A rally that was planned by several far-right, nationalist and anti-Muslim groups, which was set to be held on Saturday in Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto, has been postponed. The event alarmed many anti-racist and Jewish groups, as well as Toronto Mayor John Tory. It was to take place on the first anniversary of the neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville, Va.
Israeli cyber security firm Check Point Software Technologies announced on Wednesday that it uncovered a security flaw in Whatsapp, a social messaging app, which could allow hackers to modify and send fake messages. Check Point said that hackers can “intercept and manipulate messages.”
Birthright Israel co-founder and philanthropist Charles Bronfman said, in response to Birthright participants walking-off trips, that young Jews are free to criticize Israel, but not while enjoying a free trip. “If people want to call Israel names and say bad things about the country, they certainly have the right to free speech. But they don’t have the right to do it on our nickel,” he said in an interview published on Wednesday.
An Orthodox Jewish organization called on U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to delay implementing a tax code provision that requires synagogues and non-profits to pay federal taxes on employee benefits. The provision, which was added to the tax code in December’s Tax Cut and Jobs Act, would require houses of worship and other non-profits to pay federal taxes on employee benefits for the first time.
