Minister kultury i dziedzictwa narodowego Marta Cienkowska (Fot. Dawid Żuchowicz / Agencja Wyborcza.pl)

Ludzie kultury piszą do ministry Cienkowskiej. “Każda forma współpracy okrywa polską kulturę hańbą”

Marta Górna

Polityka Izraela budzi skojarzenia z “polityką najgorszych ludobójczych reżimów znanych z historii” – piszą polscy ludzie kultury w liście otwartym do ministry Cienkowskiej.

Do wtorkowego poranka ponad 200 osób z polskiego środowiska kulturalnego podpisało

Podkreślają, że Palestyńczycy – mimo tzw. zawieszenia broni – wciąż są zabijani, m.in. w obozach dla uchodźców, a także wypędzani z własnych domów na Zachodnim Brzegu i we wschodniej Jerozolimie.

Dodają też, że aktualna polityka Izraela budzi skojarzenia z “polityką najgorszych ludobójczych reżimów znanych z historii”. Uważają, że każda forma współpracy z instytucjami kulturalnymi tego państwa “okrywa dziś polską kulturę hańbą”.

Pod listem otwartym podpisali się m.in. Krzysztof Cieślik (wydawca, redaktor, tłumacz, współwłaściciel wydawnictwa ArtRage), Przemysław Wielgosz (eseista nominowany do Nagrody Literackiej “Nike” za “Grę w rasy”), pisarka Olga Gitkiewicz, tłumaczka i poetka Aga Zano, pisarz Wojciech Chmielarz, pisarz Jul Łyskawa, pisarka Sylwia Chutnik, zespół Teatru Ósmego Dnia z Ewą Wójciak na czele, pisarki Kinga Dunin i Małgorzata Rejmer, Kaja Puto z “Krytyki Politycznej”, krytyczka literacka Olga Wróbel, pisarz i wykładowca Jakub Nowak, reżyserka filmowa Jagoda Szelc, reżyser i dramaturg Paweł Demirski, aktorka Anita Sokołowska, krytyk Maciej Nowak i wielu innych.

Podpisów wciąż przybywa. Poniżej publikujemy pełną treść listu otwartego.

Redagowała Magdalena Birska

Giuliani Says Mamdani Has ‘Hatred’ for Jews for Declining to Attend Israel Day Parade in New York City

Shiryn Ghermezian

Former Donald Trump lawyer and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani arrives at US federal court in New York City, US, Nov. 26, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani has lambasted the city’s current mayor, Zohran Mamdani, for the latter’s decision not to attend the annual Israel Day parade, which is set to take place later this month.

“Mamdani’s decision to snub the Israel Day Parade demonstrates his deep disdain and hatred of the Jewish community,” Giuliani, a Republican, told the New York Post on Wednesday. “When you combine this with his failure to attend the investiture of the new Catholic Archbishop [Ronald Hicks], a pattern emerges, revealing a man on a mission to tear down the foundations of Western civilization.”

Mamdani, a far-left democratic socialist, has made fierce anti-Israel activism a cornerstone of his political career, leading many Jewish leaders and other critics to accuse him of antisemitism.

“Have New Yorkers awakened to the fact that they made a disastrous decision in November 2025 by electing this man?” added Giuliani, who served as New York City’s mayor from 1994 through 2001.

Mamdani confirmed earlier this month that he will skip this year’s Israel Day Parade. However, the avowed anti-Zionist first indicated that he would not attend the event in October 2025, the month before his election. At the time, he told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that he looked forward “to joining — and hosting — many community events celebrating Jewish life in New York and the rich Jewish history and culture of our city,” but not including the parade.

“While I will not be attending the Israel Day Parade, my lack of attendance should not be mistaken for a refusal to provide security or the necessary permits for its safety,” Mamdani said last year. “I’ve been very clear: I believe in equal rights for all people — everywhere. That principle guides me consistently.”

Mamdani is reportedly the first mayor of New York City to skip the Israel Day Parade, which has been held annually since 1964. The parade takes place along Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue and is set this year for May 31 under the theme, “Proud Americans, Proud Zionists.”

For what is believed to be the first time in history, a Muslim group will march in the parade. Supporters of the nonprofit American Muslim & Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council will participate and be led by Anila Ali, the organization’s board chair and president.

As a supporter of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, Mamdani has been highly critical of the country and has refused to recognize it as a Jewish state. New York City is home to the world’s largest population of Jews outside of Israel.

“Since the very first Israel Parade in 1964, every single sitting mayor of New York City has joined in the festive celebrations. New York has historically been proud of its deep relationship with Israel. Not joining the parade is an affront to the history of New York City,” Moshe Davis – former executive director of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, a body formed by Mamdani’s predecessor, Mayor Eric Adams – told Fox News Digital.

Adams told the news outlet that the Israel Day Parade “is a testament to one of New York City’s most important relationships.”

“From health care to technology to innovation, Israel and New York City are partners in building a better future,” he explained. “I want every New Yorker to join the Parade on Fifth Avenue because celebrating this bond isn’t just for the Jewish community; it’s for our entire city.”

Last week, Mamdani posted a video on social media in honor of “Nakba Day.” The word “nakba” is Arabic for “catastrophe” and used by Palestinians to describe Israel’s founding and the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Arabs during Israel’s 1948 War of Independence.

Many Arabs left for varied reasons, including that they were encouraged by Arab leaders to flee their homes to make way for the invading armies to destroy the nascent Jewish state. At the same time, about 850,000 Jews were forced to flee or expelled from Middle Eastern and North African countries in the 20th century, primarily in the aftermath of Israel’s declaring independence.

Several pro-Israel Jewish groups found the video posted by Mamdani offensive, and as a result, some Jewish leaders decided not to attend a pre-Shavuot event Mamdani hosted at Gracie Mansion in honor of Jewish Heritage Month.

The UJA Federation of New York and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, both of which are organizing the Israel Day Parade, declined to attend the gathering. They told the New York Post they made the decision because the event’s host is a mayor who “denies the core pillar of our heritage, the State of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people.” At the event, Mamdani announced that his administration will allocate $26 million annually to expand efforts made by the city’s Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes.

Since Mamdani assumed office, Jews have been targeted in the majority of all hate crimes committed in New York City, continuing a troubling trend of rising antisemitism following Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel.

Chinese Cameras in Israel Could Be Exploited by Iran, Expert Warns

Ailin Vilches Arguello

People walk past a mural depicting the late leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, and the late Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran, Iran. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

Israel’s widespread use of internet-connected Chinese surveillance cameras could pose a major security risk, a new analysis warns, potentially enabling Iran and its terrorist proxies to infiltrate live feeds, gather intelligence, and assist in the targeting of sensitive infrastructure and civilian areas.

According to a report by the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), Iran and Hezbollah have intensified coordinated efforts since the outbreak of this year’s war with the US and Israel to breach surveillance camera networks across the Jewish state, using the systems to collect intelligence, identify missile impact locations, and track potential targets.

The rapid spread of Chinese-made surveillance systems is creating a potentially dangerous intelligence vulnerability, with civilian camera networks increasingly seen as tools that hostile foreign actors could exploit for strategic monitoring and security operations.

In the past, Israel has also leveraged Iranian surveillance infrastructure for intelligence operations, specifically hacking Tehran’s traffic camera network to systematically track senior leadership and their security circles, providing the crucial data required to successfully execute the targeted killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Feb. 28.

Even though networked camera systems are intended to strengthen security and improve monitoring and control, the INSS report by research associate Yuval Less warns they can also become critical vulnerabilities if exploited by hostile actors for intelligence gathering and surveillance purposes.

The widespread use of surveillance cameras — including foreign-made systems — not only raises concerns over embedded security vulnerabilities but also heightens risks of espionage and broader national security threats, especially where sensitive visual data may be intercepted, exploited, or repurposed by hostile actors.

Based on artificial intelligence and IoT technologies, modern surveillance cameras can now analyze activity in real time and detect behavioral patterns, but these same capabilities also expose the systems to cyber intrusions, remote hijacking, data breaches, and privacy violations.

The report suggests that such systems could effectively function as “eyes and ears” for enemy actors, enabling intelligence collection, continuous surveillance, and support for operational planning.

Specifically, experts say the widespread use of Chinese surveillance technology in Israel presents a complex mix of geopolitical, technological, and security challenges that demand closer scrutiny from government and intelligence authorities.

These vulnerabilities come into sharper focus amid the deepening strategic alignment between China and Iran, fueling concerns that Iran-linked actors could increasingly exploit such systems for surveillance, intelligence collection, and other operational uses against Israel.

In recent years, the United States has repeatedly warned about the security risks associated with Chinese technology, with the US Department of Homeland Security cautioning that Chinese-made surveillance cameras could potentially be used for espionage targeting critical infrastructure.

The Iranian regime has previously relied on Chinese technology for strategic security purposes, with past instances pointing to a broader pattern of using such systems for intelligence gathering and surveillance operations.

According to a study by the international human rights organization Article 19, the Islamist regime used Chinese and Russian technology to silence dissent during nationwide anti-government protests earlier this year, imposing near-total internet shutdowns and disrupting satellite communications in an effort to suppress public scrutiny.

“In its pursuit of total control over the digital space, Iran borrows directly from the Chinese digital authoritarian playbook,” Michael Caster, head of Article 19’s Global China Program, said in a statement. 

“From Chinese companies embedded inside Iran’s infrastructure, to Iran’s support for China’s ‘cyber sovereignty’ principles based on censorship and surveillance, both countries align in their ambition to disconnect their populations from the open, global internet,” he continued.  

According to the report, China has provided material and technical support to Iran since at least 2010, bolstering its surveillance and censorship capabilities as Chinese firms including ZTE, Huawei, Tiandy, and Hikvision continue operating in the country despite international sanctions.