USA

Russia, Israel Need Working Accord on Syria

Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid made a quick trip to Moscow just after the end of the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) to meet with his counterpart, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.  The meeting was focused on Iran, the nuclear threat, and Iranian activities elsewhere, particularly Syria. It is clear that Israeli-Russian relations need a restart. [Stephen D. Bryen]

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International, Middle East, Stephen D. Bryen, USA

StandWithUs Says AFT Guild 1931 Fuels Antisemitism

StandWithUs is deeply disturbed by the bias and misrepresentations in the AFT Guild Local 1931 statement. Simply writing “we’re not antisemites” does not eliminate the antisemitic nature and impact of this statement, which at its core denies Israel’s right to self-defense, and the Jewish peoples’ right to decide what constitutes antisemitism. [StandWithUs)

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Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

AFT Local Representing Community College Faculty Denounces Israel

The local guild of the American Federation of Teachers serving faculty members of the San Diego Community Colleges as well as its Continuing Education Branch, and faculty at Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College has adopted a resolution denouncing Israel, while leaving unmentioned the more than 3,000 rockets fired by Hamas from Gaza during the recent violence with Israel. [AFT Local 1931 press release]

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Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

4,000 American Teens, Including 21 San Diego County Residents, Experienced Israel This Summer

Heroic efforts navigating the global pandemic made it possible for nearly 4,000 American teens to travel this summer to Israel on multi-week trips designed and heavily subsidized by the new RootOne, run by The Jewish Education Project. The Jewish Agency for Israel, along with youth serving organizations (YSOs) and Jewish residential camps, made the trips possible under unprecedented circumstances. As teens return home, they are brought into a pipeline of Jewish community opportunities that will continue to tap into their interests, strengthen relationships, and add meaning to their lives. [Root One Press Release]

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Middle East, San Diego County, USA

California Legislature Approves Anti-Hate-Crime Legislation

The California Legislature passed legislation to significantly strengthen California’s response to the recent surge in hate crimes and hate-motivated violence. Authored by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel (D-Woodland Hills), Chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, Assembly Bill (AB) 57 would implement specific recommendations from the State Auditor to enable law enforcement to better prevent, respond to, and document hate crimes. The measure passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in both the State Assembly and the State Senate. [Press Release from Assemblyman Gabriel]

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USA

Comparing and contrasting Halloween and Sukkot

The month of October unleashes a tension of sorts in our predominantly Jewish Pico-Robertson neighborhood in Los Angeles.  As one walks farther from Pico Boulevard, the ubiquitous sukkot on front lawns give way to macabre Halloween decorations. Jewish kids must grapple with a continuum of responses to trick-or-treating: for the far right, it’s as if the holiday doesn’t exist. In a non-COVID year, Modern Orthodox might allow their kids to make the rounds seeking kosher candy and haunted houses, but downplay any outward signs of participation. Sadly, Jews of other denominations are more likely to be carrying a light saber than a lulav. [Sam Glaser]

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Jewish Religion, Sam Glaser, USA

OpEd: Two Jewish Issues the Biden Administration Must Clear Up

The Biden administration’s actions beg two disturbing Jewish-themed questions: Why would a president lie about such an insignificant detail as visiting a Pittsburgh synagogue? How can a U.S. Foreign Service officer be effective at his job when he demeans Jews and homosexuals? [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Bruce Ticker, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, USA

California Ethnic Studies Legislation Passes

Today, the Legislature voted to advance Assembly Bill (AB) 101, legislation that would make ethnic studies a high school graduation requirement in the State of California. This legislation enjoys broad support in the Legislature and is a top priority for our allies in the Latino, Black, Asian Pacific Islander (API), and Native American Legislative Caucuses. It is our sincere hope that this course will provide an opportunity for young Californians to deepen their understanding of our society’s complex history when it comes to issues of race and diversity, and we would like to recognize Assemblymember Jose Medina for his persistent leadership on this important issue.” [California Legislative Jewish Caucus press release]

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Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

OpEd: U.S. Should Put Caps on Income

Is it not extraordinary that in a country that claims to be as enlightened and advanced as ours that the combined wealth of three individuals – Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and investor Warren Buffett – should exceed the total wealth of the bottom half of Americans? One has to return to the days of the pharaohs of Egypt to find a parallel to the extreme wealth inequality that we see in in America today. Such stark inequality, and the ever-growing concentration of wealth in the hands of a tiny few will only intensify if we continue as we have for the past 40 years. [Sam Ben-Meir, Ph.D]

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Business & Finance, Sam Ben-Meir, USA

Biography Tells of Jewish Family’s Holocaust Survival in the Forest

Meticulous research documents the lives of the Rabinowitz family in small town Poland; their suffering after the Nazis invaded; their miraculous escape to the forest, where they survived in hiding for several years; their post-war relocation to Italy, while awaiting permission to immigrate to Palestine; their decision to move instead to the United States; their lives in Connecticut; and the marriage of daughter Ruth to a future rabbi, from whom author Rebecca Frankel received her Jewish education. [Donald H. Harrison]

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

Palestinianism and the New Antisemitism

A recent survey conducted by Alums for Campus Fairness, “A Growing Threat: Antisemitism on College Campuses,” asked some 500 Jewish-affiliated college students and recent alumni what their perceptions were regarding campus antisemitism. The findings of the survey were troubling, given that: “Nearly 100% of respondents said antisemitism is/was a problem on their campus,” “95% of respondents identified antisemitism as a problem on U.S. college campuses, with three out of four describing it as a ‘very serious problem,’” almost “half of current students say antisemitism is getting worse on their campus,” and “69% of students and grads say they have avoided certain places, events, or situations at school because they are Jewish.” [Richard L. Cravatts, Ph.D]

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Middle East, Richard L. Cravatts, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Biden: Antisemitic Violence is Violence against America

(JNS) U.S. President Joe Biden may have gotten himself in hot water during a well-meaning teleconference with Jewish religious leaders in advance of the High Holidays on Thursday. The teleconference was facilitated by the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Rabbinical Assembly, the Rabbinical Council of America and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association. During the roughly

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Jewish History, USA