Hebrew University distances itself from remarks of anti-IDF professor
Five days following the incident in which a Hebrew University professor, Dr. Carola Hilfrich, scolded a student for wearing her IDF uniform to class, the university published a rare ad calling on students in uniform to come study at the university.
“Students in Uniform? Welcome!” read the ad signed by the university’s president, Professor Asher Cohen.
“We wanted to clarify that we respect soldiers in uniform. That is the truth,” said Cohen this morning on Army Radio.
Cohen also apologized for the incident. “I personally have not talked with Dr. Hilfrich yet, but her behavior was behavior that should have not occurred,” said Cohen.
When asked if the university has any intention on dismissing the professor, he replied that “this subject is not even on the table.”
The university has faced sharp blowback over the incident, with many calling on the university to dismiss Dr. Hilfrich. In the days following the incident, over 45,000 emails were sent at the initiative the Zionist organization Im Tirtzu to the university administration, calling on them to formally apologize and dismiss the professor.
Tomorrow, a “uniform protest” is planned at the university in which students will be attending the university wearing IDF uniforms.
“We are pleased to see that after the university nixed the playing of Hatikvah at its graduation ceremony, approved inciting protests against IDF soldiers and petitioned the state on behalf of a BDS activist, they remembered the importance of IDF soldiers,” said Im Tirtzu CEO Matan Peleg.
“This is a step in the right direction,” continued Peleg, “and perhaps there is still hope that the university will change its ways and begin combating the widespread anti-Israel activity on its campus.” — From Im Tirzu
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Israel’s former defense minister Moshe Arens mourned
(Photo: Wikipedia)
Following the death of Israel’s Former Defense Minister Moshe Arens on Monday, Chairman of the Executive of The Jewish
Agency for Israel, Isaac Herzog released the following statement:
“Moshe Arens – prominent Likud leader, Defense Minister, Foreign Affairs Minister and Ambassador to Washington. A true leader with integrity, reason and eloquence who made great contributions to Israel’s security and global standing. Despite our differences, there was always mutual respect between us.
“From his youth in the United States, to his time as a student of Jabotinsky, up to his final days writing for Haaretz, Moshe always fought for Israel’s security and Eretz Israel, and also for our democracy and minorities. My condolences to Muriel and the children. May his memory be a blessing.” — From the Jewish Agency for Israel
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Marty Block appointed Chair of the Board of Appeals of the state Unemployment Insurance System
Retired State Senator Marty Block of La Jolla, who was the founding Chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, was reappointed late Friday, by Governor Jerry Brown to a four-year term as Chair of the Board of Appeals of the California Unemployment Insurance System, where he has served since 2016.
As Chair, Block directs an independent administrative court system that protects the rights of workers and employers challenging unemployment benefit and payroll tax decisions. The Board oversees 150 administrative law judges (ALJs) in 11 field offices and 30 satellite facilities around the state. In 2018, Field ALJs issued 200,927 field decisions and Board Members issued 12,285 appellate decisions.
“Our Board of Appeals assures that working families who deserve unemployment compensation receive the funds to bridge them from one job to another” said Block. “We are careful to provide speedy and fair resolution of claims by both employers and workers.”
Block was the Senator for the California State Senate’s 39th District in San Diego County from 2012 to 2016. He was a member of the California State Assembly from 2008 to 2012. Block was president of the San Diego Community College District Board of Trustees from 2000 to 2008 and a Superior Court Judge pro Tem from 1998-1999. He was an elected member of the San Diego County Board of Education from 1986 to 1994, and held various positions at San Diego State University from 1979 to 2006 including professor, administrative director, and assistant dean of education. Block earned a Juris Doctorate degree from DePaul University in Chicago.
Compensation for the Chair is $158,572. — From Board of Appeals, California Unemployment Insurance System
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Yearlong Holocaust Lecture Series Offers Perspective on Gender, Humanity and Resistance
The 2018-2019 Holocaust Living History Workshop (HLHW) series continues this winter at the University of California San Diego with an author talk, film screening and lecture. In line with this year’s theme of “History, Memory & Meaning of the Holocaust,” each workshop features a Holocaust survivor, witness, or scholar who lends their experience and expertise to highlight memories of the Holocaust that are constantly being written, erased and rewritten. The series is presented by the UC San Diego Library and the UC San Diego Jewish Studies Program.
January 17 — When Biology Became Destiny: How Historians Interpret Gender in the Holocaust with Marion Kaplan. With support from Muir College and Sixth College
Despite the explosive growth of Holocaust studies, scholars of Nazi Germany and the Shoah long neglected gender as an analytical category. It wasn’t until 1984 when the essay collection “When Biology Became Destiny: Women in Weimar and Nazi Germany” raised awareness of women’s experiences under fascism. The publication edited by Renate Bridenthal, Atina Grossman and Marion Kaplan explored women’s double jeopardy as females and as Jews. In her lecture, Kaplan takes the audience on a historical tour of her research, from the first workshops raising questions to the first publications providing answers. Since then, the gender perspective has provided significant insight into our understanding of Jewish life in Nazi Germany and during the Holocaust. Kaplan concludes her talk with a forward look at new areas of research that highlight women’s and gender studies. RSVP is required at https://hlhw-kaplan.eventbrite.com.
February 6 — 49,172: The Rescue of Bulgaria’s Jews with Atanas Kolev. Sponsored by Daniel and Phyllis Epstein
The saving of the entire Jewish minority in Bulgaria is an extraordinary act of humanism and yet unknown to many. In this documentary, a team of U.S.-based Bulgarian filmmakers embark on a journey to discover how the country was able to shield their Jewish community from deportation and execution. Drawing on private and public archives in the U.S., Israel and Bulgaria, the film depicts a mosaic of faces and stories woven together by the courage and resourcefulness of individuals in both powerful and powerless positions. The screening will be followed by a conversation with producer Atanas Kolev. RSVP is required at https://hlhw-kolev.eventbrite.com.
February 27 — Defiance and Protest: Forgotten Acts of Individual Jewish Resistance in Nazi Germany with Wolf Gruner. Sponsored by Laurayne Ratner
In his talk, Wolf Gruner — the Shapell-Guerin Chair in Jewish Studies and professor of history at USC — challenges the common misconception that Jews submitted passively to Nazi persecution. Drawing on various new sources such as the logbooks of Berlin police precincts, trial materials from various German cities, as well as video testimonies held in the USC Shoah Foundation Institute’s Visual History Archive, he demonstrates the prevalence of individual acts of resistance by German Jews from 1933 to 1945. Gruner is the founding director of the USC Shoah Foundation Center for Advanced Genocide Research. RSVP is required at https://hlhw-gruner.eventbrite.com.
For more information about the UC San Diego’s Holocaust Living History Workshop, contact Susanne Hillman at shillman@ucsd.edu or (858) 534-7661. — From UC San Diego
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World Jewish Congress launches #WeRemember campaign on social media
With antisemitism on the rise across the globe and the number of survivors dwindling with each passing year, it is more important than ever to preserve the memory of the Holocaust.
The #WeRemember campaign seeks to harness the power of digital media to spread knowledge and awareness of the Holocaust, while passing on its lessons to younger generations in order to prevent future genocides and atrocities.
Individuals and organizations around the world take part by posting a picture of themselves holding a sign with the words “We Remember” to social media with the hashtag #WeRemember. All photos are then projected for 72 hours on the grounds of the Auschwitz Birkenau concentration camp, and subsequently live-streamed via Facebook LIVE, YouTube, and Twitter.
You can join by following these easy steps!
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- Pick up a sheet of paper and a pen;
- Write the words ‘We Remember’;
- Take a photo of yourself holding the sign;
- Post it to social media with the hashtag #WeRemember or send it to weremember@wjc.org;
- Never Forget! — From World Jewish Congress
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Hadassah breaks ground for new rehab center; Rabbi Sirbu to head Member Services in U.S.
Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus laid the cornerstone for a vastly expanded Rehabilitation Center on January 2 on the north slope of the Mount Scopus Campus. Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, former Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik, Hadassah Director General Prof Ze’ev Rotstein and Mount Scopus Hospital Director Dr. Tamar Elram witnessed the inauguration of the Lokomat, Israel’s most sophisticated robotic treadmill gait therapy machine, which was donated by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (IFCJ).
After the dedication of the Lokomat, the dignitaries and visitors adjourned to the northern flank of the campus where bulldozers have begun preparing the building site. A time capsule marking the date was buried in the soil, to the song, “If I Forget Thee Jerusalem.”
For many decades, the Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus Rehabilitation Department has helped tens of thousands of patients, including survivors of terrorist attacks, rescue and security forces, and those injured in road accidents and from disease. The proposed new Rehabilitation Center will address the growth in Jerusalem’s population, including the longer life spans of Israeli citizens. The modular design by architect Arthur Spector harmonizes with the campus’s desert landscape and gives adequate space to patients and therapist with enlarged pools and training areas.
The new Lokomat simulates the natural flow of movement better and provides feedback on the progress of training, adjusting the regimen to move the patient ahead. The computer-aided electric motors are attached to the patients’ legs and stabilize them. Whatever the patients cannot do yet, such as lifting their legs, can be done by the robot. Sensors record the exertion and the independent movements of the patient. Robotic support and weight relief can be reduced to promote or extend existing residual movements.
Elsewhere in the Hadasah world, Rabbi Rebecca W. Sirbu has been named Director of Member and Unit Services (M&US) for Hadassah The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, Inc. (HWZOA), according to Executive Director / CEO Janice Weinman. Rabbi Sirbu’s duties and responsibilities for Hadassah’s M&US will include increasing membership, targeting younger women in particular, overseeing leadership development and training, and delivering increased services to Hadassah chapters across the country.
HWZOA Executive Director / CEO Janice Weinman states, “HWZOA’s centennial celebration this year has brought a renewed sense of purpose to the organization and strengthens our commitment to women’s empowerment and support for the State of Israel. Rabbi Sirbu will lead our efforts and marshal our resources to target, engage and welcome the next generation of Hadassah members.”
Rabbi Sirbu comes to Hadassah directly from her position as founder and director of Rabbis Without Borders at CLAL – The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership, where she was responsible for growing a network of 240 pluralist rabbis and reaching over 2 million people. Sirbu is also the founder of www.RabbiCareers.com, an employment search website for rabbis and their employers. Previously, Sirbu was the director at the Center for Jewish Life and the Metro West Jewish Health and Healing Center at the JCC in West Orange, NJ. Sirbu also held the position of chaplain at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. — From Hadassah
Preceding items culled from news releases. Please send yours to editor@sdjewishworld.com