ICE Jailed a Rabbi For Protesting Israel. Now He Can’t Observe His Faith
*On this day in 2001, President George W. Bush announced the formation of what would become the Department of Homeland Security, now a key part of Donald Trump’s authoritarian state.*
Good morning friends! **Prem **here. Today, I bring you **new** details about how the Trump-Vance administration is commemorating Oct. 7: by holding an anti-Zionist rabbi in detention, using similar logic to that used to keep the student protester **Mahmoud Khalil** and the student op-ed writer **Rümeysa Öztürk** in detention last year.
And so, today’s **‘First Draft’** lays out how a rabbi is being stopped from celebrating the Jewish holidays, because he protested against Israel. We’ll also take a look at trouble in Trumpland over advisers working in a pro-Russia Balkan enclave even as midterms catastrophe looms, and catch up with all the news about Trump’s illegal war with Iran.
[Subscribe now][1]
# A ‘Flight Risk’ Rabbi?
*Ultra Orthodox Jewish protesters near the White House on July 28, 2026. Photo by Finn Gomez/Getty Images.*
Donald Trump’s administration, which is trying to deport the former Columbia student [Mahmoud Khalil][2] for protesting against Israel – by smearing him as an antisemitic threat – is trying to deport an anti-Zionist rabbi for the same reason.
As the Trump-Vance administration rolls out what it calls a [nationwide tour][3] to combat hate and antisemitism, it is simultaneously denying the rabbi religious accommodations and making him pray during Jewish Holy Days next to a toilet, as he languishes in ICE detention.
It’s another awful line on the villainous résumé of this White House of Horrors.
[Subscribe now][4]
Yehnotan Ovadia is a 35-year-old Orthodox Jewish religious teacher and rabbi who came to the U.S. in 2022 on a religious worker visa. As a member of the anti-Zionist Satmar Hasidic community, which opposes the state of Israel on religious grounds, he participated in pro-Palestine and anti-Israel demonstrations in New York.
Now in detention arising from such protests, Ovadia alleges in new filings seen by **Zeteo** that ICE is subjecting him to conditions that make it impossible to observe his faith. He notes that he has been detained through Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot; has resolved to use blankets to separate himself from the cell toilet and his new cellmate while he prays; and claims he has lost 25 pounds in about a month.
This week, Ovadia messaged his counsel about the limitations he faces when he tries to pray:
[ Read more ][5]
[1]: https://zeteo.com/subscribe?
[2]: https://zeteo.com/p/the-moment-we-are-hopeless-they-win?utm_campaign=23234856710&utm_source=google_ads&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content=189841814802-782839857508&utm_term=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23234856710&gbraid=0AAAAA-F9BawGz1cHjj3Qr8SJQB7RsLzz4&gclid=CjwKCAjw25fWBhAVEiwAMopNjp6zZ3z6ZFQHDQd0o3EAt5DP4bReSU2Ujq9gIQ8QEoM3L8vtXDtzvRoCzkQQAvD_BwE
[3]: https://x.com/TheJusticeDept/status/2107854215200620755?s=20
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[5]: https://zeteo.com/p/ice-jailed-a-rabbi-for-protesting
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2026-10-08 11:07:15 UTC
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2026-10-08 11:07:15 UTCEvent JSON
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"content": "ICE Jailed a Rabbi For Protesting Israel. Now He Can’t Observe His Faith\n\n*On this day in 2001, President George W. Bush announced the formation of what would become the Department of Homeland Security, now a key part of Donald Trump’s authoritarian state.*\n\nGood morning friends! **Prem **here. Today, I bring you **new** details about how the Trump-Vance administration is commemorating Oct. 7: by holding an anti-Zionist rabbi in detention, using similar logic to that used to keep the student protester **Mahmoud Khalil** and the student op-ed writer **Rümeysa Öztürk** in detention last year.\n\nAnd so, today’s **‘First Draft’** lays out how a rabbi is being stopped from celebrating the Jewish holidays, because he protested against Israel. We’ll also take a look at trouble in Trumpland over advisers working in a pro-Russia Balkan enclave even as midterms catastrophe looms, and catch up with all the news about Trump’s illegal war with Iran.\n\n[Subscribe now][1]\n\n# A ‘Flight Risk’ Rabbi?\n\n*Ultra Orthodox Jewish protesters near the White House on July 28, 2026. Photo by Finn Gomez/Getty Images.*\n\nDonald Trump’s administration, which is trying to deport the former Columbia student [Mahmoud Khalil][2] for protesting against Israel – by smearing him as an antisemitic threat – is trying to deport an anti-Zionist rabbi for the same reason.\n\nAs the Trump-Vance administration rolls out what it calls a [nationwide tour][3] to combat hate and antisemitism, it is simultaneously denying the rabbi religious accommodations and making him pray during Jewish Holy Days next to a toilet, as he languishes in ICE detention.\n\nIt’s another awful line on the villainous résumé of this White House of Horrors.\n\n[Subscribe now][4]\n\nYehnotan Ovadia is a 35-year-old Orthodox Jewish religious teacher and rabbi who came to the U.S. in 2022 on a religious worker visa. As a member of the anti-Zionist Satmar Hasidic community, which opposes the state of Israel on religious grounds, he participated in pro-Palestine and anti-Israel demonstrations in New York.\n\nNow in detention arising from such protests, Ovadia alleges in new filings seen by **Zeteo** that ICE is subjecting him to conditions that make it impossible to observe his faith. He notes that he has been detained through Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot; has resolved to use blankets to separate himself from the cell toilet and his new cellmate while he prays; and claims he has lost 25 pounds in about a month.\n\nThis week, Ovadia messaged his counsel about the limitations he faces when he tries to pray:\n\n[ Read more ][5]\n\n[1]: https://zeteo.com/subscribe?\n[2]: https://zeteo.com/p/the-moment-we-are-hopeless-they-win?utm_campaign=23234856710\u0026utm_source=google_ads\u0026utm_medium=cpc\u0026utm_content=189841814802-782839857508\u0026utm_term=\u0026gad_source=1\u0026gad_campaignid=23234856710\u0026gbraid=0AAAAA-F9BawGz1cHjj3Qr8SJQB7RsLzz4\u0026gclid=CjwKCAjw25fWBhAVEiwAMopNjp6zZ3z6ZFQHDQd0o3EAt5DP4bReSU2Ujq9gIQ8QEoM3L8vtXDtzvRoCzkQQAvD_BwE\n[3]: https://x.com/TheJusticeDept/status/2107854215200620755?s=20\n[4]: https://zeteo.com/subscribe?\n[5]: https://zeteo.com/p/ice-jailed-a-rabbi-for-protesting\n\n\nhttps://zeteo.com/p/ice-jailed-a-rabbi-for-protesting",
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