Hidai Degani

Still digesting a very exciting day as I became an Irish citizen in a wonderful ceremony in Killarney. After 5 relocations, Ireland is home, it's where I belong. Honoured to be featured by the @DeptJusticeIRL in their new citizens stories. #IrishCitizens2024

ANOTHER BIG STEP.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINALISTS ❤️

The purpose of highlighting the interaction between @PatricKielty and @BoyGeorge on the @RTELateLateShow last Friday was to promote awareness of the current state of relations between Ireland and its Jews. It is precisely because Patrick Kielty has impeccable credentials in the area of inter community reconciliation born out of tragic, personal loss at the hands of sectarian violence that I found his reactions to Boy George's empathy for Jewish suffering so mystifying. I have always been impressed by Patrick Kielty's honesty, integrity and eloquence when describing how the murder of his father has informed his own philosophy.  In parallel to Patrick, I, too have connected with relatives of those who perpetrated violence against my community. Working with the descendants of Nazis, some of whom were culpable for the mass murder of Jews, I have discovered a pathway to repair, for me and them. What happened last Friday was disturbing and I felt compelled to draw attention to it. I am motivated by building bridges not silos. Patrick and I are of similar age, someone with whom I share a rare common purpose, although I have never met him. If Patrick is interested in meeting, I’d be delighted to chat over a cup of tea. Oliver Sears Holocaust Awareness Ireland

You may not agree with me, but you will always know where you stand with me. Today in Billericay, a heckler tried to shout me down as I spoke about the normalisation of hatred towards Jews. I did not back down, because it needs to be said. British Jews are being targeted and too many people are pretending this is the same experience of other minorities. This lady implied Muslims are being similarly targeted. This is simply not true. Let's be honest about what is happening. Certain groups (in particular but not solely Islamic Extremists) are creating a climate of fear and intimidation that is normalising Jew hatred. I will never stand for that. Governments have spent too long hand-wringing, making excuses and hoping it would go away. It is time to call this what it is: a national emergency in our attitude, our urgency and our response. I will always engage with people who disagree with me. That is politics. But there is a difference between argument and intimidation. Shouting does not make a bad case good. It's done to silence others. And it certainly does not change the truth. The truth is that British Jews have been made to feel less safe in their own country. Our country. They are being singled out, threatened and harassed in ways that should shame everyone in public life. If we do not stand up now and stop this rise in antisemitism, then why bother saying "Never Again" at Holocaust Memorial Day? Because this is how it starts. I am not prepared to play along with the pretence that this is normal, or manageable, or just another example of tension between groups. It really is not. It is targeted hatred and it is getting worse. So my message is simple. Not here. Not in Britain. And not on our watch. We need to stop the hand-wringing and start doing the right thing. That means standing with British Jews openly, unapologetically and without fear.

Another step forward. Highlights from our win over Fulham are now live 📺

LEBRON DELIVERED IN THE SERIES-CLINCHING WIN! 👑 28 PTS 👑 7 REB 👑 8 AST Lakers will face the Thunder in Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs presented by @Google 🍿

This video is less than two minutes long and I implore everyone to watch it. It is indeed rather extraordinary. As Holocaust Awareness Ireland says, Patrick Kielty exhibits utter callousness with respect to the attacks on the Jewish community, astonishingly saying ‘the backdrop of that is obviously the horrors in Gaza, this is a complex thing.’ Boy George remains calm and says ‘if you don’t know any Jewish people maybe that’s the problem.’ He then asks the audience ‘do you know any Jewish people?’ Boy George is visibly taken aback by the ensuing silence, and vocalises his shock twice, remarking that it is ‘weird’ and ‘surprising me a little bit.’ Patrick looks uncomfortable and ends puts an end to the topic with a dismissive ‘mmm’. Extraordinary viewing. Just extraordinary.

The Irish political & media class is as guilty as any for this toxic antisemitic environment. Its just one park, its just one charity fundraiser in the NCH cancelled, its just one politician defamed, its just one Eurovision boycott, its just one soccer match boycott, its just . .

Leah Williamson still has more chapters to write.

LEBRON STEAL AND GAME-TYING 3 🤯🔥 WHAT A MOMENT.

Whether or not Europe stands with us, whether or not your journalists do their jobs, whether or not your politicians demonstrate the courage to act, I will fight for my people and my country.

This morning, our community came together in Herzog Park. Again. In the face of repeated attempts to intimidate and push us out of public space, to remove our history, and to ignore us, we chose to respond with calm, dignity, and presence. Over 100 people - community members, friends, and supporters, we stood together to say clearly: 𝐰𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞.

I spent the last two days in Brussels representing our community at the European Jewish Association annual conference, themed “𝘎𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘢𝘥𝘢 – 𝘑𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘵 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘦.” These conferences are the only place where my accent is immediately recognised. I’m still not entirely sure whose idea it was to put me on a panel about the 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 developments in the fight against antisemitism - but at least the photo came out well :) It was genuinely heartening to hear Members of the European Parliament, alongside European leaders and politicians, as well as American ambassadors, speak clearly about their responsibility and commitment to confronting antisemitism. It was also deeply inspiring to hear Jewish leaders - young and not-so-young - share what they are building, protecting, and pushing forward in their own countries. At the same time, it’s impossible to ignore how much communities across Europe are dealing with - the threats, the pressure, the constant need to justify and defend. And, each time, it becomes clearer just how much of an outlier Ireland remains, and how far behind we are when it comes to seriously addressing antisemitism and supporting Jewish life. And one unexpected takeaway: apparently even a Jewish conference can underestimate the importance of coffee breaks

Yesterday, we held our annual Yom HaShoah commemoration for the Jewish community in Ireland. It was not only a moment of remembrance. It was a moment of clarity. Because Yom HaShoah is not only about where that road ended It is about how it began, and how a society allowed itself, step by step, to get there - what was said, what was ignored, what was justified, and what was allowed to become normal. And when those same patterns begin to appear again, even in quieter, more subtle ways, they demand attention. In Ireland today, too much is being normalised. Too much is being dismissed. Too much is being explained away. And what happens next, whether we close our eyes, turn away, or choose to see and act, does not rest with Jews alone. Because remembrance, without recognition in the present, is not enough.

The protests in Ireland are not about just fuel! They are about the distance between Ireland on this graph and every other modern and developed economy. Ireland is second wealthiest but gets waaaaay less than any other country for that wealth. By a golden mile. That visual gap in this graph? That’s what people are protesting. It’s a lack of infrastructure and the everyday enshittification of services, the economy, and the additional difficulty of trying to live, relative to peers in any other country. It also highlights why people don’t get uniformly listened to! - because there is no government architecture to engage meaningfully across this huge gap. That gap is a three hour drive to work in traffic, a 14 month wait for an MRI, buses that don’t arrive, trains that don’t exist, schools that have no places for your kids, houses that are unaffordable, pubs that close before midnight, €12 sandwiches, expensive fuel. People feel this gap, even if they can’t explain it precisely. And that builds into resentment, and ultimately protest. Fuel just happened to be the next thing that could be pointed to, today.

Morning, @IrishTimes @IrishTimesOpEd article today is on the monumental waste of public money that plagues Ireland. The State is pissing billions away every year. The figures are startling. No one is accountable. irishtimes.com/opinion/2026/0…

Happy retirement, Rambo ❤️

KIMI ANTONELLI WINS THE JAPANESE GRAND PRIX!!! 🏁🏆🥳 #F1 #JapaneseGP

Tonight, LeBron James passed the basketball to this little guy in an NBA game and he drilled a three-pointer. READ THAT AGAIN 😭

The Arsenal in Dublin 🇮🇪 We’ll face La Liga side Real Betis at the Aviva Stadium on Wednesday 5th August 👊 Tickets will go on pre-sale from Wednesday 25th March at 2pm 👇