Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on May 8, 2021

Tufts University is investigating reported anti-Asian and anti-Semitic incidents that occurred on its campus last week.

According to the university, passengers in a vehicle allegedly yelled anti-Asian slurs while driving by several students who were walking on campus.

One of the students who says he was threatened and verbally insulted while walking down the street last week says he no longer feels safe on campus.

The senior, who did not want to provide his name, says a black pick up truck with at least two men in it slowed down as it passed his group on Professor's Row on the Tufts campus. The four students, who were walking home after taking graduation pictures, say the men yelled racial slurs, threatened to hurt them and made other hateful comments related to the coronavirus.

The group was able to get away and call campus police to report what happened.

In a second incident a few blocks away, the university said one of its student athletes found a large swastika painted on the shed of its soccer and lacrosse field.

Tufts University President Tony Monaco said complaints of bias have increased significantly on campus over the last few years, adding it remains unacceptable.

"Acts of anti-Asian hate and anti-Semitism such as these are unacceptable and violate what we stand for as a community," Monaco said in a written statement. "I acknowledge the significant harm that these incidents can have on the Asian and Jewish communities, respectively."

Monaco said it is unclear whether the perpetrators are members of the the Tufts University community.

"Unfortunately, these anti-Asian and anti-Semitic incidents are part of a larger trend in the United States," Monaco said in a written statement. "Our campus has not been immune to this trend as complaints of bias to our Office of Equal Opportunity have increased significantly over the past several years."

The university's police department has launched an investigation asking for the public to come forward with any information they may have related to the case.

Read the original post:

Tufts University Responds to Incidents of Hate' on Campus - NBC10 Boston

Category: Anti-semitism | Comments Off on Tufts University Responds to Incidents of Hate’ on Campus – NBC10 Boston
Tags:

Posted By admin on May 8, 2021

When Justin Shaw heard that Ohio last year experienced the highest number of antisemitic incidents in more than 40 years, he wasn't surprised.

The director of Jewish community relations at the area nonprofit JewishColumbusnoted that incidents have been rising for the past few years, and with COVID-19, it's become easier for people to harass Jewish people online.

Anti-Defamation League: Ohio victims of anti-Semitism getting free legal help

"There's been more propaganda, more rhetoric," said Shaw, whose organization isfocused on philanthropy and supporting community programs. "Zoom-bombings have been more of an issue, and to be honest, Ithink some of it is underreported."

There likely were more incidents, he said, than even appeared in the report releasedby the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) last week, which says 43 were disclosedin 2020.

"I would definitely encourage people to report," Shaw said. "The more we have on record, I think the more attention that this issue gets. It bolsters the case."

'Its about fear': Author to put hate, anti-Semitism in context during webinar

In 2019, 25 incidents were reported, marking a 72% increase in antisemitic events in 2020,according to the ADL. The 43 instances of antisemitism in 2020 represent a 52% increase from the state's average of 28 incidents a year, the report shows.

The ADL categorizes antisemitic events as those having conditions consistent with anti-Jewish ideals on the part of the perpetrator or if a "a reasonable person could plausibly conclude that they were being victimized due to their Jewish identity."

James Pasch, regional director with the Anti-Defamation League's Cleveland office, said there isn't one factor causing the rise. It can be attributed to multiple reasons, but the ongoing pandemic is likely part of it.

2 for Seder: To combat anti-Semitism, some central Ohio families invite non-Jews to Seder

"There is certainly no doubt that the rise in coronavirus led to us fightingalmost two viruses at the same time," he said. "The physical virus and then the virus of hate that coincided with that."

Jewish people and other minorities have been blamed for societalills for years, Pasch said.

"Minorities being blamed or scapegoated for the spread of the virus, it is something that has happened during world history before (other) major viruses and pandemics," he said. "It's not surprising that it happened here again."

'A ray of light and goodness': Hanukkah celebrations become larger, more elaborate in relation to Christmas

The report shows that the incidents consisted of 30 harassment incidents, 12 instances of vandalism and one assault in Ohio.

In November, a Jewish couple in Columbus was verbally harassed while celebrating the presidential election, and a swastika and the words "I love Nazi" were discovered carved into a parked car near Ohio State University in July, the report states.

Prior to the June resignation of former director of the Ohio Department of Health Dr. Amy Acton, who is Jewish, her Bexley home was the target of antisemitic protests. At an April 2020 protest outside of the Statehouse, a protester showed up with an antisemitic sign.

About 63% of the incidents in Ohio happened in northeast Ohio, the report states, with 23%, or 10 incidents, happening in central Ohio.

Antisemitism: Bexley residents show support for neighbor Dr. Amy Acton

The increase in the numberof incidents of antisemitism in Ohio is consistent with national trends, according to the ADL.

In Ohio, Jewish institutions were targeted 167% more than they were in 2019, according to the report, with only three incidents at institutions such as synagogues that year and eightin 2020.

Andwith the pandemic came a new form of harassment known as "Zoom-bombing," which is when people purposefully disrupt meetings or religious services with graphic or hateful images or messages. Shaw said the local community has seen Zoom-bombing during online religious services.

'A joyful time': Hanukkahs celebration of light even more meaningful after darkness of Pittsburgh tragedy

"It's alarming to know that there's such hate out in the world and hate that's in our own backyard, and all we can do is try and put security measures into place and try and protect ourselves," he said.

JewishColumbus funds efforts to secure Jewish institutions locally, and Shaw has been advising area Jewish leaders on ways to secure their Zoom meetings while still being open and welcoming to those who are truly interested in Judaism.

Despite the increase in hatred, Shaw said Jewish people are resilient and won't let fear stop them.

He and Pasch said education is necessary to prevent more antisemitism in the future. Shaw said people can have discussions with people they know and be an "active agent for change."

'It was really hard': Grieving is different in COVID times; here's how faith leaders recommend you cope

"It's not just education in the classroom;it's also education amongst people we know best," Pasch said.

Rabbi Areyah Kaltmann,executive director of the Lori Schottenstein Chabad Center in New Albany, believes that people who commit acts of antisemitism may not know anything about the Jewish people.

"I believe you have to educate people, and you have to reach out with love," he said. "If you educate, if you uplift, if you inspire, then that's the antidote."

Pasch still has hope that things can get better.

'Spiritual wellness': Capital University pastor helps students connect to different faiths

"It's easy to look at the numbers and to be pessimistic and to be troubled and we should be troubled but I would say I've also never been more optimistic about our society's ability to stop this trend," he said.

There are alliances and partnerships happening everyday between individual people and organizations, including between Jewish, Asian and Black-led groups that are fighting together against hate, Pasch said.

"I'm confident that our childrenand our grandchildrenare going to live in a more-tolerant Ohio and a more-tolerant Americathan we live in today just becauseof the work that's being done on the ground," he said.

A year of COVID: Churches around central Ohio mark deaths with flag displays

Still, Pasch said, antisemitism is a warningand a reason to be vigilant.

"Antisemitism isone of the oldest forms of hate.It's very much a canary in the coalmine," he said. "But it's important to note that what starts with antisemitismdoes spread to other forms of hate.

"We've seen a rise in Asian American and Pacific Islander hate.We've seen the ugly open wound of racism against the Black community and continued vile conspiracy theories about immigration. And with all of that, the evidence points to 2021 as a year where we need to be extra-vigilant about hate and all its forms."

dking@dispatch.com

@DanaeKing

Read more:

Antisemitism is on the rise in Ohio, and COVID-19 scapegoating may have exacerbated hate against Jewish people - The Columbus Dispatch

Category: Anti-semitism | Comments Off on Antisemitism is on the rise in Ohio, and COVID-19 scapegoating may have exacerbated hate against Jewish people – The Columbus Dispatch
Tags:

Posted By admin on May 8, 2021

Help Us Help Kamloops. Support Local Media.

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Kamloops This Week is now soliciting donations from readers. This program is designed to support our local journalism in a time where our advertisers are unable to due to their own economic constraints. Kamloops This Week has always been a free product and will continue to be free. This is a means for those who can afford to support local media to help ensure those who cant afford to can get access to trusted local information. You can make a one-time or a monthly donation of any amount and cancel at any time .

NEW: For every donation of $25 or greater, we will offer a digital advertising package to the local non-profit group of your choice.

Click on https://support.kamloopsthisweek.com for more information or to make your donation.

Thank you in advance for your support.

Link:

Canada will not participate in Durban IV conference amid anti-Semitism concerns - Kamloops This Week

Category: Anti-semitism | Comments Off on Canada will not participate in Durban IV conference amid anti-Semitism concerns – Kamloops This Week
Tags:

Posted By admin on May 8, 2021

Unbeknownst to me, in 1998, a cousin from Boston named Rick, who I had never heard of, put together an extensive family tree on my mothers side of the family, going back 200 years. Two years ago, my brother sent me a copy. It listed hundreds of names, and next to the names it said where they live or lived.

On Page 7, it named six members of the Bauer family. Instead of saying where they live, it just said Holocaust. I was stunned. This was the first time I had heard of relatives perishing in the Holocaust. I just sat there in silence for an hour.

I was determined to find out who the Bauers were, and what happened to them. So, I tried to contact cousin Rick. I called the phone number he listed on the report, but that number was out of service. Then I searched and found other phone numbers for him, but they didnt work either. I then sent an email to the email address he had on the report. That bounced back.

At that point, I decided to try Facebook. I only found one person with his name, and he lived in Quebec. That couldnt be him. Still, with nothing to lose, I sent him a friend request. I never heard back. A week later, I checked his page, and saw he deleted my request. So, I sent him a Facebook private message, asking if he had put together the family tree. I told him if he had, then I am his cousin.

I was in luck. It was him. After several weeks of exchanging messages, I asked him what happened to the Bauers. He said all he knew was they were from the small town of Butrimonys, Lithuania.

Next, I went looking for a database of Holocaust victims. I found one from the U.S. Holocaust Museum. So, I typed in the Bauers' names and their hometown, but nothing showed up. Then, I found another database. This one was from Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial in Israel. Once again, I got nothing. So, I tried several names similar to Bauer. When I tried Baver, there they were. I found them. When I clicked on their names, I even found their pictures. Thats when it really hit home. It was chilling to see their faces.

Asna Baver was 18-years-old when she was murdered in the Holocaust in Butrimonys, Lithuania, on Sept. 9, 1941. Photo courtesy of Yad Vashem

Still, I didnt know what happened to them. I knew finding out would be a long shot. I googled several phrases, but nothing worked. Then I tried, Jews Murdered in Butrimonys, Lithuania in World War II. That did it. It turned out there was one Jewish witness to the massacre, who detailed everything. I teared up when I read that the Nazis opened fire on them with their machine guns.

This was a painful search, but it was necessary.

Shaw is a former WDAY TV reporter and former KVRR TV news director. Email jimshawtv@gmail.com

Continued here:

Shaw: My journey to learn the story of my relatives lost in the Holocaust - Grand Forks Herald

Category: Holocaust | Comments Off on Shaw: My journey to learn the story of my relatives lost in the Holocaust – Grand Forks Herald
Tags:

Posted By admin on May 8, 2021

Results of a recent study have prompted state Sen. Anna Kaplan (D-Great Neck) to announce a bill for New York state to conduct a study on courses of study on the Holocaust in the states schools.

Kaplan announced the bill at an April 29 news conference at the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center in Glen Head, alongside Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D-Fresh Meadows), the bills sponsor in the state Assembly; state Sen. Jim Gaughran (D-Northport); Assemblyman Charles Lavine (D-Glen Cove); and state Sen. Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach).

The officials were also joined by representatives of the American Jewish Committee Long Island, the Jewish Community Relations Council Long Island and the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Kaplan said that arecent study by the nonprofit Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany revealed that 58% of New Yorkers aged 18 to 39 cannot name a single concentration camp, that 19% believe that Jews caused the Holocaust and that 28% believe the Holocaust is a myth or has been exaggerated. In each of these three metrics, New York had the worst score of any state in the country.

When we talk about the Holocaust, we say never forget but in order to forget something, you need to learn about it in the first place, Kaplan said. Were doing a terrible job of teaching our kids about the atrocities of the Holocaust and the 6 million Jews who were murdered by the Nazis, and in a time when disinformation is exploding, and anti-Semitism and anti-Semitic violence are on the rise, its never been more important to teach the lessons of the Holocaust to the next generation.

The bill, to be shepherded by Kaplan through the state Senate and by Rozic in the Assembly, would authorize the states Commissioner of Education to conduct a study to determine which school districts are offering instruction on the Holocaust in compliance with Section 801 of the Education Law, which mandates teaching of citizenship, patriotism and human rights issues with particular attention to the study of the inhumanity of genocide in schools. The Holocaust is one of three tragedies mentioned by name in the law and mandated to be taught, with the other two being slavery and the mass starvation in Ireland from 1845 to 1850.

The bill would require a report on the findings of the study by the first of January after the bill becomes law, and direct the commissioner to promulgate rules and regulations ensuring school districts are offering instruction on the Holocaust in compliance with Section 801.

As we experience historic levels of anti-Semitism in New York and around the country, Never Again needs to be a call to action and not merely a platitude offered on Holocaust Remembrance Day and Genocide Awareness Month, Rozic said.

When study after study delineate embarrassing ignorance and misinformation about the Holocaust, we need to rectify the issue at the source educational requirements. Ensuring that the Holocaust is properly taught in schools coupled with education on recognizing anti-Semitism and other hate crimes is a crucial first step in stopping dangerous conspiracy theories.

Lavine, Kaminsky and Gaughran all voiced support for the bill.

As a representative of the state of New York and a Jew whose entire European family was murdered by the Nazis and their allies, I am proud to support this legislation to ensure students are taught about the Holocaust, Lavine said. It works hand in hand with my Hate Education bill which makes learning about the noose and swastika compulsory. We must never cease in our efforts to attack hatred through education.

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran gave support to the proposal in a statement.

We must redouble our efforts to ensure present and future generations understand the lessons of past, Curran said. With anti-Semitism on the rise again, it is more important than ever that we speak up and combat hatred through education.

Andrew Bolender, chairperson of the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center, voiced support for the bill and said that much work remained in eradicating antisemitic hate.

[The center] has worked with many Long Island school districts to offer a standardized and thorough Holocaust and genocide curriculum, but much work remains to be done, Bolender said. We support this bill, as we know that the only effective vaccination for hate is education.

Continue reading here:

Kaplan to push bill on Holocaust education study - News - The Island Now

Category: Holocaust | Comments Off on Kaplan to push bill on Holocaust education study – News – The Island Now
Tags:

Posted By admin on May 8, 2021

Officers received a report of graffiti at the memorial on Sunday morning. They found similar graffiti on street signs and concrete barriers in the neighborhood.

PORTLAND, Ore. Someone spray-painted swastikas and other anti-Semitic graffiti at the Oregon Holocaust Memorial in Portlands Washington Park over the weekend, police said.

Officers received a report of graffiti at the memorial on Sunday morning. Neo-Nazi sayings and symbols were scrawled across the stone wall of the memorial. They found similar graffiti on street signs and concrete barriers in the Southwest Portland neighborhood near the memorial, police said.

The outdoor memorial is located at 95205 SW Washington Way.

As of Monday evening, investigators said there is no suspect information and there have been no arrests.

Mayor Ted Wheeler denounced hate crimes, anti-Semitism and white supremacy via a tweet.

Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education Director Judy Margles views the memorial as a sacred space.

"It is a place for contemplation. Thinking about the horrors that went on during the Holocaust: millions of lives murdered by the Nazis. But it is also a place of hope," Margles said.

The memorial was created by survivors to educate people and serve as a reminder of what hatred can do to society.

"It includes names of families who died in the war so it has personal meaning for many community members," Margles said.

That's why so many were appalled to learn someone defaced the memorial over the weekend.

"Anti-Semitism and hatred are still alive and well after all we've been through as a society and country," Rabbi Eve Posen, Congregation Neveh Shalom Associate Rabbi and Chair of the Oregon Board of Rabbis, told KGW. "That this is still happening, it's heartbreaking and heart-wrenching."

Margles felt sick when police called her Sunday morning.

"It is very twisted," she said. "It's very visceral, I have to say, when you hear about something - I think my whole body just went numb. And I was shaking, my heart was pounding."

Police quickly told the Portland Parks & Recreation Bureau, and crews cleaned the graffiti Sunday.

"The intention was to deface something and instead a community came together," Posen said.

Rather than divide us, Margles and Rabbi Posen say the vandalism had the opposite result. That hateful and divisive act led to love and unity. Right away, Portlanders asked how to help.

"There are lots of messages of support coming through," Margles added, "I see that one act of cowardice as turning into something quite wonderful today."

"It's not all the bad we've been seeing, the hurt we've been feeling, that there is still hope," Posen added.

Not only do Posen and Margles want them caught and held accountable, but they want whoever did this to become educated.

"To perhaps think about what the impact of their actions was and how perhaps they can learn about a different kind of community to live in and a different way of being in the world," Posen told KGW.

Anyone with information about the vandalism is asked to e-mail crimetips@portlandoregon.gov and reference case number 21-117659.

Crime Stoppers of Oregon offers cash rewards of up to $2,500 cash for information that leads to an arrest in any unsolved felony. Tipsters can remain anonymous. Report a tip online here.

Read more here:

'It is very twisted': Oregon Holocaust Memorial vandalized with swastikas, other graffiti - KGW.com

Category: Holocaust | Comments Off on ‘It is very twisted’: Oregon Holocaust Memorial vandalized with swastikas, other graffiti – KGW.com
Tags:

Posted By admin on May 8, 2021

The gleaming new industrial kitchen on the grounds of one the Arab worlds busiest airport wouldnt be remarkable except for one fact: its kosher.

Kosher Arabia at Dubai World Central (DWC) airport is a registered producer of kosher food in the United Arab Emirates, set up in partnership with Emirates Flight Catering and CCL Holdings.

Inside the 20,000 square-foot facility, a team of just 20 chefsnone of whom are Jewishwork to prepare a variety of innovative kosher meals. Hailing from New Zealand, Syria, Morocco, Egypt, Sri Lanka and elsewhere, the chefs work in unison in Kosher Arabias sleek kitchens, moving between variously sized pots and pans, sizzling and simmering with different parts of a variety of meals.

Courtesy of Facebook

Kosher Arabias team of chefs preparing food in their facility

The opening of Kosher Arabia, which was launched on April 12 in the presence of H.E. Marcy Grossman, Canadian Ambassador to the UAE and H.E. Ilan Sztulman, Israeli Consul General, is the latest sign of the lifestyle and cultural changes resulting from the UAEs normalization with Israel in September 2020a deal that has propelled other Gulf countries, such as Bahrain, to follow suit or warm to the idea of strengthened ties with a former foe.

However, plans for Kosher Arabia had been in the works for several years, catering to the growing demand for kosher food in the Emirates even before normalization took place, said Ross Kriel, founder of CCL, the joint venture partner for Kosher Arabia.

H.E. Marcy Grossman, Canadian Ambassador to the UAE and H.E. Ilan Sztulman , Israeli Consul General, at Kosher Arabias ribbon cutting ceremony.

Its extraordinary to see it come alive after all of these years, he said.

While discussions over the idea actually began in 2016, the accords turbocharged the opening.

The accord sped things up, said Matt Rickard, general manager of Kosher Arabia, but I think there was already a big demand for Kosher in the region.

Courtesy of Facebook

A Kosher Dubai chef prepares food for client presentations

Kriel said that producing Kosher food in the Gulf echoes the regions past a reminder of the Jewish communities that were once prominent in Gulf countries such as Kuwait. Jews began coming to Kuwait during the last decades of the 19th century, lured by the bountiful prospects for business that Kuwait offered at the time. Many also came from Iraq where Ottoman rule had stifled the Jewish industry there. The community, however, dwindled in number post 1948 after the creation of the state of Israel.

Kosher Arabia has also been certified by the Kashrut Division of the Orthodox Union (OU) which works in partnership with the South African Union of Orthodox Synagogues (UOS).

The official opening and ribbon cutting ceremony of Kosher Arabias facility.

For now, Kosher Arabia has the capacity to produce up to 2,000 meals per day. With Dubais relentless string of social events, not to mention the upcoming Expo 2020 that opens to the world in October 2021, providing kosher meals for the increasing influx of Jewish visitors to Dubai is key.

As direct flights to Tel Aviv from Dubai kick off on flydubai, Dubais government owned budget airline and soon, on Emirates, Kosher Arabia expects business to increase.

Rickard said the facility, which is billed as using state-o-the-art eco-friendly and energy-efficient technologies, will be able to cater 4,000 meals per day.

Courtesy of Instagram

Kosher Arabias signature packaging

As for the meals, they are as colorful as the ingredients used. Rooted in Sephardic cuisine, which is very close to Middle Eastern, Moroccan and Mediterranean flavors. Popular meals include vegan Shakshuka which Kosher Arabia makes with soft miso polenta rather than egg; cauliflower shawarma salad that is topped with tahini dressing; chicken and fish tagines, which are served with olives. They also serve arayes, meat-stuffed Lebanese pitas. And for dessert, Kosher Arabias signature dish is a succulent halva brownie.

Mostly Middle Eastern, Moroccan, Sephardic and Mediterranean, he said.

It has lots of bright flavors and energy, said Rickard. When you are sitting on an airplane, isnt great to have something bright, zesty and zingy to look forward to?

Excerpt from:

Halva brownies and miso shakshuka: The UAEs first major kosher kitchen opens for business - Forward

Category: Jewish Cuisine | Comments Off on Halva brownies and miso shakshuka: The UAEs first major kosher kitchen opens for business – Forward
Tags:

Posted By admin on May 8, 2021

The revered Manhattan restaurant Eleven Madison Park took the fine-dining world by surprise on Monday when it announced that it would no longer serve meat or seafood upon reopening in June. The restaurant, which frequently ranks among the best in the world, is well-known for its decadent offerings such as lavender honey-glazed duck and butter-poached lobster dishes that chef and owner Daniel Humm acknowledged would be difficult to replace.

But having navigated the uncertainty of the pandemic, Humm emphasized that it was time to redefine luxury as an experience that serves a higher purpose, as he put it in a statement. A restaurant experience is about more than whats on the plate, Humm said. We are thrilled to share the incredible possibilities of plant-based cuisine while deepening our connection to our homes: both our city and our planet.

In the Jewish community, the restaurant was applauded for its newfound commitment to sustainable cooking. As a vegetarian I was just pleased to see the trend, Rabbi David Wolpe of Sinai Temple, a Conservative synagogue in Los Angeles, told Jewish Insider. May their kind increase!

Though not everyone was excited that Eleven Madison Park would continue charging exorbitant prices for vegan food. Its sad to me that one of Americas true temples of gastronomy would succumb to the new era of wokeness and capitulate by removing meat and seafood from their menu, lamented Matt Brooks, executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition.

Still another group, however, saw room for Eleven Madison Park to go a step further and make its kitchen kosher. The restaurant will continue serving milk and honey with tea and coffee, Humm has noted, but will otherwise be entirely vegan obviating the possibility that meat and dairy will intermingle, which is forbidden by Jewish dietary law, and making it simpler to achieve kosher status.

If 11 Madison Park wanted to go fully hechshered, thatd be AMAZING, Seffi Kogen, global director of young leadership for the American Jewish Committee, wrote in an enthusiastic email, using a colloquialism for kosher. But even if theyre not going all the way, they could become an option for Orthodox Jews like me by blow torching and boiling their ovens, appliances and utensils to kasher their kitchen back to a neutral kosher status before switching to their plant-based menu.

The restaurant did not respond to a request for comment about any plans for kosher certification a process that includes lots of requirements, according to Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of the Orthodox Unions kosher division.

Some vegan food establishments in New York have opted for kosher certification through the International Kosher Council overseen by Rabbi Zev Schwartz, including Blossom Du Jour and By Chloe. But if Eleven Madison Park were to go kosher it would represent a significant step for New Yorks fine-dining scene.

My immediate thought is that there is a robust tradition of kosher dairy restaurants and this place could become a new version of that because of the decision theyve made, said Roger Horowitz, the author of Kosher USA: How Coke Became Kosher and Other Tales of Modern Food.

Kosher dairy restaurants, so named because they do not serve meat, were once an integral component of Jewish culinary life in New York, though they have since faded as the Jewish population has assimilated and new generations have sought other opportunities. B&H Dairy in the East Village, one of few remaining kosher dairy restaurants in the city, has struggled to survive the pandemic but is still hanging on.

While Eleven Madison Park is in a separate class of restaurants, thanks in part to its three Michelin stars and prohibitive price tag, kosher certification would likely attract a valuable and previously untapped clientele as it emerges from a pandemic that has devastated the restaurant industry.

Theres a huge market in New York City for people who will only eat at a kosher restaurant, Horowitz said. They will increase their possible consumer base if they become kosher, no doubt about it.

Stu Loeser, a modern Orthodox political consultant in New York, seemed to confirm that view when asked if he was holding out hope that Eleven Madison Park would opt to go kosher, though he appeared doubtful that it would happen.

Since all the reservations for a month already sell out in a matter of hours, its not clear that Eleven Madison Park could even handle the same bump in business that Curry Hill vegetarian joints a block over get from being kosher, he told JI. But on the other hand, can you imagine how great the Shabbos specials takeout would be?

See the rest here:

on the menu Would Eleven Madison Park go all the way? - Jewish Insider

Category: Jewish Cuisine | Comments Off on on the menu Would Eleven Madison Park go all the way? – Jewish Insider
Tags:

Posted By admin on May 8, 2021

Indias large diaspora long a boon to Indias economy is tapping its wealth, political clout and expertise to help its home country combat the catastrophic coronavirus surge that has left people to die outside overwhelmed hospitals.

Around the world, people of Indian descent are donating money, personally delivering desperately needed oxygen equipment and setting up telehealth consultations and information sessions in hopes of beating back the outbreak.

Two humanitarian groups in the U.S. led by people of Indian background raised more than $25 million in recent days to help the teetering health care system. Indian American doctors, hotel owners and other entrepreneurs, some responding to requests for help from Indian leaders, have pledged or donated millions more.

In Britain, volunteers at three Hindu temples raised more than 600,000 pounds ($830,000) last weekend by racking up 20,127 kilometers (12,506 miles) on stationary bikes, or roughly three times the distance from London to New Delhi. And in Canada, Sikhs have donated between $700 and $2,000 to each of dozens of people in need of costly oxygen cylinders.

The magnitude of the response reflects the deep pockets of many people in the overseas Indian community, as well as their deep ties to India, which have fueled similar efforts to help the country in the past.

I feel that this crisis has kind of sparked or triggered a fresh and new emotional affiliation to India, said Nishant Pandey, CEO of the American India Foundation. The group launched a fundraising drive on April 24 that raked in roughly $20 million in a week, much of it from the Indian diaspora. The money will be used in part to expand hospital capacity and oxygen production in India.

Indias official count of coronavirus cases surpassed 20 million this week, and deaths officially topped 220,000, though the true numbers are believed to be much higher.

Mother India is in dire need of the non-resident Indians to step up, Hemant Patel, a hotel developer from Miami, said in an appeal for aid on WhatsApp. His efforts helped generate more than $300,000 in medical donations, he said.

Patel traveled to his hometown of Navsari in the state of Gujarat in March to visit his mother after getting vaccinated and is now serving as a liaison between local hospitals and Indians in the U.S.

He has also donated eight oxygen machines - holding a religious ceremony to bless the first one and paid to have a van outfitted with a stretcher and oxygen to serve COVID-19 patients.

God has put me in the right place at the right time, he said.

Some members of the overseas Indian community have appended harsh words to their support efforts, accusing the Indian government of botching the fight against the virus.

Others, especially medical professionals, wish they could go to India but face travel restrictions there and new ones in the U.S., Britain and Canada.

Sunil Tolani, CEO of a hotel and real estate company in California, said he donated $300,000 to help people in India during the surge and lobbied the Biden administration to step up its support. Other prominent Indian Americans have also pressed the White House for action.

If India would have put their act together, they wouldnt need this help in the first place, Tolani said, accusing the government there of total complacency and incompetence.

The surge in infections since February has been blamed on more contagious variants of the virus as well as government decisions to allow huge crowds to gather for Hindu religious festivals and political rallies.

A spokesman for the Indian government, Prakash Javadekar, said it is ramping up hospital capacity and supplies of oxygen and drugs but is facing a once-in-a-century crisis.

The U.S. last week began delivering treatments, rapid virus tests and oxygen along with materials needed for India to boost production of COVID-19 vaccines. Britain is also sending a substantial amount of aid.

More than 6 million people of Indian descent live in the two countries part of a diaspora the Indian government estimates at over 32 million, including nearly 3.5 million in the United Arab Emirates and just under 3 million in Malaysia. Donations are pouring in from non-Indians and corporations as well.

Sikhs for Justice, an advocacy group that calls for an independent state for Sikhs in India, said the Indian government blocked its COVID-19 relief website, oxygenfund.org, that aimed to connect Indians who cant afford surging prices for oxygen to Sikhs in the U.S., Canada and other countries willing to send them money.

The group turned to WhatsApp and by Monday had managed to provide assistance to nearly 150 people, said its general counsel, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

An email to the Indian Embassy in Washington went unanswered. The Indian government has classified Sikhs for Justice as a terrorist group and banned it, Anshuman Gaur, Indias deputy high commissioner to Canada, told The Canadian Press.

India is not shying away from soliciting help from its expatriates, continuing a long tradition of drawing on their money and patriotic fervor.

In 1998, Indian leaders urged non-resident Indians to invest in the country by buying government bonds after the U.S. and other nations imposed sanctions against India for conducting nuclear tests.

In 2001, disaster assistance from Indian Americans helped rebuild parts of Gujarat devastated by an earthquake that killed thousands. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in recent years has encouraged Indians overseas to contribute funds and expertise to his sanitation initiatives in India.

During the current crisis, Indian consulate officials reached out to the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin, which responded by raising more than $2 million in about a week, President Sudhakar Jonnalagadda said.

The group, which represents more than 80,000 doctors in the U.S., has used the money to buy oxygen concentrators and plans to expand a telehealth network to allow patients in India to consult with physicians in the U.S.

The viruss rapid spread in India has left few people in the diaspora untouched by tragedy. Sajal Rohatgi, co-founder of Subziwalla.com, a U.S.-based South Asian grocery delivery service, said dozens of friends and family in India have contracted the virus and two have died.

He and the companys other founder, Manav Thaker, arranged for a U.S. virologist to give a talk on Instagram about Indias COVID-19 crisis and how people there can try to stay safe information they say is lacking there.

Their hope is that Indian Americans will convey the importance of masks, social distancing and vaccinations to their friends and family in India.

We really just want to give the right, credible information, Thaker said. Then maybe well get some relief.

View post:

On the ground and afar, diaspora boosts India's virus fight - The Associated Press

Category: Diaspora | Comments Off on On the ground and afar, diaspora boosts India’s virus fight – The Associated Press
Tags:

Posted By admin on May 8, 2021

After 106 years, President Joe Biden became the first U.S. president to recognize the atrocities committed against the Armenians by the Ottoman Empire, using the word genocide for the first time since President Ronald Regan.

The 1915 Armenian Genocide, known as the first modern-day genocide of the 20th century, was an orchestrated crime against humanity in an attempt to annihilate the Armenian people as the Turkish Ottoman Empire massacred 1.5 million Armenian lives. Ottoman authorities first deported, hunted and murdered hundreds of Armenian intellectuals and community leaders to ensure the history of the Armenians died along with them, They then proceeded to do the same with the rest of the Armenian people.

In the worlds failure to hold the Ottoman Turks responsible for their atrocities, one does not have to think far about how Adolf Hitler got the idea to persecute and kill 6 million Jews. Hitler believed that because the world didnt act to stop the Ottoman Turks, no one would care about the Jewish people. Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians? Hitler said in his 1939 Obersalzberg Speech.

With millions of Armenians escaping their ethnic homeland to survive, Armenia now has one of the largest diasporas in the world. Armenians escaped to France, the United Kingdom, Spain, the United States, Russia, Ethiopia and countless other countries across the globe. With a widely spread out diaspora, its no question descendants of the Armenian Genocide have taken the world by storm.

Kim Kardashian West

Whether one loves to love or loves to hate Kim Kardashian West, she is one of the biggest names in Hollywood and continuously sheds light on her Armenian ancestry through the hit reality television show Keeping Up with the Kardashians, interviews and her work as a celebrity political activist.

Kardashian West inherits her Armenian roots from her late father, Robert Kardashian. She has amassed her success through her career as a reality television star and a business mogul, according to Forbes magazine. Kardashian West, who is worth $1 billion is now the second Armenian female billionaire to grace the cover of Forbes, right alongside Alex and Ani founder Carolyn Rafaelian. While being one of Hollywoods biggest A-listers, Kardashian West continues to uphold her traditional Armenian roots through not only educating herself but educating her 285 million social media followers about the Armenian Genocide and the dire situations that surround Armenia today.

Kardashian West, who has also visited the homeland twice, plans to move production for her company Skims to the country in an effort to bring more business into Armenia, according to the Daily Mail.

Cher

Cher, born Cherilyn Sarkisian, changed the game of pop music for generations to come. Like Kardashian, Sarkisian was born to an American mother and an Armenian father. One of the original queens of pop, Cher has left her name in the roots of Hollywood for life. From being a part of the duo Sonny & Cher, becoming a solo megastar to being an Oscar-winning actress, she continues to inspire pop artists. Cher has also done a great deal for the Armenian community, despite never feeling a strong connection to her background due to growing up with an estranged father. Everything changed when she decided to travel to Armenia in 1993, when Armenia went to war with Azerbaijan over ownership of ethnic Armenian lands, according to the Guardian. Since going to Armenia and connecting with her roots, Cher has been extremely vocal in the support of Armenia and getting the world to recognize the Armenian Genocide for what it was: an extermination.

Andy Serkis

Andy Clement Serkis, whose original surname is Sarkisian, is one of Hollywoods most prominent actors. With roles ranging from Gollum in Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit to gaining a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Ulysses Klaue in Black Panther, Serkis remains one of the few Armenian actors in the realm of Hollywood. Born to a British mother and an Armenian father, Serkis work earned him a BAFTA award for Outstanding British Contribution To Cinema.

Serj Tankian

Serj Tankian, the lead singer of the all-Armenian metal band System of a Down, is beloved by metalheads around the world. Tankian was born to Armenian parents, with four grandparents who escaped from Armenia to Lebanon during the persecution of the Armenians. His work in the music industry earned his band a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance and an MTV Europe Music Award for Best Alternative Rock Band. Tankian has used his platform to unite rock lovers all over the globe and to educate his fans about the atrocities committed against the Armenians through his lyrics. Tankian is relentless in his fight to get the world to recognize the Armenian Genocide through continuous political activism work with both the U. S. government and the Armenian government. Tankian is also a CSUN alumnus who graduated with a marketing degree in 1989.

Kirk Kerkorian

Known as the Father of Las Vegas megaresort, Kerkor Kirk Kerkorian was one of Americas most successful businessmen, investors and philanthropists. Kerkorian is responsible for quite literally architecting the city of Las Vegas from the ground up. Worth an estimated $4 billion, Kerkorian once purchased MGM Studios in 1969 as a film investor and later opened the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in 1973, the largest hotel in the world at the time. A descendant of Armenian immigrant parents who escaped from the Ottomans, Kerkorian honored his Armenian ancestry by donating over $1 billion to the people of Armenia after the devastating earthquake in Spitak, Armenia in 1988. Kerkorian also fully financed the Armenian Genocide remembrance film The Promise. The film, which starred Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac, was the first mainstream American film to depict the story of the Armenian Genocide. According to the Hollywood Reporter, if it had not been for Kerkorian, the film never would have made it on the screen. The Promise was a project that had been in the works for quite some time as it had great meaning to Kerkorian, who ensured every detail that went into the film would be beautifully and painfully depicted before his death in 2015.

Charles Aznavour

One of the greatest celebrated artists in France and regarded as the French Frank Sinatra, Aznavour was a poet who could turn his poetry into French love songs. Born Shahnour Vaghinag Aznavourian, Aznavour was a child of Armenian immigrants who fled from Armenia to France to escape the 1915 genocide. Aznavour first made his mark on the music industry when French icon Edith Piaf heard him sing and later invited him to join her on tour, according to Snippet of History. Aznavour recorded more than 1,200 songs and starred in more than 80 French films and TV shows. He was always an outspoken advocate for the Armenian cause through his charity work and countless efforts to share the horrific history of the Armenian people and the tragic fate that his mother and father escaped from. Despite being displaced from their mother country during the Armenian Genocide, Aznavours parents resisted Turkish assimilation by teaching their children the Armenian language, folklore and traditions to preserve their Armenian culture, according to the New Yorker. After Aznavour died in 2018, the Eiffel Tower shone extra bright, as France lost one of their most cherished singers.

The Armenian people have endured some of the worst events in history. Despite being ignored by the United States because of its security partnership with Turkey, the Armenian peoples fight for genocidal recognition has continued for over 100 years. To this day, the Turkish government refuses to acknowledge their crimes.

The Armenians are a people of pride and will continue to share their history with their children to keep the culture of the motherland alive throughout the diaspora, just as these Hollywood elites have worked so hard to do.

Read the original:

6 famous members of the Armenian diaspora that have taken the world by storm - Daily Sundial

Category: Diaspora | Comments Off on 6 famous members of the Armenian diaspora that have taken the world by storm – Daily Sundial
Tags: