THE
Volume 7, Number 10 October 2017
Serving the Local New Orleans, Northshore, and Baton Rouge Jewish Communities
The Top 10 Moments That Mattered to Jews in 5777 By Josefin Dolsten not songwriters. Dylan did not seem as enthusiastic as some of his fans: He took two weeks to acknowledge the award and said he was unable to travel to Sweden for the official ceremony, though he traveled there at a later date to accept the award and present the required lecture.
NEW YORK (JTA) — This Jewish year was not a quiet one, to say the least. From the tumultuous first eight months of Donald Trump's presidency, to a wave of bomb threats against Jewish community centers, to a neo-Nazi protest in Charlottesville that turned violent, to the twin weather catastrophes of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, Jews, like so many others, found it hard to take their eyes off the news. As the year 5777 came to a close, JTA looked back at some of the moments that had the most significance for Jews, sorted below by date. Bob Dylan is awarded the 2016
Bob Dylan speaking at the 25th anniversary MusiCares Person of the Year Gala at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Feb. 6, 2015 (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Nobel Prize in Literature. In an unexpected move, the Swedish Academy bestowed the iconic Jewish American singer -born Robert Zimmerman -- with the highly coveted prize in October. Though Bob Dylan's fame is indisputable — he wrote some of the most well-known and culturally significant songs of the 1960s — the decision raised eyebrows because the prize has traditionally been given to novelists and poets,
er, neither of the two men arrested for making the threats turned out to be motivated by far-right beliefs. One of the accused, Juan Thompson, was arrested for making bomb threats against eight Jewish institutions in the name of an ex-girlfriend in a revenge plot. The main suspect, however, turned out to be an IsraePresident Donald Trump, U.N. criticizes Israeli settlement, li-American teenager, Michael standing with his wife, Melania, and the U.S. abstains. daughter Ivanka Trump and Kadar of Ashkelon, who was arresther husband, Jared Kushner, ed for making hundreds of threats. inside of the inaugural parade Kadar reportedly sold his bomb reviewing stand in front of the threat services online and suffers White House, Jan. 20, 2017. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images) from a brain tumor, according to his with him a cadre of Jewish advis- lawyer. ers, including his daughter, Ivanka Trump shouts down reporters Trump, and her husband, Jared who ask him about a rise in antiKushner. The couple, both of whom Semitism. are observant Jews, would take on The Security Council meeting at U.N. headquarters in New York, Dec. 21, critical roles in the administration 2016.(Drew Angerer/Getty Images) as senior advisers to the president, In December, the United Nations with Kushner in charge of a thick sharply condemned Israeli actions portfolio that included brokering a in a resolution calling settlements peace deal between Israel and the "a flagrant violation of internation- Palestinians. al law" that damage the prospects JCCs in U.S. and Canada of a two-state solution to the Israe- targeted with more than 100 li-Palestinian conflict. Traditional- bomb threats. President Donald Trump speaking ly, the United States has vetoed at a White House news conference, such resolutions — but in its wanFeb. 16, 2017. ing days the Obama administration (Mark Wilson/Getty Images) chose not to follow suit. The move prompted outrage from Israel, cenIn February, the president shouttrist and right-leaning Jewish ed at two journalists who asked him groups and then President-elect about an increase in anti-Jewish Donald Trump, who called the ressentiments and incidents, and said olution "extremely unfair." Samanhe “hates” being called an antiThe Gordon JCC in Nashville tha Power, then the American envoy Semite, although neither reporter was targeted multiple times with to the U.N., defended the abstencalled him one. After asking for a bomb threats in 2017. (Courtesy of Gordon JCC) tion, saying the resolution was in "friendly" reporter, Trump interline with longstanding U.S. opposirupted a question by a haredi Orthotion to Israeli settlements. From January to March, Jewish dox journalist -- he accused him of community centers, Jewish schools lying about his intentions -- and Trump takes office, bringing and other institutions were hit with claimed to be the "least anti-SemitIvanka and Jared with him. Trump took office in January more than 100 bomb threats. None ic person that you have ever seen in after his unexpected victory over of the threats, many of which were your entire life." Trump's response Hillary Clinton in November, called in, turned out to be credible, drew criticism from Jewish groups, pledging in his inaugural address to but they forced evacuations and many of which had already critiput "America first." The use of the spread fear among local communi- cized him a month earlier for releasslogan — the name of an isolation- ties. Several Jewish cemeteries ing a statement on International ist and often anti-Semitic move- were also vandalized, prompting Holocaust Remembrance Day that ment leading up to World War II some to blame the rise of the "alt- notably did not mention Jews. His — alarmed some Jews, but Trump right" — some say the movement said the phrase had no connection was legitimized following Trump's See TOP TEN 25 election — for the threats. Howevon Page to the earlier usage. Trump brought