Swedish police say they are working to ensure Jews’ safety in Sweden
Sweden’s Southern District Police Chief Carina Persson and the head of the department’s investigations division, Petra Stenkula, have responded to World Jewish Congress CEO and Executive Vice President Robert Singer’s letter of concern condemning an arson attack that targeted a Jewish woman near Malmo last week.
The police officials told Singer that they were aware of the “critical social consequences regarding hate crimes, and in this case, a crime caused by antisemitism” and underscored that “antisemitism is unacceptable, and we’re doing a lot of good work to ensure that our Jewish community in Sweden won’t be a targeted community.”
Personn and Stenkula also assured Singer that the police department is working in cooperation with Jewish security groups in Malmo and nearby Copenhagen, and that it looks seriously upon the “experienced fear that the Jewish members of our community are living through.” They also emphasized that in light of the recent incidents, security and supervision has been “tightened and strengthened” in the region.
“We will of course continue our efforts to increase our Jewish citizens’ perceived safety, and our cooperation with the local and regional Jewish security organizations will continue to be prioritized,” wrote the police officials.
In Singer’s letter dated 10 October, the WJC CEO wrote that “hate crimes of any sort are completely unacceptable and undermine the critical values of democracy and tolerance upon which Swedish society is built. It is incumbent upon the Swedish authorities to make this crystal clear and to do everything in their power to prevent such attacks from happening again, and to ensure the security and well-being of every citizen.”
Singer also stressed in his letter that Antisemitism is not just a Jewish issue. The antisemitism of today will inevitably spiral to target other vulnerable minorities and have a damaging impact on all of society.” – From World Jewish Congress
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ZOA plans to memorialize Ari Fuld during Challah Bake observances at the Lawrence Family JCC
San Diego ZOA will have a table memorializing prominent Israeli Zionist Ari Fuld who was murdered by a Palestinian terrorist with a knife on September 16. This will be at the JCC’s Challah Bake, 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla, CA, on Thursday October 25, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Ari Fuld was an active Zionist speaker and commentator who made Aliyah from Queens, NY and who was well known to much of the ZOA leadership. The national ZOA organization will memorialize him at ZOA’s annual
fundraising dinner November 4 in New York City..
The Challah Bake is a pre-event for San Diego Shabbat, which is the local version of a worldwide Shabbat experience. This year it will be held Friday-Saturday October 26-27. It is an occasion to immerse oneself in Shabbat activities/observance including meals at synagogues and homes, Challah Bakes at multiple locations, and the Unity Havdalah Concert Celebration Saturday evening 7:45-10:00 PM at Beth El synagogue. — From the Zionist Organization of America
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American Jewish Committee asks Lithuania to remove plaque honoring Nazi collaborator
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) has joined with the Lithuanian Jewish Community in renewing its call on the Lithuanian government to remove a plaque honoring Jonas Noreika.
The plaque was placed on a wall of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences in central Vilnius in 1997 to honor Noreika for his leadership in the anti-Soviet resistance following World War II. But researchers, including Noreika’ s granddaughter, uncovered details later that during the war Noreika, also known as General Vetra, was head of Siauliai during the Nazi occupation, oversaw the establishment of a Jewish ghetto there, seizure of Jewish property and murder of thousands of Lithuanian Jews.
“For the memory of Holocaust victims and the protection of historical truth, we must strenuously oppose efforts to memorialize and honor wartime-era leaders who themselves were complicit in the crimes of the Holocaust,” said Rabbi Andrew Baker, AJC’s Director of International Jewish Affairs. In a meeting last month with Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevičius AJC expressed appreciation for “his forthright call for the removal of a plaque honoring Jonas Noreika and urged other ministers and national leaders to follow suit,” Baker said. — From the American Jewish Committee
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Conference of Presidents opposes Palestine heading U.N. Group of 77
Arthur Stark, Chairman, and Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations issued the following statement:We are strongly opposed to the recent United Nations General Assembly vote on A/73/L.5, which has granted the “State of Palestine” additional rights and privileges as the Chair of the Group of 77, including the ability to submit proposals and amendments and introduce them on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. We are concerned that what was once a group created to facilitate the economic advancement of underdeveloped nations will now be a platform for misrepresentation and incitement in regard to Israel-related issues, augmenting the well-documented anti-Israel bias in the UN.While terrorist organizations continue to use Palestinian territory and resources to launch rocket attacks against Israeli civilians, and the Palestinian Authority continues to reward murderers or their families for killing innocent Israelis, it is irresponsible of the UN to further legitimize and empower an entity that remains consistently hostile towards its neighbor.We agree with Amb. Nikki Haley’s strong statement in opposition to this resolution, in which she declared, “Today’s UN mistake undermines the prospects for peace by encouraging the illusion held by some Palestinian leaders that they can advance their goals without direct peace negotiations. In fact, today’s vote does nothing to help the Palestinian people.”The G77 was formed in 1964 and now represents over 80 percent of the world’s population. The group often speaks in a unified way in the General Assembly, on behalf of 130 countries. The Palestinian Authority was granted observer state status in 2012, but they are still unable to vote on any General Assembly resolutions.
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Jewish Democratic Council of America wants Twitter to suspend NOI Minister Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan, leader of the fringe group Nation of Islam, posted a clip on Tuesday in which he compared Jews to termites.
The Jewish Democratic Council of America made this comment:
Dehumanization is a classic trope in many forms of hate speech, including in anti-Semitism. While we strongly support the First Amendment, Farrakhan’s post violates Twitter’s proposed new policies around “dehumanizing” tweets. Since those policies haven’t yet taken effect, Twitter is refusing to suspend this blatantly anti-Semitic content and are therefore playing a role in normalizing these hateful messages. Farrakhan has a long history of posting anti-Semitic, anti-LGBTQ, and misogynistic hate speech, and is noted as an anti-Semitic extremist by the Southern Poverty Law Center. Join JDCA in calling on Twitter to suspend Farrakhan’s account. — From the Jewish Democratic Council of America
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Preceding items culled from news releases. Send yours to editor@sdjewishworld.com