International

Cornel West quits Harvard over tenure dispute, Palestine

Published by Al-Araby American political activist and public intellectual Cornel West published his written resignation from Harvard University on Tuesday over a tenure dispute and what he said was the institution’s rejection of his political views on Palestine. In his resignation letter which he published on Twitter, dated 30 June, West criticised Harvard’s alleged hostility […]

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Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Antisemitism and the Courts Probed in New Book

In Courtroom Trials in Jewish History, attorney and Jewish-community activist Esther Zaretsky offers an eclectic collection of stories about Jews who, in a broad sense, have had their day in court, courts representing justice at its worst, verdicts driven by antisemitism and anti-Israeli hatred. The title is somewhat of a misnomer, as there are no depositions or testimonies; no exhibits or closing arguments. Rather, Zaretsky provides the backstory leading up to the trial, the verdict, emphasizing how the “courts fail to affirm society’s most precious values of justice, equality, morality, and the preservation of human rights,” and its aftermath—we get to hear the rest of the story. [Fred Reiss, Ed.D]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA

An American Jewish Memoir of Food and Travel

In her zany account of her travels out west from her home in Plantation, Florida, Shari Wallack never got to San Diego, so I didn’t get the chance to see how her impressions of my hometown might match up with my own experiences.  If the two jibed, then I’d probably put utmost faith into her accounts of other places.  As it was, I simply had to enjoy her impressions of diverse locales between New York and Utah. Also, I was astonished by her reliance on serendipity and good Jewish cooking to turn even prosaic locales into adventures. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Travel and Food, USA

Netanyahu’s Support Waning Among Likud Colleagues

Some members of the Likud party, those who say they want to head the party “after Bibi steps down,” are showing signs of insurrection. In the June 20 Jerusalem Post, veteran political columnist Gil Hoffman wrote, “In public, Likud MK and former health minister and head of the Knesset, Yuli Edelstein, has kept fairly quiet regarding his decision to run in the next Likud Party primary. In private, however, he has told other high ranking Likud members that he intends on winning [the next Likud primary] and didn’t spare any harsh words for his party leader and former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu ….” [Steve Kramer]

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Middle East, Steve Kramer

‘Russians’ vs. the Haredim in Israel’s Latest Political Battle

For years, Avigdor Lieberman has been calling for a limitation of what the Haredim have demanded, and received. He’s called for a liberalization of marriage laws, allowing the joining of those not Jewish according to Orthodox Rabbis, with those who are Jews. Or the union of two people who can’t satisfy the demands of the Orthodox, who insist on those born of a mother who can prove that she was born of a Jewish mother [Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D]

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Ira Sharkansky, Jewish Religion, Middle East

The Importance of Plants in Religious Art

What is the message conveyed by the representation of plants in religious text? What do the images that these references bring to our minds tell us about a people and a society? These are questions posed by award-winning artist and author Gloria Abella Ballen, whose book Garden of Eden: Plants of the Hebrew Bible was the subject of a recent webinar sponsored by the American Sephardic Federation. [Ellen Hernandez]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

Bipartisan Rally Denounces Antisemitism

More than 3,000 people from across the country gathered near the U.S. Capitol on Sunday to stand in solidarity against the rising tide of antisemitism across the U.S. No Fear: A Rally in Solidarity with the Jewish People was organized by more than 100 Jewish and interfaith organizations from across the political and religious spectrum, under the leadership of Elisha Wiesel, business executive and son of Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel. [NoFearRally news release]

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International, Middle East, USA

Shapers of the Immigration Debate: Enrique Morones

In 2009, Enrique Morones, then the leader of Border Angels, was presented by Mexico’s President Felipe Calderon with an award conferred by the Human Rights Commission of Mexico. The impressive ceremony in Mexico City honored Morones’ decades of work protecting undocumented migrants who brave harsh terrain and insufferable temperatures to seek new lives in the United States. In an acceptance speech, Morones urged Mexicans not to come to the United States, telling them that they were needed to build their own nation.  ‘We are Mexicans, and Mexico’s future is here in Mexico, not America,” he pleaded.  “Mexicans, do not go.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, San Diego County, USA

Israel offers third shot of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine to adults at risk

Published by Reuters By Maayan Lubell JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel said on Sunday it will begin offering a third dose of Pfizer Inc’s vaccine to adults with weak immune systems but it was still weighing whether to make the booster available to the general public. The rapid spread of the Delta variant has sent vaccination rates

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Middle East

Florida condominium collapse death toll rises to 90, with 31 missing

Published by Reuters By Peter Szekely (Reuters) -The death toll in the collapse of a Miami-area condominium rose to 90 on Sunday from 86, as crews continued their grim search for human remains in the building’s wreckage, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said. Another 31 people were still “potentially unaccounted for,” Levine Cava said

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USA

Good News from Israel (July 11, 2021)

-In the July 11, 2021 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include: 
–Israeli breakthroughs in transplantation and medical device technology.
–Israel provides running water to Tanzanians and Native Americans.
–Israel’s Technion is Europe’s top institute for Artificial Intelligence.
–Israel has begun producing pure water from the Jordan River.
–A face-recognition tech startup is Israel’s latest $1 billion company.
I–sraelis won medals at informatics and acrobatics.
–Stunning discoveries revealed during excavations in Jerusalem.
[Michael Ordman]

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Business & Finance, International, Jewish History, Michael Ordman, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, Travel and Food, USA