Editor’s E-Mail Box: September 21, 2018 (7 items)

58 organizations seek sanction of professor who refuses recommendation for Israel-bound student

After a University of Michigan (U-M) professor agreed to write a recommendation for a student and then reneged when he realized it was for study in Israel, 58 organizations demanded that U-M President Schissel sanction all U-M professors who engage in that or similar discriminatory behavior, affirm that no U-M student will be impeded from studying about or in Israel, and detail steps to ensure that faculty do not implement an academic boycott of Israel on campus. The full letter, organized by AMCHA Initiative, reads:

Dear President Schlissel,

We are 58 religious, civil rights and education advocacy groups writing to you about an incident of grave concern to our organizations and our hundreds of thousands of members and supporters.

Earlier this month a University of Michigan faculty member in the department of American Culture, Prof. John Cheney-Lippold, refused to write a letter of recommendation for one of his students applying to study abroad at Tel Aviv University.  Cheney-Lippold unabashedly disclosed that the sole reason for his refusal is that the academic boycott guidelines forbid “writing letters of recommendation for students planning to study” in Israel.

Impeding a student’s ability to participate in a university-approved educational program in order to carry out political activism is reprehensible. Individual faculty members have the right to express public support for an academic boycott of Israel. But when faculty like Prof. Cheney-Lippold go as far as implementing the boycott’s guidelines by taking action to suppress students’ ability to travel to or study about Israel, they have abrogated the most basic professorial responsibility of promoting the academic welfare of their students. Such discriminatory behavior that impedes the rights of students must be sanctioned to the fullest extent of university policy.

We are aware that on 9/18/18 your office issued a public statement reiterating the university’s opposition to the academic boycott of Israel and stating that the academic goals of U-M students “are of paramount importance” and that the university will “take all steps necessary to make sure our students are supported.”  With all due respect, this statement is simply insufficient to assure students, their parents, and all other U-M stakeholders that you recognize the egregiousness of this incident. Of particular concern are the omission in your statement of any condemnation of Cheney-Lippold’s behavior and your statement acknowledging that “members of the University of Michigan community have a wide range of ‘individual’ opinions on this and many other topics.”  Both your omission and inclusion give the impression that individual U-M professors will be permitted by your administration to discriminate against students wanting to study about and in Israel. This is deeply alarming, given that there are at least two dozen U-M faculty members in a number of departments who have expressed public support for the academic boycott of Israel, including seven faculty members currently serving as chairs and directors of U-M academic departments and programs. Left unaddressed, this isolated incident could lead to unchecked discrimination, and the denial to students of their fundamental rights.

And while we appreciate your own remarks that were posted yesterday, in which you acknowledge that “personal views and politics should never interfere with our support of students,” these remarks, too, do not go far enough.

We therefore call on you to make a public statement specifically stating that this behavior will not be permitted, affirming your commitment to ensuring that no U-M student will be impeded from studying about or in Israel, and detailing the steps you will take to ensure that faculty do not implement an academic boycott of Israel at the University of Michigan. — From Amcha Initiative

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BGU perfecting robot for picking peck of peppers

The world’s most advanced sweet pepper harvesting robot, developed in a consortium including Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers, was introduced last week at the Research Station for Vegetable Production at St. Katelijne Waver in Belgium.

SWEEPER is designed to operate in a single stem row cropping system, with non-clustered fruits and little leaf occlusion. Preliminary test results showed that by using a commercially available crop modified to mimic the required conditions, the robot currently harvests ripe fruit in 24 seconds with a success rate of 62 percent.

The BGU team spearheaded efforts to improve the robot’s ability to detect ripe produce using computer vision, and has played a role in defining the specifications of the robot’s hardware and software interfaces, focusing on supervisory control activities.

Polina Kurtser, a Ph.D. candidate in the BGU Department of Industrial Engineering and Management and member of the team, says robotic harvesting will revolutionize the economics of the agriculture industry and dramatically reduce food waste.

“The Sweeper picks methodically and accurately,” she says. “When it is fully developed, it will enable harvesting 24/7, drastically reduce spoilage, cut labor costs and shield farmers from market fluctuations.”

Additional research is needed to increase the robot’s work speed to reach a higher harvest success rate. Based upon these latest results, the Sweeper consortium expects that a commercial sweet pepper harvesting robot will be available within four to five years, and that the technology could be adapted for harvesting other crops.  — From Ben Gurion University

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JDCA endorses reelection of Dianne Feinstein to U.S. Senate, opposes Rep. Dana Rohrabacher

The Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) has endorsed U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California) for reelection over the challenge of fellow Democrat Kevin DeLeon.

“JDCA stands with candidates who align with the Jewish community on a range of domestic and foreign policy issues,” said JDCA executive director Halie Soifer. “Senator Feinstein has broken glass ceilings her entire career. She currently serves as the leading Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee and is a champion for gun safety, protecting the environment, national security, criminal justice reform, and access to affordable health care. JCDA is proud to endorse Senator Feinstein and looks forward to mobilizing Jewish Democrats across California to ensure her victory in November.”

The JDCA joins President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Governor Jerry Brown, Senator Kamala Harris, Senator Barbara Boxer, US House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and 25 members of Congress, Lt. Governor Gavin Newsom, Secretary of State Alex Padilla, State Controller Betty Yee, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Human Rights Campaign, Equality California, the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, National Women’s Political Caucus, NARAL Pro-Choice America, United Farmworkers of America, Southwest Regional Council of Carpenters, International Association of Firefighters, Teamsters Joint Council District 7, AFT College Staff Guild Local 1521A, and many state and local leaders across California who have endorsed Senator Feinstein’s reelection.

In another California election campaign, it was reported that Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (CA-48) has endorsed Gracey Larrea-Van Der Mark for a local school board seat in Huntington Beach, Californi,a despite her ties with the alt-right and history of making racist and anti-Semitic comments. This comes on top of reports last week that Rep. Rohrabacher welcomed Charles Johnson, a Holocaust denier, into a meeting on Capitol Hill, and that Johnson had since given the maximum donation to Rep. Rohrabacher’s re-election campaign.

In response to these developments, Halie Soifer, Executive Director of the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA), released the following statement: “This is not the first time that Rep. Rohrabacher has aligned himself with those who deny the Holocaust, perpetuate racism and anti-Semitism, or align with the alt-right. These associations, combined with Rep. Rohrabacher’s deeply troubling ties with the Russian government, compel us to call on the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) to repudiate Rep. Rohrabacher’s candidacy for Congress.

“Furthermore, we call on the RJC to endorse Rep. Rohrabacher’s opponent, Harley Rouda, who we believe will represent Jewish and Democratic values in Congress. As JDCA has previously stated, the only way to ensure that the numerous neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and Holocaust deniers – as well as those who sympathize with them – are not elected to Congress is to endorse and support their opponents. During these troubling times, all of us in the Jewish community must put partisan labels aside and confront those who perpetuate hatred and divisiveness in our country.” — From the Jewish Democratic Council of America

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Bronfman Fellowship applications now being accepted

The Bronfman Fellowship has announced that applications are now being accepted for the 33rd year of this  program. The Bronfman Fellowship selects twenty-six outstanding North American teenagers for a rigorous academic year of seminars including a free, five-week trip to Israel in the summer between the Fellows’ junior and senior years of high school. The program educates and inspires exceptional young Jews from diverse backgrounds to grow into leaders grounded in their Jewish identity and committed to social change. The program was founded by Edgar M. Bronfman, z”l, formerly CEO of the Seagram Company Ltd. and a visionary Jewish philanthropist.

During the program’s seminars, the Fellows meet with leading intellectuals, religious and political leaders, and educators, such as Israeli writer Etgar Keret, journalist and author Matti Friedman, and biblical scholar Avivah Zornberg. With the guidance of a diverse faculty of Rabbis and educators, the pluralistic group of Fellows have the opportunity to explore a wide range of Jewish texts, from classic religious documents to contemporary Israeli and American voices, using them to spark conversations, engage with stimulating existential questions, and achieve a deeper understanding of themselves and one another. Fellows also spend two weeks with a group of Israeli peers who have been chosen through a parallel selection process as part of the Fellowship:

“My father, Edgar M. Bronfman, placed enormous faith in young people’s ability to see the world not just as it is, but as it ought to be,” said Adam R. Bronfman, President of The Samuel Bronfman Foundation. “He believed that young people energized by their Judaism were best equipped to both shape a Jewish ‘Renaissance’ and improve the world.”

Applications for the 2019 Fellowship are due November 30th, 2018, and are available online at bronfman.org. High school students in the United States and Canada who self-identify as Jewish and who will be in the twelfth grade in the fall of 2019 are eligible to apply. The Fellowship is a pluralistic program for Jews of all backgrounds; prior Jewish education is not required. Students are chosen on merit alone. — From the Bronfman Fellowship

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Michelman to tell of her photographic research into the Nazi massacre of Jews in Lithuania

Photographer Barbara Michelman will discuss her research  for the photographic show, “Past is Prologue” at 5 p.m., Wednesday, October 10, at the Geisel Library at UC San Diego.

Paneriai is the Lithuanian name for Ponar (Ponary in Polish), the site of one of the worst massacres of Jews during World War II. For Barbara Michelman, Paneriai is a landscape of loss and silence – a silence exemplified by her father who was born there.

Though he escaped the slaughter, he was nevertheless broken by its haunting dimensions. In her solo-exhibition Past is Prologue, a series of photo montages with text, Michelman takes a journey of discovery into her family’s Lithuanian past. The result is a fascinating palimpsest of images echoing with the voices of the vanished.

Michelman studied art history in Florence, Italy and graduated with a BA in philosophy from UC Berkeley. She did post-graduate work in film at SFSU and in sociology and psychology at Humboldt State University. One of the first women in the Lighting Union in Hollywood, she began her career working in all the major film studios. A prolific photographer and digital artist, she resides in the Bay Area

Part of Michelman’s exhibit will be on display in Geisel Library West, 2^nd (main) Floor from September 24 to December 13, 2018.

Prior to Michelman’s lecture, at 4:30 p.m., there will be a tribute to Dr. Edith Eva Eger, a prominent clinical psychologist, motivational speaker, and survivor of the Holocaust.  — From UC San Diego’s Holocaust Living History Workshop

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JCC Krakow opens new playground and garden

The Jewish Community Centre of Krakow (JCC Krakow) on Thursday celebrated the official opening of its new Taube Family Playground and Shana Penn Garden, which will serve the children in the JCC’s FRAJDA Early Childhood Center. Generously funded by Taube Philanthropies, the new spaces emphasize educational play and interaction with the natural world and include a trampoline, stage and built-in memory game, among other features.

Attendees of the opening included Taube Philanthropies Executive Director Shana Penn, for whom the garden is named, JCC Krakow Executive Director Jonathan Ornstein, U.S. Consul General B. Bix Aliu, Consul General of Germany Dr. Michael Gross, rabbis representing the orthodox and reform movements in Krakow, FRAJDA parents and children, members of Krakow’s Jewish community, and friends and supporters from all over Poland.

The Taube Family Playground is named in honor of Bay Area philanthropist and proud son of Krakow Tad Taube, the chairman of Taube Philanthropies and board president emeritus of the Koret Foundation in San Francisco. Born in Krakow, Poland, in 1931, Tad Taube immigrated to the United States in the summer of 1939, just months before the outbreak of World War II. In 2003, Mr. Taube established a philanthropic program – the Jewish Heritage Initiative in Poland (JHIP) – which supports the revitalization of Jewish culture in now-democratic Poland. — From JCC of Krakow

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Greek Jewish leader Moses Constantinis, 86, is mourned

The American Jewish Committee (AJC) mourns the passing of longtime Greek Jewish leader Moses Constantinis. He was 86 years old.

“We shall always remember Moses as a distinguished, dedicated, and admired leader of the Jewish Community of Greece,” said AJC CEO David Harris, who was a good friend. “He was determined in the aftermath of the Shoah, which caused such immense and irretrievable loss in his beloved country, to help rebuild Jewish life, preserve memory, and restore hope.”

Constantinis was a frequent participant in annual AJC Global Forums in Washington, D.C., regularly met in Athens with AJC leadership. “We always benefited from his wise counsel and had the privilege to pay tribute to his leadership,” said Harris. “We shall miss Moses. May his memory be for an everlasting blessing and an inspiration.”

Constantinis served as President of the Governing Board of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece (KIS), the coordinating body of the Greek Jewry, for 13 years (1998-2010 and 2015-2016). Under his leadership, Constantinis signed an AJC-KIS association agreement in 2007, formally linking the two organizations.

He also served as Secretary General of KIS from 1991 until 1997. He was a founding member and, from 1977 until his death, Secretary General and Vice President of the Board of Directors of the Jewish Museum of Greece. — From American Jewish Committee

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Preceding culled from news releases.  Send yours to editor@sdjewishworld.com