By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO — Democratic Congressmen Brad Schneider of Illinois and Jared Moskowitz of Florida are among the sponsors of a bipartisan bill increasing criminal penalties for engaging in murder-for-hire conspiracies and murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, or assault on federal officials, former federal officials, and their families.
Led in the U.S. Senate by Maggie Hassan, a New Hampshire Democrat, and Joni Ernst, an Iowa Republican, the effort was spurred by the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, while he was campaigning for President, an effort which some blame on Iran.
Schneider said the bill will send “a clear message to Iran and any nation or individual conspiring against Americans.”
Moskowitz said it is a message that any criminal “who works with a foreign government, especially a state sponsor of terrorism like Iran, will face severe consequences for harming Americans.”
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The Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta sponsored a letter signed by 50 Jewish congregations and organizations to U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, both Democrats representing Georgia, expressing deep disappointment over their vote to block the provision of some weapons to Israel – a measure that was authored by Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont Independent, and handily defeated on the floor of the U.S. Senate. The letter stated, in part: “Your vote demonstrates that your commitment to Israel’s security is not ironclad; rather it comes at the expense of Israeli defense. It not only emboldens Iran and its proxies, it also stands in sharp contrast to the many expressions of support you have made.” Ossoff is up for reelection in 2016.
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During orientation week for new freshmen members of Congress, a lottery was held to determine in what order they could pick available offices. Congresswoman-elect Laura Friedman, a Glendale Democrat, posted a selfie of herself and Luz Rivas, a North Hollywood Democrat, going through the process. Congressman Craig Goldman, a Texas Republican, drew Number 48.
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Boris Epshteyn, an influential adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, has been the subject of an internal investigation by the Trump transition team of peddling his influence to gain appointments for office-seekers. “These fake claims are false and defamatory and will not distract us from making America great again,” Epshteyn responded to an inquiry from CNN.
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Democratic U.S. Senators Ron Wyden of Oregon and Dick Durbin of Illinois have called on FIFA, the global soccer body, to deny Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2034 World Cup when the organization meets on December 11. In a letter, they wrote: “The Saudi regime has long violated human rights and has made no progress toward meaningful reform and accountability. The Kingdom continues to torture dissidents, engage in extrajudicial killings, discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community, oppress women and religious minorities, exploit and abuse foreign workers, and restrict almost all political rights and civil liberties. … If Saudi Arabia assumes the responsibilities of hosting the World Cup, these human rights abuses are sure to escalate through the planning, execution, and conclusion of the tournament.”
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San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie says upon taking office he will order emergency shelter beds for homeless persons living on the streets and will declare a state of emergency over fentanyl deaths in his city, according to a report on CNBC.
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U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, following a plea agreement for hate crime suspect John Reardon, commented on Monday: “This defendant’s threats to bomb synagogues and kill children stoked fear in the hearts of congregants at a time when Jews are already facing a disturbing increase in threats.” Reardon had left a message on Congregation Agudas Achim’s voice mail which said, in a reference to Israel’s war against Hamas: “You do realize that by supporting genocide that means it’s OK for people to commit genocide against you” After calling that Attleboro, Massachusetts, synagogue, Reardon telephoned another congregation in Sharon and threatening to kill all Jews and “stomping their babies in the ground.” He pleaded guilty to making threats as well as to 98 harassing phone calls to the Israeli consulate in Boston. Prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence of up to 30 months in prison
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INTERNATIONAL
The United Arab Emirates has identified three Uzbekis as responsible for the murder of Chabad Rabbi Zvi Kogan. In prison and facing the death penalty are Olimpi Toirovich, Makhmudjon Abdurakhim, and Azizbek Kamlovich. Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, chairman of Chabad, commented: “It is incumbent upon the authorities of every country where Chabad representatives serve in good faith, to ensure that terror finds no haven within its borders. The targeting of Rabbi Kogan was an attempt to destroy the sacred Jewish values that he represented: light, goodness and kindness. No country, no community, no society can afford the loss of these sustaining values.” Yousef Al Otaiba, UAE’s U.S. Ambassador, called the murder “more than a crime in the UAE—it was a crime against the UAE. It was an attack on our homeland, on our values and on our vision.”
Chabad Rabbi Mendel Polichenco and Rebbetzin Dini Polichenco of Carmel Valley commented in response to Kogan’s murder: “There is a worldwide effort to delegitimize and destroy the Jewish people in Israel and everywhere and this is not a time to stand by. When you see Jew hatred in your child’s school or wherever you have influence, you must stand up to it today.”
Rabbi Moishe Leider of Chabad of University City messaged: “We will mourn, we will cry, we will grieve, and then we will re-energize, regroup and shine brighter than ever before. Dear Zvi, you died heroically fighting these evil haters with your bare hands. We will continue your legacy of serving the Jewish people with love and dedication, leading to the day when we will see the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Torah, the day when peace will come to our world–may it be soon.”
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Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was burned in effigy Friday night by pro-Palestinian rioters in Montreal, Canada, who protested an upcoming NATO meeting on the grounds that the international military alliance has supported Israeli actions in Gaza and Lebanon. The violence prompted Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to declare on Saturday that “acts of antisemitism, intimidation and violence must be condemned wherever we see them.” … In Toronto, on Sunday, Rebel News publisher Ezra Levant was arrested for disturbing the peace while photographing a pro-Hamas demonstration based on the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israeli troops. Interviewed on Fox News after being released without being charged, Levant said, “I think Canada is going the way of some European countries. There is now a ‘No-Go Zone’ if you’re Jewish or a journalist.”
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Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, president of Shurat HaDin, has filed briefs with the International Criminal Court arguing that Chief Prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan exceeded his authority when he issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Israel’s former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. “The ICC completely ignores the language of its own Rome Treaty and its deliberate limitations and instead finds skewed paths and unlawful justifications to bestow statehood on the Palestinians and assert legal jurisdiction over Israel,” Darshan-Leitner stated.
“This extreme decision creates a dangerous precedent for the ICC to target other democratic armies and leaders. The Western democratic member states need to immediately protest and disavow the Court’s ruling. They must pledge to ignore the indictments against Israelis. We are calling on the US Congress, Senate, and Administration to finally sanction the ICC, its racist judges, and its chief prosecutor. They must take bold action against The Hague. Tomorrow, they’ll be indicting American officials and troops as well.”
Meanwhile Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini said the arrest warrants are not enough: “Netanyahu and the criminal leaders of this regime must be sentenced to death.”
Gallant, it was announced, will fly to Washington for meetings with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, and Amos Hochstein, the Biden administration’s negotiator for a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon.
Attorney Alan Dershowitz wrote in an OpEd for the Wall Street Journal that he is “assembling a team of world-class lawyers from around the globe to help defend Israeli leaders against the false charges.”
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American photographer Nan Goldin, opening an exhibition in Berlin, condemned Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon as “genocide,” telling an audience of pro-Palestinians, “My grandparents escaped pogroms in Russia. I was brought up knowing about the Nazi Holocaust What I see in Gaza reminds me of the pogroms that my grandparents escaped. … Never again means never again for everyone!”
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Hadassah National President Carol Ann Schwartz wrote a letter signed by 57 organizations to U.N. Secretary General António Guterres and others, stating that “It has been more than a year since Hamas brutally raped, sexually abused and mutilated Israeli women and girls. However, despite overwhelming evidence, U.N. leaders have not held Hamas accountable or taken decisive steps towards justice and accountability.” The letter called on Guterres and other U.N. leaders to “stand up and show that sexual violence against women and girls will never be tolerated or excused. Holding perpetrators accountable is critical to deterring future use of sexual violence as a weapon of war….”
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Donald H. Harrison is publisher and editor of San Diego Jewish World