Jewish community leader killed in Uruguay stabbing attack
PAYSANDU, Uruguay (WJC) –A Jewish businessman and local community leader died in hospital following a stabbing attack on Tuesday in Paysandú, Uruguay, in what many consider an anti-Semitic attack.
The attacker reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” (‘God is great’ in Arabic) when killing 55-year-old David Fremd, of the local Jewish community which comprises around 20 families, outside his office, just as he was about to cross a street.
The attacker reportedly jumped at him and stabbed him in the back ten times. According to reports, one of Fremd’s sons was also wounded in the attack.
Local police located and arrested the assassin, a 35-years-old man with a criminal past. Police are examining whether the attack was criminal or anti-Semitic in nature.
“There is no evidence that the attack has something to do with an organized group, but is rather an isolated act,” Sergio Gorzy, president of the Central Committee of the Jewish Community (CCIU), told an Uruguayan newspaper.
The CCIU later issued a statement in which it strongly condemned the assassination and added: “The characteristics of this homicide are conducive to the assumption that this was an anti-Semitic attack, which would be unacceptable for our society.”
David Fremd was the director of the Paysandú Jewish community and also active at the national Jewish community level.
Paysandú is a small town on the Uruguay River, on the border with Argentina. Alejandro Wajner, the president of the Paysandú Jewish community, told the newspaper ‘El País’ that que Fremd “was a much-loved person who did not have any quarrels with anybody.” He had not received any threats prior to the attack
About 15,000 Jews live in Uruguay. (Previous supplied by the World Jewish Congress)
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Jewish camp world’s largest event focuses on expansion, day camps, inclusion
(JNS.org) Summer isn’t exactly around the corner, but that hasn’t stopped more than 750 camp professionals, educators, funders, and others from gathering this week in New Jersey for the Foundation for Jewish Camp’s (FJC) 2016 Leaders Assembly Conference, which marks the largest-ever such gathering in the Jewish camp world.
FJC said it structured its biennial conference to focus on three core areas: expansion of the field of Jewish camps; day camps; and “inclusion of every kind of Jewish youth and every kind of Jewish community.” The conference’s breakout sessions, according to FJC, “cover a range of areas from use of new technology; the place of Hebrew language at camp; HR (human resources) management and development; and communicating with parents; among many others.”
“Jewish camp offers one of the most unique, immersive environments to foster a love of Judaism and a sense of belonging to the Jewish people,” Jeremy Fingerman, CEO of the FJC, said in a statement. “Every two years, FJC brings the camp family together to chart our collective path forward and to push everyone to welcome in more families to help build a strong Jewish future. Ultimately, campers, families, and the Jewish community benefit when camp professionals are resourced and trained with the best approaches in outreach and Jewish engagement.”
The FJC also used its conference to launch the “I belong to Jewish Camp” initiative and grant opportunities. “I belong to Jewish Camp” is offering organizations such as day camps, overnight camps, Jewish federations, and others up to $25,000 in seed-funding for a new outreach and/or programmatic initiative that engages one or more of the following constituencies: interfaith/multi-ethnic; diverse perspectives on Israel; the LGBTQ community; people with disabilities; emerging Jewish leaders; teenagers (focused on attracting and retaining more Jewish teens in Jewish summer experiences); and families with young children. The grant opportunities total $100,000.
Chip Edelsberg, executive director of the Jim Joseph Foundation, noted the success of the FJC’s “Specialty Camps Incubator” program, which over the last five years has created nine different camps that blend Jewish values with a specialty such as technology, the arts, sports, and more. The Jim Joseph Foundation is a funder of the FJC.
“For 18 years, FJC has been leading the field and making the immersive camp environment stronger and more accessible for more families,” said Edelsberg. “The Jim Joseph Foundation is fortunate to work closely with FJC on the Specialty Camps Incubator and other initiatives—and we look forward to continued collaboration that benefits Jewish youth.”
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Danish girl charged with planning terrorist attack on Jewish school
(JNS.org) A 16-year-old Danish girl was charged with possessing explosives with the intention of bombing a Jewish private school in Copenhagen and another Danish public school, police said on Tuesday.
The girl, who was arrested in January, was a recent convert to Islam. Denmark’s TV2 network reported that her Facebook page revealed she had joined a Facebook group for Danish members of Hizb ut-Tahrir, an Islamic organization that seeks to establish a caliphate.
A 24-year-old man described as the teenage girl’s “friend” was arrested in January and has been charged as her accomplice. The man, who was formerly a fighter with extremists in Syria, allegedly provided the girl with bomb-making manuals. The suspects, who pleaded not guilty, had obtained chemicals and tried to make explosives for the planned terror attack on the schools.
“Due to security concerns, PET (Denmark’s Politiets Efterretningstjeneste security service) cannot say what security measures the case has given rise to, but PET can say that it has not given the schools recommendations to make any changes in or around the schools in question,” read a joint statement released by local police and the Danish Security and Intelligence Service.
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Kerry marks 9th anniversary of Levinson disappearance
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)–Secreary of State John Kerry issued the following statement on March 9:
On the anniversary today of Robert Levinson’s disappearance from Kish Island, Iran, nine years ago, I want to underscore our commitment to locate Bob and bring him home.
For almost a decade, a beloved husband, brother, father, and grandfather has been kept from celebrating family milestones most take for granted. No one should have to endure what Mr. Levinson and his family have endured for so long.
As the President has said, and as I have told the Levinson family when I have met with them, we will never forget Bob, and we will not rest until the Levinson family is whole again.
The U.S. government in its entirety will continue all efforts to locate Bob and bring him home. The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has committed to cooperating with the United States to determine the whereabouts of Mr. Levinson, and we are holding Iran to its promise.
In March 2015, the FBI also announced a $5 million reward for any information that could lead to his safe return. We call on anyone with information about this case to contact the FBI at http://tips.fbi.gov or email the FBI at levinsonfbireward@ic.fbi.gov..