Other items in this column include:
*Zoom deplatforms another webinar planned by PFLP terrorist Leila Khaled
*Shabbat San Diego plans online challah bake
*Political bytes
SAN DIEGO — The March of the Living (MOTL) organization, which has conducted many thousands of students and young adults to Auschwitz for Yom HaShoah observances and to Israel for Yom Ha’atzma’ut celebrations, was unable to do so this past spring because of Covid19.
Keeping the message alive, however, MOTL has called upon Jewish communities and their friends around the world to keep their lights on at synagogues, Jewish institutions, and at homes in solemn remembrance of the night known as Kristallnacht on Nov. 9, 1938, when Nazis burned more than 1,400 synagogues and Jewish institutions in Germany.
Describing the “Let There Be Light” campaign, March of the Living, announced, ” The main synagogue in Frankfurt (one of the few not destroyed on Kristallnacht) will be illuminated as well as and at other places of religious and spiritual significance across the world. Personal messages and prayers from the virtual campaign will be projected on the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. As such, against the backdrop of rising anti-Semitism and racism, the shadow of Covid-19, these individual expressions of optimism and unity will help illuminate the world against darkness and hatred.”
Dr. Shmuel Rosenman, March of the Living World Chair, and Phyllis Greenberg Heideman, March of the Living President, issued a joint statement: “We must use our voices to tell the world that attacks on Jews and non-Jews alike, whether on the basis of religion, race, color or creed are inexcusable. In the days when synagogues and holy places for various religions are attacked on a regular basis all over the world, it is our duty to speak out loudly and clearly.”
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Zoom deplatforms another webinar planned by PFLP terrorist Leila Khaled
StandWithUs is pleased with a decision by Zoom to refuse a platform for a proposed speech by airplane hijacker Leila Khaled of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine that was planned for a University of Hawaii audience on Oct. 23.
The event had been scheduled by the UH Manoa Departments of Ethnic studies and Political Science, as well as by Students and Faculty for Justice in Palestine as part of what they called a “day of action against the criminalization and censorship of political speech.” The protest was prompted by the prior refusal by Zoom, Facebook and YouTube to use their platforms because of her membership in the PFLP, “a U.S. designated foreign terrorist organization.”
A spokesman for Zoom commented: “Zoom is committed to supporting the open exchange of ideas and conversations, subject to certain limitations contained in our publicly available Terms of service, Acceptable Use Police, and Community Standards. we determined that this event is in violation of one or more of these polices and have let the host know that they may not use Zoom for this particular event.”
Quoting from a story from the Jewish Journal of Los Angeles, StandWithUs noted that the University of Hawaii spokesman Daniel Meisenzahl said, “The University of Hawaii is an institution where controversial viewpoints can be peacefully and openly considered and discussed. The sharing of diverse and difficult ideas and opinions is fundamental to the higher education in our society.” However, he added, following Zoom’s decision, “This event does not reflect the views of the university. It is being organized by an independent organization. Not sure how that organization will address this latest development.”
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Shabbat San Diego plans online challah bake
For the last six years, Shabbat San Diego held challah bakes at various synagogues and institutions around San Diegoo as a way of getting ready for a worldwide celebration of Shabbat. This year, because of coronavirus, the challah bake will go virtual, according to the organization.
On Thursday, November 5, the organization will give an internet demonstration on how to make challah. Later, participants will be able to make the traditional Shabbat bread together, using these recommended ingredients, and supplies:
1 tbsp dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
2 eggs + 1 egg yolk for glazing
1 tsp salt
4 & 1/2 cups flour
1 mixing bowl
1 mixing spoon
One may register to participate in the worldwide challah bake via this website.
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Political bytes
*Marni von Wilpert , a candidate for the 5th District seat of the San Diego City Council, has been endorsed by Congresswoman Susan Davis along with fellow Democratic members of Congress representing San Diego County including Mike Levin, Juan Vargas, and Scott Peters. She is opposed by Joe Leventhal, a Republican.
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In case you missed it, October 20, 2020 was designated as World Statistics Day, prompting Congressman Scott Peters to issue a serious message: ” The United States currently has no common national, state, county or city-level requirement for COVID-19 data collection or reporting. This lack of standards, paired with the absence of a centralized network for information exchange between public health departments, labs, clinics, hospitals and federal agencies, makes it impossible to coordinate efforts to combat the virus. That’s why I teamed up with three colleagues in August to introduce the bipartisan Health STATISTICS Act of 2020. Our bill would rapidly coordinate decentralized data systems in order to significantly help our nation’s real-time response to public health emergencies. It would also ensure vital information often missing from current reports, such as race, age, presence of pre-existing conditions and mortality data, is collected and shared so patterns can be identified and relief more rapidly deployed.”
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Donald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com