Khylie Gardner, communications director at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, says that when the Jewish community comes together, “something amazing happens. Our collective values guide us to uplift one another, helping us to create relationships that are deeply cherished and that work for the good of our entire community… Read more »
News
North Face, Patagonia, REI will boycott Facebook ads to protest hate speech
(JTA) — Several large companies have joined a campaign to boycott Facebook advertising until the social media giant changes its policies regarding hate speech and targeted harassment. The clothing retailers Patagonia and The North Face; outdoor gear company REI; and Upwork, a freelancing platform, will not be posting ads… Read more »
My mom is white and my dad is black. Don’t call me a ‘Jew of Color.’
NEW YORK (JTA) — As a biracial Jew, there is an expectation that I must have something to say in this historic moment. Unlike at any other time in my life, people are treating my opinion as though it deserves a stage, or a glass case for passersby to take… Read more »
Should you buy or sell a house during the coronavirus pandemic?
In an economy hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, impacts to the housing market aren’t cut-and-dried. Demand for homes appeared to drop along with sales in March, but home prices have risen. What does this mean for the average homebuyer or seller? Gary Pivo, a professor of real estate… Read more »
Jewish teens help successful effort to abolish Oakland’s school police force
(J. The Jewish News of Northern California via JTA) — The school board in Oakland, California, has unanimously voted to abolish the district’s police force in the wake of the nationwide protests against police brutality — with some urging by teens at a city synagogue. A large contingent of young people… Read more »
Mayim Bialik teams with DC Comics to create book that will turn kids on to science
(JTA) — Actress Mayim Bialik will channel the DC Comics character the Flash to turn kids on to science. DC Comics announced Thursday that “Flash Facts,” a collection of stories featuring DC characters such as the Flash, Batman and Superman, will be published in February. The anthology curated by… Read more »
Minorities can have privilege, too. Here’s how we can be better allies to Black Americans.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (JTA) — As a Korean-American teenage immigrant living in a predominantly white city and attending a school with a predominantly white student body, racial slurs and insensitive comments have unfortunately become a normalized part of my life. Before living in Tennessee, I grew up in Palm Beach… Read more »
Meet Omer Yankelevich, the Orthodox woman tasked with mending the frayed ties between Israel and the Diaspora
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Omer Yankelevich is the new minister of Diaspora affairs in Israel, meaning she’s in charge of managing the Jewish state’s relations with Jewish communities abroad. It has never been an easy task, but tensions in recent years between Israel and the United States, as well as… Read more »
Georgia legislature passes hate crimes legislation
(JTA) — The Georgia legislature approved a hate crimes bill that allows a longer sentence for crimes deemed to be based on a particular bias. The effort was led in part by the Hate Free Georgia Coalition, a group of 35 nonprofit groups organized by the Anti-Defamation League, the… Read more »
For this Black Jewish leader, George Floyd protest movement shows some Americans finally get it
Gamal Palmer has spent virtually his entire professional career working to advance racial diversity, equity and justice. As a Jew of color in charge of leadership and professional development at the Los Angeles Jewish federation, he’s spent years running diversity workshops and pushing for conversations about race within the… Read more »
Israel immigration group Nefesh B’Nefesh reports highest number of applications since its founding
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Nefesh B’Nefesh, an organization that helps North Americans immigrate to Israel, said it has received the highest number of applications since its founding nearly two decades ago. In the first half of June, over 900 applications have been submitted to the group for making the move… Read more »
Jewish gravestones from 17th century discovered during renovations of castle in Austria
(JTA) — Some 28 Jewish gravestones dating from the 17th century were discovered in the foundation of a wall built to protect a castle in Austria. They were discovered during restoration work earlier this year on the Ebenfurth Castle in the state of Lower Austria, according to Jewish Heritage Europe.… Read more »
For the few Jewish camps that are opening despite risks, finding willing families hasn’t been hard
(JTA) — This week, as he prepares to open Camp Modin and administer coronavirus tests to its hundreds of campers and staff, Howard Salzberg is still fielding 50 calls a day from parents who want to send their kids. That’s because Modin, a small, unaffiliated Jewish camp in Maine,… Read more »
New York primary’s preliminary results show good news for Jamaal Bowman and a surging left
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Left-wing candidates appeared to be surging in Democratic congressional primaries in New York, although results were preliminary into Wednesday as mail-in votes necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic were still being counted. Jamaal Bowman, who challenged longtime incumbent Eliot Engel in the 16th District, covering parts of… Read more »
Portuguese diplomat who rescued 10,000 Jews to be honored with monument at famed Lisbon site
(JTA) — Aristides de Sousa Mendes, a Portuguese diplomat who saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust, will be recognized with a monument at a site in Lisbon that recognizes the country’s greatest figures. The parliament decreed the honor unanimously earlier this month at the National Assembly in Portugal’s… Read more »
NYC’s Museum of Jewish Heritage laying off 40% of staff due to financial crisis caused by coronavirus
(JTA) — The Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York is laying off about 40 percent of its staff in order to weather the financial crisis brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. The museum’s president and CEO, Jack Kliger, made the announcement Monday in a call with the staff,… Read more »
Here’s how Jewish schools found creative ways to maintain community during COVID lockdown
As soon as it became clear in March that COVID-19 would force school closures around the country, Jewish day school administrators faced a conundrum that went beyond the question of how to continue educating students. The challenge: how to maintain a sense of community at a time when everyone… Read more »
Austria breaks ground for Holocaust memorial in Vienna
(JTA) — A new Holocaust memorial will be built in Vienna engraved with the names of 64,000 Austrian Jews killed by the Nazis. A groundbreaking ceremony was held Monday for the The Memorial to the Jewish Children, Women and Men of Austria who were Murdered in the Shoah, will… Read more »
Israeli government research institute says tests of its COVID-19 vaccine have worked on hamsters
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Researchers at an Israeli government center say that tests of a coronavirus vaccine have been successful on hamsters and the vaccine could be ready by the end of winter if human trials are allowed in the coming weeks. The country’s Ministry of Health must approve the start… Read more »
A Jewish ‘Dreamer’ breathes a sigh of relief after US Supreme Court preserves DACA
BOSTON (JTA) – Elias Rosenfeld’s phone rang on Thursday morning hours after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked President Donald Trump from moving to deport him and hundreds of thousands of other young immigrants like him. It was Rabbi Jonah Pesner, director of the Reform movement’s Religious Action Center, with… Read more »