Two bricks from Buchenwald

The unspeakable horror; the ignored cries of pain,; the unimaginable suffering; the final resting place for more than 50,000 innocent souls. This was Nazi era Germany: This was Buchenwald, the death camp infamous for performing medical experiments on inmates. Its place in history marked by being the first camp liberated by Allied Forces. On a recent driving trip through the scenic countryside of the now unified Germany, we two Americans born after World War II gathered our courage to visit Buchenwald. Despite our each having twice before traveled to Germany, neither had mustered the psychological strength to witness the reality of the death camp tales we had heard all our lives. [John Brennan]

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International, Jewish History

Anti-Squad Republicans Should Be Careful to Not Overreach

Rashida Tlaib’s mantra “From the river to the sea” may soon compete with “From the Narrows to the Potomac.” Or “Biscayne Bay to the Potomac.”

“From the River…” etc. is meant as the stretch of land that comprises Israel and its territories, all of which many Palestinians claim is theirs.

Both Nicole Malliotakis and Maria Elvira Salazar will be traveling regularly to the Potomac, the former from the Narrows (which separates Staten Island from southern Brooklyn) and the latter from Miami. They could both form part of a Republican faction in the House of Representatives that will rake Tlaib’s “Squad” over the coals each time that Tlaib and friends open their big mouths. [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Bruce Ticker

The Jewish History of Harlem

Say “Harlem,” and the first image to come to mind is not a Jewish neighborhood. But thanks to a virtual tour by Barry Judelman, presented by the indefatigably glorious Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy (LESJC), Jewish audiences are now learning that, for 60 years, 1870-1930, the stretch of New York from about 116th to 125th Streets, the Harlem and East Rivers to the east, and the Hudson River in the west, was the third largest Jewish community in the world (175,000). Only the Lower East Side with 350,000 Jews and Warsaw, Poland, with 343,000 had more. [Susie Rosenbluth and Sue Weston, Two Sues on the Aisle, TheJewishVoiceAndOpinion.com]

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Travel and Food, USA

US senators fail to block Trump sale of F-35 jets to UAE

Washington (AFP) – Democrats failed Wednesday to block the United States from selling top-of-the-line fighter-jets to the United Arab Emirates, with most senators dismissing fears that President Donald Trump was setting off a dangerous arms race. In one of the largest arms deals of its four-year term, the outgoing administration has approved $23 billion in

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USA

Estranged wife of former Rep. Duncan Hunter files for divorce

SAN DIEGO — The estranged wife of former U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter has filed for divorce after 22 years of marriage and more than a year of separation amid a corruption prosecution that netted them both felony convictions. Margaret Hunter is seeking a divorce because of “irreconcilable differences,” and requests joint legal custody of their

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Travel and Food

Reunion of families who sheltered Kindertransport refugees

To mark the anniversary of the Kindertransport project, in which Britain agreed to accept ten thousand unaccompanied refugee children, the vast majority of whom were Jewish, from Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia in 1938 and 1939, the AJR (Association of Jewish Refugees) recently held a special zoom meeting. This was hosted by British celebrity Dame Esther Rantzen and one of the main speakers was Sir David Attenborough, whose family had hosted two girls from Germany. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Jewish History

Trump says he’ll be intervening in US Supreme Court suit seeking to overturn Michigan results

DETROIT — President Donald Trump’s campaign intends to appeal in a U.S. Supreme Court case seeking to overturn Michigan’s election results based on claims that have been rejected by lower courts, election experts and testimony in legislative hearings. Trump announced his intent to intervene in the suit filed by the Texas attorney general via tweet

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USA

Biden’s son Hunter says under investigation for tax affairs

Wilmington (United States) (AFP) – Hunter Biden, the son of US President-elect Joe Biden and a frequent target of Republican attacks, said Wednesday he was under federal investigation about his taxes. The revelation about the probe included no details, but it promises to rekindle Republican rage about the Biden family, including Hunter Biden’s business dealings

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USA

Academic Freedom vs. Hurting Some Feelings

In what has become an increasingly frequent and troubling occurrence on campuses, a McGill University emeritus professor of anthropology, Philip C. Salzman, is under fire by pretentious, virtue-signaling students who wish to hear only viewpoints that conform with their own and who, in attempting to shield others from ideas that might make them uncomfortable, want to suppress the ideas of their ideological opponents. [Richard L. Cravatts, Ph.D]

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

Israeli-Palestinian Confederation: Why and How

After 72 years of conflict, it is time for Israel and the Palestinians to realize that while a two-state solution remains the most viable option, there are irreversible realities on the ground that can be addressed only jointly in the context of a confederation. The contours of such a confederation are dictated by these realities, the resolution of which requires both sides to fully and permanently collaborate on many levels. The question is, why must Israel and the Palestinians reconcile these realities as a prerequisite to reaching a peace agreement, and how should they go about it to maintain the integrity and independence of their respective states? [Alon Ben-Meir, Ph.D]

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Alon Ben-Meir, Middle East, USA