Saperstein Honored at Biden’s United We Stand Summit

Rabbi David Saperstein, Director Emeritus of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC), was honored as a “Uniter” at Thursday’s historic United We Stand Summit, hosted by President Biden at the White House. Rabbi Saperstein was recognized for his work with the Multi-Faith Neighbors Network as one of the preeminent heroes from across America doing extraordinary work to stand together against hate, build bridges and heal divides in their communities. [United We Stand news release)

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USA

Israeli Athlete Survived the Holocaust and the Munich Olympics Massacre

ESPN and ESPN+ will premiere at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept 20, The Survivor, an hour-long documentary on the murder of 11 Israeli athletes during the 1972 Olympics. Reporter Jeremy Schaap interviews Shaul Ladany, a teammate of the slain athletes, who has been dubbed an “ultimate survivor.”  Along with his family, he had earlier in his life survived the Holocaust. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish History, Sports & Competitions, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Rosh Hashanah is Not a Biblical Holiday

Rosh Hashanah is not a biblical holiday, although it replaced a biblical one. It is clearly different from the holiday it changed. The biblical holiday, Yom Teruah, was a one-day festival that had totally other purposes than Rosh Hashanah that is celebrated for two days and focuses on the onset of a year, repentance, and commitment to live the next year properly.  These ideas were not even suggested in Yom Teruah that concentrated on months and the number seven. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion

History: Bavaria’s Revolutionary Jewish Prime Minister

This man fulfilled the typical dream of Jews who wanted to remake the world and their country of residence ‒ he became prime minister of a European state. Unlike Disraeli, he was not a baptized Jew.  Born May 14, 1867, in Berlin to a Jewish family, Kurt Eisner became prime minister of Bavaria at age 51. [Alex Gordon, Ph.D]

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Alex Gordon, International, Jewish History

Satire: If Queen Elizabeth Were Jewish

I am finding the 11 days of mourning ceremonies between the death of Queen Elizabeth II and her burial next Monday archaic, pompous, and tedious. If only she were Jewish, we would be spared the redundant rituals, and much time and money could be saved not only by the United Kingdom but also by all the countries dispatching their leaders and reporters to cover the event.     [Laurie Baron, Ph.D]

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International, Jewish Religion, Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire

Au Revoir to France, Shalom to Israel

The first thing that hits you as the plane starts the descent towards the airport in Israel is the difference in the colors on the ground. If you have just left one of the countries of Europe, as we did, there is a noticeable difference in the shades of green that you perceive. The brilliant emerald green of the fields of rural France (or Germany or England or wherever), even in the summer of 2022 when temperatures rose to unprecedented heights and there were restrictions on water usage, remained in one’s visual memory, only to be erased (or at least put in the shade) by the greys, browns and dusty dark greens of the Holy Land. And, of course, the ever-present white of the stone buildings. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Israel, Lifestyles, Travel and Food

Girls School Athletic Trainer Bashes Israel, Loses Job, Claims Discrimination

Natalie Abulhawa had multiple advantages going for her after she filed a discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against a Main Line school: her own disingenuous voice, the aid and comfort of excuse-laden Arab-American spokespersons; and kid-glove treatment in a Philadelphia Inquirer story filed by an Arab-simpatico reporter. [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Bruce Ticker, Israel, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Gov. Newsom Signs Gabriel Bill to Fight Internet Hate

Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday signed Assembly Bill (AB) 587 into law. Authored by Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, this bill requires social media companies to publicly disclose their policies for online hate and extremism so they can be held accountable for their enforcement. The bill had previously passed the State Senate and Assembly with bipartisan support. [JPAC press release]

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California, USA

Office of Civil Rights to Investigate Antisemitism at University of Vermont

The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced it has opened a formal investigation into a complaint alleging Jewish students at the University of Vermont (UVM) have been subjected to severe and persistent anti-Semitic harassment and discrimination. Anti-Jewish incidents ranged from the exclusion of Jewish students from a campus sexual assault survivors’ group, online harassment against Jewish students by a Teaching Assistant (TA), and the targeting of the UVM Hillel building. OCR evaluates all complaints it receives, but it only pursues investigations in those it determines warrant a more thorough investigation. [Press Release from Louis D. Brandeis Center for Justice Inder Law]

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Travel and Food