SAN DIEGO (SDJW) — Identifying herself as the “youngest Jewish member of Congress,” Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-San Diego, on Tuesday, Feb. 20 called for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, release of the hostages, and a two-state solution.
“A ground invasion of Rafah would be catastrophic,” she stated in a news release. “After the Netanyahu Government’s months-long military campaign, Rafah is the only place for 1.5 million displaced Palestinians to take refuge – and conditions are already dire, with refugees packing the streets and severe shortages of food, water, and medicine. Months of dropping tens of thousands of bombs, munitions, and shells on Gaza have failed to eliminate Hamas – and a ground invasion in a densely packed city would lead to even more civilian casualties, worsen Israel’s reputation on the world stage, and fail to make Israel any safer.”
“Even with more targeted tactics, a military-focused solution won’t eliminate threats to Israel or lead to the release of the remaining hostages,” she added. “That’s why the United States needs to use all its leverage to push Prime Minister Netanyahu to immediately change course and work toward a diplomatic solution that includes the release of all the hostages, a permanent ceasefire, and a two-state solution.”
In another news release, Jacobs said she had been appointed to a Bipartisan Task Force on Artificial Intelligence by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York). She said her objective will be to “expand access to the opportunities created by AI, set up necessary guardrails to prioritize safety and fairness, and protect against harmful outcomes like bias and discrimination. … With thoughtful and deliberate rules, AI can help strengthen democracy and uphold human and civil rights around the world – instead of being a tool for further democratic backsliding.”
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Under auspices of the Murray Galinson San Diego-Israel Initiative (MGSDII), a group of Israeli students from the Azrieli College of Engineering studied water engineering last month with peers here at the University of San Diego.
MGSDII Director Susan Lapidus said USD students experienced “deepening connections with Israel.” She quoted a USD student, identified only as Rebekah, as saying, “The most enjoyable aspect of connecting with Israeli students was the relaxed camaraderie and the opportunity to engage ourselves in the present, appreciating the unique perspectives they brought to our learning experience.” Another USD student, identified as Nicolette, said, “As a California native who has become used to the drought seasons, learning about Israel’s water culture was inspiring, making me think about how I could apply the lessons learned in this class to shape the future of our state…”
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Audrey Jacobs will serve as curator for the second year of the TEDxSanDiego program on Wednesday, April 10, at the Lawrence Family JCC, 4126 Executive Drive, San Diego. Last June’s presentations, which were recorded on video, were sent to the national TEDx organization. All 14 talks were added to TEDx’s YouTube page, with four of the videos marked as recommended viewing. Among speakers this year will be several members of the Jewish community, including Arielle Ford, author and relationships expert; Brian Keating, UCSD physics professor and cosmologist, and Rochel Smoller, kidney donor advocate and teacher. TED initially was an acronym for Technology, Education and Design, but TED talks all over the country have expanded to include many other subjects. Tickets via this link.
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U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Maryland) will be in San Diego as guest interviewee of Harry Litman in a presentation of the Burnham Center for Community Advancement at 1 p.m., Monday, March 18, at UC San Diego Park & Market, 100 Market Street, downtown San Diego. Tickets range from $25 to $50 and may be obtained via this link.
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SDJW staff report
She is clueless, sorry
Israel liquidated the Jewish communities inside Gaza in 2006. Two years later, Hamas started a conflict with Israel, firing thousands of rockets. Israel fired back, destroying the buildings from which those rockets were fired. In the ceasefire agreement, Israel agreed to give Hamas many tons of cement, plumbing pipes and electrical wire to rebuild their destroyed buildings. However, Hamas used all of those materials on tunnels, which lie directly under densely populated neighborhoods and through which Hamas attacked Israel on Oct 7. So, Ms. Jacobs plan would do NOTHING to make Israel any safer. Fortunately, the IDF seem to understand this even if she does not.