Jewish support for Labour has spiked under the leadership of Labour party leader Kier Starmer. Polling suggests that 46% of British Jews intend to vote for the party.

UK elections: Jewish support for Labour bounces back

A citizen of Saudi Arabia was detained and thrown over to the Public Prosecution after it was claimed that he helped an Israeli-American journalist reach Mecca, the holiest shrine in Islam and a place that only Muslims are permitted to visit.

In violation of a restriction on non-Muslims, journalist Gil Tamary of Israel’s Channel 13 posted a video on Twitter on Monday showing himself sneaking into Mecca, the holiest city of Islam.

According to a police spokeswoman quoted by the Saudi Press Agency, Mecca regional police have “referred a citizen” to prosecutors for alleged involvement in “transferring and aiding the arrival of a (non-Muslim) journalist.”

The journalist, who is an American citizen, has also had his case forwarded to prosecutors so they can “take the necessary procedures against him in compliance with the applied laws,” according to Saudi Press Agency, which did not give the journalist’s identity. 
 
<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/saudi-arabia-welcomes-1-million-for-biggest-hajj-pilgrimage-since-pandemic-494576">Also read | Saudi Arabia welcomes 1 million for biggest hajj pilgrimage since pandemic</a>

Saudi Arabia does not recognise Israel and did not sign the 2020 Abraham Accords, which were mediated by the US and saw the Jewish state forge connections with two of the kingdom’s neighbours, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, despite developing behind-the-scenes business and security contacts.

In his approximately ten-minute video, Tamary travels to Mount Arafat, where robed Muslim pilgrims assemble each year to pray at the pinnacle of the hajj pilgrimage.

He states unequivocally that he is aware his actions are forbidden, but yet claims he did it to highlight “a site that is so significant to our Muslim brothers and sisters.”

Tamary’s defence and later apologies failed to appease angry Saudi online comments.&nbsp;

Gil Tamary, the foreign affairs correspondent for Israel’s Channel 13, reported last Sunday that he was the first to finish a news report in Hebrew at the holiest place in Islam. Tamary acknowledged at the outset of his report, which the station aired, that he had entered Mecca without the Saudi government’s consent.

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

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A citizen of Saudi Arabia was detained and thrown over to the Public Prosecution after it was claimed that he helped an Israeli-American journalist reach Mecca, the holiest shrine in Islam and a place that only Muslims are permitted to visit.

A citizen of Saudi Arabia was detained and thrown over to the Public Prosecution after it was claimed that he helped an Israeli-American journalist reach Mecca, the holiest shrine in Islam and a place that only Muslims are permitted to visit. In violation of a restriction on non-Muslims, journalist Gil Tamary of Israel’s Channel 13 posted a video on Twitter on Monday showing himself sneaking into Mecca, the holiest city of Islam. According to a police spokeswoman quoted by the Saudi Press Agency, Mecca regional police have “referred a citizen” to prosecutors for alleged involvement in “transferring and aiding the arrival of a (non-Muslim) journalist.” The journalist, who is an American citizen, has also had his case forwarded to prosecutors so they can “take the necessary procedures against him in compliance with the applied laws,” according to Saudi Press Agency, which did not give the journalist’s identity. Also read | Saudi Arabia welcomes 1 million for biggest hajj pilgrimage since pandemic Saudi Arabia does not recognise Israel and did not sign the 2020 Abraham Accords, which were mediated by the US and saw the Jewish state forge connections with two of the kingdom’s neighbours, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, despite developing behind-the-scenes business and security contacts. In his approximately ten-minute video, Tamary travels to Mount Arafat, where robed Muslim pilgrims assemble each year to pray at the pinnacle of the hajj pilgrimage. He states unequivocally that he is aware his actions are forbidden, but yet claims he did it to highlight “a site that is so significant to our Muslim brothers and sisters.” Tamary’s defence and later apologies failed to appease angry Saudi online comments. Gil Tamary, the foreign affairs correspondent for Israel’s Channel 13, reported last Sunday that he was the first to finish a news report in Hebrew at the holiest place in Islam. Tamary acknowledged at the outset of his report, which the station aired, that he had entered Mecca without the Saudi government’s consent. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

Non-Muslim journalist enters Mecca; Saudi police arrest citizen who helped him

In France, the death of a Jewish man Jeremy Cohen has turned into a political battle. Macron's rivals Eric Zemmour & Marine Le Pen are accusing him of not doing enough on Anti Semitism. What's the reality? Palki Sharma Upadhyay reports.

Gravitas: France Election: Anti-semitism takes centrestage

The recent figures by the Community Security Trust (CST) have revealed that anti-Jewish incidents have hit a record high in the UK. The trust is responsible for providing security for the Jewish community in the UK and it also monitors anti-Semitism.

“These record levels of anti-Jewish racism, reported by our Jewish community to CST and police, show how difficult last year was for Jews across Britain,” said Mark Gardner, the chief executive of CST.

As per the data, there have been 2,255 such incidents last year. Also, there has been an increase in incidents where people have been seen shouting abuse from passing cars.&nbsp;

A total of 173 violent assaults have also been reported.&nbsp;

This is the highest annual tally of antisemitic incidents, a surge from the previous 2019 peak.

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This is the first time CST has ever recorded over 2,000 incidents in a single year. The UK has seen record annual totals for antisemitic incidents in five of the past six years. CST has recorded antisemitic incidents since 1984. <a href="https://t.co/0N3QYkaqew">pic.twitter.com/0N3QYkaqew</a>
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"This is the first time CST has ever recorded over 2,000 incidents in a single year and is 24 per cent higher than the previous record annual total of 1,813 incidents in 2019. The UK has seen record annual totals for antisemitic incidents in five of the past six years. CST has recorded antisemitic incidents since 1984," the report read.&nbsp;

The report notes that an increase in such incidents was seen after violence in Israel and Gaza.&nbsp;

Priti Patel described the figures as “shocking."&nbsp;

The government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, the peer John Mann, said it was time to “reconsider our efforts to tackle antisemitism”.

Out of all such incidents, 502 incidents were where offenders used "far-right or Nazi-related discourse" states the report.

Also, there have been 90 instances of ‘Holocaust celebration.' In this, the perpetrators celebrated the Nazi genocide of the Jewish people. There were also explicit calls for the destruction of the state of Israel, or any idea of a Jewish nation.

The recent figures by the Community Security Trust (CST) have revealed that anti-Jewish incidents have hit a record high in the UK. The trust is responsible for providing security for the Jewish community in the UK and it also monitors anti-Semitism.

The recent figures by the Community Security Trust (CST) have revealed that anti-Jewish incidents have hit a record high in the UK. The trust is responsible for providing security for the Jewish community in the UK and it also monitors anti-Semitism. “These record levels of anti-Jewish racism, reported by our Jewish community to CST and police, show how difficult last year was for Jews across Britain,” said Mark Gardner, the chief executive of CST. As per the data, there have been 2,255 such incidents last year. Also, there has been an increase in incidents where people have been seen shouting abuse from passing cars. A total of 173 violent assaults have also been reported. This is the highest annual tally of antisemitic incidents, a surge from the previous 2019 peak. This is the first time CST has ever recorded over 2,000 incidents in a single year. The UK has seen record annual totals for antisemitic incidents in five of the past six years. CST has recorded antisemitic incidents since 1984. pic.twitter.com/0N3QYkaqew — CST (@CST_UK) February 10, 2022 × "This is the first time CST has ever recorded over 2,000 incidents in a single year and is 24 per cent higher than the previous record annual total of 1,813 incidents in 2019. The UK has seen record annual totals for antisemitic incidents in five of the past six years. CST has recorded antisemitic incidents since 1984," the report read. The report notes that an increase in such incidents was seen after violence in Israel and Gaza. Priti Patel described the figures as “shocking." The government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, the peer John Mann, said it was time to “reconsider our efforts to tackle antisemitism”. Out of all such incidents, 502 incidents were where offenders used "far-right or Nazi-related discourse" states the report. Also, there have been 90 instances of ‘Holocaust celebration.' In this, the perpetrators celebrated the Nazi genocide of the Jewish people. There were also explicit calls for the destruction of the state of Israel, or any idea of a Jewish nation.

Anti-jewish hate incidents hit new record high in UK: Report

Amid the turmoil and exodus in Afghanistan, the last known Jewish man in the country left on Friday. This marks another grim landmark for the country that once was home to sizeable Jew population.

Zebulon Simentov is in early 60s and has lived in Kabul for decades. He maintained the only Jewish synagogue in the country. Simentov lived in Afghanistan for decades and has seen political turmoil, regime changes. He was in Afghanistan during Taliban's previous rule in late 90s.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/taliban-use-whips-and-sticks-on-afghan-women-protesting-the-all-male-government-411861">Taliban use whips and sticks on Afghan women protesting the all-male government</a>

An Israeli American businessman named Moti Kahana was quoted by CNN as he said Simentov and 30 others travelled by van and went to "a neighbouring country" travelling through Afghanistan's mountainous regions. As per the news report, Kahana's organisation arranged for Simentov's escape. On their way out of the country, Simentov and those travelling with him had to negotiate several Taliban checkpoints.

There was a sizeable Jewish community in Afghanistan of about 40,000 people till the mid 19th century. Due to various reasons the numbers dwindled. Most of the Jews went to Israel after the country was formed in 1948.

Simentov reportedly had refused to leave Afghanistan in the beginning. However, his neighbouring convinced him to make an escape as they told him that he may become a target of, if not Taliban, then ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K).

Amid the turmoil and exodus in Afghanistan, the last known Jewish man in the country left on Friday. This marks another grim landmark for the country that once was home to sizeable Jew population.

Amid the turmoil and exodus in Afghanistan, the last known Jewish man in the country left on Friday. This marks another grim landmark for the country that once was home to sizeable Jew population. Zebulon Simentov is in early 60s and has lived in Kabul for decades. He maintained the only Jewish synagogue in the country. Simentov lived in Afghanistan for decades and has seen political turmoil, regime changes. He was in Afghanistan during Taliban's previous rule in late 90s. Also Read | Taliban use whips and sticks on Afghan women protesting the all-male government An Israeli American businessman named Moti Kahana was quoted by CNN as he said Simentov and 30 others travelled by van and went to "a neighbouring country" travelling through Afghanistan's mountainous regions. As per the news report, Kahana's organisation arranged for Simentov's escape. On their way out of the country, Simentov and those travelling with him had to negotiate several Taliban checkpoints. There was a sizeable Jewish community in Afghanistan of about 40,000 people till the mid 19th century. Due to various reasons the numbers dwindled. Most of the Jews went to Israel after the country was formed in 1948. Simentov reportedly had refused to leave Afghanistan in the beginning. However, his neighbouring convinced him to make an escape as they told him that he may become a target of, if not Taliban, then ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K).

Last Jewish man in Afghanistan leaves country

An <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/four-dead-21-injured-in-israeli-missile-strikes-syria-231935">Israeli missile attack</a> targeted Syrian military positions held by the government and its allies early on Wednesday, Syria's state news agency said.&nbsp;

The missiles were fired into the south of the country close to the Golan Heights, an area occupied and annexed by Israel.

"The Israeli enemy launched aggression after midnight against the Tall al-Hara area," the SANA news agency said Wednesday, adding that there were reports of damage to property.&nbsp;

The attacks were earlier described as "probably Israeli" by the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, who said they targeted Tall al-Hara in Daraa province, south of Damascus, and two areas in the neighbouring province of Quneitrathe.

"The regime's anti-aircraft defence has been activated to counter the attack," director of the Observatory Rami Abdel Rahmane said.

"Some missiles have been shot down, others have hit their target."

The Observatory reported "loss of life" without giving further details.

Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria since the beginning of the conflict in 2011, targeting forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and the regime's allies Iran and Hezbollah.

The Syrian conflict has killed more than 370,000 people and drawn in world powers since it started with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

Israeli strikes have previously targeted Tall al-Hara where Hezbollah has installed a radar system and the Syrian regime has erected anti-aircraft batteries, according to the Observatory.&nbsp;

At the end of June, six civilians and nine pro-government fighters were killed in Israeli strikes near Damascus and in the central province of Homs, it added.

Israel says it is determined to prevent its arch-foe Iran from entrenching itself militarily in Syria, where Tehran backs Assad's regime.

The Jewish state insists that it has the right to continue to target positions held by Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah out of self-defence.

The strikes came after Hezbollah's leader said earlier this month that the group's rockets could reach key Israeli sites along the Mediterranean coast, including Tel Aviv.

Hassan Nasrallah also said that Iran was "able to bombard Israel with ferocity and force" but "will not start a war".

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/israeli-prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahu-warns-of-crushing-retaliation-after-hezbollah-chiefs-remarks-235756">Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu</a> countered that his country would deliver a "crushing military blow" on the both Hezbollah and Lebanon if it were to attack.&nbsp;

An Israeli missile attack targeted Syrian military positions held by the government and its allies early on Wednesday, Syria's state news agency said. The missiles were fired into the south of the country close to the Golan Heights, an area occupied and annexed by Israel.

An Israeli missile attack targeted Syrian military positions held by the government and its allies early on Wednesday, Syria's state news agency said. The missiles were fired into the south of the country close to the Golan Heights, an area occupied and annexed by Israel. "The Israeli enemy launched aggression after midnight against the Tall al-Hara area," the SANA news agency said Wednesday, adding that there were reports of damage to property. The attacks were earlier described as "probably Israeli" by the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, who said they targeted Tall al-Hara in Daraa province, south of Damascus, and two areas in the neighbouring province of Quneitrathe. "The regime's anti-aircraft defence has been activated to counter the attack," director of the Observatory Rami Abdel Rahmane said. "Some missiles have been shot down, others have hit their target." The Observatory reported "loss of life" without giving further details. Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria since the beginning of the conflict in 2011, targeting forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and the regime's allies Iran and Hezbollah. The Syrian conflict has killed more than 370,000 people and drawn in world powers since it started with the brutal repression of anti-government protests. Israeli strikes have previously targeted Tall al-Hara where Hezbollah has installed a radar system and the Syrian regime has erected anti-aircraft batteries, according to the Observatory. At the end of June, six civilians and nine pro-government fighters were killed in Israeli strikes near Damascus and in the central province of Homs, it added. Israel says it is determined to prevent its arch-foe Iran from entrenching itself militarily in Syria, where Tehran backs Assad's regime. The Jewish state insists that it has the right to continue to target positions held by Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah out of self-defence. The strikes came after Hezbollah's leader said earlier this month that the group's rockets could reach key Israeli sites along the Mediterranean coast, including Tel Aviv. Hassan Nasrallah also said that Iran was "able to bombard Israel with ferocity and force" but "will not start a war". Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu countered that his country would deliver a "crushing military blow" on the both Hezbollah and Lebanon if it were to attack.

Israel fires missiles into south Syria: Report

A new edition of the diaries of Jewish teenager Anne Frank, based more closely on her incomplete manuscript before she was sent to her death in a Nazi concentration camp, will be published on Saturday.

She and her family hid from the Nazis in a secret annexe in a house in Amsterdam during World War Two but were discovered in 1944. She died aged 15 at Bergen-Belsen in 1945.&nbsp;

Her diary was published two years later and is still being read worldwide 75 years after she wrote it.

But at a presentation in Berlin, Holocaust survivor Laureen Nussbaum, who knew the Franks, told Reuters Television that the new edition is what Anne Frank had intended to publish in the first place.

Nussbaum, born Hannelore Klein, knew Anne and her family when they lived in Amsterdam during World War Two. She and Anne were not close friends, Nussbaum said, but they rehearsed a play together in 1941.

Anne Frank made two diaries - her original journal and a revised version, reworked after she learned of plans to collect diaries and other papers to document the war period.

"This is the book that Anne wanted to write and to publish," Nussbaum, 91, said of the new edition, which will be published in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.&nbsp;

The version published since 1947 is Anne Frank`s father`s 'amalgam of the original diary entries with the new version and it`s kind of a mixture', Nussbaum said.

The new edition, entitled 'Liebe Kitty' (Dear Kitty), is an incomplete manuscript 'of a girl who wanted to become an author', according to Amsterdam`s Anne Frank House museum.

The museum calls the work "the creative and literary choices Anne has made" and "brings the reader closer to the writer Anne Frank".&nbsp; 
 
&nbsp;

A new edition of the diaries of Jewish teenager Anne Frank, based more closely on her incomplete manuscript before she was sent to her death in a Nazi concentration camp, will be published on Saturday.

A new edition of the diaries of Jewish teenager Anne Frank, based more closely on her incomplete manuscript before she was sent to her death in a Nazi concentration camp, will be published on Saturday. She and her family hid from the Nazis in a secret annexe in a house in Amsterdam during World War Two but were discovered in 1944. She died aged 15 at Bergen-Belsen in 1945. Her diary was published two years later and is still being read worldwide 75 years after she wrote it. But at a presentation in Berlin, Holocaust survivor Laureen Nussbaum, who knew the Franks, told Reuters Television that the new edition is what Anne Frank had intended to publish in the first place. Nussbaum, born Hannelore Klein, knew Anne and her family when they lived in Amsterdam during World War Two. She and Anne were not close friends, Nussbaum said, but they rehearsed a play together in 1941. Anne Frank made two diaries - her original journal and a revised version, reworked after she learned of plans to collect diaries and other papers to document the war period. "This is the book that Anne wanted to write and to publish," Nussbaum, 91, said of the new edition, which will be published in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The version published since 1947 is Anne Frank`s father`s 'amalgam of the original diary entries with the new version and it`s kind of a mixture', Nussbaum said. The new edition, entitled 'Liebe Kitty' (Dear Kitty), is an incomplete manuscript 'of a girl who wanted to become an author', according to Amsterdam`s Anne Frank House museum. The museum calls the work "the creative and literary choices Anne has made" and "brings the reader closer to the writer Anne Frank".

New edition of Anne Frank diary 'brings the reader closer to her'

The gunshots that tore through a Pittsburgh synagogue on Saturday first triggered lockdowns in houses of worship across the city. Then they brought forth an outpouring of unity and support.

Following the deadliest attack ever on the Jewish community in the United States, residents rushed to provide comfort, give blood, organize vigils and bring therapy dogs to a Jewish community center.

The Tree of Life synagogue, where 11 people were killed by a gunman who burst into a morning service, is home to three congregations in Squirrel Hill, the heart of Pittsburgh's tight-knit Jewish community.

Word of Saturday's shooting spread quickly through the community. For some, the news arrived with text messages and phone calls. In corners of the community where cellphones were turned off during the Sabbath, it arrived nearly as quickly by word of mouth.

That was the case at the nearby Chabad congregation, where the service continued but with someone monitoring the door during what is traditionally an open event. One congregant, a chaplain, walked out to pray.

"Community is the greatest asset," said Rabbi Yisroel Altein of Chabad. "Everybody being here for each other and looking to dispel the dark with the light."

Erika Strassburger, who represents Tree of Life's district on Pittsburgh's City Council, said she was at a political gathering of about 30 people when she heard the news. The group put its plans to canvas the neighborhood for signatures on hold.

INCLUSIVITY AND 'PITTSBURGH LEFT'

Squirrel Hill is known for inclusivity, the late television personality Fred Rogers who attended a church there, and for friendliness, residents said. It is a place where drivers use a "Pittsburgh Left," yielding to oncoming traffic wanting to turn.

After the shooting, turnout at services across the city swelled. As soon as the Sabbath ended, members of Orthodox congregations and others who had been unable to attend the earlier vigil gathered. They stood outside of Tree of Life, or L'Simcha, and read psalms.

The following day, children attended traditional Sunday school classes at other congregations under the watch of neighborhood police. About 100 clergy, lay leaders and volunteers gathered at the Jewish Community Center to discuss how to move forward and make arrangements for many funerals at the same time. In Judaism, the dead traditionally need to be buried within 24 hours, so other congregations came forward to offer space.

After the meeting wrapped up, volunteers brought over a dozen therapy dogs to help console those in pain.

Carnegie Mellon University professor Bill Scherlis, who lives just a few blocks from the synagogue and has been to events there, went to a candlelight vigil nearby on Saturday night that was arranged by high school students and attended by hundreds of people.

When word of the shooting spread, Scherlis said, the streets became "quite suddenly" full of neighbors who came out to stand together arm in arm.

"The spirit is so strongly felt," he said. "This community response is in sharp contrast to the horror of the events."

The gunshots that tore through a Pittsburgh synagogue on Saturday first triggered lockdowns in houses of worship across the city. Then they brought forth an outpouring of unity and support.

The gunshots that tore through a Pittsburgh synagogue on Saturday first triggered lockdowns in houses of worship across the city. Then they brought forth an outpouring of unity and support. Following the deadliest attack ever on the Jewish community in the United States, residents rushed to provide comfort, give blood, organize vigils and bring therapy dogs to a Jewish community center. The Tree of Life synagogue, where 11 people were killed by a gunman who burst into a morning service, is home to three congregations in Squirrel Hill, the heart of Pittsburgh's tight-knit Jewish community. Word of Saturday's shooting spread quickly through the community. For some, the news arrived with text messages and phone calls. In corners of the community where cellphones were turned off during the Sabbath, it arrived nearly as quickly by word of mouth. That was the case at the nearby Chabad congregation, where the service continued but with someone monitoring the door during what is traditionally an open event. One congregant, a chaplain, walked out to pray. "Community is the greatest asset," said Rabbi Yisroel Altein of Chabad. "Everybody being here for each other and looking to dispel the dark with the light." Erika Strassburger, who represents Tree of Life's district on Pittsburgh's City Council, said she was at a political gathering of about 30 people when she heard the news. The group put its plans to canvas the neighborhood for signatures on hold. INCLUSIVITY AND 'PITTSBURGH LEFT' Squirrel Hill is known for inclusivity, the late television personality Fred Rogers who attended a church there, and for friendliness, residents said. It is a place where drivers use a "Pittsburgh Left," yielding to oncoming traffic wanting to turn. After the shooting, turnout at services across the city swelled. As soon as the Sabbath ended, members of Orthodox congregations and others who had been unable to attend the earlier vigil gathered. They stood outside of Tree of Life, or L'Simcha, and read psalms. The following day, children attended traditional Sunday school classes at other congregations under the watch of neighborhood police. About 100 clergy, lay leaders and volunteers gathered at the Jewish Community Center to discuss how to move forward and make arrangements for many funerals at the same time. In Judaism, the dead traditionally need to be buried within 24 hours, so other congregations came forward to offer space. After the meeting wrapped up, volunteers brought over a dozen therapy dogs to help console those in pain. Carnegie Mellon University professor Bill Scherlis, who lives just a few blocks from the synagogue and has been to events there, went to a candlelight vigil nearby on Saturday night that was arranged by high school students and attended by hundreds of people. When word of the shooting spread, Scherlis said, the streets became "quite suddenly" full of neighbors who came out to stand together arm in arm. "The spirit is so strongly felt," he said. "This community response is in sharp contrast to the horror of the events."

Shooting triggers lockdowns, then locked arms in Pittsburgh community

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/science-tech/facebook-bars-developers-from-using-data-for-surveillance-13345" target="_blank">Facebook&nbsp;Inc said on Thursday it was temporarily disabling the ability of advertisers</a> to target based on people&#39;s self-reported education and job information after a report that those&nbsp;features allowed targeting based on anti-semitic topics.

ProPublica, a non-profit news organization based in New York, reported hours earlier that Facebook&#39;s self-service ad-buying platform had allowed marketers to target&nbsp;ads&nbsp;at people who, on their&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;profile, had listed phrases such as &quot;Jew hater&quot; as their field of study or work.

Some 2,300 people had expressed interest in the topics &quot;Jew hater,&quot; &quot;how to burn Jews&quot; and &quot;History of &#39;why Jews ruin the world&#39;,&rdquo; according to ProPublica&#39;s investigation.

Facebook, the world&#39;s largest social network, confirmed the ProPublica investigation.

Once people put those phrases on their&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;profiles, the anti-Semitic topics automatically migrated onto the company&#39;s advertising platform, as if they were education or job data that would be useful to marketers,&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;said.

&quot;We are removing these self-reported targeting fields until we have the right processes in place to help prevent this issue,&quot;&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;said in a statement late on Thursday.

&quot;We want&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;to be a safe place for people and businesses, and we&#39;ll continue to do everything we can to keep hate off&nbsp;Facebook,&quot; it said.

Facebook&nbsp;initially responded to the ProPublica report by removing the topics in question from its ad system. However other news reports, including from Slate magazine, then discovered that hateful topics were more widespread in the ad system&#39;s targeting capabilities.

As&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;has given advertisers greater power to micro-target their messages using a self-service platform, the company has at times failed to ensure they comply with its terms and conditions.

Last year, ProPublica reported that&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;allowed advertisers to exclude users by race when running housing or other&nbsp;ads, despite a prohibition on such&nbsp;ads&nbsp;under the US&nbsp;Fair Housing Act 1969.

Facebook&nbsp;said last week an operation likely based in Russia spent $100,000 on thousands of U.S.&nbsp;ads&nbsp;promoting social and political messages over a two-year period through May, fueling concerns about foreign meddling in US&nbsp;elections.

The company said it shut down 470 &quot;inauthentic&quot; accounts as part of an internal investigation into those&nbsp;ads.

Facebook&nbsp;and rival Google, owned by Alphabet Inc, dominate the fast-growing market for online advertising, in part because they&nbsp;let&nbsp;marketers target their&nbsp;ads&nbsp;based on huge volumes of data.

Facebook&nbsp;reported $27.6 billion in 2016 revenue, the vast majority from advertising.

Ad campaigns that used the anti-Semitic categories on&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;were not widespread, the company said.

&quot;Given that the number of people in these segments was incredibly low, an extremely small number of people were targeted in these campaigns,&quot;&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;said.

One change&nbsp;Facebook&nbsp;said it was considering was adding more thorough reviews of targeting categories before they show up in the self-service platform.

Some 2,300 people had expressed interest in the topics "Jew hater," "how to burn Jews" and "History of 'why Jews ruin the world',? according to ProPublica's investigation

Facebook Inc said on Thursday it was temporarily disabling the ability of advertisers to target based on people's self-reported education and job information after a report that those features allowed targeting based on anti-semitic topics. ProPublica, a non-profit news organization based in New York, reported hours earlier that Facebook's self-service ad-buying platform had allowed marketers to target ads at people who, on their Facebook profile, had listed phrases such as "Jew hater" as their field of study or work. Some 2,300 people had expressed interest in the topics "Jew hater," "how to burn Jews" and "History of 'why Jews ruin the world',” according to ProPublica's investigation. Facebook, the world's largest social network, confirmed the ProPublica investigation. Once people put those phrases on their Facebook profiles, the anti-Semitic topics automatically migrated onto the company's advertising platform, as if they were education or job data that would be useful to marketers, Facebook said. "We are removing these self-reported targeting fields until we have the right processes in place to help prevent this issue," Facebook said in a statement late on Thursday. "We want Facebook to be a safe place for people and businesses, and we'll continue to do everything we can to keep hate off Facebook," it said. Facebook initially responded to the ProPublica report by removing the topics in question from its ad system. However other news reports, including from Slate magazine, then discovered that hateful topics were more widespread in the ad system's targeting capabilities. As Facebook has given advertisers greater power to micro-target their messages using a self-service platform, the company has at times failed to ensure they comply with its terms and conditions. Last year, ProPublica reported that Facebook allowed advertisers to exclude users by race when running housing or other ads, despite a prohibition on such ads under the US Fair Housing Act 1969. Facebook said last week an operation likely based in Russia spent $100,000 on thousands of U.S. ads promoting social and political messages over a two-year period through May, fueling concerns about foreign meddling in US elections. The company said it shut down 470 "inauthentic" accounts as part of an internal investigation into those ads. Facebook and rival Google, owned by Alphabet Inc, dominate the fast-growing market for online advertising, in part because they let marketers target their ads based on huge volumes of data. Facebook reported $27.6 billion in 2016 revenue, the vast majority from advertising. Ad campaigns that used the anti-Semitic categories on Facebook were not widespread, the company said. "Given that the number of people in these segments was incredibly low, an extremely small number of people were targeted in these campaigns," Facebook said. One change Facebook said it was considering was adding more thorough reviews of targeting categories before they show up in the self-service platform.

Facebook removes feature that let ads reach 'Jew haters'

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