International

Future tech will promote unity, not division

American public life is dominated by hatred and lack of social cohesion from all sides. The escalating unrest in Portland and other major cities, in addition to the severe political schism that has ignited America in recent years is a fire that will not be appeased until all stakeholders find a common ground where they can rise above their differences and build mutual trust and understanding. (Michael Laitman, Ph.D)

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Business & Finance, USA

Jews and Blacks: Failure to communicate

American Jews certainly have issues with the African-American community, and personal experience in part convinces me that Black people have some understandable concerns with Jews. Both groups have their share of bigots – anti-Semitic Blacks and racist Jews. However, some of these issues amount to misconceptions that can be readily cleared up by overcoming “our failure to communicate.” (Bruce S. Ticker)

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Bruce Ticker, Jewish History, USA

How did we get to this dire state of affairs?

he federal government is in complete disarray, the country is alarmingly polarized, the coronavirus continues to spread like wildfire, discrimination against the Black and Hispanic communities is widespread, the economy is in shambles, the gulf between the poor and the rich is deepening, unemployment is staggering, our national debt is skyrocketing, our infrastructure is crumbling, our international standing is at an all-time low, and the American dream was replaced by hopelessness and despair. (Alon Ben-Meir, Ph.D)

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Alon Ben-Meir, USA

Cinematic history of White nationalism

Although screen neo-Nazis continue to be portrayed as ideologues, mad scientists, or thugs, historical docudramas and psychosocial films constitute an increasing portion of the movies about neo-Nazis produced since 1980. This corpus of movies renders their main characters victims of familial, political, or socioeconomic circumstances rather than as stock villains. Their proliferation reflects the escalation of white supremacist rhetoric into recurring acts of right-wing terrorism in Europe and North America from the 1980s on. Depending on the national origin of these pictures, the specific catalysts for radicalization differ, but the images and themes of Holocaust denial, nativism, Nazi iconography, the skinhead look, and virulent racism embraced by actual and fictional white nationalists resemble each other because they network with each other via Internet propaganda, international contacts, joint training maneuvers, rock music, and social media. [Laurie Baron, Ph.D]

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International, Lawrence Baron, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Ellis Island and the name ‘Kaputnik’

Supposedly, the name Kaputnik was assigned to the family at Ellis Island, when Mrs. Kapustin (her real name) worried aloud that if the baby dragon they had smuggled into the U.S. were discovered they would be Kaput (finished).  “Is that your name, Kaput?” a translator asked.  “Nicht (No),” responded Mrs. Kapustin.  And so the immigration inspector wrote down what he thought he heard — “Kaputnik.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, USA

Neo-Nazis disrupt Ethiopian Jewish fundraiser

Recently an Ethiopian refugee, Sintayehu Garedew, American Rapper Kosha Dillz aka Rami Matan Even-Esh and I held an event via Zoom. It was to raise awareness of the Jewish community called Beta-Avraham who inhabit the North Shewa mountains and town of Kechene near Addis Ababa. The nearly 80,000 people live in cramped and dangerous conditions and the fundraiser aims to raise funds for masks and protective equipment for the elderly and workers in the community affected by the strict lockdown of the Ethiopian government in response to COVID. [Sam Litvin]

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International, Jewish History, Sam Litvin

Coronavirus chaos infects Israeli politics

Coronavirus is a puzzle. Or several of them. Individuals in health differ on several issues: Who is most and least likely to become infected? Can a person who is cured become ill with it again? Is it possible to produce a vaccine? Or do repeated bouts by individuals indicate that there is no way to achieve immunity? How accurate are the tests for having the disease? What about programs to trace contacts, in order to decide how someone became infected? How long should someone be quarantined? (Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D)

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education

Jewish trivia quiz: Congressman Yoho

Congressman Yoho traveled to Israel in 2013, where he met with many Israeli political, military and civilian leaders, but also with Saeb Erekat, the chief negotiator for the Palestinian Authority. Yoho found the trip to be very educational, as he noted “It’s always fascinated me how screwed up that whole region is.” After returning from his trip, Yoho told a Gainesville Sun reporter that Erekat conceded Israel’s right to exist, but rejected that it should be populated by Jewish people. Noting that such a position undermined any real chance of peace negotiations, Yoho then said what? (Mark D. Zimmerman)

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Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

Temple Isaiah families dance in socially distant circles

Large circles, at least six feet apart, were drawn on the upper parking lot of Temple Isaiah, each reserved for a family grouping who wanted to dance, play games, and congregate, yet maintain the proper social distance from other families during this time of Covid19. (Donald H. Harrison)

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Donald H. Harrison, Judaism, Lifestyles, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Travel and Food, USA

Is it opinion or is it the news?

The “news,” which reporters “report,” should be as objective as possible. This is often not the case today. I object to newspapers’ front pages which have been turned into op-ed pages. Because The New York Times is the American “newspaper of record” and is widely read by liberals, its front page bias needs to be considered because it’s often duplicated. [Steve Kramer]

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Middle East, Steve Kramer, USA