A Dublin hotel refused to host an international conference on combating antisemitism and later canceled roughly 70 rooms reserved for delegates after its general manager asked whether the Israel Defense Forces would be involved, according to a Jewish community leader who attended a planning meeting.

Maurice Cohen, chairman of the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland, told News Media that he and an event organizer met with officials from the Herbert Park Hotel—including its general manager—on May 7 to explain the gathering and discuss logistical arrangements.

The meeting concerned an event linked to this week’s Special Envoys and Coordinators Combating Antisemitism Conference, which brought Jewish leaders, diplomats and government officials responsible for addressing antisemitism to Dublin, Ireland.

Cohen said organizers had received written confirmation that approximately 70 rooms were being held for conference participants.

At the meeting, Cohen explained that the conference would include Jewish community representatives, diplomats and government officials, many of whom were not Jewish. He said the manager’s demeanor changed before she asked whether the IDF would be involved.

“I was completely taken aback by that question,” Cohen told News Media. “I said, ‘What would the IDF have to do with a conference on antisemitism?’”

Cohen said the hotel did not provide an explanation at the time. Instead, the general manager said she would consult the owners before determining whether the event could go ahead.

Organizers received an email on May 8, the day after the meeting, saying the hotel could not accommodate their “event,” Cohen said. Two or three days after the May 7 discussion, they also asked whether the approximately 70 rooms set aside for delegates were still available.

The hotel replied that the rooms were no longer available, telling organizers they had automatically been released one week before the meeting, according to Cohen. He said that explanation was never raised during the conversation with hotel management.

“Why would you hold a meeting seven days after the rooms had been canceled without mentioning them?” Cohen said. “To my mind, that excuse was a retrospective excuse.”

Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, told News Media, “If the reports from Dublin are accurate, this is a disgraceful example of the very antisemitism the conference was organized to combat.”

“Seventy rooms had been booked. Seventy people had been welcomed as guests,” Cohen said in an Oct. 13 address at Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs. “The only thing that changed was what they were understood to be.”

The incident carried particular personal significance for Cohen, who said he had attended meetings, New Year’s Eve celebrations and his mother’s birthday celebrations at the hotel through her 93rd birthday.

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“How quickly does the word ‘Jewish’ change a conversation?” Cohen asked during his address.

The hotel dispute is the latest incident to fuel concerns among Jewish leaders about antisemitic discrimination in Ireland. The country has no official state system devoted to tracking antisemitic incidents, leaving community organizations to document cases and raising fears that many experiences are never formally reported.

Ireland’s Jewish community has about 2,200 members. During its first six-month reporting initiative, the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland recorded 143 self-reported antisemitic incidents, ranging from verbal abuse and threats to vandalism and discrimination. The council said the figures reflect only part of the problem because antisemitic incidents are frequently underreported.

Cohen said conditions for Ireland’s small Jewish community have worsened since the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks. He described the broader environment facing Jewish and Israeli people in Ireland as “ambient antisemitism.”

News Media sent questions to the Irish government asking whether it condemns the hotel’s reported actions and whether any review or investigation is being considered. The office of Prime Minister Micheál Martin, the government departments responsible for foreign affairs and justice, and the Irish Embassy in Washington, D.C., were contacted for comment. None had responded at the time of publication.

In an exclusive interview with News Media in September, Martin said, “We have no toleration for antisemitism, none.”

“It’s all around us,” Cohen told News Media. “If you say you’re Israeli, you may not get into certain places. The narrative is so one-sided.”

When News Media reached the Herbert Park Hotel directly by phone and asked about Cohen’s account, the decision to reject the event and the subsequent release of approximately 70 rooms, a hotel representative responded, “No comment.”

Cohen said the hotel’s management should speak directly with Jewish community representatives and receive training on contemporary antisemitism.

“They need training on what antisemitism is,” Cohen told News Media. “They need to be cognizant of the fact they are promoting antisemitism. They need to understand why they’re so wrong.”

Cohen said several Irish lawmakers and civil servants contacted him personally after his Oct. 13 address, though he had not seen a broader public condemnation from the Irish government.

“I, like most people, don’t want to be in a place where I’m not wanted,” Cohen said.

News Media also reached out to the owners of the hotel through its corporate entity but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

At 14, Danielle Ripley-Burgess noticed something that immediately seemed unusual: tiny traces of blood in her stool.

Now 42 and a mother of two, Danielle says she dismissed the symptom at the time, assuming she had eaten something red that had not been fully digested.

Like many teenagers, she felt too embarrassed to tell her parents. Instead, she decided to follow what she called a “no red foods diet.”

“I stopped eating anything red for several weeks. Pizza, strawberries, popsicles, Twizzlers — all of it,” she told the Daily Mail. “I thought that if I didn’t eat anything red, maybe I wouldn’t see red in my poop, and that would solve my issues.”

The change made no difference. Danielle continued to notice red flecks in her bowel movements, which were dark red in color — a warning sign that can indicate a serious problem, including colorectal cancer.

It took another three years before she finally told her mother, at 17, what was happening. She spoke up only after the bleeding began occurring more often.

At first, Danielle’s mother thought hemorrhoids might be responsible. These swollen veins in the anus or lower rectum can cause painless, bright red blood in the stool. But Danielle’s symptoms soon became more serious.

“[My stool] was dark red and sometimes black. I was embarrassed and afraid. I didn’t want to put my busy high school life on hold. I didn’t want to be a burden to my family, and I didn’t want to talk about my body,” she said.

Just weeks after her birthday in January 2001, Danielle was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer. It marked the beginning of a 25-year battle during which she would survive the disease three times.

Following her first diagnosis, Danielle underwent chemotherapy, radiation treatment and surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from her colon.

She also underwent an oophoropexy, a procedure that temporarily moves the ovaries into the abdomen to protect them from radiation and preserve their ability to produce hormones.

After completing treatment, Danielle was told she was in remission and returned to her everyday life. Her ovaries were later moved back to their original position. As a precaution, she began having colonoscopies every three years to monitor for signs that the cancer had returned.

During a checkup in June 2009, her doctor found something concerning: a polyp, or an abnormal cluster of cells, in her colon. A biopsy was ordered, and weeks later she was diagnosed with stage one colon cancer.

By then, at 25, she was married, owned a home and was making plans to adopt a child and start a family.

“I thought cancer was something from my past, and I had to reckon with it becoming part of my future,” she said. “I was scared, worried and angry. I didn’t understand why I was facing cancer again.”

Surgeons removed almost all of her colon, leaving approximately 13 inches. Once again, Danielle was told she was in remission, and doctors instructed her to undergo a colonoscopy every year.

Then, in 2023, at age 39, Danielle’s annual surveillance colonoscopy found more polyps. Her doctor explained that the findings appeared to indicate her colon cancer was returning for a third time.

It was then that Danielle decided to get a permanent ileostomy, a surgical procedure that allows stool to exit the body via the abdomen rather than the colon. This removed the remaining 13 inches of her colon.

Doctors sent the removed organ to pathology, where they tested it and found stage one colon cancer contained in only that tissue. 

Danielle is one of a growing number of young Americans who have been diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

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Colorectal cancer risk increases with age, particularly after 50. However, cases are rising among younger adults, with one in five diagnoses now occurring in people under 55. The disease has also become a leading cause of cancer-related deaths among younger people. 

From 2013 to 2022, case rates increased by 2.9 percent per year among adults under 50. They also increased by 0.4 percent per year among those ages 50 to 64. 

While experts do not have a definitive explanation as to why cases are rising in young adults, studies suggest lifestyle factors such as poor diet and gut microbiome changes may be linked.

Researchers have found that many young-onset colorectal tumors feature a specific mutation linked to colibactin – a toxin produced by certain strains of the bacteria E. coli which normally reside in the lower intestines of humans.

But in Danielle’s case, she had an underlying condition that raised her risk of the disease. 

After she was diagnosed with colon cancer for a second time, doctors ordered genetic tests which revealed she had Lynch syndrome, a genetic condition caused by a fault in the genes responsible for repairing damaged DNA.  

An estimated one million Americans have the condition, which allows errors to build up in cells and increases the risk of several cancers, particularly colon and rectal cancers.

In particular, it has been shown to increase the chance of developing colon, pancreatic and uterine cancer. It causes about three to five percent of all colon cancers every year, the CDC says. The only way to be certain if you have the gene is to get a test. 

Lynch syndrome is typically hereditary, meaning it is passed from parents to children. But occasionally the mutation emerges at random. In Danielle’s case, she is the first member of her family to be diagnosed with the condition. 

‘I’m the first and only one to carry the Lynch syndrome gene, which tends to be hereditary,’ she said.

Because Lynch syndrome also put her at higher risk of uterine and ovarian cancer, Danielle opted for a hysterectomy, a surgery that removes the uterus, to reduce her risk of developing further cancers.

Today, she is a mother of two adopted children, an author, inspirational speaker and communications consultant. Her husband of 20 years, who was her boyfriend at the time of her first diagnosis, has been ‘an anchor’ in her life. 

‘My parents and step-parents have also been an incredible support system – stepping in to help me in every way possible. I’ve got a close group of friends, some I’ve known since high school and others I’ve met along the way, who have prayed for me, sent meals, babysat, joined cancer walks, and more,’ she said.

‘I’d advise people to open up and let others in — don’t go through hard things alone,’ she added. 

Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US.

The American Cancer Society estimates that 158,850 Americans will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2026, including 108,860 cases of colon cancer and 49,990 cases of rectal cancer.

Several factors can increase the risk of colorectal cancer, including a diet high in processed and red meats. Excess weight, physical inactivity, long-term smoking and heavy alcohol consumption are also linked to an increased risk of developing colorectal cancer. 

Race and genetics can also influence risk. American Indian and Alaska Native people have the highest rates of colorectal cancer, while having a family history of the disease or colon polyps can further increase a person’s chances of developing it.

Long-term inflammatory bowel diseases, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, can also increase colorectal cancer risk by causing chronic inflammation in the colon.

Early symptoms include persistent diarrhea or constipation, blood in the stool, abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss, fatigue and low iron levels.

Treatment depends on the stage of the cancer. Early-stage disease is often treated with surgery, while more advanced cases may require a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and immunotherapy.

Las Vegas authorities have identified a murder victim whose remains were placed in a rusted barrel and dumped in Lake Mead more than four decades ago, police announced Thursday.

Clark County Coroner Melanie Rouse said the victim was Edward Lelburian Jackson, an Arkansas man in his 50s who died from a single gunshot wound to the head.

Although the killing remains unsolved, investigators were finally able to determine Jackson’s identity through advanced genetic genealogy after decades of uncertainty.

“We were able to confirm that the remains were in fact Edward Jackson,” Rouse said.

Boaters discovered the unidentified remains in May 2022, reviving speculation that the case could be linked to Las Vegas’ violent organized-crime past.

The discovery of a body inside a barrel has long been associated with mob killings, particularly given Las Vegas’ extensive history of organized crime.

Jackson had been involved in criminal activity in Salt Lake City during the 1980s. However, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department homicide Lt. Robert Price said investigators have found no direct evidence connecting his death to the mob, although that possibility has not been eliminated.

Jackson’s relatives told authorities that he enjoyed traveling, but said they were surprised to learn he had been in Las Vegas.

Investigators say they are continuing to pursue the case.

“It will never be closed until we solve it,” Price said.

Authorities believe Jackson was shot sometime in the early 1980s before his body was placed inside the barrel.

He was wearing a short-sleeve button-down shirt, light blue jeans, a silver wristwatch and blue-and-white sneakers when he was killed.

Jackson’s family never reported him missing at the time.

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“They knew that he had traveled the country, would show up when he showed up, just to say hi,” Price said.

“But they didn’t think anything other than that. They just figured he was out and about.”

Before Jackson was identified, the Mob Museum in Las Vegas suggested the remains might belong to one of several underworld figures: George “Jay” Vandermark, a cheat gambler who monitored slot machines at the Stardust casino; William Crespo, a drug runner who became a federal informant; or Johnny Pappas, a casino insider who owned a boat on Lake Mead.

All three men disappeared, and their bodies were never found.

The investigative genetic genealogy method used to identify Jackson also helped identify a second victim of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks in New York City this week. The same technique was used in the investigation that led to the arrest of Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann.

Investigative genetic genealogy compares a person’s DNA profile with information available in public ancestry databases.

Meanwhile, Lake Mead’s water level has fallen to historic lows amid prolonged drought, extreme heat and ongoing overuse. As the 90-year-old reservoir continues to recede, it has exposed long-hidden evidence and renewed interest in the secrets beneath its surface.

Historians predict more bodies will emerge from the receding waters.

Several other finds surfaced at Lake Mead in 2022 — including a May discovery of skeletal remains later identified as a 2002 drowning victim.

Another set found in August of that year belonged to a 52-year-old Las Vegas man who vanished in 1998, while remains discovered in October 2022 were tied to a 1974 drowning accident, according to county officials.

And yet more human remains were uncovered as recently as this August.

Lake Mead and upstream Lake Powell stand as the largest man-made reservoirs in the US, anchoring a vast system that fuels Colorado River water to over 40 million people across eight states and into Mexico.

The plummeting waterline exposed Las Vegas’ main drinking intake in 2022, forcing regional authorities to activate a deep-lake reservoir built in 2020 to supply the region’s 2.4 million residents, suburban sprawl and 40 million annual tourists.

With Post wires

Clashes between police and opponents of Albania’s Socialist government broke out in Tirana for a third straight day Thursday, as Prime Minister Edi Rama rejected calls for his resignation.

Protesters threw rocks at a police line outside Albania’s Education Ministry, prompting officers to use tear gas and water cannons, The Associated Press reported.

The latest confrontation followed Wednesday’s unrest, when demonstrators targeted government buildings, banks and businesses. A total of 89 people were injured, including 61 police officers.

“As for calls for my resignation, governments are changed through democratic elections. We had elections last year, not a revolution,” Rama told Reuters on Thursday.

“My responsibility is to listen, address legitimate concerns and keep Albania moving forward,” Rama said. “The alternative would be a betrayal of the Albanians who gave me a strong mandate to complete negotiations on European Union membership.”

Thursday’s demonstrations brought together student groups demanding education reforms and a broader anti-government movement opposing a major development project associated with Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, the AP reported.

The movement, known as the “flamingo” movement, is demanding Rama’s resignation over allegations of widespread corruption. Its name comes from the pink-bird signs carried by protesters.

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“The message from the streets is clear: Albanians have had enough. Public patience with Edi Rama’s socialist government has come to an end,” Agim Nesho, Albania’s former ambassador to the United States, told News Media on Thursday.

“The wheels are coming off Edi Rama’s socialist government. After 13 years in power, his administration faces mounting accusations of corruption, misuse of public funds and political favoritism,” Nesho said. He pointed to poverty, unemployment, inadequate public services and the mass departure of young Albanians seeking better opportunities in Europe as drivers of public anger. Critics, he added, say the political elite has prospered while ordinary citizens struggle to make ends meet, as they have under other failed socialist governments.

An EU delegation in Albania urged authorities late Wednesday to respond proportionately, saying it was concerned by “the violent escalation at the protest in Tirana.”

Rama won a fourth term as prime minister last year after campaigning on Albania’s goal of joining the European Union. The country hopes to achieve membership as early as 2028, according to Reuters.

Student organizers told Reuters that their concerns include rising higher-education costs, limited financial assistance, university conditions and employment prospects after graduation.

Rama told the news agency that he was prepared to discuss education costs, but insisted that “attacking institutions, destroying public property and threatening public safety have nothing to do with the legitimate demands of students.”

“Corruption must be confronted and, as the EU itself has recently reaffirmed, Albania is tackling it as never before,” Rama said. “Perhaps some forces, at home and abroad, do not want Albania to succeed as a forerunner for EU membership. But I will not allow violence to derail Albania’s European future.”