Editor’s E-Mail Box: December 21, 2018 (4 items)

Orthodox Jewish groups support Latin Cross on public property in Maryland

Blandenburg Cross (Poto: Becket Law)

In a friend-of-the-court brief filed today with the US Supreme Court, national Orthodox Jewish organizations defended the constitutionality of a governmental war memorial in the shape of a large Latin cross by citing and explaining six historic rabbinic rulings issued between the 13th and 20th centuries that distinguished between crosses used for religious worship and ornamental crosses.

The case, which is scheduled for oral argument before the Court in late February, results from a challenge to the Bladensburg Cross, a memorial to soldiers who fell in battle during World War I located on a major highway in Maryland. A federal court of appeals ruled that the Bladensburg Cross violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, and the Supreme Court has agreed to review that decision.

The brief was submitted by the National Jewish Commission on Law and Public Affairs (“COLPA”) and was written by Nathan Lewin, noted Washington attorney and adjunct lecturer at Columbia Law School. It notes that it may “appear anomalous that Orthodox Jews today could support the continued government maintenance of a huge Latin cross,” but advises the Court that Halacha (Jewish Religious Law) has, over many centuries, drawn a distinction between a cross used for religious ceremony and a cross that conveys a secular message.

The brief identifies specific decisions by leading Halachic authorities such as Rabbi Moshe Isserles (the Rema), Rabbi Yosef Shaul Nathanson, and Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef. It also invokes the Supreme Court’s 1989 ruling upholding Mr. Lewin’s winning argument on behalf of Chabad in the Supreme Court that the presence of a religious symbol such as a Chanukah menorah in a municipal holiday display was a constitutional “recognition of cultural diversity.”

Joining as Friends of the Court in the brief were Agudas Harabbonim of the United States, Agudath Israel of America, Rabbinical Alliance of America, Rabbinical Council of America (“RCA”), and the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce.  — From Lewin & Lewin, LLP

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World Jewish Congress opposes Ukrainian honors for Nazi collaborator

The World Jewish Congress said it is troubled by reports that the Lviv Oblast in Ukraine has declared 2019 to be the Year of Stepan Bandera, a Ukrainian nationalist who collaborated with Nazi forces during the Second World War. Shock has also been expressed by Israel’s Ambassador to Ukraine, H.E. Joel Lion, who questioned how the move would help in the fight against antisemitism and xenophobia in the country.

WJC CEO and Executive Vice President Robert Singer said: “The notion that a figure such as Stepan Bandera – a Nazi collaborator during the Second World War who is deeply controversial within Ukrainian society and beyond – will be celebrated in this way is deeply troubling. Ukraine has a responsibility to acknowledge acts of genocide and not to glorify those who committed or abetted them, whatever their motivations or rationale. I urge the Lviv Oblast to reconsider this disconcerting step.”  — From World Jewish Congress

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Shurat HaDin says lawsuit still on against Airbnb

Shurat HaDin, a Jewish center utilizing the law to combat anti-Semitic activity, issued the following statement on Friday:

Despite the mixed signals being sent by the internet hosting giant, Airbnb, concerning its newly enacted policy to redline Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, Shurat HaDin intends to continue its civil action against the company. On November 28, 2018 we filed a lawsuit against Airbnb in the Delaware federal court where it is incorporated. The plaintiffs are 12 Jewish-American families who owned properties in the settlements that were delisted from the platform. The delisting came in the wake of Airbnb’s announced new policy which provides that Israeli homes sitting on “occupied” Palestinian land will no longer be allowed to rent themselves out through the web platform.

The plaintiffs sued Airbnb under the Fair Housing Act, a US federal statute that seeks to safeguard against discrimination in the American housing market. The plaintiffs contend that Airbnb targeted them for delisting based on their religion and national origin. They seek an injunction against Airbnb’s discriminatory policy and monetary compensation.

On Tuesday, Israel’s tourism minister put out a public statement alleging that Airbnb had reversed its policy. However, shortly afterward, the company released its own press statement denying it had done so. Although it appears that Airbnb is searching for a path to walk back its position, there has apparently been no formal decision taken in its Palo Alto headquarters.

Shurat HaDin intends to continue to litigate the discrimination case until we can ascertain that all the Israeli properties previously listed are reinstated to the platform and Airbnb formally discontinues its new anti-Semitic policy. — From Shurat HaDin


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Jewish Agency names Amira Aharonvich as its Chief Executive Officer and Director General

Amira Aharonovich

The Jewish Agency for Israel has announced the promotion of two of its high-level employees to new senior positions, including the first woman to serve as CEO and Director General in the organization’s 90-year history.

An Executive Search Committee headed by Jewish Agency Chairman of the Executive Isaac Herzog selected Amira Aharonovich as CEO and Director General, and Josh Schwarcz as Director of External Relations. Under Herzog’s leadership, they join the upper echelon of a nonprofit which, in response to global Jewry’s evolving needs and challenges, has embraced the core mission of doing everything it can to ensure every Jewish person worldwide feels an unbreakable bond to one another and to Israel.

“I am leading The Jewish Agency toward a period of significant change, together with our excellent management and employees,” Herzog said. “I’m confident Amira will be an outstanding CEO who will bring great energy to the position and our organization. I’m also certain Josh will draw on his tremendous experience to lead his new areas of responsibility, both in Israel and around the world.”

The recommendation regarding Aharonovich is subject to the formal approval of the Jewish Agency executive – expected in the coming days, and soon thereafter of the board of governors – set to convene in February. Meanwhile, Aharonovich will serve as acting CEO and Director General as of January 1, 2019.

Aharonovich, 47, who replaces longtime Jewish Agency CEO Alan Hoffmann, was born in Be’er Sheva and began her work at The Jewish Agency after she completed her IDF service. Since then, she has served in a variety of management positions at the organization, including as Director of Partnerships; head of the Finance Division; and Vice President of Strategy, Planning and Content; and most recently, Deputy Director General and Chief Operating Officer. The first woman to fill the role of Jewish Agency CEO, she holds two degrees in business administration and is a graduate of the Mandel Leadership Institute in Jerusalem.

Schwarcz, 48, will serve as The Jewish Agency’s Director of External Relations, in addition to his existing position as Secretary General, which he has held since 2001. He also manages the organization’s Security Division and directs its Government Relations Unit, which he founded. Previously, he directed The Jewish Agency’s Companies Bureau and was an advisor to past Jewish Agency Chairman Sallai Meridor. His new role will include additional responsibilities under both Herzog and the Chairman of the Board of Governors, including overseeing the organization’s international relations. Schwarcz began his work at The Jewish Agency a few years after immigrating to Israel from Canada in the early 1990s. He holds a master’s degree in international relations from Columbia University in New York.  — From the Jewish Agency for Israel

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Preceding culled from news releases.  Please send yours to editor@sdjewishworld.com