Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on May 25, 2020

ADL Criticizes Berks County GOP Facebook Posts

Anti-Defamation League Philadelphia Regional Director Shira Goodman issued a statement on May 15 condemning two recent posts on the Berks County Republican Party Facebook page.

The first post, made on May 14, calls Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf a Nazi and links to a news segment from WHP CBS 21.

This analogy is offensive and wrong, and trivializes the suffering of six million Jews and millions of others who died at the hands of the Nazis, the ADL statement reads. We are dismayed to see this shameful analogy deployed by a significant political organization in Pennsylvania just 10 days after Jewish organizations across the commonwealth condemned a state legislator for comparing the Wolf administration to the Nazi Party. Holocaust analogies should only be used when referring to actual genocides, full stop.

The other post the ADL responded to, posted on May 13, shows a cartoon of a man in the style of Rosie the Riveter posters from the 1940s wearing a MAGA hat and displaying the OK hand gesture.

While in most cases this gesture is innocuous, it has been adopted by white supremacists as a trolling tactic and as a symbol of white power, the statement said.

The ADL demanded that Berks County Republican Party issue an apology, make a commitment to learning more about extremism and the Holocaust and take down both posts.

Exponent Wins Journalism Award

Former Jewish Exponent web editor and reporter Selah Maya Zighelboim placed first in the SPJ Keystone Pro Chapter journalism contests environmental reporting category for Shore Homeowners Contend with Rising Seas. The article appeared in the Exponents July 18, 2019, issue.

Zighelboim now edits the Baltimore Jewish Times.

DJOP, Black Clergy Join to Maximize Voter Turnout

Democratic Jewish Outreach PA and the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity announced a joint effort to maximize turnout in the June 2 Pennsylvania primary election.

Rev. Robert Collier, president of the Black Clergy, and DJOP Chair Jill Zipin said in a statement that they are committed to working together to protect access to the ballot and to encourage our constituents to vote by mail.

They said their organizations would work with elected officials to encourage their constituencies to register to vote by mail at http://www.pavoterservices.pa.gov prior to the May 26 deadline.

KleinLife Adds Telephone Talk Therapy

KleinLife in Northeast Philadelphia announced the addition of a telephone talk therapy program to stay closely connected to its senior members.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, KleinLife shut down its daily senior center operations, which included congregant meals.

Our goal is to keep in touch with our members during the pandemic health emergency to help them cope and manage the issues related to anxiety and depression which is often problematic within this active elderly population, said Andre Krug, president and CEO of KleinLife.

Mariya Keselman-Mekler, KleinLifes counseling and program manager and certified art therapist, is overseeing and implementing the program. Nearly 60 members receive talk therapy.

For details, contact KleinLife at 215-698-7300 or visit its website at kleinlife.org.

Rutgers Honors Jewish Studies Students

Three Rutgers University students were honored by the Department of Jewish Studies for their achievements.

Graduate student Steven Weinberg of Elkins Park, a 2022 doctoral candidate, received the Harold and Betty Perl Award to fund a dissertation project planned for Berlin.

Junior Anuska of Voorhees, New Jersey, who is majoring in political science, received the Dr. Benjamin F. Glasser and Lillian Glasser Award to fund a study abroad program in Berlin.

And sophomore Brianna Newman of Burlington, New Jersey, a political science and Jewish studies double major, received the Baruch S. and Pearl W. Seidman Award.

See the rest here:
Community Briefs: KleinLife Adds Telephone Talk Therapy and More - Jewish Exponent

Category: Anti-Defamation League
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