Anti-Israel groups unite to fight IHRA definition

Posted on March 31, 2023 by ArchitectGuy

ALGEMEINER
‘Political Warfare Against Israel’: 60 NGOs Sign Letter Opposing UN Adoption of IHRA Antisemitism Definition
Andrew Bernard
April 4, 2023

60 human and civil rights organizations on Tuesday released a joint open letter urging the United Nations not to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism. Signatories to Tuesday’s letter include the Palestinian NGOs al-Haq, Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association, and Defense for Children International – Palestine…Professor Gerald Steinberg, the founder of NGO Monitor, a group that supports the adoption of the IHRA definition, told The Algemeiner that the letter, which was also signed by Human Rights Watch (HRW), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and B’Tselem, is an act of “political warfare against Israel and against the right of the Jewish people for self-determination.” READ MORE

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Ambassador Michael Oren Situational Briefing on judicial reform, domestic and international implications

Posted on March 31, 2023 by ArchitectGuy

MIRYAM INSTITUTE
Ambassador Michael Oren Situational Briefing on judicial reform, domestic and international implications
March 30, 2023

In this episode of the podcast, Benjamin Anthony is joined by Ambassador Michael Oren, who served as Israel’s Ambassador to the United States of America from 2009-2013. Dr. Oren addressed himself to the fallout of the recent attempt at judicial reform, the security and diplomatic implications emanating from that attempt and the question of whether or not judicial reform is needed, in any form whatsoever. In this fascinating discussion, Amb. Oren draws upon his unique insights and experiences to talk about the seemingly strained relations between Israel and the U.S., the significance of in-person White House meetings that have so far eluded Prime Minister Netanyahu in his current term and his view of President Joe Biden, the Democratic party in the U.S. and the future challenges facing Israel and its citizenry.

Subscribe to The MirYam Institute Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast

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The Biden administration would do well to understand that those who want to kill the Jews also want to see dead the friends and allies of the Jews.

Posted on March 31, 2023 by ArchitectGuy

GATESTONE
Biden’s Anti-Israel Policy Empowers Iran, Palestinian Terrorists
Bassam Tawil
April 4, 2023

US President Joe Biden appears more worried about the Israeli government’s plan for judicial reform than the growing support among Palestinians for terrorism against Israel…We did not see Biden raise any objection over the Palestinians’ “Pay for Slay” policy, which rewards terrorists and their families for the murder of Jews. We did not see Biden raise any objection over the Palestinian leaders’ glorification of terrorists, who are being celebrated as “martyrs” by a majority of Palestinians. We did not see Biden raise any objection over the thousands of Palestinians who regularly take to the streets to celebrate the murder of Jews in terror attacks perpetrated by Palestinian terrorists. READ MORE

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Italian historian Carlo Vecce set out to debunk rumors of Leonardo da Vinci’s foreign origins, but a newly discovered document changed his mind

Posted on March 31, 2023 by ArchitectGuy

TABLET MAG
Leonardo da Vinci Was Jewish
Marc Weitzmann
April 3, 2023

In all likelihood, Leonardo da Vinci was only half Italian. His mother, Caterina, was a Circassian Jew born somewhere in the Caucasus, abducted as a teenager and sold as a sex slave several times in Russia, Constantinople, and Venice before finally being freed in Florence at age 15. This, at least, is the conclusion reached in the new book Il sorriso di Caterina, la madre di Leonardo, by the historian Carlo Vecce, one of the most distinguished specialists on Leonardo da Vinci. The official version of da Vinci’s birth is that it was the fruit of a brief fling between the Florentine solicitor Piero da Vinci and a young peasant from Tuscany called Caterina, of whom almost nothing was known. READ MORE

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“A Pew Center poll revealed that 59 percent of Israelis are happy with their country, versus, for example, 33 percent of Americans (not to mention depressed Europeans)”

Posted on March 31, 2023 by ArchitectGuy

ARUTZ SHEVA
Israel has taught the West that life is beautiful even at the foot of a volcano
Giulio Meotti
April 5, 2023

…It’s 2023 and Israel has never been healthier despite its internal conflicts. This small piece of land slightly larger than Lombardy is the only state whose existence is openly questioned, in the south it has Hamas, in the north Hezbollah and in the middle the Palestinian Arabs, increasingly eager to stab and shoot the Zionists. On the left the only peaceful border: the Mediterranean, where many since 1948 would like to roll over all the Jews. Yet, Israel, in the aftermath of a new wave of terrorism and protests never seen in its history, looks blissful. Israel no longer has existential enemies. Tsahal [IDF] is the most powerful army in an arc that goes from Marrakesh to Bangladesh. READ MORE

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In what The Post’s Melissa Klein referred to as “a master class in ‘gaslighting,’” CUNY chancellor hires an antisemite to investigate the school’s antisemitism problem

Posted on March 31, 2023 by ArchitectGuy

NEW YORK POST
How CUNY became America’s most antisemitic university
Jeffrey Lax
April 6, 2023

The “cleansing” of Jewish students and lecturers from German universities from 1933 to 1935 was one of the Nazis’ first goals met. Ninety years later, in the metropolis with the world’s largest Jewish population, the City University of New York has successfully completed a years-long initiative to expunge all Jews from its senior leadership. Spring will see the exit of the last two remaining Jews on the school’s 80-member senior-leadership team, in a city whose population is about 20% Jewish. It will be the first time since its 1961 founding that CUNY’s senior leadership will be Jew-free or Judenrein, for those who fear the horrors of history repeating itself. READ MORE

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Thursday in Tel Aviv: An estimated 30,000 took to the streets in a “real show of support for the reforms”

Posted on March 30, 2023 by ArchitectGuy

JNS
Typically thought a ‘silent majority,’ government supporters rally in Tel Aviv
Bradley Martin
March 30, 2023

On Thursday evening in Tel Aviv, supporters of judicial reform—about 30,000 by some estimates—rallied in Tel Aviv. Photos and videos on social media depicted masses of people and seas of Israeli flags. Although judicial reform has been shelved until the beginning of May, those in favor of the effort nonetheless gathered publicly to express support for the government. Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin wrote in Hebrew on Facebook that “photos of throngs of dear citizens demonstrating in favor of judicial reform strengthen me and warm my heart.” He encouraged those rallying to remain peaceful. READ MORE

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Netanyahu said that either way, his government would bring a reform that will “return the balance that was lost between the branches,” while “safeguarding and even strengthening individual rights”

Posted on March 29, 2023 by ArchitectGuy

JPOST
Netanyahu suspends judicial reform: I will not lead Israel to civil war
Eliav Breuer
March 27, 2023

Prime Minister Netanyahu Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Monday evening that he was temporarily freezing the bill that would alter the makeup of the Judicial Appointments Committee and was willing to give a “real opportunity to real dialogue” over the government’s judicial reforms, which have thrown the country into turmoil and unprecedented civil unrest. The statement came after hours of tense negotiations as National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir threatened to quit the government if the legislation did not proceed on schedule, and as tens of thousands of judicial reform opponents protested outside the Knesset. Netanyahu ended up ensuring Ben-Gvir’s approval after pledging that the cabinet in its coming meeting on Sunday would approve the transfer of Israel’s National Guard to Ben-Gvir’s ministry. READ MORE

TIMES OF ISRAEL Ben Gurion departures halted as Histadrut declares ‘historic’ strike against overhaul Union chief says labor action meant to ‘stop the madness’ after Netanyahu’s firing of defense minister; doctors, local authorities, students and universities also strike

JEWISH CHRONICLE Netanyahu sacks defense minister after he called for pause to judicial reform Galant called for the judicial reforms to be paused earlier this weekend

ARUTZ SHEVA Netanyahu considering retracting dismissal of Defense Minister Gallant Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering announcing the cancellation of the dismissal of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on the condition that the latter announces that he will resign from the Knesset and that he will not be allowed to return to the Knesset under the Norwegian Law if he is dismissed a second time.

TIMES OF ISRAEL Gallant said considering apology over timing of statement against judicial push Shas’s Deri attempting to mediate compromise between fired defense minister and Netanyahu, as premier weighs other potential candidates for post, including Barkat, reports say

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NSC spokesman John Kirby tries to play down the tension between US and Israel; “President Biden said he will not invite PM Netanyahu to Washington soon”

Posted on March 29, 2023 by ArchitectGuy

ISRAEL HAYOM (by agreement with JNS)
US dismisses notion of crisis with Israel, says in ‘deep friendship you can be candid’
AP and ILH staff
March 29, 2023

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday brushed aside criticism of his judicial overhaul plan from President Joe Biden, saying the matter was an internal Israeli issue and would not be influenced by outside pressure…Following especially heavy protests, Netanyahu this week froze the plan and launched negotiations on a compromise with his political opponents. The timeout prompted Biden’s ambassador, Tom Nides, to tell Israeli media that he expected Netanyahu to soon be invited to the White House. Asked about the legislation on Tuesday, Biden told reporters, “I hope he walks away from it.” He said Netanyahu’s government “cannot continue down this road” and called for a compromise. He also said there were no immediate plans for a White House visit, saying: “No, not in the near term.” READ MORE

NATIONAL REVIEW ‘Israel Is a Sovereign Country’: Netanyahu Fires Back at Biden after Judicial Reform Setback Netanyahu said in a third and final tweet in the thread: “Israel is a sovereign country which makes its decisions by the will of its people and not based on pressures from abroad, including from the best of friends.”

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#StandUpToJewishHate campaign designed to raise awareness for the fight against antisemitism, specifically among non-Jewish audiences

Posted on March 29, 2023 by ArchitectGuy

ALGEMEINER
Billionaire Robert Kraft Launches Antisemitism Awareness Campaign
Dion J. Pierre
March 28, 2023

The Foundation to Combat Antisemitism (FCAS), founded by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, has launched a $25 million multimedia campaign to raise awareness of rising antisemitism in the US. The campaign, for which supporters are asked to share the “Blue Square 🟦 ” emoji available on iOS devices, will feature a series of short films —”Tony,” “Son,” and “Isaiah” — each depicting forms of antisemitic incidents occurring in the United States. In “Tony,” for example, a mother and her daughter leave home and, as they’re about to enter their car, see on their garage door a swastika and graffiti saying “No Jews.” Tony, their neighbor, paints over the hateful message before they return home. READ MORE

JNS New York, New Jersey Jewish groups form new partnership to protect communities On Tuesday, eight Jewish organizations in New York and New Jersey announced the formation of the Jewish Security Alliance, a partnership that coordinates regional resources and information to combat rising antisemitism in the greater New York metropolitan area and beyond.

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