Barbara Bry announces candidacy for San Diego Mayor in 2020 election
Barbara Bry, one of two Jewish members of the nine-member San Diego City Council, has announced her candidacy for mayor of San Diego in the 2020 election. The incumbent mayor, Kevin Faulconer, will be termed out.
“Instead of making decisions designed to preserve a career in elective office, I will be driven by what is best for our residents and our City’s future. It is time for us to get past the revolving door of political insiders if we want real change at City Hall,” she said.
“I will take seriously the Mayor’s responsibility as our City’s fiscal watchdog and ensure history does NOT repeat itself with special interests taking advantage of taxpayers or with City negligence impacting facilities and services in your neighborhood. We have a strong Mayor form of government, and we need a strong Mayor,” she said.
Bry represents the 1st City Council District. The other Jewish council member, Dr. Jen Campbell, represents the 2nd Council District. Two Jews have served as mayors of San Diego in the past, Susan Golding and Bob Filner.
*
JCT creates computer degree program for Orthodox women
The Jerusalem College of Technology (JCT) has announced the launch of an English-language computer science degree for Orthodox Jewish women in response to a national shortage of computer programmers and coders.
“Our new international program strives to empower religious women of all backgrounds—from haredi, to Modern Orthodox, to everything in between—with the transformative gift of a high-quality academic degree that they can pursue while continuing to embrace a religious lifestyle,” said Bracha Berger, coordinator for the new women’s computer science degree.
“Religious women should be prepared to take the high-tech field by storm, to set themselves up for financial success for their entire careers, and to help solve the shortage of software engineers in Israel,” Berger said. “Women, and especially religious women, are part of the enormous untapped potential of the Israeli and global population. They are sure to shake up the global high-tech world in the years to come…” — From Jerusalem College of Technology
*
New Zealand Parliamentarian Alfred Ngaro creates New Zealand-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group
In a video that may be seen by clicking here, National Party MP Alfred Ngaro announced the formation of a New Zealand-Israel Parliamentary Friendship Group and declared “I am a Zionist.” A Christian minister before entering politics, Ngaro said he is of Cook Islands and Jewish descent, his maternal grandmother being Jewish. While New Zealand in the past had a strong record of supporting Jewish causes, in the past, according to Ngaro it has lost its way by voting for one anti-Israel United Nations resolution and abstaining on another.
We thank our New Zealand correspondent John McCormick for alerting us to Ngaro’s recent video. He said that it is part of a continuing “I Am a Zionist” series sponsored by the Israel Institute of New Zealand.
*
‘Jews of Lodz’ subject of companion exhibits at two Portland museums
The story of the ghettoized Jews of Lodz during World War II is told in companion exhibits at the Portland Art Museum and the Oregon Jewish Museum and Center for Holocaust Education. As described in a video that may be accessed by clicking here, the exhibits are based on the previously buried photographs of Henryk Ross, who lived and worked in the ghetto. A photojournalist and member of the Lodz Judenrat who was forced by the Nazis to take identification and propaganda photographs in the ghetto, Ross privately took photographs documenting life and suffering under the Nazi regime. Ross later was a witness in Israel’s trial of Adolf Eichmann.
Organizers of the exhibit say some of the photographs show how even under the most adverse conditions, the Jews of Lodz tried to create a sense of normalcy, marrying and building families, attending Yiddish theatre, and going about their daily life. At the same time, there was the heartbreak of “selections,” in which families were split apart, with some members being sent to concentration camps and the gas chambers.
*
AIPAC mourns the passing of its former president, Larry Weinberg
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) expressed sadness over the passing of former AIPAC President Larry Weinberg (z”l) who was a deeply respected leader in the pro-Israel community.
The pro-Israel organization issued a statement saying: “Larry and his wife, Barbi, were critical in forging the movement to strengthen the relationship between the U.S. and the Jewish state. Their dedicated efforts over many years educated scores of political and community leaders about the importance of our bipartisan alliance with our democratic ally.
“Larry was instrumental in ensuring that AIPAC had a regional presence throughout the country and in encouraging pro-Israel supporters to actively engage in the political process. Perhaps most importantly, Weinberg’s example inspired his family to join him in pro-Israel activism.
“All who knew him appreciated Larry as a patriotic veteran of World War II, as a giant in our movement, and as a genuine gentleman in his interactions with fellow activists. We join the Jewish community of Los Angeles and his many friends across the country in mourning Larry’s passing and celebrating his life of commitment to the pro-Israel cause.” — From AIPAC
Republican Jewish Coalition denounces congressman’s comparison of Trump with Hitler
Democratic Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-4) compared President Trump to Adolph Hitler in a speech in Atlanta on Tuesday.RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said on Wednesday: “Cong. Johnson is an embarrassment to the people of Georgia and a master of offensive remarks. In 2016, Johnson called Jewish residents of the West Bank ‘termites’ at an event sponsored by the ‘U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation.’ His attempt to dehumanize Israelis was disgusting.“Johnson is also the careful thinker who worried aloud during a House Armed Services Committee hearing in 2010 that the island of Guam might become ‘so overly populated that it will tip over and capsize.’
“Cong. Johnson continues to demonstrate his defective understanding of reality with his latest outburst. His remarks about President Trump are unconscionable. The fact that Johnson serves on the Judiciary Committee and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee – and may be a Judiciary subcommittee chairman in the new Congress – is mind-boggling.
“The House of Representatives should hold Johnson accountable for his words by censuring him when the new Congress convenes this week.” — From the Republican Jewish Coalition
*
AJC lauds Bolsonaro’s inauguration as beginning of a new era in Brazilian-Israeli relations
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) has warmly congratulated Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on his inauguration, as he embarks on leading Latin America’s largest country and the fifth most populous nation in the world.
“As longstanding advocates for robust relations between Brazil and Israel, we are especially gratified that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended President Bolsonaro’s inauguration and met with him, as well as with other regional leaders,” said Dina Siegel Vann, Director of AJC’s Belfer Institute for Latino and Latin American Affairs. “This moment presents new opportunities to expand interactions between these vibrant democracies.”
Moving forward on President Bolsonaro’s pledge to move Brazil’s embassy to Jerusalem, Israel’s capital, was one of several issues he and Netanyahu discussed.
“President Bolsonaro’s election has already created a sea change in Brazil’s relations with Israel, expanding the potential for diplomatic, economic and security ties that will benefit both nations,” said Siegel Vann.
Netanyahu’s visit to Brazil and Bolsonaro’s upcoming visit to Israel in March reflect the new momentum in the bilateral relationship, which dates back to Israel’s establishment.
Brazilian diplomat Osvaldo Aranha presided over the UN General Assembly on November 29, 1947, when the world body adopted resolution 181, which recommended partition into two states of the British Mandate of Palestine, providing the legal framework for the creation of the State of Israel. The Arab world rejected the creation of an Arab state alongside Israel.
Aranha’s personal role in the establishment of the State of Israel was commemorated at the AJC Global Forum in Jerusalem in June, with powerful remarks delivered by his grandson, Pedro Correa do Lago.
AJC has had a representative in Brazil since 2011; maintained a close partnership with the Jewish Federation of São Paulo, the largest in the country; established an AJC ACCESS program for young leadership in São Paulo; and signed an association agreement with the Federation of Jewish Communities of Brazil (CONIB) in 2015. Muriel Asseraf is AJC’s representative in São Paulo, Brazil. — From American Jewish Committee
*
Preceding items culled from news releases and correspondence. Please send yours to editor@sdjewishworld.com