Mixed reactions to Trump’s nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court
Stosh Cotler, CEO of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, released the following statement: “President Trump’s nominee for the Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh, is an affront to the values and priorities of a vast majority of the American Jewish community. From workers’ rights to civil rights, from reproductive rights to LGBTQ rights and immigrants’ rights, this nominee’s track record is hostile toward the issues our community has fought for over generations, and he has no business serving on the court.
“The President and Senate Majority Leader lack the moral authority to radically shift the balance of our nation’s highest court. But the American people have a voice in this process through our elected Senators, and we demand that the Senate reject this radical, dangerous nominee.”
From the American Jewish Committee (AJC)’s General Counsel Marc D. Stern came this cautious reaction: “While there is little doubt that Judge Kavanaugh has the technical qualifications to serve on the Supreme Court to fill the seat of retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy, that by no means alone qualifies the nominee. No less important is the nominee’s openness to arguments that challenge his own views and previously expressed beliefs, a robust commitment to protecting the liberties the Constitution guarantees, and assuring all citizens the equal protection of the laws. Moreover, the Senate should not confirm a nominee who comes to the bench with the intention of radically and systematically rewriting American constitutional law.
“The role of the president and the Senate in choosing and approving a new Justice to the nation’s highest court requires adequate time for a full examination to assure that impartiality will govern the judgments rendered by a nominee, and that rigid and unyielding opinions and allegiances, political, economic and religious, are checked at the door of the highest court.
“It is imperative that the Supreme Court remains truly an independent branch of our government and does not become merely an extension of partisan politics. The same should be true of the confirmation process. Proper Senate evaluation of Judge Kavanaugh will be critical to assuring that the court steers clear of any ideological tilting, as the justices hear arguments and deliberate on cases affecting longstanding landmark decisions, such as Roe v. Wade.
“While AJC has strong beliefs on many issues that come before the Supreme Court – and files amicus briefs in support of those views – it recognizes that the hard cases that come before the Court do not necessarily have only one self-evident, correct answer. Neither liberals or conservatives have an exclusive on constitutional interpretation.”
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg inspires Israeli efforts to close the gender gap
The Genesis Prize Foundation reports that leaders of Israeli women’s rights organizations, members of Israel’s Supreme Court and other prominent officials have vowed to intensify efforts to close the gender gap in their country following U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s visit to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
Known for her pioneering legal work in advancing women’s rights and equality,Ginsburg visited Israel on July 3-6 to receive the prestigious Genesis Lifetime Achievement Award from The Genesis Prize Foundation (GPF). All sitting Justices of Israel’s Supreme Court, as well as all living former presidents of the Court, attended the ceremony honoring Justice Ginsburg, who visited Israel for the first time in 23 years.
President of the Supreme Court of Israel Esther Hayut, who hosted Justice Ginsburg at the Israel Supreme Court and awarded her a special commemorative medal, said: “My colleagues and I were delighted to welcome Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a living legend for all of us. Her visit was an extremely important reminder of the commitment to gender equality we share with her.”
Stan Polovets, co-founder and chairman of The Genesis Prize Foundation, said: “The latest Global Gender Gap Report, published by the World Economic Forum, ranked Israel as 44th out of 144 countries, denoting a position nine places lower than a decade ago. Such a low ranking for such a progressive country as Israel is unacceptable. As is the trend.”
The WEF report attributes Israel’s decline in the rankings to a persistent 40% wage gap between men and women, low levels of women’s participation in politics and senior government posts, and an insufficient representation in top management roles in the private sector.
In the course of her visit to Israel, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg held meetings with more than 50 leaders of Jewish and Arab women’s organizations in Israel. Joining some of these meetings were two other prominent figures brought to Israel by The Genesis Prize Foundation: Jane Lute, Special Coordinator on Improving the United Nations Response to Sexual Exploitation, and Sunitha Krishnan, a globally-known activist and fighter against sex trafficking in India. Lute and Krishnan also spoke at a number of other events organized by Genesis, including a conference on women’s rights and prevention of violence against women, a lecture at the Tel-Aviv University, and a meeting with staff and volunteers at the headquarters of the Association of Rape Crisis Centers of Israel. – From the Genesis Prize Foundation
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Prince William plays soccer with Arab and Jewish kids enrolled in Peres Peace Center program
On June 29th, the Duke of Cambridge conducted an official visit to Israel and the region. Prince William met with Arab and Jewish boys and girls from the Peres Peace Center’s Twinned Peace Sport Schools program. Ever the soccer fan, he joined the children on the field and took an honorary penalty kick!
Peres Peace Center players, coaches, and staff were honored and thrilled by Prince William’s show of support. “We are grateful for the recognition of our work,” said Tami Hay-Sagiv, the center’s director of peace programs. “This encounter left our future leaders with a powerful message – that they can be the change they hope to see, and that they have leaders to whom they can turn in their pursuit of dreaming big and making a better tomorrow a reality.”
The Peres Peace Center’s website is http://www.peres-center.org/ — From the Peres Peace Center
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Anonymous donor to Yemin Orde makes a $172,000 challenge grant
Friends of Yemin Orde has received a two-year $172,000 challenge grant from a private foundation that wishes to remain anonymous. The grant will match dollar for dollar, up to a maximum of $21,500 per donor, per year, all new and increased gifts to Friends of Yemin Orde. Funds raised by the challenge grant will support the excellent extra-curricular programs and services for at-risk youth at Yemin Orde Youth Village, and will help expand the highly-successful Village Way educational methodology in Israel through Village Way Educational Initiatives (VWEI). Friends of Yemin Orde, located in Bethesda, MD, is the philanthropic partner of Yemin Orde Youth Village and VWEI.
Yemin Orde Youth Village is home, school and safe haven to 430 at-risk youth from around the world. Today, the population of the Village consists predominately of youth from Ethiopia, the Former Soviet Union, France, and Brazil, as well as youth born in Israel. Most of Yemin Orde’s youth arrive at the Village with deep emotional scars from trauma such as abandonment, extreme poverty and loss.
Through Yemin Orde’s unique and successful educational methodology, called the Village Way, its at-risk youth thrive, develop self-esteem, and embrace hope for a productive future in Israel. Graduates serve with distinction in Israel’s military, volunteer for national service opportunities and hold jobs in Israel’s health care, technology and life sciences industries, as well as the arts, politics and education.
Visit http://www.yeminorde.org or email mailto:info@yeminorde.org for more information. –From Friends of Yemin Orde
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New Israel Fund raising money for System Ali
System Ali, a multi-national, multi-lingual, Jaffa-based band, brings together nine Jewish and Arab musicians: Muhammad Aguani, Yehonatan Dayan, Yonatan Kunda, Stav Lipitz, Muhammad Mugrabi, Luna Abu Nasser, Liba Neeman, Enver Seitibragimov, and Neta Weiner Through their music, they shine a light on the incredible diversity that exists in Israel. And they’re using creativity to bridge conflict and make change on tough issues.
The New Israel Fund (NIF) is partnering with them to support their outreach to young artists, because ‘too often kids are pitted against each other because they come from different ‘tribes,’ a spokesperson said. “They might be Arab and not Jewish, or Russian and not Sabra, or Mizrahi and not Ashkenazi… System Ali’s work brings Israelis together. “
In addition to the boundary-crossing that they do in their own band and music, System Ali brings their vision of music to their local communities by encouraging people to make change on the tough issues through the arts. They do this by facilitating multi-lingual hip-hop workshops with diverse groups of kids around the country.
This year, they’re hoping to amp-up this effort and do more workshops with more kids in more places around the country. They will feature this work at the Bat Bayit festival — a stage and creative meeting place that includes poetry, dance, and music performances in different languages and genres, by local community ensembles. It showcases the true multi-cultural Israel.
More information is available through the New Israel Fund website, https://nif.org/ —From New Israel Fund
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Preceding culled from news releases sent to editor@sdjewishworld.com