Tagged FRONT

This French town is known for saving Jews during WWII. It just elected a far-right mayor who has been accused of anti-Semitism.

Children sing at the inauguration of an avenue named for the Righteous Among the Nations in Moissac, France, April 28, 2013. (Courtesy of Moissac, ville de Justes oubliée)
July 14, 2020 / Cnaan Liphshiz, JTA

(JTA) — The municipal council of Moissac sometimes calls its placid French town overlooking the Tarn River, near Toulouse, “the city of the Righteous Among the Nations.” It’s a reference to how hundreds of locals during the Holocaust helped resistance activists rescue about 500 Jewish children — an occurrence that… Read more »

Jewish NFL players say education, not ‘cancellation,’ is the right response to DeSean Jackson’s anti-Semitic posts

Jewish football players participated in an online conversation July 12, 2013. Clockwise from upper left: Anthony Firkser, conversation organizer Michael Neuman, Geoff Schwartz and Greg Joseph. (Screenshot from virtual event)
July 14, 2020 / Stephen Silver, JTA

(JTA) — Former professional football player Geoff Schwartz wasn’t surprised when he heard about Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson’s anti-Semitic Instagram posts. “I just thought to myself it’s ignorance — someone who has no idea whatsoever what anti-Semitism is, why his quote could be hurtful to Jews, or… Read more »

Immigration to Israel could spike due to the coronavirus pandemic, leading groups say

New immigrants from North America arrive on a flight arranged by the Nefesh B'Nefesh organization at Ben Gurion airport in central Israel on Aug. 14, 2019. (Flash90)
July 8, 2020 / Marcy Oster JTA

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel could see a sharp increase in immigration over the next few years spurred on by the coronavirus crisis, two groups involved with arranging immigration to the country claim. The chairman of the Jewish Agency — a nonprofit focused on bolstering Israel-Diaspora ties and immigration to… Read more »

Orthodox Jewish camps won’t be allowed to open as US judge sides with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo

Orthodox children watch as protesters march through Brooklyn on June 3, 2020.(Angela Weiss/Getty Images)
July 7, 2020 / Shira Hanau JTA

(JTA) – A last-ditch effort by Orthodox Jews in New York to clear the way for overnight camps this summer fell short Monday as a federal judge declined to intervene against Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s decision to keep the camps closed. The judge was responding to a lawsuit brought last… Read more »

Brazil’s president has COVID-19 and the country is a coronavirus hot spot. Here’s how Rio Jews are adapting to the pandemic.

An aerial view of Flamengo Park in Rio de Janeiro, July 5, 2020. (Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
July 7, 2020 / Marcus M. Gilban JTA

RIO DE JANEIRO (JTA) — The bombshell news on Tuesday was ironic for some — Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, one of the world leaders who has most staunchly downplayed the potential of the coronavirus pandemic, had contracted the virus. Despite his ardent support of Israel, Bolsonaro’s tempered rhetoric on… Read more »

After World War II, there were 100 Jews left in Frankfurt, Germany. Today, the community has a potent voice.

A view of the Frankfurt skyline, May 8, 2020. (Boris Roessler/picture alliance via Getty Images)
July 6, 2020 / Joe Baur JTA

BERLIN (JTA) — There were approximately 30,000 Jews in the city of Frankfurt before World War II, making it the largest community in Germany. By the time the U.S. military occupied the city in 1945, there were only about 100 left. “Jewish life was destroyed,” said Tobias Freimuller, author… Read more »

Los Angeles has a major homelessness problem. These Jewish groups are helping by opening their parking lots.

A homeless woman is seen on the streets of the Skid Row neighborhood in Los Angeles, May 16, 2020. (Apu Gomes/AFP via Getty Images)
July 2, 2020 / Josefin Dolsten JTA

LOS ANGELES (JTA) — Art had been living with his mother for more than 30 years when she lost her apartment a little over a year ago. Though the mother was able to move in with one of Art’s brothers, the 49-year-old former tennis coach had nowhere to go… Read more »

4 reasons why Israel’s West Bank annexation plans aren’t happening on July 1

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, right, and Defense Minister Benny Gantz at a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jerusalem, June 28, 2020. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)
July 1, 2020 / Gabe Friedman, JTA

(JTA) — Since April, all eyes following the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have been glued to July 1. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had negotiated the date into his government coalition deal with his rival Benny Gantz. On July 1, as stipulated in the agreement, Netanyahu could put the topic of annexing… Read more »

For Orthodox groups, the Supreme Court’s ruling on aid to religious schools is a big win

The U.S. Supreme Court handed proponents of school vouchers a victory in the Ezpinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue case. (Stefani Reynolds/Getty Images)
June 30, 2020 / Shira Hanau, JTA

(JTA) – For Orthodox Jewish advocacy groups, the last day of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2020 session brought a big win. On Tuesday, the high court handed school voucher proponents a victory in ruling that a state-run scholarship program funded by tax-deductible gifts could not exclude religious schools. The… Read more »

9 powerful Jewish designs by Milton Glaser, the iconic graphic artist who died this week at 91

Milton Glaser in his New York studio in 2014. (Neville Elder/Corbis via Getty Images)
June 29, 2020 / Gabe Friedman, JTA

(JTA) — Milton Glaser, the godfather of modern graphic design who passed away on his 91st birthday on Friday, didn’t talk about his Jewish identity very often. But when he did, he made clear that his New York Jewish upbringing defined his artistic sensibility. Born to Hungarian immigrant parents,… Read more »

Pride in leadership: Pursuing a world inclusive and just for all
June 26, 2020 / Graham Hoffman, Special to the AJP
Graham Hoffman

As I have recently assumed the mantle of the president and CEO of both the Jewish Federation and the Jewish Community Foundation of Southern Arizona, I am humbled by the responsibility that I now bear as the leader of these agencies and this remarkable community. Authenticity is central to… Read more »

Green Business Alliance helps businesses contribute to a more sustainable community

About 150 people dropped off their electronics to be recycled rather than throwing them in a landfill during a Jan. 13 event organized by Tucson Clean & Beautiful. (Courtesy Local First Arizona)
June 26, 2020 / Sofia Moraga, AJP Intern

Editor’s note: Updated 6.28.20 to reflect additional businesses signed up for the certification program and to add the Pima Association of Governments as a supporter. Local First Arizona has been a champion of sustainability in Southern Arizona for many years. The organization recently created further opportunities for positive change in… Read more »

Rabbi Sara Metz eager to engage as new Anshei Israel leader
June 26, 2020 / Phyllis Braun, AJP Executive Editor
Rabbi Sara Metz

Rabbi Sara Metz will be only the fourth rabbi to lead Congregation Anshei Israel in its 90-year history when she takes up the reins July 1. “That’s so very exciting,” she says, acknowledging it is also challenging. “The community, and rightfully so, holds Rabbi Eisen in such high esteem.… Read more »

JFCS gets PPE, gift cards to Holocaust survivors

A driver from the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona senior transportation program prepares to deliver packages from Jewish Family & Children’s Services to Holocaust survivors living in Southern Arizona. (Courtesy Jewish Family & Children’s Services)
June 26, 2020 /

Through an emergency grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, also known as the Claims Conference, Jewish Family & Children’s Services has extended its assistance to Holocaust survivors living in Southern Arizona during the coronavirus pandemic. With the $17,000 grant from Claims Conference’s Holocaust Survivor COVID-19 Urgent… Read more »

COC, J partner to house program for those with developmental disabilities

Kendall, with his advocate Barb Otrovsky, made a boat that won a recent Taglit regatta. (Courtesy Congregation Or Chadash)
June 26, 2020 /

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 »

Jewish teens help successful effort to abolish Oakland’s school police force

Satya Zamudio, 15, urged Oakland's school board to eliminate its police force. (Rucha Chitnis)
June 25, 2020 / Gabriel Greschler, JTA

(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 »