BDS movement attempts to hijack Jewish summer camp
Scholars for Peace in the Middle East reported that the Camp Ramah movement rebuffed IfNotNow after it was revealed that the BDS group had trained camp counselors to introduce BDS themes to their campers. As their materials put it, IfNotNow’s workshop’s focused on how counselors could communicate to campers that “your educators and your parents are hiding from you the real information about the occupation and the discrimination against the Palestinian people.”
In response, the director of Ramah stated “Ramah will not partner with any organization that is not unequivocally pro-Israel… Zionism is one of our core educational pillars, and always will be.” After a meeting with representatives of the group the Ramah movement reiterated its stance. Despite their extensively documented stances, IfNotNow members expressed resentment at being called “anti-Israel, anti-Zionist or anti-Semitic.”
With the summer camping season underway it remains to be seen how the situation will play out. In the meantime reports indicate that IfNotNow representatives accosted a Birthright group about to depart for Israel at a New York airport and demanded they take literature regarding the ‘occupation.’ Reports also indicate that, in what is claimed to not be preplanned provocation, several individuals walked off a Birthright trip after demanding to be taken to Hebron and shown the ‘occupation.’
The incident reflects again how Jewish institutions are increasingly demanded to accommodate BDS supporters in the name of ‘diverse viewpoints’ and ‘inclusivity,’ and how the BDS movement will subvert any Jewish institution it can, both directly and covertly. — From Scholars for Peace in the Middle East
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21 Nations at United Nations Human Rights Council sponsor resolution opposing anti-Semitism
The World Jewish Congress (WJC) reported achieving “significant progress” Monday at the United Nations Human Rights Council’s 38th session in Geneva. Hungary led and delivered a joint statement on behalf of 21 co-sponsoring nations, denouncing anti-Semitism as a serious problem extending beyond the Jewish community, and calling on the international community to take concrete measures to combat the phenomenon.
The WJC played a proactive role in initiating and promoting this statement, under the guidance of President Ronald S. Lauder and in line with our mandate to fight anti-Semitism anywhere and everywhere it rears its head.
At the end of May, WJC CEO and Executive Vice President Robert Singer held meetings with several Ambassadors in Geneva, including with the Ambassador of Hungary, H.E Ms. Zsuzsanna Horváth, where he raised this initiative. He held subsequent talks with Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó in Budapest, together with President of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Hungary (MAZSIHISZ) Andras Heisler, and later with varying-level ministers and ambassadors from other relevant countries, and was pleased to witness the quick and earnest developments.
WJC CEO and Executive Vice President Robert Singer meeting with Hungarian Ambassador Zsuzsanna Horváth in Geneva in May 2018. (c) World Jewish Congress.
Following intense efforts, the joint statement was delivered under the co-sponsorship including Albania, Croatia, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Poland, Ukraine, Czech Republic, Austria, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Australia, Germany, Montenegro, Belgium, Lithuania, Netherlands, Greece, United Kingdom, Canada, and Liechtenstein. The WJC thanks each of them for recognizing the urgency and importance of this crucial initiative.
The signatories to this statement have sent a strong message to the Council, demonstrating a fundamental commitment to human rights and a much-needed recognition that the problem of anti-Semitism extends beyond Jewish communities and into society at large, and must be dealt with and countered by the international community as a whole.
The WJC has for years been at the forefront of urging the UNHRC to address anti-Semitism with the vigor it deserves, with members of the WJC’s Jewish Diplomatic Corps, our flagship program, delivering at least 15 statements to the Council – out of our more than 60 since 2015 – focusing solely on anti-Semitism. The WJC also held a side event last June at the UNHRC, together with the Permanent Mission of Germany, on the new frontiers of anti-Semitism and of the need for the issue to be a priority on the global human rights agenda. The WJC’s presence in Geneva and our ongoing work in the UNHRC, although often an uphill battle, has proven itself to be very efficient as demonstrated by the success of this initiative. –From World Jewish Congress
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Video promoting tikkun olam projects in Israel wins competition
As leaders lament the growing gaps between American Jewry and Israel, a rapidly growing Israeli-American Council program is pioneering a new approach to building bridges. This week, it gathered 170 Israeli, Israeli-American and Jewish-American teens in Los Angeles for the IAC Eitanim Summer Hackathon, an intensive program in which students work in teams to propose solutions to real-world challenges, with input from volunteer, high-profile mentors. This year’s challenge was to create an original product to introduce Israel and Jewish heritage to passengers traveling to Israel, during their inflight experience.
“We believe that pioneering programs like IAC Eitanim can close the gaps between Israel and American Jewry by using “Israeliness” and the inspiration of Israeli entrepreneurship as a secret sauce that engages and inspires the next generation,” IAC Co-Founder and CEO Shoham Nicolet said. “Students complete our IAC Eitanim program with vital leadership skills, a new imagination for innovation – and a deepened connection to their Jewish roots, the State of Israel, and to each other. The students continue to blow me away with the solutions that they create.”
The program culminated in a Demo Day, Thursday evening, June 28th, on the American Jewish University campus, in which finalist teams presented their groundbreaking products and showcased the new skills, knowledge, and friendships that they have built through the program.
A panel of expert judges featuring Danna Balas, Co-Founder of Menchies Frozen Yogurt; David Gonen, early adopter and investor with expansive knowledge of technology trends; Yonatan Winetraub, Co-Founder of SpaceIL; and Shoham Nicolet, IAC Co-founder and CEO, determined the winning product: An app, dubbed “180 degrees,” for inflight video seat-back programming, to connect passengers to Tikkun Olam opportunities across Israel while still in the air.
IAC Eitanim is named for Nicolet’s commander Major Eitan Belachsan, an Israeli war hero who was killed during an operation in Southern Lebanon in 1999, and draws inspiration from his life and values. –From Israeli-American Council
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Zioness congratulates, takes issue with upset winner in New York City congressional race
The Zioness Movement issued this statement following the victory of Alexandia Ocasio-Cortez in a New York City congressional district: “The Zioness Movement proudly fights for justice and equality for immigrants, refugees, women, people of color, LGBTQIA+ individuals and any other human being whose rights are denied or threatened because of their innate characteristics. As Jews, we are committed to tikkun olam (“repairing the world”); as Zionists, we believe that all people are entitled to self-determination and the protection of their inalienable human rights.
“We applaud Ms. Ocasio-Cortez on a brilliant campaign for NY’s 14th Congressional District nomination, and a progressive platform to advance immigration justice, racial equality, gender parity, gun control, criminal justice reform and mobilization against climate change.
“We are concerned about Ms. Ocasio-Cortez’s past statements regarding the tragic situation in Gaza. The terrorist organization Hamas has confirmed that 52 of the 60 casualties on the Gaza/Israel border were members of their organization. We decry the cynical strategy employed by Hamas to put women and children in the line of fire, to exploit the compassion and empathy of all who witness the result. While we grieve the loss of any life, we support Israel in its right––and in fact, its sovereign obligation––to protect its borders and its people.
“Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez earned the Democratic nomination with her commitment and dedication, and she has since displayed a willingness to engage and learn. We would welcome the opportunity to speak about the ways in which our progressive values are inherently interwoven with our Jewish and Zionist ones. We invite her to use Zioness and our national leaders and Board Members as a resource as she begins her journey as the nominee and the likely future Congresswoman from NY-14. — From Zioness Movement
The health benefits of red wine, green tea
A new Tel Aviv University study suggests there is hope of treating certain inborn congenital metabolic diseases — a hope found in green tea and in red wine.
Most people with inherited metabolic disorders are born with a defective gene that results in a critical enzyme deficiency. In the absence of a cure, many patients with inborn congenital metabolic disorders must adhere to a strict and demanding diet their entire lives. This new research finds that certain compounds found naturally in green tea and red wine may block the formation of toxic metabolites.
The research was led by Prof. Ehud Gazit of TAU’s Faculty of Life Sciences and his doctoral student Shira Shaham-Niv. It was published in the Nature group journal Communications Chemistry.
The researchers considered two compounds: (1) epigallocatechin gallate, known as EGCG, found naturally in green tea, which has attracted attention within the medical community for its potential health benefits; and (2) tannic acid, found in red wine, which is known to prevent the formation of toxic amyloid structures that cause neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
“In the case of inborn congenital metabolic diseases, the body does not produce a vital metabolic enzyme,” Shaham-Niv said. “As a result, metabolites — substances that are, among other things, the building blocks of DNA and proteins — accumulate in the body. Such uncontrolled accumulation is toxic and can cause severe developmental and mental disorders.
The new research focused on EGCG and tannic acid using test tubes and culture cell systems. The two substances were tested on three metabolites related to three innate metabolic diseases: adenine, cumulative tyrosine and phenylalanine. The results were promising. Both tannic acid and EGCG were effective in blocking the formation of toxic amyloid structures. The researchers also used computer simulations to verify the mechanism driving the compounds.
“We are entering a new era of understanding the role and the importance of metabolites in various diseases, including metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases and even cancer,” Shaham-Niv concluded. “The tools we have developed are ground-breaking and have tremendous potential to help a wide range of patients in the future.” — From Tel Aviv University
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Mayor Lasry becomes honorary United Hatzalah member
Member of Knesset and United Hatzalah emergency response volunteer Yinon Azoulai was on hand in Ashdod last Thursday to usher in the inauguration of Ashdod’s newest EMS response center. Also present was Ashdod Mayor Dr. Yechiel Lasry, a distinguished physician himself, who became an honorary United Hatzalah first responder. He was bequeathed a United Hatzalah a vest and a volunteer I.D. badge, becoming an honorary member of the more than 5,000 volunteers across the country who drop whatever they are doing and rush out to respond to medical emergencies in their vicinity. While Lasry has not committed to going on emergency calls with the organization, he did speak highly of the activities of the volunteers in his city and graciously accepted the honor of the appointment.
During the inauguration, Lasry said: “It is written that anyone who saves even a single life has saved an entire world. United Hatzalah volunteers, I respect and appreciate you. A decade ago, you started off as a small chapter here in the city of Ashdod with less than 30 volunteers. Now you have more than 100 volunteers across the city. The people of the city appreciate and respect you and so do I.”
The organization, whose volunteers have been saving lives in Ashdod for the past 12 years, celebrated a number of achievements during the special celebration which was held in their new center that was donated by the city as well as a number of generous philanthropists. “The city and a number of sponsors felt that it was time to give back to the organization by inaugurating its first volunteer house and educational headquarters in the city,” said Avi Amar, regional United Hatzalah spokesperson. — From United Hatzalah
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Preceding stories culled from news releases sent to editor@sdjewishworld.com