Jewish History

OpEd: Honoring Ukraine’s Mass Murderer Simon Petliura is an Obscenity

“The delegation was met by soldiers and officers, […] with what is called a hostility: ‘Half the city (Kiev), all the Jews must be slaughtered. […] All three million Jews must be kicked out of Ukraine.’ Shocked by such sentiments of the Ukrainian troops, the delegation appealed to Petliura to prevent pogroms and bloodbaths in Kiev. Petliura replied that ‘he could not guarantee anything; the soldiers’ sentiments are known to him, but he sees here a thirst for revenge, and not antisemitism… [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Antisemitism, International, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors

OpEd: The Powerful Lion Symbols at Entrance to Ma’ale Adumim

A unique, long-term partnership between the Diaspora and Israel resulted in Ma’ale Adumim being the beneficiary of two huge Lion sculptures. The two Lions of Judah, each eight feet in height and ten feet in length, majestically supine and serene, are sited at the city’s entrance for maximum visibility. They are just below the large, bold “I Love Ma’ale Adumim/ Welcome Visitors” sculpture. [Jerry Klinger]

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Israel, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Philanthropy & Volunteerism, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Travel and Food, USA

WJC, UNESCO Weigh Benefits, Threats of AI to Holocaust Education

The just-released report, published by UNESCO in partnership with WJC, explores the ethical and educational benefits and challenges that AI, and especially Generative AI (GAI), have on Holocaust memory, education and the spread of Holocaust denial and distortion. [World Jewish Congress]

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Antisemitism, Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Science, Medicine, & Education, Technology

JFest: ‘Italian Jews Through The Generations’ Sweet, Intimate Event

Did you know that the history of the Italian Jews goes all the way back to the Maccabees? It is, in fact, one of the very oldest diaspora Jewish communities, and while there may only be 27,000 Jews left there, their history and culture is interwoven with the fabric of the country itself. [Sandi Masori]

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International, Jewish History, San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Found: Six Women of Valor at San Diego’s JFest

It was with great excitement that we packed into Garfield Theatre at Lawrence Family JCC (a performance this Sunday, June 23, will be at the Leichtag Commons in Encinitas) to be brought into the lives of six superlative women who have contributed greatly to our San Diego community. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria opened the program with a short inspiring introduction. [Barrett Holman Leak]

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Barrett Holman Leak, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

YIVO Exhibit, ‘Runaway Husbands, Desperate Families’ Resonates

On Monday in lower Manhattan the most fascinating exhibit opened at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. In concert with the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services, YIVO presented “Runaway Husbands, Desperate Families,” providing a brutally honest historical look at Jewish immigrant men who abandoned their families on Manhattan’s lower Eastside in the early part of the 20th Century. [Amy Neustein, PhD]

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Amy Neustein, Jewish History, San Diego County, Shanda File, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Third Generation Holocaust Survivor Reflects on Israeli Hostage Rescue

Even famous actors like Mark Ruffalo joined the cacophony of lunacy, sharing on X that “4 [hostages] for 274 including kids. It’s a sinful equation that keeps repeating,” ignoring the fact that the majority of those killed were in fact Hamas terrorist fighters harboring hostages purposefully in a densely populated civilian area. [Joshua Lafazan]

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Antisemitism, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

A Serious Essay about European Jewish Humor

Self-criticism is inherent in a tolerant society that respects the human being as such and reflects on its mistakes and imperfections. Self-criticism is alien to an authoritarian society. Nations that are satisfied with themselves and look to other nations for faults and blame for their failures are stagnant. Jews are dissatisfied, hence they develop. [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Antisemitism, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Israel, Jewish History, Lifestyles, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire

OpEd: Zelensky Keeps a Distance from His Jewishness and from Israel

The silencing of his Jewishness has characterized his entire tenure as president. Mentioning his Jewishness became taboo. Benjamin Disraeli, a baptized Jew, was Prime Minister of Great Britain and openly discussed Jewish issues and wrote novels with Jewish characters. Léon Blum was Prime Minister of France and spoke freely about his Jewishness. Bruno Kraisky was Chancellor of Austria and made no secret of his Jewishness. Walter Rathenau was Foreign Minister of Germany and spoke proudly of his Jewish ancestry. None of them were ashamed of their Jewishness as Zelensky was. [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Antisemitism, International, Israel, Jewish History, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Today’s Jewish Birthday: Anne Frank

Courtesy of Wikipedia Anne Frank (June 12, 1929 – February or March 1945) was a German-born Jewish girl who kept a diary in which she documented life in hiding under Nazi persecution during the German occupation of the Netherlands. She is a celebrated diarist who described everyday life from her family’s hiding place in an Amsterdam attic. One of the most-discussed Jewish victims of the Holocaust,

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Antisemitism, Holocaust, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Today's Jewish Birthday, Wikipedia