Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on April 20, 2024

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United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe

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Rabbi Greenberg spreading message of Education and Sharing Day - Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman

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Posted By admin on April 20, 2024

In a special pre-Pesach interview , Rabbi Israel Meir Lau, the former Chief Rabbi of Israel and Rabbi of Tel Aviv, spoke to Arutz Sheva and stressed that the interception of the Iranian attack on Israel is not the only miracle, but also the fact that an international coalition stood by Israel.

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It is by Gods grace that all these countries joined us in responding to the Iranian attack, says Rabbi Lau, the USA, England, to a certain extent France, and even Jordan, which on the one hand is our enemy and on the other hand fought with us.

Rabbi Lau says that it is obvious that there was a common interest in this coalition, but even so, the Hand of God is visible here. I understand why. We all have a common enemy; the Iranian threat, but everything is from heaven and suddenly all of these countries have a common enemy with us, and we are no longer isolated, nor alone in the face of this great danger.

According to Rabbi Lau, Hashem did us a great favor that 99% of all the UAVs were destroyed without harming us. There was only some damage to places, and no harm to people. This whole story was a great miracle, but we have yet to appreciate its magnitude. We experienced G-ds true protection and this connection with the superpowers and our neighbors, as well as other details that are confidential, all I can say is that this was a great divine miracle.

Leading Religious-Zionist rabbis have called on all communities in Israel to add a special prayer of thanksgiving in Shuls, reciting the Hallel Hagadol (Tehillim 136) in Shul.

The rabbis wrote that This is the day which Hashem has made, let us rejoice therein. After the night of missiles and drones, we will all thank Hashem for the miracles he wrought for us in taking us out of Egypt and for those He performed this year. We call on all shuls to say on Shabbos day, Psalm 136- Hodo LaHashem. Everyone should say it when the ark is open and thus we will be grateful to Hashem for all the good and kindness He has bestowed upon us.

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Rabbi Lau: We Have Yet To Appreciate the Magnitude Of The Miracle - VINNews

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Posted By admin on April 20, 2024

It cant be often that a father and son are ordained as a rabbi on the same day, and it may well neverhavehappened before in British Jewry.

But on Sunday, Rabbi Yosef Gabai and his son Michael formally entered the rabbinic fold at a ceremony at the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue in Lauderdale Road, west London.

It was a double celebration asthe latest cohort of studentsfrom the Montefiore Endowment semichah programme graduated alongside the first set of rabbis to qualify from its unique course to train diaspora dayanim.

Rabbi Gabai senior, who is from a Moroccan background, came to the UK from Israel around 20 years ago. Hefounded the Ohel Shalom Sephardi Synagogue in Stamford Hill and also runs a wholesale bakery business.

His son Michael, 23, has a degree from UCL and is now studying for a doctorate in biophysics in London, looking at how to improve cancer drug design. He also studied at Gateshead Yeshiva, and when he was looking for somewhere to continue his Jewish learning, it was his father who recommended the Montefiore course.

Father and son: Rabbis Yosef Gabbai (third from left) and Michael Gabbai (second from right) at their ordination

The programme, Rabbi Michael said, is not only about becoming an expert in halachah but also about the extra-curricular activities, including public-speaking and counselling. It became clear that this is something I wanted to stick with long-term.

Rabbi Michael is now in his third month as rabbi of Wembley Sephardi Synagogue, having deputised over thepast two yearsfor its previous rabbi, Jeff Berger, who is also a Montefiore alumnus. Its a lovely and warm community, Rabbi Gabai said. Its small but theres fire and passion there, and you need to bring that out of the members there. They have been so welcoming.

The course was launched 18 years ago by the chairman of the Montefiore Endowment, Lucien Gubbay and the late spiritual head of the S & P Sephardi Community, Rabbi Abraham Levy, who wanted to restore rabbinic ordination for the centrist Orthodox community in the UK. It allowed students to continue in their careers while studying part-time and, as Mr Gubbay emphasised at Sundays event, it was committed to Torah in the everyday world and not Torah in the ivory tower.

While a home-grown initiative, it also enjoys international input from Israels Eretz Hemdah Institute for Advanced Jewish Studies, combining in-person andvirtual learning.

After the anxieties of Saturdays night, with Irans attack on Israel, the verses of thanksgiving at the ceremony rang out even more powerfully than usual.

We need good rabbis like we need air, said SPSC senior rabbi, Joseph Dweck.

New dayanim (top row): Avrohom Brief, Daniel Kada. Binyomin Marks, Michael Harris, Chaim Kanterovitz, Mendel Cohen and Natan Peres: and new rabbis (first row): Glenn Bezalel, Harris Bor, James Mindell, Oren Yefet, Michael Gabai and Yosef Gabai (photo: Dina Tangi)

Also joining the Gabais in top hats specially worn for theoccasion and newly presented tallitot were new rabbis Glenn Bezalel, James Mindell, Harris Bor, and Oren Yefet.

Rabbi Bezalel is deputy head at City of London School for Boys and author of the recently published Teaching Classroom Controversies, which tackles the teaching of complex issues. Rabbi Dr Bor is a barrister and author of Staying Human: A Jewish Theology for the Age of Artificial Intelligence.

Rabbi Mindell was previously interim minister at Northwood United Synagogue and is now building the community of KarmeiHanadiv in Kiryat Malachi in Israel. Rabbi Yefet, who is from an Adeni background, is an engineer in high-rise construction who teaches at the Adeni Kol Yaakov congregation in Finchley.

The new dayanut courses graduates includetwo United Synagogue ministers, Rabbi Dr Michael Harris of Hampstead Synagogue and Rabbi Mendel Cohen, of the Saatchi Shul. A number of other US rabbis have followed in their footsteps and joined the course as students.

So far, the only graduate currently serving on a bethdin is Dayan Daniel Kada, of Holland Park Synagogue, who sits on the Sephardi Beth Din.

The other graduates are Rabbis Avrohom Brief,who leads the new Chasidic community in Westcliff, Natan Peres, Binyomin Marks and Chaim Kanterovitz. Rabbi Kanterovitz, the former senior rabbi of Borehamwood and Elstree Synagogue, is now the mashgiach - spiritual supervisor - at Orayta Yeshivah in Jerusalem.

Eretz Hemdahs own dayanut course takes eight years full time but the Montefiore programme was specially adapted, focusing on areas of divorce, marriage and conversion. While it was scheduled to take five years part-time, in the event, it took seven.

Dayan Ofer Livnat, of the Sephardi Beth Din, who was the instructing dayan on the course, said the learning there was the highest he had ever experienced.

The qualification is recognised by the main centrist Orthodox rabbinic body in the USA, the Rabbinic Council of America.

One dayanut student, Rabbi Yehezkel Mandelbaumof Kingston Synagoguesaid aspecial featureof the programme was that it attracted both United Synagogue rabbis like himself along with others from Stamford Hill. There is such a broad variety. This is unique for me.

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All in the family: father and son become rabbis on the same day - The Jewish Chronicle

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Posted By admin on April 20, 2024

Oberlin is deeply committed to our Jewish community, and vibrant Jewish living, dining, and culture are longstanding and valued parts of our history. Many students at Oberlin identify as Jewish and participate in rich offerings from the Jewish Studies Program, the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, and campus chapters of Hillel and Chabad. Students also lead a variety of organizations and activities focused on Jewish life and culture.

Hillel is a student-centered, pluralistic Jewish space that welcomes people of all movement and secular backgrounds, cultures, sexual orientations, gender identities, and all approaches to Israel.The Cleveland Hillel Foundation provides Oberlins Jewish life staff. Rabba Amalia Haas is the Rabbi in Residence at Oberlin, and Yaffa Muhlbaum is the Springboard Social Justice Fellow. More about Oberlin College Hillel

With Rabbi Shlomo and Devorah Elkan serving as codirectors, Chabad at Oberlin is a meeting ground for conversation that highlights and complements the diversity at Oberlin College and Conservatory, offering social, educational, recreational, and religious programming for students and faculty. We are here for you, whether you need matzo ball soup when youre feeling under the weather, someone to talk with about Jewish and spiritual issues, or simply a good chat. We want you to feel at home and comfortable.More about Chabad at Oberlin

The Heritage Kosher Kitchen at Talcott Hall provides delicious meals Monday through Thursday as a part of Oberlins regular meal plan. View menus for the Heritage Kosher Kitchen

Grab & Go meals are available daily in DeCafe in the basement of Wilder Hall. Kosher catering is also available upon request. Kosher dining is under the supervision of Rabbi Shlomo Elkan and is managed by AVI.

Approximately 30 students live in Johnson House, the residential program house for Jewish Studies. Founded in 1969 by students as a Winter-Term project under the name Hebrew House, Johnson House today is a three-story, Queen Anne-style mansion complete with a fireplace, library, kitchen and lounges. You can view photos of Johnson House on the Identity-Based Communities housing page. More about Hebrew Heritage House

Oberlins Jewish music a cappella group that performs at student functions throughout the year. Repertoire includes everything from traditional Jewish melodies, modern Israeli pop tunes, and an array of American songs by Jewish artists. More about CHALLaH Cappella

Established in 1971, the Jewish Studies Program explores more than 3,000 years of Jewish civilization through the primary lenses of religion, history, and culture. We offer a range of courses for the major and minor, from introductory courses to private readings.

Students acquire a broad knowledge of the field along with fundamental tools required for its continued pursuit. These skills include the ability to engage with core religious and historical texts of the Jewish tradition, as well as methods for interpreting other materials relevant to the study of the Jewish religion, history, literature, philosophy, and culture. More about Jewish Studies

Oberlin Winter Term is a time for students to pursue interests outside of regular course offerings through in-depth learning experiences each January. Projects can be done independently or in groups, on Oberlins campus, across the U.S., or around the world. Traditionally, students and faculty plan Winter Term offerings connected to student interest in their Jewish heritage, including Intensive Yiddish and Intensive Hebrew.

The Office of Religious and Spiritual Life strives to meet students where they are, serving foremost as a companion on the journey that is exclusively theirs. In this spirit, we offer an extraordinary array of diverse and vibrant opportunities designed to help students thrive as they authentically address their ultimate questions both within and across faiths. More about Religious and Spiritual Life

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Jewish Life at Oberlin - Oberlin College and Conservatory

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Posted By admin on April 20, 2024

A woman has been arrested for allegedly yelling antisemitic and racist remarks at the Jewish Community Center on Thursday afternoon.

West Hartford police said they were called to the community center at 2:30 p.m. after getting a report of a woman yelling in the parking lot.

Officers later found the woman, Beth Rosenberg, 42, at the New England Jewish Academy on Bloomfield Avenue. She refused to pull over for police on this occasion, and a few afterwards.

Rosenberg was found in a parked car at the West Hartford United Methodist Church on New Britain Avenue, and she was forcibly removed from the vehicle and taken into custody.

Police said she faces a slew of charges including intimidation based of bigotry or bias, criminal trespass, breach of peace, reckless endangerment, interfering with an officer, engaging police in pursuit and more.

Rosenberg was held on a $50,000 bond. She was later taken to a local hospital for treatment.

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Woman accused of making antisemitic comments at Jewish center in West Hartford - NBC Connecticut

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Posted By admin on April 20, 2024

The very first time I participated in counting the Omer was the spring of 2020. I was working for a Jewish nonprofit and navigating the terrifyingly uncertain, unprecedented early days of the pandemic. In this virtual reality, a Jewish educator held a Zoom class on preparing for Passover during which she explained that the Torah commands us to count the days between the second night of Passover and Shavuot, which is when Moses received the Ten Commandments from God on Mt. Sinai. Id heard about counting the Omer in the past, but had never followed through. This year was different, though.

I was tuning into this Zoom from my childhood home in suburban Maryland, having fled my apartment in New York City at the very beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. It had been weeks since Id hugged or touched anyone. Immediately after going to the grocery store, Id strip down and throw my clothes directly into the washing machine, terrified of catching COVID-19. I dared not take my bicycle out of the garage, gripped with fear that a ride on one of my favorite trails wouldnt ensure sufficient social distancing. Perhaps doing this mitzvah of counting the Omer might be good for my soul, I thought. I tried to be positive, thinking the practice might help me gain a sense of time and ritual though I really wondered if it would actually just remind me of how many days it had been since I had embraced another human and felt some semblance of a normal life.

I counted the Omer each evening that spring, and after counting, I walked outside for at least a moment to breathe in the spring nighttime sky and notice. Notice the temperature, feel the pollen and hear the sounds of the birds. Then Id go inside and fall asleep, proud to have remembered to fulfill this mitzvah. Underneath the calm of this ritual, I deeply yearned to be held and reassured that it would all be okay.

I did not count the Omer again for another two years. Time was both speeding up and slowing down as vaccines began to roll out, and in 2021 and 2022, I simply forgot to count the very first night of the Omer on the second night of Passover. I didnt pay much attention to the passing days thereafter, either.

But last year, in 2023, something different happened. I was taking a walk in Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C., where I permanently relocated after getting stuck in the area in 2020, and as I walked the trails of the park, signs of spring emerging, my inner voice piped up. When Im able to pause from the go-go-go, I can hear her wise, soulful counsel accompanied by a warm buzz in my third eye and in my heart, which Ive come to trust even when seemingly inconvenient or surprising. And what she said was totally bonkers: I was going to lead a retreat and group bike ride from D.C. to Pittsburgh along the C&O Canal and Great Allegheny Passage. I had previously joked with a friend of mine who lives in D.C. that we should bike from here to there, but the possibility of actually doing it had never occurred to me until that moment.

It wasnt a fleeting thought. Step by step, the buzz of excitement was building inside of me. I was yearning to get outside and back in the saddle of life.

I realized that if I was actually going to lead this group trek, first, I needed to go do it myself. As someone who had never fixed a flat tire or biked more than 25 miles in a day and could not have told you that a pannier is the fancy term for a bike bag, saying yes to biking more than 330 miles in the course of a few days was both a thrilling and unbelievable idea. But I didnt let that stop me.

I started making concrete plans. Memorial Day weekend seemed like an apt time to depart. It was about two months away, so Id have time to train, but Id be able to complete the ride before the heat started. Checking my calendar, I discovered: I didnt have work on the Friday leading into Memorial Day because it was Shavuot. I was thrilled! I may have even chortled. I could get more time in on this ride without taking more time off. Weee!

And then it hit me. Id be hitting the road on Shavuot. Since Passover was about to begin, my training would coincide directly with counting the Omer. Each of those 49 days would center the training, learning and preparing I needed to tackle my goal. Serendipitously, I had just purchased a Counting the Omer workbook. Everything was falling into place.

I began to train and count the Omer. Most days, I read the inspiring message in the workbook that infused one or two of seven different spiritual qualities. Id say the blessing to count the day. Some days, Id open the workbook and write or reflect on the prompt. And each day, I trained and planned.

As I entered days 40, 41, 42 and I managed to bike another mile, map out another leg of my itinerary I could feel the finish line of counting the Omer moving towards the starting line of my 330 mile bike journey.

I wasnt just moving forward with a Jewish ritual and planning for a life goal I was moving forward with my life. The first time I counted the Omer, back in 2020, most of my reflections to myself and to my therapist were about how alone I felt, fearful of the world. Now, as I sped toward this Omer finish line and my bike ride starting line, I shook off the lingering feelings of isolation. I was reconnecting with friends and family and discovering how to call in support. I asked friends to share bike ribbons to put on my handlebars and suddenly fabrics of all flavors were arriving in my mailbox. My massage therapist held me accountable to my workouts, including strength training sessions. At work, I resisted striving for perfection and overextending myself because I had to make time for my training goals. And after much deliberation on what type of panniers to buy, my cousin lent me hers!

As I counted the days and made the days count, getting physically and mentally prepared to make this several hundred miles possible, I went from biking 10 miles to riding 30 or 40 and then 65 with ease. It wasnt tour de France speed, but who was counting that? Not me. What I was counting was the momentum I was gaining in and out of the bike saddle.

My cousin and my uncle joined me on Shavuot for Day 1 of my 7 day ride to Pittsburgh. We headed down to Georgetown in the morning to greet the Mile 0 Marker of the C&O and begin the trail. Canada Geese were waddling about as we crossed over a footbridge behind a boat house, and they flew off as we approached. We took a selfie and then we began to pick wild mulberries that shaded the starting point. I was completing a journey, one of listening to my intuition and counting the steps of life, as I rolled on to the start of the next journey and path ahead. I had left the narrow constraints of my early pandemic life. I listened to my internal revelation and it helped me start my journey toward something better.

I was ready to roll, one day at a time.

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This Jewish Ritual Changed My Life When I Needed It Most - Alma

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Posted By admin on April 20, 2024

With Passover beginning on Monday, federal law enforcement say they're concerned about potential threats to U.S. Jewish communities.This is the first Passover since the Oct. 7 deadly attacks of Israel by Hamas, followed by the retaliation in Gaza.FBI Director Christopher Wray has shared they're worried lone actors could target large gatherings, high-profile events, or religious locations and cause violence.At UVM Hillel, executive director Matt Vogel said they've been preparing for their Passover week.Starting Monday, they will have a full-on Kosher kitchen transformation."Whether it's Matzah pizza or Matzah brei or scrambled eggs, we'll have Kosher for Passover cereal and milk so students can our home like it's their home," Vogel saidHowever, Vogel said the feeling of anxiousness is always there."Working for a Jewish organization, I've had concerns since the Tree of Life massacre and when Jewish communities turned into targets of white supremacists and hate," Vogel said.Michael Schirling, UVM police's chief safety and compliance officer, said they'll be on standby.He shared this statement to NBC5. "Our safety teams are aware of the FBI Director's statement. We are in regular contact with the Hillel team and other organizations on campus regarding security responses and posture," Schirling said.Vogel said overall he feels safe, but shared that it's unfortunate his community has to have this in the back of their mind."Just because that's the current climate we're in, and that's been the climate, unfortunately, before Oct. 7," Vogel said.Down the street at Chabad of Burlington, Rabbi Eliyahu Junik has also been getting ready with his own Passover festivities. "We're hoping to have a joyous and safe holiday," Junik said.Junik said he's in close contact with Burlington police but, like Vogel, overall, isn't concerned.Instead, Junik said he's leaning on this faith."The night of Passover is also called 'leil shimurim', which is the night of protection," Junik said. "God protected us when we left Egypt. The sages teach us that every Passover we get to re-live that protection from God."Junik hopes the Jewish community can truly celebrate Passover, focusing on its true meaning."Each and every one of us needs to free ourselves more and more on our anxieties, traumas, and all the things that inhibit us from getting closer to other people and getting closer to God," Junik said.If interested in UVM Hillel's festivities, more info is on their Instagram.For more on Chabad of Burlington's events, visit their website here.

With Passover beginning on Monday, federal law enforcement say they're concerned about potential threats to U.S. Jewish communities.

This is the first Passover since the Oct. 7 deadly attacks of Israel by Hamas, followed by the retaliation in Gaza.

FBI Director Christopher Wray has shared they're worried lone actors could target large gatherings, high-profile events, or religious locations and cause violence.

At UVM Hillel, executive director Matt Vogel said they've been preparing for their Passover week.

Starting Monday, they will have a full-on Kosher kitchen transformation.

"Whether it's Matzah pizza or Matzah brei or scrambled eggs, we'll have Kosher for Passover cereal and milk so students can our home like it's their home," Vogel said

However, Vogel said the feeling of anxiousness is always there.

"Working for a Jewish organization, I've had concerns since the Tree of Life massacre and when Jewish communities turned into targets of white supremacists and hate," Vogel said.

Michael Schirling, UVM police's chief safety and compliance officer, said they'll be on standby.

He shared this statement to NBC5.

"Our safety teams are aware of the FBI Director's statement. We are in regular contact with the Hillel team and other organizations on campus regarding security responses and posture," Schirling said.

Vogel said overall he feels safe, but shared that it's unfortunate his community has to have this in the back of their mind.

"Just because that's the current climate we're in, and that's been the climate, unfortunately, before Oct. 7," Vogel said.

Down the street at Chabad of Burlington, Rabbi Eliyahu Junik has also been getting ready with his own Passover festivities.

"We're hoping to have a joyous and safe holiday," Junik said.

Junik said he's in close contact with Burlington police but, like Vogel, overall, isn't concerned.

Instead, Junik said he's leaning on this faith.

"The night of Passover is also called 'leil shimurim', which is the night of protection," Junik said. "God protected us when we left Egypt. The sages teach us that every Passover we get to re-live that protection from God."

Junik hopes the Jewish community can truly celebrate Passover, focusing on its true meaning.

"Each and every one of us needs to free ourselves more and more on our anxieties, traumas, and all the things that inhibit us from getting closer to other people and getting closer to God," Junik said.

If interested in UVM Hillel's festivities, more info is on their Instagram.

For more on Chabad of Burlington's events, visit their website here.

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Burlington Jewish organizations share any safety concerns ahead of Passover - WPTZ

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Posted By admin on April 20, 2024

(JTA) Yakira Galler, a first-year student at Barnard College, has had trouble sleeping.

Galler has an apartment that looks out onto Broadway, which divides Columbia Universitys campus from Barnard, its womens college. Each night this week, she has heard crowds of protesters banging pots and pans, chanting Intifada, revolution and calling for the Ivy League university to divest from Israel.

The street protests accompanied a much larger on-campus demonstration that devolved into unrest on Thursday, when the university asked police to dismantle an encampment pro-Palestinian students had set up; more than 100 people were arrested. The scenes from Thursday drew global attention, a statement from the mayor and passionate debate over the limits of campus civil disobedience.

For Galler, though, seeing hundreds of students including some she knows protesting Israel brought her back to a different time of trauma, not long ago: The days after Hamas attacked Israel, killing some 1,200 people and launching the war in Gaza.

Wednesday at Hillel felt like October, she said. I remember speaking to one of the Hillel professionals, just telling her that all I feel is anger and I feel like Im being radicalized and I dont want to be.

She added, I just want to be able to think clearly and in a nuanced way and rationally but I am so overcome with these emotions.

In the months since Oct. 7, Columbia has at times felt like a battleground as pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian students have faced off against each other and, often, the university administration. Thursdays protest represented an escalation of those tensions, with police entering campus and loading students into NYPD vans.

Reflecting on Thursdays unrest, Jewish students, most of them in and around the Kraft Center for Jewish Life, where Hillel is housed, told JTA that they felt uncomfortable and unheard on campus. Some said theyre glad the school year is almost over.

Daniel Barth, who graduated last semester and will be participating in commencement ceremonies next month, said he appreciated his time at Columbia and the vibrant political debates on campus. But Barth, who wears a kippah and a Star of David necklace, says that practice has been tested recently, including when someone spit near him.

Im ready to leave this campus, he said. I thought it would be a lot more bittersweet, but I think its just a sense of relief. Im not necessarily attached to being here anymore.

Ezra Dayanim, also a senior, is enrolled in Columbias joint undergraduate program with the Jewish Theological Seminary. He happened to be in a class on political protest when he learned about the arrests on Thursday and said they drove home for him that constructive debate feels impossible at his school.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrations have been far larger and louder than pro-Israel ones, he said. And he feels discussion has been difficult because pro-Palestinian groups have a policy of not engaging with Zionist groups. (The school suspended its chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, an anti-Zionist group, last semester a core grievance among pro-Palestinian protesters.)

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I know that we stand in different places, and its unfortunate, but neither one of us is going to apologize for what we believe in, Dayanim said. So we have to find a way to coexist.

Dayanim also feels isolated by the response of the schools student leadership. On Thursday evening, student government officers sent an email to the students condemning the arrests and the universitys calling police to campus. Dayanim responded to the committee and copied multiple deans and the provost, expressing his disappointment in the message.

Were members of the student body as well and we want to be represented and seen and heard and were not, he said.

Henry Sears, the co-president of Columbias chapter of J Street U, the student arm of the liberal Israel lobby, was sitting in the middle of the Columbia campus when the arrests began. He heard chants of, NYPD, KKK the IOF, theyre all the same, the latter a reference to the Israeli military that refers to Israel as an occupying force.

Other chants he heard, including From the water to the water, Palestine is Arab, and videos of flares that he saw later that night, made him feel very uncomfortable and unsafe in my neighborhood, he said. He emphasized that he supports Palestinian statehood alongside Israel.

I am really involved in this area on campus, he said. There are definitely a good amount of people who they know who I am and they know my political views. Even though Im part of J Street, so my political views include a separate state of Israel alongside a separate state of Palestine, but thats not what they want.

Some students expressed misgivings about the police crackdown on the protests, even as they said the messages made them uncomfortable.

I recognize the consequences that come with the the NYPD entering campus, especially with students of color, Galler said, speaking by phone because she was taking a break from being on campus.

I dont think that should be the first decision, she said. That being said, from what I saw, the NYPD did not act with violence, and I think they dealt with the situation as it needs to be dealt with. [When it] got to a point where you had people outside breaking NYC laws, then I can understand why the university felt that they needed to bring in force.

Second-year law student Hannah Wander also drew a distinction between student and non-student protesters. The students have more boundaries, she said, adding that they wouldnt directly attack people. As she spoke, a testament to public Jewish life at the school was unfolding next to her: Male Jewish students were wrapping tefillin with the Chabad rabbi, Yuda Drizin.

The chants are bad, but you dont tend to get people saying, We want more October 7th or explicitly pro-Hamas, she said.

Daniella Coen, an Israeli citizen and a senior in the first class of Columbias dual-degree program with Tel Aviv University, said the chants were no small matter. She told JTA she could hear chants of intifada on Thursday from where she was studying inside Butler library.

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I have family members who survived the Holocaust and people who died in the intifada, in the Sbarro pizza shop, she said, referring to a large terror attack in Jerusalem in 2001 near the beginning of the second intifada, a years-long campaign of Palestinian terror attacks in Israel. The entire family, multiple children, everybody.

Asked whether the events of the past week have changed her view on Columbia, Coen said, Ive had a good education on the campus. She added that she 100% believes in the right to protest. But she worries that, following Thursday, she no longer identifies with the image Columbia projects to the world.

In terms of what the school purports to stand for, she said, Im having difficulty with that.

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'I'm ready to leave this campus': Jewish students at Columbia feel discomfort and isolation following Thursday's unrest - JTA News - Jewish...

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Posted By admin on April 20, 2024

Maurice El Medioni, an Algerian-born pianist who fused Jewish and Arab musical traditions into a singular style he called Pianoriental, died on March 25 in Herzliya, on Israels central coast. He was 95.

His death, at a nursing home, was confirmed by his manager, Yvonne Kahan.

Mr. Medioni was one of the last representatives of a once vibrant Jewish-Arab musical culture that flourished in North Africa before and after World War II and proudly drew from both heritages.

In Oran, the Algerian port where he was born, he was sought after by Arabs and Jews alike to play at weddings and at banquets in the years between the war and 1961, when the threat of violence and Algerias new independence from France drove Mr. Medioni and thousands of other Jews to flee.

With his bounding octaves, his quasi-microtonal shifts in the style of traditional Arab music, his cheeky rumba rhythms learned from American G.I.s after the 1942 Allied invasion, and his roots in the Jewish-Arab musical heritage called andalous, Mr. Medioni had honed a distinctive piano style by his early 20s.

The singers he accompanied often alternated phrases in French and Arabic in a style known as Franarabe. His uncle Messaoud El Medioni was a famous musician known as Saoud LOranais, a leading practitioner of andalous, who was deported by the Germans to the Sobibor death camp in 1943 and killed there.

The Medioni style remained buried and nearly forgotten for four decades as Mr. Medioni pursued his trade as a mens tailor. He kept it alive in private, performing at weddings and bar mitzvahs after he was forced to flee to France. Then, in 1996, when he was 68, he released a breakthrough album, Caf Oran. Its success led to a belated second life as a star of so-called world music concert tours in Europe, appearances in documentary films and a major role as mentor to a new generation of Israeli musicians anxious to recover the musical heritage of their Sephardic heritage.

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Maurice El Medioni, Pianist Who Fused Jewish and Arab Music, Dies at 95 - The New York Times

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Posted By admin on April 20, 2024

WASHINGTON (JTA) Shortly after Hamas Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the leadership of the South African Jewish community requested a meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa to discuss rising antisemitism.

The meeting took place in December, and the course it took surprised the South African Jewish Board of Deputies: Instead of discussing the safety concerns of his Jewish constituents, the boards leader said, Ramaphosa spent most of the meeting attacking Israel, which he accused of committing genocide. He later cited the meeting when South Africa charged Israel with genocide at the International Court of Justice.

It was a complete betrayal of the community, Wendy Kahn, the Board of Deputies director, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in an interview this week.

Ramaphosa had scheduled the meeting for Dec. 13, after the launch of the countrys summer holidays, so a number of the seven Jewish officials who attended had to cut into summer travel plans to make the meeting in the capital city of Pretoria.

The inconvenience seemed worth it, Kahn said. Antisemitism had spiked in South Africa and the parliaments overwhelming vote to cut diplomatic ties to Israel and shutter its embassy was creating problems for the South Africans with family in Israel.

Yet instead of focusing on those issues, according to Ramaphosas office, the South African president used the meeting to accuse Israel of genocide. His statement following the meeting does mention his governments denunciation of anti-Semitic behavior towards Jewish people in South Africa, including the boycott of Jewish owned businesses, and Islamophobia.

But most of the statement concerns South Africas criticism of Israels military campaign in Gaza. It says Ramaphosa explained that his government condemns the genocide that is being inflicted against the people of Palestine, including women and children, through collective punishment and ongoing bombardment of Gaza.

Kahn said the Jewish leaders were taken aback by the turn the meeting took.

We told him about antisemitism, we told him about the boycotts, she said. But in the presidents response, Kahn recalled, He suddenly comes up with all this information about genocide, the genocide that Israel is committing, because, you know, he had to tell us that there was this genocide.

Why Ramaphosa felt the need to bring up the genocide accusation wasnt clear to Kahns organization until weeks later, when South Africa submitted its complaint to the International Court of Justice charging Israel with genocide.

In the documents 13th section where South Africa was asked to show that Israel has been made fully aware of the grave concerns expressed by the international community and by South Africa in particular, it listed the meeting with the Jewish Board of Deputies as evidence.

The community interpreted that to mean that Ramaphosa effectively considered them agents of Israel, Kahn said.

A meeting that was called to discuss antisemitism became actually a meeting where antisemitism was committed, she said this week. We were absolutely shattered to see that the South African Jewish Board of Deputies was included, was cited in the case at the ICJ.

Ramaphosas office did not return a request for comment or an answer to the question whether he views South Africas Jews as Israeli agents. Some South African politicians have explicitly argued that case, such as a Cape Town lawmaker who unsuccessfully called for a Jewish high school to be penalized last year because one in five graduates joins the Israeli army.

The SAJBD made it clear that we are not the representatives of the state of Israel nor go-betweens of the two countries, the Board of Deputies said when it realized the meeting was being instrumentalized as part of the genocide charge. We are South African citizens like any other, with valid concerns about our human rights as citizens of this country.

The encounter was of a piece with the hostility that the community has endured from sectors of the South African political establishment, Kahn said. She noted how Justice Minister Ronald Lamola, appearing at The Hague in January during the genocide hearings, was asked about antisemitism in his country.

In South Africa, we have got a number of Jewish people doing business, living with us, and they also attend their churches in peace, Lamola said.

The Board of Deputies had given the ministry a report on antisemitism, Kahn said.

Youre the one who should be protecting South African Jews against hate, she said of Lamola. And youre saying theres no theres no antisemitism. You havent even bothered to find out what the actual actual information is. There have been at least eight cases involving antisemitic hate allegations brought to South African courts since Oct. 7, she said.

South Africa has long been critical of Israel, and in January, the Jewish captain of its under-19 cricket team was removed from his post due to anti-Israel protests against him. A 2019 report by the Institute for Jewish Policy Research found that of the countrys approximately 52,000 Jews, more than 40% say that they have considered leaving South Africa permanently in the past year.

A woman prays over a missing poster for a hostage abducted by Hamas terrorists, on the Nelson Mandela Bridge in Johannesburg, Oct. 27, 2023. (South African Jewish Board of Deputies/YouTube)

Kahn, who was in Washington this week on a trip organized by the World Jewish Congress, emphasized that antisemitism was not pervasive in the country. She said the community has friendly ties to parties in opposition to Ramaphosas African National Congress, as well as with Christian churches with memberships numbering in the tens of millions. It also has a good relationship with law enforcement.

She has heard that the number of Jews seeking to leave the country has increased but said that has more to do with political and economic instability. The reports of increased antisemitism may be a factor, but not the only one, in a desire to leave, she added.

She also said Jews are not hiding visible symbols of their identity.

Weve got a jeweler in our community, hes got a jewelry shop in one of the big shopping malls near the Jewish community in Johannesburg, she said. And he tells the story that he cannot keep up with the demand for Magen Davids. They are really flying out of the shop.

The most poignant representation of grassroots sympathy for Israel, she said, came on Oct. 27. The community, without first seeking police permission, taped posters of hostages taken by Hamas along the ramparts of the Nelson Mandela Bridge. They also placed 221 red balloons along the bridge, one for each of the people known at the time to be held captive.

Kahn said the community intended to keep the posters in place for an hour, wanting to avoid confrontations with hostile actors, or the sight of police removing the posters.

Instead, she said, the community kept the posters in place the entire day, noticing the curiosity and empathy they sparked in passersby, and there were no confrontations. She shared video with JTA of passersby crouching to read the stories of the hostages, with some clasping their hands together in silent prayer.

People prayed and people cried and people were just absolutely they were riveted, she said, getting emotional at the recollection. In the end, we left them up for the entire day. Not one of those posters was torn down.

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South Africa's president rehearsed genocide charge against Israel in meeting with local Jewish leaders - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency

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