SAN DIEGO (SDJW) — Israel’s President Isaac Herzog has asked Elon Musk to use his influence with President-elect Trump to free the hostages still held by Hamas in Gaza, Fox Business has reported.
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Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz and Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, met Friday regarding developments in Syria where rebel forces have now captured Aleppo and Homs. Regarding a build-up of Israeli forces on the Syrian border, the Defense Ministry said it “instructed the IDF to maintain a high level of readiness and continue to monitor developments.”
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UNITED STATES
Eight Jewish members of Congress and seven non-Jewish members have signed a petition denouncing Amnesty International for its report that accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. They described the report as “misinformation that has been sewed by Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran – the U.S.’ shared enemies with Israel.” Jewish signers of the circulating petition include Democrats Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts, Dan Goldman of New York, Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, Greg Landsman of Ohio; Kathy Manning of North Carolina, Jared Moskowitz of Florida, and Brad Sherman of California. A Jewish Republican signing the statement was Max Miller of Ohio. Other signers included Don Bacon (R-Nebraska), Tom Kean (R-New Jersey), Jimmy Panetta (D-California), Haley Stevens (D-Michigan), Tom Suozzi (D-New York), Shri Thanedar (D-Michigan), and Ritchie Torres (D-New York).
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U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Georgia) has faced backlash in the Jewish community since his unsuccessful vote favoring banning the sale of some weapons to Israel in protest of its military actions in Gaza. “I am confident that the full extent of harm, suffering and displacement of civilians in Gaza are neither necessary nor in America’s national interest – and that it’s reasonable of the United States to use the leverage that comes with a provision of arms to shape the conduct of our allies,” he told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Jon Ossoff defends his votes to limit some weapons sales to Israel after backlash Norman Radow, a major Jewish donor to Ossoff’s 2020 campaign, says he hopes that vote will defeat Ossoff for reelection. “I think it’s probably part of his deep-seated view that I think he’s masked and hidden for the last four years. And in a way, I’m glad that he’s come out now, because the election is just 23 months away, and now we know who he is.”
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President-elect Trump has designated David O. Sacks to serve as chair of his Council of Advisors on Science and Technology as well as his “czar” on Artificial Intelligence and Crypto Currency.
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U.S. Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-Maryland), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called on President Biden to utilize the U.S. presidency of the U.N. Security Council to combat ongoing violence in Sudan, where an estimated 100,000 people have been killed and war crimes committed in the past year. Cardin called for “establishing mechanisms to protect civilians, delivering urgent humanitarian aid, and holding perpetrators accountable. Failure to act would be a moral stain on us all. Delays are inexcusable. Time is running out to save lives, deliver aid, and empower Sudan’s people – not armed groups driven by violence – to shape their nation’s future.”
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U.S. Senator-elect Adam Schiff (D-California) announced that he will resign the seat he has held for 24 years in the House of Representatives, effective Sunday, and be sworn in as a senator on Monday, succeeding California’s interim senator Laphonza Butler. Being sworn in on Monday gives him seniority over other incoming freshmen senators who will be sworn in on January 3, 2025.
CALIFORNIA
U.S. District Court Judge Fernando Olguin on Nov. 30 dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Deborah Project against the United Teachers Los Angeles and the Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Consortium. Lori Lowenthal Marcus, the Deborah Project’s legal director, told EdSource “We are in the midst of soaring antisemitism in education throughout the U.S., and this is no time for anyone—much less a federal court—to allow publicly funded public schools to be used to indoctrinate children to hate the Jewish commitment to Israel. Contrary to the ruling, that’s not ‘education’ about a ‘controversial’ issue. It’s prejudice, pure and simple.”
DIASPORA
Daniel Aghion, president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, told the Australian Jewish News that he has been dreading since Oct. 7, 2023 that something would happen like the arson fire Friday that extensively damaged Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne. Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters, “The violence, intimidation and destruction of a place of worship is something that we should never see in Australia. It’s risked lives and it’s clearly aimed at creating fear in the community.”
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A delegation led by Phil Rosenberg and Michael Wegier, respectively president and chief executive officer of the [Jewish] Board of Deputies, met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to discuss increasing incidents of antisemitism in the United Kingdom, according to Britain’s Jewish News. Following the meeting, the Jewish delegation commented: “We found the Prime Minister to be informed, concerned and engaged. He and we have committed to engage across Government departments to ensure the action we need to reclaim our streets, campuses, and community buildings from racist thugs, and ensure a secure and thriving future for the UK Jewish community.”
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Israel’s Ambassador to Ireland Dana Erlich told The Irish Times that there has been an alarming increase in anti-Israel sentiment which frequently “mutates” into antisemitism. She was interviewed following an incident in which a young Jewish man wearing a Star of David was followed into the restroom of a bar by three assailants, asked if he were Jewish, and was then pummeled multiple times.
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San Diego Jewish World staff report.