Conference of Presidents objects to Palestine Authority leading U.N.’s G77 Group
Arthur Stark, Chairman and Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations today expressed deep concern at the announcement that the Palestinian Authority will lead the biggest bloc of developing countries at the United Nations, known as the G77.
“It is completely inappropriate for a non-member state to preside over the G77. What was once a group created to facilitate the economic advancement of underdeveloped nations will now be a platform for distortion and incitement, augmenting the well-documented anti-Israel bias in the UN. This bloc helps assure the anti-Israel majority in the General Assembly.” — From Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations
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Danes indict Imam who called for murder of Jews
On July 24, 2018, Danish imam Mundhir Abdallah, of the Al-Faruq mosque in Copenhagen, was indicted for calling for the murder of Jews in a Friday, March 31, 2017 sermon that was translated and released by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).
News reports from across Europe on the indictment credited MEMRI with exposing Imam Abdallah, stating: “His preaching was translated from Arabic into English by the U.S. Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).”
The imam’s indictment is the first case of its kind in Denmark, under a provision in the Criminal Code introduced on January 1, 2017. Public prosecutor Eva Ronne said that it is legal in Denmark to quote religious books like the Koran and the Bible, but that inciting or welcoming the killings of people could be punishable by up to three years in prison. She added: “It has always been illegal to accept killings of a certain group of people, but it’s new for us to target hate preachers.” The Imam is also charged with the Penal Code Racism Paragraph 266b. The criminal case, which is to be conducted at Copenhagen City Council, is not yet scheduled. — From MEMRI
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Jewish organizations protest threats against Jewish students at Stanford University
The World Jewish Congress and the Lawfare Project have protested to Stanford University about a threat against Jewish students made by a residential assistant. In a joint press release, the two organizations wrote:
Last week, an incoming Residential Assistant and former student government member at Stanford University, Hamzeh Daoud, wrote that he would “physically fight Zionists on campus next year […] after I abolish your ass I’ll go ahead and work every day for the rest of my life to abolish [Israel].”
Zionism is a longstanding and sincerely held religious belief central to the Jewish religion. Hamzeh Daoud holds a position of power over his peers as an incoming Residential Assistant and former student government member, and he has expressed his real desire to physically harm members of the Jewish religion.
The Lawfare Project, together with the World Jewish Congress, calls on the Stanford University administration to take immediate action in response to this clear threat to Jewish students. There should be no room on any campus for these kinds of threats and intimidation. No students should have to live with threats of physical violence because of who they are. Moreover, the law mandates that minority communities be offered protection from this kind of vicious, bigoted targeting.
We have reached out to the Stanford administration, and we offer our support and services to the university’s Jewish students and faculty. As always, The Lawfare Project’s legal fund is available to protect the Jewish community around the world from discrimination and threats of violence.
The letter was signed by former Ambassador Ronald S. Lauder, president of the World Jewish Congress; and Book Goldstein and Lawrence Hill, respectively the executive director and board chairman of the Lawfare Project. –From World Jewish Congress and The Lawfare Project
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Rambam Medical Center brings epilepsy awareness to Haifa elementary school
Haifa’s Izraelia Elementary School experienced Rambam’s first ever “Purple Day,” aimed at increasing epilepsy awareness. Hundreds of students from grades 1-6 came together in a fully decorated purple lobby (the official color of the international epilepsy education movement) to participate in informational workshops with Rambam staff. The project is being considered by the Haifa Municipality and Regional Departments of Education as a pilot educational project for other schools.
Aviva Feldman, a leading activist for epilepsy education, commented: “As the mother of an epileptic child, over the years I have established many activities and educational projects about epilepsy in order to bridge our reality and the way it is perceived around us. Through education, it is possible to turn this challenging experience into something better for all who are touched by this illness. These are the values that we advance here, in the hope that the children participating in the project will become our goodwill ambassadors.” — From Rambam Medical Center
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Stories culled from news releases. Send yours to editor@sdjewishworld.com