Elected Officials React to Arrest in JCC Threats
Woodmere’s David Friedman Confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to Israel
Four Questions with Michael D. Cohen
VOL. 1, NO. 4 | MARCH 29 – APRIL 4, 2017 | NEWS THAT MATTERS TO JEWISH COMMUNITIES IN THE NEW YORK CITY METROPOLITAN AREA | NYJLIFE.COM | FREE
U.S.-Israeli Relations Strong As Ever, Despite America’s Divisions
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Israeli-American teenager Michael Kaydar avoids cameras at courthouse in Israel.
Israeli American Teen Arrested for JCC Bomb Threats BY STAFF
Elected leaders and law-enforcement officials cheered the arrest of a 19-year-old Israeli American last week who is suspected of being responsible for the bulk of the threats against Jewish community centers across the United States, with as many as a dozen in New York. The suspect, Michael Kaydar, was arrested last Thursday at his home in southern Israel and charged with making more than 100 bomb
threats using various technologies that made tracing him difficult. “The arrest of a suspect in the recent wave of threats against Jewish community centers sends a clear message that anyone who threatens New Yorkers with violence will be brought to justice,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement. “The abhorrent and cowardly threats against Jewish community
“The abhorrent and cowardly threats against Jewish Community Centers are an assault on the values of all New Yorkers. But they have also shone a bright light on how New Yorkers come together as one to stand up against those who seek to divide us.” - Gov. Andrew Cuomo
centers are an assault on the values of all New Yorkers. But they have also shone a bright light on how New Yorkers come together as one to stand up against those who seek to divide us.” In last week’s issue of New York Jewish Life, elected officials strongly condemned the threats and pledged to stand with Jewish communities targeted by antiSemitism. Following the arrest, leaders at the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC) of New York praised the work of law enforcement. “We greatly appreciate the hard work and cooperation of the FBI, NYPD and the Israeli National Police in the apprehension of the alleged perpetrator,” said JCRC President Charles S. Temel and Executive Vice President & CEO Michael S. Miller. They went on to urge residents to still be vigilant. “Although suspects are in custody, there may also be copycats at large. We therefore continue to urge vigilance and attentiveness to honing response plans for all Jewish institutions,” they said in a statement. Law-enforcement officials say Kaydar used technology called SpoofCard to mask the caller-ID number for his bomb threats. Police say he paid for the technology using BitCoin, which is untraceable, and he also used disposable Google Voice numbers, making it difficult for investigators to pinpoint his location. In the end, law-enforcement officials say Kaydar’s carelessness allowed them to track down the IP address at his home. Gov. Cuomo had particularly high praise for the Israeli National Police’s role in assisting with the arrest. “During my recent visit to Israel, members of the New York State Police and my public safety team joined me for a meeting with Israeli authorities to discuss these disturbing threats, and I am particularly grateful for their support,” Cuomo said. In D.C., White House press secretary Sean Spicer said President Donald Trump was right not to jump to conclusions about anti-Semitic threats following the arrest last week of an Israeli-American teen on suspicion of making over 100 bomb threats against U.S. Jewish sites. “We saw these threats coming into Jewish community centers, and there was an immediate jump to criticize folks on the right, and to denounce people on the right and ask them to condemn them, and it turns out that in fact it wasn’t someone on the right,” Spicer said Monday. “The president from the get-go had said ‘I bet you it’s not someone [on the right]’ and he was right.” Spicer added that “people on the left” who had blamed the right for the threats had not been held accountable. Earlier this month, a St. Louis resident and former journalist, Juan Thompson, was arrested and charged for making at least eight bomb threats against Jewish community centers and the Anti-Defamation League. Thompson, 31, made some of the threats in the name of a former romantic partner he had been cyberstalking and some in his own in an attempt to portray himself as being framed. He was charged with cyberstalking, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
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SCHUMER IN THE NEWS
Schumer Announces FEMA no Longer Seeking Repayment from North Hempstead BY STAFF
U.S. Senator Charles Schumer appearing on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday
Schumer Says Democrats Are Willing to Work with Trump to Fix Obamacare, but Repeal Is off the Table BY STAFF
U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer had a clear message for President Donald Trump during an appearance Sunday morning on ABC’s “This Week”: We will work with you to fix Obamacare. “We have ideas, [Republicans] have ideas to try and improve Obamacare. We never said it was perfect; we’d always said we’d work with them to improve it,” Schumer said. The top Democrat in Congress appeared on the program to discuss House Republicans’ failure to pass a bill that would have started the process of repealing and replacing Obamacare. On Friday, the legislation was pulled from the floor where it was being debated,
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and President Trump publicly stated that he is moving on to other issues. The fate of Republicans’ promise to repeal and replace is now unclear. Many House Republicans say they would still like to work on a bill, but House Speaker Paul Ryan and Trump now seem to be focused on other priorities such as tax reforms. Schumer and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi were unified in their message this weekend that they are amenable to working across the aisle to change the vast healthcare law to try to reduce costs for Americans. “We just said repeal is off the table,” Schumer said to ABC.
The Town of North Hempstead will not have to repay millions of dollars to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), following a dispute over Hurricane Sandy relief funds that arose out of an inspector general’s report. That report determined that $4.9 million in debris-removal contracts did not follow federal procurement standards. U.S. Senator Charles Schumer argued on behalf of the town that officials’ decision to spend money on immediate debris removal, at a time when the town was without power for 10 days, was a matter of public health and safety and that standard procurement methods could not be followed. The Department of Homeland Security reviewed the expenses and determined that they were reasonable. “We thank Senator Schumer and the town’s other federal representatives who helped the town explain to FEMA that after Sandy we followed the necessary procedures, complied with contract rules and served as careful custodians of federal disaster relief funds,” said Judi Bosworth, the Town of North Hempstead supervisor. “The Town of North Hempstead worked in good faith, around the clock, to recover quickly after Superstorm Sandy,” Schumer said. “Had FEMA approved the inspector general’s recommendations, local taxpayers would have been on the hook for millions and millions of dollars. Residents in the Town of North Hempstead can now breathe a sigh of relief because FEMA has heard our case loud and clear and made a decision that was in Long Island’s best interest.” In October, Schumer made his full case to FEMA on why the money should not be clawed back. Schumer said that local taxpayers should not be forced to bear the burden of costs that, according to the New York State Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES), were previously deemed reasonable by FEMA. Unless blatant fraud was uncovered, Schumer said that those funds should not be recouped.
BDSWatch
Jewish Groups Quarrel Over Memorial Service at Pro-BDS Group’s Conference BY JOSEFIN DOLSTEN
(JTA) — An Israel advocacy group criticized a pro-BDS group for denying its request to hold a memorial event for Israeli terror victims at its conference. Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), which is organizing the confab, said it had already planned its own general memorial event. The Israel advocacy group StandWithUs had asked to hold a multifaith memorial service for the victims of a 1969 deadly bombing in Jerusalem during JVP’s upcoming biannual conference. The gathering, which will take place March 30-April 2 in Chicago, will feature among its speakers Rasmeah Odeh, a Palestinian woman convicted by Israel of involvement in a 1969 terror attack that killed two. JVP, which supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, confirmed to JTA that the event venue, the Hyatt McCormick Chicago hotel, had passed along the request but said it decided not to allow the service, noting it was holding its own memorial event. The quarrel comes amid criticism from some in the Jewish world about the anti-Israel views of Odeh and Linda Sarsour, two pro-Palestinian activists who have recently taken public roles in various feminist events and are speaking together at a plenary at the JVP meeting. Rabbi Alissa Wise, JVP’s deputy director, said her group had the right to decide the schedule at its gathering. “This is the Jewish Voice for Peace national member meeting. StandWithUs are not members of Jewish Voice for
Peace, and this is our gathering, and we have designed the memorial circle and the program that fits our needs,” Wise told the JTA on Tuesday. “It’s fine for them to ask, and it’s fine for us to set our own boundaries.” The JVP-organized multifaith “memorial circle” will not focus on any particular event, Wise said. “It’s really a space that we hold with music and poetry for people to pause in time and connect to their feelings and their grief and their mourning for the loss of life that has taken place in recent days and past decades in the long history for organizing for justice in the region,” Wise said. StandWithUs said it was “apprehensive” about the JVP memorial event. “We are apprehensive about a memorial service in which a convicted and unrepentant terrorist will participate, and a service that even refuses to acknowledge Odeh’s victims. We are outraged at an organization that blocked a memorial for them,” Peggy Shapiro, Midwest director for StandWithUs, said Tuesday in a statement to JTA. The Hyatt McCormick Chicago did not respond to a request for comment by the JTA. On Monday, Shapiro called JVP’s decision “disgraceful” and slammed the group for hosting Odeh. “Not only is JVP honoring a convicted terrorist at their conference; they have denied a request to hold a memorial service for her victims— Edward Joffe and Leon Kanner. These two young
Jews no longer have voices because they died in an attack perpetrated by Rasmea Odeh, and it seems JVP is committed to silencing them even further by refusing to allow us to hold this service in their memory,” she said in a statement. “There is nothing Jewish or peaceful about this disgraceful decision.” Odeh confessed to planting the bomb in the 1969 attack that killed Joffe and Kanner and injured nine others, though in recent years has claimed the confession was given under torture, which is disputed by Israeli officials. She was convicted and sentenced by an Israeli military court in 1970 to life in prison for two bombing attacks on behalf of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. She spent 10 years in an Israeli prison before being released in a prisoner exchange with the PFLP in 1980. Jewish Voice for Peace said earlier this month that it was “proud” to host Odeh, questioning the validity of her Israeli conviction. “The accusations against Odeh stem from a context of long-standing antiPalestinian and anti-Muslim persecution by both the Israeli state and the United States, policies which are escalating under the Trump administration,” JVP said in a March 7 statement. Odeh was one of the leaders of the grassroots feminist International Women’s Strike. Sarsour, who organized January’s Women’s March on Washington and also helped plan the Women’s Strike, recently said there is no space in the feminist movement for those who do not criticize Israel.
Iran Imposes Sanctions on 15 U.S. Companies Over Support for Israel (JTA) — Iran has imposed sanctions on 15 American companies over their alleged support for Israel. The announcement by the Iranian Foreign Ministry accuses the United States of “propping up the Zionist regime, terrorists and suppressing civilians in the region,” the state agency IRNA reported. The announcement comes two days after the United States issued new sanctions on several foreign firms and individuals accused of supporting Iran’s weapons program. “The Islamic Republic of Iran condemns the recent measure taken by the United States administration to impose one-sided extraterritorial sanctions against Iranian and nonIranian individuals and institutions,” the foreign ministry said in its statement. “Imposition of new sanctions by the U.S. is based on fabricated and illegitimate pretexts and amounts to an action against the international regulations as well as the word and spirit of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,” the statement said. The companies include Raytheon, Re/Max Real Estate, Oshkosh, United Technologies Produces, ITT, BENI Tal and M7 Aerospace. All of these companies have been vocal in their opposition to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. Iran’s announcement is largely symbolic because the firms do not do business with Iran, the news agency AFP reported.
MARCH 29 – APRIL 4, 2017 | NYJLIFE.COM | 5
Publisher’s Note
News that matters to Jewish communities in the New York City metropolitan area
I’ve been reconsidering Tom Suozzi, mostly for the better. Whoever said there are no second acts in American politics hasn’t met the new congressman from Long Island and Queens. He’s on his sixth act. My history with him was both personal and indirect. Back in 2000 and 2001, I had the pleasure of serving as deputy counsel, and then chief of staff, of the Nassau County Legislature. We had a one-vote Democratic majority, an absentee county executive on the way out, and finances just one step above junk-bond status. Banks were about to stop lending to the county, and we kept the teller window open only after a hard-negotiated state fiscal oversight package was approved. We had also just passed a costly, controversial reassessment of all properties in the county under threat of a more awful plan that would have been imposed by federal courts. Everything about those years was difficult. I ran to work every day and stayed as late as I could all the time. I was 27 years old, and loved even the stuff I hated. Complicating all matters was a Democratic primary for county ex ecutive—a bitter race between then Assemblyman/now State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, and then Glen Cove Mayor Tom Suozzi. The Democratic legislative majority was evenly split between the two Toms, so anything and everything considered or voted on was done through the lens of advantage in the campaign. I supported DiNapoli.
Suozzi won, immediately passed important structural reforms to the county finances, and began running against Eliot Spitzer in the 2006 Democratic gubernatorial primary. Spitzer’s rise and dramatic fall are well chronicled elsewhere, but one thing from back then sticks in my mind. I recall being impressed with Suozzi’s authenticity in a debate against his now-notorious opponent. Asked about their position on the death penalty, Spitzer tried to come down on all sides of the issue, something about being generally against it unless certain circumstances prevailed, etc., etc. Suozzi simply shared that, as a Catholic, he was opposed to it. Spitzer won, and what came next happened. Turned out that Suozzi was right about Spitzer all along. Things were getting difficult in Nassau. Legislative seats flipped Democratic to Republican, and the recession hit swing areas particularly hard. Suozzi unexpectedly lost reelection. He then lost an attempt to win the seat back four years later. Three high-profile losses should have pushed anyone out of the difficult business of elected public service. Nobody would have blamed Tom Suozzi for graciously tipping his hat to the crowd as he walked off stage. At the risk of sounding hokey, those losses seem to have made Suozzi stronger. He’s deepened, gotten better, more patient, less glib. Without getting into detail, his time out of the spotlight also provided the opportunity to rid himself of the hangers-on and self-styled power
brokers who were always his biggest liability. He worked in municipal finance and media—typical, appropriate landing spots for former politicians. And, smartly, he stayed in touch with the local political class. Also in the restaurant business, Suozzi hosted regular conclaves of the famous, infamous and useful. When Steve Israel announced his retirement from Congress, in a manner I personally found cynical and self-serving, the former county executive and aspirant to the governor’s floor of the state capitol was well positioned to win a hotly contested primary and difficult general election. Politics is a long game that favors patience. Congressman Suozzi has learned this. Initial reports are that he’s taking the hard work of constituent service seriously, and is approaching legislating in a thoughtful way. He is a moderate in an increasingly polarized country and represents an important, diverse district. We can only wonder how far the new comeback kid can go.
PUBLISHER
Michael Tobman LAUNCH EDITOR
Michael Gareth Johnson EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
Sara Werden BUREAU CHIEF
Maxine Dovere COPY EDITOR
Marjorie Lipsky CONTRIBUTORS
Lucy Cohen Blatter Grace Wong DESIGN
LETTER7
CANDLE LIGHTING
Michael Tobman, Publisher
Friday, March 31 Candles 7:02 p.m. Shabbat ends 8:07 p.m. Friday, April 7 Candles 7:09 p.m. Shabbat ends 8:18 p.m.
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OUR CIVIC LIFE
FourQuestions
01 Are you better off now than you were four years ago? I would most certainly say that I am better off now than I was four years ago. Over the specified time period I had the great fortune to meet and marry the love of my life, Elana; start a dream job helping fight for our community as the eastern director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center; and watch so many more important milestones in my children’s lives. I can only hope that the next four years will continue to shower me and my family with such blessings.
02
MICHAEL D. COHEN
Eastern Director, Simon Wiesenthal Center
Have you ever been the target of discrimination? Unfortunately, anti-Semitism and the discrimination against our people is all too present in our lives. I clearly remember that day in September 2016 when I and other great leaders of New York’s Jewish community were testifying in favor of a New York City Council resolution condemning BDS. While policy-based opposition should be deemed an acceptable form of free-speech rights in any forum, being called a Jewish pig, Zionist filth and many other personal epithets on that day surely blew far past the line of acceptable protest.
03 What was the last television show you binge-watched? While I personally am a “West Wing” junkie, to keep peace in the home I dare not attempt to change the channel when my wife is watching “Grey’s Anatomy.”
04 What was your favorite vacation from your childhood? While we didn’t go on many vacations while I was growing up, there is one that clearly sticks out in my mind: our first family trip to Florida. It was my first flight on an airplane, which right away provides a level of excitement. We were living in a rented two-family-house apartment, so when my parents rented a townhouse, having two floors was something very new. Then we landed in Orlando the day before the first snow to hit in anyone’s recent memory. That followed our day in Disney World, which virtually came to a standstill as we all mourned the Challenger crew as the space shuttle exploded just a short distance away in Cape Canaveral. As we then traveled for the second leg of our journey to Miami, my three-year-old sister came down with a 106-degree fever, leaving us to spend time in hospital emergency rooms. While sounding like an overall calamity, it brought at that point the family closer together–and that is really what great family vacations are all about.
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AIPAC 2017
Policy Conference Focuses on Strengthening U.S. - Israeli Ties in an Uncertain Time BY MICHAEL TOBMAN
Times are uncertain. International affairs are more unsettled than they have been at any time since the end of the Cold War. Stateless terrorists have international reach. Cyberattacks with global ambitions impact national elections in Europe and America. Populist movements are roiling Western democracies, some with legitimate grievances and some motivated by virulent anti-Semitism and antiimmigrant hate. America is facing ongoing political and policy tumult from the election of its new inexperienced, bombastic president. Protests have overtaken more methodical community organizing. News outlets are simultaneously under attack and struggling with how to report on politicians who place no value on facts. Foreign economies dependent on oil revenue have faltered; some have collapsed altogether. Wars throughout the world feed instability. Trust in institutions and government is low. An inwardlooking, antiglobalist sentiment is taking hold here at home. Some prominent American civil rights movements historically linked to Jewish communities
have embraced dangerous allies and anti-Israel rhetoric. But there is AIPAC. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee has been a steadfast and steady presence in promoting the shared security of the United States and Israel. Its decades of work in Washington, in states, in coalition building, on college campuses and in presenting fact-based narratives has helped shape policy discussions for the better. AIPAC has been through chaos before—in America and in Israel—so we can count on it to help our communities navigate these choppy waters. Changes in administration in the United States and the hard facts around forging working coalitions in the Knesset—been there, done that. The U.S.-Israeli relationship defines much in both of our countries. It’s a vital partnership that requires nurturing, leadership development and constant attention. All of these were celebrated and advanced at the AIPAC Policy Conference 2017 in Washington, D.C. New York Jewish Life was there, and we’re pleased to bring back news of this important gathering.
“Never again do what we saw with resolution 2334 and make anyone question our support” for Israel. That comment from U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley—made on Monday at the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee conference—earned the warmest reception of any speaker. The Obama administration’s decision not to use its veto power to block a U.N. anti-settlement resolution in December angered many supporters of Israel. “We had just done something that showed the United States at its weakest ever,” Haley said of the resolution. “What I wanted to make sure of was that the United States was leading again,” Haley said. “I wear high heels. It’s not for a fashion statement; it’s because if I see something wrong I will kick it every single time.”
“I want to speak candidly for a second. These past eight years, they’ve been tough. Our friendship has been tested. No single political spat or public disagreement can sever our historic alliance with Israel, but it can erode trust, and I think the actions of this past administration damaged this trust. That’s just how I see it. But now, it is time to turn the page. We have a new president. We have a president who I’ve gotten to know quite well. And let me assure you right here and right now, President Donald Trump’s commitment to Israel is sacrosanct. Congress’ commitment to Israel is sacrosanct. We don’t take Israel for granted. We know that this special relationship is central to our national security. And believe me: that words must always be backed up with real concrete actions. That’s what I want to say to you here today.” —Rep. Paul Ryan, Speaker of the House
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AIPAC 2017
“I’m proud to say today America’s support for Israel’s security is at a record level and President Trump has made it absolutely clear our commitment to Israel’s defense is nonnegotiable, not now, not ever. In fact, my fellow Americans, we have a president who is already busy rebuilding our military, restoring the arsenal of democracy. And we will, once again, provide our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guard with the resources and training they need to accomplish their mission, protect our families and defend our allies.” —Vice President Mike Pence
“Thank you all for your tireless effort to ensure no matter what the relationship between the United States and Israel remains as durable as ever....We should not forget Moshe Sharett’s warning that Israel and its freedom will not survive if one day it forgets the veil of tears out of which it arose. It is for this reason that we must defend the Jewish state of Israel with such fervency. It is for this reason that I pledge to you today that as long as Hashem breathes air into my lungs I will fight to make Israel a safer, more secure, more prosperous nation.” —U.S. Senator Charles Schumer
“Ladies and gentlemen, as opposed to that other less exciting March Madness, the greatest thing about AIPAC’s policy conference is that we are all on the same team. Americans and Israelis, Democrats and Republicans, Likud and Labor and the other parties across the Israeli political spectrum, our team is committed to making the U.S.-Israel alliance stronger than ever.” —Ron Dermer, Israeli Ambassador to the United States
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AIPAC 2017
Approaching the New Administration BY MAXINE DOVERE
Some 15,000 delegates from many places, many generations and many backgrounds came to Washington to hear leaders and policymakers address their concerns about the relationship between America and Israel. They were not disappointed. In 2016, 18,000 deeply divided delegates listened to presentations by the long list of major presidential candidates. The audience response— walkouts, loud and vocal agreement or disagreement—forced then newly elected AIPAC President Lillian Pinkus to publicly apologize for her crowd’s actions. In 2017, the drama was far more subdued as Vice President Mike Pence greeted AIPAC 2017. The message he delivered was expected, predictable and pleasant to the AIPAC delegates returning to the Verizon Center. Clearly acting as surrogate for President Trump, the vice president
delivered a message the delegates openly approved. He promised a “nonnegotiable” commitment to Israel’s security, a review of the U.S. embassy’s location and reassurances of the “unbreakable” bond between the two allies. Pence, a devout Christian, has been to Israel several times, most recently with his family in 2014. He noted that, just over a month ago, he went to Dachau with his wife and daughter, where he had been as a young man and developed “lifelong empathy for the Jewish people.” During his 20-minute address, Pence praised President Donald Trump and highlighted anticipated actions on Israel’s behalf throughout his speech. He assured that the president is “investing in getting an agreement... and is committed to forming a lasting peace.”
Chloe Valdary is a pro-Israel activist who currently works at Jerusalem U.
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Former Congressman Steve Israel was one of many prominent former elected officials who attended AIPAC 2017.
He continued, again citing the chief executive, by saying, “President Trump will never compromise the safety and security of the Jewish State of Israel... Together, we will confront enemies who threaten all we hold dear.” Pe n c e r e i te r a te d Tr u m p ’ s “commitment to Israel’s defense,” saying it “is not negotiable, not now, not ever,” eliciting a strong positive response from the AIPAC audience. Waxing biblical, the vice president declared “enmity towards the Jewish people often turns from evil thought to evil action.” He noted that “we pray for the peace of Jerusalem” at home. Pence’s address set a tone that was echoed by many other speakers. AIPAC Director Howard Kohr took the stage at the Verizon Center to open the first evening session, and he faced an audience of delegates far more united than last year. Kohr focused on Israel’s value “as a barrier to a region on fire.” Kohr warned again of Iran’s “ability to, within 10 years,” acquire a nuclear weapon. He called for “increased pressure, diplomatic and economic,” and building a coalition against Iran. Throughout his—and every other— AIPAC presentation, the theme of Israel’s “ability to defend herself, by herself” was stressed. The value of military programs like Iron Dome, David’s Sling and the Arrow systems was lauded, as was the $38 billion memorandum of understanding signed by former U.S. President Barack Obama. Kohr cautioned that the MOU is not automatic, and reminded that we “need to continue making the case for the next decade; cooperation has been critical to defeat threats.” Kohr is effectively AIPAC’s chief
diplomat. He discussed changes in the Middle East policy, noted the energy cooperation between Israel and Jordan, and spoke of the “new and historic collaboration, public and private,” based on the shared threats from Iran and ISIS and benefits of economic and scientific cooperation. “The aim is to ultimately normalize relations with Israel, to encourage the Palestinians to negotiate directly with Israel,” Kohr said. He added that the ultimate goal is for “a Jewish state of Israel living side by side with a demilitarized Palestinian State.” The conference was also filled with many emotional moments. One involved Times of Israel editorin-chief David Horowitz, who led a conversation with the widow of fencing coach Andres Spitzer, one of the 11 Israeli athletes murdered in Munich in 1972. She has vowed “to tell the story and assure that it will not be forgotten,” seeking “just compensation from the German government for the 14 orphans who never knew their fathers.” Former Canadian Prime Minister Steven Harper was also a featured guest, delivering a message of commitment to Israel. “We have common threats and common values,” said Harper. “We have a simple choice: stand with Israel and against those threats or watch those threats come to our shores.” Harper also had harsh comments about the United Nations, calling it “the one body that includes all the good, the bad and the ugly,” a sentiment that was warmly received by the audience. Harper also spoke about the threats to the region, citing Iran, ISIS and the BDS movement, which he suggested was “perhaps the most serious” threat.
Israeli Leaders United on Iran
On the conference’s second day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Opposition Leader Isaac “Boogey” Herzog continued the theme of unity between the United States and Israel. Further highlighting the cooperation is the recent mission of Trump special envoy Jason Greenblatt to the Middle East, where he hosted a number of members of the Knesset of various positions at a Shabbat dinner prior to arriving at AIPAC.
AIPAC 2017
Agreement in the Middle East, as experience has taught, is elusive and hard to secure. During his presentation, Herzog told Jerusalem Post editor-inchief Yaakov Katz that he had put his career in jeopardy. “We have to present a position of hope to our young generations. We
Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt is the president of the Rabbinic Council of the Federations of North America.
need to be leaders and have to get the support of the president.” Herzog, acknowledging the U.S. commitment to the peace process and Israel’s security, spoke about his relationship with his political rival Prime Minister Netanyahu: “There is no daylight between the prime minister and me about Iran,” which he called “a strategic challenge.” He called the regime “a hungry lion that is contained but not out.” Herzog says many of Israel’s neighbors have now come to them to talk about the threat Iran poses to the entire region, not just Israel. “This is a rare moment that Israel can seize the moment to come to peace.” He summed up the obligations simply: “Above all, the relationship should be bipartisan. We must work deeply to strengthen the relationship of the young generation, to combat the BDS and be a beacon of democracy and freedom.”
Opinions Abound at AIPAC AIPAC Policy Conference 2017 offered attendees the opportunity to listen to a wide range of sometimes controversial, sometimes unusual, definitely opinionated speakers. Dr. Einat Wilf has a story to tell: It is the story of the right of the Jewish people to have a state of their own. The former member of Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, views this story through the idea of tribes. She says, “A universal and equal right granted to all people [is] a basic tribal concept.” Yet she feels the United States “does not respect the need of tribes,” which is a reason for much of the foreign policy problems America has with the Middle East. “Israel, however, continually seeks to give people a sense of belonging—a collective identity,” she concludes. This need, says the author of My Israel, Our Generation, is why it is necessary to designate Israel as the Jewish State. Noting that Theodor Herzl envisioned an Israel modeled after the French Republic—secular, rational and open with an inclusive Jewish faith— Wilf says that vision does not reflect today’s reality. “We argue about the definition of the Jewish State.…Israel is the one state in the world where we get to argue about what it means to be the Jewish State!” She concludes that the debate
is ongoing, and remains unwilling to forgo the idea of the Jewish State. “There is no reason for the Jewish Nation to forgo its rights to govern itself....Israel is a democracy literally because we have no choice—because we argue, we debate.” She adds that the Zionist movement “is the only way to give voice to all the components of what Israel is.” The very essence of Judaism “is brilliant in its ability to be constantly subject to interpretation of what being Jewish is,” Wilf said, adding that she continues to be committed to the cause of peace and two states for two people. But she is adamant that any agreement with the Palestinians must include recognition of Israel as a Jewish State.
Keep Friends Close, and Enemies... “Don’t overuse the term ‘antiSemitism,’” warns Ira Forman, the State Department special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism, appointed by President Obama. “Keep it bipartisan,” he continues. “We don’t deal with the problems unless we have a bipartisan solution.” With a note of resignation, Forman says the problem of anti-Semitism is not going to be solved soon, “not in your great great grandchildren’s lifetime. It’s been around for 2,300 years,” he exclaims. More hopefully, Forman believes that with diplomacy you can “turn the faucet down, not off in our generation,” adding that “there will be tremendous consequences if we don’t.” Members of the AIPAC breakout session asked Forman to comment on incidents of anti-Semitism in America, one specifically noting the vandalism of the St. Louis cemetery. “What should be the reaction to the Muslims who helped?” he was asked. Forman responded that this incident “is different from anti-Muslim racism. Each form of hatred is different, but all are related. If others are being targeted, we should not sleep well. [It] is a human rights problem, not a Jewish problem.” He said civil society as well as government must stand up to deal with this. Asked if he would accept the assistance of anyone who also promoted BDS, he answered simply: “I would not work with her,” he said, referencing Muslim American activist
Ira Forman
Linda Sarsour. “It’s very simple. Listen to what they say. If there is a history, be careful.” During the session, Forman also spoke about his concern over the rise of political anti-Semitism in Europe. He noted the hate-speech laws many European countries have and focused on Americans’ ability to use social pressure to combat hate. “It is important to take on the haters,” he said. “Social pressures are important. We must be careful, and ask ‘What am I doing to the local Jewish community when I call someone out as an anti-Semite?’” He went on to say, “The value judgment should be on how you can protect the Jewish community.” Forman also noted that one of the most important allies of the Jewish people is the Catholic Church. “That the Church is willing to speak out is worth its weight in gold.”
AIPAC attendee Lida Thompson said, “It was refreshing [that] America for the first time in a long time will not tolerate the human-rights atrocities taking place around the world. Israel is beautiful, a very diverse society.”
Dr. Einat Wilf
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Verónica Zaragovia’s family at a Passover seder in Miami
¡Ay Vey! NPR TO AIR HOUR-LONG SHOW ABOUT BEING JEWISH AND LATINO BY LUCY COHEN BLATTER
On the fourth day of Passover, “¡Ay Vey! Being Jewish and Latino” will air on NPR channels across the country. The hour-long show, which is part of a series called “Latino USA,” covers topics including how large Eastern European Jewish communities ended up in countries like Argentina and Colombia; how the Jewish Latin Center in New York has become a home away from home for Latin Jews; how one young woman from Berkeley felt growing up of mixed race (her father Hispanic, her mother Jewish); as well as an exploration of Ladino, a Judeo-Spanish language. The episode first aired in December 2015. “It made a huge splash,” said Marlon Bishop, producer of “Latino USA.” Bishop said his personal favorite segment of the show was the one in which
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one of its reporters, Debbie Nathan, followed a group of Hispanic children in Borough Park as they set out to meet their Hasidic neighbors. “She brought these two very different groups together, and they got to learn from each other,” he said. Bishop said that when they decided to do an episode focusing on the intersection of Jewish and Latino culture, they knew they wanted to look at it from various angles. “There’s the Latino/Jewish experience of mixed families; there are the experiences of Jewish communities that have been in Latin America for hundreds of years. And of course, the Ladino language itself is a powerful reminder of shared history,” he said. The goal of “Latino USA,” according to Bishop, is “to tell Latino stories, but we want to do it in ways that are not obvious, and ways that highlight the diversity of the Latino experience.” He concluded that the idea is to surprise people “and to bring voices that aren’t generally heard on public radio…. We want to create a space for voices that simply don’t get heard otherwise.”
IN OUR COMMUNITY
COSMOS KICK INTO BROOKLYN
2017 North American Soccer League (NASL) season. The club’s NASL home opener against Miami FC at MCU Park on Saturday, April 1, will be broadcast on Tribune Media’s flagship New York station WPIX, Channel 11. PIX11 has a long history of televising many of the New York area’s most popular sporting events. This special occasion is not only the season debut for the team at its new home in Brooklyn, but also marks the first time the Cosmos will play live on broadcast television in more than 30 years.
Cosmos at MCU Park April 1 at 7pm vs. Miami FC April 22 at 7pm vs. Jacksonville Armada FC May 13 at 7pm vs. Puerto Rico FC May 21 at 5pm vs. FC Edmonton May 27 at 7pm vs. San Francisco Deltas FC June 9 at 7:30pm vs. North Carolina FC June 16 at 7:30pm vs. Puerto Rico FC
BY STAFF
The famed New York Cosmos soccer team with legendary players like Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and Carlos Alberto has moved back to New York City, announcing that it will play its home games at MCU Park in Coney Island this season. The team was founded in 1971, when it played its home games at Yankee Stadium. For the first time in 41 years it will call the five boroughs home when it kicks off its home opener on April 1, which will also be televised on PIX11. At a recent media day event that took place at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge, the teams players and owners spoke about the excitement of playing in Brooklyn. On hand was New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) President James Patchett, who delivered remarks on behalf of Mayor Bill de Blasio welcoming the Cosmos to Brooklyn. At the media day, the team also announced a lucrative new partnership with Inaria, a leading sports- and active-wear company that will make the Cosmos custom kits through the 2017 season. The products feature fast-drying technology. “The New York Cosmos is a storied American club, inspiring tons of fans across the country, so we are
thrilled to begin our partnership,” said Inaria managing partner Saverio Michielli. “New opportunities don’t typically come together this close to the season, and we can’t wait to share the kits with the fans.” “We are excited to team up with Inaria, as they will offer new and vibrant gear alternatives to the Cosmos,” said New York Cosmos Chief Operating Officer Erik Stover. “This partnership speaks highly of the new direction the club is moving to and we look forward to growing our partnership.” Also creating buzz is the increased television presence. The majority of Cosmos home games will be broadcast on PIX11 and MSG. “Television is a critically important piece to building and sustaining a successful professional sports brand,” said Stover. “With WPIX and MSG, we have found two exceptional partners to help bring the fun and excitement of Cosmos’ games to millions of homes in the New York metropolitan area.” Additionally, many Cosmos games will be available on national television as part of a deal with the North American Soccer League. The New York Cosmos announced the local television schedule for the spring portion of the club’s
MSG Networks, an industry leader in sports television content production and development, will kick off its Cosmos coverage during a match against Miami FC at FIU Stadium in Miami on Saturday, April 8. MSG Networks will carry a total of 13 of the club’s games during the spring season, adding the Cosmos to a robust TV lineup that includes the NBA’s Knicks; the NHL’s Rangers, Devils, Islanders and Sabres (Western New York); the WNBA’s New York Liberty; and MLS’s Red Bulls. “Television is a critically important piece to building and sustaining a successful professional sports brand,” said Cosmos’ Chief Operating Officer Erik Stover. “With WPIX and MSG, we have found two exceptional partners to help bring the fun and excitement of Cosmos’ games to millions of homes in the New York metropolitan area.” “PIX11 is ‘New York’s Very Own’ and committed to bringing the best news, entertainment and sports to our viewers, and we’re thrilled to partner with the iconic Cosmos for their eagerly anticipated return to New York broadcast television,” said Tribune Broadcasting’s senior vice president of Group Operations, Greg Easterly. “MSG Networks is proud to be the regional home of Cosmos soccer,” said MSG Networks’ vice president of Content Distribution and Affiliate Partnerships, Armando Polanco. “It’s a new era for the legendary American club, and we are excited to watch the Cosmos defend their NASL title.” In addition to the regional coverage on WPIX and MSG Networks, a number of Cosmos games will be available through the national television deal expected to be announced by the NASL next week. The Cosmos’ local television schedule for the fall season will be announced later in the year.
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“They arrived in a state of shock, totally traumatized. They were forced to abandon everything they owned and had to rebuild their lives with whatever little they could scrape together.” —Eva Zelig, Filmmaker
Aron, a lawyer in Germany who took up cattle farming after arriving in Ecuador. The Arons flirted with disaster when the cattle they purchased died, unable to survive the harshness of the Amazon jungle. It wasn’t until the locals advised the Arons to purchase a more suitable breed of cattle that they were able to continue the fledgling business. But it was little more than subsistence farming that included butter- and cheese-making along with some weave-making to sustain the family. “Some did better than others,” said Zelig, whose documentary records many of the oral histories as recalled with remarkable clarity by the children of A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT JEWS OF ECUADOR the refugees. “Some were fortunate they were able to manage farms of very wealthy Ecuadorians, but there were many who could not make a go of it and lost almost everything they put in.” BY GRACE WONG From the opening sequence of the film, it is clear that this is It was a reunion of the JOEs that initially sparked an intensely personal the idea for filmmaker Eva Zelig. “JOEs” stands for experience for Zelig. “Jews of Ecuador,” and they were planning a reunion Haunting images of in the port city of Guayaquil in 2010. With little but her family members, an idea and a thirst to learn more about the people including children with whom she shared a bond, Zelig returned to the who perished during country of her birth and started filming. the Holocaust, have That was the beginning of “An Unknown Country,” Zelig in the unusual the documentary film that captures the experience position of appearing of a group of European Jews who fled to Ecuador to before the camera as that there was no pier at which large escape the Nazis and the genocide sweeping Eastern well as behind it. It Four thousand Jews fleeing WWII passenger ships could dock. The refugees Europe just before the outbreak of World War II. found their way to Ecuador. was one of the many had to disembark and board small boats Ecuador was an unlikely destination for many challenges she faced, that took them inland. The Jews who were reasons: Few in the group had even heard of it, and but lending her voice admitted to the country were restricted they knew little of its culture, climate or language. to the film inspired to working in industry or agriculture. For But families were desperate and options were quickly many of the new settlers it was far from the life they others to share their personal stories, resulting in disappearing. Countries were either sealing their some raw emotional moments in the film. had known in the urban neighborhoods of Europe. borders or, like the United States, were initiating Another challenge was raising money to make the Zelig shares her own childhood memory of a fire quotas for refugees. Through word of mouth, Zelig’s that destroyed her family’s restaurant in Guayaquil. film, a campaign that took the better part of five years. parents learned that Ecuador was issuing visas. They, The tragedy claimed their livelihood; her father was Zelig raised her entire budget through crowdfunding. along with 4,000 other Jews, found their way to the “It was nerve-racking and a lot of pressure,” she jailed without a trial and falsely accused of torching sleepy developing country that would become home. the business to collect the insurance money. Zelig’s said. “They arrived in a state of shock, totally There were times when she wasn’t sure she could story is compelling, but it was the diverse experiences traumatized,” said Zelig. “They were forced to of fellow exiles that was the real impetus for Zelig to finish the film, but in the end it was the exiles sharing abandon everything they owned and had to rebuild her desire to publish this little-known chapter of make the film. their lives with whatever little they could scrape “There was so much suffering, yet these people history that helped push her project to the finish line. together.” WNET Channel 13 will broadcast “An Unknown managed to make something meaningful out of their At the time, the country was so underdeveloped lives,” said Zelig, who recalls the story of Werner Country.” An airdate has yet to be announced.
An Unknown Country
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YeshivaMemories I have bittersweet memories about my time in elementary school. I learned a lot, made some very good friends there and had some great times, but it taught me a lot of the different approaches to education and discipline. There were teachers who took us on educational outings and really made learning a pleasure, including a certain Mrs. Klaven, an older woman who taught second grade and was everyone’s bubby. Thirty-one years later, and I remember her fondly. There were also certain rabbis who constantly were trying to improve on their disciplinary methods. Whether it was punishing students by forcing them under the rabbi’s desk, marking “Xs” on their faces or good, old-fashioned corporal punishment, the varieties of discipline were plentiful. Ultimately, my elementary school was closed down due to dwindling enrollment. While I think that the Orthodox Jewish world is better for it, the small nook in Forest Hills that it occupied will always be a memory for me and the other alumni.
JEFF LEB Ohr Yisrael Forest Hills, Queens
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OUR WORLD
Twitter Tops Social Media Outlet for Most Anti-Semitic Content, According to World Jewish Congress Report
Deeply Divided Senate Confirms David Friedman as Envoy to Israel BY RON KAMPEAS
(JTA)—The U.S. Senate confirmed David Friedman as ambassador to Israel last Thursday. A confidant of President Donald Trump and a Long Island native, Friedman outraged some Jewish groups with his broadsides against liberal Jews, leading to a 52-46 vote that hewed mostly to party lines. Only two Democrats—Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey and Sen. Joseph Manchin of West Virginia—backed the nomination among the 48 senators who caucus with the party. Friedman, a longtime Trump lawyer who is heavily invested philanthropically in the settlement movement, had derided liberal Jews in columns and elsewhere over the years. He once called those associated with the Anti-Defamation League “morons” for their concerns about intimations of anti-Semitism in Trump’s rhetoric, and assailed J Street, the Middle East policy group, as “worse than kapos,” the Jewish Nazi collaborators. A range of liberal Jewish groups, including J Street and the Reform movement, had opposed Friedman’s nomination, and J Street led a lobbying charge against him. Republicans saw it as key to show that Friedman had some Democratic support. Christians United for Israel and the Republican Jewish Coalition, among other conservative pro-Israel groups, lobbied for Friedman, specifically targeting some Democrats in states that tilt Republican.
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The effort does not appear to have been successful, except with Manchin. Among those opposing Friedman in the vote were Jon Tester of Montana, Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota. Menendez, who is in a strongly Democratic state, takes a posture on Israel unusually hawkish for his party. “The RJC [Republican Jewish Coalition] is proud of our efforts supporting Mr. Friedman’s nomination,” the group said in a statement. “Along with running digital ads in the home states of Democratic senators, we were able to connect thousands of pro-Israel Americans with their senators so as to express their support for Mr. Friedman’s nomination.” Christians United for Israel (CUFI) said Friedman, who has said that one state should not be counted out as a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was unfairly targeted for these positions, but did not mention in a statement the principal complaint against Friedman—his use of abusive language. Friedman said at confirmation hearings that he regretted using such language. “We were determined to ensure that this good and qualified man was not derailed by opponents raising an unprecedented ‘but we don’t agree with him on policy’ standard,” CUFI said. J Street in its statement portrayed the almost partyline vote as a victory. “Senators responded to the concerns of the former ambassadors to Israel, Holocaust survivors and scholars, hundreds of rabbis and tens of thousands of American Jews who rallied to oppose this nomination,” it said.
(JTA) — Twitter emerged as the social network with the most anti-Semitic content in a comprehensive analysis. The study of the prevalence of hatred toward Jews on such platforms, commissioned by the World Jewish Congress and published this week, was conducted throughout 2016. Nearly two-thirds of the 382,000 posts deemed anti-Semitic in the study appeared on Twitter, followed by 11 percent posted on Facebook, 6 percent on Instagram and 2 percent on YouTube. The posts were in various languages, according to the survey performed by the Israeli monitoring firm Vigo. The study applied the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of anti-Semitism in determining which content to include in the report, the World Jewish Congress wrote in a statement about the report. “We knew that anti-Semitism online was on the rise, but the numbers revealed in this report give us concrete data as to how alarming the situation really is,” said the group’s CEO, Robert Singer. “We hope this serves as a wake-up call to all internet forums to maintain moral standards, rid themselves of offensive content and make the digital world a safer place for all.” In June, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Microsoft signed a code of conduct with the European Commission that requires them to delete the majority of reported illegal hate speech within 24 hours. The signing of the accord was hailed as major progress toward reconciling U.S.-based social networks’ adherence to American legislation despite demands by European governments and judiciaries that the firms limit themselves in Europe to the stricter laws on hate speech applied in much of the continent. Monitor groups have reported failures to comply after the document’s signing. Twitter has been particularly reluctant to comply with European legislation. In 2013 Twitter lost a protracted legal battle in France over its initial refusal either to disclose details of users who made anti-Semitic statements online or to block them for continuing to do so. The survey’s publication coincided with reports in Poland about the desecration of a cemetery of Soviet soldiers in Warsaw by vandals who spray-painted a Star of David emblazoned with a Nazi swastika inside the burial ground. Police are investigating the incident, the news site Ruptfly reported.
OUR NATION
Jewish Bomb-Threat Suspect Undermines Groups’ Narrative on Anti-Semitism BY BEN SALES
NEW YORK (JTA) — Many Jewish groups blamed white supremacists, emboldened by Donald Trump’s campaign, for the bomb threats that have plagued Jewish institutions since the beginning of this year. It appears the groups were wrong. The news that one Jewish teen—an Israeli, no less—was behind most of the approximately 150 bomb threats that have hit Jewish community centers since the start of 2017 is a shocking twist in light of months in which the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and other groups pointed their collective finger at the far right. “We’re in unprecedented times,” said Oren Segal, director of the ADL’s Center on Extremism, at a March 10 news conference on the bomb threats. “We’ve never seen, ever, the volume of bomb threats that we’ve seen. White supremacists in this country feel more emboldened than they ever have before because of the public discourse and divisive rhetoric.” The ADL has repeatedly charged Trump with emboldening extremists, anti-Semites and far-right groups in the United States. Other groups were even more explicit in linking rising anti-Semitic acts this year to the new president. On Jan. 10, following the first wave of JCC bomb threats, Bend the Arc, a liberal Jewish group, said that “Trump helped to create the atmosphere of bigotry and violence that has resulted in these dangerous threats against Jewish institutions and individuals.” In February, the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect said in a statement to Trump that “rightly or wrongly, the most vicious anti-Semites in America are looking at you and your administration as a nationalistic movement granting them permission to attack Jews.” While his political opinions are not known, the perpetrator of the anti-Semitic acts does not fit the profile of a white supremacist. According to Israeli reports, he’s a mentally ill Israeli American Jewish teenager.
He worked from home, using a computer lab with sophisticated equipment, encryption and transmission systems, and a powerful antenna, according to reports. And his father may have known what he was doing. Israel’s antifraud squad arrested the 19-year-old suspect at his home in southern Israel and searched the premises on Thursday. He was brought to court and ordered held until March 30. The other suspect in the bomb threats, arrested earlier in March, also does not appear connected to the far right. He is a left-wing African American former journalist who apparently made the calls because of a convoluted vendetta against a former romantic partner. ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt told the JTA on Thursday that the organization stands by its prognosis of a surge in anti-Semitism and hatred in the United States since the campaign. Aside from the JCC bombings, Greenblatt pointed to a range of other hateful activities tied to white supremacists, from abuse of journalists on Twitter and harassment of Jews in Whitefish, Montana, to the plot of a South Carolina man to perpetrate a mass shooting at a synagogue. “The impact is still the same: You’ve got children, families, the elderly, teens and others who have been terrorized by these attacks,” Greenblatt said. “We’ve seen rising levels of bigotry in ways that are brand new. The emergence of the ‘alt right’ and the rising levels of abuse they perpetrated during the campaign against Jews and other minorities is despicable.” A spokesperson for the Anne Frank Center, a small group whose profile has risen in part due to the attention surrounding the JCC threats, said in a statement Thursday that “it doesn’t matter where any suspect is from or what his or her background is.” Bend the Arc CEO Stosh Cotler said in a statement, “Violence and threats of violence, whoever or wherever they come from, are unacceptable and cannot be tolerated.”
The JCC Association of North America said it was “troubled” by the news that the suspect is Jewish, while the Jewish Federations of North America called the news “heartbreaking.” Greenblatt and Paul Goldenberg, director of the Secure Community Network, which advises Jewish groups and institutions on security, both said the suspect’s age and location were less relevant than the fact that someone has been caught for making the threats. “What is relevant is that an individual or individuals were placed into custody who were engaged in or involved in criminal behavior, who were looking to terrorize our community,” Goldenberg said. “I do understand why people may have believed that this was part of a larger effort.” For longtime observers of anti-Semitism, the news showed the need to be cautious when analyzing hateful acts. Former ADL National Director Abraham Foxman, who has previously called for cooler heads in responding to recent hateful acts, said Thursday that the arrest shows the pitfalls of making assumptions. “Always take these things seriously, but don’t jump to conclusions,” Foxman told the JTA. “History has taught us the source of anti-Semitism does not come from one direction. It’s universal in its nature….I think it is on the increase, but it’s not in epidemic proportions.” Jonathan Sarna, a professor of American Jewish History at Brandeis University, noted that this isn’t the first time that Jews have committed anti-Semitic acts. In 1989, the former president of the Jewish Student Union at the State University of New York at Binghamton was charged with painting anti-Semitic slogans on campus. “It is a reminder that we have to be very careful before we talk about a whole wave of anti-Semitism,” Sarna said. “Something like this will surely make everybody a little embarrassed as Jews, but also embarrassed in the sense that it’s not what people imagined it would turn out to be.” Sarna added that this incident shows Jews may not be as hated in America as it may have seemed. He cited a recent study by the Pew Research Center showing Jews to be the most popular religious group in America. “It’s good to take a middle ground,” he said. “Yes, there are people who hate Jews, but we’re not seeing stormtroopers at the gate.” Still, Sarna and Foxman noted the string of other anti-Semitic acts recently—the cemetery desecrations and swastika graffiti, as well as a deluge of anti-Semitic harassment on Twitter last year. Because anti-Semitic acts, beyond the JCC threats, remain frequent in the United States, Foxman does not believe that Thursday’s arrest will lead to anyone’s downplaying of future acts of anti-Semitism. “It’s there,” Foxman said of anti-Semitism. “So there’s one guy who, whatever his problem was, that doesn’t change the fact that every day there are incidents of anti-Semitism in this country.”
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Cody Decker of Team Israel holding team mascot the Mensch on a Bench after the World Baseball Classic game against the Netherlands in Seoul, South Korea CHUNG SUNG-JUN/GETTY IMAGES
Team Israel Baseball Gear a Home Run With Kvelling American Jewish Fans BY ANDREW TOBIN
(JTA) — A couple of weeks ago, Adam Atkins didn’t know Israel had a baseball team. But since the squad started winning games last week in the World Baseball Classic (WBC), he has become a fan. Atkins and his friends wanted team caps, but were frustrated to discover they were sold out online. “The only thing available was a youth size, and I considered if my head was small enough to fit! That’s how bad I want a hat,” Atkins, a 33-year-old renewableenergy consultant based in New York, told the JTA. Israeli baseball “is definitely in the air.” Team Israel’s improbable five-game run in the international tournament has many American Jews kvelling and looking to purchase a piece of their people’s baseball history. The supply of official caps has since been reupped and expanded, and the team’s “Jew Crew” T-shirts worn off the field are a mini-sensation.
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“I think the league probably underestimated the number of American Jews who would be interested in merchandise,” Steve Adler, who owns the company that makes the Jew Crew shirts, told the JTA. “You can’t really blame them. Who could have predicted this?” Israel was the lowest-ranked team to qualify for the WBC, coming in at 41st. Yet the club, with seven former major-league players and 20 minor leaguers, started the tournament by beating third-ranked South Korea, fourth-ranked Taiwan and ninth-ranked the Netherlands to win its pool in the first round and become the only team to come out of the qualifying round and go undefeated. In the second round, Israel beat fifth-ranked Cuba before losing badly in a rematch with the Netherlands. Before each game, the players removed their caps
for Israel’s national anthem, “Hatikvah,” revealing matching kippahs in the process. Both head-coverings feature Israeli flag colors: royal blue embroidered in white with the team’s logo, a stylized Star of David with an “I” in the middle. The kippahs were sold out at the height of the team’s success. Another Judaism-related option for fans is a life-size stuffed “Mensch on a Bench,” whom Team Israel has adopted as its mascot. The toy, based on a character from a children’s Hanukkah book, is still on sale. Major League Baseball’s vice president of business public relations, Matt Bourne, told the JTA that the Israel cap has outsold those of all the other teams in the WBC with the exception of the United States. The Jew Crew T-shirts are in demand as well. Adler, the owner of America’s Finest Apparel, said he had sold hundreds of shirts since the team started winning. There was a big spike after ESPN’s Darren Rovell tweeted an image of Cody Decker, an outfielder and designated hitter for the team and a member of the Milwaukee Brewers, wearing one at a news conference. “After Rovell’s tweet, we went from selling one or two a day to being backordered,” Adler said. “We’ve sold hundreds at this point.” He said most of the orders have come from the American Northeast, with a few from Canada and that of one “very persistent” American woman requesting a shirt from Israel. In response to requests, the company has rolled out new styles, including ones for women and children. “We didn’t do this to make money, but more as a favor to Cody [Decker] and of course Team Israel,” said Adler, who is friends with some of the players. “The amazing thing is that these guys aren’t even Israeli for the most part. They’re American Jews who are playing for a culture, not just a country. It’s easy to get caught up in the love affair of that.” Nearly all the Israeli players are American Jews. According to WBC rules, a player may compete for a country if he is eligible for citizenship under its laws. The grandchild of a Jew and that grandchild’s spouse have the right to become Israeli citizens. Many members of Israel’s small baseball community also have American backgrounds. Otherwise, the sport is little watched or played in the country, which has just three baseball-specific fields and about 1,000 active players. And Team Israel’s success has not changed that. Although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week tweeted his support for the team, the games have not been broadcast on Israel’s sports channel and have received only passing mention in the Hebrew media. Asked on the radio whether she would be attending the game in South Korea, Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev sounded confused and said, “Obviously, [baseball] is not one of the preferred fields we invest in.” Adler said he will donate a portion of the proceeds from the Jew Crew shirts to a Jewish National Fund project to promote baseball in Israel. “For people who are watching the team with a lot of pride, it’s gonna be perfect,” he said. “It’s not necessarily something you’d expect to see from a gritty little Jewish baseball team.”
German Concentration Camps Factual Survey features footage from Allied troops in 1944 and 1945
History Needs a Hand ACCLAIMED FILM FORCED HOLOCAUST TRUTH ON AN UNBELIEVING POST WAR EUROPE, NOW SEEKS PARTNERSHIPS
BY STAFF
Jane Wells is a documentary filmmaker and founder of 3 Generations
Documentary filmmaker Jane Wells, founder of 3 Generations, a nonprofit that documents stories of human-rights abuses through film, is looking for partners to help spread the word about “German Concentration Camps Factual Survey,” a featurelength documentary film intended to definitively refute potential denials of the extent of the brutality in Nazi death camps during the Holocaust. Commissioned by the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force and produced by Wells’ father, the late filmmaker Sidney Bernstein, the film had an unfinished cut that was screened only once in September 1945 and was actively suppressed by the British government from that point on. Wells now holds the theatrical and nontheatrical screening rights to “German Concentration Camps Factual Survey” for North America and Puerto Rico, and is
exploring educational partnerships to begin screening the film at universities and community organizations across the United States. Many may recognize the film from footage shown in the 2014 documentary “Night Will Fall,” directed by Andre Singer and narrated by Helena Bonham Carter. With guidance from Alfred Hitchcock, “German Concentration Camps Factual Survey” consists of six reels of footage shot in 1944 and 1945 as Allied troops liberated Nazi-occupied Europe. Distributed by 3 Generations, the film provides shocking, uncensored images of the atrocities committed by the Nazi regime during the Holocaust. Intended to be shown to German prisoners of war in Germany after the fall of the Third Reich, production on “German Concentration Camps Factual Survey” was halted due to a change in the British government’s postwar priorities. In 1952, Britain’s Imperial War Museum inherited the silent rough cut of “German Concentration Camps Factual Survey,” along with 100 compilation reels of unedited footage, a script for the voice-over commentary and a detailed shot list for the complete film. A version of this film, known as “Memory of the Camps,” was shown at the Berlin Film Festival in 1984 and broadcast in 1985 on Frontline, part of the WGBH Boston PBS network. The work to restore and complete the final film began in December 2008. It was completed and released in full at the 2014 Berlin International Film Festival. The original commentary has been re-recorded with the voice of actor Jasper Britton and a created effects track, blending the existing synch sound recordings made at Belsen with authentic Army Film and Photographic Unit recordings made on the battlefields of North West Europe (1944-’45). The film achieved its first theatrical run in North America from Jan. 6 to Jan. 12, 2017, at Cinema Village in New York City. Institutions or individuals interested in partnering with Wells can reach her at info@3generations.org .
MARCH 29 – APRIL 4, 2017 | NYJLIFE.COM | 19
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OPINION
Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner James O’Neill visit the JCC of Staten Island earlier this month to meet with Jewish community leaders and discuss the increase in anti-Semitic incidents in New York City ED REED/MAYORAL PHOTOGRAPHY OFFICE
Bipartisan Effort Underway to Assist Jewish Community Centers Against Threats BY JEFFREY M. WICE
A bipartisan effort is underway to increase federal funding for security programs designed to help protect Jewish community centers and other religious institutions across the country at the same time as the Trump administration is proposing cuts in homeland security protection grants. A March 9th letter to U.S. Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) and 16 other senators, asked for an increase of $30 million to help build and maintain “target hardening” infrastructure to protect religiously identified and atrisk nonprofit institutions. “In just the last few months, there has been a clear and painful rise in explicit acts of hate,” said Sen. Gillibrand, who is leading the effort. “Fully funding the Nonprofit Security Grant Program through the Department of Homeland Security would help provide the resources necessary to prevent and protect against these acts of violence and keep our
22 | NYJLIFE.COM | MARCH 29 – APRIL 4, 2017
institutions safe. I will keep fighting in the Senate to secure federal funding for our houses of worship and community organizations because New Yorkers shouldn’t have to live or worship in fear.” Last month, dozens of gravestones at the Chesed Shel Emeth Jewish Cemetery in the St. Louis area were toppled. Sen. Blunt said that “racism and antiSemitism have no place in our society. The terrible events in St. Louis and around the nation continue to strengthen our collective resolve to protect and defend the rights of every individual and every faith. It is imperative that the Department of Homeland Security provide the resources necessary to respond to these growing threats and to keep our communities safe.” In their joint letter, the senators wrote, “At a time when children are being evacuated from daycare centers to repeated bomb threats and mosques are deliberately being set on fire, we must ensure that all organizations that face these threats have the support they need. It is simply unacceptable to not act.” First funded in 2005 with broad bipartisan support,
the Homeland Security target-hardening grants have funded efforts by nonprofit organizations, religious groups and community centers to deal with threats to at-risk nonprofit institutions, including protection against explosive devices, arson, active shooters, assassination/kidnapping, chemical/biological agents and cyberattacks. The grants have reportedly helped improve security and cover costs for the installation of access controls, barriers, blast-proofing, monitoring and surveillance capability, and cybersecurity enhancements to meet growing threats. Community leaders point out that current funding has not been sufficient to assist all sites seeking enhanced security. New York Jewish Community Relations Council Associate Executive Director David M. Pollock explains, “In 2016 the Nonprofit Security Grant Program distributed $20 million to at-risk nonprofits across the country. New York applicants received a little more than one quarter of the grants nationwide, but only 70 of the 198 applicants were successful.” The shortfall in target-hardening funding comes at a time of reported increases in bomb threats to Jewish communal institutions. William J. Daroff, senior vice president for Public Policy and director of the Washington Office of the Jewish Federations of North America, recently told a congressional subcommittee, “The Southern Poverty Law Center reported that the number of hate groups in the United States rose in 2016 from 892 to 917, and that the majority of these groups are anti-Semitic. Since January 1st, at least 116 Jewish communal institutions, including community centers, schools, places of worship and others, have received more than 160 bomb threats in 39 states.” President Trump’s FY 2018 budget proposal did not include any funding increase for the nonprofit targethardening grant program. Instead, the administration proposed combining funds for nonprofit protection into a larger federal emergency-preparedness fund to be disbursed to the states. The administration also proposed slashing funding for homeland security preparedness grants, cuts that could hit New York City particularly hard. NYPD Commissioner James P. O’Neill warned that the president’s budget proposal would “completely cut state and local grant funding under Homeland Security by nearly $700 million nationwide. Included in that is roughly $110 million the NYPD receives annually as part of the Homeland Security Grant Program.” According to the commissioner, “Under the president’s proposal, nearly all federal funding to the NYPD would be eradicated. This funding is absolutely critical. It is the backbone of our entire counterterrorism apparatus.” This fight for federal budget funding for FY 2018 is just getting underway. New York U.S. Sen. (and Democratic Leader) Charles E. Schumer told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA) that “at a time when perpetrators are terrorizing the Jewish community across the country, even here in New York, it makes no sense to slash FEMA’s Nonprofit Security Grant Program; we should be putting more money into terrorism prevention for at-risk nonprofits, not less.”
OPINION
Work Smarter, Not Harder BY JENNY MAENPAA
The Pareto Principle, otherwise known as the 80/20 rule, states that for many events, 80 percent of the effects come from 20 percent of the causes. In other words, if you can home in on the most effective 20 percent of your efforts in any area of your life, you can minimize your efforts and maximize your results. The principle applies in business, economics, personal relationships, health, fitness— basically any area where you expend energy to achieve any kind of outcome. Don’t believe me? Let’s look at some examples. Fo r many organizations, around 20 percent of employees account for 80 percent of productivity; 20 percent of customers are responsible for 80 percent of many companies’ sales; 20 percent of the world’s population today controls 80 percent of the wealth. You probably have dozens of friends and acquaintances, but regularly spend time with the 20 percent who bring you the most joy. You spend most of your money on a few big expenses like housing, food and transportation. So what does this mean for you? It means that you can “work smarter, not harder” and maximize your output. In your life, there are certain activities you can do (20 percent) that will account for the majority (80 percent) of your satisfaction. Once you know on which 20 percent you should be focusing, you can create goals and accountability plans for yourself. Start by setting a SMART goal for yourself: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Resultsfocused, Time-bound. It should be both ambitious and feasible—a stretch but not an impossibility.
A simple example is the goal of a casual jogger to run a marathon. It’s specific because it’s a marathon, which is 26.2 miles. It’s measurable because that distance is exact. It’s achievable because this person already runs sometimes. It’s results-focused because it will be a race run on one specific day, with others holding the runner accountable. And it’s time-bound because the runner will sign up for a race with a time and date attached. Here’s where the 80/20 rule comes in. If the runner sets her SMART goal to run a marathon, she may think, “I already run three miles three times per week. I will just slowly increase that until I can run 26.2 miles.” She may do that for months and not see results. So she changes her plan to increase muscle tone in her legs and begins weight-training at the gym. After a few months of that, she sees increased definition but still isn’t running close to 26.2 miles. Next, she changes her dietary habits, and so on and so forth. These are all examples of the 80 percent of energy that is having absolutely no effect on her goals. It feels like she’s working so much harder but seeing no results. She may finally discover a running program online, in a group or with a coach that teaches her the specific strategies she needs to run a marathon. She runs a few times a week instead of every day, learning more about rest days and intermittent training. Focusing her energy on this running plan, she starts to increase her distance and decrease her time. Before she knows it, she’s crushing this marathon. Apply this principle to your own life and soon you will be crushing it too!
MARCH 29 – APRIL 4, 2017 | NYJLIFE.COM | 23
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