USA

Growth of Austin Jewish Community Marred by Antisemitism

an Diegan Gary E. Jacobs, chair of the board of JCC Association of North America, and I spent a memorable couple of days in Austin, Texas, this week visiting Shalom Austin, a young and remarkable JCC and one of roughly 35 integrated communities across the JCC Movement.  Integrated communities are those in which the JCC is part of a shared corporate structure that includes a Jewish Federation and other organizations and institutions, which vary by community. In Austin, the configuration includes Jewish Family Service and the Jewish Community Foundation. [Doron Krakow]

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San Diego County, USA

Kayla Globerson Chosen for Zionist Leadership Academy

Jewish National Fund-USA (JNF-USA) San Diego is pleased to announce that local JNFuture President and Community Campaign Chair, Kayla Globerson, has been accepted into the World Zionist Organization’s prestigious Zionist Leadership Academy. A joint initiative of JNF and the World Zionist Organization, the Zionist Leadership Academy is an intensive 10-month program for young professionals widely influential within their respective Jewish communities designed to train and develop a cohesive team of talented Zionist leaders who can play a significant role in their communities. [Jewish National Fund]

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Middle East, San Diego County, USA

Rep. Peters to Participate in Beth Israel Town Hall Nov. 23

U.S. Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, will conduct a town hall via Zoom at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 23, hosted by the Beth Israel Men’s Club.  Peters  has been in the news recently for his role in forwarding negotiations between government agencies and the pharmaceutical companies to lower drug prices.  He serves on both the House Budget Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee. [Beth Israel]

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San Diego County, USA

OpEd: Removal of Adolph Sutro’s Name from a School Was a Travesty

The San Francisco School Board voted 6-1 on January 29 to rename over 40 schools. The Board believes it inappropriate to have schools named for people who have been “engaged in the subjugation and enslavement of human beings, oppressed women, committed acts that led to genocide or who otherwise significantly diminished the opportunities of those amongst us to the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” [Jerry Klinger]

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Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Christening on Shabbat of Navy Ship Named for Jewish Gay Icon

Although gay icon Harvey Milk was Jewish, the U.S. Navy has announced that on Shabbat, it will “christen” the oiler to be named in his honor.  Following is the press release from the U.S. Department of Defense: “The Navy will christen the John Lewis-class replenishment oiler, the future USNS Harvey Milk (T-AO 206), during a 9 a.m. PDT ceremony Saturday, Nov. 6 in San Diego, California.”

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Jewish Celebrities, Jewish History, San Diego County, USA

Action Sought Against Distributors of Antisemitic Flyers at Arizona State University

A coalition of Jewish groups at Arizona State University in Tempe are urging the school to take action against anti-Semitism as police investigate fliers found on Monday, including one that was left outside the building that houses the kosher dining hall.  The fliers asked “Who Controls the World?” The fliers answered with the words “Jews Do” in red lettering that has drops falling from them to resemble blood was superimposed over a Star of David and a shadowy image of a hooked-nosed man with ears shaped like a devil. It ended with the words, “Happy Halloween from the ASU College Republicans United!” [JNS.org]

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Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Hundreds Protest Antisemitism at George Washington University

Chanting “Am Yisrael Chai”—the Jewish people live—hundreds of students at George Washington University marched from the building that houses the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity to the center of campus to stand against anti-Semitism. The “Torah Procession and Solidarity Rally” was a response to the desecration of a paper Torah in the fraternity building that was vandalized over the weekend. [JNS.org]

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Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

NYC Mayor-Elect Thanks Orthodox Jewish Supporters

Addressing supporters with a “heart filled with hope purpose and love for this city,” Eric Adams accepted his win as New York City’s mayor-elect with a nod to strong support from the Orthodox Jewish community, especially in Brooklyn, N.Y. Adams, a Democrat, received 66.5 percent of the vote to Republican Curtis Sliwa, 67, founder of the Guardian Angels, who won 28.8 percent with nearly 78 percent of precincts reporting as of Wednesday afternoon. [JNS.org]

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USA

Visit to Holocaust Exhibit Impresses Mother and Daughter

During my daughter Harriet’s recent visit from Portland, Oregon, I suggested we visit the Chula Vista Public Library to see the Holocaust Exhibit arranged by our friend, Sandra Scheller. Harriet teaches Middle School Humanities at the Portland Jewish Academy and one of her classes is learning about the Holocaust. The drive down from University City was under 25 minutes. Both of us found this visit profoundly worthwhile. Sandra met us there and gave us a private docent tour. [Eileen Wingard]

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Eileen Wingard, Jewish History, Middle East, USA

OpEd: Jews Endangered by Trump’s and Cruz’s Reckless Words

Those “authoritarian school board Nazis.” “Israel literally owned Congress.” Reckless words. Wacky parents raging at school officials? Pro-Arab students whipping a crowd into a frenzy? Comparable words were uttered by them, yet such words were echoed in the past week by the unfiltered voices of Republicans Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Bruce Ticker, Middle East, USA

Israel and US Defense Chiefs Discuss Iran’s Nuclear Aspirations, Regional Entrenchment

(JNS) Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke on Tuesday about American-Israeli coordination on a range of top-priority security issues. According to a tweet by Gantz, the two discussed bilateral cooperation vis-à-vis Iranian regional entrenchment and Iran’s nuclear aspirations. “We agreed to meet soon to deepen our discussion on

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Middle East, USA

Jewish Agency, Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles Host Night of Comedy and Community

LOS ANGELES (Press Release) — The Jewish Agency for Israel and the Consulate General of Israel in Los Angeles on November 1 hosted a screening and discussion featuring “The New Jew,” an Israeli documentary mini-series that explores the diversity of American Jewish life and is hosted by one of Israel’s most popular comedians, Guri Alfi.

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Middle East, USA

FBI Believes US Faces Equal Threats from Domestic Extremists and Islamic State

Published by Reuters By Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. law enforcement and security agencies believe domestic extremists, notably white supremacists, pose a violent threat in the United States similar to that of Islamic State militants, top U.S. security officials told Congress on Wednesday. Concern about racially motivated domestic extremists had prompted the FBI to

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USA