Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on July 23, 2020

This has been a very telling few weeks to say the least. From protests, to riots, to DeSean Jackson, to Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam, black Americans have been speaking loud and clear and our internal divide has not been more evident in decades. Fringe groups who were seen as such are now becoming more mainstream, forcing powerful people to either toe the line or condemn it. Age-old Nazi era conspiracy theories are increasingly seen as new revelations and gospel truth. Ridiculous discussions about what the right color Jew is has become more commonplace. And though Jew-hatred comes from all sides, it breaks my heart to say that many black Americans are making it conventional, acceptable, and even commendable in our communities.

In one camp, we have people like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jemele Hill calling out the Jew-hating comments of DeSean Jackson and Ice Cube. In the other camp, popular figures like Jackson and Cube double down on their anti-Jewish sentiments and receive support from some of their fellow celebrity friends. Most recently, Nick Cannon has echoed those same Anti-Jewish talking points on his former show where he had numerous purveyors of those talking points as guests. Cannon has posited that white Jews are fake, Jews control the banks, and other inflammatory comments against Jews and white people. Cannon has since apologized, but his guests, and many of his followers are convinced that he has just been bullied by the Jew-ish mafia, reinforcing the false claim that whiter looking Jews are fake. One of the most powerful record executives and producers in the world, Sean P. Diddy Combs voiced support for Cannon, offering him a job on Combss music cable network following Cannons troubling rants against the Jewish people. Others who voiced support include NBA player Dwayne Wade, TV and podcast personality Charlamagne Tha God. Wade has deleted his tweet and attempted to clarify his position, but again, Cannons supporters claim Wade is dancing for his slave master.

It is worth noting that the concept of color for the worldwide Jewish community is asinine. NOI and Black Hebrew Israelite acolytes will take sacred texts and cherry pick verses and simply insert a random, baseless interpretation to it. Thus the real Jews are black and white Jews are fake myth. There is absolutely no biblical evidence to support the claim that the Jewish people are just one color or that lighter colored Jews are fake. There is, however, ample biblical evidence for the Jewish Diaspora. The Jews of Iran are the Jews of Persia from the book of Esther. The Jews of Iraq are the Jews of Babylon from the book of Daniel. The Jews of Ethiopia are the Jews of Cush from Acts 8:26-40. In the book of Acts chapter 2 tells of the Jewish feast of Shavuot, known to Christians as Pentecost. In the beginning of the chapter, the writer lets us know that there were Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven, including Greece, Rome, Egypt, Libya and Arabia. There is no avoiding the fact that the entire bible is a strong testament to the Jewish diaspora, and that diaspora is represented in modern day Israel. The only way extremist groups like NOI and BHI can successfully convince the black community otherwise is by capitalizing on our biblical illiteracy and obsession with color.

Within the black community, there has been much discussion about who the real Jews or the first Jews are. A discussion not based in any objective historical truth, but on a skewed sense of superiority and what Martin Luther King described as being color consumed. The full context of that quote can be found in my previous article here. First, a quote falsely attributed to Adolph Hitler has been proliferating social media all the way up to the celebrity level which has stoked much debate. I will not dignify it with a word for word quote, but it basically says that all black people in America are the true Jews, that America stole them from Africa, and that non-black Jews are impostors. Beside the fact that this quote is false, it does not even line up with what we know to be true about Hitler and what he said and did. Moreover, even if Hitler were to have said those things, one would have to ask the person sharing the why they are standing on the words of a Jew-hating genocidal despot to make their case. It is all a bit bizarre to say the least.

I have seen Black Lives Matter adopt the Palestinian narrative against Israel since its inception. Many people who hear me say this interject that there is a difference between Black Lives Matter and the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL), a global organization and BLMs partner. M4BL perpetuates blood libels against Israel and the Jewish people, the founders are self-proclaimed Marxists who believe in the dismantling of the entire Jewish state. Also, the exact same people who coined the phrase and hashtag #BlackLivesMatter are the co-founders of BLM the anti-Zionist organization. I know people who are a part of Black Lives Matter who are not anti-Zionists or antisemites. However, I struggle to see the difference between the two entities when I see a good amount of the Black Lives Matter protests turn into demonstrations of aggression against the Jewish community. The linked article also notes that many Jewish groups from many different religious and political backgrounds voiced support and solidarity for the black community in the wake of George Floyds murder. Despite this, leaders like BLM Los Angeles founder Melina Abdullah, a student of Farrakhan, falsely accuses Israel of genocide and apartheid.

Linda Sarsour, a notorious anti-Israel activist, joined with Muslims for Abolition, BLM and other groups to put on an event called New York City Day of Action. Beside the tragically ironic fact that there seems to be nothing in their literature about abolishing Muslim imposed slavery in Africa, their poster promoting the event notes that it is open to all, minus cops and Zionists.

New York Day of Action poster

Sarsour continues to stoke the fires of animosity while claiming to be for peace and justice. These purveyors of lies about Israel love to wax poetic about Israel and Jewish people until pressed. They have no problem libeling Israeli soldiers as murderers of peaceful Gaza protesters until a Hamas leader admitted on a Palestinian news network that the vast majority of people who were shot and killed at the border riots were Hamas operatives dressed in civilian clothing. After this came out, Sarsour and every other Palestinian human rights activists fell oddly silent. They never want to admit that the real threat to the Palestinian people are their own leaders. In the discussion about Israel and the Palestinian people, there is no mention of the fact that Hamas uses its civilians as human shields for negative PR against Israel, which is why they sent civilians, and dressed terrorists up as civilians to storm the border. Their goal was not to peacefully protest; it was to overtake the Israeli border and kill Jews. And Hamas does this not for the Palestinian people; because if they did, they wouldnt hoard foreign aid money, leave the people in poverty, and torture and kill any one of their people who speaks out against them. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Sarsour has made statements such as Israel was built on the idea that Jews are better than everyone else. Her neo-Marxist defamation of Zionism as Jewish supremacy is as mendacious as it is anti-Semitic.

Educated observers and students of Zionism alike are well aware that Zionism is, simply put, the program of national self determination of the Jewish people in Israel, their one and only 3000 year homeland and Nation state. Zionism as the realization of Jewish sovereignty has resulted in Israels ingathering of some eight million Jews from around the world, from Ethiopia to England, and from Uruguay to the United States.

Zionism had accomplished this goal largely throughlegally purchasing land, and gaining land in wars they did not start. Modern Zionism emerged because Jews worldwide were constantly being persecuted, discriminated against, and even murdered in large numbers. A Safe Jewish homeland ensures that Jews have secure borders, and can properly protect themselves against ever-recurring Jew-hatred. And the land of Israel is a land to where ethnic Jews are indigenous. If Sarsour has such a skewed view of what the essence of Zionism is to millions of Jewish people worldwide, why is she trusted to be a visionary and advocate for minorities? Her ahistorical musings do not stop there. Sarsour has repeated the absurd claim that Jesus, the Jewish rabbi and Messiah to 2.3 billion Christians worldwide, was a Palestinian. The term Palestine wasnt even a word until after the Romans expelled the Jews from Judea in 135 AD and renamed it Syria-Palaestina. The closest thing we have to that word is Philistia where the Philistines lived, and Jesus was not born there. He was born in Bethlehem, which may be a Palestinian territory today, but in the time He was born, it was very much Israel. To say Jesus was a Palestinian because now the land is Palestinian, is like saying Mohammed Amin al-Husseini, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem from 1921 to 1937 was Israeli because now, part of Jerusalem belongs to Israel. That assertion would not go over well in the Palestinian activist camp, nor the Arab world, and rightfully so. Somehow, however,

Sarsour continues to try and erase Jewish history and all Jewish connection to the land of Israel. She is intellectually dishonest, hypocritical, and a closet Jew-hater; especially if those Jews are Zionist.

Another distortion that is sadly gaining traction in the black community is that the Jews funded and controlled the transatlantic slave trade. Its a talking point that Farrakhan and his followers relentlessly repeat, and it is nothing more than pseudo-intellectual Jew-hatred. While some Jews did trade and own slaves, they were in the smallest minority, amounting to a handful of Jewish families. The vast majority of slave owners were non-Jewish Americans. But thats not even the biggest point. What Nation of Islam followers always seem to leave out is the Jewish effort to end slavery. There were Jews who fought to end slavery in America, just as there were many Jews who fought and died with us to end Jim Crow segregation and lynchings. The Jewish community was pivotal in our fight for freedom and equality, mainly because of the historical and almost supernatural link that binds us through our mutual suffering and persecution. In much of our shared struggle, the Jews were seen as non-white and therefore, were considered a lower caste. To single out the few Jews who owned slaves to perpetuate the lie that the Jews controlled the slave trade is nothing short of pure and simple Jew-hatred. The purveyors of this lie are either ignorant, or intentionally deceitful. Either way, they are lost. Miseducators benefitting from the money of the people they pretend to fight for. Again, with all this talk of slavery, one would think these outspoken personalities would call attention to the centuries old Arab slave trade of black Africans; a phenomena that took off during the 7th century following the Arab colonization of North Africa and continues this very day. Not only does Farrakhan and his followers not make mention of this, but they deny it is even happening; dismissing it as a hoax, or satanic Zionist propaganda. A simple conversation with an African would quickly prove it isnt propaganda, but an unfortunate truth. Why someone would inject blind hatred and conceal truth can be best explained below:

When you see a physician drive to ones door in his Pierce Arrow, you cannot get the impression he has come to treat the patient for a complaint. He has come to treat him for a dollar. Such physicians, as a rule know less and less medicine as the years go by, although they make much money by learning human psychology and using it for personal gain. With leeches of this type feeding upon an all but impoverished people and giving them nothing back there can be no hope for advancement.

-Carter G. Woodson, The Miseducation of the Negro

This is the fight on our hands now, and its threefold: political, cultural, and biblical. The way we fight this fight at the Institute for Black Solidarity with Israel is first and foremost through education. IBSI is a media and library resource that focuses on education. We work with members of the Black and Jewish communities throughout the country unearthing truths about the blacks and Jews in America, the thriving Israel and Africa relationship, and the Jewish Diaspora.

Collage of the Jewish diaspora from the Institute for Black Solidarity with Israels Facebook page.

Join IBSIs mailing list to stay updated on our progress.

Excerpt from:
Miseducation The Political, Cultural, and Biblical Fight for Truth - The Times of Israel

Category: Zionism | Comments Off on Miseducation The Political, Cultural, and Biblical Fight for Truth – The Times of Israel
Tags:

Posted By admin on July 21, 2020

What really interested the earliest rabbis was the collection and organization of the so-called oral law, the traditions that had already been gathering about the text of the Torah for centuries. This was the next layer, the next level of sediment in the mounting deposit of what would come to be modern rabbinic Judaism. It culminated in the completion of the Mishnah, around the year 200 A.D. This important text, collected and edited by the illustrious Rabbi Judah the Prince, is one of the earliest documents of what can properly be called Judaism in the modern sense. It remains one of Judaisms greatest classics and, after the Bible itself, is the foundation of the Jewish religion. The term mishnah comes from a Hebrew word meaning to repeat or to study, which points to the way in which it was originally studiedby memorization. The Mishnah is organized by topics and comprises sixty-two sections known as tractates. These tractates are divided into six principal parts, dealing with (1) agriculture, and also the portions of various crops that are to be set aside for the temple, the priests, and Israels poor; (2) sabbaths and festivals; (3) women, property, marriage, and divorce; (4) civil and criminal law, including torts and the law of witnesses; (5) conduct of the cult or sacrificial liturgy of the temple; and (6) the preservation of purity in the temple and, under certain specific circumstances, in the home. Noteworthy is the continuing emphasis on the temple. At least two of the six principal parts of the Mishnah deal with that building, which isnt surprising since much of the oral law had probably begun to take shape during the period when it was still standing. But its impressive that successive generations of Jews have continued to study the Mishnah, including the substantial portions of it that would train them to conduct the sacrifices and other rites of the temple should it ever return. And it must be assumed that, at the early time when the Mishnah was compiled, the hope that the temple would soon be rebuilt still burned bright in the hearts of many scattered Jews. The lack of a temple, they were certain, would only be temporary.

Indeed, for a brief period in the fourth century, the Roman emperor Julian (360-63)known to Christian sources as Julian the Apostate but in Jewish tradition under the more neutral nickname of Julian the Helleneraised hopes for the Jews of Palestine and the rest of the empire. Quite understandably unimpressed by the behavior of his supposedly Christian imperial family, which included murders and cruelties of astonishing variety, Julian had renounced Christianity. A highly intelligent man, he had accepted in its stead a philosophical version of the old Greek religion and had set out to reduce the power of the Christian church and its bishops. As part of his policy, he announced in 362 that he would sponsor the rebuilding of Holy Jerusalem, including its temple. By restoring the Jews to their ancient capital and by reestablishing their great shrine, Julian knew, he would score a major propaganda victory against the Christian church, which had based much of its propaganda on the destruction of Jerusalem as a sign of Gods curse upon the Jewish people and the transfer of the divine blessing to the Christians.[1] He was also motivated, it seems, by genuine sympathy with Jewish doctrine and by a deep interest in religious ritual generally. The Christian reaction to Julians plans was, predictably, furious and apparently violent. Thus, when Christian legends report miraculous fireballs that destroyed everything the Jews had built on the temple mount, we can probably infer from this that pious arsonists set fire to the construction site. And when Julian was stabbed to death by a devout Christian Arab soldier among his troops, the dream of a restored Jewish temple died with him.

There still existed a large Jewish colony in Mesopotamia, in the area to which the Jews had been carried off during the so-called Babylonian captivity. As already mentioned, the captives had prospered there, and most of them had chosen to remain in comfortable exile even when the road to return was entirely open. They enjoyed a flourishing intellectual life and maintained relatively close contact with their fellow-believers in and around Palestine. Soon, the Mishnah reached them there. But the rabbis didnt, at first, occupy the first rank among Babylonian Jewry. Surprisingly enough, these exiles enjoyed a kind of quasi-political autonomy later than the Jews of Palestine did. For a time, their leader, who was known as the exilarch, functioned as a kind of princehe claimed to be descended from the very King Zedekiah who had been carried away into captivity just after Lehis departure from Jerusalem in the sixth century B.C.and served as a high official in the Parthian state that ruled the area. However, when the fervidly Zoroastrian Sasanian Dynasty came to power early in the third century, the privileged role and the political powers of the exilarch were curtailed. But as the political elite of Babylonian Jewry lost power and prestige, the influence of the rabbis expanded to fill the vacuum. Thus, eventually, just as in Palestine, the scholars took over. Jesus words, spoken more than two centuries before, were now truer than ever: The scribes and the Pharisees, he had said, sit in Moses seat.[2]

Given the new Jewish focus on the writing of commentaries, its hardly surprising that scholars immediately began to comment upon the Mishnah. Both the rabbis of Palestine and the rabbinic academies of Mesopotamia thus produced editions of what is known as the Talmud. (The name comes from a Hebrew word meaning study, or learning.) This represents the third layer of Judaism as we know it. The Talmud grew out of lectures and discussions on the Mishnah, which was the core of the curriculum. The Jerusalem Talmud, or Talmud of the West, was complete by the end of the fourth century A.D. Most of the work on it was actually done in the city of Tiberias, on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. It represents the thought and the decisions of the Palestinian rabbis and scholars during the two centuries that had passed since the compiling of the Mishnah. In fact, although presented in the form of a commentary, it actually goes beyond the Mishnah and includes material on issues the Mishnah had not touched at all. Work on the Babylonian Talmud took somewhat longer and was finished a century later. Although the Babylonian is the more detailed of the two Talmuds, both are in substantial agreement. Both are mostly in Hebrew, with passages in western Aramaic and a sprinkling of Greek loan words in the Jerusalem Talmud, and passages in eastern Aramaic and a few Persian loan words in the Babylonian Talmud. Together, they form an admirable foundation for a unified body of religious law and practice.

[1] For some interestingly similar modern views on the matter, see Thomas L. Friedman, From Beirut to Jerusalem (New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1989), 430-31.

[2] Matthew 23:2.

Posted from Park City, Utah

Link:

Revision 1.13 The Mishnah and the Talmuds | Dan Peterson - Patheos

Category: Talmud | Comments Off on Revision 1.13 The Mishnah and the Talmuds | Dan Peterson – Patheos
Tags:

Posted By admin on July 21, 2020

When Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzars forces destroyed Solomons Temple when Jerusalem was conquered in 586 B.C.E., he forever changed the diets of Jews. For millennia, Jews have commemorated the destruction of the First Temple and Second Temple (by the Romans in 70 C.E.) with three weeks of mourning. It starts with the fast of the 17th of Tammuz and then the nine (mostly meat-free) days leading up to the fast of Tisha bAv.

When Nebuchadnezzar took the House of Judah into exile, my ancestors were among those who sat and wept by the Rivers of Babylon. The vicissitudes of Iraqi Jewish history included the rebuilding of the temple by Ezra the Scribe; the incredible Jewish learning and compilation of the Babylonian Talmud; and the rise of the Islamic caliphate and Islamic discrimination. The Jews flourished again under the Ottoman Empire and by the early 19th century, the Jews of Baghdad were responsible for all the trade between Iraq and India.

For generations, the family of my great grandfather Yosef were the keepers of the tomb of Ezra, a shrine sacred to Jews and Shiite Muslims. Located in the village of El Azair on the Tigris River, the tomb, with its beautiful turquoise dome and tiled Hebrew lettering, was the site of many pilgrimages, especially for the holidays of Shavuot and Rosh Hashanah.

With the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, Jewish life in Iraq became increasingly difficult. The majority of Jews, including my family, left for Israel in 1951 and 1952 in Operation Ezra and Nehemiah. Two of my great-grandparents, Yosef and Tova, bought a beautiful Arab house on Emek Refaim in the German Colony of Jerusalem. After their deaths, my grandmother Aziza, Uncle Reuben, Uncle Naji and Uncle Nuri (they were my great-uncles but I called them uncles) moved to Australia to join their oldest sister, my great-aunt Naima, who had immigrated there via Bombay and Shanghai in the 1920s. They were all different, but they all had an innate dignity. One of my clearest memories as a young child was of my Uncle Nuri eating kitchri. In Iraq, kitchri was served for dinner most Thursday nights and always served the week before Tisha bAv, when it is customary to eschew meat.

Inspired by the Indian rice-and-mung bean dish kitchari, Iraqi kitchri combines rice and lentils with cumin, sauted onions and garlic. The addition of lentils, a traditional Jewish mourning food, made it a suitably humble meal to commemorate these days of mourning the loss of our beloved Beit HaMikdash (Holy Temple).

The combination of rice and lentils gives a nutty depth and makes this dish a source of complete protein. The meal can be rounded out with a fried egg, plain leben or kefir and a fresh tomato-and-cucumber salad.

SHARONS KITCHRI

2 cups basmati rice1 cup red lentils4 tablespoons oil, separated1 large onion, diced2 tomatoes, diced1 teaspoon salt2 teaspoons cumin2 teaspoons turmeric3 tablespoons tomato paste4 cups water

Garnish:

1 medium onion, thinly sliced1 teaspoon cumin8 garlic cloves, cut into sliversWash and drain rice.

Wash and drain lentils.

In large heavy-based pan, heat 2 tablespoons oil and saut onion over low heat for 10 minutes or until golden.

Add tomatoes and saut for 2 minutes.

Add rice and lentils and saut for 2 to 3 minutes. Add salt, cumin and turmeric and stir for 1 minute.

Add tomato paste, stir well, then slowly add water.

Bring to boil, stir well lower heat to low and cover with tight-fitting lid.

Cook 20-25 minutes.

For garnish: In frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil, add onion and saut until caramelized. Set aside.

Heat remaining oil, add cumin and garlic and saut until slightly browned.

Garnish rice with onion and garlic mixture.

Serves 6-8.

Excerpt from:

The Kingly Roots of Kitchri: Lentils With Love - Jewish Journal

Category: Talmud | Comments Off on The Kingly Roots of Kitchri: Lentils With Love – Jewish Journal
Tags:

Posted By admin on July 21, 2020

Recent reports in Yemenite media outlets and an Egyptian newspaper that the Iranian-backed Houthi rebel group in Yemen has rounded up the countrys few remaining Jews as part of an ethnic cleansing campaign may be completely false, The Jerusalem Post reported.

Israels Foreign Ministry told The Post that they have been asked by many sources about the report but it appears to be false. Another international organization with connections to the Jewish community in Yemen also told The Post that it investigated the reports and found them to be false.

Despite the claims that the allegations are false, the Yemenite embassy in Washington quoted the reports, apparently in order to slander the Iranian-backed Houthis, but did not mention whether they investigated or verified the reports.

A report in the Hebrew Yated Neeman quoted a senior source in the Yemenite Jewish community in Monsey who scoffed at the claims of the Houthis cutting off the supply of electricity and water of Jews in Yemen and preventing them from buying food, saying that infrastructure in the country is not reliable for Muslims or Jews.

Theres no electrical supply for the Muslims in the same way theres none for the Jews, said Rav Faiz Gradi, a leader of the Yemenite Jewish community who immigrated to the US a decade ago. The country is in a difficult situation and the electrical infrastructure hasnt been functioning for years.

Rav Gradi spoke about the Talmud Torah he left behind in Yemen and his private home that he refused to sell before he left due to the mikvah in his home that was still needed by the remaining Jews.

I have a Muslim neighbor who guarded my house. A while ago he called me and said: Theyre pressuring me to sell them the house and my life takes priority. Release me from my promise.'

I had received several offers to buy my home in the past. It was worth a nice amount of money but the Houthis forced my neighbor to sell it to them for a tiny pittance. I didnt sell it earlier when I could have received a good price since I have a mikvah in my home and the community that remained behind was using it. I couldnt cut them off from basic Jewish necessities.

Some of the families that made aliyah to Israel left behind many possessions and appointed Muslim guardians whom they trusted. One of them, who was in charge of most of the possessions, recently stopped answering phone calls. Theyre aware that he made a deal with the Houthis who are financially strapped.

Rav Gradi was reluctant to discuss the current situation of the Jews of Yemen but mentioned that the only planes currently allowed to land at the airport in the capital city of Sanaa are US and UN aid planes. Martin Griffiths, the UN envoy in Yemen, supports the Jewish community and assists them, he added.

All these years, the Shearis Hapleita (the few remaining Jews) refused to make aliyah to Israel due to their fear of educational and tznius issues, Rav Gradi said. They heard from their brothers who made aliyah before them and understand that Israel is not for them. The US is also not appropriate for their lifestyle.

They searched for an Arab country that would agree to accept them and there are a number of countries that may be willing to host them with assistance from the US. Perhaps well be zocheh to soon see a new Yemenite community in a country with a similar Arab nature but without threats to its security and Yahadus, Rav Gradi cryptically concluded.

(YWN Israel Desk Jerusalem)

The rest is here:

Are Reports Of The Persecution Of Yemenite Jews Completely False? - Yeshiva World News

Category: Talmud | Comments Off on Are Reports Of The Persecution Of Yemenite Jews Completely False? – Yeshiva World News
Tags:

Posted By admin on July 21, 2020

NEW YORK-July 21, 2020- (Newswire.com)

Today, Trinity Church Wall Street and prominent faith organizations, including The National Action Network, led by Rev. Al Sharpton; Central Synagogue; and Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, launchedFaith Communities for Just Reentry, a coalition calling on Mayor Bill de Blasio to enact immediate measures to provide safety and support for those being released from Rikers Island during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Without adequate support, those who are being released because of COVID-19 are facing homelessness and illness and thats not acceptable.said the Rev. Phillip A. Jackson, Priest-in-charge and Vicar of Trinity Church Wall Street. The pandemic has magnified the systemic racism of the criminal justice systemand, as faith leaders, we have an obligation to call for action.

The Mayor and City Council have the power to fix this, he said. Their immediate action is urgent because of the pandemicand these actions would also address the ongoing need for support and dignity for those re-entering society.Each year, 15,000 to 20,000 New Yorkers are caught in the cycle of incarceration and homelessness, 80% of them people of color.

Jewish tradition teaches that one may never say to a penitent, remember your former deeds (Mishnah, Bava Metzia 4:10), said Rabbi Angela Buchdahl, Senior Rabbi at Central Synagogue. In fact, our sages accord a sacred status to those who transform and change their lives through the process of atonement. In the place where penitents stand, even the wholly righteous cannot stand (Babylonian Talmud, Berakhot 34b). And yet, over and over again, our city not only reminds those returning from jail or prison of their justice-impacted histories, we also actively deny them the resources and support needed for their re-entry journeys and ongoing transformations, she said.

As a people who believes in the power of repentance and atonement, we urge our city to not only welcome home our brothers and sisters who have served their time, but to embrace their personal transformations as models for all of us embarking on personal and collective journeys of change and evolution, she said.

The coalition, which includes leaders from the Christian, Jewish, Hindu, and Muslim faith communities, is proposing a three-point Policy Agenda for urgent action to:

1.Provide safetyfor people released from incarceration during COVID-19by providing them with valid identification, an effective healthcare transition that allows people to immediately access the care and medication, and timely coronavirus testing.

2.Ensure that justice-involved individuals have stable homesby ending permanent exclusions from government-supported housing and discrimination in the private market, modifying the rental assistance voucher system, and leveraging public funds to create new housing to meet their needs.

3.Develop a coordinated reentry systemthat works across government agencies and is held accountable to the well-being of each person so thatthis will not happen again.

Contact:Tiani Jones, 917.710.3289,tjones@trinitywallstreet.org

Press Release ServicebyNewswire.com

Original Source:Faith Leaders Demand Action From New York City's Mayor to Ensure Safe Reentry for Those Leaving Rikers Island During COVID-19 Pandemic

Read more:

Faith Leaders Demand Action From New York City's Mayor to Ensure Safe Reentry for Those Leaving Rikers Island During COVID-19 Pandemic - Press Release...

Category: Talmud | Comments Off on Faith Leaders Demand Action From New York City’s Mayor to Ensure Safe Reentry for Those Leaving Rikers Island During COVID-19 Pandemic – Press Release…
Tags:

Posted By admin on July 21, 2020

Rare inherited mutations in the bodys master regulator of the DNA repair systemthe TP53 genecan leave people at a higher risk of developing multiple types of cancer over the course of their lives. Now, for the first time, a team led by researchers in theBasser Center for BRCAat theAbramson Cancer Center details the potential implications of a lower risk TP53 mutation, including an association with a specific type of Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS), an inherited predisposition to a wide range of cancers. The findings raise questions about how to appropriately screen patients for this mutation and whether the standard process of full-body scans for LFS patients should be modified for this group, since their risk profile is different than those with classic LFS. The researchers published their findingsinCancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Mutations in the TP53 gene are the most commonly acquired mutations in cancer. The p53 protein, made by the TP53 gene, normally acts as the supervisor in the cell as the body tries to repair damaged DNA. Different mutations can determine how well or how poorly that supervisor is able to direct the response. The more defective the mutation, the greater the risk. When TP53 mutations are inherited, they cause LFS, a disease that leaves people with a 90 percent chance of developing cancer in their lifetime. There are currently no therapies that target the p53 pathway.

Researchers determined that there is an inherited set of genetic material shared among people who have this mutation, suggesting its whats called a founder mutationa mutation that tracks within one ethnicity. In this case, that ethnicity is the Ashkenazi Jewish population.

Due to the wide variety of disease types associated with inherited TP53 mutations and the early age of cancer diagnoses, cancer screening is exceptionally aggressive. However, we do not yet know if all mutations require the same high level of screening, says the studys senior authorKara N. Maxwell, an assistant professor of hematology-oncology and Genetics in thePerelman School of Medicine and a member of the Abramson Cancer Center and the Basser Center for BRCA. It is therefore critical to study the specifics of individual TP53 mutations so we can understand how best to screen people who carry lower risk mutations.

Read more at Penn Medicine News.

The rest is here:

Rare genetic mutation leaves people at higher risk for multiple cancers - Penn: Office of University Communications

Category: Ashkenazi | Comments Off on Rare genetic mutation leaves people at higher risk for multiple cancers – Penn: Office of University Communications
Tags:

Posted By admin on July 21, 2020

Regarding Money giveaway scheme highlights discord (July 17), we should thank Mr. Netanyahu for all of his service to the country over the years, but it is time he stepped down to allow the next generation to develop and take the needed steps in these difficult times.Handing out money to those who do not need it does not trigger economic growth. It increases national debt and interest on loans the next generation will pay.Why after months of experience gained in the fight against corona do we look like we are unprepared for the current wave of corona? Why are good people like MK Naftali Bennett and others who performed well cast aside when we need them?DOUGLAS HANDELMANJerusalemOld Chinese (?) proverb: How do you know that you are going to the polls soon? When the ruling party hands out money to its citizens like candy.ARYEH ZETLERYokneamOur unemployment rate is 21%. My math indicates that 79% are gainfully employed, yet this government wants to give money to all. This is clearly not an economic benefit. That leads one to conclude that the decision was made for political reasons to boost Netanyahus rating. Once again he shows what his priorities are.STANLEY CANNING Kibbutz Kfar HamaccabiEnriching Ehud BarakRegarding Amotz Asa-Els column What do they want from Wexner? (July 17) and the allegations made by Yair Netanyahu as well as the motivations that Asa-el attributes to Netanyahu the father, the title begs the question of an overseas private foundation gifting Israeli civil servants. There remain unasked and unanswered questions. The law, as I understand it, prohibits gifting civil servants. The Wexner program offers not only a years tuition at the prestigious Kennedy School of Government, it also provides round-trip airfare for the awardee, his/her spouse and minor children. It provides free medical insurance for the entire family in addition to a living allowance and round-trip container transport. The sum total of all these benefits is by no means insignificant. Which raises a number of additional questions unaddressed by Asa-el. What is the vetting process for the program? In addition to the prominent names mentioned in the article, are there any data detailing distribution by geographic, socioeconomic and ethnic (Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, Ethiopian) parameters?Asa-Els sarcastic defense of the Wexner program and its more-than-generous remuneration to Ehud Barak (while technically kosher still reeks to high heaven) notwithstanding, the contractual association with a governmental body should be subject to public scrutiny.For the record, US President Donald Trump never said that the race rioters at Charlottesville included very fine people. That that quote was taken out of context is documented fact. JOEL KUTNERJerusalemBeinarts boondoggleRegarding Beyond Beinarts states of the mind (July 17), does Peter Beinart really expect Zionists to throw in the towel? Does he expect them to accept a binational state where Jews would soon be in a minority status?What possible reason would any Jew want to return to the pre-1948 condition?For 2,000 years Christians have persecuted Jews. Jews have been looted, expelled and murdered at the whim of their Christian masters. They have been treated as renewable resources to be robbed, allowed to re-build and be robbed again. The Islamic world treated Jews the same way for the past 1,400 years.There were two major cataclysms in my lifetime, the Holocaust and the expulsion of 1,000,000 Jews from Muslim lands. Why would any Jew trust that this ingrained pattern will not repeat itself?Israel serves as a safe haven for Jews. It is also an enormous success. It is a cultural, intellectual and technological dynamo that is attracting immigrants who want, rather than need, to settle there. The Palestinian Arabs will or will not develop their own state based on the American Peace to Prosperity plan. Israel will move forward. It will not be kicked around. It can take care of itself.LEN BENNETTOttawa, OnBack to no futureRegarding Israel bests Germany (July 15), letter writer David Smith correctly criticizes MK Yair Lapids misrepresentation of statistical data about pandemic effects in Germany as compared to Israel, thereby denigrating Israel internally and to rest of the world. Smith suggests that one has to rethink on the name of the Yesh Atid Party. I think I have a more appropriate name for it: the Ein Atid PartySHLOMO FELDMANNGivatayimMASKulinity: The scienceConcerning your articles about wearing a mask outside, it is important to note new scientific findings about protection against this disease: Speech droplets are the primary vehicle for transfer of the viral particles from an affected person to a near-by individual. The two-meter social distancing practice is suitable for a closed space. However, in a light wind (such as on the beach) the virus can travel three times further. Oral droplets containing viral particles can remain in the air for as long as 14 minutes or more, long after the infected person may have left a normal conversation. Loud singing or speaking can emit thousands of oral droplets per second, thereby increasing the viral load in the air. Swabs used to collect throat samples for testing typically contain more viral particles when taken via the nose than the mouth. Thus, leaving the nose uncovered by a mask is potentially more dangerous than an uncovered mouth. The viability of the virus outside the body when deposited on plastic, such as a water bottle, is 6.8 hours.GARY STEINMAN, MD, PHDJerusalemVexed by the vetoRegarding Palestinian seeking path to circumvent US veto at UNSC (July 16), the UN was long ago hijacked by oil-rich countries that back hostile UN actions against Israel, while actively and very indulgently supporting the Palestinians.Addressing the UN Security Council in December 2016, UN secretary-general said, Over the last decade I have argued that we cannot have a bias against Israel at the UN. Decades of political maneuvering have created a disproportionate number of resolutions, reports and committees against Israel.Now, the Palestinians are seeking a path to circumvent the US veto at the Security Council so they can block Israel from formally declaring sovereignty over portions of Judea and Samaria from which the indigenous Jews were ethnically cleansed after the 1948 war. This manipulative maneuver should surprise no one.Consider The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted by the UN in 1948. The world became increasingly dependent on oil, and in 1990 the Organization of Islamic Cooperation issued the Cairo Declaration on Human Rights in Islam, which declared that The Islamic Sharia is the only source of reference for the explanation or clarification of any of the articles of this Declaration. This conflicts with international human rights enacted by the UN, but no one seems concerned.However, the American veto, a fundamental right of US membership in the Security Council, is now a source of great concern at the UN, with pressure to somehow override or cancel it at the whim of the Palestinians, the Arab bloc, and those dependent on them for oil.We should all be very concerned about this attempt at hijacking. It would mean the death of the UN.JULIA LUTCHDavis, CASo the Palestinians are upset that a single country can circumvent the vote of many states at the UN. Dont they always play by different rules than those that apply to everyone else?Wasnt Jordans illegal 19-year occupation of eastern Jerusalem and Judea, demanding that no Jew could live there perfectly fine? Shouldnt Palestine refugees (millions of people claiming descent from Arabs who purportedly fled the area decades ago) be treated differently from all other refugees in the world, with refugee status passing from one generation to the next in perpetuity, remaining on the worlds dole until they get homes they assert that their parents, grandparents, great-grandparents lost? (UNHCR considers five years a prolonged stay in a refugee camp).And arent all parties to a conflict allowed to insist that signing a peace treaty doesnt necessarily mean that the war is over?The Oslo Accords envisioned Area C becoming part of Israel 20 years ago. The world has allowed the Palestinians to exercise their privilege far too long.TOBY F. BLOCKAtlanta, GAThe EUs anti-Israel manEUversRegarding EU building for Palestinians in Area C (July 15), by the time the government decides to implement Israeli law in Area C, there wont be any land to implement sovereignty over. It will all have been taken over by the EU and the ArabsIs the government really powerless to prevent this illegal building or is it taking action?HERBERT KOPPELJerusalemBARImetric pressure at the NYTRegarding Bari Weiss resigns from New York Times (July 15), Winston Churchill wrote: Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality that guarantees all others. Bari Weisss resignation from the Times is exactly what Churchill was referring to.RICHARD SHERMANMargate, FloridaWhile I am appalled (but not surprised) at the low level of partisan muck into which the formerly great New York Times has evidently sunk, I am proud of Israels English-language paper of record, The Jerusalem Post, which continues to publish articles and letters that reflect a broad range of views and foster a rigorous discussion of ideas.Please continue to provide intelligent discussion from all shades of opinion (even though I feel that a few of your op-ed columnists fall more than a bit short of the intelligent discussion standard).ARLENE FAUNCEBat YamReform schoolStop the insults (July 14) calls out the prime ministers son for his insulting language something that can be agreed upon. Accordingly, I fail to understand why Rabbinical reform (July 12) can be highly insulting to Chief Rabbi Yosef. One may differ with some of his words but why threaten with defunding the Chief Rabbinate and tell him to get packing? Would you dare write in a similar tone about Supreme Court justices? They cant even be probed by the Knesset. It is ironic that the non-Orthodox branches of Judaism are presiding over a 70% rate of intermarriage and yet they are not called to order. Tragically, their youth for the most part is not interested in Israel and most dont even know about the Western Wall and its various sections. I love our non-religious Jewish brothers and therefore urge them to examine themselves. YITZCHOK ELEFANTChief rabbi of DimonaIn the editorial, Rabbinical reform (July 12), the writer criticizes Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef for his negative view of Reform Judaism. The writer says that we should be tolerant of all forms of Judaism.Rabbi Yitzchak Isaac Herzog, who was Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel, called Reform Judaism a new Christianity. Rabbi J. B. Soloveitchik of Boston who was a leading Modern Orthodox Rabbi in America, stated that Reform Judaism had contributed to a spiritual Holocaust in America. These are powerful words indeed, from two prominent rabbis who are not considered to be extreme.EPHRAIM STEINJerusalemRegarding Rabbi should know Jews indigenous, scholar says (July 13), Reform Rabbi Andy Kahn freely offers an outrageous public service announcement. It seems we Jews are not who we thought we were. We ignorantly and blissfully prayed three times a day for thousands of years to return to our native homeland, said Next year in Jerusalem at every occasion and faced the direction of Jerusalem when we prayed only to find out that we were really mistaken. Why, we could have taken Uganda as a homeland when it was offered. We are not indigenous to the land of Israel proclaims this expert historian. (Either are the Palestinians, he says.) Whew, good that he cleared that up.Apparently we need to ignore the Torah, archaeology and the work of so many esteemed historians who stubbornly cling to this notion of Jewish indigenousness.Kahn is sadly in good company with Palestinians who insist that they were here first. The level of his historical acumen and his ability to pervert the truth are on par with Holocaust deniers (who know it never happened but are ready to remedy that lapse).It was prophesied long ago that our enemies would come from within. It would be an unpleasant job, but it seems that Kahn and his ilk have nevertheless stepped up to the task.This representative of Reform leadership exemplifies what many of us understood all along. The early reformers wrote that they were merely trying to make Judaism more palatable for the masses. Indeed, they made something more palatable but it wasnt Judaism. As the article said, A rabbi should know better.YEHUDIT LIPNER Jerusalem

Read more:

Letters to the Editor, July 20, 2020: Free money - The Jerusalem Post

Category: Ashkenazi | Comments Off on Letters to the Editor, July 20, 2020: Free money – The Jerusalem Post
Tags:

Posted By admin on July 21, 2020

Whatever you do, dont go for a picnic. Jews dont picnic.

It is a hot summer out there and I am here to help.

My whole life, as an American Jew, I have tried to figure out ways to stay out of the sun. Then, I moved to Israel and realized that I made my problem worse.

I am not a climatologist but from what I have read, for the foreseeable future, there will be summers. Thus, I traveled back to America to study the Jewish communitys techniques for staying out of the sun. And now, as a pale Ashkenazi Jew, I bring you my findings.

Used by Jews to ward off anti-Semites, this kippah decoy also serves as a sun protection device. Truth be told, a baseball hat is a basically a yarmulke with a visor.

According to many, Hank Greenberg is the greatest Jewish hitter of all time. Whos to say Hank Aaron is not Jewish? This has nothing to do with our topic of the summer but it makes Jews feel good when we find out famous people are Jewish.

Go to the beach and find shade. Almost impossible. This is why you need to find a huge umbrella. This way you can be at the beach and not have to experience the beach. Its the best of both worlds.

During the summer we use gigantic umbrellas, but in the fall its back to small umbrellas. Dont make the same mistake I made by using a huge umbrella in the fall. The wind picked me up and carried me a few blocks until I cried out shema yisrael and I was miraculously dropped in my backyard.

You want to wear a funky hat so you can look like Justin Timberlake at the beach? Sunburn. You want to look like your rabbi with a big black Borsalino fedora at the beach? No sunburn. Its as simple as that.

This is a new method I have seen Jews using the past few months, covering their mouth. This of course will protect your mouth from getting a sunburn. Its kind of like a ski mask, but without the North Face emblem. By the way, recently I learned that its an American Jewish tradition to have all winter clothes with the North Face emblem.

I have never in my life witnessed a Jewish family out for a picnic. This is because picnicking is the easiest way to get a sunburn. You might as well hold the grill to your face. Jews wait to eat until we find the pizza shop; there is no sun in there.

The Dont Picnic technique might have developed because we like eating off tables, and not on bed sheets. Also, we Jews like chairs detached from tables, not attached to a bench. We need room when we sit. The foot hole to get your body into the picnic bench takes too much stretching and agility, and my family just doesnt have it.

Sunscreen must be placed by mothers in enormous quantities. A good Jewish mother ensures that the white cream is visible everywhere on the body. Including under the hat. If your child looks like Casper the Friendly Ghost, the application has been a success.

I have seen many of my fellow Jews insist on wearing winter clothes during the summer. Its like natural sunscreen. You also look better in winter clothes. At least I do. Also, with a sweater you take off more weight in the sun by sweating. Another Jewish benefit by wearing winter clothes in the summer you save money on having only one wardrobe.

Good Jews dont wear sunglasses. We squint.

Do everything during the evening and squint; the street lights can have a sunlike affect.

Stay up all night and pray at sunrise. Then go to sleep. Its like a European siesta but all day long, and lets face it, we Jews need the rest.

Our homes in the city dont provide enough shade. For this reason, many go to The Mountains and build a home. This is a little more expensive than the hat methods, but it does keep the sun out of the eyes. Three hundred thousand dollars to get yourself out of the sun for a month seems like a wise investment. Or you could just buy sunscreen.

This is a great way to stay out of the sun during the winter. This works well for Ashkenazi Jew until they reach seventy. Then they want sun all the time. That is when they move to Florida for the winter. Or if they are smart, Israel. Celebrating seasons in the wrong time, when your neighbors cant, gives you something to feel good about. When you reach seventy, you need people to look down on.

Theres a famous story of the Jewish boy who goes to the beach with his parents and his mother yells, Dont go in the water, its cold, youll catch pneumonia Dont play in the sand, it will get in your eyes Dont look at the sun, youll squint. She then turns to a stranger, What a nervous child. It is thanks to great Jewish parents like these that we can go through the summer and never have to experience the heat.

Read this article:

How Jews Beat the Heat - Aish

Category: Ashkenazi | Comments Off on How Jews Beat the Heat – Aish
Tags:

Posted By admin on July 21, 2020

For as long as I can remember, being Jewish has been my primary identity. Once I came out in my early 40s, I embraced being gay as my second primary identity. I am proud to be both. Yet, why am I reluctant about being white?

Growing up I never thought about this. You could count the number of non-white students in my Elementary school on one hand. And so I saw myself as white becausewhat else could I be?

Yet, eventually I realized that I didnt really think of myself as white. The reason was clear. To me, white was equated with white and ChristianI was not part of the Christian majority, therefore, I wasnt truly white.

Culturally, this was nothing new. For years Jews were not seen as, nor considered themselves to be, white. Jews were a separate race. It wasnt until the mid-twentieth century that this began to change, as Jews became more successful and well-educated. Of course, this narrative does not apply to the 12-20% of American Jews who are people of color. I am referring to the Ashkenazi Jewish American community, of which I am a part.

Not considering myself to be white is not about skin color, but instead about my sense of identity and belonging. Yet, if I dont see myself as white, does that mean I dont benefit from white privilege or in any way perpetuate white supremacy?

Following the events in Charlottesville in 2017, in which a woman was killed during the Unite the Right Rally, I wrote a blog post which addressed the conundrum that Jews are both targeted by white supremacist hate while at the same timesince most of us present as whitewe benefit from white privilege.

I am not pulled over for driving in the wrong neighborhood, nor am I followed by store security guards. I am not ignored or spoken over by others in the room. People dont cross the street when they see me walking towards them; they dont challenge my right to be swimming in a pool, watching birds in the park or walking in my own neighborhood. No one assumes, in a restaurant or hotel, that I am an employee. My job applications are not passed over because of my name.

Most powerful of all: as a parent, I never needed to have the talk with my children, especially my son, about how to act if they are stopped by police. I have never needed to worry that they might get profiled while out at night, or, accused, arrested or killed because of the color of their skin.

That is white privilege. It has nothing to do with socio-economic status. It is simply based on skin color.

This is not new. Our countrys unfair system of policing and incarceration originated in order to preserve slavery and later to control former slaves. Redlining, inequitable property taxes and employment regulations are all ways that white Americans have been privileged over Black Americans and other people of color.

Its not just about white supremacist hate groups. Its about the fact that our country was founded on the self-evident truths that all white people, especially men, were supreme. Eventually, Ashkenazi Jews became widely accepted as white, even if anti-Jewish hatred and violence continued. The descendants of enslaved Africans and other people of color did not achieve that same level of communal acceptance.

Cory Booker urged the Jewish and Black communities to unite in fighting violence and prejudice during a candid conversation with Jodi Rudoren. Missed it? Watch here.

There is something insidious about this. As a Black friend pointed out, the acceptance of Jews and others as white simply gave whites a stronger majority and more power to systemically oppress Blacks.

It would be easy for me to say that I bear no guilt for our national sin of slavery, since my ancestors didnt arrive until around 1900. However, in the words of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, In a free society, some are guilty, but all are responsible. As a Jew, I may not carry guilt, but my white privilege means I still bear a responsibility to help dismantle the racist system.

As a gay Jew, I know that anti-Jewish and homophobic rhetoric and violence are both still present and increasing. Yet, I also know that when walking down the street, I am probably seen as white, and assumed to be Christian and straight. So I dont feel afraid.

In the past, I could have been arrested in America for being gay (and still can be elsewhere), and as a Jew I would have been forbidden to attend certain schools or belong to certain clubs. Yet, our nation was not created to oppress us as it was Black people.

I am proudly Jewish and gay; though both groups experience prejudice and persecution, we rise up and prevail in the face of hatred and violence and I am proud to stand tall under the banner of these identities.

However, I have no pride in being accepted as part of white America, which has built our unjust system. I have no pride in the fact that I dont have to worry when walking down the street because of the whiteness of my skin.

But it doesnt matter how I feel about being seen as white. De facto, I am white. I have a personal responsibility to not only fight racism, but to dismantle white supremacy. This begins by learning all I can about how and why systemic racism and white supremacy came to exist.

It is also my responsibility to help others in the Jewish and LGBTQ communities to understand our responsibility. Then, we need to work together with Black Americans and all people of color to break down the system and rebuild it from the ground up. Only then can we all truly dwell in one nation under God. Only then can all of us realize the self-evident truth that all humans are created in the image of God. Only then will everyone in our country treat one another with equity, compassion and justice for all. Only then will America truly be great.

Rabbi Steve Nathan is the Director of Jewish Student Life and Associate Chaplain at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. He was ordained by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, has a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology and has studied Midrashic storytelling with Peninnah Schramm and Mindfulness meditation with Rabbis Jeff Roth and Sheila Peltz Weinberg. His Torah commentaries, original midrash, poetry and more can be found at http://www.mindfultorah.org.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forward.

Read more here:

As a gay Jew, I may face discrimination - but I still have white privilege - Forward

Category: Ashkenazi | Comments Off on As a gay Jew, I may face discrimination – but I still have white privilege – Forward
Tags:

Posted By admin on July 21, 2020

Thousands of Israelis on Tuesday protested outside the official residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, demanding the embattled leaderstep down as he faces a trial on corruption charges and as his government comes under fire over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

Protesters, defying orders to maintain social distancing requirements, chanted slogans and blew horns outside Netanyahu's residence. Anti-corruption activists had set up tents outside his home on Monday.

Some demonstrators carried placards that read: "Netanyahu's corruption makes us sick," "Netanyahu, resign," and "crime minister." Many held posters, saying: "You are detached. We are fed up," or saying there is "no way" a politician under indictment can be a head of state.

At least 50 people were arrested for the alleged involvement in the protests.

Reserve General Amir Haskel, one of the protest organizers, called on people to gather on July 14, the "231st anniversary of the French revolution" to "demand liberty, equality and fraternity."

Protester Laurent Cige, who came from Tel Aviv to participate in the demonstration, told French news agency AFP: "The most deadly virus is not COVID-19, but corruption."

Read more:What will Israel's West Bank annexation plans mean for the region?

Police said they were in force on the scene trying to restore order. Towards the end of the protest, security authorities clashed with some protesters in a small confrontation.

Late in the evening, several hundred protesters marched through central Jerusalem, with some blocking the city's rail line.

The protest took place as Israel's Health Ministry announced more than 1,400 new cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours.

Thousands also protested in Tel Aviv on Saturday against Netanyahu's economic policies amid the coronavirus crisis.

A country of some 9million people, Israel has registered more than 41,200 coronavirus cases with 368 deaths.

Read more:How are new coronavirus hot spots being contained?

Netanyahu's downfall

Netanyahu, who has been prime minister of Israel for over a decade, has seen his popularity plummet in recent weeks as he comes under fire from all directions.

Critics say he reopened the economy too quickly as Israel is now experiencing a surge of new COVID-19 cases. The country's unemployment figure remains above 20% and opponents say the out-of-touch leader has failed to help thousands of struggling Israelis.

Unemployment has jumped from 3.4% in February to 27% in April, before declining slightly in May to 23.5%.

Netanyahu faces his next trial date at a Jerusalem district court on July 19. He was indicted in January for bribery, fraud and breach of trust in three cases. He stands accused of receivinglavish gifts from billionaire friends and of trading favors with media moguls for more positive coverage of himself and his family.

On March 15, Netanyahu's corruption trial was delayed for two months due to concerns about the coronavirus outbreak.

Netanyahu denies wrongdoing and has refused to resign, maintaining that the charges were a ploy to drive him from office.

In May, Netanyahu formed a new coalition government with retired military chiefs Benny Gantz and Gabi Ashkenazi after more than a year of political unrest.

Under Israeli law, a ruling prime minister is only required to resign if convicted of a criminal offense with all appeals exhausted. Analysts say that in Netanyahu's case, this could take several years.

mvb/dr (AP, AFP, dpa)

Read more here:

Thousands of protesters in Israel call on Netanyahu to resign - Deutsche Welle

Category: Ashkenazi | Comments Off on Thousands of protesters in Israel call on Netanyahu to resign – Deutsche Welle
Tags: