Travel and Food

One hundred and seventy California high school students and parents on Monday urged Governor Gavin Newsom to veto AB 101, a recently passed bill that would make ethnic studies courses a graduation requirement, citing “[t]his bill will sanction the hounding of Zionist students in high schools across the state and encourage similar behavior across the nation.” The California legislature voted two weeks ago to advance AB 101. The bill now heads to Newsom, who has until Oct. 10 to act. [Club Z News Release}{{

A new cemetery headstone was placed in the Manchester, U.K. Jewish Cemetery, September 2, 2021.Unveilings at gravesites of new memorial stones are not unusual.  This stone was different.  There was no formal unveiling. The memorial stone was placed in the cemetery by strangers who had nothing to do with the deceased nor had ever known him.  They were separated by great distances and many years from the events of his life and death. But… then again, they were not. [Jerry Klinger]

On the eve of the Jewish new year 5782, the number of Jews worldwide stands at approximately 15.2 million compared to 15.1 million in 5781, according to newly released statistics by The Jewish Agency for Israel. [JAFI news release]

Last week, the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) welcomed students back to campus. But how welcome can the university’s Jewish population feel sharing a campus with a student group whose members have a long history of horrific anti-Semitic social media posts? [JNS.org]

Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) is drawing backlash over putting pressure on Israel to release the body of a slain terrorist who attempted to kill Israeli soldiers in June. In a social media post on Sunday, Tlaib criticized Israel’s policy of holding onto the bodies of terrorists who are killed during an attack. [JNS.org]

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz met with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah on Sunday evening, in the first official high-level talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders since 2010. [JNS.org]

– Michael Hopkins, chief executive officer of Jewish Family Service of San Diego, issued the following statement Wednesday in reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court decision ordering President Joe Biden to abide by former President Donald Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy: [Jewish Family Service news release]