Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on July 14, 2022

JERUSALEM (RNS) Shmuli looks outside the windows of his cellular phone store fearfully. He pulls at his long beard and swaying sidelocks. Please dont take my picture, he begs. Dont talk loud.

His tone becomes menacing. Go away. Just leave. Now.

Shmuli (not his real name) has reason to be fearful. Several stores that sell smartphones and other digital technology near Mea Shearim, Jerusalems largest ultra-Orthodox neighborhood, have been trashed. Customers have been assaulted and riots have broken out in nearby streets.

Smartphones have become a volatile issue in the Haredi, or ultra-Orthodox, community since April, when Israels communications minister made it easier for Haredi to use smartphones without the knowledge of their rabbis, raising tensions within the Haredi community and between them and the rest of Israeli society.

RELATED: How 5G caused a feud between a small Christian school and T-Mobile

Haredi Jews make up 12.6% of Israels population, or 16% of Israeli Jews, and are one of the countrys fastest-growing communities. And though the term actually refers to several diverse sects and denominations, all Haredim are united in their adherence to Jewish law in all aspects of their lives and their utter rejection of Western sensibilities. Rabbis learned in the law provide rulings on everything from modesty requirements for women to personal health to marital relations.

The Haredim regard themselves as upholding authentic Judaism, and most live in tightly knit communities a lifestyle some refer to as a ghetto by choice. Surrounded by walls of holiness, they avoid the contaminating modern influences.Haredi schools focus on religious studies, and most skip core subjects such as English, science or math, leaving their graduates with few options in the job market. Encouraged to continue their religious studies, few Haredi men are wage-earners; those that are tend to work within the community.

Having created Haredi newspapers and magazines, their rabbis forbid neighborhood stores from selling secular newspapers. When television was introduced into Israel in 1965, the rabbis banned the evil box from adherents homes. Today, data shows, fewer than half of Haredi households own a television.

But digital communications, a greater threat to the cultural walls, are of more concern to the rabbis. Not only do digital tools offer access to inappropriate content, they open the way to chat groups and apps such as WhatsApp where Haredi can criticize the rabbis and even turn to lay sources of authority.

Rabbinical bans on the computer and the internet have been less successful than the ban against television or secular press. Initially the rabbis completely banned the internet, but as the need for it in daily living and livelihoods increased, they allowed for filtered internet for home computers.

But the rabbis drew the line at smartphones. They organized the Rabbinical Committee for Communications, which, together with Israels three major cellular providers, created the kosher telephone a stripped-down phone that blocks messaging, video, radio and internet.

The committee and the cellphone providers also created a dedicated set of numbers with their own area code, making it immediately obvious if a call is coming from an unsupervised device.

The committee blocked phone sex services but also government welfare agencies, support centers for sexual and domestic violence (which the rabbis prefer to handle within the community) and secular organizations that assist people trying to leave the community.

When a change to telecommunications law in 2007 required Israeli cellphone providers to allow their customers to move between the companies while retaining the same personal phone number, further agreements exempted the kosher phone numbers.

The rabbis found other ways to support their bans. Posters on the walls of Haredi neighborhoods warn about the heavy spiritual price that comes with a nonkosher phone. Haredi media are not permitted to advertise products or services that direct consumers to secular phone numbers, and parents without an approved phone number cannot enroll their children in school. A man using an outside phone cant be counted for a minyan one of the 10 men needed for public worship. The children of families using smartphones are shunned for a shidduch (arranged marriage).

Officially, the campaign worked, and most Haredim use kosher phones, although specific data is not available. But others avoided the social pressure by simply holding two phones one for use within the community, one for everything else.

Dovid, 58, a Haredi man standing near Shmulis store who refused to give his full name, said: Im a real estate agent in the Haredi community. Of course I observe and revere my rabbis, but I cant function in my work without a smartphone. Thats just the way it is in the modern world, unfortunately.

Women have complained about being deprived of hotlines for domestic and sexual abuse. I am a Haredi woman, said Shlomit, 38, the mother of eight children. Shopping for groceries near Shmulis store, she, too, refused to give her full name, for fear of shaming. I know the rabbis dont want to admit that there are problems like violence in our community, but there are. I accept the rabbis decisions in most cases, but I know that many women are holding on to two phones.

Esty Shushan,a Haredi social activist and entrepreneur, and the founder and CEO of Nivcharot, a feminist-Haredi organization, agrees that emergency numbers should not be blocked but argues against widespread smartphone use. I use a smartphone, she said. I wish I didnt have to. It is one more way that technology is taking over our lives and stealing time and attention, not just for Haredim, but of everyone. There is something very beautiful and meaningful that our community seeks to live a simpler, more meaningful life, dedicated to values and belief.

Israels most recent government coalition, which will remain in power, likely, until fall elections, did not include Haredi parties and it ended the Orthodox monopoly over several religious matters. In April, the current communications minister, Yoaz Hendel,adopted regulations allowing transfers from the distinct kosher phone numbers to nonrestricted providers. The reform will take effect July 31.

Communications Minister Yoaz Hendel is trying to harm the lifestyle of the ultra-Orthodox public, charged the head of the Haredi United Torah Judaism party.

Others went further. Shmad, wailed one rabbi, using an emotion-laden word that refers to decrees by foreign rulers to force Jews to abandon their religion.

This is worse than the Holocaust, cried another.

The rabbis alleged that children would be corrupted by pornography and other unholy content.

In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, Hendel declared that his decision is about the character of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. We have to agree there are no autonomies. The kosher phones are a kind of monopoly, outside of law and order. I cannot accept that there is a monopoly of Judaism that only belongs to the haredi community.

Shlomo Fischer, who teaches sociology at Hebrew and Ben Gurion universities and is founding executive director of Yesodot, a think tank that advances education for democracy, claimed the Haredi outcry has nothing to do with content. Chat rooms and control of information is power. The rabbis are afraid of losing their authority, he said.

With increased communication with the outside world and better digital skills, Haredim will also be able to work at better jobs and be less dependent on the community, Fisher added.

RELATED: Reacting to Dobbs, Israel makes abortion more accessible

The rabbis authority has been slipping since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Fisher said, when they opposed social distancing and insisted on keeping schools open. The Haredi community suffered some of the highest rates in Israel due to COVID-19 mortality.

In response to the growing disobedience, self-appointed vigilantes have taken to enforcing the smartphone ban through violence. Moishe, who appears to be in his late 20s, was lurking near Shmulis store. Get out of our neighborhood, he screamed at a journalist. You can report on us. The police can arrest us. But we wont allow these impure abominations to destroy our holy lives.

Yedidia Stern, president of the Jewish People Policy Institute, a Jerusalem think tank, the cellphone controversy is a battle in Israels culture war. The Haredim would like to see Israel become a religious state, but this conflicts with the visions of seculars, religious and Arabs, said Stern. This is the background to the campaign against the mobile phones. This will not be resolved in the near future.

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Israel's new policy on 'kosher cellphones' is an abomination for Haredi rabbis - Religion News Service

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Posted By admin on July 14, 2022

FromKrawatsky v. Avrunin, decided Friday by Judge Christopher Fogleman (Md. Cir. Ct.):

From 2010 to 2015, Plaintiff Steven Krawatsky ("Rabbi K") was a head counselor at Camp Shoresh, a summer camp for children in Adamstown, Frederick County, Maryland. The parents of three boys who had attended the summer camp during that time have alleged that Rabbi K had sexually assaulted the boys. In 2017, Defendant Hannah Dreyfus , a reporter for The Jewish Week, Inc. , began investigating the allegations. As a result of Ms. Dreyfus's investigation, on January 17, 2018, Jewish Week published an editorial drafted by its Editor and two articles authored by Ms. Dreyfus.

Rabbi K sued Dreyfus and Jewish Week for various defamation-related claims; the court held, in relevant part, that Rabbi K was a limited purpose public figure, because he had voluntarily injected himself into an existing public controversy:

The record is clear that the allegations against Rabbi K did not concern only the boys and their families. The outcome of this controversy would certainly affect the general public or some segment of it in an appreciable way. The controversy concerned the safety of children. Moreover, it concerned broader policy questions about how Jewish institutions should best protect children upon learning of a sexual abuse allegation against one of its employees. The Court concludes that there was a particular public controversy [preexisting the allegedly defamatory statements' publication] that gave rise to the alleged defamation. The Krawatskys hired the public relations consultant in November 2017 "to help restore the damage to Rabbi K's online reputation caused by the controversy." The articles and editorial were published two months later, on January 17, 2018. The controversy continued unabated following the public relations consultant's November 2017 retention, through the articles' and editorial's January 17, 2018 publication.

Using the media to gain notoriety and establish a positive public image can confer limited public figure status. It is beyond dispute that the professional reputation management consultant's objective was to influence and counter the adverse impact of the unfavorable publicity that attended the Newspaper Defendants' two Articles and Editorial. Rabbi K's public relations campaign did not substantively respond to the allegations but rather was a more generalized effort to improve his image. Its objective was not to reply to the allegations, but rather to silence the negative information. By waging this public relations campaign, Rabbi K became a public figure in terms of First Amendment protection.

Because Rabbi K was a limited-purpose public figure, he had to show "clear and convincing evidence that the Newspaper Defendants acted with actual malice" (rather than just negligently), and he couldn't.

Congratulations to Nathan E. Siegel, Chelsea T. Kelly & Robert D. Balin of Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, who represented the Newspaper Defendants, and thanks to the Media Law Resource Center (MLRC) MediaLawDaily for the pointer.

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Hiring Reputation Management Co. Made Rabbi Limited Public Figure, Making It Harder for Him to Win Libel Case - Reason

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Posted By admin on July 14, 2022

Stop Hwy. 413

Since the provincial election Ive had many moments of anger, distress and depression, knowing that a minority of a pitifully small voter turnout re-elected a destructive government. However, I find that the matter that keeps returning to bother me the most is that of the proposed Highway 413. We dont need this road! It will cost taxpayers probably $10 billion yes, billion. It will pave over much of our precious Greenbelt. It will increase CO2 emissions and endanger wildlife, including many already threatened species. It will not help me or anyone I know, but the land developers will be happy.

Ford consulted experts about this and was told it was a bad idea, but for some reason he wants to build the highway anyway. We have to convince him otherwise. That money should go to enhancing public transit, increasing and protecting greenspaces, supporting electric vehicles, making cities livable. This province should be leading the way with saving the environment, saving the lives of people, wildlife, and trees, saving the planet! I dont want to be ashamed of the place I live. I urge all citizens to contact their MPPs, the ministers of environment, agriculture and transportation, and the premier, and tell them this highway must not happen.

Beverly Shepard, Flamborough

Thanks, Rabbi

I want to thank the Spec, Steve Paikin and especially Rabbi Baskin for the excellent article on the new commandments. This should be read by everyone everywhere because it speaks to humanity as a collective whole. The rabbi asks us to consider vital behaviours and attitudes that would greatly improve life on this planet, but sadly the masses seem to have forgotten or refused to entertain these and replaced them with an array of hedonistic and self serving mind sets. Lets face it, the majority of people appear to have lost their spirituality (not religion) and any sense of humanity/community choosing to run on autopilot while refusing to consider other views that might prove beneficial to more individuals. Thank you again Rabbi Baskin, we need more articles like this. This will be a keeper in our house.

Robert Panchyson, Burlington

Bikes and stop signs

When was the last time you saw a cyclist actually stop at a stop sign? Just asking.

Another sad day

I feel bad for the dead cyclist. I feel bad for his family. I feel bad for the person who killed him. It will be a heavy burden.

In a city that is criss-crossed with multi-lane highways east, west, north, south along with synchronized traffic lights, drivers find even the slightest inconvenience maddening. The Linc, for example, has no pedestrian safety when crossing at the on- and off-ramps. People are accelerating to 90 km/h at the crosswalk with no signals. People exiting the Linc are looking left for on coming traffic and not right for pedestrians and cyclists. I ride my bike in the city. Ive experienced the distracted motorist. Ive experienced the angry motorist. Ive experienced the motorist whos in a hurry. Now Ive experienced my daughter wondering if it was me who got killed today. Theres only losers when cars and trucks make contact with pedestrians and cyclists. Its another sad day.

Rethink NATO

So Martin Regg Cohn thinks Commonwealth is an anachronism (July 6), and our prime minister is wasting his time and our money going to its meetings. But NATO (and the G7 and Summit of the Americas) meetings are just fine. Obviously, we need NATO for our defence against the Russian menace, the North Atlantic pond being between us and them. But now were looking at eastern Europe, Ukraine and with Turkey getting in on the act, western Asia. Could we be looking at the wrong map? Russias a lot closer across the Arctic Ocean. We could use a better Arctic defence. Drop the N. Lets have an ATO! Or at least, a real coast guard.

Use the schools

I understand there is no easy solution for tent cities. But when I read we have up to 17 empty schools in the public school board, it makes me wonder how hard our politicians racked their brains to find housing for these poor homeless people. Surely, trustees read the newspaper and drive our city streets to be aware of the unbelievable condition of these tent cities. What an embarrassment not to be able to help our most vulnerable when the opportunity was just around the corner.

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Opinion | July 13: Thanks, Rabbi Baskin, stop Hwy. 413, use the schools and other letters - Hamilton Spectator

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Posted By admin on July 14, 2022

Beleaguered ultra-Orthodox cult Lev Tahor is seeking to move to Morocco, and recently received the blessing of a prominent Moroccan-Israeli rabbi with an international celebrity following, as the extremist group seeks footing after fleeing other countries and having its leadership imprisoned, an activist opposed to the group said.

Uriel Goldman, one of Lev Tahors leaders, met recently with Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto in Morocco to win his favor to support the move, according to Lev Tahor Survivors, an organization supporting defectors who fled the group.

A representative of the Moroccos small Jewish community said he had no knowledge of the cult and said Pinto was not connected to the wider community.

Goldman and at least one other member of the cult received a blessing from Pinto during their visit to Morocco. They believe a conservative country like Morocco might be more accepting of their practices and customs, and the majority of the cults membership is Sephardic Jewish, with roots in North Africa and the region, an activist with the opposition group said.

The group shared a video with The Times of Israel showing Pinto blessing Goldman and another man while sitting next to his son. The video was filmed in Casablanca earlier this month. Pinto did not respond to a request for comment.

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Lev Tahor is thought to comprise an estimated several hundred people mostly spread out between the US, Guatemala and Macedonia.

The group has been described as the Jewish Taliban, as women and girls older than 3 years old are required to dress in long black robes covering their entire body, leaving only their faces exposed. The men spend most of their days in prayer and studying specific portions of the Torah. The group adheres to an extreme, idiosyncratic reading of kosher dietary laws.

The cult has repeatedly fled en masse across borders as authorities cracked down on its illegal practices, including child marriage. The group ran to Canada and then to Guatemala in 2014, after coming under intense scrutiny by Canadian authorities for alleged child abuse and child marriage. Guatemalan authorities also later cracked down, forcing the group to scatter. Members of the group have also been based in the US and Israel.

The cults leaders are mostly in prison in the US on convictions stemming from a child kidnapping and child abuse case. US investigators said the group marries underage girls to adult husbands, coaches them to lie about the practice and makes them give birth at home to hide their age from authorities.

Goldman has been responsible for Lev Tahors finance and fundraising, and acts as a spokesperson. Since much of the groups top tier was imprisoned, he has assumed more of a leadership role.

Members of Lev Tahor prepare to depart their compound in eastern Sarajevo, on February 3, 2022. (Courtesy/Davorin Sekulic/Klix.ba)

A member of the opposition group told The Times of Israel that he believes Lev Tahor is headed by around 15-20 abusers, with most other members being held against their will.

Many of the opposition activists come from religious Jewish communities, which have also taken in some Lev Tahor members who fled from the group.

Pinto, a wealthy rabbi with a history of legal trouble in the US and Israel, has no known previous connection to Lev Tahor.

He was sentenced in Israel for bribing a senior police officer in 2014 and served a year in prison. The police officer, who reported the bribe to his superior, committed suicide after an extended campaign of defamation against him, orchestrated by Pintos followers. He was cleared of wrongdoing hours after his death.

The popular rabbi, who heads several charity organizations and Torah study institutions, has also been the subject of a number of investigations by the FBI since 2011.

His international supporters include US basketball star LeBron James, who has sought his spiritual guidance in the past and met with him at a wedding in New York in May.

LeBron James holds hands with Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto at the wedding of Jeffrey Schottenstein in New York City, May 22, 2022. (Screenshot from YouTube/Jewish Insider)

Lev Tahors moves, machinations, and plans are all murky. Some members of the group applied for political asylum in Iran in 2018. Documents presented at a US federal court in 2019 showed that leaders of the cult swore allegiance to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The group was founded by Rabbi Shlomo Helbrans in Jerusalem in the 1980s.

Lev Tahor means pure heart in Hebrew.

Ricky Ben-David contributed to this report.

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Leadership behind bars, Lev Tahor cult now seeking to move to Morocco, opponents say - The Times of Israel

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Posted By admin on July 14, 2022

Among progressives, there is a bitter debate over whether American Jews whose ancestors immigrated to the US from Europe should be deemed white (and thus beneficiaries of white privilege), or non-white, given their vulnerability to antisemitism, including violence from white nationalists who deem them to be non-white.

I believe that this debate misses the mark; it tries to fit antisemitism, which has myriad origins, most of which have nothing to do with whiteness such as Jews being Christ-killers) into the American black-white paradigm. This reaches an absurd apex when people assert that the Nazis killed Jews because they thought Jews werent white, as if the Nazis didnt have their own bizarre racial hierarchy one that didnt match that of the Jim Crow South.

That said, the US has its own official racial classifications, dictated by the federal Office of Management and Budget in 1978. These classifications dictate the boxes one checks for race on college admissions forms, mortgage applications, the Census, job applications, and more. Where do Jews fit in?

The short answer, as discussed in my new book, Classified: The Untold Story of Racial Classification in America, is that the US government has always deemed Jews whose ancestors came from Europe origin to be white. There was some controversy in the early twentieth century about the racial status of immigrants from the Middle East and North Africa, but the government ultimately determined MENA people, including Jews, are white. The 1978 rules, still in effect, dictate that all people of European and MENA origin are classified as generically white.

Things could have turned out differently. Around 1910, the US immigration bureaucracy considered classifying Jews separately from other European immigrants; for demographic purposes, these officials wanted to be able to distinguish, say, ethnic Poles from Jews from Poland. After protests from Jewish organizations, officials instead settled for asking immigrants their mother tongue; this allowed Yiddish-speaking Jews to be tabulated separately, without putting them in a separate racial classification.

In the late 1950s, the US government began requiring federal contractors to report on their minority employees, including Spanish-Americans, Orientals, Indians, Jews, and Puerto Ricans, to help identify illegal discriminatory hiring patterns. Within a few years, some civil rights organizations objected that including Jews in the data diverted resources better-used to combat discrimination against black Americans, who suffered more economically from discrimination than Jews did. Jewish organizations, never comfortable with the government keeping official tabs on Jews, agreed that Jews should be dropped from the forms.

In the 1970s, a few prominent activists argued that Jews should receive more explicit attention from the civil rights bureaucracy. Occasionally, Jewish leaders even expressed support for including Jews in affirmative action programs, but mainstream Jewish organizations never took up the cause.

American Jews remain extremely sensitive to any hint that they should be classified by the government separately from other Americans. The New York Times incorrectly reported in 2019 that the Trump administration was about to issue an executive order interpreting Judaism as a race or nationality. Much of the American Jewish world was briefly up in arms, until it became clear that the Times report was wrong. Jews today are classified as non-Hispanic whites unless they are also members of one of the official minority categories, such as Asian American or African American.

The only partial exception to Jews being generically part of other racial groups is Hasidim. In the 1970s, their representatives lobbied vigorously to be included in federal affirmative action plans for minority-owned small businesses. Lobbyists for the Hasidim pointed out that unlike other American Jews, Hasidim wear distinctive attire that makes them targets for discrimination. Moreover, Hasidim have high rates of poverty and receive little secular education, as their schools emphasize study of Jewish religious texts. The strict tenets of their faith, such as avoiding contact with the opposite sex, make it difficult for them to enter the secular business world. Finally, many Hasidim use Yiddish as their everyday language and speak English only as a second language.

As discussed in Classified, Hasidim achieved such recognition from the federal Commerce Department and the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and retain that minority status today, giving them an advantage in government contracting. The big prize, though, was the Small Business Administration, and attempts to gain minority status with the SBA failed.

During the Carter administration, SBA General Counsel Ed Norton tentatively concluded that Hasidim met the programs requirements. The SBA invited public comments on the Hasidims application. The agency received strongly negative feedback, primarily from African Americans. Congressman Parren Mitchell, the leading congressional advocate for the Section 8(a) program, sent a letter to numerous African American entrepreneurs and politicians warning that inclusion of Hasidic Jews would diluteexisting resources earmarked forother minorities.

Norton, meanwhile, had a change of heart. He reasoned that the Hasidim were primarily disadvantaged because of their religious traditions, and that it would be unconstitutional to provide special benefits to a group defined by religion because of their religion. The SBA therefore denied the Hasidims petition, and the Hasidim apparently did not appeal.

In short, legally speaking, the vast majority of American Jews have always been deemed white by the government, and remain classified as such today.

That said, a change may be in the offing. The Biden administration is considering amending Americas racial classification scheme to include a classification for Middle East and North African. This classification would include Jews who immigrated from that region, Israelis, and some fraction of Ashkenazi Jews who consider themselves more Middle Eastern by religion, culture, and genetics than European.

David E. Bernstein is a professor at the Antonin Scalia Law School, George Mason University, where he teaches constitutional law and evidence. He is married to an Israeli and travels to Israel regularly.

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How American Jews (stayed) white | David E. Bernstein | The Blogs - The Times of Israel

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Posted By admin on July 14, 2022

Audience members jump up to dance during a concert at Yidstock. Photo by Ben Barnhart

The dance workshop was in full swing, but catastrophe was afoot: Nobody understood how to make a four-pointed star.

Im referring to a folk dance pattern that, as one of the less competent dancers in the room, I am ill-equipped to properly describe. Suffice it to say that there are eight people standing in a square, and four of them are supposed to put their arms into the center and pivot clockwise (or was it counter-clockwise?), swinging each of the remaining four dancers in turn.

Things were not going well. I was aiming for an elderly man in crisp khakis, but kept ending up on the arm of a college student in a Black Sabbath T-shirt. I kept crashing into people, and I couldnt tell who was going the wrong way. (Probably me.)

In the rare moments when I had leisure to look around, I could see the other eight-person squares were faring similarly. One couple had detached themselves entirely and were waltzing around the room on their own. Steve Weintraub, the dancer and klezmer flash mob creator leading the workshop, darted puckishly around the room, correcting steps and shouting things like, Now promenade! Promenading basically, is just prancing in a circle like a Fiddler on the Roof daughter prowling for a husband. It was a directive everyone could greet with relief.

The 50 or so masked people gathered in the barn-like hall some young, some old, some dancing for the whole workshop, others retreating to rest on the sidelines had signed up to learn some not-so-basic Jewish folk dances. The arrangements Weintraub created share many features with their European cousins; theyd feel familiar to anyone who has attended a square dance or watched a Jane Austen adaptation. But the klezmer accordion music provided by Lauren Brody made these dances distinctly Jewish, a taste of how our ancestors might have stepped and twirled at weddings and holidays in the old country.

When the music finally ended, participants moseyed outside to cool off, drink water, and grab lunch from a conveniently located hummus truck. They didnt have much time to kill, because they hadnt schlepped here just for one dance class. They were spending the whole weekend at Yidstock, an annual celebration of Yiddish music at the Yiddish Book Centers bucolic campus in Amherst, Massachusetts.

With its low rooflines designed to mimic the feel of a European shtetl, troves of Yiddish books long out of print and archives of oral histories, the book center is oriented around the preservation of literature and culture once considered at risk of dying out. Yet Yidstock is far from championing tradition for traditions sake. In its endearing informality and slightly sweaty earnestness, the workshop embodied one of the weekends core aims: illuminating the clash between old and new customs, Jewish and non-Jewish traditions, that shaped Yiddish culture long before there were festivals commemorating it.

People might leave a concert today and say, Thats not traditional klezmer like I grew up with, said Seth Rogovoy, the festivals artistic director. (Rogovoy is also a contributing editor to the Forward.) But that klezmer you grew up with? Thats not traditional either.

The Yiddish Book Center dates back to 1980, when Aaron Lansky, then a graduate student living in nearby Northampton, realized that American Jews, uninterested in their parents and grandparents Yiddish books, were disposing of them en masse. Lansky started a network of zamlers, or volunteer collectors, to find and recover books at risk of destruction and soon became known as someone who would do anything to save Yiddish books.

Four decades later, the project is no longer the province of scrappy volunteers. Supported by 30,0000 volunteers, the Yiddish Book Center is one of the worlds largest repositories of Yiddish books. I opened the centers unassuming doors to reveal a librarians fantasy, with colorful Yiddish banners suspended over seemingly endless rows of books. But the center is still taking in new volumes. While I was chatting with David Mazower, the book centers editorial director, a bearded employee came over to announce that two boxes from a zamler in the Berkshires had just arrived.

Yidstock itself started in 2011, when Susan Bronson, the Yiddish Book Centers executive director, was a new hire brainstorming ways to attract visitors.

I really wanted to think about what we could do where wed be bringing in people from all over the country, and where we could also be fostering creativity in Yiddish music, she said in a phone interview. And I just thought that a music festival would be a wonderful thing.

Bronson recruited Rogovoy, a musician and critic then based in the Berkshires to put together a set list. In its first iteration, Yidstock consisted of a few concerts over the course of a day. Now, in its 10th, the festival boasts 400 and a long weekends-worth of activities, including film screenings, dance workshops and artist talks. Some performers, like the Klezmatics, are big names who draw festival-goers year after year. Others are comparatively new arrivals: Tsvey Brider, a songwriting duo inspired by 20th-century Jewish writers and poets, formed in 2017 and has already performed at Yidstock twice.

I trekked up from New York on the festivals first afternoon, just in time to catch Hankus Netskys lecture on nigunim. Wordless devotional melodies that usually originate in Hasidic communities, nigunim often make their way into synagogues of all denominations as evidenced by the vigorous humming along that erupted in the audience every time Netsky played a snippet. Erudite on the musical merits of nigunim, Netsky was still willing to have a little fun at their expense. Explaining one four-part nigun, which is supposed to bring the singer towards ecstatic communion with God, he quipped, In the fourth stage, you become a disembodied spirit. Hows that for music theory?

The lecture was supposed to prepare attendees for the festivals first concert, performed by Hasidic cantor Yaakov Lemmer, whose performance turned out to be less sacred than schmaltzy, featuring klezmer marches, a tribute to shalashudis (the third meal of Shabbat) and something called an alcohol medley. Swiping through sheet music on an iPad and swigging water from a Hydro Flask, Lemmer nevertheless radiated the old-fashioned geniality of a Borscht Belt dinner show host. During the livelier numbers, Weintraub led a faction of young acolytes in improvised dances down the aisles. In the rows of audience members who didnt care to strut their stuff, closed-toed sandals tapped the entire time.

For performers, Yidstock can be a uniquely hospitable venue for unexpected musical combinations. Anthony Russell, the singing half of the duo Tsvey Brider, recalled that for his festival debut, he sang several Yiddish poems set to pop melodies. The audience ate it up.

The world of Yiddish text, especially poetry, goes so many places, Russell said. It seems unfair to confine it to a certain set of sounds.

Netsky, the lecturer, believes that music like this, and the broader project of Yidstock, occupies an outsider position relative to the mainstream Jewish community, which he argues has never fully embraced klezmer since its revival in the 1970s. The mainstream Jewish community almost doesnt notice it, because its not its not about Israel, its not about intermarriage and its not about synagogues, he said.

Yidstock doesnt exactly feel like a renegade endeavor: The Yiddish Book Centers tens of thousands of members, shtetl-chic interiors and well-equipped performance spaces speak to a certain degree of mainstream success, at least when it comes to fundraising. But attendees who made the pilgrimage to Massachusetts were certainly searching for experiences that everyday Jewish life doesnt provide.

Samantha Cohen, 29, traveled to Yidstock from New York City with her parents and grandparents, provisions in tow at lunch timethe family set up a full picnic spread, complete with Coleman coolers and a gingham blanket, in the book centers parking lot. While the Klezmatics were a big draw, Cohen said, she was most excited for the chance to practice, Yiddish, which she studied in college.

While New York is rife with Jewish music, she said, there arent as many events where you get to speak [Yiddish] or listen to speakers.

Jake Krakovsky, a theater artist from Atlanta, started studying Yiddish at the beginning of the pandemic, when the Yiddish Book Center moved its in-person classes online. Even as a beginner, he said, he realized the language was going to be very important to me, probably for the rest of my life.

Now, Krakovsky, 31, is a counselor at the book centers summer Yiddish intensive, which has finally resumed in-person classes. He oversees a sizeable cohort of college and graduate students who find their way to the center and to Yidstock for reasons personal, academic and political.

I see folks with a really strong interest in klezmer, Krakovsky said. I see folks with an interest in various aspects of Jewish history. I see folks who really want to be close to Judaism but are either turned off or alienated by the centrality of Zionism in Jewish institutions.

One of Krakovskys charges is Grayson Hawthorn, 20, a Smith College student studying Yiddish to assist her Russian studies research. Hawthorn said her parents were bemused when she announced her intention to spend the summer at Yiddish camp but then again, so was she.

If you told me two years ago, Youre going to be at a klezmer music festival and theres going to be a lot of people who are really hyped about this, I would have been like, What are you talking about? Hawthorn said.

As the folk dance workshop drew to a close, Weintraub paused to explain the origins of the figures hed taught us. Some came from Hasidic dances, while other influences were far more modern he cited the 1938 movie The Dybbuk as one inspiration.

Then he arranged all the dancers in one giant square and had each side take turns dancing to the center of the room and back. I waltzed and stomped, clasping hands and making slightly awkward eye contact with people whose names I would never learn. After an hour of stumbling through complicated steps, these came naturally maybe because they were objectively very easy, maybe because wed all seen The Dybbuk, maybe because, however much theyd evolved over the years, they were part of our history.

Were allowed to take chunks of things, Weintraub said of his own approach to Jewish dance. It might actually be the most traditional thing to do.

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At a Yiddish music festival in bucolic Massachusetts, tradition is everything and nothing - Forward

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5 min read

The bass is loud and each time the beat drops, sound waves ripple through the audience and the sea of concert-goers moves like a single-bodied organism swimming through the soundscape. Clusters of women slowly emerge and dot the perimeter of the room. They move in packs to escape the sinister graze of unwanted strangers. Its a safety-in-numbers ploy.

I make my way through the crowd to the green room to have a conversation I am dreading to have with an event organizer, a headliner, a music manager or an executive. Its usually an exchange I am never comfortable with. More often than not, this is the trickle-down effect of immoral music executives. When misogyny, sexual misconduct and abuse of power dictate the standards by which artists must learn to operate, it is no surprise that the audiences entire experience becomes contaminated.

Artists and industry professionals should not have to endure the macabre tropes of the industry. But navigating the music industry often means traversing demeaning, exploitive, and downright predatory behavior by those who hold the keys to success.

How did unprofessional environments, harassment and sexual exploitation become endemic? In fact, youd likely be hard-pressed to find a young artist/music professional that hasnt been a victim of some form of abuse in the early days of their careers. And this fact especially holds true for artists of color.

Therefore, it is crucial to recognize and support inclusive spaces where the safety of artists, audiences and workers is a priority. In doing so, we start a collective movement that takes away the power of predatory keepers by taking away our support and more importantly, our attention. For this reason, weve compiled a list of event producers and upcoming shows that take entertaining, safety, and inclusivity seriously. Great music, great dancing, and a zero-tolerance policy for predatory behaviorand the vibes are ELITE.

After years of traversing substandard experiences for South Asian artists, weve started to find, and even create, spaces that foster a sonic community suspended in boundless joy.

Photo credit: Rattan Prakash Singh

No Nazar LA is a non-profit collective started by creative directors and DJs Malinder, Bianca and Omar, three creatives with a long history of pioneering global sounds, inclusivity and high-quality musical experiences. The trio has cultivated environments that integrate their varying backgrounds and platforms that garner support from communities near and far. Their edits, visual identities and intentionality are clear in every aspect of their events, and the music iswell, you dont want to miss it. The collective recently played Hollywood Pride as the first South Asian crew and had all of Vancouver dancing for Pride set during 5XFest at Beaumont Studios. Having toured with the most successful musicians and traveled the world as a Dholi, Malinder shares the imperative mission to support other communities, cultures and musical experiences in efforts to uplift everyone, together. From Los Angeles to the world, aint no party like a No Nazar party.

United Kingdom-based Dialledin is an arts and culture festival that embodies innovation and inclusivity. Dialledins commitment to high-quality arts experiences is unlike any other. From the selection of venues to the grassroots promotion of diverse South Asian talent their commitment is apparent in each carefully curated event and property. I had the privilege of attending Dialledins April festival at Hackneys EartH venue earlier this year and its safe to say in a time where representation is commercialized and internet echo chambers reign supreme, Dialledins physical and digital experiences are incomparable. The energy, authenticity and non-judgemental environment make for untainted musical bliss. The collective just wrapped up their Boiler Room Pakistan experience, their last festival featuring incredible acts like Anoushka Shankar, Jitwam, Nabihah Iqbal and other BGM favorites like DJ Manaraaa and more. You might want to head to the UK for their next festival on September 10 in London.

Photo credit: Anand Mohapatra

Previously known as the Vancouver International Bhangra Competition, 5Xfest has since become a staple South Asian festival platforming Canadian and global talent in Vancouver, British Columbia. The week-long festival spans genres, communities, and locations across Surrey and Van. The festival employs young creatives from the area itself while partnering with local venues, production companies and talent that reflect their values: good music and inclusive vibes. This years fest consisted of 5X Blockparty, 5X Artparty, 5X Podcasts, a secret warehouse party and 5X Pride! Creative director Tarun Nayar and general manager Harpo Mander, along with the entire team, are redefining what it means to create large-scale experiences that keep audiences entertained and safe. This years performances included Rehma, Shreea, AR Paisley, Raaginder, Khanvict, Harleen, Intenze, Hark, Peak, Raaginder, Ajay, Tesher, Avanti Nagral, Jasmine Sandlas and interactive art installations like Taruns plant music and Sahil Mrokes multi-sensory curated art gallery. Head to Van for 5X next year and then stay for the views!

In its 16th year, Desifest is platforming South Asian talent in Torontos Yonge Dundas square. Run by Sats B, Desifest is designed to showcase the varying languages, backgrounds and styles of South Asian artists and music. The 11-hour show ranges from classical Carnatic, Hindustani and Bangladeshi stylings to classics like Raghav, Deep Jandu, and everything in between. The festival attracts nearly 10,000 people and folks passing by, providing exposure on a large scale to a community that may otherwise never be exposed to our art. Desifest also prioritizes platforming local and upcoming talent in an effort to help them learn festival sets, production and how to engage with large audiences! The festival is free, fun and in one of the greatest music cities in the world, the six.

DJ Rekhas commitment to creating spaces that were truly for the people by the people is evident in every project. From 20 years of Basement Bhangra to Ronak and their time teaching music and curating, many South Asian artists have experienced their first stage with DJ Rekha.

The 20-year long monthly party may have come to a close in 2017, but DJ Rekha and myself are celebrating the 25th birthday of Basement Bhangra at Central Parks Summerstage on August 6, 2022, at 2 p.m. in New York City. A free event featuring Jasmine Sandlas, Red Baraat, DJ Rekha, Raaginder, Ganavay, Dave Sharma, Zeemuffin, DJ Ushka, Rajuju Brown, Sikh Knowledge and last but not least, Ajna Dance, this ones worth RSVPing to here.

Basement Bhangra 25th Birthday Bash: DJ Rekha / Jasmine Sandlas / Red Baraat / Ganavya / Raaginder / David Sharma / Sikh Knowledge / DJ Ushka / ZEEMUFFIN / Ajna Dance / Rajuju Brown

The idea that great music and safe spaces cant coexist is manufactured and false. The incredible curators above are seeing global accolades, and awards and have audiences from near and far desperate to experience sonic joy, safely.

As we grow in entertainment, we implore you to think critically, have preferences and maintain high standards. Seek out not those that claim first/few of many/only, but those who promote everyone/always/more of.

As always, our art and artists cannot grow if we do not:

Stay tuned for part two as weve got more events youll want to save to your calendar. Have an event you love attending or are hosting? Direct message me (Jashima Wadehra) at @jashimaw on Instagram.

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Redefining Sonic and Safety Standards in the Music Industry: The New Diaspora Music Experience - BrownGirlMag

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With the curation of his debut exhibition, rapper Vic Mensa is imagining creativity, expression, and identity free of the white gaze.

Presented by the Kavi Gupta Gallery in Chicago, Mensa's SKINS + MASKS features art pieces by a collective of visual artists from the diaspora. The group exhibition, which opened last month, is inspired by Frantz Fanons 1952 book Black Skin, White Masks and centers on Black experiences with the goal of decolonizing Black art beyond the politics of visibility.

Mensa's father is from Ghana, and his roots are well represented in the exhibition. SKINS + MASKS features a number of rising artists from Ghana, including Accra-based talents like Foster Sakyiamah and Elizabeth Sekyiamah. (Elizabeth is the inaugural winner of the Judith-Ellen Prize, an annual prize dedicated to supporting emerging women artists within Africa and the Diaspora.)

Mensa first became aware of the work of the siblings when he visited the West African country earlier this year. He also met painters from other parts of the continent during his stay and started working with so many people off the spark of Ghanas art movement.

The art scene in Accra is electric. Its magic. Its on fire. Thats one of the things that has captivated me most about what I would say is the cultural revolution, upheaval going on in Ghana right now, Mensa told OkayAfrica. Some of the worlds premier painters and curators and art personalities are coming out of Ghana right now."

Mensa's exhibition also spotlights African artists from South Africa, the United States of America, and United Kingdom, with names like Dada Khanyisa,Joshua Donkor,Ndidi Emefiele, Andrea Coleman, and more taking center stage.

I think our greatest tools of revolution are creativity, Mensa said. Our music, dance, art those acts are revolutionary in and of themselves and a way many of us process our imaginations.

Photo Credit: Brendan Jaccarino

The pieces by the artists explore understanding and expressing Black identity from the perspective of individual reality. One standout piece is Khanyisas Wonder Where Id Be Had I Not Placed Desirability at the Forefront of My Identity. The piece is a stunning and somewhat depressing sculptural painting that addresses individuals prioritizing how other people see them.

A popular rapper in the United States, Mensa is known for using his platform as an artist and activist to draw attention to social issues, especially those affecting marginalized communities. He also has a history of inspiring individuals to think critically about socio-political issues through the power of music and visual arts, while blending elements from his upbringing to the continent.

If you look at the performances that were employed in the show, I combined a style of dance and music from the ghettos of Chicago called Footwork and juke music with the Djembe and like [a] futuristic African mask," Mensa said. "I think the drums themselves are a living breathing representation of an unbreakable African identity... Those intrinsic modes of communication and expression to me encapsulate and accomplish the goal of an unbreakable identity beyond only existing in proximity to whiteness.

All proceeds from the SKIN + MASKS exhibition will go to SaveMoneySaveLife, the Chicago-based non-profit organization Mensa founded. The non-profit will use the money to fund an arts program in Accra that will help create infrastructure and provide resources to emerging artists.

There are so many talented artists in Ghana... and often, [what] separates access to industry and capital at the end of the day is resources and information, Mensa said. Same way where I live in Chicago, we as African people in America, in Ghana, and everywhere are just boundlessly talented, and wherever possible, I want to be able to provide resources and opportunities for those that dont have [them.]

In addition to everything hes got going on, he is also working on addressing [the] enormous divide and lack of collaboration between Black American artists and artists on the [African] continent.

He mentioned the experiences of meeting fans of his music, and that of his friends, and the realization that they usually perform all over the world but hardly do so in Africa. Mensa's first performance in Ghana came only this year, despite the fact the West African country is his father's homeland.

Mensa says that he and other people around the world are really trying to create a global coalition that would encourage Black artists to regularly perform on the continent via some type of festival.

I recognize that with privilege comes responsibility and also [an] opportunity, Mensa said. And so I am taking that on to help break down those misunderstandings between Black people on and off the [African] continent.

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Vic Mensa's 'SKIN + MASKS' Exhibit Puts a Spotlight on the Diaspora's Most Talented Artists - OkayAfrica

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The inaugural symposium of the Hellenic Institute of Advanced Studies(HIAS) was held on Friday July 7, at the Eugenides Foundation. The audience included distinguished scientists and engineers from Greece and the Greek diaspora, as well as entrepreneurs, university rectors and policy makers.

In a written statement, the President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou stressed the importance of Greece becoming outward-looking in science and innovation to achieve brain gain.

The newly appointed US Ambassador to Greece, George Tsunis, greeted the audience and highlighted the growing scientific and innovation ties between the United States and Greece, and the new Science and Technology Agreements between the two countries.HIAS President Petros Koumoutsakos (Harvard), concluded the opening session by presenting the HIAS activities and strategic goals. He highlighted the HIAS efforts for establishing a physical home in Greece for the scientists of the diaspora in the near future.

The symposium was structured around four themes: Engineering and Science Education, Energy and Climate, Artificial Intelligence and Computing, and Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Greece. Several actionable ideas were presented to strengthen bridges among researchers in Greece and the diaspora with an emphasis on the younger generations.

The Engineering and Science Education keynote speaker Dean Yiannis Yortsos (USC) articulated a vision for addressing Grand Challenges which can drive reforms in research and education in Greece and inspire the younger generations. Pericles Mitkas (Hellenic Authority for Higher Education) pointed out challenges in bridging education and industry while Apostolis Dimitropoulos (General Secretary, Ministry of Education) presented recent programs for internationalization of Greek universities. Margarita Chli (ETHZ) stressed the need for rebranding Greece as a top destination for research, education and innovation and Provost Sotiropoulos (Virginia Commonwealth University) , emphasized the need for project-oriented education addressing social issues.

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In the Energy and Climate panel, keynote speaker Anna Stephanopoulou (University of Michigan), presented a vision on electrification of the automotive sector and advancing battery technology. She highlighted that Greece has the oldest transportation fleet in the EU and suggested the electrification of public transport. The panel of Michael Caramanis (Boston University), Efi Fofoula-Georgiou (UC Irvine), Alexander MItsos (TU Aachen), and Athanasios Nenes (EPFL) stressed issues ranging from electric ferries connecting Greek islands, renewable energies, science based responses to fire, as well as the need to address health hazards of smoke from fires and wood burning in Greece.

The keynote speaker in Artificial Intelligence and Computing Joseph Sifakis (CNRS) discussed the need to rethink AI in the context of infrastructures and engineering systems. Timos Sellis (Archimedes Research Unit) presented the new Archimedes research institute while Petros Maragos (NTUA), presented HERON, a new robotics research institute which was initiated by a HIAS study. Constantia Alexandrou (Cyprus University) advocated the area of Computational science as an opportunity for interdisciplinary education and research in Greece and the role of computing for AI. Christos Kozyrakis (Stanford University) discussed new trends in hardware for AI towards specialized but focused architectures which may lead to unique tech opportunities for Greece.Albert Bourla (CEO, Pfizer) greeted the innovation panel and discussed the major R&D investments by Pfizer in Greece which have catalyzed broader engagements with the academic and research ecosystems.

The keynote by Nektarios Tavernarakis (U. of Crete, FORTH) highlighted challenges in translating research to innovation in EU and Greece and . outlined the structure of Horizon Europe which has specific mechanisms for addressing them. Spyros Artavanis-Tsakonas (Harvard) highlighted the importance of fundamental research and the need for better coordination in research funding as cornerstones for entrepreneurship and innovation. Yannis Ioannidis (U of Athens) stressed the need for educating students in innovation early in their studies to address cultural issues of risk-aversion. Nikos Paragios (Paris Saclay and TheraPanacea ) highlighted how France, thrugh few strategic government interventions, empowered academics to translate basic science to startup ventures. The resulting innovation ecosystem has produced more than 30 unicorns in a period of 5 years.Vassilis Papakonstantinou (MIT Enterprise Forum) presented ideas on how to improve networking among innovators across the world. The Symposium was summarized by Andreas Boudouvis (NTUA Rector) who discussed future actions for HIAS.

SOURCE; ANA-MPA

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HIAS: An important step for the networking of the Greek scientific diaspora with Greece - Hellenic News of America

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SendSprint, a payments and money transfer startup, launched yesterday in the UK with a service that will target Africans living in the diaspora. The new startupcofounded by former Flutterwave executivewill leverage Flutterwaves digital payments infrastructure to process cross-border payments for transactions coming into Africa.

Over the past decade, migration has taken millions of people away from Africa. While this contributes to the existing brain drain narrative, the silver lining lies in the remittances being made into the continent by Africans in the diaspora. Regrettably, sending money into Africa from abroad has been far from seamless, but SendSprint is trying to change that.

The novel startup is launching 2 products that will connect the African diaspora to loved ones at home. The first is Send Money, which enables seamless transfers into African countries; and the other is Sprint Connect, a gifting solution that connects the African diaspora to retailers across the continent.

Within 18 months, the fintech will target 300,000 customers out of the estimated 1.7 million pool of African diaspora in the UK.

To kick-start operations, SendSprint will enable money transfers to the 3 biggest economies in Africa: Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa. The list is expected to grow as the company expands.

With its launch in the UK, SendSprint is now playing in a remittance market dominated by industry behemoths like MoneyGram and Western Union, and other relatively new fintechs like Remitly, Wise, and Zeps (formerly WorldRemit).

However, unlike the older players in the ecosystem, SendSprints Money Transfer product will offer a flat fee of $5 for international transfers into Africa, against the prevalent sliding scale which can sometimes rake up to 5% of the sum to be sent.

To offer Sprint Connect, SendSprints other product, the startup is partnering with over 3,000 retailers operating in Africaincluding big names like Shoprite, FilmHouse Cinemas, Jumia, and HealthPlusto make it possible for users to send gift cards to recipients in Africa.

This allows recipients to use the remittances directly for things that matter to them, such as groceries, healthcare, and fashion and beauty products, reflecting the nuance of how remittances are spent in Africa. According tho the world bank, over 75% of remittances are used for sustenance through the purchase of daily necessities like food and medicines.

The UK launch represents a significant step for SendSprint as we look to expand and connect people across the globe to their homes in Africa. We have ambitious growth targets which will be supported by scaling up our team across both product and customer service, said SendSprint founder and CEO, Damisi Busari, in a statement shared with TechCabal

Busari has previously worked as a Flutterwave executive, where she headed customer experience and strategic alliances. Now, she will be partnering with Flutterwave, which already supports international transfers to 34 of the continents 54 countries. The partnership will help SendSprint comply with regulations in the countries it will operate in.

According to Busari, SendSprint is designed to connect the African Diaspora to loved ones at home by enabling seamless transfers and innovative gifting.

SendSprint became incorporated in April, and the company has established the UK as its international headquarters, with presence in the US and Nigeria.

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SendSprint launches in the UK with a $5 flat fee for international transfers - TechCabal

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