Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on December 22, 2021

Sephardi Jews are Jews descended from Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula in the late 15th century, immediately before the issuance of the Alhambra decree of 1492 by the Catholic Monarchs in Spain, and the decree of 1496 by the Protestant Church.

The term Sephardi is also spelled Sefardi, plural Sephardim or Sefardim, from Hebrew Sefarad (Spain), a term that refers to Jews who lived in Spain and Portugal from at least the late medieval period until their persecution and mass expulsion from those countries in

There are no denominations or movements associated with Sephardi Rite, unlike Orthodox, Reform, and other Ashkenazi Rite movements. Thus, Sephardim have distinct cultural, juridical, and philosophical traditions. Jews from the Iberian peninsula are primarily Sephardim, a group of Jews.

Sephardic Jews lived in the Iberian Peninsula until their expulsion in the late fifteenth century, and their descendants are considered Sephardic Jews according to the law.

The Sephardic Jews were forced to convert to Catholicism or face expulsion from Spain after 1492, when they were forced to leave the country. Approximately 100,000-300,000 Spanish Jews (estimates vary) emigrated to various parts of Europe and the Middle East during this diasporic period.

In total, there are about 1 million people who are estimated to be living in the United States. In the early 21st century, there were 5 million Sephardic Jews worldwide (far fewer than the Ashkenazim), and Israel was home to the largest number. There are two chief rabbis in Israels chief rabbinate: Ashkenazi and Sephardic.

Sephardim, descendants of the historic Jewish community of the Iberian Peninsula, practice Sephardic law and customs as part of their Judaism. Inaccurate definitions of Sephardic can be found in the Mizrahi Jews, who follow the same traditions of worship but have different ethnic and cultural identities.

A member of the occidental branch of European Jews who settled in Spain and Portugal, later in the Balkans, the Levant, England, the Netherlands, and the Americas as well as one of their descendants ashkenazi.

Sephardic is derived from the Hebrew word for Spain, Sefarad.

Judezmo, or Jewish [language], is their traditional language. Judaeo-Spanish, sometimes also called Ladino, is a language spoken in Iberia by medieval Spanish and Portuguese, with Hebrew and Turkish influences, as well as other languages.

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What Is A Sephardic Jewish Person? chicagojewishnews.com

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Posted By admin on December 22, 2021

In this excerpt from our 2017 National Conference, Stephen Nichols and W. Robert Godfrey discuss whether Martin Luther was guilty of anti-Semitism.

Transcript

Stephen Nichols: You know, this is a question you hear a lot, and I think we've got to look at the broad context of Luther and then we need to say, that we need to understand him in that context, but we also need to not give him a free pass. So, the first thing we see in Luther is his initial writings to the Jewish people are very favorable. He actually is countercultural in that, and he goes against the current consensus and actually favors a good treatment towards the Jews. As the Reformation went on and a few years on, Luther fully thought that that good treatment towards the Jews would result in their paying attention to the gospel and coming to Christ, and he was not seeing that happen. And he began to question, perhaps, he was too easy on them in his initial writings and should have pressed more, in order for them to be more aware and perhaps be challenged and then come after the gospel.

So, his early writings are very favorable. He begins to think through this, though, in his later writings and the writing that really trips Luther up is his, On the Jews and Their Detestable Lies. And it's in that writing that Luther unleashes his rhetoric against the Jews and is very forceful in his rhetoric. Now we need to say that he was an equal opportunity offender. It wasn't justthat rhetoric was not just reservedfor the Jews, he used the same rhetoric for the Papists, for the Anabaptists, for the nominal Christians, that he used for the Jews. But he was wrong. He spoke harshly, and I think he abused his influence that he had in speaking harshly. And so, we need to say that Luther was wrong in that. But this isn't necessarily anti-Semitism, that's really a 20th-century phenomenon. What Luther was interested in was really following the lead of the Apostle Paul and following the lead of the New Testament. He saw this as a betrayal of Christ, a betrayal of the gospel, as a failure to recognize Jesus' coming as the Messiah. And so, it was not an ethnic motivation that prompted Luther to this, it was a theological one. So, the answer to this is we need to understand him in his context, but we should not give him a free pass. And we need to recognize that he has legs of iron but feet of clay. And this is one of those instances where his feet of clay do in fact come through.

W. Robert Godfrey: Just to add one more thing, that's exactly rightbut the one little that should be added is Luther, all his life, longed that Jews should be converted and join the church. Hitler never wanted Jews to join the Nazi party. That's the difference between anti-Semitic and anti-Jewish. Luther wasn't opposed to the Jews because of their blood. He was opposed to the Jews because of their religion. And he wanted them to join the Christian church. If you're really anti-Semitic, you're against Jews because of their blood and there's nothing Jews can do about that. There's not change they can make to make a difference. You're absolutely right, Luther's language should not be defended by us because it's violent against the Jews. It was not against an ethnic people, as you said, but against a religion that he reacted so sharply.

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Was Martin Luther Guilty of Anti-Semitism?

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Posted By admin on December 22, 2021

When hundreds of hours of tapes from the Nixon White House became public, two decades ago, the full extent of Nixons prejudices, including his contempt for Jews, came into sharp focus. The Jews are all over the government, he told his chief of staff H.R. Haldeman, at an Oval Office meeting, in 1971. Whats more, most Jews are disloyal. Nixon made allowances for some of his useful advisers, including Henry Kissinger and William Safire, but, he said, generally speaking, you cant trust the bastards.

I thought about those tapes a few nights ago while listening to Unholy, a weekly podcast hosted by Yonit Levi, the anchor of Channel 12 news in Israel, and Jonathan Freedland, a longtime columnist for the Guardian. Their guest was Barak Ravid, a veteran Israeli journalist who has just published a book in Hebrew, Trumps Peace: The Abraham Accords and the Reshaping of the Middle East. Ravid brought Levi and Freedland an audio treat: excerpts of an interview hed conducted with Donald Trump for the book. One tumbling rant was especially revealing: People in this country that are Jewish no longer love Israel, Trump told Ravid, at Mar-a-Lago last April. Ill tell you, the evangelical Christians love Israel more than the Jews in this country. It used to be that Israel had absolute power over Congress and today I think its the exact opposite, and I think Obamaand Bidendid that. And yet, in the election, they still get a lot of votes from Jewish people, which tells you that the Jewish peopleand Ive said this for a long timethe Jewish people in the United States either dont like Israel or dont care about Israel.... When you look atthe New York Times, the New York Timeshates Israel, hates them, and theyre Jewish people that runthe New York TimesI mean the Sulzberger family.

In Israel, this soliloquy was hardly a sensation. What made headlines and led the evening news programs there earlier this month was Trumps admission to Ravid that he had fallen out with Benjamin Netanyahu. For years, Netanyahu relied on his close relationship with Trump as proof of his stature and his influence in the U.S. During his last run at the premiership, his campaign put up billboards of the two men shaking hands with the slogan Netanyahu: In a League of His Own. Netanyahu made the case that he was the only politician who could have persuaded Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israels capital and the Golan Heights as its territory; to abandon Obamas nuclear deal with Iran; and to cast aside the Palestinians, concentrating instead on the Abraham Accords, which have helped Israel normalize relations with the U.A.E. and Bahrain. But Netanyahu made a terrible mistake, Trump told Ravid, by congratulating Joe Biden on his victory in the 2020 election. It was unforgivably disloyal. Fuck him, Trump said, of Netanyahu.

Its no surprise that Trump is willing to trash foreign leaders in the most vivid terms. What seems to have shocked some American readers is that he trafficked so fluently in traditional tropes about Jewish power, conspiracy, and disloyalty. Doesnt he have a Jewish son-in-law, Jared Kushner? A daughter who converted and Jewish grandchildren? Didnt he have Jewish lieutenants in both business and government, to say nothing of close relationships with Sheldon Adelson and the like?

Ravid told me that he did not emerge from his interview, or his over-all analysis of Trump, believing that the former President is an anti-Semite: I think his state of mind is similar to the state of mind of many people here in Israel. He pointed out that Trumps comments about American Jews, Christian evangelicals, and the Times might as well have come out of the mouth of Netanyahu himself.

Ravid is no outlier. Yossi Klein Halevi, a senior fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute, in Jerusalem, told me, In judging a Presidents relationship to the Jews, I take a pragmatic Israeli view. What matters arent a few thoughtless or even hateful comments but a Presidents policies. Some of the most pro-Israel PresidentsTruman, Nixonmade anti-Semitic comments. F.D.R. is still beloved by many Jews even though he was a disaster for European Jewry. The Trump paradox is that he was a blessing for Israel and a curse for American Jewry. His Administration negotiated the Abraham Accords, Israels first genuine normalization agreement with Arab countries. And he existentially threatened the liberal order that allowed American Jewry to thrive as no other diaspora. Thats Trumps Jewish legacy.

Yonit Levi, of Channel 12 and Unholy, pointed out that the default position of Israelis is to love the American President. This was as true for Bill Clinton, who tried to forge a two-state agreement, as it was for Trump, who shared Netanyahus contempt for Palestinian aspirations. The exception was Barack Obama, who lost favor among Israelis partly because he failed to visit Israel on his early trip to the Middle East, partly because of the Iran deal, partly because of his insistence on pressing for progress with the Palestiniansand partly, Ravid said, because of his race. Netanyahus smear campaign against Obama, Ravid said, was successful to some extent because of its racist undertones. There are some Israelis who still call him Barack Hussein Obama, and not because of his middle name, he told me. We have a racism problem in Israel, just like in America.

Some voices on the Israeli left, a diminishing tribe, told me that they did recognize distinct and troubling notes of anti-Semitism in Trumps remarks to Ravid. Avishai Margalit, a philosopher and an early initiator of Peace Now, started our conversation by invoking an old joke. I subscribe to Isaiah Berlins definition of an anti-Semite as someone who hates Jews beyond necessity, he said. Trump, Margalit believes, qualifies: I think we can allow that having negative stereotypes of other groups is, like it or not, a rather normal vice. But when the stereotypes become an obsession, and they are repeated again and again by someone, this is something else. And this is the case with Trump. His interview with Ravid shows him voicing a recurring theme of Jews as betrayersJews betraying Israel, Jews as betrayers by voting Democrat, and now saying fuck Bibi because he thinks Bibi betrayed him by congratulating Biden for his win. This is really an obsession of his.

The philosopher Moshe Halbertal, a professor at both Hebrew University, in Jerusalem, and the N.Y.U. School of Law, agreed. Thats anti-Semitic, he told me. You can say that Congress supports Israel. But, when you ascribe that support, for whatever reasons, ideological or political, as a matter of control, thats a fully anti-Semitic trope. Basically, what youre saying is that this accomplished group of politicians is in the hands of the Jews. And thats anti-Semitic.

Trumps gestures of contempt for Latinos and Black Americans are so numerous that they have tended to eclipse his other prejudices. But he has not failed to shower his occasional attentions on Jews. In the 2016 campaign, Trump ran an ad attacking a global power structure showing images of three Jews: the financier George Soros, the then chair of the Federal Reserve Janet Yellen, and the investment banker Lloyd Blankfein. One of Trumps tweets aimed at Hillary Clinton (Most Corrupt Candidate Ever!) deployed images of the six-pointed Star of David and stacks of currency. Trump rebuffed the criticism; his social-media director said the star was that of a sheriffs badge.

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Is Donald Trump an Anti-Semite? - The New Yorker

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Posted By admin on December 22, 2021

Reaction and outrage continues after a weekend rally in Fredericton, N.B. where some of the participates wore and held the Star of David.

The crowd of a couple hundred were protesting vaccine mandates, and used the symbol to try and make their point.

Much of the rally was live-streamed on social media, and sparked condemnation from politicians and the Jewish community.

Its trivializing the lives who so greatly suffered and those who died under horrific circumstances, said Atlantic Jewish Council past president, Marilyn Kaufman. This use of Holocaust imagery was deeply offensive to me and to other members of the Fredericton Jewish community.

Kaufman had relatives experience the death camp of Auschwitz. She says no one can imagine or compare what that was like.

When one or more individuals use Holocaust distortion of fact or distortion of Holocaust imagery, when that becomes injurious to a segment of the population, it has to be called out, she said. If its allowed to fester, anti-Semitism poisons other facets of society.

Political leaders are also calling out those who participated.

Were talking about symbols that were used to humiliate Jewish people in Nazi occupied Europe and ultimately help round them up and send them to death camps, said Fredericton-South MLA and Green Party leader, David Coon. I mean, this is just unbelievable what they did.

Frederictons Mayor Kate Rogers said in a statement, the use of the symbol was insensitive and unacceptable.

The enemy is COVID-19. For it to be turned into anything else other than that saddens me, said New Brunswick Health Minister Dorothy Shephard. Anti-Semitism is, well, theres not room for it here.

Fredericton Police stated, While there were no arrests made in relation to the current mandatory order, an investigation into the event is ongoing and charges will be pursued where warranted.

Kaufman is calling on everyone to work together toward an understanding and respect for all mankind.

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'It's trivializing the lives who so greatly suffered': Outrage continues after Holocaust imagery used in anti-mandate rally - CTV News Atlantic

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Posted By admin on December 22, 2021

BOSTON (JTA) On an unseasonably warm December night earlier this month, some 12,000 people flocked to Boston Common for the lighting of the citys official Christmas tree: a majestic, 48-foot white spruce.

The event marked the 50th straight year that the people of Nova Scotia supplied Bostons tree a tribute to how the city, led by a prominent Jewish businessman, supported the Canadian province at a time of crisis.

At the Dec. 2 festivities, recently sworn-in Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who also took part in three public menorah lightings that week, was joined by Nova Scotia Premiere Tim Houston. The pair were accompanied by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, dressed in the Mounties full red regalia.

Amidst the fanfare, and a concert headlined by Grammy-winning singer Darlene Love, Wu and Houston reminded revelers that the tree is a symbol of the bond between their jurisdictions that was forged during more somber times.

The Canadian province has been sending a Christmas tree to Boston as a measure of enduring gratitude for events that date back more than a century, when Boston rushed to the aid of its northern neighbors following a massive, deadly explosion in the harbor of Halifax, the provinces capital.

The fires that engulfed the city then took the lives of nearly 2,000 people, including children, and injured 9,000, with many blinded by flying shrapnel. The impact flattened swaths of neighborhood buildings and homes.

On Dec. 6, 1917, within hours of the devastating explosion in Halifax, Abraham Ratshesky (1864-1943), a businessman, banker, politician, philanthropist and son of Jewish immigrants, was tapped by then-Governor Samuel McCall to lead the citys relief mission.

Ratshesky organized the delivery by train of medical personnel and supplies to the port city, along with reporters from local newspapers. The mission made its way to Halifax through treacherous wintry conditions.

Vivid accounts describe a harrowing scene when a blinding snowstorm brought the mission to a halt alongside Folly Mountain in Nova Scotia. Ratshesky pleaded with the crew to persevere through their arduous shoveling, conveying the desperation of the people of Halifax.

The men, realizing this, and knowing that every moment was precious, worked like Trojans, Ratshesky wrote in his official report of the mission. Within an hour, the train continued on to Halifax.

Days later, two ships filled with more medical staff and supplies left Boston Harbor bound for Halifax as part of the overall relief mission. Conservative estimates put the total amount of contributions from Massachusetts at $750,000, according to Bacon.

While additional assistance soon also arrived from across the country, elected leaders and officials of Halifax especially thanked Massachusetts and Ratshesky in glowing commendations and heartfelt personal letters from ordinary citizens.

The tree is our way of saying, Thank you for being there when we needed you, Houston said at this years ceremony.

At the time, we reached out to be of service in that moment. Its incredible to see that bond and friendship continue to this day, Wu said.

The tradition is about celebrating humanity and celebrating people, said Mukthar Limpao, executive director of LArche Cape Breton, a nonprofit disability rights organization and community residence that donated this years tree from their property.

I see the generosity of Boston in 1917 as an expression of love and friendship, he told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in a call after the ceremony.

Known familiarly as Cap, Ratshesky was a leader in civic as well as Jewish communal affairs. After helping to run his familys clothing business, Ratshesky, along with his brother, Israel, founded the U.S. Trust Company, a so-called Jewish bank, to provide loans to immigrants. At the time of his appointment to lead the Halifax effort, he was vice president of the Massachusetts Public Safety Committee.

His leadership and derring-do, in quickly setting up emergency medical facilities and organizing assistance, made him a hero among Haligonians (the term for people from Halifax).

Abraham (Cap) Ratshesky, a son of Jewish immigrants and prominent member of Bostons Jewish community, co-founded U.S. Trust Company, a bank that loaned to Jewish immigrants. (Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center)

Ratshesky was a driving force behind this big relief effort, but his role has largely been forgotten, said Rachel King, director of the Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center at the New England Historic Genealogical Society. The center, whose archives contain extensive records on Jewish New Englanders, houses the Ratshesky family papers a collection which includes a worn and yellowed family scrapbook of news reports, letters and other memorabilia related to the Halifax mission.

Researchers, including John Bacon, author of the 2017 history book The Great Halifax Explosion, mined the archives in the run up to the centennial of the explosion, King said.

It does seem that when people delve into the explosion, they find their way to Ratsheskys name. He was the right man at the right time, but his name has fallen away in general, she noted.

Among the items in the archives is a letter from a Haligonian named Walter Hoganson, who lost family in the explosion. In his gratitude, Hoganson referred to Ratshesky as the hero of dear old Halifax for helping the injured and homeless.

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Following the explosion, Ratshesky continued to be an active presence in public affairs. During World War I, Ratshesky was assistant food administrator for Massachusetts. From 1930-32, he served as U.S. Minister (Ambassador) to Czechoslovakia, which awarded him the Order of the White Lion First Class, the countrys highest honor.

Within the Jewish community, he served as president of the Federated Jewish Charities, the precursor to the Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston, and was an early founder and supporter of the citys Beth Israel Hospital. The Jewish Advocate, Bostons Jewish newspaper, noted his death in March 1943 with glowing tributes.

Jonathan Sarna, the Brandeis University professor of American Jewish history and the author of The Jews of Boston, compares Ratshesky to another generosity-minded Jewish Bostonian: Aaron Feuerstein, the recently deceased Mensch of Malden Mills known worldwide for continuing to pay his workers after his factory burned down in 1995.

They reflected a generosity of spirit at a time when it made a great difference, Sarna said.

The tragedy and the sense of gratitude for those who helped are deeply rooted for Canadians, according to Rodger Cuzner, Canadas consul general to New England. Growing up in Halifax, he learned about the explosion as part of the standard grade school curriculum. I doubt if theres anybody in Nova Scotia and most of Canada that isnt aware of both, he said.

Yet Cuzner had no recollection of hearing about the role Ratshesky played.

The explosion, and the annual Christmas tree, have long affected Halifaxs Jewish community, as well.

As early as the mid-18th century, there were approximately 30 Jews settled in Halifax, according to a history of the citys first synagogue, the Starr Street Shul (known today as Beth Israel). By 1917, as Halifax became a hub of commercial and military life, it attracted more Jews alongside other immigrant workers, Bacon wrote. The synagogue was damaged beyond repair in the explosion, though its Torah scrolls were spared.

Mark David, a lifelong Jewish Haligonian and admitted local history buff, had his interest in the explosion sparked after growing up within walking distance of it. He attended the 100th anniversary commemoration in Halifax in 2017.

I wanted to be there when they rang the bell at the exact time of the explosion, he said. It was a very powerful experience.

The Christmas tree is a wonderful way of giving back, he added. The people here are very proud of that tradition.

David was unaware that Ratshesky was Jewish, but has since read about his role.

Its an interesting story and should be told. Even if he was not representing the Jewish community, that a Jewish person led such an important effort would be a point of pride, he said.

Today the A.C. Ratshesky Foundation, founded in 1916, continues its philanthropic giving. It has been led by successive generations of family members though Ratshesky and his wife, Edith, had no children. Descendant Rebecca Steinfield took over the foundation from her father, Alan Morse, in 2019, after serving on the board for a number of years; Ratshesky was the brother of Steinfields great-grandmother.

Steinfield does not recall hearing about the connection between her family and the Christmas tree when she was growing up, she told JTA. But as an adult, she traveled to Halifax with her father, who was interested in learning more about the family history. They met with the man whose job it was to select the trees, she recalled.

Intrigued, Steinfield read an early book about the explosion, The Curse of the Narrows, by Laura MacDonald. I was fascinated by the circumstances, the role of the Red Cross, and the role of Cap, she said.

Ratshesky paid enormous attention to the way in which he could contribute to the well-being of his community, Steinfield said.

Shes touched by the enduring tradition carried on through the gesture of the tree.

We are all very different now and yet this sense of gratitude has continued. There is something incredibly beautiful about that, she said.

I am very proud someone in my family played a role in that.

The post The little-known Jewish origins of Bostons annual Christmas tree tradition appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

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Posted By admin on December 22, 2021

The Garland County Library's "Perceptions of Color" series will be livestreamed from 6 to 7 p.m. today, with panelists discussing the winter holidays of Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa from a Black perspective.

Marsalis Weatherspoon, president of Hot Springs Branch No. 6013 of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, will lead the discussion, sharing his perspective on Christmas, before veteran journalist and filmmaker Robin Washington speaks on Hanukkah, followed by Hot Springs native Cicely Hicks speaking on Kwanzaa.

Weatherspoon, a local educator, musician, and speaker, started the "Perceptions of Color" monthly series in September, in which various facets of the African American experience are celebrated.

"There's so much that you can discuss when it comes to the Black experience in America -- particularly, where we are in the South," he said. "And so we just said, 'Let's make this a monthly thing and each month explore a different topic.' So that's where we started."

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The series kicked off in September with the heritage of Black gospel music, before covering the Black horror film genre in October, and healthy eating options in November.

"Each month we try to find something new and interesting to explore, and, like I said, it'll probably never end because there's always something to look at," he said.

Weatherspoon said tonight's subject of the holidays from a Black perspective keeps within the mission of the series by showing that Black people are "not a monolith," but have a diverse array of ideas, opinions and traditions.

"There are Blacks, believe it or not, who are Jewish that celebrate Hanukkah," he said. "There are Blacks that celebrate Kwanzaa. And, myself -- being a minister -- we, of course, celebrate Christianity. But there are certain things that Black people do in regards to Christmas. So just showing the different aspects of celebrations and traditions from a Black perspective -- I'm excited about it."

The panelists will take real-time questions and comments from viewers through the chat feature from both Facebook Live (facebook.com/garlandcountylibrary) and YouTube (youtube.com/garlandcolibrary). The program is free, with no registration required. A recording will also be available following the event.

Growing up in Chicago, Washington was born into a family of Black and Jewish civil rights activists, participating in protests and sit-ins from an early age. He is now editor-at-large at "The Forward," a national newspaper, which reports on politics, arts and culture for a Jewish audience.

"(He's) a Black practicing Jew and he has been on NPR (National Public Radio) and various media outlets, just shedding light on what it is to be a Jew of color in America," he said. "He's been on panels, he's written essays on the subject matter, and so he's going to be very interesting."

Hicks, a Hot Springs native and graduate of Lakeside High School, received her Bachelor of Science in Child & Family Studies from Baylor University. With a background in case management, social services and mental health support, she has helped children and families in Arkansas, Texas and California. She will share her perspectives on Kwanzaa.

"Her mother went to historic Langston High School, a historically Black school here in town," he said. "They are practitioners of Kwanzaa (the annual celebration of African American culture held from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1), and I've never celebrated Kwanzaa, so it's going to be interesting to hear her take, that she, you know, practices with her mother and she's carrying on that tradition with her children and family."

Weatherspoon said in keeping with the "Perceptions of Color" theme, he wanted to show there's "more to Blackness" than what one might see in the media, and there are sometimes preconceived notions about being Black in America, which was explored in their October series.

"A lot of the movies that you see in Hollywood, they portray the Black experience but it's always rooted in our trauma, you know. Whether it's slavery or Jim Crow," he said. "We have many more facets than just our traumas. You know, we fall in love, we celebrate, we have fun, we laugh, we live, so -- there's so much more to Blackness than our historical traumas and we really need to shed a light on that.

"In particular, our faith. You know, that's very fundamental to who we are as a people."

In today's society, communication, he said, is key to bringing people closer and removing boundaries. He noted that even people within the Black community itself disagree and have varying opinions on matters, but there is not enough understanding of people.

"I think before you prejudge somebody, you know, talk to them and get an idea of who they are instead of just believing everything that you see, because you never judge a book by its cover. And that's what I would say is the mission of the Perceptions of Color is to just delve into who we are," he said.

"And with that, I'm finding out more of who I am through this project. So I'm just grateful to the Garland County Library for this opportunity. We developed a strategic partnership with the NAACP Hot Springs branch and we're just looking forward to continuing to serve this community through the Garland County Library and other avenues."

For more information about NAACP Hot Springs, visit its website at http://www.naacphs6013.org or its Facebook page at NAACP Hot Springs No. 6013.

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Posted By admin on December 22, 2021

For years, Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) has worked to articulate a progressive foreign policy, building a name for himself among supporters of diplomacy and anti-war activists.

He has found an unlikely ally and frequent collaborator in Sen. Todd Young, an Indiana Republican who spent the 2020 election cycle overseeing Republicans Senate campaign arm. The pair has led the effort in Washington to rein in the Saudi-led war in Yemen, issuing several statements together forcefully calling attention to the countrys devastating humanitarian crisis and Washingtons role in perpetuating it.

The two, who together lead the Senate Foreign Relations Committees Near East subcommittee, work closely together in Washington; in April, they attended a dinner at a Washington restaurant with Qatari diplomats to seek a Qatari donation to counter widespread hunger in Yemen.

In May, while Israel and Hamas were embroiled in a deadly flare-up, Young and Murphy again joined together to speak in one voice on the Middle East, issuing a joint statement calling for a cease-fire.

Israel has the right to defend itself from Hamas rocket attacks, in a manner proportionate with the threat its citizens are facing, read the statement. As a result of Hamas rocket attacks and Israels response, both sides must recognize that too many lives have been lost and must not escalate the conflict further.

Young was the only Republican to sign onto the letter, along with 27 other Democrats, giving the statement a coveted and rare bipartisan label. But several hours after the letters release, Young removed his name. At the time, he did not offer an explanation as to why he initially signed on. But he told JI last week that it was a matter of changing his mind as he received more facts.

As Young remembers it, a news report suggested that Israel supported a cease-fire. It said in there, Israeli government seeks cease-fire, Young recalled. He later learned the reality was more complicated.

He and Murphy felt like we should have our voices heard on this, let the state of Israel know that we have their backs on this as they try and achieve this cease-fire, Young said. But other Republicans accused President Joe Biden, who had also called for a cease-fire, of undermining Israels interests. At a press conference at which Young also spoke, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) argued that, in a phone call with then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden condescended and lectured to Prime Minister Netanyahu and urged him to stop defending Israel against the terrorists.

A spokesperson for Young told JI at the time that the senator shares his colleagues concerns about a premature cease-fire or one that occurs on Hamas terms and called for Israel to take out Hamass infrastructure in Gaza.

This would embolden Hamas, if you call for a cease-fire before, frankly, before the State of Israel has an opportunity to respond in kind and demonstrate that Israel will respond, and thats necessary for their own deterrence, Young explained last week. I was persuaded by that latter argument, unfortunately after having affixed my signature.

Im willing to admit when I dont have all the information. You never have all the information. But I learned more, and I changed my position accordingly, said Young.

But the public divergence from Murphy, who did not comment at the time on Youngs reversal and did not respond to a recent request for comment from JI, shows that Youngs work with progressive Democrats on foreign policy may have its limits. Murphy has been a leading supporter of the Biden administrations efforts to renegotiate a nuclear deal with Iran, while Young decidedly opposes reentering the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.

We shouldnt go back to the JCPOA, Young, who is up for reelection in 2022, said. We havent gotten anything for withdrawing [from the deal in 2018] and if anything, the Iranians have used their additional wherewithal to expand their malign activities across the Middle East and beyond.

He called for increasing sanctions on Iran, and said that we should reassure Israel that whatever they decide to do, he explained, well be supportive of that.

To Young, this fissure with Murphy is not indicative of a problem in their relationship, or with other sometimes-partners from across the aisle. Its a defining feature of his approach to foreign policy. There are no permanent partners, said Young. I like members who are critical thinkers. If theyre too predictable, theyre probably not my favorite members to work with. Because to be predictable often means to lack nuance or, really, critical thinking.

In his first term in the Senate, Young has become an unexpected leader on issues of foreign policy, and one with a penchant for flying under the radar. In April, Business Insider called Young the most important senator youve never heard of.

I think the progressive label and the conservative label applies more to domestic policy, said Young. When it comes to foreign policy, I look for other labels. Are you a realist? Are you realistic in your analysis?

Im so impressed with how quickly Todd Young has become one of the most consequential voices on national security and foreign policy issues, said Liz Schrayer, president and CEO of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition. Her nonprofit, which advocates for U.S. global leadership through development and diplomacy, honored Young and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) at its virtual gala earlier this month.

There is no America First in Youngs worldview, although he is far from a never-Trumper. Nor is there the reflexive disdain for the Biden administrations actions espoused by many Republicans, although Young posits that the current American government is viewed as weak by many adversaries and allies. (This is not just about Biden, Young explained: Our system is perceived to be weak.)

On domestic issues, hes a small-government conservative who doesnt like raising taxes. On foreign policy, he takes an expansive view of Americas role in the world, and he isnt opposed to creating new government programs to bolster what he views as our democratic values.

He authored the Endless Frontier Act, legislation that would counter Chinas growing influence and edge in technology and artificial intelligence by creating a new office in the State Department to improve national competitiveness in science, research, and innovation to support the national security strategy, according to the bills text. The bill passed the Senate in June but has not yet been voted on by the House.

I think the progressive label and the conservative label applies more to domestic policy, said Young. When it comes to foreign policy, I look for other labels. Are you a realist? Are you realistic in your analysis?

Young thinks of himself as a realist, willing to acknowledge when situations change and when his position should change, too.

Thats what happened in Yemen: He and Murphy spent years campaigning for the U.S. to stop supporting Saudi Arabia in its campaign against the Houthi rebels in the country, but now, Young acknowledges that Americas stronger interest is in stopping the Iran-aligned Houthis, rather than ending the Saudi-led campaign entirely.

That doesnt mean hes ready to say America was always in the right, though.

Im quite certain that we, working with our friends in the region Saudi Arabia and UAE, pushed the Houthis into the arms of the Iranians by destabilizing the region, Young said. It was mostly the Saudis who destabilized the region, but we gave them diplomatic cover. We gave them military support. And were a part of the coalition.

Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Todd Young (R-IN) speaks to reporters following the Senate Republican policy luncheon which both President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence attended on March 10, 2020, in Washington, D.C.

More than six years after the Saudis began their campaign in the country, the Houthi rebels remain entrenched and are firmly aligned with and supported by Iran. The Houthis have become so destabilizing, so aggressive in their activities in Saudi Arabia specifically their targeting of the Saudis and others, including Americans who are in the country, with their drones, missiles, rockets that we need to support the Saudis efforts to defend themselves, said Young. So as conditions change, my position as to our approach certainly needs to change.

Still, the Indiana senator also sounded a word of caution for partners, mostly on the left, who continue to sing the same tune on Saudi Arabias actions in Yemen.

The visceral apprehension that some of my colleagues have to recognize the changed circumstances in Yemen strikes me as really unwise, Young said. No one was more critical, more vocal against the Saudis, and to a lesser extent the Emirates and even the U.S. government when I needed to be than me. But were now at a point where the more serious threat to our interests and to our values is the Houthi movement.

Young has not released any statements on Yemen with Murphy since July, when they praised Qatars announcement of a $100 million donation to help alleviate the countrys humanitarian crisis. But earlier this month, the pair were not among a bipartisan group of senators who tried to stop a $650 million arms sale to Saudi Arabia. They voted against rejecting the sale.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has become toxic in some corners of Washington since the 2018 killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. (Which is insane, said Young, nearly shouting: No one paid any attention to the death of thousands and thousands and tens of thousands of people on account of starvation in Yemen when I was screaming.) When former President Donald Trump met with the crown prince, known as MBS, in 2019, he garnered criticism for saying the Saudi leader was doing a spectacular job.

Meeting with MBS should not be off-limits to Biden, Young said. But he would advise the president to meet with the crown prince, who is believed to have ordered the assassination of Khashoggi, only if there are clear deliverables that were likely to be achieved.

Its a bad habit to put the president of the United States, or for himself to go into situations where youre not accomplishing much, said Young, especially at a time when many leaders and even just rank-and-file people around the world are perceiving our government to be weak.

The realist school of thought, to which Young subscribes, has often been associated with a strong defense posture and a commitment to national security,and the idealist school of thought has been considered more diplomatic, based on the positive intentions of allies and adversaries. But Youngs vision of a strong America is not necessarily an America that rushes into military action.

His biggest priority this year has been repealing two bills authorizing military force in Iraq from 1991 and 2002. The latter has allowed four presidential administrations to strike with near-impunity in the Middle East.

Young has spearheaded the effort with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA). Together, they have led efforts to repeal the 2002 AUMF that has been used by presidents to justify military action far beyond Iraq. Young, who in 2001 had recently left the Marines and was working as a staffer at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, thinks the AUMF has been applied far too broadly, with most members of Congress too scared to express opposition to it.

In a June article in the Harvard Journal on Legislation, Kaine and Young argued that Congresss failure to rein in presidential war powers reflects political weakness.

This elevation of political fear over the Constitution is Capitol Hill conventional wisdom: If Congress can evade a tough vote on military action, it will. And this failing is completely bipartisan, the senators wrote, criticizing actions taken by both Democratic and Republican administrations.

Like Murphy, Kaine has sought a leading role in the burgeoning progressive foreign policy movement. He diverges from Young on a lot of national security issues, perhaps chief among them Iran, but they maintain a strong working relationship.

Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) participates in a reenacted swearing-in with U.S. Vice President Joe Biden in the Old Senate Chamber at the U.S. Capitol January 3, 2017 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)

Todd brings his military background, his conservative fidelity to constitutional principles, and his deep appreciation for U.S. diplomacy, influenced no doubt by his early work for [former Republican Sen.] Richard Lugar, to every issue, Kaine told JI. I pay him the highest compliment I can pay to a colleague when you convince him on the merits of an issue, he will not let polls or pols dissuade him.

But an understanding of the seriousness of waging war and the constitutional requirement that Congress be involved in military strikes does not mean Young seeks diplomacy above all else.

Young fashions himself a statesman in the mold of his former boss and mentor, Lugar, for whom he worked as a legislative assistant two decades ago. The goal is to keep learning and studying, something Young appears to take to heart.

There are plenty of role models to be found out there, said Young. Usually theyre the ones who arent generating a lot of heat, but instead focus on creating light where they could and shining a new perspective on issues or some new facts that hadnt been considered before.

He ticked off a list of some of those role models that serve alongside him in the Senate: Sens. Chris Coons (D-DE), Richard Burr (R-NC), Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ).

Youll always find that as relates to foreign policy, there are more details to be discovered, more nuances to be considered, and new policy instruments to be brought to bear in order to advance the U.S.s interests, said Young.

Bernard Hasten, a prominent Republican pro-Israel activist from Indiana, pointed out that Youngs foreign policy expertise is probably not why Indianans elected him.

The majority of Hoosiers do not care much about foreign policy. They care more about whats going on domestically and relying on the state of Indiana, said Hasten, who has known Young since he first ran for the House of Representatives, where he served from 2011 to 2017 before moving to the Senate.

But Schrayer, of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, has seen Young make the case for American global leadership to his constituents.

I hosted him in Indianapolis with hundreds of his constituents. It was a very diverse group, she recalled. I remember specifically with him at this event how profoundly he connected with his constituents about why leading globally matters locally.

One way he might bring home the importance of foreign policy leadership to his constituents back home? Soccer. He has spoken with the UAE ambassador to Washington, Yousef Al Otaiba, about bringing a soccer game between the Israeli and Emirati national teams to the Hoosier State.

Soccer was my passion growing up. I learned a lot about life, and maybe even politics, through soccer, Young explained. Sports have not only been used throughout history as a tool of statecraft, but I think currently, its an underutilized tool. Theres nothing that brings middle America together more than sports.

Young has sought to expand the Abraham Accords, not just in new opportunities between the nations that forged peace deals last year but also in adding new countries to the Accords.

In a meeting with Israeli Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked last month, he brought up an idea and Ill be vague, because it remains half-baked with the goal of incentivizing other countries to continue to establish deeper relationships with Israel, which of course would help the United States in many respects, Young said. She liked the idea. It was a nice back-and-forth.

In the meantime, theres soccer.

Young played high school soccer in Indiana, winning a state championship for Carmel High School before going on to play Division I ball at the U.S. Naval Academy. He still hits the soccer field occasionally for exercise, and as a member of the House, he played in the annual congressional soccer game.

Call it soccer diplomacy: To the extent we can engage in competitive activities on the field and then come off and shake one anothers hand, thats a healthy exercise, said Young.

Is it going to change the world single-handedly? No, of course not, Young acknowledged. But, he added, I hope we can make that happen.

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The Indiana senator with a bipartisan streak on the Middle East - Jewish Insider

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Posted By admin on December 22, 2021

Roots was finally published on Aug. 17, 1976, 12 years after he began it. In that American bicentennial year, it was the right book at the right time. The author knew it would be big, but even he was unprepared for its immense popularity and his burgeoning, bewildering celebrity. Appropriately, James Baldwin reviewed Roots for the Book Review. Alex Haleys taking us back through time to the village of his ancestors is an act of faith and courage, he observed, but this book is also an act of love, and it is this which makes it haunting. It ranked at the top of the New York Times nonfiction best-seller list for 22 weeks, selling 15 million copies in less than a year.

In 1977, Roots won special citations from both the National Book Awards and the Pulitzer Prize board. It had evolved beyond the story its author described at Hamilton, and it was far more engrossing than I expected. Haley and Doubleday might have saved themselves a lot of trouble had they acknowledged from the first that their big best seller was based on a true story. Haley used the word faction, a portmanteau of fact and fiction, to describe what he had tried to do. The concept echoed the term for a then popular genre, the nonfiction novel, the most famous examples being Truman Capotes In Cold Blood (1966) and Norman Mailers The Armies of the Night (1968). While those authors toyed with facts, both books retained the veneer of truth. By contrast, Roots was a great yarn. When the mini-series aired, I watched it as diligently as the 130 million other viewers, proud that I had once known its creator.

Then came the backlash. Scholars who had spent their careers studying Africa and American slavery questioned the reliability of Haleys Gambian sources (one historian pronounced the authors methods a virtual scenario for how not to conduct fieldwork in an oral society) and the accuracy of his research on his enslaved American ancestors. Shortly before Haley was awarded the special Pulitzer citation in April 1977, his book was the subject of a 5,000-word expos in The Sunday Times of London that was picked up by The New York Times. There appeared to be no factual bases, the New York paper reported, for Mr. Haleys conclusion that he had actually traced his genealogy back to Kunta Kinte in the village of Juffure.

Roots captured the countrys imagination and reinforced the historical importance of the nuclear family in Black American life at a time when it was under attack (including for a supposed epidemic of absent fathers). Yet its accomplishment was marred by its errors. Two writers accused Haley of plagiarism; one case was dismissed, and he settled the other out of court for $650,000 (or $2.7 million today). The lawsuits were debilitating and humiliating.

The criticisms persisted after Haley died from a heart attack at 70 in 1992. Roots disappeared from college syllabuses and fell off recommended reading lists. Perhaps the severest condemnation was its absence from The Norton Anthology of African-American Literature. Malcolm X is there but not Alex Haley.

Yes, Haley was not a scholar. He was not a genealogist. He was not even a novelist. What he was was a professional journalist always on the lookout for a good story. And he never found a better one than that of his own family history. He was a superb storyteller. Roots was not the Black Gone With the Wind. It was a unique work of art that touched millions of Americans. If his methods were flawed, his intentions were not. He showed me how to conduct an in-depth interview and do saturation research in public archives and obscure places.

Haley was not a historian, but he made history. The tragedy is that the success of Roots intimidated and finally engulfed him. He never finished another major work. But did he have to? Roots, the book and the TV series, changed the conversation about race in America, inspiring generations of readers and viewers to look at their own stories, no matter where they might lead or how painful they might be.

Michael Patrick Hearns books include The Annotated Wizard of Oz, The Annotated Huckleberry Finn and The Annotated Christmas Carol. He is currently completing The Annotated Edgar Allan Poe.

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Alex Haley Taught America About Race and a Young Man How to Write - The New York Times

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Posted By admin on December 20, 2021

(JTA) The Greek-Jewish community is celebrating the return of a trove of manuscripts and community documents that the Nazis had stolen nearly 80 years ago.

The Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece (KIS) announced in a statement earlier this month that Russia, who was in possession of the archives, has agreed to return them to their Mediterranean origin, after a diplomatic process supported by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Nazis looted Thessaloniki, formerly home to one of Europes most vibrant Jewish communities, on July 11, 1942. The Soviet Union came into possession of the archive after their capture of the city on April 23rd, 1945. They took them to Moscow where they remained to be inherited by the Russian federation after the USSRs dissolution in 1991.

Our history returns home! the Board wrote in the statement. Greek Jews with immense emotion welcome the decision of the Russian President Putin that Russia returns the pre-War archives of the Greek Jewish Communities, and especially the archive of the Jewish Community of Thessaloniki.

According to KIS, the archives include books and religious artifacts from 30 synagogues, libraries and communal institutions in Thessaloniki.

Before the Holocaust, Thessaloniki was one of the most Jewish cities in Europe with a Jewish majority or plurality for much of the 19th century. The citys Jewish community was primarily Sephardic, though it also included a small community of Romaniotes, Judeo-Greek speakers from Greece and Turkey who predated the Sephardic migration to the area after their expulsions from Spain in 1492.

During the spring and summer months of 1943, almost all of Thessalonikis Jews were deported to Auschwitz, where most perished.

For the Greek Jewry these archives bring light to its historic course, sacred heirlooms of the light of life and the darkness of the looting and the Holocaust, KIS said. Their restitution would mean Justice and would transmit knowledge about a part of the Greek people that contributed to the progress of the country and no longer exists, that of the 60.000 Greek Jews who were deported to and exterminated in the Nazi death camps.

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Posted By admin on December 20, 2021

The newly discovered synagogue is the second found in the ancient community. University of Haifa and Yoli Schwartz / Israel Antiquities Authority

Archaeologists have discovered a 2,000-year-old synagogue in the ruins of the ancient Jewish community of Migdalthe supposed birthplace of Mary Magdalene. The structure is the second of its kind found at the site, which is also known as Magdala, reports Rossella Tercatin for the Jerusalem Post.

The discovery casts light on the social and religious lives of the Jews in the area in this period, and reflects a need for a dedicated building for Torah reading and study and for social gatherings, says excavation co-director Dina Avshalom-Gorni, an archaeologist at the University of Haifa, in a statement. We can imagine Mary Magdalene and her family coming to the synagogue here, along with other residents of Migdal, to participate in religious and communal events.

Constructed out of volcanic basalt, limestone and plaster, the synagogue consisted of a main hall and two other rooms. One of the smaller rooms housed a stone shelf that may have held Torah scrolls. Six pillars held up the roof, and some of the white plaster walls were decorated with colorful designs. The site also contained pottery candle holders, molded glass bowls, rings and stone utensils used for purification rituals, reports Stuart Winer for the Times of Israel.

The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) collaborated with the University of Haifa and archaeology firm Y.G. Contractual on the salvage excavation.Such digs typically take place ahead of construction to ensure the preservation of important ruins,wrote Ariel Sabar for Smithsonian magazine in 2016.

The find marks the first time two synagogues dated to the Second Temple periodroughly 516 B.C.E. to 70 C.E.have been unearthed in a single town, reports Ruth Schuster for Haaretz. Larger and more ornately decorated, the other synagogue was discovered in 2009. One of the most significant discoveries made at that site was a stone embossed with the image of a seven-branched menorah at the Second Temple of Jerusalem. According to the researchers, the relief shows that Migdals synagogues were built when the temple was still standing.

These are both from the Roman-period town and existed from about 50 B.C.E. until the Jewish rebellion in 67 C.E., Avshalom-Gorni tells Haaretz.

The two synagogues stood about 650 feet apart in a section of the ancient town that held Jewish ritual baths, a marketplace and industrial facilities. They appear to have coexisted rather than replaced each other. Migdal may have simply been large enough to need two synagogues, which probably served as neighborhood meeting places and learning centers.

Founded in the second century B.C.E. at the start of the Hasmonean period, Migdal was a fishing village and center of Jewish life on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. In biblical texts, the town is referred to as Magdala Nunayya, or Town of Fishes.

Archaeologists are unsure whether the ruins now referred to as Migdal really belong to the community mentioned in ancient texts, but its location fits those descriptions.

In the New Testament Gospels, Mary Magdalene, or Mary of Magdala, stayed with Jesus as he faced crucifixion and was the first person he appeared to after his resurrection. While the Gospels contain only limited information about her, other texts from the early Christian era suggest that she held the status of an apostle, rivaling Peters significance in the years after Jesuss death, as James Carroll wrote for Smithsonian in 2006.

Over the centuries, theologians, historians and Christians have floated many theories about Mary Magdalene, including that she was an unrepentant prostitute and that she was married to Jesus. Various ideas about her status have played into debates about sexuality, celibacy and womens role in Christian institutions.

Aside from its significance in the Christian Gospels, Migdal is known as the military base of Jewish leader Yosef Ben Matityahu. During a Jewish rebellion against Roman rule in 66 to 67 C.E., he served as military commander of Galilee, but he later defected to the Roman side and changed his name to Flavius Josephus.

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