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☆ House Republicans’ Next Target: Reports of Antisemitism in K-12 Schools
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Dana Goldstein | Sarah Mervosh | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

School district officials have faced off with students, parents, school board members and teachers about issues related to the Israel-Hamas war — but until now, not members of Congress. For the three public school leaders, who are likely to face a similarly tense environment, “it’s hard to imagine a less welcome invitation,” said Justin Driver, a professor at Yale Law School who is an expert on how constitutional law applies to schools. The three school districts, all diverse, have robust American Jewish communities. They are also in staunchly liberal areas, making them ripe targets for the Republicans who run the committee. And they have had their share of controversies.

Persons: ”, Justin Driver Organizations: —, Education, Workforce, Yale Law School, Republicans Locations: Israel, — New York City, Berkeley, Calif, Montgomery County, Maryland

☆ Jerry Seinfeld Can No Longer Be About Nothing
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Matt Flegenheimer | Marc Tracy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Jerry Seinfeld became a mic-cradling, cereal-eating, “did-you-ever-notice”-ing avatar of American Jewish life with a brazenly shrugging persona: a merry indifference to weighty material as a comedian and in his megahit TV show about nothing, as petty and apolitical as he seemed to be. Now — off-camera, at least — Mr. Seinfeld appears to have reached his post-nothing period. Since the attacks of Oct. 7 in Israel, and through their bloody and volatile aftermath in Gaza, Mr. Seinfeld, 70, has emerged as a strikingly public voice against antisemitism and in support of Jews in Israel and the United States, edging warily toward a more forward-facing advocacy role than he ever seemed to seek across his decades of fame. He has shared reflections about life on a kibbutz in his teens, and in December traveled to Tel Aviv to meet with hostages’ families, soberly recounting afterward the missile attack that greeted him during the trip. He has participated, to a point, in the kind of celebrity activism with which few associate him — letter-signing campaigns, earnest messages on social media — answering simply recently when asked about the motivation for his visit to Israel: “I’m Jewish.”

Persons: Jerry Seinfeld, “, Seinfeld, ” Locations: Israel, Gaza, United States, Tel Aviv

☆ Live Updates: Police Enter U.C.L.A. Encampment After Warnings
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Jonathan Wolfe | Mike Ives | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

A deal struck by Northwestern University officials and pro-Palestinian demonstrators brought an end to a protest encampment on campus but drew harsh criticism from Jewish leaders and students on Wednesday. The agreement, announced this week, included a promise by the university to be more transparent about its financial holdings. In turn, demonstrators removed the tent camp they built last week at Deering Meadow, a stretch of lawn on campus. The university did not commit to divesting from companies linked to Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, a chief demand animating campus protests across the nation. But protest organizers at Northwestern said they saw transparency as a first step toward that goal.

Persons: ”, Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, “, Hillel, Michael Schill, Schill, ” Paz Baum, Baum, Mr Organizations: Northwestern University, Northwestern, Educators for Justice, American Jewish Committee, Cook County Circuit Court, Jewish Voice, Peace, Brown University, Columbia University, University of California Locations: Deering, Gaza, Palestine, Northwestern, Cook County, New York, Los Angeles

☆ Biden to Address Holocaust Remembrance While Still Quiet on Campus Unrest
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Peter Baker | More About Peter Baker | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

“No president has spoken more forcefully about combating antisemitism than this president,” she said. Since then, Mr. Biden has left it to aides to speak for him, trying to balance the free speech rights of protesters with rejection of violence and antisemitic statements. “Americans have the right to peacefully protest as long as it’s within the law and it’s peaceful,” Ms. Jean-Pierre said. “Forcibly taking over a building is not peaceful. “I hope the president speaks as boldly and as forcefully as this moment requires,” Mr. Deutch told Julie Mason on her Sirius/XM radio show.

Persons: Jean, Pierre, Mr, Biden, “, ”, Ms, Pierre said, Ted Deutch, Deutch, Julie Mason, Donald J, Trump, Adolf Hitler Organizations: Columbia University, American Jewish Committee, Mr, Sirius, XM, Republicans, Jewish Locations: Florida

☆ Oil prices edge higher as Netanyahu says Israel will attack Rafah with or without hostage deal
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Jerusalem, February 18, 2024. Ronen Zvulun | ReutersCrude oil futures moved slightly higher Tuesday after Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed hopes that a proposed hostage deal would prevent an attack on the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Here are today's energy prices: West Texas IntermediateBrentRBOB GasolineNatural Gas The U.S. is pushing for a cease-fire to head off an Israeli offensive against Rafah. But Netanyahu threatened to move against Rafah regardless of whether a hostage deal is reached. "We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there – with or without a deal, in order to achieve the total victory."

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Ronen Zvulun, Netanyahu, Brent Organizations: Major, Jewish, Hamas, Reuters, Israel, West Texas Intermediate Brent, Gas, Rafah Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Jerusalem, Gaza, Rafah, Washington

☆ War in Gaza Causes Surprising Rift Within Japanese American Group
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Amy Qin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In the 1970s, leaders at the Japanese American Citizens League, one of the oldest and largest Asian American civil rights organizations, felt the prospect of reparations for their wartime incarceration was out of reach. Many Americans knew little about how the government had imprisoned more than 120,000 people of Japanese descent, most of whom were American citizens, during World War II. Then came a surprising endorsement from the American Jewish Committee. It was the start of a decades-long bond between two of the country’s most established Jewish and Japanese American civil rights groups — a relationship cherished by both of their communities. But a new generation of Japanese Americans is now pushing to sever ties with two prominent Jewish American organizations.

Persons: Nikkei4Palestine, ” Organizations: American Citizens League, American Jewish, Jewish Locations: Gaza

Peter Beinart andIn this interview with the Times Opinion editor Max Strasser, the journalist Peter Beinart explores what he calls the twin pillars of American Jewish life: Zionism and liberalism. Beinart argues that the two are fundamentally in conflict with each other, a longstanding tension that has become even more fraught since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel retaliated in Gaza. In this conversation, Beinart makes the case for liberalism over Zionism and calls on the American Jewish community to see that “Palestinian equality doesn’t need to be a threat to Jewish safety.”Below is a lightly edited transcript of the conversation. “The Opinions” is a collection of audio essays from Times Opinion. To listen to this piece, click the play button below.

Persons: Peter Beinart, Max Strasser, Beinart, Israel Locations: Israel, Gaza

☆ Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is set to undergo hernia surgery
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-31 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Jerusalem, February 18, 2024. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office says the Israeli leader will undergo surgery on Sunday for a hernia. Netanyahu's office said the hernia was discovered during a routine checkup, and that the prime minister will be under full anesthesia and unsconcious for the procedure. Justice Minister Yariv Levin, a close confidant who also holds the title of deputy prime minister, will serve as acting prime minister during the operation, the office said. Netanyahu, 74, has kept a full schedule throughout Israel's nearly six-month-long war against Hamas, and his doctors have said he is in good health.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Yariv Levin, Netanyahu Organizations: Major, Jewish, Hamas Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Jerusalem, Israel's

☆ Netanyahu cancels Israeli delegation to U.S. over UN Gaza vote
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said he will not send a delegation as planned to Washington after the United States refrained from vetoing a U.N. Security Council proposal calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. "In light of the change in the American position, Prime Minister Netanyahu decided the delegation would not leave," his office said. The United States abstained from the vote. The high-level delegation was due to travel to Washington to discuss a planned Israeli military operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians are taking shelter. "It's shocking irresponsibility from a prime minister who has lost it," Lapid wrote on social media platform X.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Monday, Netanyahu, John Kirby, Kirby, We're, Yoav Gallant, Jake Sullivan, Antony Blinken, Yair Lapid, Lapid Organizations: Major, Jewish, Hamas, Security, . Security, United, White House, House, Washington, Israeli, U.S Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Jerusalem, Washington, States, Gaza, Rafah, United States

☆ An Arms Smugger, a Daring Heist, and the Birth of Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( David Kushner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +35 min

Joining the Haganah, Schwimmer discovered, wasn't as easy as just strolling through the door. "He felt he had to do his part in creating a Jewish state, so this could never happen again," Schwimmer recalled. Rather than melt down the surplus weapons for scrap, Liff told Greenspun to take as much as he wanted — free of charge. "It went against the grain to buck the same government we had fought to preserve only a few years before," Hank Greenspun recalled. In 2001, at the urging of Brian Greenspun, Schwimmer received a presidential pardon from Bill Clinton.

Persons: Danny Schwimmer, They'd, Rina, Al —, David Ben, Gurion, Al Schwimmer, Schwimmer, Bugsy Siegel's, Meyer Lansky, Frank Sinatra, Sinatra, —, Boaz Dvir, Israel —, Danny, Al, I've, Hank Greenspun, Greenspun, Brian, Adolph, Dick Tracy, " Schwimmer, Wing Walker, America, Yehuda Arazi, Arazi, they'd, Schwimmer's, Sam Lewis, Leo Gardner, Milton, Milt, Rubenfeld, Paul Reubens, Herman, Reubens, Bugsy Siegel, Siegel, — Schwimmer, Nathan Liff, Liff, PhotoQuest, Bernarr McFadden, Pat, Ptacek, Rafael Trujillo, Teddy Kollek, Erwin Johnson, Bill Gerson, Gerson, Bud King, Gerson's, Ben, Joel Kimmel, Lewis, Lansky, hadn't, Tommy, Messerschmitts, David, Milt Rubenfeld, Israel, Charlie Winters, Winters, weren't, aren't, America's, Joseph McCarthy, John F, Kennedy, Brian Greenspun, Golda Meir, Bill Clinton Organizations: Israeli Air Force, TWA, Haganah, United Nations, Lockheed Air, Los Angeles Examiner, USC, Getty, US Naval, Schwimmer Aviation, FBI, UN, Customs Service, Palestine . Volunteers, Embassy, Israel, Service Airways, State Department, BI, Pepsi, Zionist, Nazi, Star, American, Avia, Messerschmitt, Pennsylvania State University who's, Las, Sun, Israel Aerospace Industries, IAI, they're, Israeli Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, Connecticut, Palestine, New York, Copacabana, United States, Hungary, Auschwitz, storages, Arizona, Bridgeport, Rome, Burbank , California, Burbank, Las Vegas, Hawaii, Oahu, Santa Claus, California, Washington, Burbank ., Acapulco, Mexico, it's, Mexico City, Central, South America, Dominican Republic, China, America, Mexican, Panama, Panamanian, Corsica, Oklahoma, Detroit, Suriname, Brazil, Senegal, Casablanca, Sicily, Catania, Europe, Czechoslovakia, Czech, Egypt, Cairo, Los Angeles, American, Gaza, Iran

☆ 'America's greatest gift to Israel'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( David Kushner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +35 min

As the country's founder and first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, once declared, "America's greatest gift to Israel was Al Schwimmer." Joining the Haganah, Schwimmer discovered, wasn't as easy as just strolling through the door. "He felt he had to do his part in creating a Jewish state, so this could never happen again," Schwimmer recalled. Rather than melt down the surplus weapons for scrap, Liff told Greenspun to take as much as he wanted — free of charge. In 2001, at the urging of Brian Greenspun, Schwimmer received a presidential pardon from Bill Clinton.

☆ Trump says any Jewish person who votes for Democrats ‘hates their religion’ and ‘everything about Israel’
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Kate Sullivan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Former President Donald Trump said in an interview aired Monday that any Jewish person who votes for Democrats “hates their religion” and hates “everything about Israel,” again playing into an antisemitic trope that Jewish Americans have dual loyalties to the US and to Israel. “I actually think they hate Israel,” Trump said. “I don’t think they hate him, I think they hate Israel. And the Democrat Party hates Israel.”“Any Jewish person that votes for Democrats hates their religion,” Trump said. While Orthodox Jews lean heavily Republican, American Jews of other denominations, including the Reform and Conservative branches, have identified with or leaned toward the Democratic party.

Persons: Donald Trump, “, ”, Trump, White, Sebastian Gorka, Biden, Chuck Schumer, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, ” Trump, Schumer, I’m, Joe Biden’s, ” Andrew Bates, ” Biden, James Singer, Adolf Hitler ‘, Jonathan Greenblatt, Karoline Leavitt, ’, CNN’s Jack Forrest, Nicole Chavez, Morgan Rimmer Organizations: CNN, White House, Israeli, Democrat Party, Israel, Democrats, New York Democrat, White, Defamation League, State, Jewish, Republican Jewish Coalition, American Jewish Committee, Democratic, Republicans, Pew Research, Conservative Locations: Israel, Gaza, America, U.S

☆ Schumer’s Critique of Netanyahu Reveals a Growing Gap, Analysts Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Aaron Boxerman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Senator Chuck Schumer’s harsh critique of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government revealed the widening gap between Israel and its most important ally, the United States, analysts said on Friday. But even some of Mr. Netanyahu’s rivals appeared reluctant to seize on the comments while the country is focused on the war in Gaza. Mr. Schumer — Democrat of New York, the majority leader and the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the United States — repeatedly slammed Mr. Netanyahu in a speech on the Senate floor on Thursday as one of the main stumbling blocks to Israeli-Palestinian peace. While not explicitly calling for Mr. Netanyahu’s ouster, Mr. Schumer said Israelis must soon be allowed the opportunity to select new leadership. Alon Pinkas, a retired Israeli diplomat, called the speech a profound moment that reflected widespread American dissatisfaction with Israel’s direction among both its allies in Congress and in the American Jewish community.

Persons: Chuck Schumer’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Schumer —, United States —, Netanyahu, Netanyahu’s, Schumer, Alon Pinkas, ”, Pinkas, “ We’ve, you’ve, Chuck Schumer Organizations: American Jewish Locations: Israel, United States, Gaza, New York, Israeli, American, America

☆ Gaza death toll: More than 30,000 killed since Israel-Hamas war began, health ministry says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The US proposed a “temporary ceasefire” at the United Nations earlier this month, but has vetoed calls for an immediate halt in the conflict. Gaza’s health ministry does not distinguish between civilians and fighters but has said in recent updates that around 70% of the casualties are women and children. Israel estimates about 10,000 Hamas fighters have been killed since October 7, when Israel declared war on the militant group. More than 1,200 people in Israel were killed during Hamas’ attacks on that day, and more than 250 were kidnapped and taken hostage in Gaza. CNN cannot independently verify the casualty tolls in Gaza or the Israeli estimates of Hamas fighters killed.

Persons: Israel, Benny Gantz, Ramadan, ” Gantz, Israel’s, Joe Biden, Biden, Netanyahu, ” Carl Skau, there’ll, “ Organizations: CNN, Hamas, United Nations, Ramadan, Conference, Major, Jewish, Israel Defense Forces, UN, UN Humanitarian Affairs, Food Programme, UN Security Locations: Gaza, Israel, Rafah, United States, Gaza’s, Jerusalem, Egypt, Qatar

☆ More than 60% of American Jews say they feel less secure than in the past year, new survey says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Nicole Chavez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —At least 63% of American Jews said their place in American society is less secure than a year ago, according to a new report released Tuesday by the American Jewish Committee. The share of American Jews who said the status of Jews in the United States has become less secure increased 22 percentage points when compared to last year’s survey. The American Jewish Committee has commissioned a survey on the state of antisemitism in the US annually since 2019. Nearly half of American Jews said they think antisemitism is taken less seriously than other forms of hate and bigotry, according to the survey. That’s compared to 38% of American Jews in 2022, according to the advocacy organization.

Persons: Ted Deutch, “, ” Organizations: CNN, American Jewish Committee, Antisemitism, American Jewish, Defamation League Locations: “, America, United States, Israel

Nearly two-thirds of American Jews feel less secure in the U.S. than they did a year ago, according to a new national survey. The American Jewish Committee, a prominent advocacy organization, conducted the survey last fall just as the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7. The number of American Jews who say they feel less secure in the U.S. jumped 22% from last year’s survey. The survey released Tuesday found one quarter of American Jews said they have been the target of antisemitism in the past year. Levin, who is not affiliated with the AJC survey, said anti-Jewish hate crimes hit a record high last year in several major cities.

Persons: Ted Deutch, “, ” Deutch, Brian Levin, eliminationist, Levin, ”, SSRS, Israel, it’s, Holly Huffnagle, ” Huffnagle, Biden Organizations: American Jewish Committee, Hamas, U.S, AJC, Associated Press, Center, California State University, San, Democratic, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP Locations: U.S, Israel, San Bernardino, “, Pittsburgh

☆ Two-Thirds of Jewish Americans Feel Less Secure Than Before Oct. 7
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Kanishka SinghWASHINGTON (Reuters) - About two-thirds of Jewish Americans felt less secure in late 2023 than they did a year earlier, according to a survey mostly conducted after the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and released on Tuesday. The American Jewish Committee, an advocacy group, said the survey was based on telephone and online interviews from Oct. 5 to Nov. 21. BY THE NUMBERSAbout 63% of Jewish Americans said U.S. Jews were less secure than a year earlier. About 34% said security was the same as in 2022 and 3% felt U.S. Jews were more secure. The survey had 1,528 participants, Jews aged 18 or older, the group said.

Persons: Kanishka Singh WASHINGTON, Ted Deutch, Kanishka Singh, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: American Jewish Committee, Palestinian, Americans, The Education Department, Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania Locations: Israel, Gaza, U.S, Washington

☆ Opinion | The Political Perils of a Black-Jewish Rift Over the War in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-07 | by ( Charles M. Blow | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

“There’s no alliance more historic, nor more important, than the alliance between Black Americans and Jewish Americans.”That’s what Marc Morial, the president of the National Urban League, said in 2020 during his organization’s Black-Jewish Unity Week joint event with the American Jewish Committee. But, Morial told me this week, that alliance is “being tested” by diverging views about the Israel-Hamas war. And that divergence could influence the way both constituencies — both of which traditionally support Democrats — approach this year’s elections. The relationship between these two communities is longstanding and hit its stride during the civil rights movement. But it hasn’t been without periods of friction.

Persons: “, ”, Marc Morial, Morial Organizations: Black, Jewish, National Urban League, Jewish Unity, American Jewish Locations: Israel

Lawmakers in more than a half-dozen U.S. states are pushing laws to define antisemitism, triggering debates about free speech and bringing complicated world politics into statehouses. Bill supporters say that more than 30 states have adopted the definition in some way over the years. Since the Israel-Hamas war erupted, several states have passed resolutions condemning Hamas and voicing support for Israel. Some protesters gathered in the capitol in Indiana this month before the House unanimously advanced a bill incorporating the definition there. How colleges are acting to prevent or stop antisemitism on campus has become a hot-button issue across the country.

Persons: ”, Esther Panitch, Brian Kemp, Kenneth Stern, Stern, “, Israel, Bill, —, Brian Hauss, they're, Fred Deutsch, Lara Freidman, Ruwa, Yaqoub Saadeh Organizations: Democratic, Georgia's, Republican Gov, Holocaust, Alliance, Bard Center, Jewish Voice, Peace, CAIR, Defamation League, Israel, U.S . State Department, American Jewish Committee, U.S . Congress, American Bar Association, ACLU, Rep, Republican, Foundation for Middle East, Georgia State Rep, Eastern Student Association, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis, Harvard, University of Pennsylvania Locations: statehouses, Israel, Gaza, Georgia, Indiana, South Dakota, New York, Iowa, Virginia, U.S, Palestinian

☆ Opinion: Elon Musk, Harvard and the art of ‘taking action’ while doing nothing
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Opinion Frida Ghitis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —Elon Musk, who spends much of his time on futuristic endeavors, took a step into history on Monday. Like in other entities where an upsurge in antisemitic activity started making headlines, Musk was taking performative action at Auschwitz. It was an effort to appear to be taking action while doing nothing. After his visit to the death camp, Musk appeared at a conference on antisemitism in nearby Krakow, Poland. President Claudine Gay was asked in Congress if calls for genocide against Jews violate Harvard rules against bullying and harassment.

Persons: Frida Ghitis, CNN — Elon Musk, Musk, “ Hitler, ”, ” Musk, dumbest, George Soros “, Ted Deutch, Elders of Zion, X, “, Tucker Carlson, Claudine Gay, Israel “, Israel, he’s “, Alan Garber, Garber, Derek Penslar, Penslar, Larry Summers Organizations: CNN, Washington Post, Politics, Frida Ghitis CNN, Center, Twitter, Defamation, American Jewish Committee, Elders of, Media Matters, Apple, Disney, IBM, Media, Harvard University, Harvard, Jewish, Harvard’s, Jewish Studies Locations: Auschwitz, Israel, Gaza, United States, Krakow, Poland

☆ Critics Protest Harvard’s Choice to Lead Antisemitism Task Force
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Anemona Hartocollis | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A Harvard task force on antisemitism has gotten off to a rocky start, with complaints that the professor chosen to help lead the panel had signed a letter that was critical of Israel, describing it as “under a regime of apartheid.”Harvard’s new interim president, Alan Garber, announced the formation of two “presidential task forces” forces on Friday, one to combat antisemitism and the other to combat Islamophobia. The move came less than a month after his predecessor, Claudine Gay, was forced to step down over plagiarism accusations and criticism that she was weak on reining in antisemitism. Dr. Garber’s choice for co-chair of the antisemitism task force, Derek J. Penslar, a professor of Jewish history at Harvard, met with immediate opposition from Lawrence H. Summers, a former Harvard president, and Bill Ackman, a hedge fund manager whose relentless criticism of Dr. Gay helped bring about her downfall. Dr. Penslar was among nearly 2,900 academics, clergy members and other public figures who signed an open letter in early August, before the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, condemning the Israeli government and saying it was determined to “ethnically cleanse all territories under Israeli rule of their Palestinian population.” The letter said that “Meanwhile, American Jewish billionaire funders help support the Israeli far right.”

Persons: Alan Garber, Claudine Gay, Derek J, Lawrence H, Summers, Bill Ackman, Gay, Penslar, ” Organizations: Harvard Locations: Israel

☆ TikTok’s C.E.O. Uses Personal Touch to Address Antisemitism Concerns
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Sapna Maheshwari | More About Sapna Maheshwari | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Shou Chew, TikTok’s chief executive, has been getting personally involved in efforts to address concerns that the app has fueled anti-Israel and antisemitic rhetoric since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, in a sign of how seriously the company is taking the criticism. In recent weeks, Mr. Chew, who lives in Singapore, has met in New York and on video calls with numerous prominent Jewish groups and leaders. The meetings, arranged by TikTok, have been with organizations including the American Jewish Committee, UJA-Federation of New York and the Anti-Defamation League, the groups told The New York Times. He also joined a call with dozens of Jewish tech and business leaders, including founders of Tinder and the apparel brand Bonobos, as well as Facebook’s ex-chief revenue officer. In the meetings, Mr. Chew emphasized that he was there to listen and sought to explain how the company moderated misinformation and hate speech, according to three people who attended the meetings and would speak only on the condition of anonymity.

Persons: Shou Chew, Chew, TikTok Organizations: American Jewish Committee, of New, Defamation League, New York Times, Tinder Locations: Israel, Singapore, New York, of New York

BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) — Vigils for three college students of Palestinian descent who were shot in Vermont over the weekend prompted calls for authorities to recognize the violence as a hate crime, and for unity among the Jewish and Arab communities. One vigil was held Monday night at Brown University in Rhode Island, where one of the victims, Hisham Awartani, is a student. Eaton moved to Burlington over the summer from Syracuse, New York, and legally purchased the gun used in the shooting, Murad told reporters. Eaton came to the door holding his hands, palms up, and told the officers he’d been waiting for them. Sarah George, state’s attorney, said that law enforcement officials do not yet have evidence to support a hate crime charge, which under Vermont law must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

Persons: Jason J, Eaton, General Merrick Garland, ”, Hisham Awartani, Christina Paxson, Brown, Robert Leikend, “, Awartani, Kinnan, Tahseen Ali Ahmad, Jon Murad, Abdalhamid, Murad, “ I’ve, I’ve, Rich Price, Awartani's, Rania Ma’ayeh, Ali Ahmad, Ma’ayeh, Abdalhamid’s, Radi Tamimi, we’re, he’d, Mary Reed, Matthew Malinowski, Sarah George, Holly Ramer, Kathy McCormack, Lindsay Whitehurst, David Sharp Organizations: U.S . Department of Justice, Hamas, Brown University, American Jewish Committee, NBC News, West Bank, Police, University of Vermont Medical Center, Ramallah Friends School, Haverford College, Trinity College in, Daily, Syracuse, Associated Press Locations: BURLINGTON, Vt, Vermont, Burlington, Israel, Rhode Island, Robert Leikend , New England, “, Ramallah, Brown, Pennsylvania, Trinity College in Connecticut, Syracuse , New York, U.S, Gaza, Concord , New Hampshire, Washington, Portland , Maine

☆ Jewish groups criticize Pope on 'terrorism' remark, seek clarification
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( Philip Pullella | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Pope Francis speaks during the weekly general audience, at the Vatican, November 22, 2023. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsVATICAN CITY, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Jewish groups have criticised Pope Francis and demanded clarifications over his comments that they saw as accusing both Hamas and Israel of "terrorism". Francis made the comments on Wednesday after meeting separately with Jewish relatives of hostages held by Hamas and with Palestinians with family in Gaza. In a toughly worded statement on Thursday, the Council of the Assembly of Italian Rabbis (ARI) accused the pope of "publicly accusing both sides of terrorism". But the AJC added: "Later in the day, he described the Israel-Hamas war as 'beyond war' as 'terrorism.'

Persons: Pope Francis, Francis, Simon Wiesenthal, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, Philip Pullella, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Vatican, Handout, REUTERS, CITY, Hamas, Gunmen, Twitter, American Jewish Committee, Simon, Simon Wiesenthal Center, Thomson Locations: Israel, Gaza, St, Hamas, U.S, Nazi Germany, Ukraine

☆ In a Six-Point Star, a Multitude of Meanings
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Rachel Janfaza | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The account, Why I Wear My Star, featured posts containing people’s reasons for wearing Star of David jewelry and other Judaica. Ms. Adams and Ms. Gabbai, who are both Jewish, said they had largely stopped updating the account until recently. Ms. Gabbai, now 21 and a senior at Florida State University, said the Instagram account is not intended to be pro-Israel. Rachie Shnay, a jewelry designer in Manhattan, said she saw several people wearing star accessories at a rally for Israel held by Jewish groups in Washington on Tuesday. The Star of David, called Magen David in Hebrew, was used by Jews in Prague as early as the 1600s.

Persons: Abby Adams, Sammy Gabbai, David, Adams, Gabbai, Rachie, ”, Shnay, Jonathan Sarna, Nelly Bulkin, Sophie, “, Ms, Bulkin, Sophie Bulkin Organizations: Star, Florida State University, Israel, University of North, Hill, Brandeis University, University of California Locations: Poway, Calif, Israel, University of North Carolina, Manhattan, Washington, Prague, Boston, Berkeley, San Diego, United States, Eastern Europe

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