Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on October 25, 2020

That drew even more attention to the term, escalating demands to label such groups terrorists.

Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York, wrote on Twitter: Genuine question for the media / law enforcement: why are you calling these armed neo-Nazi groups breaking the law militias instead of gangs or domestic terrorist groups?

Last spring, various anti-government groups condemned the coronavirus lockdown measures as a form of tyranny and organized some of the first protests against them. More groups turned out in force during demonstrations against police brutality. Scuffles between protesters and members of armed groups have led to deaths in Kenosha, Wis., Portland, Ore., and Denver.

There are currently about 181 active anti-government paramilitary groups in the United States, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks them. Some claim thousands of members, but more often their numbers are far smaller, experts said.

American schoolchildren are often taught that Revolutionary War militiamen were heroes. Patriots formed militia groups to defend the colonies against the British, reads a brief passage in a fifth-grade textbook used in Hillsboro, Ore. Some militiamen called themselves minutemen because they could be ready at a moments notice.

In addition, the Second Amendment says, A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. Many groups cite that language to justify their use of the term. But experts note that well regulated implies state control and not freelance efforts by all comers.

The name militia suggests the idea of citizen soldiers and patriotism, plus it lends such groups the color of the law, said Mark Pitcavage, a senior research fellow with the Anti-Defamation Leagues Center on Extremism.

More:
What Is a Militia? And Why Is the Word So Controversial These Days? - The New York Times

Category: Anti-Defamation League | Comments Off on What Is a Militia? And Why Is the Word So Controversial These Days? – The New York Times
Tags:

Posted By admin on October 25, 2020

NEW YORK Pernod Ricard USA CEO Ann Mukherjee has called on the advertising industry and social media platforms to join a new initiative to help stop the spread of hate speech online and set new standards for responsible advertising. #EngageResponsibly, which is endorsed by the Association of National Advertisers (ANA) and Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), supported by WPP and powered by Salesforce technology, will use the power of collective action to help make social media environments safe and healthy for all users.

Human social connections are critical to our planets sustainability and future. In a world where we must remain physically distant, the need for social proximity has never been greater, said Pernod Ricard USA CEO Ann Mukherjee. Social media was made for this moment. But corners of our social spaces are becoming toxic and unsafe, driven by the few who pollute them with hate. As advertisers, we cannot choose to take advantage of the best aspects of these social spaces while turning a blind eye to the negative, as if it is only the platforms responsibility or that of our industry associations to address a problem that impacts us all.

Building on the significant progress being made by GARM and the ANA to improve brand safety and sustainability, #EngageResponsibly empowers consumers, brands and social media platforms to take tangible actions to prevent the spread of hate speech online. The initiative will raise awareness and inform consumers on how to report hate using the existing platform mechanisms, as well as introduce them to a new technology-powered tool that allows them to consistently report hate speech across platforms in a way thats as easy as Direct Messaging a friend. Brands will be given the opportunity to earn an Anti-Hate Certification by calculating their hate footprint and investing in NGOs that are either fighting hate or support communities most impacted by hate to offset it. Small and medium sized businesses (SMBs) will have access to tools that allow them to be at the forefront of responsible advertising, maximizing the impact of their social media presence while demonstrating their shared commitment to fighting hate with their consumers. Finally, platforms will have access to data collected through the initiative that exposes how users and content that spark hate jump from platform to platform to avoid being shut down as anti-hate speech policies are enforced, helping them anticipate potential spikes in hate speech and act quickly to limit their spread.

This past July, more than 1,200 advertisers participated in the #StopHateForProfit boycott, pausing their social media advertising on Facebook and other social media platforms. The goal was to push the platforms to move with greater speed, effectiveness and transparency to diminish the spread of hate, said Bob Liodice, CEO of the ANA. But we need to go beyond the boycott. #EngageResponsibly is an actionable initiative that enables our members and their consumers to create positive change. This is not for our members only. It is available to all brands committed to responsible advertising.

The initiative will be powered by a robust database that combines consumer-reported data augmented with high-volume social listening to provide an ongoing, uniform pulse on the state of hate across networks. Technology integration with the social media platforms is fully GDPR compliant and is designed to meet developer and user Terms of Service for each social platform. The technology will be going live in open-beta in November to inform the ongoing product roadmap.

Social media platforms cannot be super spreaders of hate, division, and disinformation. #EngageResponsibly is a promising reporting framework that mobilizes consumers in a new way for the betterment of digital media platforms, to complement industry codes weve been advancing. Hate speech requires an all-in approach and this is a welcomed step by the Global Alliance for Responsible Media, said Rob Rakowitz, initiative lead for GARM.

#EngageResponsibly is launching in the U.S. on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook in the first release. Hate reporting services will expand to additional social platforms in the next release cycle. The technology is modular and scalable, enabling the initiative to expand into multiple markets while managing the specific platform, data privacy and policy requirements of each market. Importantly, the initiative is structured to be operated as a not-for-profit, governed by a diverse Board of Advisors that will ensure all key stakeholders have a voice in how the initiative evolves.

The problem of hate speech on social media is undeniable. Research from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL)1 shows that 35% of Americans report experiencing harassment online due to racial, religious or sexual identity. In the UK, hate speech is considered a crime and a public health risk while in the U.S., hate speech is considered an adolescent mental health risk by the CDC.

Social media platforms are an indispensable cornerstone of every marketers strategy, said Pam Forbus, CMO of Pernod Ricard USA. They allow affordable, targeted advertising for even the smallest brands and businesses, enable easy two-way communication with customers and brand fans, and help businesses facilitate search, increase website traffic, and demonstrate brand values in real time. But we lose trust with our consumers when we condone hate speech through our own inaction. We must act now to protect the safety and viability of these platforms for everyone.

This initiative is not about pointing fingers or placing blame its about bringing together stakeholders who understand the incredible power and beauty of our social spaces in order to protect them from the few who toxify them with hate, said Mukherjee. For Pernod Ricard, this initiative is about living our purpose to create conviviality, to engage and share with respect. Because where hate speech resides, respect does not. Ensuring our shared social spaces are safe and that we are meeting the highest standards of responsible advertising are business imperatives by which I will measure my success as a CEO. Because as leaders, our jobs have evolved. We cant just be focused on return on investment. We have an obligation to deliver a return on responsibility and to demonstrate that love can be more profitable than hate.

#EngageResponsibly has been developed in partnership with a number of agency partners, including Apply Digital, Bottle Rocket, Ogilvy, United Entertainment Group (UEG), Weber Shandwick and Wunderman Thompson.

HOW IT WORKS: THE BENEFITS OF #ENGAGERESPONSIBLY

The Consumer Benefit

The Brand Benefit

The Platform Benefit

For information on #EngageResponsibly, visit: engageresponsibly.org

About Pernod Ricard

Pernod Ricard is the No. 2 worldwide producer of wines and spirits with consolidated sales of 9,182 million in FY19. Created in 1975 by the merger of Ricard and Pernod, the Group has developed through organic growth and acquisitions: Seagram (2001), Allied Domecq (2005) and Vin&Sprit (2008). Pernod Ricard, which owns 16 of the Top 100 Spirits Brands, holds one of the most prestigious and comprehensive brand portfolios in the industry, including: Absolut Vodka, Ricard pastis, Ballantines, Chivas Regal, Royal Salute, and The Glenlivet Scotch whiskies, Jameson Irish whiskey, Martell cognac, Havana Club rum, Beefeater gin, Malibu liqueur, Mumm and Perrier-Jout champagnes, as well Jacobs Creek, Brancott Estate, Campo Viejo, and Kenwood wines. Pernod Ricards brands are distributed across 160+ markets and by its own salesforce in 73 markets. The Groups decentralised organisation empowers its 19,000 employees to be true on-the-ground ambassadors of its vision of Crateurs de Convivialit. As reaffirmed by the Groups three-year strategic plan, Transform and Accelerate, deployed in 2018, Pernod Ricards strategy focuses on investing in long-term, profitable growth for all stakeholders. The Group remains true to its three founding values: entrepreneurial spirit, mutual trust, and a strong sense of ethics. As illustrated by the 2030 Agenda supporting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), We bring good times from a good place. In recognition of Pernod Ricards strong commitment to sustainable development and responsible consumption, it has received a Gold rating from Ecovadis and is ranked No. 1 in the beverage sector in Vigeo Eiris. Pernod Ricard is also a United Nations Global Compact LEAD company.

For More Information:

http://www.engageresponsibly.org

Read more here:
New Pernod Ricard Initiative Aims to Clean Up Hate Online - BevNET.com

Category: Anti-Defamation League | Comments Off on New Pernod Ricard Initiative Aims to Clean Up Hate Online – BevNET.com
Tags:

Posted By admin on October 25, 2020

The American College of Medical Genetics currently recognizes a wide range of germline variants in the gene TP53 as pathogenic or likely pathogenic and causing the inherited disorder, Li-Fraumeni Syndrome.1 Cancers strongly associated with Li-Fraumeni syndrome include common and rare malignancies such as breast cancer, adrenocortical carcinoma, and osteosarcoma, and are normally diagnosed in patients at much younger ages than the average age of diagnosis for the general population.

In July 2020, a team of multidisciplinary researchers led by clinician-scientists at the Abramson Cancer Center at Penn Medicine, Philadelphia, added to the understanding of pathogenic TP53 variants with the publication of study in which they identified a rare, novel variant implicated in the development of Li-Fraumeni syndrome predominantly in families of Ashkenazi Jewish descent.2

Nonpathogenic p53 protein is composed of 4 major protein domains: transactivation, proline-rich, DNA-binding, and tetramerization, and is a transcription factor that activates transcription of genes encoding DNA repair machinery in healthy cells.1 Because p53 functions as a transcriptional regulator, pathogenic mutations in TP53 are most commonly observed in sequences encoding the DNA binding domain, causing the mutant p53 protein to lose its normal capacity to bind to target promoter sequences for transcriptional activation.1 Unlike more common pathogenic mutations in the DNA binding domain, the novel variant, c, 1000G>C;p. G334R, is a pathogenic missense mutation in the tetramerization domain of p53, resulting in disruption of the normal tetramerization of p53 polypeptides required to assume its native structure in wild-type carriers.2

A well-documented example of a pathogenic germline mutation in the tetramerization domain of p53 occurs in 0.3% of the general population in Southern Brazil, where a spectrum of early onset cancers was also observed in the population and confirmed as Li-Fraumeni Syndrome.3

Discovery of the novel pathogenic variant began with a research sequencing study at Abramsons Cancer Center aimed at identifying breast cancer susceptibility genes in patients with early-onset disease who were negative for germline pathogenic BRCA1/2 variants.4 Additional families with the TP53 c. 1000G>C; G334R variant were then identified from national databases and testing sites such as the National Society of Genetic Counselors ListServ and commercial genetic testing lab cases such as Ambry Genetics.

The researchers case-ascertainment database analyses resulted in a final total of 21 cases of early-onset cancer carrying the novel pathogenic TP53 variant.2 To further validate the pathogenicity of the novel variant, a team of multidisciplinary researchers utilized criteria in the 2015 ACMG/AMP Variant interpretation guidelines to evaluate predictive computational modeling of the mutant protein and in-vitro functional data of the mutant p53 in cells line.1,2

More:

Comprehensive Genomic Analysis in Some Patients With Breast Cancer Reveals Rare, Pathogenic TP53 Variant in Families of Ashkenazi Jewish Descent -...

Category: Ashkenazi | Comments Off on Comprehensive Genomic Analysis in Some Patients With Breast Cancer Reveals Rare, Pathogenic TP53 Variant in Families of Ashkenazi Jewish Descent -…
Tags:

Posted By admin on October 25, 2020

By Rachel Myerson, The Nosser

Every Jewish community has its answer to the ultimate Jewish sausage. From the Portuguese Alheira de Mirandela to Ashkenazi kishke to New Yorks kosher hot dog, the origins of the following sausages are as diverse as their flavors.

So what makes a sausage Jewish? Well, some were created by Jews, and some are so beloved by the Jewish kitchen that they were transformed beyond their original role. Either way, start taking notes for your next barbecue.

Merguez

Unlike most traditional non-Jewish sausages, merguez are made from lamb, not pork. As they lent themselves to Jewish dietary laws, merguez became a staple for Jews throughout North Africa.

Merguez typically broiled or grilled are generously spiced with cumin and harissa or chili, which turn their interior a brick red. Flavorings vary slightly from country to country: some add fennel, sumac, corriander, or paprika. Tunisians go heavy on the garlic.

Because of the influence in Israel of Jews of North African descent, merguez are very popular in Israel.

Kishke

This Ashkenazi delicacy is the real deal. A stick-to-your-guts sausage made from cow intestine (kishke comes from the Yiddish word for intestine) stuffed with a cheap grain or matzah meal, onions and carrots, and beef or chicken fat. Some versions add celery, garlic, or paprika, too. Traditionally, it is slow-cooked inside the Shabbat cholent.

Its hard to get your hands on the real deal these days; most versions use plastic casings, and many are pareve, skipping the meat altogether. Sadly, kishke is increasingly becoming a Jewish sausage of the past.

Kosher Hot Dog

Hot dogs could very well be Jews greatest claim to fame: German Jew Charles Feltman was responsible for stuffing a (not so kosher) pork and beef sausage (a close relative of the German Frankfurt sausage AKA frankfurter) into soft buns and his former employee, a Polish Jew named Nathan Handwerker, turned the dogs into a fast food sensation. Handwerker stuffed his buns with beef kosher-style sausages (mainly to assure the public that they didnt contain rumored horse or dog meat).

These days, only Abeles & Heymann (A&H) hot dogs are considered kosher by most Orthodox Jews, but others considers Hebrew National to be kosher, too.

Though its the most modern sausage on this list, the kosher hot dog is an undisputed classic.

Karnatzlach

Is it a skinless sausage? Is it a sausage-shaped patty? Its up for interpretation.

Either way, the Jewish version of this Romanian sausage (karnatzlach is a Yiddish word) doesnt mess around. Theres no cheap meal or fillers theyre almost pure meat, seasoned heavily with garlic and made juicy and springy with the addition of baking soda. Traditionally, they were grilled over charcoal and still are in many Romanian restaurants in Israel today. But they can also be fried.

Alheira

During the Spanish Inquisition, Portuguese Jews were forced to hide their religion for their own safety. Sausages, specifically of the preserved pork, garlic, and breadcrumbs variety, proved a significant obstacle. In the northern town of Mirandela, the Portuguese hung these sausages from the rafters to nourish them throughout the winter. Pork wasnt an option for the hidden Jewish community, so they invented a chicken-and-bread sausage, which they named the Alheira de Mirandela, to fend off suspicious neighbors.

These days, the alheira is no longer kosher, with (ironically) pork and game variations. Time to bring this Portuguese sausage back into the Jewish kitchen!

Beef Salami

Did Jews invent salami? No. But they did transform it into a signature comfort food and weeknight dinner staple: salami and eggs. Naturally, this dish a staple for Ashkenazi Jews in the early to mid-20th century was made with kosher beef salami.

But salami extends beyond this now-spurned dish (blame the cholesterol). German Jews have a tradition to eat salami (which is hung to dry) on Purim to remember the hanging of Haman.

View post:

Spiced, stuffed, and skinless Jewish sausages - The Jewish Star

Category: Ashkenazi | Comments Off on Spiced, stuffed, and skinless Jewish sausages – The Jewish Star
Tags:

Posted By admin on October 25, 2020

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month and despite the COVID-19 pandemic, its still important for women to maintain their annual OB-GYN appointments and mammograms. To help answer the myriad questions, should you be diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer, the Jewish nonprofit Sharsheret is on hand to help.

Sharsheret (chain in Hebrew), has been providing breast and ovarian cancer support and resources for women and families since 2001. And now, during the pandemic, the organization has been more vigilant in ensuring patients feel comfortable and able to make important decisions about their health.

CEO Elana Silber told the Journal that Sharsheret offers a link for women during this challenging time in their lives, allowing them to share their experiences and lean on each other for support.

Silber, who has an MBA in health care, became involved with Sharsheret in 2002 after seeing founder Rochelle Shoretz, speak at her local synagogue in New Jersey.

Shoretz founded Sharsheret after being diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 28. While her local Jewish community provided support, all Shoretz wanted was another Jewish mom to talk to about all her concerns, including what to tell her two young children. After finding another mother going through the same struggles, she set out to find more, including Silber and current national advisory board member Courtney Mizel.

Rochelle said, I cant do this alone will you help? Silber said. We were getting a thousand calls. I stayed on as a volunteer, then became program coordinator. In 2015, Rochelle was living with metastatic breast cancer and passed away. Ever since then, I took on the CEO position. Her legacy [was her] two [little] boys who are now adults and Sharsheret. I never left. I am compelled to stay because of the mission and the tribute to the founder, and the incredible people we are working with.

Sharsheret continues to provide educational and emotional support and social work resources for breast and ovarian cancer to more than 65,000Jewish women, families, healthcare professionals and students. Thousands of women participate in its national peer support network and thousands more have participated in its education and outreach programs.

Sharsheret continues to provide educational and emotional support and social work resources for breast and ovarian cancer to more than 65,000Jewish women, families, healthcare professionals and students.

Mizel was introduced to Sharsheret in 2009 after she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had also recently underwent a double mastectomy. Mizel, who was mom to two young children (3 and 4 at the time) and was in the process of a divorce, was overwhelmed. Then she received a Busy Boxa Sharsheret service that customizes a box of age-appropriate activities and books for children whose mothers are undergoing cancer treatment.

That box gave me something to do when I was unable to get out of bed to really engage with my kids, Mizel said. These amazing books served as resources to be able to talk to my kids about breast cancer as well as follow up information about every part of life.

Due to the pandemic, Sharsheret events have been put on hold, but Silber and Mizel said their virtual presence is more active than ever.

On their website you can find virtual Busy Box activities including webinars featuring medical professionals, social workers, in-house genetic counselors and members of the Sharsheret team to speak with. They also offer other virtual resources so women feel connected as well as 24/7 live chat. Regardless the time zone, support is always offered.

Women were concerned about what they could do for treatment, Silber said. If they postponed [due to the pandemic] would their outcomes be worse? We immediately got oncologists to go on one of our webinarswe had about 800 people who registered for the first one and they could ask their questions. Now we are at the point where medical centers are taking every precaution into consideration. We are sending the message with the medical community: do not delay your appointment.

Silber added Sharsheret has provided a list of questions to ask doctors before confirming appointments. She noted they are receiving more calls from women during chemotherapy treatment so they dont feel alone. We spoke to [women] on the phone [during treatment], giving them encouragement, meditation, something to listen to, because anyone who brings them has to wait outside, she said.

Mizel said another of Sharsherets key components is their attention to resources for the families and caregivers. They recognize the importance of being there for the families [even if they cant physically be with them]. We encourage self-care for the caregiver and identify ways [they] can be better for the woman in their lives touched with cancer.

Today, Mizel and her daughters devote their time and energy to making Sharsheret stronger. Mizel is part of Sharsherets California Community Advisory Committee, and was previously its Chair.

Sharsheret has peer supporters all over the country, Israel, Canada and the United Kingdom. In California alone the organization has peer supporters in more than 60 cities and has partnered with 13 local organizations including UCLA Health, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, UCLA Santa Monica Breast Center and Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

The organization also received awards for its research. In 2005 they were named a recipient of the New York State Innovation in Breast Cancer Early Detection and Research Award, and in 2012 they were selected as a member of the LIVESTRONG Young Adult Alliance. In addition, in 2011 Sharsheret received a seat on the Federal Advisory Committee on Breast Cancer in Young Women under the auspices of the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Silber said one in 40 Ashkenazi Jews carries the BRCA gene mutation that increases the risk for breast cancer and ovarian cancer. This makes Jewish families significantly more susceptible to hereditary breast cancer and ovarian cancer. According to their website, Sephardic Jews may also be genetically predisposed to hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, but their risk to carry a BRCA mutation has not been identified to be as high as the risk for Ashkenazi Jews. In addition, 2.5 million women live with breast cancer with more than 250,000 women age 40 and under living with breast cancer in the United States.

one in 40 Ashkenazi Jews carries the BRCA gene mutation that increases the risk for breast cancer and ovarian cancer. This makes Jewish families significantly more susceptible to hereditary breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

More people are getting tested [for BRCA 1 and 2 genes], but what you do with that test, information and when you do it for your children is something that is really challenging, Mizel said. Being able to have that discussion with someone at Sharsheret, who can support you through all those things [is] really important.

Silber said its essential for women to get tested early because both breast and ovarian cancer can be cured if they are diagnosed early. Sharsheret helps all Jewish and non-Jewish women figure out what team of doctors they will need as well as providing referrals for doctors in the patients area.

Mizel said while breast cancer education has improved over the last 10 years, Sharsheret continues to debunk misconceptions about breast and ovarian cancer.

[People] dont know that that the BRCA gene can be passed down through the father Mizel said. For me and my conversations, that is the number one thing that comes up.

The second thing people are thinking is that if they test BRCA negative its the end of the story, Silber added. Its not. We still encourage you to call your doctor and call Sharsheret because there are still things you need to do. We arent doing it to scare you. Theres too much information out there. You need to have someone who can channel that and quiet it down a little bit. Sharsheret, with your medical team, is a recipe for success.

For more information on Sharsheret or how to get involved, or donate, visit their website.

Follow this link:

Jewish Organization Sharsheret Helps Women with Breast and Ovarian Cancer During Pandemic - Jewish Journal

Category: Ashkenazi | Comments Off on Jewish Organization Sharsheret Helps Women with Breast and Ovarian Cancer During Pandemic – Jewish Journal
Tags:

Posted By admin on October 25, 2020

The protests against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that have erupted in Israel in recent months highlight the multiple impasses defining the countrys society and government. Chief among these are corruption, the electoral stalemate and the coronavirus pandemic, which have all exacerbated Israels economic crisis.

Yet, even as Israelis have staged unprecedented anti-Netanyahu demonstrations, polls have simultaneously shown a rise in the popularity of the far-right Yamina alliance, led by Naftali Bennett, at the expense of Likud. This surge raises a number of questions, chiefly: how can we reconcile the rise of far-right politics with the rise of mass protests focused on ending corruption and economic inequality?

If the problem is Netanyahu, then Naftali Bennettbecomes an option to lead Israel

To answer this question, I refer to the work of the late Israeli political theorist Zeev Sternhell, who has explored the political strategies of the Israeli right and left. Today, the main demand of protesters is the departure of Netanyahu - which shows the limitations of the movement, as such a development would leave intact the overall structure of the Zionist regime, which has been in place for decades.

In a piece for Le Monde Diplomatique in 2009, Sternhell wrote: The Israeli left is impotent, without an ideology to offer a way out of the mire of neocolonialism and neoliberalism. This was as clear in this Februarys electoral debacle as it was in the historic defeat of 1977, when the right took power for the first time. Many Israelis realise they are witnessing the steady decline, if not the death, of the left.

This explains the lack of real opposition and alternatives to emerge during the recent protests. While these neoliberal policies began with the right, the traditional left (including Labor, whose values I dont consider to be leftist) has also adopted them to preserve the domination of the Ashkenazi class it represents. This has allowed for the accumulation of corporate power in Israel, in exchange for the decline of state sovereignty.

Today, the traditional Israeli left has disappeared, leaving only right-wing political options.

Since Israels occupation of Arab lands, particularly what remained of historical Palestine in 1967, divisions within Israeli society have fuelled the rise of right-wing political parties.

Anti-Netanyahu protests: Is a revolution brewing?

The right has offered a decisive alternative to the traditional left, including a commitment to sovereignty over the entire Land of Israel. The right-wing structure of the state has become difficult to compete with.

Mtanes Shehadeh, head of the Balad faction of the Joint List, criticised the recent protests in a Haaretz article, noting: A serious mistake has been made in recent weeks and months by protest organisers against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: they are focusing on overthrowing the corrupt from Balfour and on the right to demonstrate as the main targets.

He pointed out that the protesters have not confronted other acute questions on the essence of the Israeli regime, thus hindering the establishment of a broad front against all forms of racism, inequality, occupation and settlement - a front that would include Palestinians, breaking the boundaries of Israels Zionist consensus.

What is remarkable is that, as described by Shehadeh, this mistake will ultimately strengthen right-wing extremists. If the problem is Netanyahu, then Bennett becomes an option to lead Israel. Religious, right-wing and a solid supporter of settlers in the occupied West Bank, Bennett speaks fluent English with a perfect American accent. For the Israeli centre - the countrys majority - thats just fine.

The protests have ultimately left a political vacuum. They had the potential to engage with the capitalist, colonial regime and motivate its rooted leaders. Instead, they relied on traditional political methods dominated by right-wing rhetoric.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Eye.

Continue reading here:

Why Israel's anti-Netanyahu protests will not change the system - Middle East Eye

Category: Ashkenazi | Comments Off on Why Israel’s anti-Netanyahu protests will not change the system – Middle East Eye
Tags:

Posted By admin on October 25, 2020

Alan Garfield, Special to the USA TODAY NETWORK Published 5:00 a.m. ET Oct. 25, 2020

Which candidate is more empathetic to the unemployed during this pandemic? A polling deep dive into battleground states. Also, final debate analysis. USA TODAY

Its not as if there arent already enough reasons to vote against President Donald Trump. But let me give you one more. It would help a 92-year-old Holocaust survivor to sleep at night.

Erika Jacoby was a child when virulent anti-Semitism swept through Hungary in the 1930s and 1940s. She remembers her brother being beaten. She remembers thugs grabbing her grandfather and shaving off his beard. She recalls how she was not allowed to go to the park on Sundays. Simply being there and being Jewish was a provocation.

A young child at the time, she was incapable of understanding what was happening. She tells how her father tried to explain anti-Semitism, but she couldnt comprehend why anyone would hate her when she had done nothing to them.

After the Nazis invaded Hungary in 1944, Erika was sent to Auschwitz. She was lucky to have survived. Before the war,Hungarys Jewish population was 725,000. By wars end,565,000 had been murdered.

After the war, Erika longed to be in the United States, where her fianc, a Czech Jew who had fought for the resistance, was already living. But a visa was not forthcoming. She lived in Cuba for two years before arriving in her promised land.

Our view: Whatever your political views, be sure to vote in 2020 election

On the day Erika earned her American citizenship, she thought she had reached heaven. She felt safe in America. She could sleep soundly at night.

Until Trump was elected, she says.

Its not that Erika is equating America in 2020 with Europe in 1940. She is neither fearing for her personal safety nor comparing Trump to Hitler.

But she knows what it feels like when there is a rising tide of ugliness. She knows what its like when the leader of a country fans the flames of bigotry and openly incites violence. She has witnessed what happens when hateful words turn into hateful acts.

When the marchers in Charlottesville chanted Jews will not replace us, Erika says she was physically shivering. When Trump, the president of the United States, described these marchers asvery fine people,she felt betrayed and fearful. Why didnt the president denounce these racists? she asks. She says it felt like a scream coming at you without anyone stopping it.

People fly into the air as a vehicle drives into a group of protesters demonstrating against a white nationalist rally Aug. 12, 2017, in Charlottesville, Va.(Photo: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

When the Trump administration authorized the use ofsmoke cannisters and flash-bang grenadesto disperse peaceful protesters so Trump could pose with a Bible in front of a church, Erika was aghast. She is a religious woman. For her, the Bible should be everything relaxing and loving. But Erika says Trump wielded the Bible like a warrior flaunting his weapon.

Protesters confront a row of police officers at Lafayette square, in front of the White House, in Washington, DC on June 22, 2020.(Photo: ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)

Erika similarly recoiled when Trumpdeployed camouflaged federal officers in unmarked carsto crack down on American citizens in Portland. She knows what can happen when the military is used against its own people. She was also frightened when Trump adherents, encouraged by the president, threateningly brandished weapons in state capitals. The public display of guns terrifies Erika. She has experienced what its like to have a gun pointed at you. In Auschwitz, she witnessed people being shot to death.

Erika holds Trump responsible for this poisonous and combustible brew. She describes the words that come out of his mouth as ugly and venomous. She says they make her physically ill.

Thats why Erika is not sleeping. For the first time since she immigrated to this great country, she no longer feels safe.

Rather than remaining passive, this 92-year-old Holocaust survivor feels compelled to speak out. She wants to warn her fellow Americans of the danger theyre facing. She wants them to know that this is what it feels like when a society begins to lose its decency and humanity.

Alan Garfield is a professor at Widener University Delaware Law School.(Photo: Courtesy of Widener University)

When I asked her why she needs to do this, she responded with the Hebrew proverb, If I am only for myself, what am I? When I asked why she chose to speak out now, she responded with the ending of the same proverb, If not now, when?

Alan Garfield is a professor at Widener University Delaware Law School. Erika Jacoby was his Hebrew school teacher when he was 8 years old.

Read or Share this story: https://www.delawareonline.com/story/opinion/2020/10/25/holocaust-survivor-fears-rising-tide-ugliness-blames-trump-opinion/3740781001/

See the original post:

This 92-year-old Holocaust survivor has a warning for America about Donald Trump | Opinion - The News Journal

Category: Holocaust | Comments Off on This 92-year-old Holocaust survivor has a warning for America about Donald Trump | Opinion – The News Journal
Tags:

Posted By admin on October 25, 2020

Spoiler alert: This article contains information about scenes and plot points in Borat 2.

(JTA) Sacha Baron Cohens new Borat sequel features plenty of crude gags and surprise appearances sometimes colliding, as in the already infamous Rudy Giuliani scene. But the film also has a giant soft spot: for Judith Dim Evans, a sweet and loving Holocaust survivor ready to combat hate with a hug.

Evans embrace of Cohen, who is dressed as an anti-Semites caricature of a Jew, is one moment made for Jewish viewers in a movie full of them.

Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, which debuted Friday on Amazon Prime, pillories anti-Semitic stereotypes and conspiracy theories as it documents the title characters adventures in an America that has grown only more troubled since he first landed on its shores more than a decade ago.

For the uninitiated, Borat Sagdiyev is a fictional journalist from Kazakhstan who was sent to the United States back in 2006 to make a documentary about the country. Along the way, he tricked unaware Americans into saying and doing very stupid things on camera. (The movie generally takes aim at the United States, but its relentless mocking of Kazakhstan has come under greater scrutiny as the years have gone by.)

The sequel documents Borats return this year, with a plan to offer his teenage daughter as a gift to Mike Pence so that Donald Trump will become friends with Kazakhstans leader. Much has not changed: The gags are still lewd, the Americans are still easy to dupe and Borats Kazakh is still essentially fluent Hebrew.

But when it comes to anti-Semitism, Cohen has moved on from just mocking the age-old stereotypes of big noses and global financial domination (although there is plenty of that) to tackling the Holocaust denial and hate that now pervades social media. His advocacy won him a prize last year from the Anti-Defamation League, which condemned the first Borat movie in 2006 out of concern that Cohens humor, no matter the intention, would help perpetuate anti-Semitic stereotypes in pop culture.

The new movie shows that Borat has been keeping up with the anti-Semitism of the times. Here are some of the highlights.

Holocaust Remembrance Day

In explaining the context behind his second trip to America, Borat says that the Running of the Jew a fictional anti-Semitic take on Spains running of the bulls from the first movie, which involves mascots in huge masks with enormous noses and other exaggerated features has been canceled in Kazakhstan.

All we have left is Holocaust Remembrance Day, Borat says over footage of a party full of young people dancing while covered in soap suds, where we commemorate our heroic soldiers who ran the camps.

Kazakhstan was actually a refuge for Jews during the Holocaust. But other countries have glorified their Nazi collaborationist pasts, including Ukraine to Croatia to Lithuania.

Jews will not replace us cake

In the course of his zany travels, Borat buys a cake to satisfy his countrys glorious leader. He instructs the woman selling it to him to pipe a message onto the cake in icing: Jews will not replace us.

That phrase was a rallying cry for white supremacists at the 2017 United the Right march in Charlottesville, Virginia, that left one person dead.

But if the woman at the bakery recognizes the words, or objects to them, she doesnt show it. Instead, she pipes the words right onto the chocolate frosting, adding several smiley faces as Borat instructs.

That song, explained

At one point, Borat befriends two right-wing men who take him into their home as they hunker down against the pandemic. Together, they explore social media, finding evidence for their conspiracy theories, and also noodle around on the guitar.

The song they write together ends up being the one that Cohen performed in disguise during a far-right rally in Olympia, Washington, in June.

The movie includes only a snippet of the whole performance, but an extended take that made it to social media at the time includes lyrics saying that George Soros and his nasty friends control the news. Soros, the billionaire Jewish philanthropist who funds a variety of liberal causes, is a favorite bogeyman of the right and conspiracy theorists in particular.

CPAC craziness

In one of Cohens more daring moves in the film, Borat crashes the real-life Conservative Political Action Conference, which took place in February, in a Ku Klux Klan uniform to blend in, in his words. His goal: get to Mike Pence, who spoke at the conference.

Im Stephen Miller. Sorry Im late! Borat announces as he enters. Miller is Trumps Jewish senior adviser who is seen as the architect for his anti-immigrant policies. (Borat was ejected during a second attempt to get to Pence by impersonating Trump, in a moment that was caught on tape but did not result in Cohens identity being revealed.)

Do I look like a Jew?

One of Borats plans to make his daughter more attractive to Pence involves plastic surgery. In meeting with the surgeon, the doctor suggests doing some work on her nose.

Whats wrong with my nose? Do I look like a Jew? Borats daughter Tutar asks.

The doctor says no, and Borat exhales with relief. But then the surgeon says Jews look like this, and makes a curved gesture around his nose. Borat makes a more exaggerated gesture, and the doctor agrees, saying, It can be that bad for a Jewish person.

Facebook falsehoods

Tutar eventually discovers Facebook, through which she learns many new things like our nations proudest moment, the Holocaust, never happened.

One plot point in the Borat sequel is the role social media plays in amplifying Holocaust denial. (Screen shot)

How dare you say that, Borat replies indignantly. Here, Cohen is pillorying the spread of Holocaust denial on social media, which the actor has emerged as a forceful advocate for combating.

Facebook announced earlier this month that it would bar Holocaust denial on its platform, two years after founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said it was a misguided but legitimate form of expression. Two other social networks, Twitter and Tik Tok, soon followed.

A Holocaust survivor who doesnt bite

At one point, Borat feels that he has failed his mission and worries about being executed back home. He decides to take his own life by going to the nearest synagogue to wait for the next mass shooting.

He walks into Temple Kol Emeth disguised as a typical Jew, as he says, with a long fake Pinocchio-type nose, holding a fake bag of money and wearing plastic bat wings on his back. As he greets an old Jewish woman who is sitting in the sanctuary, he says, Very nice weather we have been controlling.

The woman is Evans, a Holocaust survivor who prior to her death this summer spoke frequently about her experiences. She also joined Israels pre-state defense force as a teenager, became the youngest school principal in Israel and lost her first husband in Israels Six-Day War, according to a website about her.

In a lengthy exchange, Evans elicits Borats confession that he is very depressed. She gives him a hug and kiss, then says, You see, I give you a kiss and you are still alive. Borat wonders aloud whether her venom might take longer to act, but then shares a meal and his story with Evans, who tells him her own.

But the Holocaust didnt happen, he protests. I saw it with my own eyes, Evans tells him. He is gleeful in response. The Holocaust happened, really?! Borat says, in a scene that seems to make the case for Holocaust education to combat misinformation. Thank you, Judith. You make me so happy!

Evans daughter has sued to get her mother removed from the film. Deadline reported that Cohen departed from his typical practices and clued her into the gag immediately after filming. The movie is dedicated to her memory.

Read the original here:

An anti-Semitic cake, a Holocaust survivor and a whole lot of Hebrew: All the Jewish moments in 'Borat 2' - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Category: Holocaust | Comments Off on An anti-Semitic cake, a Holocaust survivor and a whole lot of Hebrew: All the Jewish moments in ‘Borat 2’ – JTA News – Jewish Telegraphic Agency
Tags:

Posted By admin on October 25, 2020

Anti-Semitisms lengthy history is built on ignorance and the perpetuation of lies by people who hate Jews. Its a disease far more incurable than a pandemic.

Over the centuries, despots disliked a people whose theology introduced a code of morality and justice that flipped civilizations. From pharaohs to Hitler and too many others to name, rulers responded with force and power, mostly sentencing Jews to slavery, ghettos and death.

Today, people continue to foment hate fueled by ignorance and lies, and still targeting Jews. The weapon of choice for ignorance and lies is a platform of recklessness called social media. Oh sure, when used responsibly, social media is a very productive tool. Such responsible behavior is not common these days.

But on Oct. 12, Facebook, with its users representing one-third of the worlds 7.8 billion people, decided to do something really bold about this recklessness by simply acting responsibly the social media platform decided not to allow people to lie about the Holocaust.

Days later, Twitter announced its hateful conduct policy issued its own prohibition of attempts to deny or diminish violent events, including the Holocaust. Twitter has taken aim primarily at white supremacists and neo-Nazis.

Facebooks Monika Bickert announced in a blog a hate speech policy update, specifically to prohibit any content that denies or distorts the Holocaust.

The companys decision was prompted by the recent rise in anti-Semitism, not just vandalism or insults, but shootings and physical attacks, and an alarming level of ignorance about the Holocaust. Bickert noted a recent survey that showed that one in four American adults between ages 18 and 39 believed the Holocaust is a myth.

One might wonder how on earth is this ignorance possible in the United States?

For decades, survivors have made presentations. Newsreel footage starkly shows the horrifying, shocking images. Books on the subject fill libraries. Two-thirds (34) of the states in the U.S. mandate some form of Holocaust or genocide education.

About the same number of states have impressive museums, mostly in major population centers, or monuments seen by many others. The 16 U.S. states without such mandates have less population cumulatively than California.

There are 43 countries in the world with Holocaust museums or memorials. In Europe, Germany boasts 22 memorials and museums. France has 13 Holocaust memorials or museums. Greece has 10 museums and monuments. Those numbers dont include memorials and displays in synagogues and temples.

Yad Vashem The World Holocaust Remembrance Center makes available ready to print exhibitions. Auschwitz-Birkenau is widely visited, but the solemnity of this hallowed earth is lost with eye-catching signage that welcomes tour buses.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center has exhibitions ready for travel. Steven Spielbergs Shoah Foundation has created captivating holographic interviews of survivors that will give life to eyewitness accounts long after survivors take their final breaths.

The United Nations and its agencies, notably UNESCO (the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization), with all of its flaws, embraces Holocaust education with permanent displays of art and various publications.

In May, the latest Holocaust-related legislation passed in Congress was the Never Again Education Act. More than 30 countries have adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti-Semitism.

Despite all of the access to information, what has the world learned? It has learned that ancient hate thrives in the modern world.

So, Facebooks banning of Holocaust denial is an important, courageous act of media leadership.

Its been a long time coming and Bnai Brith International has long advocated such a move. CEO Mark Zuckerberg is to be commended, though the company admits that enforcing the policy, policing the platform, will be quite a challenge.

Twitters announcement is equally welcome. But if the bright Facebook and Twitter coders can write algorithms and direct users with hashtags and other tools, they should be able to identify keywords that will curb the volume of hate posts before they hit the digital universe.

Germans worked hard to keep the Holocaust secret.

Rumors swirled as work camps becoming death camps Dachau, Chelmo, Treblinka, Sobibor, Belzec, Auschwitz were shockingly real. But the Nazis own record-keeping carefully lays out the horrific truth of the Holocaust.

Nazis even documented mass shootings, starvations, experimental surgeries, the crematoria, the piles of skeletal bodies. Thousands of camps dotted Nazi-controlled European countries. Eleven million people, more than six million Jews, were systematically murdered.

Of course anti-Semitism didnt begin, or end, with the Holocaust, and rulers have been complicit in Jew hatred for thousands of years.

With the modern Jewish State of Israel maturing nicely at 72, the lies that generated anti-Semitism continue today from across the political spectrum, from extreme Islamists and with U.N. resolutions denying any ancient Jewish connection to the Western Wall, not to mention any Jewish roots there in general.

The United Nations could and should learn from the example of Facebook. Resolutions that deny undeniable Jewish history insult the U.N. mission. As for other media all media they should learn from the Facebook and Twitter examples.

For a media platform that could never police itself adequately from lies, rage baiting and hate all things wrong Facebook got this one right.

And Twitter followed.

See more here:

Opinion: Facebook, Twitter on the Right Side of History With Bans on Holocaust Denial - Prescott eNews

Category: Holocaust | Comments Off on Opinion: Facebook, Twitter on the Right Side of History With Bans on Holocaust Denial – Prescott eNews
Tags:

Posted By admin on October 25, 2020

"I believe fervently that to listen to a witness is to become a witness."

The quote from Holocaust survivor and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel is featured prominently on a wall at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, and manifests itself in 10 portraits of Holocaust survivors painted by 17-year-old Sherman Oaks, California, high school student Sophia Soll, whose virtual exhibition, "Becoming a Witness," debuted last month to a virtual crowd.

"People usually say that's kind of scary or unsettling to see these colors within human anatomy, and I say that's what makes my paintings so human," Soll said. "I'm focusing and exaggerating these human qualities."

Ernest Weiss, who was photographed for the "Becoming a Witness" exhibition on display at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.

Indeed, the portraits are striking, composed of warm green and purple acrylics -- colors, Soll notes, not generally used for skin. From behind each of their heads peeks out a bright yellow halo.

Soll was initially captivated by the humanity of these Holocaust survivors when she met them at a lunch organized by the Museum of Tolerance's MOTivating Teen Volunteer program, a year-long program in which teens listen to Holocaust survivors' testimonies, familiarize themselves with the museum's archive and work on projects to promote tolerance within their own communities.

Before attending the lunch last year, Soll came across black-and-white photographs online of each of the survivors, and she remembered a feeling of coldness and disconnection.

A portrait of Louise Lerner, painted by Sophia Soll as part of her "Becoming a Witness" exhibition on display at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.

"But it was exactly the opposite," Soll said. After meeting them and hearing their stories, she felt a sense of warmth and humanity the photographs didn't convey to her.

"They were just so open and willing to share their stories, and they were willing to make human connections," she said. "It made me cry about it, because I was so confused that these people -- who have been through so much trauma -- you would think they'd be cold and embittered, but it was exactly the opposite."

One story Soll came across was the testimony of Walter Bodlander, whose family fled Nazi Germany following Kristallnacht, or, "the Night of Broken Glass," in which Nazi paramilitary forces and German citizens destroyed Jewish storefronts, homes, hospitals and schools on Nov. 9-10 in 1938, as German authorities stood by.

Bodlander first tried to join the French army but was rejected and even threatened with internment because he was German.

He eventually received a visa to the United States in 1941 and joined the Army after the attacks on Pearl Harbor, when congress passed a law permitting resident non-citizens to volunteer service. Bodlander served as an intelligence officer and was one of the first men to land at Utah Beach in Normandy on D-Day.

"Not only did he survive it, but he came back to fight them -- that's courage, strength, that's everything," Soll said. Everything she hopes her portraits document.

A portrait of Henny Roth, painted by Sophia Soll as part of her "Becoming a Witness" exhibition on display at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.

Bodlander died at age 100 in February, before Soll finished his portrait.

"He never got to see it. I was super upset," she said. His passing also reinforced a sense of urgency commonly discussed in Holocaust education to document the lives of survivors as the population continues to age.

This urgency also resounds in the work of Elana Samuels, director of the Museum of Tolerance's volunteer services and creator of the MOTivating Teen Program. She's particularly proud of the way in which teens participating in her program form intergenerational relationships with the survivors by meeting and interacting with them.

A portrait of Ella Mandell, painted by Sophia Soll as part of her "Becoming a Witness" exhibition on display at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.

"To actually know these incredible people as human beings, they are not just learning about history, but they're really learning from history," Samuels said.

"The duality of remembering the past and focusing on the present but with the hopes of building a better future was something that was very motivating for me," she added.

Reflecting on Soll's portraits, Samuels said: "She is taking on this responsibility and this commitment to preserve these stories, to honor these survivors and to become a witness for the future."

Gabriella Karin is a Holocaust survivor who met Soll through her involvement with the Museum of Tolerance. Karin herself is an artist, using the medium of sculpture to depict the Holocaust as she experienced it.

Originally from Bratislava, Slovakia, Karin was hidden by nuns in a convent at the age of 11 before going into complete hiding in an apartment with her parents and five others.

"For nine months, I couldn't speak and I couldn't move around," Karin said. "I was sitting on a chair, and the only thing I could do was to read."

A portrait of Gabriella Karin, painted by Sophia Soll as part of her "Becoming a Witness" exhibition on display at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles

Often, she read more advanced material because the young man hiding her family didn't want people in the neighborhood to suspect he was smuggling books to a child.

As a young girl, she dove into advanced history books and Tolstoy, and when Slovakia was liberated in 1945, Karin returned to school and skipped a grade. She moved to Israel for 11 years before moving to Los Angeles, and had a long career as a fashion designer before she retired.

Around that time, she went back to school for sculpture, and she started following a libel case in London making headlines: When David Irving sued American professor Deborah Lipstadt and Penguin Books in 2000 for identifying him as a Holocaust denier.

"I got very upset. We are still alive and somebody dares to say it never happened," Karin said. So she started to make sculptures tackling the subject of the Holocaust -- a nun hiding Jewish children in her robe and a family tree with fallen leaves, among others.

"I feel I can educate people, and with that, they might understand what happened," Karin, who turns 90 next month, said. "It's a very hard subject, and it's hard to understand that something like this a human being can do to another."

A photograph of "Hidden in the Shadow of Death," a sculpture by Gabriella Karin.

When she first saw the portrait Soll painted of her, she was in shock. People have painted her before, but she says she never recognized herself in the portraits.

"She was the first one I recognized, and it's unbelievable," Karin said.

She said Soll's exhibit reinforces that real people are behind these stories of tragedy and survival.

"It shows more of a feeling instead of a reflection," she said. "A photograph does not show inside. The painting, if it's done well, it does. And that's what she's doing."

Originally posted here:

'Becoming a Witness': Teen paints portraits of Holocaust survivors during pandemic - ABC News

Category: Holocaust | Comments Off on ‘Becoming a Witness’: Teen paints portraits of Holocaust survivors during pandemic – ABC News
Tags: