Editor’s E-Mail Box: November 9, 2018 (6 items)

World Jewish Congress marks 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht

The World Jewish Congress on Friday commemorated the 80th anniversary of Kristallnacht (Night of the Broken Glass), the 1938 Nazi-led pogroms in which more than 1,000 synagogues were burned, windows smashed, shops looted, and individual Jews rounded up to be sent to concentration camps. Four hundred people were killed in the pogroms.

“Eighty years ago, the Nazis unleashed a series of horrific attacks against the Jewish population in Germany and Austria, desecrating property and destroying lives and livelihood, a violent offensive that was followed by an intense escalation of the Nazis’ anti-Jewish policies, and ultimately the near genocide of European Jewry,” WJC President Ronald Lauder said in New York.

“It would be impossible to mark this seminal event in Jewish history without noting the frightening climate of antisemitism and xenophobia currently spreading across Europe and the United States,” Lauder said. “The far-right is gaining power at an alarming speed, and neo-Nazis are feeling emboldened to march in the streets shouting hateful slurs and advocating the most dangerous brands of nationalism and hatred.”

“Just last week, 11 people were brutally murdered at a synagogue in a quiet and safe neighborhood in Pittsburgh, just for being Jewish, an attack that for most American Jews was beyond unthinkable,” Lauder said. “In Europe, synagogues and Jewish property are routinely targeted by antisemitic vandals and criminals, with firebombs hurled at buildings and anti-Jewish graffiti scrawled on walls.”

“It would also be impossible to mark the anniversary of Kristallnacht without noting the critical difference between November 9, 1938 and November 9, 2018,” Lauder said. “In 1938, firemen stood idly by to ensure that the flames remained contained to inflict maximum damage on Jewish property alone. Police helped rioters loot and attack, goading them on and aiding their aggression. In 1938, the incursion against the Jewish community was designed, promoted, and handled by the government in a direct and systemic attempt to destroy the Jewish presence.”

“The antisemitic incidents of 2018, in Pittsburgh and in parts of Europe, are beyond terrifying, and must be treated with utmost severity, but they are not another Kristallnacht. After Pittsburgh, an entire country united in an unprecedented way in condemnation of the attack and solidarity with the Jewish community. Concrete action is being taken by governments and authorities around the world to quell the rise of antisemitism and the proliferation of terror, not to bolster it, as the Nazis did” Lauder said.

“There is still so much work that needs to be done to ensure the security and well-being of our Jewish communities, including an across-the-board adoption by governments and international organizations of the universal International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism,” Lauder added. In November 2018, we are not at the precipice of another Kristallnacht, and it is all of our duty to prevent such atrocities from ever happening again.” — From World Jewish Congress

Kristallnacht remembered by the Council of Europe

To mark the 80 years of the Kristallnacht, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatović, published the following statement on her Facebook page:

“80 years ago Jewish homes, synagogues, stores, cemeteries, hospitals, schools were demolished, burnt or looted across the Third Reich in what became known as the Kristallnacht or Night of Broken Glass.

During three days of pogroms, thousands of innocent people were chased, attacked, and many were killed. In the aftermath, 30,000 Jewish men were arrested and sent to concentration camps just because they were Jews.

It was the beginning of the cruelest and ruthless period of Europe’s recent history.

As anti-Semitic feelings and attacks rise again in Europe and worldwide, we must all honor Kristallnacht’s victims, reflect on the meaning that this tragedy still bears on our society and recommit to combating all the contemporary forms that hate takes to dehumanise the Other.” — From the Council of Europe

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U.S. to confer with Israel, Cyprus, and Egypt on energy issues

Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources Francis R. Fannon will travel to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem; Nicosia, and Cairo from November 11 to 20, 2018.

During his trip, Assistant Secretary Fannon will be meeting with government officials and private sector representatives to discuss energy security and regional cooperation on energy issues. His trip will highlight the economic opportunities in the energy sector for Eastern Mediterranean gas development and related exports, and encourage discussions on how countries can harness this potential for increased regional stability and economic growth. — From U.S. State Department

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High Jewish turnout credited for Democratic victories

Jewish voters made a significant difference in support of Democrats in the 2018 midterm elections, especially in close races that flipped from red to blue.

The Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) strategically targeted and mobilized Jewish voters in key districts and states where they impacted the outcome of the race in support of Democrats. JDCA invested in a significant national digital and print ad buys targeting more than half a million Jewish Democrats, and organized hundreds of election volunteers across the country for canvassing and phone banking. JDCA endorsed 58 U.S. Senate, House of Representatives and gubernatorial candidates, 47 of whom won their races (three races remain undecided).

Of the races decided, 85 percent of JDCA-endorsed candidates won their election, over half of whom flipped Republican seats to Democrats.

According to exit polling, 79 percent of Jewish voters backed Democratic candidates, which is a higher percentage than any other religious group. This number also exceeds predictions of Jewish support for Democrats in the midterms, when compared to a poll of Jewish voters released in early October. This indicates a shift among Jewish voters to Democrats in the final weeks before the election.

According to an election night poll, 72 percent of American Jews held President Trump and his supporters at least partly responsible for inspiring the largest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh. Trump’s message of hate and fear clearly backfired on Republicans in this election, and Jewish voters overwhelmingly rejected his divisive and xenophobic policies and rhetoric. While Jewish voters have historically supported Democrats, Trump has driven Jewish voters to support Democrats in record numbers because his policies are antithetical to Jewish and American values.  — From Jewish Democratic Council of America

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Tel Aviv University inaugurates center for the study of the United States

The first center for the study of the United States in Israel was inaugurated at Tel Aviv University on Thursday, November 8, in a ceremony held at TAU’s Lester and Sally Entin Faculty of Humanities.

The new multidisciplinary Center for the Study of the United States in Partnership with the Fulbright Program, supported by a three-year NIS 1 million (about $275,000) seed grant from the United States-Israel Educational Foundation (USIEF) and an additional NIS 1 million from TAU, seeks to “become a permanent and authoritative voice in Israel on all matters pertaining to U.S. history, politics and culture,” according to the center’s Fulbright proposal.

“Relations between the United States and Israel have never been better, never more important,” says Terry Davidson, Counselor for Public Affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Israel and the U.S. Ambassador to Israel’s representative to the USIEF. “Still, even the closest of allies can experience misunderstandings. We hope the Tel Aviv University Center will serve as a dynamic hub for Israelis to seek a deep understanding of America’s complex society.”

“The Center aims to produce cutting-edge research on politics, society, policymaking, the economy, foreign relations, the environment, culture, art, music and more in the United States,” says Dr. Udi Sommer of TAU’s School of Political Science and International Relations, a member of the center’s executive board. “It will harness a range of online and face-to-face platforms to communicate new research to key decision makers and members of the media as well as to social and geographical periphery.” — From Tel Aviv University

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Jewish National Fund sends American professors to Israel

Twenty-eight participants comprising 24 professors from universities and colleges across the U.S. will soon experience a once-in-a-lifetime and insightful journey as they prepare to depart on Jewish National Fund’s 2018 Winter Faculty Fellowship Program in Israel.

Participants will take part on the trip December 26, 2018 – January 8, 2019 traveling throughout Israel, meeting Israeli professors from their respective disciplines and with the same, or similar, research interests, all with the goal of developing collaborations, research projects, co-authoring articles, and establishing exchange programs between faculty and students. The tour, which more than 250 have already taken part in, is a fully-paid intensive program to Israel for full-time U.S.-based academics from a recognized university/learning institution. Jewish National Fund also runs the annual Caravan for Democracy Student Leadership Mission to Israel of which 80 college students will travel to Israel in December, the Winter Faculty Fellowship Program in Israel, and a host of other trips and missions.

This past summer 23 professors from universities and colleges across the nation took part in the 10^th annual Summer Faculty Fellowship Program in Israel. Professor Darren Allen, of the Law and Interdisciplinary Studies Department at Lynn University shared, “The world exists in Israel! Visiting this magical place changed my notion of bravery and challenged misinformed stereotypes. With kind leadership, I experienced peace, passionate dissent, and friends in 10 days. Truly a remarkable journey.”

Participating U.S. –based schools include: Temple University; University of California-Davis; University of Texas-El Paso; Arizona State University; Stetson University; Cornell University; Fort Hays State University; Washington State University; University of Florida; Stevens Institute of Technology; Rochester Institute of Technology, and Loyola University-New Orleans.

During the trip, the participants will meet Israelis from all walks of life and will hear from a variety of speakers. They will also be exposed to contemporary Israeli society, culture, historical sites, the people and the way of life in Israel.  — Jewish National Fund

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Preceding items culled from news releases.  Send yours to editor@sdjewishworld.com