By Donald H. Harrison in San Diego
INTERNATIONAL
The U.S. Senate on Thursday adopted a preliminary resolution by a vote of 52-47 to limit President Trump’s authority to conduct further attacks on Venezuela. Five Republicans joined Democrats in voting to clear the war powers resolution for final passage next week. They are Josh Hawley of Missouri, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, and Todd Young of Indiana. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) commented, “This wasn’t just a procedural vote. It’s a clear rejection of the idea that one person can unilaterally send American sons and daughters into harm’s way without Congress, without debate.”
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Mark Levenson and Herbert Block, respectively the president and executive director of the American Zionist Movement, wrote an opinion piece recently in The Jerusalem Post that applauded the vision of Israel’s President Isaac Herzog about his country’s relationship to Jewish communities of the Diaspora. “The relationship must be treated as a strategic partnership, not a sentimental attachment.” Diaspora Jews “are not spectators to Israel’s story, but participants in shaping a shared future: strengthening Jewish peoplehood, deepening engagement with Israel, and building durable bridges across communities that too often talk past one another.”
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Billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman presented the hero of Bondi Beach, Ahmed al-Ahmed, with a large gold menorah bearing the inscription “Light Will Win” at a $1,000-a-head fundraising dinner for Chabad Colel in New York. Ahmed, a Syrian refugee, wrestled a gun from one of the two gunmen who killed 15 people and wounded scores of others at a Chanukah celebration at Sydney, Australia’s famed beach. “It’s really one of the great acts of heroism, and I think it was very reaffirming to the Jewish community to have someone stand up on behalf of our community in the most profound, life‑affirming way,” he said.
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Moshe Phillips, chairman of Americans for a Safe Israel, in a column wrote, “Peacekeepers must be trusted by all sides if they are to function effectively. Given Turkey’s history of support for Hamas, Israel cannot reasonably be expected to view these soldiers as neutral actors. Nor should the United States do so.”
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Oren Weinberg, CEO of the National Library of Israel, announced that debut Israeli authors Elay Koren, Micky Maltz, Motti Perry, and Tom Hadani Nave have been selected as Pardes Literary Incubator fellows. Koren wrote a collection of short stories titled Good Strong Thick Stupefying Incense-Smoke; Maltz authored Love in the Suburbs; Nave penned Splash Zone, and Perri created Book of Parceled Land.
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The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust donated $1.5 million to the Jewish Agency for Israel’s Security Fund, bringing to more than $11 million the Helmsley Charitable Trust’s support for Jewish institutions’ security outside the United States. Sandor Frankel, a trustee of the charitable trust, commented: “The horrific attack at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia is a grim reminder that we must never allow antisemitism to take root anywhere. While no threats can suppress the spirit of the Jewish people, we are compelled to do our part to ensure the security of the sites where Jewish communities gather, learn, connect, and worship.”
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NATIONAL
Article updated Jan. 9 to identify ICE agent as Jonathan E. Ross.
ICE agent Jonathan E. Ross stuck his service weapon in the window of a car and shot Minneapolis resident Renee Nicole Good in the face, killing her. Federal authorities, including Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, said the agent acted in self-defense but Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey angrily denounced that claim as “bullshit.” He later issued a written statement, “The presence of federal immigration enforcement agents is causing chaos in our city and making our community less safe. We are demanding that ICE leave the city and state immediately. We stand rock solid with our immigrant and refugee communities.”
U.S. President Donald Trump posted on social media that “the situation is being studied in its entirety, but the reason these incidents are happening is because the Radical Left is threatening, assaulting, and targeting our Law Enforcement Officers and ICE agents on a daily basis.”
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Democratic Senators Adam Schiff of California, Michael Bennet of Colorado, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Jacky Rosen of Nevada, Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, and Ron Wyden of Oregon were among 30 U.S. Senators, including Alex Padilla of California, who’ve criticized President Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and Attorney General Pam Bondi for allegedly diverting thousands of agents “from some of the federal government’s most critical criminal investigations, weakening the very work that ensures public safety. In a world in which we must prioritize the use of limited resources, an agent arresting non-violent immigrants necessarily means one less agent available to catch child predators and drug traffickers. This diversion represents a deliberate choice: a stunning abdication of the basic responsibilities of the executive branch to the American people, and a direct threat to the security of communities across the country.”
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Julie Menin was sworn in Wednesday as New York City Council’s Speaker, providing a pro-Israel counter-balance to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. She is a longtime member of the City Council.
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Rabbi Ari Y. Saks, in an essay written for the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, explains his decision to resign from the Rabbinical Assembly of the Conservative movement in protest over its prohibiting rabbinical members from co-officiating at intermarriages.
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Brian Romick, president and CEO of Democratic Majority for Israel, said of Congressman Steny Hoyer’s (D-Maryland) announcement that he won’t seek reelection to a House seat, that he had been a mentor the last 30 years, teaching “the importance of treating people with respect and dignity even if you strongly disagree.” Romick also praised Hoyer as a true and steadfast friend of Israel. I helped him lead 12 congressional delegations there.”
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Mark Epstein, brother of sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein, contends his brother did not commit suicide as reported, but was murdered, News Nation reports. He said an autopsy report to be issued in February, will prove it.
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STATE & LOCAL
Irwin Jacobs, the Qualcomm cofounder, has committed $4.5 million to a partnership between the San Diego Opera and the San Diego Symphony Orchestra, whereby the opera hires symphony musicians. The fund will be named the Joan and Irwin Jacobs San Diego Symphony and San Diego Opera Collaboration Fund, honoring Jacobs’ late wife. In a statement, the philanthropist said: “The performing arts are vital to making San Diego a great place to live, and the outstanding collaboration between the opera and the symphony make both organizations stronger and better.”
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Donald H. Harrison is publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World