Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By richards on June 29, 2017

In medieval times Jews were required to defend the Talmud against attacks by Christians. If they were deemed to have lost (which they inevitably were), the Talmud was then burnt. There is something equally medieval about bringing an Emeritus Oxford Professor into a Church to vilify and lie about Israel. But that was what happened on Tuesday.

St James Church, Piccadilly and in particular the Reverend Lucy Winkett have form remember the replica of the security fence (2014)? (Winkett now chairs the Amos Trust).

On Tuesday Avi Shlaim spoke in the church, on the topic Britain and Palestine: From Balfour to Blair and Beyond. Around 400 were there. The event was the Annual Lecture of a Christian organisation called Embrace the Middle East. Embrace the Middle East endorsed the Kairos Palestine document, which promotes BDS and denies Jewish historical connections to Israel. Its former CEO Jeremy Moody called Zionism an incoherent and racist theology. This and similar Christian organisations have supercessionist roots. (Supercessionism is the belief that because Jews denied the divinity of Jesus, all the promises which G-d made to them, revert to Christians including the promised Land, Israel).

Avi Shlaim was born in Baghdad. His family had to move to Israel, due to the persecution of Jews in Iraq. Yet Shlaim did not blame Iraq for the dislocation of his family. He blamed Israel! Here is a comment from someone who knew him at the JFS school in the early 60s (he later married out (to a great granddaughter of Lloyd George)):

From the first day I knew him it was obvious that Abe absolutely HATED Israel. His family, well-to-do in Iraq, but forced out by the Baathist regime (so he said) were now just another family of Mizrahim, Sephardic Jews, in Israel, where, truth be told, they were never the equals of the Ashkenazim. But Abe never blamed Iraqi politics for this demeaning drop in status; he blamed the establishment of the State of Israel!

So thats Embrace the Middle East and Avi Shlaim . It doesnt take much to imagine the resulting toxicity when the two are mixed together .A farrago of lies and demonisation of Israel, mindlessly applauded by the adoring churchgoers. (A personal note: For me, its the demonisation in Churches that hurt most. I went to a C of E foundation school respect for the Church is in my DNA. All my life I have interacted with C of E members. It is the established religion in the UK Constitution. The monarch is also the head of the C of E. For me, there is nothing more alienating for me than seeing Israel vilified in a Church. Seeing Christian antisemitism up close is profoundly traumatic. Hinde Street was the same).

Here are the lies and distortions we heard from Shlaim (recorded):

The blockade of Gaza still exists today.

Not true. The only restrictions are on items which could be used for making missiles.

The Balfour Declaration is a classic colonial document

Not true. The opposite it was an anti-colonialist document. It recognised the Jewish right to self-determination and put in place arrangements for the dismantling of the Ottoman Empire after its defeat in World War One.

The UK made three promises which were incompatible.

Not true. Sir Henry McMahon pointed out in a letter to the Times in 1937 that the claim that he had promised Hussein all of the territory was incorrect. As for the Sykes-Picot Agreement, it was officially abrogated by the Allies at the San Remo Conference in April 1920, when the Mandate for Palestine was conferred upon Britain.

The British had no moral right to make this promise [the Balfour Declaration]

Not true. Britain had every moral right as one of the victors of World War One deciding on the future of the Empire of the losers, the Ottomans. (Note that Shlaim signed the petition for the UK government to apologise for the Balfour Declaration!).

The main driving force behind the Balfour Declaration was not Balfour but the Prime Minister David Lloyd George

Balfours appreciation of the history of the Jews was genuine and it was this above all which explains the Declaration which bears his name . See for example this quote:

Here you have a small race, originally inhabiting a small country .., at no time in its history wielding anything that can be described as material power, crushed between great Oriental monarchies, its inhabitants deported, then scattered, then driven out of the country to every part of the world and yet maintaining continuity of religion and racial tradition of which there is no parallel elsewhere. We cannot forget how they have been treated during long centuries. Our whole religious organization of Europe has proved itself guilty of great crimes against this race. [Speech to the Lords (1922); Quoted in Lord Turnbergs book Beyond the Balfour Declaration and in his speech on Sunday, where I was present].

[In 1917] the Zionists were a tiny minority within the Jewish community.

No evidence.

Referring to his status as a New Israeli Historian, Shlaim said: The old historians still cling to the doctrine of Israels Immaculate Conception

An utterly evil comment, written as sycophancy for the Christian audience.

The JNF caters only for Jews.

Simply a lie.

Shlaim said that Tony Blair only won the support of the House of Commons for action in Iraq because he promised to deal with the Palestinian problem.

Another lie. In his speech to the Commons (18 March 2003) Blair simply asked the US to remember the importance of restarting Middle East peace talks.

Shlaim said that the reason that Theresa May backtracked on Resolution 2334 was the desire to curry favour with President Trump. That has to be nonsense. 2334 was voted on two months after the US election. The real reason seems to be that she was not aware that the UK was going to support 2334. It was adopted two days before Christmas when Boris Johnson (UK Foreign Secretary) was away on vacation. Number Ten had aEuropean adviser but no global foreign policy adviser. When she found out about the vote, the Prime Minister was reportedly furious.

Shlaim also promoted the work of Ilan Pappe, of whom Benny Morris said: At best, Ilan Pappe must be one of the worlds sloppiest historians; at worst, one of the most dishonest. In truth, he probably merits a place somewhere between the two.

After Shlaims speech there was an Appeal for Embrace the Middle East by Bishop Michael Langrish. (Langrish has served as a Patron of Friends of Sabeel UK alongside Manuel Hassassian (the Palestinian ambassador to the UK) who has reportedly defended the firing of rockets into Israeli civilian areas, supported Taleban rule in Afghanistan, and praised Hezbollah as saviours of Arabs). Astonishingly Langrish told the audience that many Palestinian girls in Acre in Israel are living in what resembles a refugee camp many of them have been abused in various ways !!

To the Q and A .

Three Israel advocates asked questions. But the organisers kept hold of the microphone, effectively ensuring that they could censor them. Shlaim failed to answer any of their questions properly because he couldnt. But we did learn more about Shlaim, who in his retirement seems to be aiming for a career on the anti-Zionist Conference circuit alongside his admired colleague Pappe. He stated that Israel is an apartheid state; that settlements are the fundamental reason for the prolonging of the conflict; that the Palestine Solidarity Campaign is a serious pro-Palestinian outfit, rather than (see David Colliers account) an anti-Israel movement of hate, dripping in hard-core antisemitic ideology; that Corbyn has the most persistent record of opposing racism; that the antisemitism in the Labour Party is alleged (see Richard Milletts video for the reaction and counter-reaction to this pernicious untruth).

In answer to my own question (Why do you give a distorted one-sided view of history?) Shlaim said that the Jews had no right to self determination early in the 20th century because they only formed 10% of the population of Palestine and its an international convention that the majority in a country has the right to national self-determination. This is a nonsense. There was no such place as Palestine in 1917. 1.26% of the population of the Ottoman Empire were Jews and Israels share of the land area of the former Empire is 1.1%. There was an unbroken Jewish presence near Jerusalem for 5000 years.

The Aftermath

As we were leaving, there were some vile comments. I was told put your jackboots back on. Another activist received a bizarre Jew/Nazi comparison. Thats what happens at these events, when you confront the lies.

But confront them we must. Because in the runup to the Balfour Centenary later this year (2 November), the lies, demonisation and hate are flowing free.

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Medieval disputation in a London church in 2017 - Jewish News (blog)

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Posted By admin on June 29, 2017

Photo Credit: Jewish Press

Saif 19, Mechaber: The plaintiff claims he lent the defendant money and though he cannot remember how much, it was at least two silver maot and one perutah. Alternatively, the defendant admits he borrowed money but cannot remember how much. In each case, the court should ask the defendant whether he remembers borrowing at least one perutah. If the defendant admits this, he must take the Modeh Bemiktzat oath of partial admission. However, he is unable to take the Modeh Bemiktzat oath of partial admission because he does not remember how much he borrowed. Accordingly, judgment in the amount of two silver maot and one perutah will be entered against him in accordance with the rule one who cannot swear must pay.

Before entering judgment against him, however, the beit din must satisfy itself that the claim is feasible in so far as the plaintiff had the means to make such a loan to the defendant and that the defendant needed the money. As always, the defendant may ask the court to warn the plaintiff that if he is lying he will be subject to excommunication for having taken something that in fact does not belong to him.

If the defendant cannot remember whether what he borrowed was even worth a perutah, he must take the Shevuat Heiset oath that he does not remember, and the case against him will be dismissed. Some halachists are of the opinion that the very admission of having taken a loan justifies a judgment against the defendant because there is no loan at law of less than one perutah.

Ner Eyal: A maah (singular of maot) was the smallest silver coin of legal tender in the days of the Talmud. A perutah was the smallest copper coin of legal tender in the days of the Talmud and anything less than that has no legal worth. Thirty-two perutot equal one maah.

Whereas the plaintiff discussed previously in Saif 18 had no recollection whatsoever how much he lent the defendant, the plaintiff in this case is able to say for sure that he lent him at least two silver maot and one perutah. The significance of this amount is that it is the minimum amount required to trigger the Modeh Bemiktzat oath of partial admission.

Before the Torah obliges a defendant to take the Modeh Bemiktzat oath of partial admission, the defendant must admit at least one perutah of the claim and deny two maot. This means the claim itself cannot give rise to the Modeh Bemiktzat oath of partial admission unless it is at least a claim for two maot and one perutah.

Now that the plaintiff states that what he lent was at least that amount, and the defendant admits to having borrowed money from him, the beit din should inquire whether the defendant remembers borrowing at least one perutah. If he does, the beit din can oblige him to take the Modeh Bemiktzat oath of partial admission. Since he will not be able to do so because he does not remember how much he borrowed, judgment will be entered against him for the whole amount of the claim in accordance with the rule he who cannot swear must pay.

If the court, before rendering judgment, does not think it feasible that somebody in the plaintiffs financial circumstances had the means to make such a loan to the defendant or that the defendant did not need so much money, it can reduce the judgment amount to what it believes is feasible.

The Baal Heterumot was not sure if the court could initiate the question as to whether the defendant remembers borrowing at least one perutah and thereby trap the defendant into a judgment against him based on the one who cannot swear must pay rule. However, after consulting with the Ramban, the Baal Haterumot ruled that the beit din should initiate the question and the Mechaber rules accordingly.

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Can The Court Can Initiate Questions Leading To Judgment Against A Litigant? (Siman 75:19) - The Jewish Press - JewishPress.com

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Posted By richards on June 29, 2017

PALERMO This is the first step on a long path, Archbishop of Palermo Corrado Lorefice said Thursday upon receiving the Raoul Wallenberg Medal for having transferred to the Jewish community a churchowned facility built atop the ruins of the Great Synagogue of Palermo.

Addressing the audience at a celebratory event at his residence, Lorefice was moved to tears as a he delivered a heartfelt speech.

This is the first step on long path that we are called to together, to reach God on the day when all the people will be together in paradise, he said.

He described the medal as a sign of friendship that warms my heart, and warms the heart of all the Christians of Palermo, and particularly this archdiocese.

In the audience were representatives of the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths, their presence underscoring an emphasis placed throughout the event on the importance of interfaith relations among all communities.

This is an opportunity to strengthen the relationship between the Christian and Jewish communities, Lorefice told The Jerusalem Post, hailing the moment as the fruits of a long friendship. He added that it would not only enrich both communities, but also serve as an example to society at large.

Lorefice noted that it was important to rediscover the beauty of the roots of our identity because people must remember where they come from in order to understand who they are.

If Christianity doesnt remember that it was born out of the Jewish faith, then it doesnt understand who it is, he said, adding that recognition of the Christian community by the Jews was equally important.

Palermo is a place that welcomes everyone, he said, reiterating another message that was drummed home throughout the event.

The transfer of the building was requested by the Sicilian Institute of Jewish Studies in conjunction with the Jerusalem- based nonprofit Shavei Israel, which is active around the world in communities of bnei anusim, the descendants of Jews who were forcibly converted to Christianity centuries ago.

Rabbi Pinhas Punturello, Shavei Israels emissary to Sicily, serves as spiritual leader for the islands tiny Jewish community and will be the primary operator of the synagogue. He has been active in helping to revive the once-thriving community.

For several years, members of the Jewish community had been discussing with the mayor the idea of reviving the old synagogue, but the issue did not appear to be progressing. Last year, Sicilian Institute of Jewish Studies president Evelyn Aouate and other members of the institute approached Lorefice.

Twenty days later, the archbishop called Aouate with a positive response.

Speaking on behalf of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities, its vice president, Giulio DiSegni, expressed the organizations deepest gratitude to those who opened a new perspective for Jewish life in Sicily, specifically mentioning Lorefice and the archdiocese.

Taking a look back to the past, we know that Sicily has an extremely important Jewish history, he said.

After sacking Jerusalem, the Romans deported over 30,000 Jews to the island. During the Middle Ages, about 50 towns and cities in Sicily had their Jewish quarter, or giudecca.

Under Norman rule, Jewish communities flourished all over the island, greatly contributing to Sicilys cultural and economic development, [coming] to probably constitute onetenth of the islands population, he said.

He went on to speak of how this part of the islands history was abruptly cut off, with the expulsions and forcible conversions of Jews during the Spanish Inquisition.

The date chosen for the official handover of the facility this year was January 12, the same date as the deadline in 1493 for the expulsion of Jews from the island by order of Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragon.

After about four centuries of forced removal, oblivion, silence and fear, DiSegni continued, a representative of the Church is doing an exemplary action, a concrete and sincere move to heal this centuries-old wound. This is exactly the kind of action that constitutes a sincere and pure step of reconciliation between Judaism and Christianity. Sicilian Jews will have their place once again. It may sound simple, even obvious, but its actually extremely important, even revolutionary.

He added: Our hope is that this generous and brotherly gesture will be a new beginning, that the future new synagogue of Palermo will be able to become a center of Jewish life.

The synagogue is currently undergoing refurbishment and is expected to become active next year.

The Raoul Wallenberg Foundation is generally seen as highlighting the efforts of those who save innocent people. But Guillermo Bruschtein, vice president of the foundation, noted that this also includes those who rescue cultural, ethnic and religious symbols.

Aouate said: I think this is the only case in the world like this. She added that it was justice like Wallenberg, referring to the wartime Swedish diplomat who saved tens of thousands of Jews in Nazi-occupied Hungary with special passports before disappearing into Soviet captivity.

While expressing hope that the community, which currently numbers only several dozen, will grow, she said that the synagogue would be a point of reference for all Jews who pass through.

I hope that there will always be a minyan, added Aouate, who currently hosts prayer services in her home.

The writer was hosted by the Raoul Wallenberg Foundation.

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Top Catholic cleric in Palermo honored for returning ancient synagogue land to Jews - The Jerusalem Post

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Posted By simmons on June 29, 2017

Women who read aloud from the Torah at a synagogue in Marseille were subjected to threats and insults by congregants after local rabbis condemned the event.

The dozens of threats and insults, made on social networks and in emails, started coming in Saturday night after the group of half a dozen women read the Torah at the Fleg Jewish Center that morning, the French community centers president,Raymond Arouch, and director, Martine Yana, wrote in a statement Monday.

The threats were of all kinds of assaults and were intolerable, Arouch and Yana said in the statement, which neither identified the women nor contained examples of the abuse. They said the synagogue at the community center was nondenominational and open to all Jewish streams, including Reform Jews, who worship in an egalitarian manner. However, men and women were seated separately inside the synagogue during the reading, organizers said.

The incident prompted passionate statements from supporters and critics of the womens actions, which some Orthodox Jews believe contradicts what they perceive as a prohibition on the vocalization of Torah portions by women at synagogue. The news site JForum called the fallout of the incident a scandal in an article Thursday.

The reading of the weekly portion by a woman in the framework of a religious ceremony is not permitted in the Halakha, the chief rabbi of Marseille, Reuven Ohana, wrote in a statement Thursday upon hearing of the womens plan to stage a public reading on Saturday. We ask the people involved not to offend the sensibilities of the public, added the rabbi in a letter co-signed by two other spiritual leaders from the rabbis from the city.

The rabbis wrote they are disturbed and terribly perturbed and furious over the event.

But the rabbinical intervention prompted a pushback from some Jews in Marseille, which is home to Frances second largest Jewish community of approximately 80,000 members and overwhelmingly Sephardic and Orthodox.

Have you applied any measures benefiting women in synagogue? Liliane Vana, a prominent member of the community and a Talmud scholar, wrote on Friday in an open letter addressed to the rabbis. For girls during their bar mitzvah? Anything?

She accused the rabbis of remaining silent on injustices involving chained women wives who are unable to obtain a Jewish divorce because their husbands refuse.

Vana added that she, too, is disturbed and terribly perturbed and furious by the rabbis reaction.

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Women Torah readers at French synagogue threatened, insulted - Cleveland Jewish News

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Posted By simmons on June 29, 2017

Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, the iconic Manhattan LGBTQ synagogue, instructed marchers joining it June 25 in the New York Pride Parade to avoid wearing clothing or carrying signs relating to the Jewish state or the Palestinians, the Forward has learned.

A CBST rabbi asked in an email for the groups to ensure that their marchers focus on resistance to President Trump and not bring messaging comprising words, symbols and signage about Israel/Palestine.

We were trying to say the debate about Israel and Palestine is not located in this event, said Sharon Kleinbaum, the senior rabbi of CBST. She emphasized that the email applied to Palestine imagery and signage as well.

The email, which is the latest example of conflicts over Israel roiling the wider progressive movement, pleaded for gay and lesbian unity and urged marchers not to engage in debate with spectators or each other about Israel.

What I wanted was to make sure we had the positive focus on Trump, Kleinbaum said. I wanted to make sure we stayed focused on our domestic agenda of protecting democracy in this country.

The call did not sit well with some LGBTQ Jews, who object to being told when and how to express their opinions about the Middle East conflict or the Jewish state.

Exclusion has no place in pride, said Mordechai Levovitz, director of Jewish Queer Youth. Were there to include all views and make sure all people feel that they belong.

Other leaders agreed with CBSTs rule, although some were uncomfortable with the tacit recognition of the highly controversial place that Israel occupies among left-wing activists in the LGBTQ community.

It left a sad taste in my mouth that politics around Israel have become so viciously polarizing, says Idit Klein, executive director of Keshet. But, she added, I think there was absolute rationality to it.

Israel politics has undeniably become a flashpoint in recent months, especially during this months Pride celebrations, the marquee expression of gay political and cultural expression.

At the Celebrate Israel parade, held in New York on June 4, members of Jewish Voice for Peace, which fiercely opposes Israels occupation of Palestinian lands, were arrested after they briefly infiltrated and disrupted the parades LGBTQ contingent. On Saturday, June 24, two women carrying flags emblazoned with Stars of David were asked to leave the Chicago Dyke March.

CBST, which marched with the Progressive Coalition at this months Celebrate Israel parade, has long been known for balancing support and criticism of Israel. Kleinbaum, the senior rabbi at CBST, famously included the names of both Israeli and Palestinian soldiers in her services during the 2014 conflict between Israel and Gaza.

CBST decided earlier this year to march in the parades Resistance Contingent, which consisted of 17 other groups that used their lead-off place in the parade to voice opposition to the Trump administration, including its positions on immigration policy and on police shootings of minorities. (Other organizations that participated in the Resistance Contingent were not asked to forgo imagery and signage from other countries.)

CBST via Facebook

Many of the Jewish LGBTQ organizations that have traditionally marched with CBSTs Pride float in the past, including Keshet, Eshel and Jewish Queer Youth, joined the synagogue again this year. A Wider Bridge, an LGBTQ not-for-profit that is expressly pro-Israel, declined CBSTs invitation and instead chose to march alongside the Israeli Consulate.

Levovitz said that the rule against Israel/Palestine messaging was announced at a brunch for Jewish LGBTQ organizations that was held before the start of the march.

Ironically, in the end CBST avoided enforcing the edict, and a handful of activists did carry Israeli flags and sported Israeli-themed clothing.

Levovitz said he decided not to enforce the ban on teenagers from his organization, some of whom brought Israeli flags to the march. He himself carried what he called a rainbow-hued Jewish Pride flag that mimics the Israeli flag.

Kleinbaum refused to explain why the ban was not enforced, but Levovitz speculated that the incident at the Chicago Dyke March a day earlier had spooked CBST.

Had Chicago not happened, possibly the same thing would have happened in our Pride parade, Levovitz said.

Even though he felt strongly about letting marchers express themselves however they saw fit, Levovitz conceded that he was concerned about a conflict with other progressive LGBTQ activists, many of whom are critics of Israel.

I was nervous about what the other people in the larger Resistance Contingent would do, Levovitz said. But he added that the sprawling and celebratory nature of the New York Pride Parade made it less likely to be disrupted: It was somewhat controlled chaos, and I think that helped us in this case.

Contact Ari Feldman at feldman@forward.com or on Twitter, @aefeldman

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Iconic LGBTQ Synagogue Told Marchers To Avoid Israel 'Messaging' At Pride Parade - Forward

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Posted By richards on June 29, 2017

The Villager

Push to save some pieces of destroyed Norfolk St. synagogue The Villager BY BILL WEINBERG | The fate of the forlorn remains of the landmarked Beth HaMidrash HaGadol synagogue on Norfolk St. gutted by fire on May 14 is clearly an agonizing question for the Lower East Side's Jewish community. On June 20, the ...

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Push to save some pieces of destroyed Norfolk St. synagogue - The Villager

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Posted By admin on June 29, 2017

Earlier this month, the Sephardic Congregation of Paramus (SCOP), located on 140 Arnot Place, welcomed a new rabbi, David Pardo, and family into their community. SCOP, which started off as a small Sephardic minyan in Congregation Beth Tefillah, branched off last year to grow as its own shul, having purchased the building that used to house Khal Adath Jeshuruns minyanim.

A Los Angeles native, Rabbi Pardo attended UCLA and later moved to New York City to pursue semicha at Yeshiva Universitys Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. He also holds an MBA from the Heller School at Brandeis University.

Before moving to Paramus, Rabbi Pardo lived in Boston for four years, working as the OU-JLIC director at Brandeis University with his family. Connecting with young students eager to explore their Jewish identities was a self-described dream that he felt grateful to fulfill.

We really clicked with the student body, he said, noting that it was a magical four years. It was Rabbi Pardos first time being a rabbi of a community, an experience that, he said, reaffirmed his decision to go into the pulpit rabbinate.

When the rabbi and his family made the decision to move on and accept a new position in New York City as the director of Birthright Follow Up at the Orthodox Union, it was important to him to continue growing as a rav and educator. He heard from a friend that the Sephardic community in Paramus was looking for a rabbi for Shabbat.

It felt very warm, he said of his first impression of the shul when he came to visit earlier this year. [Its] like one big extended family, he added.

The Pardos are excited about their transition to the Paramus Jewish community. Their three young daughters will have other children their age to play with, and the rabbi is excited to work with a more diverse congregation. The rabbi himself is half-Sephardic; his father is Turkish.

The excitement is a mutual feeling. Both the shuls gabbi, Faraj Benji, and vice president, Kirk Levy, are happy with the direction the developing community is taking. Benji told The Jewish Link that he felt the community had hit the jackpot when the Pardos arrived. He admires the rabbis personable character. Our community is lucky to have him, he said.

Levy hopes that Rabbi Pardos outgoing personality and his experience connecting with younger people will help draw other families to Paramus. I think having a young, educated and well-connected rabbi will be very attractive to others, he said, noting that he hopes to see the shul grow even more.

Both Rabbi Pardo and his wife, Ariel, are already brainstorming ways they can help improve the community. Rebbetzin Pardo, who met her husband when they were both students at UCLA, is spearheading the shuls effort to make a website for and publicize their ladies mikvah. She said she felt welcomed right away and loves the cohesiveness of the community.

The rabbi plans to develop forums to encourage communication amongst the congregation. People can voice their concerns going forward in the hopes that a joint vision for the community will soon become a reality. Everythings open, he said. The community is poised for a lot of growth, and were very excited to be part of it.

By Elizabeth Zakaim

Elizabeth Zakaim is a rising junior journalism and psychology double major at The College of New Jersey. She is also a summer intern at The Jewish Link. Feel free to email her at [emailprotected] with any questions or comments.

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Paramus Sephardic Community Welcomes Rabbi David and Ariel Pardo - Jewish Link of New Jersey

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Posted By richards on June 29, 2017

In 1913, when anti-Semitism in Canada and around the world was rife and unabashed, and Jewish doctors were banned from practising in established hospitals, a group, including four Jewish women, set out to fund a hospital in the city of Toronto.

They were determined to provide Jewish patients with a place to go in times of need, while also giving unemployed Jewish doctors a place to practise. By 1923, Slova Greenberg, Dorothy Dworkin, Ida Siegel, E.F. Singer and Simon Fines, had raised enough money to purchase a building and establish a maternity and convalescent hospital on Torontos Yorkville Avenue. Today, we know it as Mount Sinai Hospital. The vast contributions that Mount Sinai has made to both medical science and community care are immeasurable. It is worth remembering that this legacy would not be possible without the pioneering spirit of the women who founded it.

Indeed, the happy history of the success of Canadas vibrant Jewish community is, in so many ways, the story of strong women.

READ: THE CJNS SPECIAL COVERAGE OF CANADAS SESQUICENTENNIAL

While Jewish-Canadian history is not without its dark chapters, Canadian Jews have persevered through adversity, overcome challenges and played a major role in shaping our great nation. For Canadas Jewish women, that story has been the same.

Soon after Canadas founding, Jewish women assumed roles of leadership in organizations dedicated to womens engagement, such as Haddasah-Wizo, founded by Ottawa resident Lillian Freiman, as well as Naamat and the National Council of Jewish Women. In fact, the womens division of United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto was formalized way back in 1937. These organizations provided opportunities for women to raise money, socialize and make an impact on the community and beyond.

In the century that followed, it became common to find women in leadership positions within the community. In 1983, Dodo Heppner was elected as the first woman to lead Montreals CJA. Four years later, Montreal resident Dorothy Reitman became the first woman to lead a national Jewish organization, with her election as president of the Canadian Jewish Congress. In 1973, Rose Wolfe became the first woman president of the Toronto Jewish Congress, the predecessor organization to the Jewish Federation of Greater Toronto. In 1991, she was appointed chancellor of the University of Toronto.

Today, we see Jewish women in leadership roles in every sphere of national life, including the fields of medicine, art, law, academia, politics and human rights.

Among the more notable examples is Supreme Court Justice Rosalie Abella, who was born in a displaced persons camp in Germany in 1946 to two Holocaust survivors. At 29, Justice Abella was the youngest person in Canada to ever become a judge and was also the first Jewish woman appointed to the bench. In 2004, she became the first Jewish woman appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada. Among her many human rights accomplishments, Justice Abella drafted a study on access to legal services by disabled persons and served as commissioner of the Royal Commission on Equality in Employment, which helped change the way Canadians think about employment equity between men and women.

Recently, Justice Abella was named global jurist of the year by a Chicago law school. While her accomplishments are most certainly her own, she continues to shape Canadian society as a proud member of the Jewish community. She is a woman who is deeply rooted in tradition and she recognizes the impact that her Jewish heritage has played on her life and her understanding of justice.

In her recent commencement speech at Brandeis University, Abella explained:

My life started in a country where there had been no democracy, no rights, no justice and all because we were Jewish. No one with this history does not feel lucky to be alive and free. No one with this history takes anything for granted. And no one with this history does not feel that we have a particular duty to wear our identities with pride and to promise our children that we will do everything humanly possible to keep the world safer for them than it was for their grandparents.

Judy Feld Carr is another example of an inspirational Canadian Jewish woman who has made an indelible impact on the community. Through her commitment and passion for human rights and her determination to help in the deadly situation faced by Syrian Jews between 1975 and 2000, Feld Carr helped thousands of Jewish people leave Syria. She has worked tirelessly, often in dangerous situations, to ensure the safety of people who were being persecuted for being Jewish.

I hope it is not immodest to add mention of the role that my late mother, Barbara Frum, played as a feminist pioneer in Canadian broadcast journalism. It was Barbara who normalized the idea of an intelligent woman and a Jewish one at that! appearing on television on a nightly basis.

In politics, Jewish women have held office in Canada since 1974, when Simma Holt was elected as the member of Parliament for Vancouver-Kingsway, a riding with a small Jewish population. Many Jewish women have served, and still do serve, as members of Parliament, members of provincial legislatures, provincial and federal cabinet ministers, lieutenant governors and, indeed, senators.

A few months ago, I had the privilege of sponsoring Senate Bill S-232, an Act Respecting Canadian Jewish Heritage Month, which will formalize into law an annual celebration of the contributions of Canadas Jewish community. The bill received unanimous consent in the Senate and will now pass to the House of Commons for approval. This bill has proved especially salient at a time when we are witnessing a rise in the number of anti-Semitic incidents in Canada. But Canadian Jewish Heritage Month, once its formally established, will also serve as an important tool to educate our fellow citizens about the myriad of ways in which Canadian Jews have helped to make Canada the great nation it is today. Telling the stories of the remarkable women in our community will be an essential part of this initiative.

So, on Canadas 150th birthday, to our Jewish foremothers, let us say: thank you. You are remembered and appreciated.

Linda Frum is a Conservative senator from Ontario.

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Posted By simmons on June 29, 2017

Israel Pushing For Secret Ballot

As part of its efforts to garner international support for an independent Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem, Palestinians have appealed to the UNs Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to protect the Old City of Hebron from Israel by making it a Palestinian world heritage site. UNESCO is due to vote on the issue next week, and Israel, which sharply opposes the move, is pushing for a secret ballot.

Earlier this month, Israel blocked a UNESCO team from visiting the city, where about 800 Jewish settlers live among 100,000 Palestinians. At the center of the old city is the traditional burial place of Abraham, which Palestinians call the Ibrahimi mosque, and Jews, the Tomb of the Patriarchs. Hebron in general, and the religious site in particular, has long been a flashpoint for Israeli-Palestinian violence.

Israel is pushing UNESCO to hold a secret ballot rather than the traditional open vote, as it believes that in an open vote, the 21 states will vote in favor of the Palestinian request. Although Palestine has not been recognized by the UN as an official state, it has a special status as a non-state observer and can join UN bodies such as UNESCO.

Palestine has been a member of UNESCO since 2011 and it is a normal thing for us to apply to UNESCO to list our valuable locations as Palestinian sites in the World Heritage sites. Omar Abdallah, the head of the United Nations department at the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs told The Media Line.

Abdallah explained that this is not the first time Israel has prevented international missions from entering Palestinian territories.

Israel aims to prevent them from seeing the Israeli violations against the Palestinian heritage and culture, but this time is special and unique, he said.

The sole purpose of recognizing the old city of Hebron as a Palestinian site is to protect the city and mark its historical value worldwide. Regardless of any partys affiliation to the old city of Hebron, it is located in a Palestinian territory and should be listed accordingly; it has global value and it will be reachable for everyone. Abdallah added.

In the Book of Genesis Hebron is listed as the place where Abraham the founder of monotheism and the forefather of both Judaism and Islam purchased the Cave of Machpela as a special burial site for his beloved wife Sarah.

Hebron is the root of the Jews national history, it important to give honor and respect to the parent of the Jewish people who were buried there three thousand years ago, Yishai Fleischer, the spokesman of the Jewish Community in Hebron, told The Media Line.

Fleischer considers UNESCO as biased against Israel, and says that listing the site as Palestinian is tantamount to destroying Jewish heritage. Last month, UNESCO passed a resolution that said that Israel has no claims to Jerusalem a move that angered Jews worldwide.

Fleischer says that Hebron is a mixed Arab-Jewish city.

The Palestinian authority is around here partially, but also there a Jewish city right next to it; I wouldnt call the old city a Palestinian area, he said.

Palestinians say that Hebron has long been an important Muslim site.

Since the Islamic opening to these lands, the Ibrahimi Mosque is considered the fourth holy site to Muslims after Mecca, the Al-aqsa mosque (in Jerusalem) and the Al-Nabwi mosque (in Medina in Saudi Arabia), Ismael Abu Alhalaweh, the General Manager of Hebrons Endowments told The Media Line.

Muslims travel to Hebron from around the world to pray, he said, and Israeli moves have been endangering that right.

Israel has been surrounding the old city with check-points and barriers, he said. People must pray under the supervision of Israeli armed security forces, and each Palestinian has to be security checked on the way in and out.

In 1994, during the holy month of Ramadan a month of fasting to honor the first revelation of the Quran to Muhammad according to Islamic belief, a Jewish settler gunned down 29 Muslim worshippers inside the mosque while praying. After that, Israel divided the holy site into two areas half mosque and half synagogue with separate entrances.

A formal arrangement to share the site was reached in 1997 with Jews and Muslims each getting sole access to the site on religious holiday.

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Posted By richards on June 29, 2017

Among other objects, police found medical devices marked with swastikas. (Photos by Leonardo Kremenchuzky/DAIA)

The objects, discovered earlier this month in a hidden room of a house in the northern part of the city, included equipment used for Nazi medical experiments during the Holocaust. They were analyzed a week ago at Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France, Federal Police Commissioner Marcelo El Haibe said on June 19.

The police found a bust relief of Adolf Hitler, medical devices marked with swastikas used to measure head and body size, Nazi puzzles for children and knives, among other objects.

Among the objects discovered was a magnifying glass attached to a photo of Hitler using the magnifying glass.

We checked some marks and characteristics, and it is the same object that Hitler holds in his hands in the photo, El Haibe, a member of Interpol who accompanied the pieces to Lyon, said. Interpol colleagues from Germany, Israel and United States were surprised by the globally unprecedented discovery. No one has a record of this magnitude a discovery of original Nazi objects, and we have started a collaborative process to search the route of the objects to Argentina.

According to El Haibe, who also serves as the chief of the Protection of Cultural Heritage department of the federal police, only a very high level of Nazi officer had access to this quality and quantity of objects, and apparently tried to save the objects when the Nazi regime was failing.

Last week, the Argentine Jewish political umbrella DAIA displayed some of the objects at its headquarters in the AMIA Jewish center here. The AMIA building was destroyed in a 1994 terrorist bombing and rebuilt in 1999.

DAIA President Ariel Cohen Sabban praised the police for their work in making the discovery.

From this building we spoke several times about the lack of security in this country, but today its time to recognize the good work done by the police and the Security Ministry, he said. These objects are an irrefutable testimony to the Nazi horror and that Argentina was a refuge for the Nazis.

Before receiving an award from DAIA, Security Minister Patricia Bullrich spoke to over 200 attendees crowded in a small room where a sample of the objects was on display. She said her ministry has asked the judge in charge of investigating the discovery that all of the objects be donated to the Holocaust Museum of Buenos Aires, so that all Argentinians and also visitors who come to Buenos Aires can see this shocking collection.

Among the attendees were Germany Embassy officials, judges, intellectuals and businessmen, as well as the Jewish philanthropists Eduardo Elsztain and Marcelo Mindlin, who was named recently the president of the Holocaust Museum of Buenos Aires.

This collection is a great responsibility; we will prepare our site to receive this contribution, Mindlin said. There will be a lot of fanatics that will want to enter, there will be people trying to steal objects, he added, noting that huge security issues must be worked out.

In June 2016, a collector from Argentina paid $680,000 for a pair of Nazi-owned underpants and other memorabilia.

Its impossible that one collector would have this invaluable amount of original Nazi objects, DAIA vice president Alberto Indij said. These [objects] likely belonged directly to Hitler or Joseph Mengele. Someone escaped with all this objects. There isnt a person that bought all this. No, these were Nazi officers trying to hide and save these objects.

The magnifying glass and accompanying photo of Hitler were not put on public display, but Indij saw them at Interpol headquarters and confirmed their existence.

Mengele, a doctor who performed experiments on Jewish prisoners, lived in Argentina for a decade after the war in the same area of Buenos Aires where the Nazi medical tools were discovered. El Haibe said there could be some link between Mengele and the recently discovered tools.

There are strong coincidences of tools, practices, locations; we are investigating this hypothesis right now, he said. But for sure this did not belong to a low-level Nazi follower. This belongs to a very high-level Nazi official who brought them to Argentina.

Argentina was a refuge for Nazis like Mengele after World War II. Adolf Eichmann was captured in the northern area of Buenos Aires in 1960, and another war criminal, Erich Priebke, also lived there.

A video about the Interpol evaluation, dubbed Operation Near East since many objects of Asian historical significance also were discovered during the raids earlier this month, was released Monday by the Argentine Federal Police.

The objects were found following a nine-month police investigation. They are in the custody of the justice who is tasked with investigating the find, who has put a gag order on most aspects of the case.

One suspect identified by the police is not in Argentina. There are Argentine and non-Argentine suspects being investigated, but no further details have been provided. Argentina has had an anti-discrimination law on the books since 1988 that covers the possession and sale of such objects.

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A trove of Nazi-era objects in Argentina stuns investigators - thejewishchronicle.net

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