My Mom is 106 Years Old

MOM

is 106 years old

BY JONATHAN ROSENBERG

Let that sink in for a moment. Eve Rosenberg reads the New York Times, the New Yorker and the Wall Street Journal. Yes, she’s a dyed-in-the-wool New Yorker. Born in Detroit, my mom and her family moved to The Bronx in the middle of the Depression. There, they ran a few small candy stores, though they were out of that business by the time I was born. Being that I was a chubby (I’m being generous) child, that’s probably a good thing. My mom is one of the most intelligent people I know. Add to that a phenomenal memory and you have a person who can carry on a literate conversation with anyone. She reads books by the bushelful, usually fiction. And she walks a mile every day. Every day! A resident of Seacrest Encinitas for a decade, mom is looked upon as “royalty.” Everybody knows Eve and Eve knows everybody… by name! And their spouses. And their children. How does she do it? Here’s one of her secrets: each night she will not allow herself to fall asleep until she spells a word beginning with each letter of the alphabet from A to Z. The words have to be 8 letters or more. Only then will she close her eyes. Flaws? Well, yes. Technology passed my mom by after the invention of the television. The cell phone (which she calls “the clicker”) is always “broken” until it magically fixes itself and, on our weekly Zoom calls, I constantly have to remind her to sit back so that we can see her whole face instead of her eye ball. Mom gave me many gifts. She has a wicked sense of humor and a laugh that sings. Dragging us to Broadway shows and museums has given me an appreciation for the arts that I otherwise wouldn’t have. There’s nary a conversation that goes by without my mom singing to me. She is also determined to live. To read that next book, taste that next meal (the woman loves her bacon!), and blow out the candles, with family and friends around her, for her 107th. Mom raised 2 boys, has 4 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren. She’ll lament that she doesn’t hear from them enough, that they’re not interested in, or have time for her. I see her point. But that lack of connection shouldn’t be mistaken for a lack of love. She’s treasured by her family and her “adopted family” of relations and friends, both young and old, who seek her advice, conversation and connection. When people tell me how “nice” it is that I visit my mom, I tell them that I see her, not because I have to, but because I want to. Yes, I get roundly criticized (bad posture, losing my hair, facial wrinkles, etc) but the rewards far outweigh (usually) the tonguelashings. I want my mom to live forever. That’s not selfish, is it? She’s the most remarkable person that I know.

A STORM OF ANTISEMITISM IS HITTING AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES

BY LIORA REZ

From the East Coast to West, American colleges and universities have become toxic environments for Jewish students. Our campuses are infested with antisemitism stemming from student groups advocating for Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS), like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). At the same time, radicalized faculty members contribute to the spread of Jew-hatred. And university administrators are reluctant to take action to hold these antisemites accountable.

Just last month, Stopantisemitism.org exposed that University of California Merced Engineering Professor Abbas Ghassemi posted horrific antisemitic and anti-American content on social media. Initially the University brushed off the complaints, citing free speech. But after outrage continued to grow, the University announced an investigation into Ghassemi, subsequently cancelling his spring classes.

Earlier last year, the City University of New York (CUNY) found itself in a similar situation after one of its law students, Nerdeen Kiswani, posted a horrific antisemitic video of her threatening to set a black man on fire for wearing an Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) sweatshirt. Rather than condemning Kiswani, CUNY Law School Dean Mary Lu Bilek defended her bigoted and dangerous actions as being covered by the First Amendment. Even when one of Kiswani’s former classmates was forced out of CUNY due to Kiswani’s ongoing antisemitic harassment, the school did nothing to help the student. Following CUNY’s inaction and failure to protect its Jewish students, an official Title VI complaint alleging systemic antisemitism at the school was filed with the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.

This wasn’t the first time a student was bullied for being Jewish while the University stood by without taking any action. In August 2020, University of Southern California (USC) student Senator Rose Rich was forced to resign from her position after a vile antisemitic campaign was launched against her by SJP because she proudly stated she was a Zionist. The harassment and bullying Rich was subjected to left her no choice but to step down. Rich criticized the University’s administration for not standing in solidarity with Jewish students after a watered-down condemnation statement was issued by USC President Carol Folt. No further actions were taken by USC, essentially greenlighting future antisemitic incidents on campus.

These incidents are not isolated events. They are part of an increasingly growing phenomenon of antisemitism on American campuses. While radical student groups and professors freely and openly promote Jew hatred, universities are reluctant to take action to stop them.

Jewish students are being forced to disavow their Jewish identities or denounce their support of the State of Israel to avoid harsh consequences. If they don’t, they often find themselves bullied, harassed, and ostracized.

In order to fight antisemitism, we must properly define it. Stopantisemitism.org is at the forefront of calling on universities to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism. Officially adopting the IHRA working definition is a proactive way to protect Jewish students on American campuses and ensure their safety and success.