Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on May 22, 2022

Bill McCarthy, PolitiFact.com| Austin American-Statesman

Biden speaks in Buffalo after mass shooting kills 10

President Biden traveled to Buffalo to meet and grieve with family members of the 10 victims killed during a mass shooting at a grocery store.

USA TODAY

Anonline screedlinked to the 18-year-old man arrested for killing 10 people in a Buffalo, New York, supermarket repeatedly referenced the racist and antisemitic "great replacement theory."

The theory is white supremacist rhetoric amplified in recent years by some of the loudest voices in conservative media. Several recent shootings have been motivated by belief in a "great replacement," experts say.

The conspiracy theory warns that Democrats and other Western elites are using immigration and other means to "replace" white people of European descent in the U.S. with non-white populations. Some subscribers believe its part of an elaborate Jewish plot.

The 180-page document linked to the Buffalo shooter said that he came to believe the white race was in jeopardy after he started browsing 4chan out of boredom at the start of the pandemic. According to the document, which is filled with memes, Payton Gendron chose to attack the people of Buffalo because the city had the highest concentration of Black people among the areas near his home in Conklin, New York.

The writings mirror postings from earlier attackers who were also inspired by the "great replacement theory," including the shooter who livestreamed his assault on a pair of mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019, killing 51 people.

'White supremacy is a poison': Emotional Biden in Buffalo condemns those who push 'perverse' replacement theory

About 63% of the language in the Buffalo writings was copied from the Christchurch writings, according to theAnti-Defamation League.

The document also invokes the accused shooter who killed 11 people at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh in October 2018; the man who pleaded guilty to killing one person at a synagogue in Poway, California, in April 2019; and the man who was charged with killing 23 people at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, in August 2019. All three signaled support for the great replacement conspiracy theory in online posts,according to the ADL.

The concept of a "great replacement" traces back to 20th century French nationalism. But the term was introduced to many contemporary audiences by a French writer who warned in 2011 about the supposed extinction of the white race due to immigrating Muslim populations, according to the ADL. It was quickly taken up by white supremacists, including many who blame Jews for non-white immigration.

The most extreme, violent versions of the theory are found in the darker corners of the internet, such as 4chan and other fringe forums, said Michael Jensen, a senior researcher at the University of Marylands National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism.

But social media, supportive politicians and major media figures have helped the theorys ideas spread.

"Replacement doctrine has been circulating for years, but most recently it got a makeover and amplification in mainstream politics," said Brian Levin, director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino.

The central tenets of the theory have becomea mainstayon the primetime Fox News show hosted by Tucker Carlson. A recent investigation from the New York Timesfoundthat inmore than 400 episodesof his show, Carlson "amplified the idea that Democratic politicians and others want to force demographic change through immigration."

Fact-check: Is the Biden administration prioritizing sending baby formula to the border?

Carlson has mocked those who point out his racist rhetoric.

"I know that the left and all the little gatekeepers on Twitter become literally hysterical if you use the term replacement, if you suggest that the Democratic Party is trying to replace the current electorate, the voters now casting ballots, with new people, more obedient voters from the Third World," Carlsonsaid in an April 2021show. "But they become hysterical because thats whats happening, actually."

"Theyre trying to change the population of the United States, and they hate it when you say that because its true, but thats exactly what theyre doing," Carlsonsaid in May 2021.

A Fox News spokesperson pointed to other on-air comments Carlson has made denouncing violence but did not offer further comment for this story.

Other right-wing influencers have promotedsimilar themes, including the late radio host Rush Limbaugh,Daily Wire contributor Matt Walshand Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk.

Buffalo shooting: Biden says 'hate will not prevail' after Buffalo shooting

Kirk defended Carlsons April 2021 remarks as "factual" and months later claimed,without evidence, that President Joe Biden intentionally let Afghanistan fall to the Taliban as a pretext for admitting more migrants and "chang(ing) the body politic permanently."

Another Fox News personality, host Jeanine Pirro, made a similar comment in 2019 when shesaid, "Their plot to remake America is to bring in the illegals … to replace American citizens with illegals who will vote for the Democrats."

Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., also stood up for Carlson,tweetingafter Carlsoninvoked the theoryby its name in September 2021 that Carlson was "correct about replacement theory as he explains what is happening to America." That same month, Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y.,said in an adthat Democrats were lodging a "permanent election insurrection" with their immigration policies.

A recent poll from the Associated Press and NORC at the University of Chicago suggested that with a wide swath of Americans, the narrative may be sticking.

Thepoll foundthat one in three American adults now believes "that a group of people is trying to replace native-born Americans with immigrants for electoral gains." The belief wassignificantly more commonamong respondents who watch mostly Newsmax, One America News Network or Fox News than among those who watch CNN or MSNBC.

"While Tucker Carlson and other conservative voices do not advocate for violence in response to the great replacement theory, their promotion of its central ideas pushes millions of people to the outskirts of the online environments where the most extreme forms of the theory are used to recruit and radicalize people to commit mass casualty crimes," Jensen said.

"It takes only a couple mouse clicks for a curious viewer to get from Tucker Carlson to 4chan."

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What is the 'great replacement theory' linked to the Buffalo shooter? - Austin American-Statesman

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Posted By admin on May 22, 2022

There is often overlap between these violent threats and white supremacist beliefs. White supremacy tends to treat people of color as un-American or even less than fully human, views that can make violence seem justifiable. The suspect in the Buffalo massacre evidently posted an online manifesto that discussed replacement theory, a racial conspiracy theory that Tucker Carlson promotes on his Fox News show.

(This Times story examines how replacement theory has entered the Republican mainstream.)

History has taught us that what begins with words ends in far worse, Representative Liz Cheney, one of the few Republicans who have repeatedly and consistently denounced violence and talk of violence from the right, wrote on Twitter yesterday. The House GOP leadership has enabled white nationalism, white supremacy, and antisemitism, Cheney wrote, and called on Republican leaders to renounce and reject these views and those who hold them.

A few other Republicans, like Senator Mitt Romney, have taken a similar stance. But many other prominent Republicans have taken a more neutral stance or even embraced talk of violence.

Some have spoken openly about violence as a legitimate political tool and not just Trump, who has done so frequently.

At the rally that preceded the Jan. 6 attack, Representative Mo Brooks suggested the crowd should start taking down names and kicking ass. Before she was elected to Congress, Marjorie Taylor Greene supported the idea of executing Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and other top Democrats. Representative Paul Gosar once posted an animated video altered to depict himself killing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and swinging swords at Biden.

Rick Perry, a former Texas governor, once called the Federal Reserve treasonous and talked about treating its chairman pretty ugly. During Greg Gianfortes campaign for Montanas House seat, he went so far as to assault a reporter who asked him a question he didnt like; Gianforte won and has since become Montanas governor.

These Republicans have received no meaningful sanction from their party. McCarthy, the Republican leader in the House, has been especially solicitous of Brooks and other members who use violent imagery.

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Most Extremist Violence in the U.S. Comes From the Political Right - The New York Times

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Posted By admin on May 22, 2022

A racist mass shooting that left 10 people dead in Buffalo, New York, put national attention on a concept that has alarmed experts in extremism for years: "replacement theory" or the "Great Replacement."

The attacktargeted Black people, and the man charged in the shootings purportedly wrote a hate-filled document nearly 200 pages long, as well as hundreds of pages of a personal diaryposted onlinebefore the shooting, that cited the conspiracy theory extensively.

The racist belief was the shooter's primary motivation,according to experts who studied the documents.Authorities worked to definitively link that file to the suspect, Payton Gendron, 18.

Before and since the attack, political commentators have sparred overwhatexactlyreplacement theory is.They debate whether the conceptthat matured on extremist websites and chat rooms is really the same as the talking points usedby mainstream conservative pundits and politicians.

Understanding this idea, and its connection to hate crimes, requires examination of what replacement theory is starting with what it is not.

Spreading replacement theory: 'Replacement theory' fuels extremists and shooters. A top Border Patrol agent is spreading it.

When mass killers are called 'saints': Online, extremists turn shooters into 'saints.' Experts worry others aspire to join the ranks

Theres widespread consensus among demographers that the racial and ethnicmakeup of the American electorate is changing. It always has. Broadly speaking, if demographic trends continue, experts expect white Americans will become less than the majority of the populationtoward the middle of this century.

Legal and illegal immigration, combined with generally higher birthrates among nonwhite U.S.residents,meanthat the country is shifting toward an electorate that is majority nonwhite. Demographers at the Brookings Institution used census data to estimate that whites will become less than 50% of the U.S. populationaround 2045.

Whites will still be the largest single racial group, but they will be outnumbered by nonwhite voters, according to census predictions.

Predictionsaside, the fact that demographic change exists inAmerica is not what replacement theory is.

That involves a further crucial step.

The ingredient that transforms a widely agreed-upon statistical phenomenon into a fallacious conspiracy theory is the assertion thatthesedemographic changesare orchestrated specificallyfor political gain.

According to replacement theory, the changing racial makeup of the country is not a natural or organic process but anorganized effort by a powerful and shadowy group.

For manypushers of this theory, that shadowy group is the Democratic Party and other liberals, assisted by animagined Jewish cabal,said Marilyn Mayo,a senior research fellow at the Anti-Defamation Leagues Center on Extremism.

Instead of saying that nonwhites are coming here and replacing white people, the language that is used is 'We're having an invasion over the border'and that this liberal administration and Democrats are letting in these immigrants from Third World countries with the purpose of changing the demographics of this country, Mayo said.

Theres been no evidence that this is happening.

In the months before the Buffalo shooting, high-profile figures reiterated this allegation.

Fox News Tucker Carlson, who hosts one of thehighest-rated shows in prime-time TV,maderepeated claims about replacement in recent months, according to the Anti-Defamation League.Border Patrol Union President Brandon Judd pushed the theory during aTV appearanceon Fox.

Neither they, nor provocateurAnn Coulter or others, have offered any evidencethat an organized effort is underway to change the American electorate.

Nor was evidence found onwhite supremacist websites, forums and chat rooms where this theory gained popularity. Replacement theory rubs shoulders with other pseudoscience and disproven racist and hateful tropes that havent been embraced by mainstream conservative pundits.

The racist extremists who marched in Charlottesville, Virginia,in 2017, chanting, "Jews will not replace us," a motto of the replacement theory crowd, offered no proof for their claims that they are being systematically replaced.

Not necessarily.

Theres a lot of discussion about how significant demographic change is in political terms. Experts have long debated theidea that people of color are more likely to vote for left-leaning political candidates.

Take the Sunshine State, said Allen Orr, president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.

In areas such as Florida, a large number of people who are Hispanic, and some even Latino, vote Republican, Orr said. So the concept that immigrants only vote for one party is ridiculous.

Even if white Americans become less than a majority of the population, they may not become less than a majority of voters, said William Frey, a demographer and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Frey said theassumption that voting results will be immediately alteredby the changing racial makeup of the population is overly simplistic. White people, particularly older white people, are statistically much more likely to vote in elections thanHispanic people in their 20s and 30s, for example, he said.

People who cross into the country illegally may never be able to vote in elections, he said.

"In the short term, I don't know that these changes make much of a difference to elections," Frey said. "Turnout rates in all elections tend to be highest for people in their 50s and 60s, and not high at all for the 18-to-20 and 20-to-34 age group, which is the group that's become more ethnically diverse."

Electoral district boundariesmean nonwhite populations may still not be equally represented.

Law enforcement officials have remained tight-lipped about theslew of documents the man charged in the Buffalo shooting may haveposted online before theattack. Experts who studied the documents told USA TODAY they have no doubt they were written by him.

They include a ramblingdocument,much of which was copied almost verbatim from a similar document posted by a racist mass shooter, and hundreds of pages of posts made onthe instant messaging platform Discord.

These documents spell out that the authorwas obsessed with replacement theory. The maindocument includes the word replace 32 times. In the Discord diary, the author details his warped reasoning for an attack and cites as inspiration racist mass shooters inspired by the theory.

Based on those documents, theres no doubt that replacement theory was the main contributing factor of the attack, said Kesa White, a researcher who tracks extremists at the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab (PERIL) at American University.

White supremacists havediscussed the idea of a concerted effort to "replace" voters in majority white countries in Europe, North America and Australasia for decades.

According to the Anti-Defamation League, the theory originated in early 20thcentury French nationalism and books by Frenchauthor Maurice Barres. The French writer Renaud Camuspopularized the term in a 2011 book "The Great Replacement."

Inthis country, the concept of a "replacement" of white people has been honed by a modern breed of white supremacists who are concerned less with promoting pseudoscience about the superiority of white people and more with convincing white people that they are under threat, Mayo said.

"It is essentiallysaying that this countryis going to be changed drastically," Mayo said. "Many even go further and say it's going to lead to the destruction of the countryon some level."

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Great Replacement Theory: What it means, where it came from - USA TODAY

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Posted By admin on May 22, 2022

PEPPER PIKE, Ohio When a seed of hate goes unchecked, it can tragically grow into an atrocity like the Buffalo grocery store shooting.

Authorities said the 18-year-old suspect Payton Gendron previously threatened a school shooting.

Investigators also said Gendron described himself as a fascist and white supremacist, so to learn that this accused killer specifically targeted Black people in this attack doesn't surprise Cleveland State professor Dr. Ronnie Dunn.

I cant necessarily say that Im surprised because these acts of hate have almost become normalized in our country, said Dunn.

Dunn added that hate and racism are learned behaviors, and investigators say Gendron found a lot of misinformation online that led to tragedy, including a conspiracy theory about race and ethnicity.

Dunn said education is key, but its tough when educators are barred from teaching race and culture in the classroom.

If we cant have a candid discussion and really deal with our nations history relative to race, then its quite understandable how a person can be radicalized, said Dunn.

The Buffalo tragedy and the national conversation it has spurred about hate comes as two Northeast Ohio high schools are dealing with an ugly alleged incident at a sporting event.

Orange school officials say a Lake Catholic player had a swastika on his leg during a lacrosse game Monday against Orange High, according to members of the Orange team. Orange alumni and parents also reported a visitor used "racial slurs" towards their team, according to Orange officials. Lake Catholic said it is investigating the alleged "anti-Semetic" incidents.

James Pasch with the Anti-Defamation League said hes meeting with Lake Catholic this week to address the incident.

You cut it off there, educate and you learn from that experience, said Gengron. What happens when hate festers and it goes unchecked is that it leads to not only what we just saw in Buffalo, but what we've seen across this nation.

RELATED: Orange lacrosse players say Lake Catholic player had swastika on leg, according to superintendent

Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.

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ADL addresses alleged anti-semitism during lacrosse game - News 5 Cleveland WEWS

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Posted By admin on May 22, 2022

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The CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) sounded the alarm on the sharp rise in incidents antisemitism, which he said is coming both from the far right and the radical left.

A recent report by the ADL, a civil rights organization dedicated to stopping "the defamation of the Jewish people," showed that antisemitic incidents reached an all-time high in 2021, a 34% increase from the past year, and averaging seven incidents per day.

Harassment, vandalism and a 167% increase in antisemitic assault were among the incidents cited by the ADL.

"There's no question that today in America we're living with higher levels of antisemitism than we've ever seen in our lifetimes," ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt told Fox News Digital at the Milken Institute 2022 Global Conference.

US ANTISEMITIC CRIMES HIT 'ALL-TIME HIGH' IN 2021, WITH ASSAULTS SKYROCKETING 167% YEAR OVER YEAR, ADL SAYS

These incidents, though, are not tied to just one end of the political spectrum, he added.

"The reality is that antisemitism comes from many sides. Many organizations, the ADL included, have been very focused on the extreme right in recent years," he said.

People take part in a march crossing the Brooklyn Bridge in solidarity with the Jewish community.

"We also, though, need to be worried about what I'll call the radical left. Vicious anti-Zionist, radical leftist who are might not be armed to the teeth like some of the radical right but are equally dangerous in terms of their rhetoric, dehumanizing Jewish people, demonizing the Jewish state, and expressing the kind of ugly antisemitism you previously saw in the Soviet Union," Greenblatt said. "So it's really quite despicable."

The ADLs recent report showed a 94% increase in Anti-Israel/Anti-Zionist incidents, in part fueled by the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Greenblatt said he has vocally opposed members of both the far right and the radical left, including Ilhan Omar and other members of The Squad, for antisemitic rhetoric.

JEWISH MAN PUNCHED IN FACE BY TEEN DEMANDING HE SAY FREE PALESTINE: REPORT

As a former staffer in the Obama White House, Greenblatt said it is "deeply distressing" to see "extremists who have infiltrated parts of the party."

People attend the "NO FEAR: Rally in Solidarity with the Jewish People" event in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)

Despite this, Greenblatt said he does not support cancel culture.

AMB. DAVID FRIEDMAN: IT'S TIME FOR TOUGH MEASURES AGAINST ANTISEMITISM

"I dont believe in cancel culture, I dont," he said. "I believe in counsel culture. We all make mistakes. I believe were all made in the image of God, but were all imperfect, we all err."

"I think canceling people because of mistakes theyve made is wrong. I think you need to call people in before you call them out. I think you need to embrace people who do wrong, before you ex-communicate them."

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ADLs Audit of Antisemitic Incidents 2021 included several recommendations for policymakers, including speaking out against all forms of hate, increasing security funding for at-risk communal institutions, increased education and improved hate crime data collection.

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Increase in antisemitism from far right and radical left 'despicable': CEO of the Anti-Defamation League - Fox News

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Posted By admin on May 22, 2022

A woman ignited a book and piece of cloth and hurled it through the gate of a Gramercy Park synagogue, according to police, who released video footage of the alleged firebug.

The disturbing incident which is being investigated as a hate crime happened at 1:30 a.m. Thursday at the Brotherhood Synagogue on Gramercy Park South, near 3rd Avenue, cops said.

There was no serious damage to the building, police said.

The NYPD late Friday night released a 16-second video clip seeking the publics help in identifying the suspect, who ran off.

The clip shows the woman who is dressed in all black and wearing glasses, a white baseball hat and carrying a green shopping bag walking on a sidewalk.

The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on Saturday afternoon denounced the attempted arson.

Any attack targeting a house of worship must be condemned in the strongest terms possible, with the alleged perpetrator apprehended swiftly to face the full force of the law,CAIR-NYExecutive Director Afaf Nashersaid in a statement. Americans of all faiths and backgrounds must join together in challenging the growing bigotry we are witnessing nationwide.

WANTED for an Arson at 28 Gramercy Park South . #Manhattan @NYPD13pct on 5/19/22 @ 1:25 AM the individual approached the Brotherhood Synagogue and lit a book and a piece of cloth on fire and threw them through the Synagogues metal gate. Reward up to $3500 Call 1-800-577-TIPS. pic.twitter.com/doutMAOIDT

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPDs confidential Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website athttps://crimestoppers.nypdonline.org/or on Twitter @NYPDTips.

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Posted By admin on May 22, 2022

Changes made to federal law ensure that the Justice Department can step in when houses of worship are threatened.

That the FBI is helping local law enforcement investigate the deadly racially-motivated shooting at the TOPS supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y., comes as a surprise to no one. Most take it for granted that the nations leading criminal investigators will help in cases of racial and antisemitic terror.

But this wasnt always the case.

For years, the FBI declined to help investigate bombings and threats against Jews, African-Americans and other minorities because such attacks didnt violate any federal laws.

It was the Civil Rights Act of 1960 that made the sending of threats to a religious institution or to travel interstate to avoid prosecution for damaging by fire or explosive any house of worship a federal offense.

In fact, one of the first times the FBI officially helped local police with an antisemitic investigation into a bomb threat was in Buffalo, N.Y. It was in April 1960 when Temple Beth Zion was desecrated with swastikas and the synagogues rabbi, Martin Goldberg, received a letter with a bomb threat.

It was a spate of bombings in the south in the late 1950s that helped usher in this change in the federal law.

White supremacist were spewing hateful rhetoric and terror followed, as a spate of bombings targeted synagogues and African-American churches and schools.

The year was 1957 and the right to equality for African-Americans was being waged across the south. Members of white supremacist groups like the KKK were actively spewing their hateful rhetoric and terror followed as a spate of bombings targeted synagogues and African-American churches and schools.

In Charlotte, N.C., a group of 30 women were inside Temple Beth-El when someone left a bundle of dynamite outside the synagogue. The fuse had been lit, but it burned out before it reached the explosives. The community was physically unharmed, but scared.

Atlantas The Temple was bombed in 1957.

Several months later, a bomb was discovered outside a synagogue in Gastonia, N.C., before it could go off. That was followed by an attempted bombing of a synagogue in Birmingham, Ala., where more than 50 sticks of dynamite were found.

Things took a much more ominous turn when a bomb exploded at Temple Beth-El in Miami. Unlike the previous incidents, this one, on March 16, 1958, caused significant damage to an Orthodox synagogue. That same day a bomb went off at the Jewish Community Center in Nashville, Tenn., also causing damage. A rabbi in Nashville had received a call from someone with a group calling itself the Confederate Underground threatening more violence.

Bombing of Synagogue Part of National Plot? screamed a headline in the Miami Herald.

The attacks in Miami and Nashville were followed by the bombing of the Jewish Community Center in Jacksonville, Fla., in late April. A man claiming to be a part of the Confederate Union called in a threat.

Thousands of dollars were set aside as reward money to catch the perpetrators, but no one was arrested. Jewish groups and local law enforcement appealed to the FBI to get involved.

As the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported at the time, The American Jewish Committee in a wire to the Attorney General [William P. Rogers] stressed that the series of bombings clearly indicated a concerted course of criminal action on an interstate scale and points to the existence of a conspiracy which warrants an immediate investigation by the FBI.

Despite the devastating attacks to the Jewish community, no federal laws had been broken.

Despite the devastating attacks to the Jewish community, no federal laws had been broken. As then New York Sen. Jacob Javits testified on the floor of the Senate in April 1958: It is my understanding that the Department of Justice, through the FBI, is investigating certain of the bombings with threats, but the jurisdiction under which the Justice Department operates in unnecessarily narrow, and calls for immediate amendment of the existing criminal law.

On Sunday, Oct. 12, 1958, an explosion shattered the predawn silence in Atlanta. The Confederate Underground called the offices of a national news bureau taking credit for bombing a temple.

But it wasnt until 7:45 AM when a janitor arrived at The Temple, as the synagogue is called, that the destruction was discovered. More than $100,000 worth of damage was reported with stained glass windows shattered, the hallway demolished, and piles of bricks and plaster scattered around.

President Dwight Eisenhower was in New York that morning speaking at a cornerstone-laying for a church and said, I think we would all share in the feeling of horror that any person would want to desecrate the holy place of any religion, be it a chapel, a cathedral, a mosque, a church or a synagogue.

Yet the attacks continued. A few days later, a synagogue in Peoria, Ill., was bombed. The terror that had been confined to Jews in the south was moving north.

Unlike the other bombings, Atlanta police were able to identify a suspect. George Michael Bright, who was known to have antisemitic leanings, and four friends were arrested. Police had evidence but no concrete smoking gun. Despite the prosecutions best efforts, the jury was unable to agree on a verdict. A second trial ended with Brights acquittal. He was free to go and charges against the others were dropped.

No one, it seemed, would be held responsible for the terror that was being inflicted on Jews. The cry for justice was loud.

Attention turned to what Senator Javits had earlier called the narrow jurisdiction for federal investigators to aid local law enforcement. With the support of the president, federal law was enacted which made it a crime to travel interstate to avoid prosecution or confinement in connection with the destruction or attempted destruction of a house of worship, religious center or educational institution.

It also made it a federal offense to use the mail, telephone, telegraph or other instrument of commerce to convey a threat against a building or personal property to interfere with a religious, charitable, educational or other institution.

Those statutes, aimed at giving federal authorities the right to intervene in cases of domestic terrorism against houses of worship and religious institutions, was codified into law as part of the Civil Rights Act of 1960.

In this time of record-breaking antisemitic incidents and increasing hate crimes in the United States, and where threats continue to be lobbed against houses of worship, the legacy of these attacks and the changes to the federal law they ultimately spawned live on.

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How a Spate of Synagogue Bombings in the 1950s Is Impacting Us Today - aish.com - Aish

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Posted By admin on May 22, 2022

Authorities said Michael Edgar Bivins, 34, targeted two Jewish synagogues, a mosque and a Black-owned restaurant between April 30 and May 4.

PORTLAND, Ore. A man suspected of vandalizingseveral places of worship and a Black-owned business during a five-day crime spree in Portland is facing bias crime charges, Multnomah County District Attorney Mike Schmidt announced Wednesday.

Authorities said Michael Edgar Bivins, 34, targeted two Jewish synagogues, a mosque and a Black-owned restaurant called Everybody Eats PDX between April 30 and May 4.

According to the Portland Police Bureau, Bivins was caught on camera smashing a large plate-glass window at the Congregation Shir Tikvah synagogue on Northeast Sandy Boulevard on April 30. The window is estimated to cost over $1,000 to replace.

On May 1, Bivins allegedly broke a window at Everybody Eats PDX on Northwest 10th Avenue. The estimated cost to replace the window is about $1,800.

On May 2, police said Bivins vandalized the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue on Northwest Flanders Street by spray-painting an anti-Jewish slur on the side of the building in yellow paint.

The next day, he was allegedly caught on camera setting fire to the exterior of the Muslim Community Center of Portland on North Vancouver Avenue. The DA's office said he poured some kind of flammable liquid on the northeast wall of the mosque and set fire to it.

"Bivins can be seen briefly walking away from the fire and returning with a lit piece of cloth and throwing it in the area where he had poured the fluid," the DA's office said in a news release.

On May 4, Bivens returned to the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue and allegedly threw a rock through a window of a school connected to the synagogue, police said. The estimated cost to replace the window was over $1,000.

That same day, he walked into the Fox 12 news station in Beaverton asked to speak with a reporter. The reporter said Bivins made anti-Semitic remarks and "indicated he was involved in the crimes against Shir Tikvah, Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue, Muslim Community Center of Portland, adding that he would brake the window of any Black-owned or minority-owned business," the DA's office said.

He said he would return to the news station on May 6 to continue discussion but instead was taken into custody that day.

Following his arrest, Bivins admitted to speaking with the reporter but said they had only discussed "the economy and President Joe Biden," the DA's office said.

Bivins is facing five counts of second-degree bias crime, five counts of first-degree criminal mischief and one count of first-degree arson. He pleaded not guilty to some of his charges on May 9.

Earlier this year, DA Schmidt's office released adashboardto track bias crimes in Multnomah County. The dashboard shows there were at least 129 bias crimes involving 218 victims between July 2019 and April 2022.

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Man charged with bias crime in vandalism of synagogues, mosque and a Black-owned business - KGW.com

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Posted By admin on May 22, 2022

Touro Synagogue Foundationannounces the second program of its 2022 Judah Touro Program Series, to be presented virtually, via Zoom, on Thursday, May 19 at 7:30 p.m. Guest speaker, Mr. Mark W. Gordon, will give a talk titledRediscovering Jewish Infrastructure: Showcasing Surviving Eighteenth and Nineteenth Century Synagogues in America.

The illustrated lecture is based on Gordons 2018 and two prior articles fromAmerican Jewish History, the journal of the American Jewish Historical Society. His research and urban exploration revealed that a surprising number of early synagogues survive, many through adaptive reuse. Mr. Gordons work also underscores the importance of preserving and interpreting Touro Synagogue, Americas oldest extant synagogue (1763).

Mark W. Gordonserved as Principal of Urbana Consulting, LLC, which specialized in transit-oriented development and public/private partnerships from 2003 until 2020. His prior experience includes leadership positions in public finance, real estate and economic development at New Jersey Transit, the Office of Management and Budget and the U.S. Senate in Washington. Mr. Gordon has spearheaded the saving and adaptive reuse of Newarks Prince Street Synagogue, built in 1884. He holds a BA from Reed College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

There is no fee, but reservations are required to receive the Zoom login information.To reserve,please visit thePrograms & Eventspage at tourosynagogue.org, or use this link:tinyurl.com/6cfh8df3

Please also save the date for the next talk in the series, the evening of Thursday, June 2, via Zoom. Details to follow.

For more information or assistance with registration, please contact Meryle Cawley at (401) 847-4794, extension 207 ormeryle@tourosynagogue.org

Photoof the Prince Street Synagogue (Newark,NJ), courtesy of Mark W. Gordon.

About the Judah Touro Series and Touro Synagogue FoundationThrough the Judah Touro Series of lectures and other events, and in collaboration with other groups and communities across the country, Touro Synagogue Foundation seeks to connect the history of the synagogue to important themes of American History. The Foundation also seeks to develop an increasingly more relevant and sophisticated voice for that history and bring it to as wide and as diverse an audience as possible.

Originally known as The Society of Friends of Touro Synagogue, the Touro Synagogue Foundation was established in 1948 following the designation of Touro Synagogue, Americas oldest synagogue, as a National Historic Site. The Touro Synagogue Foundation is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit, nonsectarian organization dedicated to promoting and teaching religious diversity, colonial Jewish history, and the history of Touro Synagogue. The Foundation provides public access to the historic site, award-winning history tours, lectures, and educational programs for adults and youth. The Touro Synagogue Foundation operates public programs in partnership with theGeorge Washington Institute for Religious Freedom, theNational Park Service, and theNational Trust for Historic Preservation.

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Surviving Early American Synagogues - Newport This Week

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Posted By admin on May 22, 2022

Thousands of pupils heard from international educators over four days of a celebration of Halacha and Israel.

After two long, hard years, Mizrachi UK held its annual Weekend of Inspiration from the 12-16 May 2022, collaborating with Shabbat UK.

Finchley United Synagogue, Stenecourt and South Hampstead Synagogue hostededucators from Israel, America and the UK.

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Among the 45 speakers were

The weekend launched on Thursday and Friday with 15 educators inspiring over 3,000 children in six Jewish schools including; JFS, Hasmonean High School and King David High School, Manchester.

A spokesperson from Hasmonean High School said: The boys school was spoilt rotten with a selection of world-famous educators. The Beis had the privilege of hearing arguably the leader of the Modern Orthodox Jewish World, Rabbi Hershel Schachter Shlita, deliver a most inspirational message.

The boys were also treated to a world leader in Torah education, Rabbi Reuven Taragin and Israeli biblical and soil specialist and educator, Rabbi Jeremy Gimpel. The girls school were also lucky to have guest speakers, including ex-teacher and firm favourite, Rabbi Eliyahu Silverman.

We look forward to welcoming more educators and visionaries here at Hasmonean in the near future.

Over Shabbat the educators were hosted by 61 communities across the country,reaching over 10,000 people at a variety of events in synagogues, Friday night dinners, Shabbat lunches and Seudot.

Sunday saw over 650 people attend three conferences the Day of Inspiration, inFinchley United Synagogue, South Hampstead Synagogue and Stenecourt Synagogue.

Participants enjoyed a range of thought-provoking shiurim and keynote addressesthroughout the day. Rabbi Chaim Cohen, head of Kodesh at Yavneh, Manchester said: It was incredible! The energy in Stenecourt was like nothing Ive ever seen over the past 10 years! For me, the highlight was Rav Hershel Schachter.

Each and every one of the visiting Rabbis seem to have been very well received and the entire program was run in a professional, slick manner. What this one weekend has helped achieve is to build a community a strong, like-minded Kehilla of Jews who care about Halacha and Israel, while wishing to engage in todays world.

Where people outside our Kehilla think that Modern Orthodox means being less frum, today demonstrated that Mizrachi means no such thing.

Rather, we are a Kehilla committed to Eretz Yisrael and Am Yisrael.

Rabbi Andrew Shaw, CEO of Mizrachi UK said: This was the largest gathering of Modern Orthodox and Religious Zionist educators from Israel in the UK ever assembled. In this special time of year between Yom HaAtzmaut and Yom Yerushalayim, Mizrachi UK were delighted to allow the community to access such inspirational teachers who managed to inspire thousands of all ages across the UK over five days.

After two years of the pandemic, it was so wonderfulto see people come together again to celebrate Shabbat, Torah and Israel.

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Thousands hear from leaders of global Judaism at Weekend of Inspiration - Jewish News

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