. That said, we do focus on certain areas that we feel are particularly important, such as campus issues.

Are there no other Jewish groups doing what you do? What gap are you filling and how did you identify it?

We’re not aware of any Jewish groups pursuing a similar initiative, as what we’re doing is quite experimental and involves a lot of trial and error. Every Jewish group is doing critically important work in their own fields, whether in the media, on campuses, at the UN, in the arts, and more. We believe the gap we’re filling is one of education for our community on topics that are typically overlooked by traditional media, providing a more direct, independent, and up-to-date approach.

Why not just do the research and provide your findings to media outlets that are friendly to your cause? Why publish on your own?

We’re exploring ways to leverage AI to optimize the dissemination of crucial information to the Jewish community. The team believes that relying on outside entities for support would complicate our ability to innovate with the technology we use at a rapid pace.

The Yale case was very high profile. Is that JO’s biggest achievement? What are the projects you’re most proud of so far?

As for our projects, the Yale story blew up far bigger than we expected. We didn’t anticipate it having that kind of impact, and it’s been quite humbling. Beyond that, we exposed Francesca Albanese’s planned involvement at a terror-tied Montreal conference, which prompted her withdrawal. Another story we’re proud of was our investigation into an ICRC official in Gaza with connections to terror groups — this is important for understanding the concerns around aid groups working in Gaza that claim to be impartial.

We’re pretty broad in our focus, looking at everything from campus issues to terror-linked nonprofits to what’s happening on the ground in Gaza.

By the way, some people think that the name “Jewish Onliner” is inspired by the media outlet Jewish Insider or even meant as a critique of Jewish Insider. Is that correct at all?

No, not a critique at all! The team are huge fans of Jewish Insider! They just thought the name would fit because our content is geared for people who are VERY, VERY online. (The phrase “terminally online” comes to mind.)

Congress advanced a bill that requires universities to report more of their foreign funding, a priority of Jewish groups concerned about influence from Israel’s adversaries.

The DETERRENT Act passed the House on Thursday by a vote of 241-169, with more than 30 Democrats joining nearly all Republicans to support the bill. It will now head to the Senate.

While the legislation was championed by pro-Israel activists, Michigan Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib, a harsh Israel critic, also unsuccessfully sought to use it to advance her goals: She introduced two amendments to the bill that would have increased scrutiny of donations from, and investments in, Israel. Both were rejected by large bipartisan majorities.

The bill — an acronym for Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions Act — lowered the threshold for reporting gifts from most foreign countries from $250,000 to $50,000. It received support from Jewish organizations including AIPAC and the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), which are concerned that money from countries such as Qatar and Iran are funding anti-Israel messaging on campuses.

“It’s unacceptable that Qatar’s regime – the same one that offers shelter and protection to top Hamas terrorists – has been able to pour billions into places like Yale, Georgetown, and Cornell – much of it undisclosed,” the RJC wrote in a press release.

One of Tlaib’s proposed amendments sought to include Israel in a classification of countries referenced as “foreign country of concern.” For those countries — including Iran, Russia, China and North Korea — there is a reporting requirement for all gifts and contracts.

The other amendment proposed by Tlaib would have required schools to disclose any investments made in Israel.

Both were rejected with over 400 “no” votes. The Jewish Federations of North America praised that outcome, calling Tlaib’s proposals “amendments that sought to undermine this legislation.”

Schools that don’t comply with the new reporting requirements could lose federal funding.

In 2023, several umbrella groups for colleges and universities advocated against the legislation in a letter to Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Republican Speaker Mike Johnson, saying it could hinder international collaboration.

“While we understand the concern regarding foreign funding to U.S. institutions of higher education is bipartisan, we believe the DETERRENT Act is duplicative of existing interagency efforts, unnecessary, and puts in place a problematic expansion of the data collection by the U.S. Department of Education that will broadly curtail important needed international research

collaboration and academic and cultural exchanges,” the letter read.

In a statement Thursday, Rep. Tim Walberg — a Michigan Republican and the chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee who introduced the act alongside Rep. Michael Baumgartner — cited concerns over “antisemitic propaganda” as well as Chinese government influence.

“The lack of transparency around foreign relationships with our nation’s universities should concern every American as we see stolen research, antisemitic propaganda, and academic censorship,” said Walberg in the statement.

TIRANA, Albania — One block off Tirana’s Skanderbeg Square, Harel Kopelman is bringing traditional Albanian culture — in the form of dazzling wedding rituals, colorful costumes and delicious wines and cheeses — to foreigners visiting what was once one of Europe’s most brutal dictatorships.

Albanian Night, a medieval mix of Balkan sights, sounds and tastes, is run by Kopelman, a 31-year-old Israeli-born ex-yeshiva student who grew up in Sunnyvale, California.

After earning a master’s degree in business analytics from Fordham University, Kopelman ended up in Albania by chance four years ago while traveling the globe.

“I fell in love with the country,” said Kopelman, who now speaks fluent Albanian in addition to his native Hebrew and English. “People are super friendly, everything is accessible, and you’re close to nature. It’s like the Wild West, because it’s an untapped market.”

For Israelis at least, Albania is about to get a lot more accessible. Next week, El Al will launch direct, nonstop flights between Tel Aviv and Tirana through its low-cost subsidiary, Sundor.

Meri Kumbe, Albania’s ambassador to Israel, said that among other things, the new service — set to operate three times a week — “will give Israelis an excellent opportunity to discover the historical significance of Albania’s role in saving Jews during the Holocaust.”

In a recent press release, Sundor CEO Gal Gershon called Albania a “small, Israeli-friendly country that’s ranked as one of the safest” by Israel’s National Security Council.

“We’re witnessing increased demand for flights to Balkan countries, which are known for great food, stunning landscapes and excellent value for money — qualities Israelis love,” Gershon said. “Our new route to Tirana will strengthen Israel’s ties with these countries and offer Israelis their favorite vacation experiences just a short flight away.”

In 2024, Albania welcomed 11.7 million foreigners and ranks among the world’s fastest-growing tourist destinations.

Among the many sites being constructed to draw tourists are not one but two Jewish museums — one in Vlora and another in Tirana. It’s a remarkable number for a country that, according to the World Jewish Congress, is home to only about 60 Jews.

New hotels are also springing up — including one backed by President Donald Trump’s Jewish son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama approved Kushner’s bid to build a five-star hotel complex on the offshore island of Sazan, the New York Times reported in January. The $1.4 billion project would turn a “former military base into a vibrant international destination for hospitality and wellness,” the newspaper said.

Albania again made headlines last month after Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Trump was pushing Rama to accept 100,000 Palestinian refugees so that Gaza could be depopulated and — like Sazan — be turned into a mega-resort. Rama vehemently denied the report, saying on X that “I haven’t heard something so fake in quite some time. It is absolutely not true.”

Still, Israel’s blossoming romance with Albania stands in contrast to its increasingly strained relations with a number of Western European countries over the ongoing war in Gaza. It also represents a complete turnaround from the years between 1944 and 1985, when dictator Enver Hoxha  — who built nearly 200,000 concrete bunkers across the Maryland-size country in case of an American invasion that never came — considered Israel the “little Satan.”

Tel Aviv tax lawyer Nimrod Yaron, 46, has been to Albania five times. He got involved with the country after Albania’s former ambassador in Israel, Bardhyl Canaj, asked him to help craft a bilateral tax treaty that was eventually signed in May 2021.

“When we advise Israelis to invest in Albania or open a company there, they’re quite surprised. I tell them it’s a very good place for doing business. The people speak English and they have a highly educated population,” he said. “To them, education is sacred, and as Israelis, we know that education is the key to everything.”

Key areas for potential business include tourism, tech, cybersecurity, agriculture and construction. In addition, a new Albanian law exempts digital nomads from local taxation. On the flip side, Yaron said, many hidden costs exist and “you cannot go and work there without knowing the system.”

The attorney added, “I don’t see Israeli investors running to Albania. For one thing, it’s very hard to do business in a country that still works on cash. But one day, Albania will bloom, it will join the European Union, and it’ll become the hub of the Balkans. The infrastructure is already there.”

Local artist and journalist Dash Frasheri, who isn’t Jewish, became obsessed with Israel years ago and started two news portals devoted to bilateral ties. He also took a Hebrew language course and last year published the world’s first Hebrew-Albanian dictionary.

“I think Israel could be one of Albania’s key partners. Many Israeli advisors have already come here, from agriculture to medicine,” Frasheri said over coffee at the Tirana International Hotel, referencing the current prime minister’s frequent visits to the Jewish state. “After Iran hacked into our government computer system, Rama went to Israel to protect our networks and get help from the best Israeli cybersecurity experts.”

Gesturing at the capital’s growing skyline, he noted the construction of a 68-story building behind the nearby Opera House, as well as a planned 80-story skyscraper on the horizon.

“In five years, Tirana will be the architectural capital of the Balkans,” he predicted. “We are becoming a small Singapore.”

Nevertheless, Albania’s population continues to shrink. According to official figures, it’s now home to only 2.4 million people – down from 3.6 million when communism fell in 1991.

“There’s been a mass exodus from villages to the capital, so people are leaving the towns where they grew up, and that inevitably leads to cultural loss and decay,” said Kopelman. “And if you’re a foreigner, you have no idea what Albania is all about. The National History Museum is closed for the next four years, and the descriptions were mostly in Albanian anyway.  All you can learn about is communism, which is interesting but not representative of who Albanians are.”

To fill this gap, Kopelman and his two business partners opened Albanian Night—an interactive cultural center located in a 27,000-square-foot space in the Albanian capital. Originally, they had envisioned the project as a guest house in the northern mountain town of Valbona, which attracts trekkers, but because of its remote location that didn’t work out.

Kopelman began renovating the space in early 2024 and opened it to the public last December. His project employs 50 people and offers roughly 10,000 products made by more than 600 artisans.

An innovation grant from the European Union partially funded Kopelman’s $1.3 million venture, but in order to make it sustainable, he charges a little over $40 for the evening show — offered in both English and Albanian — and about $65 for the dinner package. In the mornings, he opens up the space to Albanian schoolchildren who put on costumes and join in the singing and dancing.

Linda Dervishi, an Albanian woman with Jewish roots now living in Milan, Italy, calls Albanian Night “the most meaningful project ever done” to promote her country’s traditions for both tourists and locals.

“It’s the first place I suggest to any Albanian who wants an authentic return to their roots,” she said. “Harel went deep into our culture and brought it all together better than anyone else. History, photography, traditional art, clothes and food from all over Albania can be touched, tasted and experienced in one night.”

Kopelman, who studied the Moulin Rouge in Paris as well as flamenco shows in Spain, said his Albanian Night is interactive, with the audience encouraged to rent costumes and join in the fun.

He added that even though 45% of Albanians identify as Muslim, the country has little in common with the Arab world, and that the government has no tolerance for pro-Palestinian protests. In addition, Albania’s legacy as a temporary haven for foreign Jewish refugees during World War II is well-known, with the Holocaust widely taught in schools here.

Also of interest to Jewish visitors: Tirana’s solemn Holocaust memorial fronting the city’s artificial lake, with inscriptions in Hebrew, English and Albanian, and Shimon Peres Square, named in honor of Israel’s late president and prime minister.

In advance of El Al’s direct flights, Israeli tour operators are already advertising kosher Passover 2025 packages to Albania, complete with Ashkenazi and Sephardi prayer services, spa treatments and a celebration of Mimouna, the Moroccan Jewish festival that ends the holiday.

Haifa-born Assaf Binder, 46, has lived in Albania since 2007. The owner of a boutique fish farm in the Adriatic coastal resort town of Himara, he first settled in Vlora to manage Albania’s biggest aquaculture operation; his wife, Shira, operated an Israeli-themed bakery and coffee shop.

Ten years later, they moved to Himara, which now ranks among the most popular destinations of the so-called “Albanian Riviera.”

“When I came here, there was nothing,” said Binder, who says he has been in Albania longer than any other Israeli. Each morning, Binder and his employees harvest small quantities of sea bream and sea bass, and in the afternoon, they sell their cage-raised fish to area restaurants at a 30% premium above market prices.

The couple also runs a Hebrew-language Facebook group for Israeli tourists — with over 18,000 members and growing every day. Binder’s next project: to start the country’s first hydroponic greenhouse for cultivating restaurant-quality herbs such as parsley, mint and basil.

“Albania is more expensive than it used to be, but compared to Israel, it’s still very cheap,” he said, praising its natural beauty and cuisine — and most of all, its warmth toward people like him. “I feel only love and admiration here.”

The first two nights of Passover, which celebrates the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt and newfound freedom, can be a challenging time for those away from family, as Passover seders are traditionally held at home.

Luckily, here in New York City, opportunities for celebrating the eight-day holiday — which begins this year on the evening of Saturday, April 12 — abound. 

From seders for young Jewish professionals, to guided online seders, to laid-back Passover-inspired menus at some of Brooklyn’s best Jewish restaurants, here’s what’s happening around town for the holiday.

Is your Jewish organization hosting a Passover event open to the public? Send an email to editor@jewishweek.org with the details if you’d like us to add it to our list!

Pre-Passover family seder at JCC Harlem

Sunday, April 6, 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Families with young children can head to the JCC Harlem (318 West 118 St.) for an interactive pre-Passover seder with rabbi-in-residence Mira Rivera — who was one of our 36 to Watch in 2023. Designed for families with children 10 and under, this event retells the story of Passover through storytelling and song. Adult tickets are $54, and children can enter the event for free. Tickets here.

Something for everyone at Temple Israel

Tuesday,  April 8 – Sunday, April 13

The Upper East Side’s Reform synagogue, Temple Israel (112 East 75th St.) is hosting multiple Passover events before and throughout the holiday.

On Tuesday, April 8, women are invited to an interactive, musical pre-Passover women’s seder led by Rabbi Melissa Buyer-Witman and Cantor Irena Altshul at 6 p.m. Tickets are $60 for members, and $80 for non-members.

On Thursday, April 10 at 7 p.m., the men’s pre-Passover seder take’s a tuberous twist with a vodka tasting and potato-based dishes, led by Rabbi Peter Young. Tickets are $36.

The 20s and 30s community gets their own seder on the first night of Passover on April 12 at 6:30 p.m. led by Rabbi Young. Tickets are $36 for members, $54 for non-members.

On April 13 at 9:30 a.m., families with young children are welcome to join Rabbi Young and Jewish musician Sheldon Low for an interactive and musical Passover celebration. Then, at 6 p.m. come back for a community-wide seder (Tickets from $100 for adult members).

Tickets for all Passover events at Temple Israel can be found here.

Glatt kosher DIY seder at Talia’s Steakhouse

Saturday, April 12 – Sunday, April 13

Talia’s Steakhouse (112 E. 75th St.) will be hosting two seders on both the first and second nights of Passover on Saturday, April 12 and Sunday, April 13.

Each table will read the haggadah at their own pace, but traditional songs such as “Ma Nishtana” and “Dayenu” will be sung together. Seatings are at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. 

For $165 per adult, menu items include matzah ball or potato leek soup, grilled ribeye, lamb stew, Moroccan salmon and chocolate mousse. Children under 10 are $110. Reserve your spot here.

The food at Talia’s will be Glatt kosher according to Ashkenazi tradition (no kitniyot, which includes legumes, rice, and other grains) and non-gebrochts (no matzah that has come into contact with liquid) and includes vegan and vegetarian options.

The restaurant will also be open for lunch and dinner throughout the holiday, (including pre-paid lunch on the first full day of Passover) and the bar will be kosher for Passover.

Online seder with Rodeph Sholom

Saturday, April 12, 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.

Join the Upper West Side Reform Congregation Rodeph Sholom online for this first night seder led by senior Rabbi Ben Spratt and senior Cantor Shayna De Lowe. No haggadah? No worries — the order of the seder will appear on your screen for this seder, catered to both families and adults. Songs and discussion materials will be provided. Register here for the free virtual event.

“Not Your Grandfather’s Seder!” at East Side Synagogue/Kehilat Mizrach

Saturday, April 12, 6:15 p.m.

Led by brother-and-sister rabbinic team Perry and Leah Berkowitz, East Side Synagogue (921 Madison Ave.), also known as Kehilat Mizrach — a community that is known for its musical and spiritual services — will host a seder on the first night of Passover at the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church social hall (921 Madison Ave.). Tickets are $150 per person. Register by Friday, April 4 by calling 212-606-4066 or sending an email to office@eastsidesynagogue.org.

Story-slam seder with Base Upper West Side

Saturday, April 12, 7:30 p.m.

Inspired by NPR’s “The Moth” radio hour, join Rabbi Danny Stein and the Base Upper West Side community for an evening of community and song, and “personal stories of liberation,” according to the website. Tickets are $36, and discounted and free tickets are available. Reserve your spot here. Address available upon registration.

Egalitarian community seder with Ohel Ayalah

Saturday, April 12, 6:30 p.m. – 10 p.m.

Beginning with a wine tasting at 6:30 p.m., Ohel Ayalah (490 Riverside Dr.) is hosting their annual Passover seder, which is open to all and especially aimed at those in their 20s and 30s. Expect a crowd of about 200, and buffet-style dining. The seder will be led by Rabbi Moishe Steigmann, director of Ohel Ayalah, and will be conducted in English and Hebrew.

Get your ticket here; $106 for general admission, from $76 for students.

MJE Downtown first night Passover seder

Saturday, April 12 at  7:30 p.m.

For an introductory, “user-friendly” young adult seder, head to Manhattan Jewish Experience’s downtown location (239 W. 14th St.) for an open bar, catered dinner and a dessert buffet on the first night of Passover. A few things to note: This seder won’t be covering the whole haggadah, and is for ages 21-39 only. Early bird pricing starts at $75; regular tickets are $100. Get your tickets here.

MJE is also hosting a second night seder on April 13 at their uptown location at 131 W. 86th St. Get tickets here.

Seder at Chabad of Midtown Manhattan

Saturday, April 12, 8:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 13, 8:30 p.m.

Join the Chabad of Midtown Manhattan (509 Fifth Ave.) for the first or second night’s Passover seder, featuring hand-baked matzah. Get your ticket here, from $120. Students may qualify for subsidized tickets.

Passover menu at Mesiba

Saturday, April 12 – Sunday, April 20

The Williamsburg-based Israeli restaurant Mesiba (353 Bedford Ave.), known for its lively atmosphere, will feature a special Passover menu that’s available for the duration of the holiday.

This prix-fixe, four-course menu, available to parties of six or more, comes with with a seder plate, wine, hamutzim (pickled vegetables), matzah ball soup, green salad, Tunisian branzino or short ribs, and meringue kisses. 

Tickets are $115 per person. Reserve your spot here.

Second night seder with Jewish Community Project

Sun. April 13, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

Join the Jewish Community Project at 146 Duane Street in Tribeca, for a pluralistic experience, catered by J2 Food. This seder will be hosted by Danielle Brody, who’s been named to our 36 to Watch list and is the creator of the “Don’t Fu-Haggadah-boudit” haggadah, who will “take us through her creative and NYC-centric retelling of the story of Passover,” according to the JCP website. Tickets are $54 and you can get them here.

Shabbat Club at Mesiba

Sunday, April 13 at 6:30 p.m.

Prefer something a little more curated than just a dinner on Passover? Young adults (24-38) can join Shabbat Club for their first-ever Passover seder at Mesiba (353 Bedford Ave.) on Sunday, April 13. The $110 tickets include dinner and one glass of wine. Reserve your seat here. 

My Jewish Learning’s second night Passover seder

Sunday, April 13, 7 p.m – 9:30 p.m.

Join our colleagues at My Jewish Learning and Rabbi Moishe Steigmann, founder and director of Own Your Judaism, for an interactive, online, second-night Passover seder and retelling of the Exodus story.

Tickets from $25. Grab them here.

Seder at Gertie in partnership with Brooklyn Jews

Sunday, April 13, 7:30 p.m.

Join Rabbi Matt Green of Congregation Beth Elohim and Brooklyn Jews at “Jew-ish” diner Gertie (357 Grand St., Brooklyn) for a “not strictly kosher” four-course dinner and seder on the second night of Passover. 

The $98 dinner ticket includes matzah ball soup, sweet and sour brisket, and all-you-can-drink wine. Get your tickets here.

Community seder with 92NY and Romemu

Sun. April 13, 7:30 p.m.

Join 92NY and Romemu for their community seder at 1395 Lexington Ave., led by senior director for Jewish life at 92NY and founding rabbi of Romemu, the Upper West Side’s nondenominational synagogue, David Ingber. Tickets start at $75 and include food and wine. Grab your tickets here

Upper West Side Mimouna at the Marlene Meyerson JCC

Mon. April 21, 7:30 – 8:45 p.m.

Celebrate the end of Passover the Moroccan way, with a Mimouna at the Marlene Mayerson JCC Manhattan (334 Amsterdam Ave.). In addition to sweets like traditional mufleta (Moroccan crepes) and mint tea, guests will find music from New York-based Moroccan band Layali El Andalus and musician Daphna Mor, both of which highlight music from Morocco, Andalusia, North Africa and the Middle East. Tickets, $30, are available here.

A number of Jewish filmmakers are among thousands who signed a petition in support of Hamdan Ballal, the Palestinian co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary “No Other Land” who was arrested this week by Israeli troops.

Ballal was released Tuesday, a day after he was beaten by West Bank settlers before being arrested. He is one of four directors — two Israeli and two Palestinian — of “No Other Land,” which chronicles Israeli demolitions in a Palestinian West Bank village. The film won the Oscar for best documentary this year.

Since his release, Ballal has said he believes he was retaliated against because of his film, which an Israeli leader denounced as “sabotage.” As he was being beaten, he recalled to CNN, “At that moment, I thought because of my Oscar, they wanted to kill me.”

An online petition that initially called for Ballal’s release, and now calls to “Protect the No Other Land Film Team,” has climbed to over 18,000 signatures since it was posted Monday.

“Such treatment of an internationally acclaimed filmmaker gravely undermines artistic freedom, human rights, and freedom of speech — core values vital to democratic societies,” the petition says.

The petition was launched by a Jewish filmmaker, Lee Hirsch. And among the signatories are Jewish actors and filmmakers including Maya Rudolph, Fisher Stevens, James Schamus, Liz Garbus and Daniel Chalfen.

At least two of the signatories have been involved with documentaries that, like “No Other Land,” spotlight tensions in Israel or the discourse surrounding it. Chalfen is the producer of “Israelism,” the 2023 documentary about Jewish generational divides over Israel. And Alex Gibney gained attention last year for producing “The Bibi Files,” about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial.

Schamus, the former CEO of Focus Features, is also a professor at Columbia University. In addition to signing the petition, he recently lambasted the school’s response to the Trump administration’s plan to cut funding over objections to campus antisemitism. He has also been a vocal critic of Israel’s conduct in the Gaza war.

The majority of the petition’s signatories are not Jewish. They include Ava DuVernay, whose most recent film depicts the Holocaust in exploration of caste, and Guy Pearce, who was nominated for an Oscar this year for his appearance in the post-Holocaust film “The Brutalist.” Pearce has become one of Hollywood’s most outspoken pro-Palestinian advocates since the start of the war.

The British government is pushing to let police block protests in front of places of worship, following a similar move earlier this year by Australian lawmakers.

The new measure in England, part of a policing bill currently moving through Parliament, would give police in England and Wales the ability to control the route and timing of protests that take place around places of worship, the Guardian reported.

The U.K. home secretary, Yvette Cooper, told a Jewish group on Wednesday that the provision is aimed at curbing protests outside of synagogues. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators have held regular rallies during the Israel-Hamas war that began in 2023, and some of the routes have passed synagogues on Shabbat.

“The right to protest must not undermine a person’s right to worship. And everybody has a right to live in freedom from fear,” she said at the annual dinner of the Community Security Trust, a Jewish security organization.

The initiative comes after organizers of a pro-Palestinian protest planned in January for a Saturday in London fought police orders to move away from a synagogue. Cooper’s proposed amendments to the UK’s crime and policing bill would grant the police powers to enforce such orders.

“I have strongly supported action taken by the Metropolitan Police in recent weeks and months to divert protest routes away from synagogues on Saturday mornings,” Cooper said at the CST dinner. “But I know how hard the community has had to fight for those conditions – each and every time. And I have listened to your calls for change.”

Another amendment to the policing bill would also add London’s forthcoming Holocaust memorial to a list of memorials that are protected from people climbing on them.

Similar restrictions also came to New South Wales, an Australian state, last month with the passage of a suite of laws that, in part, criminalized protest outside of places of worship.

A synagogue in Melbourne, located in another Australian state, was ordered to evacuate by police amid concerns over a nearby pro-Palestinian demonstration in 2023, in a dramatic incident that came amid a threefold increase in antisemitic incidents in the year since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war.

Reception to the New South Wales legislation was mixed, with some critics citing potential free speech concerns.

“I welcome the government’s commitment to addressing the terrible rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia, but we should be careful not to erode civil rights or chill genuine protest in the process,” the lord mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, told The Guardian in February.

In England, Jewish groups expressed cautious optimism about Cooper’s announcement.

“For too long, protests on Shabbat have disrupted communal life at multiple Central London synagogues,” the Jewish Leadership Council, which oversees Jewish organizations, said in a statement. “We look forward to seeing the detail about any forthcoming amendments in the hope that they will adequately re-establish the balance between the right to protest with the right of our community to practice our religion without fear and intimidation.”