Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on July 13, 2020

Join us this summer as we explore 72 years of Israeli history through a lens of transition. Over five weekly sessions led by Jewish educator Uri Feinberg, we will strengthen our foundation of knowledge about the Jewish state, we will be able to zoom out and zoom in, contextualize and look forward, and ultimately feel more comfortable asking the question, Why do I care and what does this mean to me?

Never miss the best stories and events! Get JewishBoston This Week.

All are welcome. Contact Brigid Goggin with any questions atbgoggin@tisrael.org.

Fact Sheet

When

Tuesday, July 21, 2020, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Price

$125.00 Standard Registration$175.00 Supporter Registration$50.00 Reduced Registration

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The History of the State of Israel: Zionism Through 2020 - jewishboston.com

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Posted By admin on July 13, 2020

Foodbenders, a Toronto-area restaurant located in the heart of the city, has been accused in recent weeks of promoting extreme antisemitic anti-Zionist theories and tropes through its social platforms and at the storefront, displaying signs claiming IDF or Israeli responsibility for police brutality in the United States, calls to 'Defund Israel,' and allegations that Jeffery Epstein, the late disgraced sex offender, was part of a "Zionist Mossad" operation. Beyond her promotion of antisemitic anti-Zionist conspiracy theories online and at her store, Kimberely Hawkins, the manager of the restaurant in the Bloordale neighborhood of Toronto, has said on Instagram and elsewhere that "Zionists are Nazis" and are not welcome at her restaurant, while also tying it to alleged Jewish and Zionist influence within the Canadian government and in US foreign policy.

Additionally, Hawkins expressed her admiration for Leila Khaled, a Palestinian woman who was responsible for hijacking two planes in 1969 and 1970 as a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP).The PLFP is widely considered a terrorist organization by most Western democratic governments, including Canada, the United States and the European Union.

Speaking to the popular local news outlet blogTO, Hawkins denied any claims that she harbors antisemitic views and glorifies Palestinian terrorists.

"Im not antisemitic," Hawkins said to blogTO. "That would go against all the other principles that Ive been standing up for the past few weeks. I believe that Palestinians should be free and have the same equal human rights as everyone, and thats not a stance I will apologize for."

"When I'm making a statement about Zionism, I am not referring to Jewish people... It's about the state government," Hawkins added.

The reaction in the Toronto and wider Canadian Jewish community to Hawkins' claims and tropes has been fierce.

The sentiments expressed by Foodbenders and its owner are hateful and deplorable, and have no place in the Canadian food industry, said Michael Mostyn, Chief Executive Officer of Bnai B'rith Canada, in a statement Sunday on the organization's website.

Together, acting within the boundaries of the law, we can ensure that there are real consequences for this behavior, he added.

Bnai B'rith Canada noted Canadian Jewish attitudes on Zionism, citing the 2018 Survey of Jews in Canada, conducted by Environics Research at York University and the University of Toronto, which found that Zionism is the normative form of Canadian Jewish identification.

Similarly, the Canadian branch of the Jewish Defense League (JDL) arrived at the restaurant in recent days to disrupt Foodbenders' operations, via the use of picketing. Hawkins further alleged the smashing of the restaurant's windows. In one instance, a woman can be seen spray painting Stars of David on the storefront, which can be viewed on Foodbenders' Instagram profile.

Commentators on Foodbenders' Instagram page, along with Canadian Jewish organizations, have suggested that Hawkins may be liable to prosecution under Canadian hate speech laws, though she told blogTO that the police have not been in contact with her regarding violations.

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Toronto eatery dishes out antisemitic theories and tropes - The Jerusalem Post

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Posted By admin on July 13, 2020

Sunday 20 Tammuz (July 12) marks the 116th yahrzeit of Theodor Herzl, the father of modern Zionism.Herzl was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1860, where he was educated in the secular Jewish-German enlightenment milieu. In 1878, following the death of his sister he moved with his parents to Vienna, where Herzl studied law, receiving his doctorate in 1884. The young Herzl quickly turned away from the bar, however, opting instead to pursue writing, playwriting and journalism as a career. He became the Paris correspondent for the liberal Viennese newspaper Neue Freie Presse, and it was there that he first encountered the antisemitism which would be the driving force behind his dream of building a Jewish State in Israel. In 1894 Herzl wrote a play, The Ghetto, rejecting assimilation and conversion as solutions to the problem of antisemitism. That same year, the Dreyfus affair - that of a French Jewish army officer who was wrongly accused of treason and sentenced to life imprisonment - ruptured French society.Herzl witnessed large rallies at which people shouted "Death to the Jews" in the streets of Paris. This, combined with other influences, led Herzl to conclude that the Jewish people needed a homeland of their own. In June 1895, he wrote in his diary: "In Paris, as I have said, I achieved a freer attitude toward antisemitism ... Above all, I recognized the emptiness and futility of trying to 'combat' antisemitism." Over the next few years Herzl engaged himself in meeting with wealthy and influential people who might assist in realizing his vision of a Jewish state. He reached out to Baron Morris Hirsch and Baron Edmond de Rothschild for funding, as well as proposing a funding organization owned by stockholders for Jews to contribute to. This proposal would eventually be realized as the Zionist Organization. Meetings with the Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire in 1898 to encourage world powers to back the Jewish state were less successful, as were meetings in England with Joseph Chamberlain, the British colonial secretary and others. However, the only concrete offer he received from the British was the proposal of a Jewish autonomous region in Uganda. Herzl's most famous quote stands as a testament to his tenacity. "Wenn ihr wollt, ist es kein Mrchen," he wrote in the preface to his Zionist utopian novel Altneuland, titled Tel Aviv in Hebrew, or The Old New Land in English. The phrase is commonly translated as , ('im tirtzu, ein zo agada') in Hebrew, or in English: 'If you will it, it is no dream.'Although his death in 1904 meant that Herzl never saw the founding of the independent State of Israel, his convening of the first Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland in August 1897 paved the way. The Congress ratified the goal of Zionism as being "to establish a National Home for the Jewish People in Eretz Yisrael, that will be secured on the basis of the Law of Nations." The Congress also established the Zionist Organization, and elected Herzl as President, a position he served in until his death.Herzl later wrote in his diary: "In Basel I established the Jewish State. If I were to say it publicly today, the response would be laughter from all directions. Perhaps in another five years, 50 years at the most, everyone will recognize it."He was interred in the Jewish cemetery in Doblingen, near Vienna alongside his parents and wife, but so steadfast was he in his belief in a Jewish state that he left instructions for the family's remains to be re-interred in Israel upon its creation. In August 1949 the first Knesset passed a law stipulating that the Israeli government and World Zionist Organization would together bring Herzl's coffin, and that of his wife and parents to Israel, and on August 17 that same year the family were buried in a state ceremony on Mount Herzl. Herzl is immortal," Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion said. "His tombstone is the State of Israel, which will be built and will grow in love with its sons and builders." The ceremony, Ben-Gurion said, was not "a procession of mourning but a journey of victory, the triumph of the vision that became reality.

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Remembering Herzl on his 116th yahrzeit - The Jerusalem Post

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Posted By admin on July 13, 2020

Anti-Defamation League (ADL) New York / New Jersey issued a joint statement with the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey (JFNNJ) on July 10 condemning the head of New Jerseys Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) for accusing Israel of choking Palestinians.

The statement says that the two Jewish groups were concerned over some of the rhetoric used during a July 3 protest in Bergen, N.J., against possible Israeli annexation of portions of the West Bank. According to the ADL, CAIR New Jersey Executive Director Selaedin Maksut said during the rally, In order to defeat this evil that is Zionism, we must realize that the foot on the necks of the Black and Brown people of this nation is the same foot and the same knee that is choking the Palestinian people. Zionism is racism, and the same powers that oppress the ones here in America are the same powers that oppress the Palestinian people.

ADL New York/New Jersey and the JFNNJ condemned Maksuts reported statement as the type of language that only serves to further anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist conspiracies and distract and divide us from the critical work of combating systemic racism here in the U.S. and supporting the work of Israelis and Palestinians who yearn for peace and equality.

CAIR New Jersey did not respond to the Journals request for comment.

The ADL released a report on July 10 detailing how a large number of these events [Day of Rage protests] featured classic anti-Semitic tropes or hostile language demonizing Zionism, the movement for Jewish self-determination and statehood. Some of the other examples listed in the report included chants of Death to America, Death to Israel in Arabic as well as chants of Genocide in 48, we dont want your two states during a July 1 rally in Brooklyn, N.Y. A Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) flag, which the State Department designates as a terrorist organization, was held during the same rally.

The report also highlighted how, at the New Jersey rally, an unidentified speaker who claimed to be affiliated with American Muslims for Palestine said, We know that when you say no to annexation, no to occupation, were talking about all of historic Palestine. Were talking about the entire West Bank, were talking about all the land. All the land from which our people were driven out.

The ADL report did acknowledge that many of the protestors limited their messaging to expressions of support for Palestinians and criticisms of Israeli policy.

The Day of Rage protests occurred in cities all over the country, including Boston, Los Angeles and San Diego. Canadian high schoolers reportedly joined a July 4 protest in Mississauga, Ontario, that included chants in Arabic stating, Jews are our dogs! Bnai Brith Canada filed a hate crime complaint on July 8 over the alleged incident.

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ADL Condemns CAIR NJ Head for Saying Israel is 'Choking the Palestinian People' During 'Day of Rage' Protest - Jewish Journal

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Posted By admin on July 13, 2020

In a meeting on June 21, Iran's cabinet of ministers approved the final draft of the 25-year comprehensive cooperation plan between Iran and China.

On July 5, came the announcement of the Iranian FM Zarif about Iran-China negotiations overa 25-year so-called 'accord', which as he put into words is "clear and the two countries have nothing to hide about it."

During the past week, however, some claims and reports were made by some specific foreign-based medialashing out at the Islamic Republic.

The unfounded claims about the issue arguedfor example, that under this 25-year cooperation, Iran is to hand over Kish Island to Chinain exchange for military, regional and international support or some named the cooperation a 'secretive deal'.

Rumors are still going around despitethe explanations offered by the Iranian officials asserting that the plan for strategic cooperation between Iran and China would be designed on equal footing, on the basis of common views, and with the purpose of supporting multilateralism.

Domestically, there have also been some disputes about the issue.Zarif is to attend Parliament commissions session on Sunday evening (July 12), to answer the lawmakers' questions about the 25-year cooperation document with China.

Mehr news conducted an interview with the Head of Iran-China Chamber of Commerce in Tehran, Majidreza Hariri to get a better understanding of the reality of the two sides' sustainable cooperation in the future.

Please, tell us aboutIran's 25-yearcooperationagreementwithChina. Is it a 'deal'? When was it signed? The mutual cooperation will be on which sectors?

First of all, this is not a contract. It is a 'roadmap', titled as "Iran-China 25-year comprehensive cooperation plan" for bilateral cooperation in the long-run.

Iran-China agreed upon conclusion ofa comprehensive cooperation plan back in 2016 during the Chinese President'svisit to Tehran, to develop mutual cooperation in various sectors including politics, new sciences, economy, culture, exchanging university students as well as regional and military.

After this initial agreement, a draft of the plan had to be written to identify the details of this roadmap. But in 2016, Iran was engaged in the JCPOA hoping for the US and the Europeans to fulfill their commitments. As a matter of fact, the accorded roadmap with China became significant for Iran after the withdrawal of the US from the nuclear deal and Europeans' failure to making theirpromises.

Accordingly, as of the beginning of 2019, i.e. after the US pulling out from the JCPAO, Iran shifted its focus from western countries to Asian allies and paid special attention to its accorded roadmap with China to develop it into implementable projects.

In February 2019, the time Parliament Speaker of Iran Ali Larijani paid a visit to China where he revoiced Iran's tendency to have long-term cooperation with the country. Iranian ministries were then ordered to investigate cooperation fields with China.

Iranian FM Zarif made several visits to China afterward, putting forward Iran's suggestions about the probable cooperation sectors, which were agreed upon by China.

Eventually, in late June 2020, the Iranian Cabinet finalized the preparation of the Iranian version of the "Iran-China 25-year comprehensive cooperation plan". That was when the criticisms aroused and enemies' propaganda was distributed.

How do you explain the recent unsubstantiatedrumors circulated about Iran-China cooperation via this roadmap?

Both Iran and China are special countries. Their cooperation in the result may be stimulative with its pros and cons; theUS isa definiteopponent.

However, the recent chorus of criticism about the 25-year roadmap was not an international one but was aroused by some western anti-Iranian media or telegram channels, which are run by anti-revolutionary Iranians living abroadwith political motivations.

Their made claims about this roadmap are truly baseless, relyingon the US' stances toward China.

The US isdefinitely anopponent to Iran-China long-term cooperation.

In my view, Iran has not been inclined to release the details of the prepared roadmap due to the US stances toward both the Islamic Republic and China and the anti-Iranian sanctions. There were chances of US sabotage in this regard. But presently, its content is published and available to media. Moreover, the issue has not been confidential at all.

Does Iran have any similar long-term cooperation roadmap with other countries?

China is the first country with which Iran is preparing such a long-term plan, but unfortunately, some baseless claims have been made about it. For example, some claim thatChina has the upper-hand in this cooperation or the roadmap will make the ground proper for China to colonize Iran and etc.

To prove that the made claims about it are baseless, I hereby announce my readiness and that of the Iran-China Chamber of Commerce to answer any questions of the critics about the economic aspects of this roadmap.

How long will it take for Tehran and Beijing to implement this roadmap?

To have it finalized for being implemented under the framework of a mutual agreement, the prepared version of the roadmap by Iran needs tobe reviewed and modified by the Chinese side.

The finalized bilateral agreement will then be used by various sectors to define their affiliated projects via specific contracts.

For example, Iran expresses a tendency for developing industrial parks in southern Makran coast. Accordingly,IranSmall Industries and Industrial Parks Organization (ISIPO) will start negotiations with a Chinese company on inking a contract.

The same can occur in the oil and gas sector of exchanging university students between the two sides.

Itwill take two or three years for the roadmap to be finalized and implemented.

To prove that the made claims about it are baseless, I hereby announce my readiness and that of the Iran-China Chamber of Commerce to answer any questions of the critics about the economic aspects of this roadmap.

How do you assess the mutual interests of this roadmap for the two sides?

All the mutual cooperation agreements in the world are win-win and I underline that in contrast with the made false claims saying China plans to colonize Iran, this is Iran who has prepared the initial draft of the future agreements with China. Therefore, there are definite interests for Iran.

I do believe that Iran-China cooperation will put a big danger to the interests of the Zionist regime.

The Zionist regime has attracted the biggest part of the Chinese investments in the region. Chinese companies arerunning major foodstuffs, ports, and petrochemical projects in the occupied lands.

Iran is a bigger country with bigger potentials and if China commences its cooperation with Iran, China-Zionist regime cooperation will lose its significance.

Therefore, in my view, the propaganda against Iran-China 25-year roadmap is run by the Tel Aviv regime.

Interview by Haniyeh Sadat Jafariyeh

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Iran-China 25-year roadmap big threat to Zionists' interests - Mehr News Agency - English Version

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Posted By admin on July 13, 2020

Uber Eats and Ritual have removed Bloordale eatery Foodbenders from their platforms after the restaurant used what many considered anti-Zionist tropes.

Owner Kimberly Hawkins received letters from Uber Eats and Ritual on Monday, indicating that their agreements were terminated effective immediately.

The eatery received criticism for hashtagging #zionistsnotwelcome on Instagram, and profiling Leila Khaled on social media a woman who hijacked two planes in 19691970, and a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine a designated terrorist entity in Canada and the U.S.

On Sunday, Bnai Brith Canada, the Canadian section of Bnai Brith the oldest Jewish service organization in the world called on community members to take action against the eatery for posting pro-terrorist content on social media.

The sentiments expressed by Foodbenders and its owner are hateful and deplorable, and have no place in the Canadian food industry, said Michael Mostyn, chief executive officer of Bnai Brith Canada, in a statement. Together, acting within the boundaries of the law, we can ensure that there are real consequences for this behaviour.

The removal from Uber Eats and Ritual is just the latest in a stream of backlash the eatery has received. On Monday, Ontario Premier Doug Ford condemned the language and actions used as disgusting, noting that it would not be tolerated in Ontario.

Our government stands with the Jewish community in condemning this kind of behaviour here at home, and across the globe, Ford tweeted.

A Doordash spokesman confirmed with the Toronto Sun on Tuesday that they have also decided to remove the eatery from their platform for failure to follow community guidelines. Ambrosia Natural Foods is also reportedly discontinuing Foodbenders products at all three of their locations.

Hawkins said in an Instagram post that she loves Jewish people, and they are welcome in her store, but doesnt believe that criticism of the Zionist political ideology amounts to criticism of Jewish people. She has since temporarily turned off comments on her eaterys Instagram page.

Controversy at the eatery started in June when the eatery wrote F*ck the Police on a sandwich board sign outside the restaurant in support of anti-racism protests. On Canada Day, the sign read: Happy KKKanada Day Hawkins said in an Instagram post that she received more than 400 death threats since the original sign was posted.

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Uber Eats and Ritual drop Toronto eatery over anti-Zionist stance - Post City

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Posted By admin on July 13, 2020

Jewish, Hebrew and Israel education should be affordable and accessible to everyone, Israeli-American Council (IAC) co-founder and CEO Shoham Nicolet said on Sunday.

The current crisis brings great opportunities; by bringing education trailblazers we hope to inspire a new and innovative Jewish Education. Today, we can and should reimagine Jewish, Hebrew and Israel education. We must dream about making it affordable and accessible to anyone, anywhere, in an effort to keep our children connected to our heritage, said Nicolet.

The summit, a hands-on virtual experience with live streams, networking tools and interactive sessions, will bring together Israeli and American senior executives from EdTech, leading academics, and social entrepreneurs to examine the pivotal role of innovation in the field of education. Participants include Kristen DiCerbo, Chief Learning Officer at Khan Academy; John Schwartz, Head of Enterprise Global Business Development at edX; Erica Lockheimer, VP at LinkedIn Learning; Prof. Ariel Porat, President of Tel Aviv University; Prof. Katherine E. Fleming, Provost at New York University; Adi Altschuler, Founder and CEO, Inclu-Special for All and Founder of Krembo Wings and Zikaron Basalon, among many more.

The two-day program will feature panels and one-on-one conversations, as well as breakout sessions and online networking opportunities with other summit attendees, with the goal of convening international educators to learn best practices and models to take back and implement in informal and formal classroom settings.

We can now rethink and re-imagine a stronger and even more meaningful connection between Israel and the Jewish people, just like in this partnership with TAU online that brings educators from both sides of the ocean as well as our great friends and partners in the Jewish American world, added Nicolet.

Participating organizations in the global e-summit include: The Jewish Federations of North America, The Center for Israel Education, The Jewish Agency for Israel, Kesher L'Ivrit, ICenter, Momentum, Foundation for Jewish Camp, Prizmah, the Center for Jewish Day Schools, the Jewish Funders Network, as well as Israel Scouts, BBYO, Habonim Dror and Hashomer Hatzair. They will participate in numerous panels such as, Isra-Ed-Tech: Innovating Israel Education and Engagement, Innovation and Creative Thinking in the Midst of a Global Crisis: the story of Zionist Youth Movements, and Jewish Federations: Helping Jewish Learning Thrive, in COVID-19 and Beyond.

Yuval Shraibman, TAU Online - innovative learning centers founder and CEO said ahead of the virtual conference that, We see in this summit and our partnership with the IAC as an opportunity to stop for a moment during these challenging times and reimagine the future of education. TAU Online is helping professors and students, teachers and pupils reinvent their teaching and learning experience.

The e-summit marks the IACs response to the new realities facing the world in the wake of the coronavirus and the need for innovative leadership in education and virtual learning.

To answer these new challenges, the organization has recently launched a series of virtual learning experiences aimed at enriching the bond between Israeli and American communities. Among the endeavors is OFEK Hub, a state-of-the-art learning hub providing a unique online learning experience with an Israeli twist, where students can learn a variety of subjects ranging from Hebrew to Israeli Innovation from the comfort of their own homes.

Additionally, last month the organization co-hosted "The New Tomorrow" in collaboration with the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, which brought together leading industry giants from Israel and the US to examine the impact of COVID-19 on global communities.

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IAC co-founder: Jewish, Israel education should be affordable to everyone - The Jerusalem Post

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Posted By admin on July 13, 2020

When Winona Horowitz was a little girl, she used to sleep in the doorway of her parents bedroom.

Her greatest fear was someone would knock on the door and drag them off to be murdered... like her fathers family who perished in the Holocaust.

I think it came from overhearing stories of what happened in the camps, says the actress now known to the world as Winona Ryder.

I was terrified of being separated from them. In World War II, my mums father died fighting the Nazis in the Pacific and, on my fathers side, family members died in the camps.

I am grateful my parents told me the truth, though they had to pick the right age to tell me because it is so horrific.

But I used to go to the library and look at books about it. I couldnt stop turning the pages and thought, This is horrible, why am I doing this?

Then I realised maybe I was looking for my family, for someone I recognised.

Winona, 48, has been a war buff ever since. That may surprise fans who recall the Goth icon and poster girl of the 1980s and 1990s who starred in Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, Bram Stokers Dracula and Girl, Interrupted.

But she remains one of Hollywoods most intriguing and unconventional leading ladies, with a rollercoaster personal life.

Yet her Jewish heritage has also seen her experience anti-semitism at first hand. There are times when people have said, Wait, youre Jewish? But youre so pretty! she revealed recently.

There was a movie I was up for a long time ago a period piece and the studio head, who was Jewish, said I looked too Jewish to be in a blue-blooded family.

And only last month Winona became embroiled in a row with Mel Gibson after repeating an allegation that, years ago, he asked her if she was an oven dodger a term referring to the gas chambers.

Actor Gibson accused her of lying, saying in a new statement: This is 100 per cent untrue.

The exchange came as Winona hits TV screens once more in The Plot Against America, which starts on Sky Atlantic on Tuesday.

Based on Philip Roths novel and with a screenplay by the creators of The Wire, it tells of a working-class Jewish family living in an alternate 1940s New Jersey.

Aviator Charles Lindbergh ascends to the Presidency on a wave of xenophobic and anti-semitic rhetoric, opposing US intervention in the war.

Winona plays Evelyn Finkel, who falls for a charismatic Nazi-sympathising rabbi. She believes the story is uncannily relevant amid the rise of political hate-speak.

Its a very personal story, she says.

If you are a grandchild or a child of European Jews, its hard not to be untouched by it.

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Its also a taste of what were living in now and what we might possibly be heading into in the future, if we dont get out and vote. Im excited because a lot of my fans are young and this is timely and relevant.

Named after her home town of Winona, Minnesota, she grew up in a commune outside San Francisco where her bohemian author parents became friends with beat poet Allen Ginsberg.

Her godfather is LSD guru Timothy Leary, the psychologist who wanted to turn America on to psychedelic drugs. Her first movie role, aged 13, was in high-school flick Lucas. She was bullied at her own school for looking like an effeminate boy. When 1988 hit Beetlejuice made her famous she thought things would improve.

But it made things worse, she said. They called me a witch.

In the same year, then 17, she won rave reviews as the murderous teenage girlfriend of Christian Slater in cult hit Heathers. Then, in 1990, she fell in love with her Edward Scissorhands co-star Johnny Depp.

She was 17, he was 26. They got engaged after five months.

He was my first everything, she said later. My first real kiss. My first real boyfriend. My first fianc. The first guy I had sex with.

Their split, three years on, left both deeply wounded. Depp famously had the tattoo Winona Forever on his arm changed to Wino Forever. Director Tim Burton said that afterwards he wasnt acting like Johnny any more. Its almost like Winona took Johnnys soul.

Winona tried to drown her sorrows with booze and almost ended up dying when a lit cigarette set fire to her hotel room.

The pair remained close and Winona is currently preparing to give evidence supporting Depp in his High Court libel action over allegations that he beat his former wife Amber Heard.

A string of movie hits dotted the 1990s for Winona. Martin Scorseses The Age of Innocence in 1993 won her a Golden Globe.

A year later she played Jo March in Little Women dedicating the role to Polly Klaas, 12, a girl from her home town who was kidnapped and murdered. She remains close to the family and supports a foundation in Pollys name.

But in 2001, problems surfaced when Winona was arrested for shoplifting $6,000 worth of merchandise from Saks Fifth Avenue in Los Angeles. Police found her with a syringe, painkillers and tranquillisers provided by a quack doctor.

Winona was given community service, handed hefty fines and placed on probation for three years.

She stopped acting for a while what she calls my hiatus. In 2010 she made a blistering movie return in Black Swan as an ageing ballerina fighting to stay relevant.

A year later she fell for Scott Mackinlay Hahn, who she has been spending lockdown with. In 2016, she won a new army of fans as a determined single mum in Netflix s sci-fi thriller series Stranger Things.

And she was delighted to play Evelyn in The Plot Against America, not least because Philip Roth is a favourite author and she loved his 2004 novel. I read it one sitting, its a brilliant book and really interesting because of my own family history, she said.

The novel has taken on a new significance in light of Donald Trump s divisive presidency. One line really sums that up: Theres a lot of hate out there. And he knows how to tap into it.

Can you believe that? says Winona. Its pretty incredible how relevant it is.

She has even been accused of taking on the role as an anti-Trump protest. Winona says: Apparently, I said a few things and someone said, Well 62 million people are now going to boycott Stranger Things so there!

But you cant just sit back because you dont want to be disliked or have people not watch your show.

Im the daughter of two writers and historians and was really lucky I got to grow up in a family that talked about stuff that wasnt being discussed.

In school, when teaching historical stuff, Id say, Well what about when this happened? and I literally got detention. Now Im astonished at some of the things going on.

I never thought Id see a swastika paraded at a march and shown on national TV. So its now or never. You have to take a stand, you have to! And the way to do that is by voting.

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Why Winona Ryder has been haunted by horrors of Holocaust since her childhood - Mirror Online

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Posted By admin on July 13, 2020

Ive been indulging in a lot of screen time recently. I know Im not alone in this. But it somehow seems odd to spend so much of my time passively watching as history is happening right before our eyes. For a multitude of reasons, this year may turn out to be the most consequential year in modern world history, certainly in American history; and that thought is stressing me out. So, in search of answers, I have begun watching and reading about how other people have responded to crises throughout history.

There is currently a 24-part lecture series on Prime TV entitled The Black Death, and yes, it is about the plague that originated in China, and beginning in 1347, it devastated not only half of the entire population of Europe, but also its ruling institutions, including feudalism and the Catholic Church. But what fascinated me were the first-hand accounts, in both writing and art, as told by those who were living in the midst of it. Those who cared for the sick and then succumbed themselves; those who turned to prayer and self-flagellation, those who turned to hedonism or violence, those who were scapegoated for being Jewish, and those who tried to restore order and government.

During the next ten years, 75 million people perished. That is a staggering number. But it doesnt tell us about the human story of that pandemic. We can only begin to understand the meaning of such events by opening ourselves to the accounts of those who lived and died or survived in such times.

Such traumatic experiences are not the only stories of interest to historians. Other stories, of a gentler sort, fascinate as well. Perhaps because they stand out in relief against the larger backdrop of social upheaval.

I recently watched Anne Frank: Parallel Stories, in which Helen Mirren reads from Annes diary, which is filled with what we might call the normal preoccupations of an adolescent girl in the 1940s. She writes freely and imaginatively of friendship, isolation, love, romance, having her first period and her desire to improve the world. Her death in a Nazi concentration camp at the sweet age of 15 is what makes her story so poignant and so tragic.

When such stories are intertwined with those of other victims and survivors, we feel the true significance of the Holocaust. The weight of those stories has helped to stiffen my own resolve to resist any movement toward a world in which such evil could ever exist again. Engaging with history and realizing that our own stories are part of the entire human experience can really help put things in perspective.

Today, we are living through our own historical moment facing a worldwide pandemic; political upheaval; social unrest; continued racial injustice toward our own species and man-made environmental catastrophes that threaten to extinguish life itself.

So, how are we dealing with all this?

We all have stories about the disease that is crippling our society, keeping us in isolation, with little or no employment, unable to attend school, unable to make new friends or to date. Are your relationships stressed? Has the Black Lives Matter movement made a difference to you? Did you participate in the protests? How has your world changed? Are you worried about your health or that of your loved ones? Do you watch a lot of news coverage like I do, or post more on social media? Do you feel that youre actively engaged and are trying to make a difference?

The most important question for me is, What will I tell my granddaughter when she grows up?

There are so many stories that when taken together will inform future generations, as well as scholars, about how we survived here on Vashon-Maury Island, while so many in other places did not.

Now is a good time to think about sharing your own experiences. The Vashon Heritage Museum, our island equivalent of the Smithsonian, has begun what it calls the Vashon COVID-19 Archive Project. A team led by historian Bruce Haulman has begun collecting such stories for a future exhibit. Working in collaboration with Voice of Vashon, they will be conducting video and audio interviews at several locations around Vashon-Maury throughout the month of July. Participants only need to be willing to share their stories, but artifacts such as masks and photos, even screenshots of social media posts may also be of interest.

For more information visit vashonheritagemuseum.org/covidarchive. Also, check Vashon Heritage Museums Facebook page for updates on the location for the interviews.

Be part of history.

Art Chippendale has lived on Vashon for 24 years with his wife Tania Kinnear. He has been active in community organizations and co-founded the group Unifying for Democracy.

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What's your story? - Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber

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Posted By admin on July 13, 2020

The government is facing legal action over its decision to build a national Holocaust memorial and learning centre in a Royal Park next to Parliament.

Secretary of State of Homes, Communities and Local Government Robert Jenrick MP is being challenged by the London Historic Parks and Gardens Trust over the process leading to a decision to build in Victoria Tower Gardens, beside the River Thames.

Jenricks department sought planning permission in January 2019 after former Prime Minister David Camerons Holocaust Commission, led by former Jewish Leadership Council chair Sir Mick Davis, recommended a national memorial somewhere central.

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However a raft of heritage and environmental experts have warned that the damage and congestion that it could cause would outweigh the public benefit.

The Trust has played a leading role objecting to plans to build the memorial on the last piece of publicly accessible land in central London. The gardens are Grade II listed, sit alongside the Grade I listed Palace of Westminster, and lie partly within a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the world-famous Westminster Abbey.

Working with other campaign groups, including Save Victoria Tower Gardens and the Thorney Island Society, the Trust has argued that ministers should reconsider the memorials location, citing the undesirable impact of the chosen design.

A planning decision was due to be taken by Westminster Council, which said it was minded not to grant permission, until Jenricks department stepped in and took over.

Successive prime ministers, including Theresa May, has maintained that the memorial will be built in Victoria Towers Gardens, and the current Conservative Government even made support for the memorial a manifesto commitment.

Last month lawyers acting for the Trust argued that the environmental impact of the proposals, which could cause great damage to the root systems of the Parks 180-year old plane trees, was not carrying sufficient weight in forthcoming call-in inquiry, which is scheduled to begin on 6 October.

The Trust contends that the proposals represent an exceptionally serious intrusion into a very important green public open space, argued its lawyers.

The Trust has made clear that that it regards a new Holocaust Memorial with Learning Centre is a good idea, but that Victoria Tower Gardens is the wrong place for what is now proposed. This view is shared with many other objectors, including Westminster City Council and Baroness Ruth Deech.

Deech is one of several Jewish peers to have expressed her objections to the memorial proposals, arguing that the 100 million should be spent on Holocaust education instead.

While lawyers for the Trust do not object to the call-in, they have called for a Judicial Review, and the case will be heard by Mr Justice Holgate at the High Court of Justice, Queens Bench Division.

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Government may face legal action over building of Westminster Shoah memorial - Jewish News

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