Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By simmons on December 4, 2016

The Anti-Defamation League on Thursday voiced its opposition to Minnesota Rep. Keith Ellisons bid to run the Democratic Party, citing deeply disturbing and disqualifying past statements about Israel.

Pointing to a resurfaced 2010 speech, the CEO of the Jewish civil rights group, Jonathan Greenblatt, questioned whether "Ellison faithfully could represent the Democratic Party's traditional support for a strong and secure Israel.

"A region of 350 million all turns on a country of 7 million. Does that make sense? Is that logic? Right?" Ellison said at the time, according to reports cited by the League.

The League's statement deals a blow to Ellison's bid to lead the Democratic National Committee. So far, he has emerged as the frontrunner with a large slate of endorsements from across the political spectrum, including incoming Senate Minority Leader Chuck SchumerCharles SchumerOvernight Finance: Trump takes victory lap at Carrier plant | House passes 'too big to fail' revamp | Trump econ team takes shape Anti-Defamation League: Ellison's past remarks about Israel 'disqualifying' Dems press Trump to keep Obama overtime rule MORE (N.Y.) and populist darling and Vermont Sen. Bernie SandersBernie SandersFive things to watch for in the DNC race Sanders: I have little hope Trump will keep promises Democrats offer double-talk on Veterans Affairs MORE.

Greenblatt's statement goes on to accuse Ellison, "whether intentional or not" of raising "the specter of age-old stereotypes about Jewish control of our government."

The statement was released just hours after a new report by CNNon ThursdaydetailedEllison's defense of Louis Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam leader who has made anti-Semitic comments in the past.

Ellison responded in an open letter to Greenblatt and the ADL.

In the letter, Ellison called himself "a strong supporter of the Jewish state, voting for more than $27 billion in aid to Israel" and adding he's committed to the safety and security of the Jewish State.

"I wish we could have spoken once again before your most recent statement. If given the opportunity, I could have provided a full and proper explanation," Ellison wrote, adding that he is "saddened" by the ADL's statement but looks forward to working with them.

His letter argues that the audio was "was selectively edited and taken out of context by an individual the Southern Poverty Law Center has called an anti-Muslim extremist.'"

"My memory is that I was responding to a question about how Americans with roots in the Middle East could engage in the political process in a more effective way. My advice was simply to get involved," he said.

"I believe that Israel and the U.S.-Israel relationship are, and should be, key considerations in shaping U.S. policy in the Middle East. Americans with roots or interests in the region should be involved in advocacy and discussions of public policy concerning the region. My response was meant to encourage those in attendance to increase their level of involvement and effectiveness."

Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, has been dogged by accusations of ties to anti-Semitism from the start of his bid, but the League originally came to his defense.

In a statement last week, Greenblatt said that while Ellison made statements and took positions the group didnt agree with, hes a man of good character an important ally in the fight against anti-Semitism and for civil rights.

Ellison is set to speak at Denver forum for DNC chairman candidates at a meeting of state party chairs Friday.

Read the original here:
Anti-Defamation League: Ellison's past remarks about Israel ...

Category: Anti-Defamation League | Comments Off on Anti-Defamation League: Ellison’s past remarks about Israel …
Tags:

Posted By admin on December 2, 2016

The Anti-Defimation League circulated a letter defending itself and its CEO Jonathan Greenblatt over charges that they are too tough on Donald Trump. | Getty

The Anti-Defamation League is forcefully pushing back on criticism that the Jewish-rooted civil rights group has drifted too far to the left after emerging as a frequent and vociferous critic of Donald Trump and members of his incoming administration.

Over the past year, certain columnists and elements of the US Jewish community have engaged in a full-scale assault on ADL and its CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, read a letter sent out to the organizations membership and reviewed by POLITICO. We came back from Thanksgiving to find that an organized, concerted effort to delegitimize ADL was underway. These charges against ADL are a significant and deliberate misrepresentation of our positions and actions.

Story Continued Below

The ADL and its CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, were often critical of Trump during the campaign, frequently calling on Trump to distance himself from white supremacists and lambasting his call for a ban on Muslim immigration. After Trumps win, the ADL strongly condemned the appointment of Stephen Bannon who has served as executive chairman of Breitbart News to a role as senior adviser and chief strategist in Trumps White House, calling it a sad day when a man who presided over the premier website of the Alt Right, a loose-knit group of white nationalists and unabashed anti-Semites and racists, assumed a top position in a presidential administration.

That posture, which was echoed by a long list of other Jewish groups, still earned the ADL criticism from outposts like the Zionist Organization of America, a group that often advocates conservative positions on Israel-related issues and has close ties to Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson. The Republican Jewish Coalition of which Adelson is a board member has also been critical of the ADL, suggesting their remarks about Trump have gone too far, and the organization has not opposed Bannon, with one board member coming out strongly in support of him, though other board members were quietly divided over Trump throughout the campaign.

In the letter, the ADL put forth what they characterized as five myths about the organization, from accusations that the organization does not support Israel (False. ADL always has been and always will be a fierce advocate for the Jewish State of Israel,), to the notion that the organization was much tougher on Bannon than on Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), a possible Democratic National Committee chair who has been critical of Israel.

Myth: ADL attacked Steve Bannon but gave Keith Ellison a pass, the letter read. Fact: False. We voiced our concerns about the placement of Steve Bannon in a senior White House role based on his statements about the Alt-Right and the writing at Breitbart. As for Representative Ellison, we also expressed concerns: it is very disturbing that someone who has been excessively critical of the State of Israel at key junctures in recent history might become the titular head of the Democratic Party.

But overall, the group rankled some conservatives because it was much more measured in its assessment of Ellison than it was of Bannon, noted the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, which also first reported the letter.

Still, Greenblatt stressed in the letter that the nonpartisan organization was just as willing to call out what they sees as problematic statements that stem from the left as from the right, adding in a separate part of the letter that the groups first priority remains combating anti-Semitism wherever it emerges. He noted that a recent conference the ADL hosted explored [anti-Semitism] from all angles, including discussions of manifestations of anti-Semitism from the radical Left in the form of the [Boycott, Divest, Sanction] movement as well as extreme Right in the form of white supremacy.

Remember that much of this campaign reflects wider trends of our time: the dangerous polarization in the US, Israel and within our community fed by the dogma that if you are not 100 percent with me you are the enemy, as well as the phenomenon of fake news where agenda-driven half-truths are presented as fact, reinforcing these hardened positions, the letter warned. But it also reflects willingness by some to pass along lies because, frankly, there are few consequences for doing so.

The organization, Greenblatt pledged, will vigorously dispute them.

More:
ADL combats criticism of being too tough on Trump

Category: Anti-Defamation League | Comments Off on ADL combats criticism of being too tough on Trump
Tags:

Posted By admin on November 30, 2016

THE ROLE OF ZIONISM IN THE HOLOCAUST Article by Rabbi Gedalya Liebermann - Australia --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Spiritually and Physically Responsible "

From its' inception, many rabbis warned of the potential dangers of Zionism and openly declared that all Jews loyal to G-d should stay away from it like one would from fire. They made their opinions clear to their congregants and to the general public. Their message was that Zionism is a chauvinistic racist phenomenon which has absolutely naught to do with Judaism. They publicly expressed that Zionism would definitely be detrimental to the well being of Jews and Gentiles and that its effects on the Jewish religion would be nothing other than destructive. Further, it would taint the reputation of Jewry as a whole and would cause utter confusion in the Jewish and non-Jewish communities. Judaism is a religion. Judaism is not a race or a nationality. That was and still remains the consensus amongst the rabbis.

We were given the Holy Land by G-d in order to be able to study and practice the Torah without disturbance and to attain levels of holiness difficult to attain outside of the Holy Land. We abused the privilege and we were expelled. That is exactly what all Jews say in their prayers on every Jewish festival, "Umipnay chatoenu golinu mayartsaynu" - "Because of our sins we were expelled from our land".

We have been forsworn by G-d "not to enter the Holy Land as a body before the predestined time", "not to rebel against the nations", to be loyal citizens, not to do anything against the will of any nation or its honour, not to seek vengeance, discord, restitution or compensation; "not to leave exile ahead of time." On the contrary; we have to be humble and accept the yoke of exile.

(Talmud Tractate Ksubos p. 111a).

To violate the oaths is not only a sin, it is a heresy because it is against the fundamentals of our Belief. Only through complete repentance will the Almighty alone, without any human effort or intervention, redeem us from exile. This will be after G-d will send the prophet Elijah and Moshiach who will induce all Jews to complete repentance. At that time there will be universal peace.

THE UNHEEDED CRY

All of the leading Jewish religious authorities of that era predicted great hardship to befall humanity generally and the Jewish People particularly, as a result of Zionism. To be a Jew means that either one is born to a Jewish mother or converts to the religion with the condition that he or she make no reservations with regard to Jewish Law. Unfortunately there are many Jews who have no inkling whatsoever as to the duties of a Jew. Many of them are not to blame, for in many cases they lacked a Jewish education and upbringing. But there are those who deliberately distort the teachings of our tradition to suit their personal needs. It is self understood that not just anyone has the right or the ability to make a decision regarding the philosophy or law of a religion. Especially matters in which that person has no qualification. It follows then that those individuals who "decided" that Judaism is a nationality are to be ignored and even criticized. It is no secret that the founders of Zionism had never studied Jewish Law nor did they express interest in our holy tradition. They openly defied Rabbinical authority and self-appointed themselves as leaders of the Jewish "nation". In Jewish history, actions like those have always spelled disaster. To be a Jew and show open defiance of authority or to introduce "amendment" or "innovation" without first consulting with those officially appointed as Jewish spiritual leaders is the ideal equation to equal catastrophe. One can not just decide to "modernize" ancient traditions or regulations. The spiritual leaders of contemporary Judaism better known as Orthodox rabbis have received ordination to judge and interpret matters pertaining to the Jewish faith. These rabbis have received their rights and responsibilities and form a link in the unbroken chain of the Jewish tradition dating all the way back to Moses who received the Torah from Almighty G-d Himself. It was these very rabbis who, at the time of the formation of the Zionist movement, foresaw the pernicious outcome that was without a doubt lined up. It was a man possessing outstanding Judaic genius, and a level of uncontested holiness who enunciated the Jewish stance regarding Zionism.

This charismatic individual, the Rebbe of Satmar, Grand Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, did not mince any words. Straight to the point he called Zionism "the work of Satan", "a sacrilege" and "a blasphemy". He forbade any participation with anything even remotely associated with Zionism and said that Zionism was bound to call the wrath of G-d upon His people. He maintained this stance with unwavering bravery from the onset of Zionism whilst he was still in Hungary up until his death in New York where he lead a congregation numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Grand Rabbi Teitelbaum, scion to a legacy of holy mystics and Hassidic Masters unfortunately had his prediction fulfilled. We lost more than six million of our brothers, sisters, sons and daughters in a very horrible manner. This, more than six million holy people had to experience as punishment for the Zionist stupidity. The Holocaust, he wept, was a direct result of Zionism, a punishment from G-d.

IT IS COMMON KNOWLEDGE THAT ALL THE SAGES AND SAINTS IN EUROPE AT THE TIME OF HITLER'S RISE DECLARED THAT HE WAS A MESSENGER OF DIVINE WRATH, SENT TO CHASTEN THE JEWS BECAUSE OF THE BITTER APOSTASY OF ZIONISM AGAINST THE BELIEF IN THE EVENTUAL MESSIANIC REDEMPTION.

But it doesn't end there. It wasn't enough for the Zionist leaders to have aroused the wrath of G-d. They made a point of displaying abysmal contempt for their Jewish brothers and sisters by actively participating in their extermination. Just the idea alone of Zionism, which the rabbis had informed them would cause havoc, was not enough for them. They made an effort to pour fuel on an already burning flame. They had to incite the Angel of Death, Adolf Hitler. They took the liberty of telling the world that they represented World Jewry. Who appointed these individuals as leaders of the Jewish People?? It is no secret that these so-called "leaders" were ignoramuses when it came to Judaism. Atheists and racists too. These are the "statesmen" who organized the irresponsible boycott against Germany in 1933. This boycott hurt Germany like a fly attacking an elephant - but it brought calamity upon the Jews of Europe. At a time when America and England were at peace with the mad-dog Hitler, the Zionist "statesmen" forsook the only plausible method of political amenability; and with their boycott incensed the leader of Germany to a frenzy. Genocide began, but these people, if they can really be classified as members of the human race, sat back.

"No Shame"

President Roosevelt convened the Evian conference July 6-15 1938, to deal with the Jewish refugee problem. The Jewish Agency delegation headed by Golda Meir (Meirson) ignored a German offer to allow Jews to emigrate to other countries for $250 a head, and the Zionists made no effort to influence the United States and the 32 other countries attending the conference to allow immigration of German and Austrian Jews. [Source]

On Feb 1, 1940 Henry Montor executive vice-President of the United Jewish Appeal refused to intervene for a shipload of Jewish refugees stranded on the Danube river, stating that "Palestine cannot be flooded with... old people or with undesirables." [Source]

Read "The Millions That Could Have Been Saved" by I.DombIt is an historical fact that in 1941 and again in 1942, the German Gestapo offered all European Jews transit to Spain, if they would relinquish all their property in Germany and Occupied France; on condition that: a) none of the deportees travel from Spain to Palestine; and b) all the deportees be transported from Spain to the USA or British colonies, and there to remain; with entry visas to be arranged by the Jews living there; and c) $1000.00 ransom for each family to be furnished by the Agency, payable upon the arrival of the family at the Spanish border at the rate of 1000 families daily.

The Zionist leaders in Switzerland and Turkey received this offer with the clear understanding that the exclusion of Palestine as a destination for the deportees was based on an agreement between the Gestapo and the Mufti.

The answer of the Zionist leaders was negative, with the following comments: a) ONLY Palestine would be considered as a destination for the deportees. b) The European Jews must accede to suffering and death greater in measure than the other nations, in order that the victorious allies agree to a "Jewish State" at the end of the war. c) No ransom will be paid This response to the Gestapo's offer was made with the full knowledge that the alternative to this offer was the gas chamber.

These treacherous Zionist leaders betrayed their own flesh and blood. Zionism was never an option for Jewish salvation. Quite the opposite, it was a formula for human beings to be used as pawns for the power trip of several desperadoes. A perfidy! A betrayal beyond description!

In 1944, at the time of the Hungarian deportations, a similar offer was made, whereby all Hungarian Jewry could be saved. The same Zionist hierarchy again refused this offer (after the gas chambers had already taken a toll of millions).

The British government granted visas to 300 rabbis and their families to the Colony of Mauritius, with passage for the evacuees through Turkey. The "Jewish Agency" leaders sabotaged this plan with the observation that the plan was disloyal to Palestine, and the 300 rabbis and their families should be gassed.

On December 17, 1942 both houses of the British Parliament declared its readiness to find temporary refuge for endangered persons. The British Parliament proposed to evacuate 500,000 Jews from Europe, and resettle them in British colonies, as a part of diplomatic negotiations with Germany. This motion received within two weeks a total of 277 Parliamentary signatures. On Jan. 27, when the next steps were being pursued by over 100 M.P.'s and Lords, a spokesman for the Zionists announced that the Jews would oppose the motion because Palestine was omitted. [Source]

On Feb. 16, 1943 Roumania offered 70,000 Jewish refugees of the Trans-Dniestria to leave at the cost of $50 each. This was publicized in the New York papers. Yitzhak Greenbaum, Chairman of the Rescue Committee of the Jewish Agency, addressing the Zionist Executive Council in Tel Aviv Feb. 18 1943 said, "when they asked me, "couldn't you give money out of the United Jewish Appeal funds for the rescue of Jews in Europe, I said NO! and I say again, NO!...one should resist this wave which pushes the Zionist activities to secondary importance." On Feb. 24, 1943 Stephen Wise, President of the American Jewish Congress and leader of the American Zionists issued a public refusal to this offer and declared no collection of funds would seem justified. In 1944, the Emergency Committee to Save the Jewish People called upon the American government to establish a War Refugee Board. Stephen Wise testifying before a special committee of Congress objected to this proposal. [Source]

During the course of the negotiations mentioned above, Chaim Weizman, the first "Jewish statesman" stated: "The most valuable part of the Jewish nation is already in Palestine, and those Jews living outside Palestine are not too important". Weizman's cohort, Greenbaum, amplified this statement with the observation "One cow in Palestine is worth more than all the Jews in Europe".

And then, after the bitterest episode in Jewish history, these Zionist "statesmen" lured the broken refugees in the DP camps to remain in hunger and deprivation, and to refuse relocation to any place but Palestine; only for the purpose of building their State.

In 1947 Congressman William Stration sponsored a bill to immediately grant entry to the United States of 400,000 displaced persons. The bill was not passed after it was publicly denounced by the Zionist leadership. [Source]

These facts are read with consternation and unbearable shame. How can it be explained that at a time during the last phase of the war, when the Nazis were willing to barter Jews for money, partly because of their desires to establish contact with the Western powers which, they believed, were under Jewish influence, how was it possible one asks that the self-proclaimed "Jewish leaders" did not move heaven and earth to save the last remnant of their brothers?

On Feb. 23, 1956 the Hon. J. W. Pickersgill, Minister for Immigration was asked in the Canadian House of Commons "would he open the doors of Canada to Jewish refugees". He replied "the government has made no progress in that direction because the government of Israel....does not wish us to do so". [Source]

In 1972, the Zionist leadership successfully opposed an effort in the United States Congress to allow 20,000-30,000 Russian refugees to enter the United States. Jewish relief organizations, Joint and HIAS, were being pressured to abandon these refugees in Vienna, Rome and other Europiean cities. [Source] The pattern is clear!!! Humanitarian rescue efforts are subverted to narrow Zionist interests.

There were many more shocking crimes committed by these abject degenerates known as "Jewish statesmen", we could list many more example, but for the time being let anyone produce a valid excuse for the above facts.

Zionist responsibility for the Holocaust is threefold.

1. The Holocaust was a punishment for disrespecting The Three Oaths (see Talmud, Tractate Kesubos p. 111a).

2. Zionist leaders openly withheld support, both financially and otherwise, to save their fellow brothers and sisters from a cruel death.

3. The leaders of the Zionist movement cooperated with Hitler and his cohorts on many occasions and in many ways.

Zionists Offer a Military Alliance with Hitler

It would be wishful thinking if it could be stated that the leaders of the Zionist movement sat back and ignored the plight of their dying brothers and sisters. Not only did they publicly refuse to assist in their rescue, but they actively participated with Hitler and the Nazi regime. Early in 1935, a passenger ship bound for Haifa in Palestine left the German port of Bremerhaven. Its stern bore the Hebrew letter for its name, "Tel Aviv", while a swastika banner fluttered from the mast. And although the ship was Zionist owned, its captain was a National Socialist Party (Nazi) member. Many years later a traveler aboard the ship recalled this symbolic combination as a "metaphysical absurdity". Absurd or not, this is but one vignette from a little-known chapter of history: The wide ranging collaboration between Zionism and Hitler's Third Reich. In early January 1941 a small but important Zionist organization submitted a formal proposal to German diplomats in Beirut for a military-political alliance with wartime Germany. The offer was made by the radical underground "Fighters for the Freedom of Israel", better known as the Lehi or Stern Gang. Its leader, Avraham Stern, had recently broken with the radical nationalist "National Military Organization" (Irgun Zvai Leumi - Etzel) over the group's attitude toward Britain, which had effectively banned further Jewish settlement of Palestine. Stern regarded Britain as the main enemy of Zionism.

This remarkable proposal "for the solution of the Jewish question in Europe and the active participation on the NMO [Lehi] in the war on the side of Germany" is worth quoting at some length:

"The NMO which is very familiar with the goodwill of the German Reich government and its officials towards Zionist activities within Germany and the Zionist emigration program takes the view that: 1.Common interests can exist between a European New Order based on the German concept and the true national aspirations of the Jewish people as embodied by the NMO. 2.Cooperation is possible between the New Germany and a renewed, folkish-national Jewry. 3.The establishment of the Jewish state on a national and totalitarian basis, and bound by treaty, with the German Reich, would be in the interest of maintaining and strengthening the future German position of power in the Near East.

"On the basis of these considerations, and upon the condition that the German Reich government recognize the national aspirations of the Israel Freedom Movement mentioned above, the NMO in Palestine offers to actively take part in the war on the side of Germany.

"This offer by the NMO could include military, political and informational activity within Palestine and, after certain organizational measures, outside as well. Along with this the "Jewish" men of Europe would be militarily trained and organized in military units under the leadership and command of the NMO. They would take part in combat operations for the purpose of conquering Palestine, should such a front be formed.

"The indirect participation of the Israel Freedom Movement in the New Order of Europe, already in the preparatory stage, combined with a positive-radical solution of the European-Jewish problem on the basis of the national aspirations of the Jewish people mentioned above, would greatly strengthen the moral foundation of the New Order in the eyes of all humanity.

"The cooperation of the Israel Freedom Movement would also be consistent with a recent speech by the German Reich Chancellor, in which Hitler stressed that he would utilize any combination and coalition in order to isolate and defeat England".

(Original document in German Auswertiges Amt Archiv, Bestand 47-59, E224152 and E234155-58. Complete original text published in: David Yisraeli, The Palestinian Problem in German Politics 1889-1945 (Israel: 1947) pp. 315-317).

On the basis of their similar ideologies about ethnicity and nationhood, National Socialists and Zionists worked together for what each group believed was in its own national interests.

This is just one example of the Zionist movements' collaboration with Hitler for the purpose of possibly receiving jurisdiction over a minute piece of earth, Palestine.

And to top it all up, brainwashing!

How far this unbelievable Zionist conspiracy has captured the Jewish masses, and how impossible it is for any different thought to penetrate their minds, even to the point of mere evaluation, can be seen in the vehemence of the reaction to any reproach. With blinded eyes and closed ears, any voice raised in protest and accusation is immediately suppressed and deafened by the thousandfold cry: "Traitor," "Enemy of the Jewish People."

Source for paragraphs marked "[Source]": The Wall Street Journal December 2, 1976

The data presented on this page was prepared by AJAZ.

Follow this link:
THE ROLE OF ZIONISM IN THE HOLOCAUST | True Torah Jews

Category: Zionism | Comments Off on THE ROLE OF ZIONISM IN THE HOLOCAUST | True Torah Jews
Tags:

Posted By simmons on November 25, 2016

What is the Bnai Brith Justice Unit #5207?

Itis a local chapter of Bnai Brith International. Its members consist of Jewish attorneys and judges, located primarily Broward County, Florida. BBJUhas provided an important avenue for civic and social involvement of our members while carrying out the ideals of Bnai Brith. BBJUsponsors social, educational and charitable programs for its members in conjunction with other Broward County voluntary bar associations and professional organizations.

We focus on Jewish tradition and the Jewish future. We support Bnai Brith ideals and work to promote local, national and international charities. We offer the opportunity to build camaraderie and network with local attorneys and judges. We provide social as well as educational events. ( CLE credit may be available ) We demonstrate leadership by example. We contribute to the communitys needs by assisting Hatikvah House residents in Coral Springs, supporting Jewish Adoption & Foster Care Options (JAFCO), offering mentoring programs for young adults and providing other needed resources to the community. We contribute to the legal professions needs by recognizing excellence in law students at local law schools, participating in Law Day activities, the 17th Judicial Circuit Robing Ceremony and other judicial and bar association functions.

Why Bnai Brith? Click here to find out.

Read the original post:
B'NAI B'RITH JUSTICE UNIT

Category: B'nai B'rith | Comments Off on B’NAI B’RITH JUSTICE UNIT
Tags:

Posted By admin on November 25, 2016

People protest the appointment of white nationalist alt-right media mogul, former Breitbart News head Steve Bannon, to be chief strategist of the White House by President-elect Donald Trump on Nov. 16, near City Hall in Los Angeles, Calif.MCNEW/AFP/Getty Images) David McNew/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

People protest the appointment of white nationalist alt-right media mogul, former Breitbart News head Steve Bannon, to be chief strategist of the White House by President-elect Donald Trump on Nov. 16, near City Hall in Los Angeles, Calif.MCNEW/AFP/Getty Images)

Meeting with The New York Times today, Donald Trump said the words many have been waiting for: "I disavow and condemn them."

He was answering a question about a gathering of the so-called alt-right a few days ago in Washington. The views of the self-described alt-right are widely seen as anti-Semitic and white supremacist.

A video taken at the conference by The Atlantic for a documentary out next month shows a speaker calling out "Hail Trump! Hail our people! Hail victory!" The crowd responds with cheers; some, with Nazi salutes.

This kind of behavior doesn't shock Deborah Lauter, senior vice president for policy and programs with the Anti-Defamation League.

"We've been monitoring these groups for decades," she tells NPR's Kelly McEvers. "But it is shocking to most people (it) should be and, in a way it's good for people to understand that it still exists, and that, unfortunately, it's growing."

On Donald Trump's disavowal of the alt-right

I was very pleased to hear that he used the words "condemn" and "disavow" we've been asking him to do that over the course of the campaign and post-election. ... I think he's gonna need to continue to do it. It's an important statement for him to make, and it's important for the white supremacists who are touting him as their new leader to hear that he is not in their camp.

On the uptick of harassment and hate speech since the election

That's probably our biggest concern. ... This mainstreaming of hate speech is something we never really thought we'd see in this country again. ...

It's a definite, dramatic increase. It's manifesting as vandalism a lot of swastikas, we're seeing but it's also manifesting in diverse schools where some children, particularly immigrant children, or families of immigrants, are being taunted and bullied.

So the key is for people to continue to report those incidents, because we can't address it unless we know about them and can provide support. ...

It's a coarsening of our democracy, and it makes people who live here feel fear and insecurity. And that's just not what our country is about.

On whether recent incidents mark a turning point

I hope it's not a turning point. I would probably refer to it more as a wake-up call. The Anti-Defamation League has always said we need to fight hate in a comprehensive way, and now that it's been exposed so graphically and in the public's face, I think what we need is for people to really heed that wake-up call and stand up to the hate.

On what people who oppose the alt-right can do

It's imperative that good people speak out. So if they do witness someone who is being harassed or bullied because they have a hijab on, for example they need to be an ally, they need to step forward and say this is not acceptable. For people who see incidents in their community whether it's a swastika or other bigoted incident come together as a community and stand up and say our neighborhood will not tolerate this.

There are things individuals can do, communities can do, but it's essential that we not be passive about it. And I think people who are doing this have a sense of pride that they are being part of something bigger and that they're helping this country return to normalcy of civility.

View original post here:
Anti-Defamation League Official: Racist Incidents 'A Wake-Up ...

Category: Anti-Defamation League | Comments Off on Anti-Defamation League Official: Racist Incidents ‘A Wake-Up …
Tags:

Posted By admin on November 23, 2016

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

Greenblatt last week stirred controversy by baselessly smearing Steve Bannon for associations with anti-Semites. Those charges collapsedafter Jewish leaders and Breitbart employees described Bannon as staunchly pro-Israel and a fighter of anti-Semitism, with the ADL itself conceding on Thursday that it is not aware of any anti-Semitic statements made by Bannon himself.

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

Bannon, Breitbarts former executive chairman, was named by President-elect Donald Trumplast week as chief strategist ofthe new White House administration.

Greenblatt in November 2014 was appointed head of the ADL, coming straight from the Obama administration, where he served as Director of the White House Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation.

Greenblatts official ADL bioshowslittle documented experience in combating anti-Semitism.

Greenblatt was an ADL intern while a graduate student at Tufts University, but the Forward newspaper reportedthat his professional life took him to other directions.

Continued the paper:

He managed real estate and later co-founded a socially conscience business venture, Ethos Brands, which sold bottled water while donating part of the profits to clean water programs. The company was later sold to Starbucks and Greenblatt became a vice president of the giant coffee shop conglomerate. He later served as head of GOOD media company and founded the not-for-profit All for Good, an Internet platform connecting volunteers with organizations seeking help. Greenblatt also taught social entrepreneurship at UCLA.

Soros ties

Until his appointment as head ofObamas Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation, Greenblatt served as Director of the Impact Economy Initiative at the George Soros-funded Aspen Institute.

Curiously, that role is not mentioned in Greenblatts ADL bio, which simply states that he is a member of the 2006 class of Henry Crown Fellows at the Aspen Institute. The Fellowship describes itself as seeking to develop the next generation of community-spirited leaders, providing them with the tools necessary to meet the challenges of business and civic leadership in the 21st century.

Besides funding from Soros, Aspen has hosted Soros on numerous occasions, including one reportedly clandestine summit aimed at devisinga strategy to defeat George W. Bush in the 2004 election.

The Aspen Institutes official mission statement is nondescript. It says the organization seeks to:

Spark intellectual inquiry and exchange, connecting new concepts to timeless values.

Create a diverse worldwide community of leaders committed to the greater good.

Provide a nonpartisan forum for reaching solutions on vital public policy issues.

Like Aspens generalized mission statement, Greenblatt described what he meant by Impact Economy, the namesake of the Aspen division that he directed, in general terms. He stated in a 2011 interview that Impact Economy focuses on national competitiveness, social impact and environmental benefit a phenomenon that encompasses a wide range of sectors including community enterprises and clean tech as well as new fields such as affordable living and ethical brands.

Discover the Networks reports on Aspens mission thusly:

Encompassing a broad range of issues, many of AIs policy-work programs are rooted in the belief that the United States is a nation whose history amounts largely to an unbroken narrative of injustice; that government intervention frequently represents the best remedy for social and economic problems; and that Americas deep-seated structural racism, while harder to see than its previous incarnations, is just as likely as its forerunner to perpetuate racial group inequity.

Indeed, the term structural racism is a major theme on Aspens website.And it has been the theme of numerous Aspen publications and events. A closer look may help explain Greenblatts institutional background at Aspen as it relates to his perspective on issues of racism.

Aspen defines structural racism, which it contends continues to impact the U.S., as:

A system in which public policies, institutional practices, culturalrepresentations, and other norms work in various, often reinforcing ways to perpetuateracial group inequity. It identifies dimensions of our history and culture that have allowedprivileges associated with whiteness and disadvantages associated with color to endure andadapt over time. Structural racism is not something that a few people or institutions choose to practice. Instead it has been a feature of the social, economic and political systems in which we allexist.

An Aspen blog post regarding the Institutes Roundtable on Community Change contends:

From both historical and contemporary standpoints, whites have possessed advantages in all of the principal opportunity domains for a long time, including education, employment, housing, health care, political representation, and media influence. It has accumulated into an understanding among whites (and perhaps others) that whiteness is the default setting for race in America and that it is the assumed color of our nation.

Aspens roundtable suggested the use of a structural racism lens to understand the following concepts:

The racial legacy of our past.

How racism persists in our national policies, institutional practices, and cultural representations.

How racism is transmitted and either amplified or mitigated through public, private, and community institutions.

How individuals internalize and respond to racialized structures.

The roundtable concluded it is important to challenge the American ideals of equal opportunity and meritocracy by considering the following:

The notion of the fairness of the system.

Consider where we, as individuals, fit into and help sustain structural racism, especially in the media and popular culture.

Reflect on the role that social service, community development, or philanthropic organizations play in the maintenance of racial inequity.

Soross Open Society Foundations has provided numerous grants to the Aspen Institute totaling at least $515,000.

In August 2004, Soros reportedly attended a clandestine summit meeting that took place at the Aspen Institute, in Colorados Rocky Mountains. The participants, all Democrats, were sworn to secrecy and, according to the New Yorker, included Soros and four other billionaires who shared a common goal: to use their fortunes to engineer the defeat of President George W. Bush in the 2004 election.

In 2006, National Review Online reported:

Soros, through his Open Society Institute, provides support for the Aspen Institute, which runs various activities in support of its stated mission of foster[ing] enlightened leadership and open-minded dialogue. Among these activities are its Justice and Society Seminars, which often have federal judges as participants. The Aspen Institute has waived the steep seminar fee (currently up to $6,950) for participating federal judges, and also has covered their expenses for travel, lodging, and meals.

Soros himself spoke at a July 2004 Aspen event titled Americas Role in the Fight Against Global Poverty.

In August 2006, Aspen hosted Soros again for a speech about his book released that year, titled, The Age of Fallibility: Consequences of the War on Terror.

Jim Spiegelman, Aspens director of communications, formerly served as special assistant to Soros, Spiegelmans Aspen bio notes.

Soros-funded J Street

Greenblatt, meanwhile, stirred controversy for remarks he made about Israel at a speech earlier this year to J Street, the Soros-financed liberal Middle East activist organization.

J Street has been critical of Israeli anti-terror operations, considers Israeli settlements an obstacle to peace, and strongly supported the Iran nuclear deal labeled by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a threat to Israels very survival.

The pro-Israel Zionist Organization of America compiled some of Greenblatts most controversial statements at the J Street speech alongside ZOAs concerns about those statements.

ZOA says Greenblatt wrongly blamed both sides for acts that are the sole responsibility of Palestinian Arabs and their leaders.

This was a response to Greenblatts statements:We must be on guard for those who place blame on one side instead of putting forward solutions that acknowledge the role and responsibility of both sides and both sides need more investment and less intifada, more business and less boycott, more help and less hate.

ZOA contended that Greenblatt falsely accused fellow Jews of Islamophobia and marginalizing Palestinians and claimed that the Palestinian narrative is legitimate.

Greenblatt stated at the J Street dinner: We should not stand idly by when those in our community exhibit Islamophobia or deny the rights of the marginalized, Palestinian or otherwise. So, when it comes to striving for a two state solution, its critical for two parties to meet halfway. Both sides need to acknowledge the legitimacy of the others narrative. We need equal pressure for equality.

The ZOA noted that the Palestinian narrative consists of the false claim that Jews living on Jewish land are occupiers that stole their own land from Palestinian Arabs. The Palestinian narrative also falsely claims that Jerusalem and the Temple Mount are Islamic holy places that Jews are defiling, and that Jews have no connection to Jerusalem.

The ZOA argued Greenblatt falsely implied that Israel does not protect Arab citizens rights today, and instead portrayed protecting Arab citizens rights as a future aspiration for which activists must fight.

Greenblatt stated: We want to see Israel as a democratic country that acknowledges[sic] and protects[sic] the rights of all its citizens, Ashkenazi and Sephardic, Sabra and immigrant, Jew and Arab.

The ZOA further protested:

Israel in fact already protects the rights of all its citizens, including its Arab citizens. Israeli Arabs vote in Israeli elections; serve as doctors, lawyers and top judges in Israel; and even sit as members of the Israeli Knesset, despite supporting Israels enemies. Israeli Arab MKs have visited and comforted families of Arab terrorists who murdered Jews,joined the IHH flotilla to break the Israeli blockade of arms shipments to Hamas,urged Islamist terrorist group Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah to fight Israel, and supported the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers.

The ZOA wrote that Greenblatt encouraged criticism of Israel as to why there is no twostate solution whole ignoring that the Palestinians rejected offers of a state in 1937, 1947, 2000, and 2008, and have refused to even come to the bargaining table in recentyears.

The ZOA was referring toGreenblatts statement: Looking back [after the hopes of Oslo], some disagree about what happened or how we get to that two-state solution. We can and should have a robust debate. We can criticize and argue with our brothers and sisters in Israel, and with their government. I know I do. I know ADL does. Greenblatt also said: We can seek to support Palestinian self-determination.

Jerusalem Post columnist and veteran international Jewish leader Isi Leibler protested not only Greenblatts statements on Israel, but the ADL chiefs attendance at a J Street event, which Leibler feared would provide legitimacy to the controversial organization.

The negative impact of Greenblatts overtures to J Street should not be underestimated. This is a crucial period in Israel-US relations. For one of the wealthiest Jewish establishment bodies to shower praise on an organization with a consistent track record of undermining and demonizing Israel and to call for its inclusion in the big tent will surely serve to encourage Obama to exert pressure against Israel in the last months of his tenure.

Aaron Klein is Breitbarts Jerusalem bureau chief and senior investigative reporter. He is a New York Times bestselling author and hosts the popular weekend talk radio program, Aaron Klein Investigative Radio. Follow him onTwitter @AaronKleinShow.Follow him onFacebook.

With research by Brenda J. Elliott.

See more here:
ADL Chief Who Smeared Steve Bannon Directed Project at Soros ...

Category: Anti-Defamation League | Comments Off on ADL Chief Who Smeared Steve Bannon Directed Project at Soros …
Tags:

Posted By simmons on November 23, 2016

Finding Apartments for Rent in Deerfield Beach, FL

Deerfield Beach is a beautiful coastal town in Florida. It is located along the eastern coast between Boca Raton and Pompano Beach. Even though this is considered to be part of the Miami Metropolitan area, it is actually a smaller community. Here are a few things about Deerfield Beach, FL that you should know if you are considering living here.

The Best Neighborhoods in Deerfield Beach, FL

This quaint town in South Florida has plenty to offer, including a wide variety of different housing options. When looking for the right place to live, one of the things that is helpful to know is the best neighborhoods. If you want to live right on the water, then the Ocean Vue neighborhood is the place to be. This is made up of high rise condos as well as high dollar single family homes that sit right one the beach. This gives you private access to the ocean.

Learn More about Deerfield Beach

Read more here:
B'nai B'rith Apartments Rentals - Deerfield Beach, FL ...

Category: B'nai B'rith | Comments Off on B’nai B’rith Apartments Rentals – Deerfield Beach, FL …
Tags:

Posted By simmons on November 21, 2016

Title Length Color Rating Everday Use: African-American Heritage - "Everyday Use:" African-American Heritage Everyone is raised within a culture with a set of customs and morals handed down by those generations before us. As individuals, we view and experience heritage in different ways. During history, different ethnic groups have struggled with finding their place within society. In the 1950s and 60s African Americans faced a great deal of political and social discrimination based on the tone of their skin. After the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, many African Americans no longer wanted to be identified by their African American lifestyle, so they began to practice African culture by taking on "Afro hairdos, African-influenced clothing, and adoptio... [tags: Alice Walker] 1155 words (3.3 pages) Strong Essays [preview] African American History: Heritage, not Hate - African American History: "Heritage, not Hate" When exploring African-American history, the most important things to focus on are that because of the times, black people were enslaved and treated poorly. They endured it all and worked hard to rise above the boundaries of slavery and prejudice. However, the most portentous aspect of African-American history is that it's heritage; it's history; and it's over. Jane Minor was born as Gensey Snow around the late 1700's or early 1800's. She was born into slavery and freed around 1825 when she changed her name.... [tags: American America History] 415 words (1.2 pages) Strong Essays [preview] Defining African-American Heritage in Everyday Use by Alice Walker - Missing Works Cited Everyday Use,: Defining African-American Heritage In ,Everyday Use,, Alice Walker tells a story of a mother,s problematic relationship with her two daughters. At this side, ,Everyday Use, tells that how a mother little by little refuses the cursory values of her older, successful daughter at the aspect of the practical values of her younger, less fortunate daughter. On a deeper side, Alice Walker looks for the concept of heritage and its norms as it applies to African-Americans.... [tags: essays research papers] 2907 words (8.3 pages) Strong Essays [preview] The Significance of the Blues in History - The blues is a musical genre that was created in the fields by slaves as a way of communication that was not understood by their masters and overseers. Slaves sang about their misfortunes, the sadness and abuse they received on the plantations. This music would eventually evolve into lyrics that had a one line stance that would repeat four times. Blues were more of an emotion driven by long lost love, betrayal, adultery, and sadness. The blues progressed in the Mississippi Delta to New Orleans.... [tags: African American Heritage, Blackface Minstrels] :: 6 Works Cited 1742 words (5 pages) Powerful Essays [preview] What Heritage Really Means and What it May be Portrayed As - ... Dee misinterprets the essential meaning of the quilts and how they were created because of her understanding to the traditional African culture she became deeply influenced. However, these quilts were a representation of Dees significant family members, and they were meaningful to Mama and Maggie because they understood the importance of these quilts that were so carefully sown. They had been pieced by Grandma Dee and then Big Dee and me had hung them on the quilt frames on the front porch and quilted them (Walker 1129).... [tags: heritage, alice walker, everyday use] 656 words (1.9 pages) Better Essays [preview] African American History in America - In From Slavery to Freedom (2007), it was said that the transition from slavery to freedom represents one of the major themes in the history of African Diaspora in the Americas (para. 1). African American history plays an important role in American history not only because the Civil Rights Movement, but because of the strength and courage of Afro-Americans struggling to live a good life in America. Afro-Americans have been present in this country since the early 1600s, and have been making history since.... [tags: History Blacks African American] :: 9 Works Cited 1055 words (3 pages) Strong Essays [preview] America Should Pay Reparations to African Americans - America Should Pay Reparations to African Americans The United States government should pay reparations to African Americans as a means of admitting their wrong-doing and making amends. The damages African Americans have sustained from White Americas policy of slavery have been agonizing and inhumane. Therefore, I am in favor of reparations for African Americans. The effect of slavery has been an enduring issue within the African American community. Many of us are cognizant of the harm racism brought to the African American race, conveyed through slavery, racial segregation and discrimination.... [tags: African Americans Slavery Racism Essays] 1153 words (3.3 pages) Strong Essays [preview] Death and the African American Literature - Racism in the United States is without a doubt one of the most gruesome forms of inhumanity. This disease generated the dehumanization of slavery which has taken the lives of innumerable innocent African Americans. It has also robbed a whole race of their identities, heritages and cultures. Throughout the myriad of novels, excerpts, poems, videos and other forms of literature that we encountered in this course, it is unmistakable that the African American literary tradition demonstrates that the past (the unbelievable sufferings of African Americans) can never be arrested and forgotten.... [tags: Racial Relations, Racism] 2485 words (7.1 pages) Powerful Essays [preview] The Importance of Heritage in "Everyday Use" - In Everyday Use by Alice Walker the exact setting is never revealed and therefore, can only be guessed, but it has been guessed that the story takes place on a country side in Georgia. At one point in the story Augusta is mentioned. The time is also estimated to be during the Civil Rights Movement around the year of 1973. Mrs. Johnson, along with her two daughters, reside in a small three room house, and take pride in there small yard. As Maggie and Dee grow older they start to realize how important their heritage, and family heirlooms are, Maggie in particular.... [tags: Literary Analysis ] :: 5 Works Cited 844 words (2.4 pages) Good Essays [preview] African American Hardships - African American Hardships During pre-colonial African kinship and inheritance, it provided the bases of organization of many African American communities. African American men were recognized for the purpose of inheritance. They also inherited their clan names based on their accomplishments, as well as other things when one decease. Land was not owned in many parts of Africa during the pre-colonial period. It was yet held and distributed by African American men. Access to the land by women depended on their obligations or duties within the gendered division of labor.... [tags: African American Studies] 1290 words (3.7 pages) Good Essays [preview] Is The African American Family Slowly Disintegrating? - Is The African American Family Slowly Disintegrating. America, as we know it today, is composed of an eclectic mix of cultures including African, Asian, Hispanic, Native American as well as diverse European cultures. These cultures have amalgamated in some ways, but in other ways certain cultures have established themselves as dominant, immensely contributing to the paradigm shifts in the American culture. The English language, for example, is the language that is prevalently spoken in the United States today; it is traditionally associated with the Yankees who have European descent.... [tags: Family African American Black Essays] :: 3 Works Cited 1485 words (4.2 pages) Powerful Essays [preview] Respecting Heritage and No Discrimination - In 1 Timothy 5:8, it says, If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (The Holy Bible). Many people have become prideful of them and have rejected anyone who is unlike himself or herself. However, the bible teaches that if anyone rejects and does not care for his or her relatives, then that person is no better than a worldly person who does not have faith and belief. In the short story Everyday Use by Alice Walker, the narrator, mama, tries to comprehend the true significance of heritage.... [tags: Discrimination ] :: 1 Works Cited 936 words (2.7 pages) Better Essays [preview] The Role of Female African American Sculptors in the Harlem Renaissance - The Role of Female African American Sculptors in the Harlem Renaissance The Harlem Renaissance, a time of global appreciation for the black culture, was a door opening for African American women. Until then, African Americans, let alone African American women, were neither respected nor recognized in the artistic world. During this time of this New Negro Movement, women sculptors were able to connect their heritages with the present issues in America. There is an abundance of culture and history to be learned from these sculptures because the artists creatively intertwine both.... [tags: American America History] :: 6 Works Cited 1699 words (4.9 pages) Powerful Essays [preview] Gwendolyn Brooks: An African American Poet - Gwendolyn Brooks did not let her hurdles in life slow her down. In fact, Brooks used her obstacles to her advantage, and sprinted towards the finish line. Gwendolyn faced financial struggles, and limited opportunities due to her racial background. However, Brooks achieved many accomplishments and used her African American heritage to become one of Americas best poetic authors. Gwendolyn Brooks has said that her poetry was written for blacks and about blacks, yet any person of any race can relate to the universal themes portrayed in her pieces.... [tags: Literature, Biography, Author] :: 6 Works Cited 1128 words (3.2 pages) Strong Essays [preview] Understanding Ones Values and Heritage - In Everyday Use by Alice Walker, she describes a persons legacy as particularly useful and sacred through quilting. Walker is an American writer who is best known for her novel The Color Purple, which won an Academy Award in 1985 after it was made into a movie. Dee and Maggie grew up in the same household nurtured by the same mother. The sisters exposure to the same values aided in their expressions of maturity differently. A persons values and the roots of their culture evolve incidentally as they are taught and by what they value historic and sacred.... [tags: Literary Analysis ] :: 10 Works Cited 1629 words (4.7 pages) Powerful Essays [preview] Essential Differences in Terms of Black and African American - In John H. McWhorters essay Why I am Black, Not African American, the term African American is being stressed out and misused. McWhorter says, Its time we descendants of slaves brought to the United States let go of the term African American and go back to calling ourselves black with a capital B (527). I agree with McWhorters argument about calling African Americans Black. I feel people should not be addressing a person as an Italian American, if one has a heritage in America. So why should the term African American be treated by one descendants nationality.... [tags: Race] :: 1 Works Cited 946 words (2.7 pages) Better Essays [preview] African American Issues: Slavery and Continuing Racism - There are many issues that African Americans face in todays society, many of which I had not realized until after taking Africana Studies. Some issues dwell on the horrific past of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, which not only is history, but also is part of African American heritage (Karenga, 2010). African Americans frequently experience many perilous problems, such as dire economic situations and feelings of hostility from the cultural mainstream in America (Kaufman, 1971). The cultural collision between African Americans and whites continues to create several problems in society.... [tags: Race, Slavery] :: 9 Works Cited 894 words (2.6 pages) Better Essays [preview] Misconceptions of African American life - Misconceptions of African American life When you control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his actions. You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his "proper place" and will stay in it. You do not need to send him to the back door. He will go without being told. In fact, if there is no back door, he will cut one for his special benefit. His education makes it necessary. This quote, spoken true by a prominent African American scholar of the 20th century, Carson Woodson, is aimed at shedding light on the inherent miseducation of African Americans.... [tags: essays papers] 2543 words (7.3 pages) Powerful Essays [preview] Targeting African American Consumers - Targeting African American Consumers Introduction African Americans are a core group that influence trends in music, fashion, and television. Corporations are using Mainstream Agencies to target African American consumers by using African American superstars like Michael Jordan, Tyra Banks and Bill Cosby through television. Although Blacks may be reached by mainstream media, many of them respond more favorably to culturally-based communications that acknowledge their heritage and respect their culture (Armstrong, 1999).... [tags: Papers] 2918 words (8.3 pages) Strong Essays [preview] Family Heritage In Everyday Use - Family Heritage In Everyday Use In Alice Walker's "Everyday Use," the message about the preservation of heritage, specifically African-American heritage, is very clear. It is obvious that Walker believes that a person's heritage should be a living, dynamic part of the culture from which it arose and not a frozen timepiece only to be observed from a distance. There are two main approaches to heritage preservation depicted by the characters in this story. The narrator, a middle-aged African-American woman, and her youngest daughter Maggie, are in agreement with Walker.... [tags: Everyday Use Alice Walker Essays] :: 1 Works Cited 1197 words (3.4 pages) Strong Essays [preview] African American History - African American History During my early years of school, I remember being taught white accomplishments and wondering if blacks and other people of color had made any significant contributions to today's world. I noticed that television consist of all white people. Throughout my research paper I hope to cover certain aspects of African American heritage. Aspects such as blacks making up the largest minority group in the United States, although Mexican-Americans are rapidly changing that. The contributions blacks have provided to our country are immeasurable.... [tags: Race Papers] :: 1 Works Cited 2126 words (6.1 pages) Powerful Essays [preview] Facts about African American History - FACTS ABOUT AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY I. Introduction to Afro-American History A. Central theme-Quest for 1. Freedom, 2. Equality, 3. Manhood/Women Suffrage B. Reasons for the Afro-American Movement-1. Record sake, 2. Inspirational Sake, 3. Fight for the concept that blacks are inferior. C. Africanism-anything that has an African origin D. Eras of History- Ancient (Stone Age), Medieval (Dark Ages History), Modern (Reform), & Current II. Discuss the four group of Black Historians.... [tags: essays research papers] 660 words (1.9 pages) Better Essays [preview] The Theme of Heritage in Everday Use - In her late twentieth-century short story Everyday Use, African-American writer Alice Walker contrasts the struggle between the main characters involving the recurring theme. The story takes place in a rural Georgia setting during the 1970s. The plot circulates around Mama, Maggie, and Dee. Throughout, heritage develops and remains a central theme revolving them. Each of these women in the Johnson family tries to stay true to heritage value. But different roles of heritage exist between each woman, so their ways of achieving this mission differs.... [tags: Character Analysis, Mama, Maggie, and Dee] 1457 words (4.2 pages) Better Essays [preview] West African Kingdoms - West African Kingdoms It is generally accepted by scholars and scientists today that Africa is the original home of man. One of the most tragic misconceptions of historical thought has been the belief that Black Africa had no history before European colonization. Whites foster the image of Africa as a barbarous and savage continent torn by tribal warfare for centuries. It was a common assumption of nineteenth-century European and American Whites - promoted by the deliberate cultivation of pseudoscientific racism - that Africans were inferior to Whites and were devoid of any trace of civilization or culture.... [tags: African History] :: 5 Works Cited 996 words (2.8 pages) Strong Essays [preview] The Meaning of Heritage in Alice Walker's Everyday Use - The Meaning of Heritage in Alice Walker's Everyday Use Alice Walker's "Everyday Use," is a story about a poor, African-American family and a conflict about the word "heritage." In this short story, the word "heritage" has two meanings. One meaning for the word "heritage" represents family items, thoughts, and traditions passed down through the years. The other meaning for the word "heritage" represents the African-American culture. There are three women in this short story, two sisters and their mother.... [tags: Everyday Use Alice Walker essays] :: 4 Works Cited 988 words (2.8 pages) Strong Essays [preview] Essay on the African American Dream in Song of Solomon - The African American Dream in Song of Solomon Like most Americans, African Americans have developed variations of the American Dream. Many African Americans find that their dream differs from the traditional American dream in that there is no immediate success. Sometimes the dream consists of equality via liberty or literacy, while at other times it is a simple desire to know self through historical connection. In Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, Milkman was literate and had many options for further education, if so desired.... [tags: Song Solomon essays] :: 2 Works Cited 960 words (2.7 pages) Strong Essays [preview] Heritage in Everyday Use, by Alice Walker - Heritage is one of the most important factors that represents where a person came from. In Everyday Use by Alice Walker, this short story characterizes not only the symbolism of heritage, but also separates the difference between what heritage really means and what it may be portrayed as. Throughout the story, it reveals an African-American family living in small home and struggling financially. Dee is a well-educated woman who struggles to understand her family's heritage because she is embarrassed of her mother and sister, Mama and Maggie.... [tags: everyday use, alice walker] :: 1 Works Cited 1063 words (3 pages) Strong Essays [preview] Accepting One's Heritage in "Everyday Use" - Author Alice Walker is an African American woman who grew up in the rural south during segregation, as is the narrator in "Everyday Use", Ms. Johnson. Walker feels that one's name should be revered for its symbol of ancestry, as she did when she took back her maiden name to honor her great-great-great-grandmother. In Walker's "Everyday Use," she uses a symbolic quilt to express the differences of understanding one's heritage within a single family. The precise setting of "Everyday Use" is not given but it can be assumed that the geographical setting is in a southern countryside likely to be in Georgia.... [tags: American Literature] 772 words (2.2 pages) Good Essays [preview] Double-Conciousness in The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois - BETWEEN me and the other world there is ever an unasked question: unasked by some through feelings of delicacy; by others through the difficulty of rightly framing it.instead of saying directly, How does it feel to be a problem. They say, I know an excellent colored man in my town; or, I fought at Mechanicsville; or, Do not these Southern outrages make your blood boil (Du Bois 1)? In The Souls of Black Folk W.E.B. Du Bois raises awareness to a psychological challenge of African Americans, known as double - consciousness, as a result of living in two worlds: the world of the predominant white race and the African American community.... [tags: American Values, African Americans] :: 3 Works Cited 1010 words (2.9 pages) Strong Essays [preview] History Of Black Males In American Society - History Of Black Males In American Society The black community have always been suppressed and oppressed by the dominant and powerful white members of society. The historical social order of Americans meant that traditionally positions of power have been held by a very exclusive group of people; members of this group are stereotypically middle class, middle aged, white males with nuclear families. This Caucasian dominance is well documented throughout history and is epitomized by the slavery of African, and Caribbean Negroes in America by white settlers and pilgrims, which continued for many hundreds of years.... [tags: African-American Race Papers] 917 words (2.6 pages) Better Essays [preview] Ira Aldridge: The First African-American Othello - Many actors throughout the centuries have performed William Shakespeares Othello, both on stage and in film. A few famous actors to have played Othello include Richard Burbage, Edmund Kean, Ira Aldridge, Orson Welles, James Earl Jones, and Laurence Fishburne (Arogundade). Othello was described as a Moor by Shakespeare, despite this, Othello was usually performed by white actors that would wear blackface makeup. Not only were women not allowed to perform in theatre, neither were African-Americans.... [tags: actor, william shakespeare, white actors] :: 7 Works Cited 1913 words (5.5 pages) Term Papers [preview] Diversity Statement - African American - Diversity Statement - African American When people hear the word 'diversity', they often think in terms of black and white. I believe the true meaning of diversity is not simply about skin color, economic background or the face value of any other characteristic, rather it is the increased knowledge and sensitivity gained from unique experiences. The strength of diversity then comes from having many points of view and trying to reconcile them by finding common truths or resolving differences amongst people.... [tags: College Admissions Essays] 882 words (2.5 pages) Better Essays [preview] Importance of African American Literature Addressing the Black Experience - The role of African American literature in recent years has been to illuminate for the modern world the sophistication and beauty inherent in their culture as well as the constant struggle they experience in the oppressive American system. When writers such as Langston Hughes, W.E.B. DuBois and Alice Walker present their material, they manage to convey to a future world the great depth of feeling and meaning their particular culture retained as compared with the culture of their white counterparts.... [tags: race, racism] 3067 words (8.8 pages) Powerful Essays [preview] Gates and Wilsons Theories on African Diaspora Musics - Gates and Wilsons Theories on African Diaspora Musics Some scholars theorize that the Middle Passage to the Americas was so traumatic that most African influence was eradicated, and that few traces of Africa exist in African-American music. This cultural tabulala [sic] rasa theory is rightfully rejected by many scholars (Wilson 3). The inflow of African people to the New World was brought on by the existence of slavery, and resulted in the creation of a sort of extension of the African continent in a different hemisphere.... [tags: Music Wilson African Gates Essays Papers] :: 4 Works Cited 1584 words (4.5 pages) Strong Essays [preview] Race Murder and Community Trauma: The Impact of the Killing of James Byrd in Jasper, Texas - In the late 1900s, racial tension was considered by society, to be non-existent until James Byrd Jr. was murdered. In 1998, James Byrd Jr, an African American male age of 49 was kidnapped. Byrd was not kidnapped for ransom, but for an outcome of death. After leaving a family gathering Byrd was manipulated into getting a ride home from three white men. The three men included John King, Shawn Berry, and Lawrence Brewer, whom established ties to racist organizations during previous prison terms.(Brookfield).... [tags: racial tension, african-american ] :: 6 Works Cited 1015 words (2.9 pages) Strong Essays [preview] Influence of African Music in North American and Latin American Music - ... African lutes were usually made from gourds, wood, twine, and animal hide. The first appearance of the banjo in American culture is the minstrel era of the middle to late 19th century. In the minstrel show, white players would smear burnt cork on their faces, dress in outrageous clothing, don a banjo, tambourine, and fiddle, and act the fool on stage for an adoring audience; From the late 1860s to 1890s, black minstrel troupes also formed, but audiences preferred Jim Crow acts to authentic performances, further relegating minstrel performances to the realm of comedy at the expense of historical and cultural accuracy (The Banjo: From Africa to American and Beyond).... [tags: jazz, culture, rhythm, drums] :: 7 Works Cited 1429 words (4.1 pages) Powerful Essays [preview] African American Culture - African American Culture Culture is not a fixed phenomenon, nor is it the same in all places or to all people. It is relative to time, place, and particular people. Learning about other people can help us to understand ourselves and to be better world citizens. One of the most common ways of studying culture is to focus on the differences within and among cultures. Although their specifics may vary form one culture to another, sociologists refer to those elements or characteristics that can be found in every know society as cultural universals.... [tags: Papers] 954 words (2.7 pages) Better Essays [preview] African Americans - ... "White" Baldwin's Nigger. (1968): Print James Baldwin discusses a conversation he had with a and how the man questioned his origin, Baldwin responded I cant find where Im from because my entry to America was a bill of sale and that stops you from going any further , at some point in our history I became Baldwins Nigger, that cant be my fault,. The cause of African Americans having no way of conveniently learns their culture leaves an everlasting effect on the community with a position of inadequacy.... [tags: racism, culture, inferior] 1658 words (4.7 pages) Powerful Essays [preview] Instilled Heritage - Instilled Heritage Alice Walker usually puts herself into characters that she writes about in her stories. However, you dont understand this unless you know about her. Staring with this let us find out about who she is and where she came from. When recounting the life of Alice Walker, you find out that she was born to sharecroppers in Eatonton, Georgia in 1944 and was the baby of eight children. She lost one of her eyes when her brother shot her with a BB gun by accident. She was valedictorian of her class in high school and with that and receiving a scholarship; she went to Spelman, a college for black women, in Atlanta.... [tags: essays research papers fc] :: 1 Works Cited 1373 words (3.9 pages) Strong Essays [preview] The Usability of Symbolism in Everyday Use by Alice Walker - Symbolism is a technique that authors uses to bring out the main importance of an object, but more emphasized details are being extracted in the usage of it. Alice Walker uses quilts, for example, to symbolize a bond between women (Spark Notes) a relationship between women, that would get passed down from generation to generation. In this story, symbolism plays a big role that makes this more attracted to the readers eyes. The characters such as the following: Mama Johnson, Dee, and Maggie all symbolize a manifold of different things that happened and/or took place back in the 1950s and 1960s.... [tags: quilts, civil rights movement, heritage, culture] :: 6 Works Cited 1226 words (3.5 pages) Strong Essays [preview] Essay on African-American American Nightmare in Song of Solomon - American Dream or African-American American Nightmare The Declaration of Independence was written so Americans could achieve this dream, but the African slave was never intended to be a part of this American Dream. To the African-American, there were and still are many restrictions that go along with the American Dream. In Toni Morrison's novel, Song of Solomon, Macon Dead craved for the American Dream. He was in denial and believed that he could be just as successful as the white man.... [tags: Song Solomon essays] :: 2 Works Cited 782 words (2.2 pages) Better Essays [preview] Beneatha as a paradigm for African American Women in A Raisin in The Sun - In Lorraine Hansberrys 1959 play A Raisin in the Sun a number of social issues are both explicitly and subtly exemplified through out the characters experiences and relationships. Living in a cramped Chicago apartment, the Youngers display both influential goals and conflicting restraints. Beneatha Youngers is a controversial character; she complicates societys typical gender roles, introduces the wrestle between assimilation and ancestry of African-Americans, but specifically serves as a paradigm for her generation in the play.... [tags: Theatre] :: 1 Works Cited 2103 words (6 pages) Term Papers [preview] Hispanic American Culture Dance - Hispanic American community are rooted from their origins in Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and other Spanish speaking countries that have come together and form a culture in the United State of America. The culture is built in different categories; for instance, religion, social custom, health practices their privacy, and birth. They come from a comprehensive familiar culture that has been called the second in America. Because of their pride and affection they feel unsafe to give up their past. Their notoriety in the United State has been their resistance to assimilate; their guarded image of Hispanic-American culture has been the tongue of flame.... [tags: Hispanic, American, Culture, Dancing, ] 925 words (2.6 pages) Better Essays [preview] African American Youth and their Lack of Interest in Black History Month - ... This has affected the African American culture greatly, todays black youth are far less likely to have an understanding of the rich legacy celebrated by Black History Month than lets say their grandparents generation. The average grandparents generation started in the late 50s a time where they would have been directly affected by the Civil Rights Movement and other major events that were taking place in in the Black community. They were there to fight first hand for the rights that todays youth so commonly abuse.... [tags: Teenagers, Culture] 819 words (2.3 pages) Strong Essays [preview] Biography of Alvin Ailey - Although blackness influenced much of Alvin Aileys work, he ultimately felt that the importance lay in the dancer rather than the race. Ailey told the New York Times, "I am trying to show the world that we are all human beings and that color is not important. What is important is the quality of our work." Alvin Ailey, an iconic American choreographer, was born on January 5, 1931, in Rogers, Texas. Being an African-American born in the South influenced much of Aileys later work. He grew up in the height of racial segregations, lynching, and violence.... [tags: racial segregation, african-american, music] :: 7 Works Cited 1013 words (2.9 pages) Strong Essays [preview] The Idea of Mapping Out American Historiography - ... These groups of people would include Native Americans, African Americans, Women, and poor Whites. I believe that this move is very important to understand the whole story of the American Revolution. The Revolution was not fought by a couple of people; the majority of the people living in the thirteen colonies played a role-one side or the other. Even large groups of Europeans living in Europe played a vital role during the founding of this nation. As historians we need to keep adding multiple perspectives to understand the whole story.... [tags: historians, historiography, american history] 759 words (2.2 pages) Better Essays [preview] The Effect of Cultural and Historical Situations on American Literature - Professor Brattoli American literature is almost always tied to historical and social events of the era in which it was written. There is a connection between literary works from different time periods. This connection is how history, current events and social events have impacted American Literature. Literary works and writing styles have been affected and influence by the world around us. This is seen in many of the works assigned for this class. In order to see how cultural and historical situations affect literature throughout history, it is important to get a brief history on each era discussed in this paper.... [tags: American Literature ] 1158 words (3.3 pages) Strong Essays [preview] The African Methodist Episcopal Church - The African Methodist Episcopal Church also known as the AME Church, represents a long history of people going from struggles to success, from embarrassment to pride, from slaves to free. It is my intention to prove that the name African Methodist Episcopal represents equality and freedom to worship God, no matter what color skin a person was blessed to be born with. The thesis is this: While both Whites and Africans believed in the worship of God, whites believed in the oppression of the Africans freedom to serve God in their own way, blacks defended their own right to worship by the development of their own church.... [tags: Religion] 2467 words (7 pages) Powerful Essays [preview] African American Culture - Peace It seems quite safe to assume that all human beings desire peace. What is not always very clear is what each person means by peace and how it can be attained and maintained. Religion and peace in an African culture have been almost natural companions in the minds of humans in different periods of history and in different cultures of the world. This is because, although far too many adherents and leaders of the different religions in the world have disrupted the peace in the society by promoting violence and wars, the vast majority of believers still hold that true religion is a source and guarantor of individual and societal peace.... [tags: essays research papers] 666 words (1.9 pages) Better Essays [preview] Essay on the Myths of the African American Woman in Song of Solomon - Defying the Myths of the African American Woman in Song of Solomon Throughout slavery, myths were created that tainted the image of the African American woman. These myths promote the misconceptions that African American women are promiscuous and are virtually useless. These myths caused these women to be degraded in the eyes of others as well as themselves. In Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon womanhood is defined in ways that have destroyed these myths. Womanhood is defined according to one's sexuality, spirituality, beauty, identity, relationships, and motherhood.... [tags: Song Solomon essays] 826 words (2.4 pages) Strong Essays [preview] African American Culture through Oral Tradition - African American Culture through Oral Tradition African American folktales have origins rooted in West African literary and cultural forms of expression. When Africans were taken from their homeland and brought to America as slaves, they also brought with them their individual cultures, languages and customs. However, their white slaveholders suppressed this part of their heritage in them. Thus they had to find other ways of expression, mainly story telling and songs. It is incredible to see how African slaves could ever smile and laugh under the horrible and cruel circumstances, which were imposed on them by the brutal slaveholders.... [tags: Essays Papers] :: 11 Works Cited 3414 words (9.8 pages) Powerful Essays [preview] Sara Smolinsky and Cultural Pluralism in Jewish-American Culture - George Schuylers article The Negro Art Hokum argues that the notion of African-American culture as separate from national American culture is nonsense. To Schuyler, all seemingly distinct elements of African-American culture and artistic endeavors from such are influenced by the dominant white American culture, and therefore, only American. The merit of Schuylers argument stems from the fact that it is practically impossible for one culture to exist within the confines of another without absorbing certain characteristics.... [tags: Literature, American Culture] 1184 words (3.4 pages) Strong Essays [preview] Aspects Of A Negro Life - Aspects Of A Negro Life Through his political activism and his artwork, Douglas dramatically changed the way other artists viewed African Americans. Politically, he helped found and served as president for the activist organization that drastically assisted with employing thousands of artists. he 1920s and 1930s brought drastic changes to the lives of many African Americans. Geographically, they migrated toward the urban, industrialized North, not only to escape racial prejudices and economic hardships, but also to attain higher social and economic status.... [tags: African American Culture Essays] :: 6 Works Cited 1790 words (5.1 pages) Powerful Essays [preview] Conflicting Ideas about Identities and Ancestry in Everyday Use - In Everyday Use, Alice Walker conveys the story of a mother and her two daughters conflicting ideas about their identities and ancestry. Mama is a simple woman that values culture and heritage for its usefulness but also its personal significance. However, her daughter Dee represents a materialistic way of life where culture and heritage are to be valued only for their artistic appeal. Walker displays how Mamas perception of her two daughters changes regarding how they view the importance of heritage.... [tags: superficiality, heritage, alice walker] :: 1 Works Cited 1065 words (3 pages) Better Essays [preview] Impact of Cultural Heritage on Bryce Courtenay and Ernest Hemingway - Impact of Cultural Heritage on Bryce Courtenay and Ernest Hemingway Throughout the world, there are many diverse cultures, each of these distinct cultures have different backgrounds, rituals and practices. These cultures have a profound effect on the minds of their inhabitants. It's a person's culture which effects their thoughts, beliefs and their outlook upon life. It doesn't matter where you are from or where you go to, you always have a piece of your culture with you wherever you are.... [tags: Biography Biographies Essays] :: 7 Works Cited 1861 words (5.3 pages) Strong Essays [preview] Religion, Biothecis and Nursing Practice - Cultural heritage plays a vital role in influencing health practices, and also evaluates how the health care provider and the patient perceive the illness. Cultural competence is exceptionally significant in the nursing practice as a culturally competent health care system can only exist with culturally competent nurses (Green & Reinckens, 2013). Nursing is an all-inclusive profession that scrutinizes and functions with individuals, families and the communities. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health promotion as the process of enabling people to control and have the knowledge to improve their health (World Health Organization, n.d.).... [tags: health promotion, nursing, heritage] :: 7 Works Cited 1049 words (3 pages) Strong Essays [preview] 1968: A Year Of American Transformation - In the duration of one year, 1968, the American national mood shifted from general confidence and optimism to chaotic confusion. Certainly the most turbulent twelve months of the post-WWII period and arguably one of the most disturbing episodes the country has endured since the Civil War, 1968 offers the world a glimpse into the tumultuous workings of a revolution. Although the entire epoch of the 1960's remains significant in US history, 1968 stands alone as the pivotal year of the decade; it was the moment when all of the nation's urges toward violence, sublimity, diversity, and disorder peaked to produce a transformation great enough to blanket an entire society.... [tags: History Culture US American] 1636 words (4.7 pages) Powerful Essays [preview] Black Reformation through Double Consciousness - Philosophical writer W.E.B. Du Bois provides a stimulating analysis of the importance of African American existence in a society that emphasizes white superiority and black inferiority. Du Bois introduces the idea of double consciousness, an ideology that defines African Americans seeking to reconcile two different cultures that create their modern identity. The application of this concept is important because discovering the identity of an oppressed and indoctrinated people, desperately attempting to bridge the gap between an elaborate African culture and American adaptation that desensitizes the race from heritage, creates a neutral standard of expression that is used to form a new coheren... [tags: Du Bois, African Americans, The Veil] :: 5 Works Cited 1792 words (5.1 pages) Powerful Essays [preview] Comparisons and Contrasts of Phillis Wheatley and Paul Laurence Dunbar - Comparisons and Contrasts of Phillis Wheatley and Paul Laurence Dunbar The purpose of this essay is to clearly acknowledge similarities as well as differences amongst two great writers: Phyllis Wheatley and Paul L. Dunbar. Wheatley and Dunbar were two brilliant African American writers born of two different centuries. Both began writing at an early age and were seen as black child prodigies of their times. The points of comparison these two writers share are that they were both iconic poets of their day and that they wrote in what is referred to as black dialect. The differences between them are their cultural and educational backgrounds.... [tags: African American Writers] 675 words (1.9 pages) Better Essays [preview] The Latino Socioeconomic - Just like every individual in the U.S., the desire to provide a better life for their families is a driving force for the Latino population. The Latino immigrants not only face discrimination upon their arrival, but also deal with the emotions of being away from their home country, the security of their families, friends, culture, and traditions. The reception that they experience on arrival is far from welcoming. The negativity towards immigration, be it warranted or not, is not good for our country.... [tags: Immigration, Illegal, Culture, Heritage] :: 3 Works Cited 873 words (2.5 pages) Better Essays [preview] Racism Is an Ugly Word in America - Racism an ugly word in America, it has been with us since the beginning. Even more, it has been a force that has been directly involved with our foundation and growth. Whether slave trade and labor in the post-revolutionary era, or social upheaval and out right conflict in the Civil War era, to the ultimate uprising and revolution of the civil rights era that changed this country forever, racism has left its fingerprint on our national history. However in 2008, all that seemed to change, as America made history and embraced her first African American president, Barack Obama.... [tags: United States, American History, African Americans] 1432 words (4.1 pages) Powerful Essays [preview] The Piano Lesson Play Analysis - In the play, The Piano Lesson, music played an important role. The piano in the play represented the African American history and culture. The ghost of Sutter represented the pain and trauma that had been endured throughout the generations in the Charles family. Berniece did not play the piano because she associated it with pain and the bad things that happened to her family members. She did not want to accept the things that had happened in her familys past. She thought that she could deny everything and act like it never happened.... [tags: piano, african american culture] 932 words (2.7 pages) Better Essays [preview] Racism and Ethnicity Issues in Morrison, OConnor, and Kingstons Novels - The central problem in Flannery OConnors story, Everything That Rises Must Converge, Maxine Hong Kingstons The Woman Warrior, and Toni Morrisons Recitatif, revolve on the issue of race. Morrison and OConnor focus on the theme of race specifically between blacks and whites in America. It could be said that Kingstons The Woman Warrior concentrates on the racial difference between Asian and Caucasian but race is not made to be a big issue in this novel, since almost all of the characters is ethnically Chinese.... [tags: race, african american, caucasian] 1765 words (5 pages) Powerful Essays [preview] A Lesson Before Dying, Song of Solomon, and athe Piano Lesson - The books of A Lesson Before Dying, Song of Solomon, and The Piano Lesson are all classic tales of African American Literature. While written in assorted periods and by different authors, the lessons found in between the pages transcend time. They recount stories of injustice, perseverance, and success. Memory and the past play a critical role in understanding each characters mindset. A Lesson Before Dying portrays the past as both a hindrance and a source of motivation. Song of Solomon exposes the belief that knowledge of the past is the key that unlocks the door to self discovery.... [tags: African American Literature] 1728 words (4.9 pages) Powerful Essays [preview] Sentimental Gifts in Quilts - Sentimental Gifts in Quilts Quilts were used for various reasons throughout history and they have been a sentimental part of the African American culture for many years. According to Professor Florett Barnett Cash Quilts can be used as resources in reconstructing the experiences of African American women. They provide a record of their cultural and political past (Cash 30). Everyday Use, by Alice Walker illustrates how a quilt that was prepared by Miss Johnson and Maggie played a sentimental, yet important part in their familys, heritage and bond they shared.... [tags: African-American Culture] 1257 words (3.6 pages) Strong Essays [preview] Struggles of African Americans in Langston Hughes Poems, Mother to Son and Lenox Avenue: Midnight - Struggles of African Americans in Langston Hughes Poems, Mother to Son and Lenox Avenue: Midnight The experiences, lessons, and conditions of ones life provide a wellspring of inspiration for ones creative expressions and ideas. Throughout life people encounter situations and circumstances that consequently help to mold them into individualized spirits. An individuals personality is a reflection of his or her life. Langston Hughes, a world-renowned African American poet and self-professed defender of African American heritage, boldly defies the stereotypical and accepted form of poetry at his own discretion.... [tags: Comparison Compare Contrast Essays] :: 2 Works Cited 1663 words (4.8 pages) Powerful Essays [preview] African Art and Architecture - African Art and Architecture The history of art in Africa goes back to prehistoric times. Among the most ancient African art forms are the rock paintings and engravings from Tassili and Ennedi in the Sahara (6000 BC-1st century AD). Other examples of early art include the terracotta sculptures modelled by Nok artists in central Nigeria between 500 BC and AD 200, the decorative bronze works of Igbo Ukwu (9th-10th century AD), and the extraordinary bronze and terracotta sculptures from Ife (12th-15th century AD).... [tags: Papers] 857 words (2.4 pages) Better Essays [preview] Hispanic American Diversity - The diversity of Hispanics shares the same language but have many differences. In this research paper the four groups that I will be discussing will include: Mexican Americans, Puerto Rican American, Venezuelan American and finally the Colombian American. The areas that will be discussed will include: linguistic, political, social, economic religion and family conventions and or family status. Puerto Rican Americans When leaving the entrance of any train station in the Brooklyn N. Y, you could immediately hear the salsa music blaring from several cars, home and corner stores.... [tags: Hispanic American Diversity Race Immigration] 1278 words (3.7 pages) Strong Essays [preview] Black or White: A Contrast of Liberties - My life, as it stands today, is rarely affected by my racial background; I was born to a Caucasian mother and African American father out of wedlock. I came into this world in 1972 and was adopted by an interracial couple who also reflected the same backgrounds as my birth parents. Upon superficial appearances, many white folk are unaware of my racial mixture; for all intents and purposes, I look like a run of the mill white boy. Rather interestingly though, black folk can just tell; often, they cite that it is my hair, nose, and lips which provide the subtle clues.... [tags: caucasian, african-american, racial background] :: 2 Works Cited 1905 words (5.4 pages) Term Papers [preview] Analysis of the New Negro - In the beginning Alain Locke tells us about the tide of negro migration. During this time in a movement known as the Great Migration, thousands of African-Americans also known as Negros left their homes in the South and moved North toward the beach line of big cities in search of employment and a new beginning. As Locke stated, the wash and rush of this human tide on the beach line of Northern city centers is to be explained primarily in terms of a new vision of opportunity, of social and economic freedom, of a spirit to seize, even in the face of an extortionate and heavy toll, a chance for the improvement of conditions.... [tags: tide of negro migration, african-american] :: 3 Works Cited 1607 words (4.6 pages) Powerful Essays [preview] Symbolism used in Everyday Use by Alice Walker - Symbolism is a literary technique used by a manifold of authors. Symbolism is using an object, person, place to represent something greater than what it actually is or means. For example, the crucifix symbolizes the honor and sacrifice and love off all men. Symbols also represent suggestions for ideas, like traffic lights, red symbolizes stop, yellow symbolizes slow down, and green symbolizes to go. Symbolism is even used to celebrate, in the Hispanic culture a quincenera is used to symbolize a female child becoming a young lady.... [tags: guilts, crucifix, african-american women] :: 4 Works Cited 1056 words (3 pages) Strong Essays [preview] Do the Right Thing by Spike Lee - The African-American inner city is a place where family can come in the form of gangs or collective areas, such as the pizzeria in the movie, Do the Right Thing, and yet these places and the people that find surrogate family in the inner city often only lead lives of violence. There is a common gathering place, in this case the pizza shop. Social networking happens in the streets and in the urban setting. There are many ethnic mixes, and in this case the Italian pizza shop is owned by Italian immigrants, and this is significant.... [tags: african american, civil rights movement] :: 4 Works Cited 1423 words (4.1 pages) Research Papers [preview] Everyday Use by Alice Walker: A Look at Symbolism and Family Values - Alice Walkers Everyday Use, is a story about a family of African Americans that are faced with moral issues involving what true inheritance is and who deserves it. Two sisters and two hand stitched quilts become the center of focus for this short story. Walker paints for us the most vivid representation through a third person perspective of family values and how people from the same environment and upbringing can become different types of people. Like most peoples families there is a dynamic of people involved, although all from the same environment and teachings, it is ultimately an accumulation of personal experiences that shape us and defines how we perceive our existence.... [tags: dee, mama, african american families] :: 4 Works Cited 893 words (2.6 pages) Better Essays [preview] Biography of John Hope Franklin - John Hope Franklin, born January 2nd 1915, was an African-American historian who dedicated his life to the teaching and studying of American history and racial politics, especially that of Southern America. An avid promoter of the teaching, studying and presentation of American history as well as the preservation and access of its materials, Franklin died March 25th 2009. A leading scholar on black American history, Franklin often cited historians as being influential in shaping policy in America and he paved the way for other black scholars.... [tags: african american historian, teaching, inequality] :: 3 Works Cited 1596 words (4.6 pages) Powerful Essays [preview] African Diaspora - African Diaspora The study of cultures in the African Diaspora is relatively young. Slavery and the trans-Atlantic slave trade brought numerous Africans, under forced and brutal conditions, to the New World. Of particular interest to many recent historians and Africanists is the extent to which Africans were able to transfer, retain, modify or transform their cultures under the conditions of their new environments. Three main schools of thought have emerged in scholarly discussion and research on this topic.... [tags: essays papers] 1645 words (4.7 pages) Strong Essays [preview] The Harlem Renaissance: The New Negro Movement - The Harlem Renaissance, also known as The New Negro Movement was a cultural movement that spanned the1920s. The Harlem Renaissance was a defining moment in African American literature causing an outburst of creative activity in black writers and artists in New York City. The Harlem Renaissance was influenced by the migration of African Americans from the South seeking better opportunities for themselves. A black man named Charles Spurgeon Johnson who was the editor for the National Urban League magazine encouraged and supported black writers and artists who were part of the Harlem Renaissance.... [tags: cultural movement, african american literature] :: 7 Works Cited 950 words (2.7 pages) Better Essays [preview] Black Perception - Black Perception Over the course of the past four months I have been introduced to some core areas of African American Studies. I will be focusing on the history, sociology, politics, and religion of my topic. The most broad but well used and understood topic in the world is media. The world is based on the aspects of what we watch, see, read, and hear. Other than attending school, the media is the one of the other things that help us understand life. Everyone perceives different things that they see and hear.... [tags: african americans, media, race] :: 5 Works Cited 2080 words (5.9 pages) Term Papers [preview] The Black Arts Movement - The Black Arts Movement The Black Arts movement refers to a period of furious flowering of African American creativity beginning in the mid-1960s and continuing through much of the 1970s (Perceptions of Black). Linked both chronologically and ideologically with the Black Power Movement, The BAM recognized the idea of two cultural Americas: one black and one white. The BAM pressed for the creation of a distinctive Black Aesthetic in which black artists created for black audiences.... [tags: African Americans History Essays] :: 9 Works Cited 1704 words (4.9 pages) Powerful Essays [preview] Traditional African Music - Traditional African Music An attempt to pin down a single meaning for the word 'traditional,' presents a problem in many ways. The implications of the word are many, and are tied to various connotations. Some people, Westerners in particular, may actually shun the 'traditional,' as they feel that it implies a resistance to modernity. This view is incorrect, and there exists an ethnocentric double standard when Westerners consider their tradition versus African tradition. Others focus on 'tradition' as that which has always been done, for whatever reason, and that it must be continued to maintain the community, a universal balance, a relationship with the gods, or some other goal.... [tags: Musical Traditions Essays Papers] 1592 words (4.5 pages) Powerful Essays [preview] Southern Musical Tradition and the African Tradition - Southern Musical Tradition and the African Tradition The second major tributary of the southern musical tradition comes from the African continent and is the heritage import of the five million slaves brought to North America against their will to provide the bulk of the labor in the pre-industrial agrarian south. Contemporary blues, while not exclusively black music by any means, remains largely black in terms of its leading performers and, to a lesser extent, its listening audience.... [tags: Music Musical South Essays] :: 6 Works Cited 3590 words (10.3 pages) Research Papers [preview]

Read the original:
Free african-american heritage Essays and Papers

Category: Jewish American Heritage Month | Comments Off on Free african-american heritage Essays and Papers
Tags:

Posted By admin on November 11, 2016

BBYO (formerly B'nai B'rith Youth Organization, now BBYO INC.) is a Jewish teen movement aspiring to involve Jewish teens in Jewish experiences.[1]

In 2002 the movement split from B'nai B'rith International, which had been its parent organization, to become BBYO, Inc.

BBYO's mission is, "More Jewish Teens, More Meaningful Jewish Experiences." The organization emphasizes its youth leadership model, in which teen leaders are elected by their peers on a local, regional and international level, and are given the opportunity to make their own programmatic decisions. Membership to BBYO is open to any high school or 8th grade student who identifies as a Jew. Many local programs also may have programs for teens in grades 6th-8th, called BBYO Connect.

BBYO is organized into local fraternity- and sorority-like chapters. Male chapters are known as AZA chapters and their members are known as Alephs, and female chapters as BBG chapters, their members known as BBGs. AZA and BBG were independent organizations (beginning in 1924 and 1944 respectively) before becoming brother and sister organizations under B'nai B'rith. In some communities, there are co-ed BBYO chapters which borrow traditions from both organizations.

AZA's original advisor, Nathan Mnookin, soon left Omaha for his hometown of Kansas City, where he started a similar group with the same name. The Omaha group selected a new advisor, Sam Beber, who soon laid out his plans for an international youth movement based on the local AZA model. In 1924, the Aleph Zadik Aleph for Young Men, now an international Jewish fraternity, was formed according to Beber's plan, with the Omaha and Kansas City chapters receiving the first two charters. Four chapters were in attendance at the first convention in June 1924, and ten at the second convention the following summer.

By 1925, AZA had expanded east with dozens of chapters across the country. At Beber's urging, B'nai B'rith took up the issue of officially adopting AZA as its junior auxiliary at their national convention in 1925. Supported by Henry Monsky, who himself was vying for the B'nai B'rith presidency, the convention adopted a committee report affirming its approval of the organization under B'nai B'rith's jurisdiction. Immediately following the convention, B'nai B'rith Executive Committee met and officially adopted AZA, which then became known as the Aleph Zadik Aleph of B'nai B'rith.

In 1944, after a few past failed attempts to begin a Jewish youth group for young women, B'nai B'rith Girls (BBG) became officially recognized and adopted by B'nai B'rith. Anita Perlman is credited with the development of BBG as Sam Beber is credited with the AZA. For the first time, AZA and BBG were united under a single organization, officially cementing their relationship and brother and sister organizations. Combined, the two youth movements were called the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization, and BBYO was born.

Although the organization has changed greatly behind-the-scenes over the years, its original tenets still remain true: dedication to Jewish life, a pluralistic approach, commitment to community service and social action, and a youth leadership model. BBYO continues to be open to all teenagers that identify themselves as Jews, without exception. Members participate in meeting rituals and sing pep songs that date back to the organization's earliest days. The organization continues to maintain and contribute to its International Service Fund, initiated at the very first international convention. Although the number of professional staff has risen dramatically, BBYO continues to maintain democratic youth leadership at every level.

Just as the organization changed greatly in its first few years, starting as a local youth group to being adopted as the official youth auxiliary of the world's largest Jewish organization, it likewise has undergone drastic changes in recent years. After more than 75 years of a general prosperity, B'nai B'rith began a massive restructuring at the turn of the 21st century in response to the changing face of North American Jewry. As a result, what was then the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization split from B'nai B'rith in 2002 and was re-formed as BBYO, Inc., an independent non-profit organization. The new organization received substantial funding from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and was chaired by Lynn Schusterman.

Traditionally, BBYO was a conglomeration of many largely independent regions. This was the result of the modification of B'nai B'rith's long-standing "district" model. As new forms of communication have brought the members and staff of BBYO in closer contact, and as the differences between geographic regions continue to deteriorate, BBYO has become much more of a top-down organization, with standardized marketing materials and directives. BBYO has reached into the online market with its b-linked.org website, into the middle school market with its BBYO Connect programs, and into the adult market with its Friends & Alumni Network.

BBYO has always been the world's leading pluralistic Jewish youth movement. As the first and the most dynamically inclusive organization of its kind, every Jewish teen, of all backgrounds, anywhere in the world, will find an experience that provides the foundation for a meaningful Jewish life.

BBYO operates at four different levels, each one of which has its own elected teen leaders: international, regional, council and chapter. Depending on the size of and geography of a particular region, it may or may not contain the council level. (Typically, regions that are large in population or spread out geographically are likely to contain councils.) All members are assigned to a chapter, which is part of a region (and sometimes a council). The combined regions make up the international movement.

On the international level, BBYO organizes large-scale programs and offerings for its members, both during the school year and the summer. These programs bring together members from all over North America, and all over the world. Despite the fact that BBYO focuses mostly on activities taking place or originating in North America, the organization nonetheless maintains a presence on five other continents as well. Some of these are affiliate chapters that ascribe to the traditions of BBYO but are not technically under the control of the international office. BBYO programs are known to be active in Israel, UK & Ireland, France, Thailand, Bulgaria, Curaao, South Africa, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and most recently Turkey, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, and Argentina due to the new BBYO-JDC partnership.

Districts were a now-defunct organizational unit, that were mostly replaced by regions in the 1980s. The last remaining international districts were disbanded and renamed in 2005 at International Convention.

At the regional level, chapters are brought together on a regular basis for inter-chapter programming and regional programs. All regions have at least one weekend-long convention every year (with some offering as many as a half-dozen). Regions that do not contain councils elect a regional board on a yearly basis. The regional board helps to plan regional events, and supervise their counterparts on the chapter level. There are currently 43 regions in North America. Regions are supervised by professional staff in a regional office.

Larger regions are sometimes split into councils, which operate much the same as regions, with their own council-wide events and elected council boards. A region that has councils will typically have both council events and regional events (encompassing all of the region's councils) over the course of the year. Councils elect a council board on a year basis; these boards function in the same fashion as do regional boards. Councils are supervised by professional staff, which may be in a regional office or a separate council office depending on the size of the council and region.

Chapters are BBYO's most basic organizational level, functioning at a local level. There are currently over 600 chapters in operation (roughly 45% B'nai B'rith Girls, 40% Aleph Zadik Aleph and 15% BBYO) across the world. These chapters contain about 48,000 registered members, and their programs reach over 40,000 teens every year.

Chapters regularly engage in self-created programing. Programs are incredibly important and build the relationships among members of a chapter. There are many different programs, and a large bank of ideas can be found at BBYO Program Bank

BBYO each year offers programs in which all regions and councils in the international order come together and gather for various purposes. Through the duration of the school year there are three main programs a member could attend.

A three-day convention in August which the top leaders of the regions: the two presidents and the International Boards, and all regional and council presidents, gather to discuss the goals and objectives of the upcoming programming year.

These leaders meet again in February before the International Convention with the addition of the International Chair Network and discuss how the first half of the year has gone and how to improve off it. They also do some final planning for the 5 days ahead of them.

International convention is a five-day convention in which is open to all members of BBYO. It serves as a weekend to reconnect with those whom youve met over the summer, international execs for a second time, business meetings, elections of the new international board for the next programming year and the state of the order of the International Presidents of the girls and the boys.

This is a trace through the remembrance of the Holocaust. One week of the trip is spent in Poland and the other week in Israel. While in Poland the participants connect to their connection to Judaism. The participants then spend one week in Israel celebrating its independence day. The March of the Living is not a BBYO sponsored program, but does send its own delegation on the trip annually.

BBYO offers a variety of different Summer programs dealing with leadership, Judaism, community service, the business world, and international travels to many different countries. The core of these programs have, for many years, taken place at B'nai B'rith Perlman Camp. These programs include:

This program is a twelve-day program in which incoming sophomores, juniors, and seniors in high school attend to learn about the essentials of leading a chapter. There are eight sessions held during the summer, five of which are held at the Beber Camp in Wisconsin (CLTC 1,3,5,7,8), and the other three at Bethany College in West Virginia (CLTC 2,4,6).

This program is a nineteen day leadership program in which those on regional board learn how to expand what they knew about how to lead a chapter but now how to lead a region. It is part of the Perlman summer.

This program allows those seeking to find their Jewish identity to do so. It is 19 days of forming your own Jewish Self. It constitutes as half of the Perlman summer along with ILTC.

This program is twenty one-day elite leadership program in Israel that combines educational touring, leadership training, interactive seminars and meaningful community service. ILSI allows Jewish teens to gain an appreciation for the complexity of modern Israel and an enduring connection to the Jewish State and the Jewish People worldwide.

A program offering trips to all 5 continents that BBYO maintains a presence on. These trips include tourism, community service, social education, leadership, and Judaic experiences. One of the activities is tour of Israel. The teens are esorting by local team leader and have a basic introduction to Israel's geography, history, and culture.

BBYO Michigan Business and Entrepreneurship Institute BBYO UT Austin Sports Management Institute BBYO UCLA Leadership and Entertainment Institute

Impact is two weeks of community service in a chosen location to better make one city at a time. Each program focuses on a different aspect of community service.

BBYO Michigan Business and Entrepreneurship Institute

A two-week course highlighting Jewish business leadership along with teaching teens marketing, finance, and product development.

Both AZA and BBG have a segmented programming model, with each proscribed programming area referred to as a "fold". For AZA, the five folds are social, athletic, community service/social action, Judaic and educational; for BBG, the six folds are sisterhood, creativity, recreation, Jewish heritage, community service, and social action. Some chapters also have adopted the unofficial seventh fold of Mind, Body, Attitude (MBA). It aims to create a better self-image, and better self-esteem. Programs can be any time, and can involve any number of chapters (including both AZA and BBG together).

The teen leaders elected to office by their peers at various organizational levels have their own set of office titles, derived from Hebrew. Elections are typically held on an annual or semi-annual basis. The titles are often similar for the equivalent AZA and BBG positions, varying slightly due to a word's gender.

Exact board positions elected can vary slightly between regions and chapters, with some chapters electing additional board positions, and some electing multiple members to a single position (e.g. electing two Aym Ha-Chaverot to expand recruitment). It is also possible for chapters to elect one member to two positions (e.g. electing the same person to serve as Mazkirah and Gizborit). Additionally, chairmanships may be appointed on an as-needed basis at every organizational level.

BBYO chapters typically contain the same positions as would an AZA or BBG chapters, with the exact position name corresponding to the gender of the person elected to the position. Some BBYO chapters may also elect both a male and female officer to certain board positions (e.g., electing both a moreh and a aym ha-chaverot).

However, within BBYO in the UK and Ireland, the leadership positions work differently. Each chapter has an exec of about six people, who are voted on by all the members of that chapter. The positions are (in order):President, Vice-President, Administrator (sometimes split into Secretary and Treasurer), Programmer, Judaism and Zionism Awareness Officer (Referred to as JZA) and Welfare. Each of these positions has a specific role, but work together as a team to run the weekly meetings. On a larger scale, there is a National Executive, consisting of the positions listed above.

The BBYO in Curaao also has its own way of composing a board. Elections are held annually (usually in August), where each member attending that day votes. The board consist of 5 members. The positions are: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary and Past-President (the President chosen at the previous elections). One more position that is also voted on, is the one of PR (Public Relations). This position is filled by two members, each representing one of the congregations respectively. The PRs are not part of the board.

More in-depth histories of AZA and BBG are available, as each organization developed independently before being united by B'nai B'rith. In addition, each organization maintains its own customs, traditions, and songs. Likewise, customs, traditions and program vary greatly from region to region, and more information is available on each.

2. BBYO Parties on Spirit of Philadelphia [1] 3. BBYO Expands Impact, Membership [2] 4. BBYO international teen president visits Orlando Jewish community [3]

View post:
BBYO - Wikipedia

Category: B'nai B'rith | Comments Off on BBYO – Wikipedia
Tags:

Posted By admin on November 10, 2016

ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE (ADL). The Anti-Defamation League (originally "The Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith") was founded in 1913 in reaction to the crude and overt antisemitism of the period, specifically to the Leo *Frank case. The ADL's goal, as stated in the charter that established the League, is "to end the defamation of the Jewish people to secure justice and fair treatment for all citizens alike."

Originally headquartered in Chicago, the offices of the League are in New York City. The ADL works out of 31 regional offices located throughout the United States. The ADL has as well a cooperative relationship with the B'nai B'rith Canadian office, an office in Jerusalem, and representation in Rome and Moscow.

The ADL is governed by a National Commission of 700. Unlike the *American Jewish Congress , *American Jewish Committee , and other community relations organizations, the ADL is not a membership organization. It has evolved from being a commission of its parent body to an organization with independent board and fundraising structures, and in reality is fully autonomous. The ADL is staffed by career professionals who are specialists in various disciplines related to community relations: religions, law, communications, promotion, education, labor, foreign affairs (especially Israel and the Middle East), social sciences, politics (national and local), and government.

The ADL recognizes threats to Jewish security coming from an antisemitism that appears in new forms and guises, such as anti-Israel activity and radicalism of the right and left. The League views itself as being an "active" organization, responding in a timely manner to what are perceived to be threats to the rights and security of Jews. It sees itself as taking a pragmatic, rather than an ideological, approach to issues. The ADL, by virtue of its budget and its varied activity, is considered to be a significant voice among the community relations agencies.

The ADL's initial efforts focused on the blatant antisemitism of the pre- and post-World War I period, which included restricted neighborhoods and resorts, jobs, and schools that rejected Jews. (For example, model legislation drafted by the ADL helped unmask the Ku Klux Klan and drastically diminish its power.) The ADL's focus, however, in its early decades was not on legal remedies against discrimination but on countering defamation of Jews. For example, the League exposed the vicious antisemitism of the Dearborn Independent, which printed and circularized the infamous Protocols of Zion, and extracted an apology and retraction from its publisher, Henry Ford. Throughout the 1930s the League fought and exposed the many hate groups which sprang up during the Depression and the Hitler period, such as the Christian Front, the Silver Shirts, and the German-American Bund.

Particularly in the post-World War II period, the ADL was successful in advocating on behalf of legislation against such discrimination. It also dealt with vulgar stereotypes and caricatures of Jews on the stage and in communication media and with incidents of antisemitic vandalism, and played a role in strengthening interfaith and interracial relationships.

In the 1960s, the ADL played a role in the successful coalitional effort that resulted in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and of subsequent fair-housing and voting-rights laws. The ADL's sponsorship of a comprehensive study of the roots of prejudice (the seven-volume University of California Five-Year Study of Antisemitism in the United States the "Berkeley Studies") helped create a new climate of interreligious understanding and ecumenism, and was a factor in the deliberations of Vatican II that led to the watershed document Nostra Aetate, which re-defined the Catholic Church's attitude toward Jews.

On the international scene, advocacy on behalf of the State of Israel and other involvement in Middle East issues became, especially after 1967, an ADL priority. The League carries out an education and action program to help mold public opinion and exposes and counteracts Arab propaganda; ADL led the effort which resulted in the passage of anti-boycott legislation and worked within the European Economic Community to counter the boycott. The League is also active in protecting and securing the rights of Jews wherever they are in danger, and played an important role in the Soviet Jewry movement. Interreligious activities as well have been an important part of the ADL agenda.

During the 1970s, in response to what it then characterized as "the new antisemitism," which derived less from overt expression and more from apathy and insensitivity to Jews and to Jewish concerns and problems, including Israel, the ADL re-contoured its approaches to antisemitism. A major prejudice-reduction program, "A World of Difference," has been an ADL centerpiece since the early 1990s, as has been Holocaust education. Convinced that preferential treatment will destroy equality of opportunity and selection based upon merit, the League's position on affirmative action is nuanced in terms of ADL's opposition to the re-emergence of quotas.

The ADL's traditional ideology was that aggressive use of litigation and other legal remedies to counter discrimination and church-state violations was too confrontational and would ultimately damage the constructive relationships that Jews had built up with other faith communities over the years. From its earliest years the ADL, unlike its sister "defense" agencies, rejected advocating on behalf of antidiscrimination legislation, and instead focused on combating prejudice and defamation. The League's national director until 1947, Richard E. Gustadt, articulated the view that held that intergroup negotiation and education programs emphasizing cultural pluralism offered the best chances to remedy societal abuses. Certain societal evils could not, in the view of the ADL, be eliminated, only tempered. This view (shared in large measure by the American Jewish Committee) marked a fundamental ideological difference with the American Jewish Congress, which believed in direct legal action.

From the late 1940s until the late 1970s the ADL was led by a tandem of Benjamin Epstein and Arnold Forster, who together began aggressively prosecuting a civil rights agenda for the League. Beginning in the early 1980s, however, with a marked shift in the national public policy agenda back to church-state and other First Amendment matters, there was again a shift in the priorities of the ADL. During the tenure of national director Nathan Perlmutter additional legal expertise and resources were added to the agency's staff (the ADL's litigation capacity dated back to the late 1940s and was a result of the decision by the American Jewish Congress to organize its Commission on Law and Social Action), and the League became an aggressive "player" in the church-state arena. During this period there was a certain degree of de-emphasis of the traditional civil rights agenda, resulting in large measure from antisemitism within some black civil rights groups.

Even with a new emphasis placed on church-state separation and other legal matters, the ADL always viewed church-state concerns to be but one of several major civil rights and liberties issues on its organizational palette, which includes countering racial supremacist organizations, judicial remedies for "hate crimes," and discrimination and harassment. Changes within the organization arising out of exogenous factors did not mean that the ADL intended to abandon its charter purpose of public response to anti-Jewish defamation.

From the mid-1980s, under the stewardship of Abraham H. *Foxman , the ADL has become one of the most "visible" national Jewish organizations on the American and indeed international scene. Although viewed as increasingly conservative in some areas of activity, the reality is that the ADL has carved a highly nuanced political path, especially on Israel-related issues, threading its way skillfully between agencies such as the rightist Zionist Organization of America and Jewish groups of the left. This "centrist" approach has been evident in a range of domestic public affairs issues as well. Newer areas of activity for the ADL include threats of global antisemitism, "hate" activity on the Internet, working with law-enforcement agencies, a new generation of church-state situations, and balancing traditional civil liberties concerns with those of national and local security. The ADL has commissioned a series of public opinion surveys, both in the United States and in Europe, which have elicited valuable data on antisemitic attitudes and on attitudes toward Israel.

The core mission of the ADL to combat antisemitism remains as it has been. The related mission of the League working for justice for all has in the view of the ADL not only intrinsic value but instrumental value as well, as it assists in the ADL's core mission.

In terms of institutional considerations, until the early 1980s the leading "defense" agency, in terms of budget and stature, was the American Jewish Committee; the annual budgets of the two agencies were at approximate parity, at around $12 million. The ADL budget ($5.5 million in 1971) began increasing in the 1980s at approximately $3 million per year in that decade, and soon far outstripped the other "defense" agencies, reaching some $30 million by the early 1990s and approximately $60 million by 2005. The League's staff and programmatic initiatives have increased commensurately.

Also important in terms of institutional dynamics is the ADL's relationship with *B'nai B'rith . The ADL began life as a commission of B'nai B'rith, but tensions developed between the two agencies as B'nai B'rith was reshaping itself from being primarily a fraternal and service organization to one that addresses community relations issues. In the mid-to-late 1990s the issue with B'nai B'rith came to a head, with B'nai B'rith itself seeking finally to reshape its own identity asserted that its community relations and "defense" agenda would be pursued aggressively. The ADL, maintaining that it was B'nai B'rith's "defense" arm, in effect severed its ties with its erstwhile parent. (The ADL does retain a de jure legal connection with B'nai B'rith.)

Original post:
Anti-Defamation League| Jewish Virtual Library

Category: Anti-Defamation League | Comments Off on Anti-Defamation League| Jewish Virtual Library
Tags: