08/27 Links Pt2: The myth of the ‘Arab Jew’; 200 years ago, John Adams promoted a Jewish state in the Holy Land; Amb. Mark Regev gives three reasons why anti-Zionism IS anti-Semitism ~ EoZ

From Ian:

Anyone who keeps abreast of the growing academic field of Mizrahi/Sephardic studies (Mizrahi: oriental, from the Middle East; Sephardic: originating in pre-Inquisition Spain) cannot help noticing that the vast majority of papers focus on the purported “discrimination” or “racism” of the Ashkenazi establishment.

Typical is this paper by one Sarah Louden, “Israeli Nationalism: the Constructs of Zionism and its Effect on Inter-Jewish Racism, Politics, and Radical Discourse.” It has 455 views, more than any other paper in its genre. It pulls no punches in attacking the “racism” of Zionism. Its sources are almost entirely Mizrahi anti-Zionists like Ella Shohat.

Shohat, a professor at New York University, made her name by applying Edward Said’s theory of “Orientalism” to Israel, claiming that both Mizrahi Jews and the Arabs are victims of the West (Ashkenazim).

Mizrahi Jews and Arabs are assumed to have more in common with each other that Jews from the East have with Jews from the West. The former, Shohat and her ilk contend, were “torn away” from their comfortable “Arab” environment by Zionism and colonialism and turned into involuntary enemies.

These academics widely assume that Mizrahi Jews in Israel support the Likud and right-wing parties to “get their own back” against the Labour-dominated Ashkenazi establishment.

But Louden and those like her hardly ever mention the elephant in the room: The subliminal memory of Arab and Muslim persecution suffered by parents and grandparents driven from the Arab world.

Is is not plausible that Mizrahi Jews view the rocket attacks and bombings afflicting Israel as just the latest chapter in a long history of Arab and Muslim anti-Semitism? That they vote Likud because they believe that only the right can deliver the necessary tough response?

Why Israel Must Stop Granting Legitimacy to the International Criminal Court

The Palestinian Authority in the past two years has lodged dozens of complaints with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague over the Jewish state’s behavior, most recently calling the court’s attention to the approval of 650 new housing units for a village north of Jerusalem. In these instances, Israel has responded with what it terms “informal cooperation,” in which its lawyers meet with court officials to try to convince them that the charges are bogus. Avi Bell argues that this is the wrong approach, and that Jerusalem should instead imitate the U.S., which has successfully stymied equally bogus attempts to prosecute it:

The American strategy [involves] a complete refusal to cooperate with the ICC, anchored in U.S. legislation; a campaign to delegitimize the ICC . . . as an undemocratic, unaccountable, illegitimate institution that endangers the sovereignty of the United States and the constitutional rights of its citizens; and concrete threats against the ICC, beginning with diplomatic and economic sanctions . . . and ending in a threat to liberate Americans with force should they be arrested at the request of the ICC.

The ICC prosecutor, [meanwhile], who has already surrendered to Palestinian demands and opened a preliminary investigation against Israeli “criminals,” can be expected to request permission from the ICC judges to open a full investigation. . . . Israeli lawyers tasked by the government with dealing with the ICC challenge are convinced that legal responses that failed everywhere else in the world will suddenly come to their country’s aid.

UN Watch: Iraq pledges to “ensure harmony” as UN human rights council member

Iraq has submitted a list of voluntary pledges in its bid for re-election to a seat on the UN Human Rights Council for 2020-2022. Following are five of Iraq’s most absurd claims, contrasted with the reality.

Iraq’s UN Pledge #1: “Iraq strives to ensure harmony among cultures, religions and civilizations through respect, tolerance and solidarity to eliminate hate speech and disrespect to any kind of cultural differences.”
Reality: When Miss Iraq Sarah Idan took the floor at the UN Human Rights Council to support peace with Israel, the Iraqi Parliament’s Security and Defense Committee reportedly called for her Iraqi citizenship to be revoked, labeling her advocacy a “crime.”

Iraq’s UN Pledge #2: “Iraq emphasizes the role of Civil Society Organizations and other stakeholders as main partners towards developing the work of the Human Rights Council and permit those partners to address the Council on human rights issues.”
Reality: According to a December 2018 report by Minority Rights Group International and the Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights, “the outbreak of large-scale popular protests in Basra and other Iraqi cities has led to a wave of violent repression of civilian activists.”

Iraq’s UN Pledge #3: “Iraq reiterates its belief in the universality of Human Rights and the unwavering commitment to its principles, in terms of upholding the highest standards in the promotion and protection of human rights, in accordance with the mandate of the Human Rights Council.”
Reality: According to Freedom House‘s 2019 listing of Freedom in the World, Iraq is ranked as “Not Free”, with a score of 32/100.

200 years ago, John Adams promoted a Jewish state in the Holy Land

In the opinion of historians interviewed by The Times of Israel, there was not a political motivation behind Adams’ “wish” to see Jews restored to the Holy Land. At the time of the Adams-Noah exchange, there were fewer than 5,000 Jews living in the United States.

“Certainly, there was little in the way of political motivations at play for a retired and weakened John Adams in his observations to Noah,” said University of Michigan’s Goldman.

Regardless of what Adams had in mind as an end-game for Jews returning to Israel, he and the other Founding Fathers were on intimate terms with the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. This is not the case with the White House’s current occupant, according to Stephen Spector, a professor at Stony Brook University.

“It’s hard to speak of another person’s faith or motives definitively, but it seems clear that Trump’s unequivocal support of Israel, including his policy on Jerusalem, did not emerge from his religious convictions,” said Spector, author of the book, “Evangelicals and Israel: The Story of American Christian Zionism.”

According to Spector, “Some members of the religious right say that [Trump] is a ‘baby Christian,’ but his public statements and behavior do not betray a familiarity with the Bible or the basic tenets of Christianity. Nor was his support for Israel clear in his initial statements about the Middle East.”

For Adams, by way of contrast, the Bible was a lifelong guidebook. In a letter written to his son Quincy — the future president — in 1811, Adams said the Bible has a way of “making you wiser and more virtuous.” The retired president added he reads the Bible as an annual “practice” in self-improvement.

“I have always endeavored to read it with the same spirit and temper of mind, which I now recommend to you: that is, with the intention and desire that it may contribute to my advancement in wisdom and virtue,” wrote Adams.

@MarkRegev from @IsraelinUK gives three reasons why anti-Zionism IS anti-Semitism.

Watch the full J-TV interview -> https://t.co/ZWUTg4BeZL pic.twitter.com/u3NEr071wk
— J-TV: Jewish Ideas. Global Relevance. (@JTVChannel) August 26, 2019

The anti-Israel lobby

I’m a stickler for sovereignty. Sovereign nations have borders and their leaders decide who gets to cross them. Excluding individuals who are hostile or even just objectionable is common practice. Among those who have not been permitted to come to America: Michael Ben-Ari, a far-right Israeli legislator, and Narendra Modi, accused of doing too little to prevent anti-Muslim riots in 2002, and now India’s current prime minister.

Unless Israel is to be held to a separate and unequal standard, its leaders must enjoy the same right, which they exercised by declining to welcome Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).

The dominant media narrative is that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu excluded the two far-left congresswomen in deference to US President Donald Trump, who had tweeted that they “hate Israel & all Jewish people, & there is nothing that can be said or done to change their minds.” Perhaps that did influence the prime minister’s thinking, but other factors undoubtedly were weighed as well. Allow me to mention a few.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) invited Omar and Tlaib to join a bipartisan delegation that went to Israel and the West Bank earlier this month. They preferred not to accompany their colleagues.

Separately, the Israeli government granted a request by Tlaib to enter the West Bank to visit relatives, asking only that she not use the occasion to promote boycotts against Israel. She said that there was no deal.

The real problem: Anti-Semites in Congress

The botched Middle East trip of US Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib has provided pundits and mainstream media endless fodder for blame: President Donald Trump, Israeli Ambassador to the US Ron Dermer and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are all targets.

Clearly, the Omar-Tlaib non-visit to Israel has been fraught with missteps – Trump’s coarse tweets, a premature statement by Dermer saying the two would be allowed in, Netanyahu appearing to vacillate on whether to accept them. But no mistake: Omar and Tlaib are the anti-Semitic stars of this fiasco.

First, Israel had every reason and every right to ban Omar and Tlaib:
- Both are anti-Semites. Evidence: Both representatives continue to employ anti-Semitic tropes including Jewish dual loyalties, Jews paying off US politicians and half a dozen more.
- Both support the hateful boycott, divestment and sanctions movement, which is clearly anti-Semitic since it denies the right of Jews – unlike any other ethnic group – to self-determination and a nation-state in their ancient homeland.
- Because BDS stands for Israel’s destruction, the movement has been overwhelmingly condemned by Congress, in bipartisan votes. In addition, Israeli legislators recently passed a law barring supporters of BDS from entering Israel, which Israel has every right to enforce.
- Omar and Tlaib reportedly intended to visit Al-Aqsa Mosque atop the Temple Mount, which has been the scene of dozens of spontaneous riots, many violent. Surely the notoriety of these two members of Congress would have provided enough fuel to spark another conflagration.

Netanyahu Was Right to Ban Members of Congress From Israel

The accusation now being hurled at Netanyahu is that he harmed Israel’s interests by giving in to Trump. Haaretz commentator Chemi Shalev (who harshly criticized Netanyahu for defying the previous occupant of the White House) even compared the prime minister to a borrower on the grey market whose debts to Trump have grown to the point that he can no longer say no to him.

Indeed, Netanyahu had no choice but to say amen. Israel needs the US president, whomever he may be, and generally accedes to requests from the White House. A notable case was during the Gulf War in 1991, when President George H.W. Bush asked Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir not to respond to 39 missiles that Saddam Hussein had launched at Israel. Although the entire defense establishment, fearing a loss of deterrent power, pushed for a massive response, Shamir opted to go along with the US president’s demand. Israel did not respond.

The reversal in favor of barring the entry of the two US legislators predictably upset some members of the Democratic Party, a factor that was probably taken into account when the decision was made. But the Democratic Congressional leadership is worried about the shift toward the radical left that the “squad” represents (which, in addition to Tlaib and Omar, includes Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez). The leadership fears that if the party moves along with the squad, it will cost them the White House next year.

Israel’s quarrel with the Democrats will likely be brief — not only because the Democratic leadership is not entirely behind the squad, but because it understands Israel’s need to stay on the good side of the American president. That is how it has always been, and it will remain that way if and when a Democratic president is elected. The recent visit to Israel by 41 Democratic members of the House, most of them newcomers to Washington, was much more indicative of Israel’s relations with the Democratic Party than the visit that did not materialize.

Why I will register my discontent with Islamist Jew-hatred, American style, in 2020

It is important to note that Omar and Tlaib are products of intersectional feminism, also known as “Fourth Wave” feminism. They are designated carriers of anti-Israelism in the American government for this precise reason. Feminism cannot be openly questioned in American politics, and they are now the leading representatives in the popular imagination of its most advanced form.

In other words, feminism as it is currently conceived has become the key source of BDS activism. The reason for this is that “intersectionality” has become its prime value, and being virtuous according to this ideology means gesturing toward as many forms of grievance as possible at all times. These “women of color” thus serve as standard bearers of victimized oppression in ways difficult to imagine male representatives doing.

Moreover, both Omar and Tlaib are of course members of the Democratic Party. Until recently a lifelong Democrat myself, I have resigned my membership in a party that harbors anti-Israel bigots, and that I no longer trust to pursue America’s best interests in foreign policy.

Antisemitism is one of the world’s oldest hatreds and, more than that, a paranoid worldview. It has no place in the politics of the greatest nation on earth. Unless and until the Democrats make it clear that they understand this, they will not have my vote. It’s as simple as that.

Unlike Obama’s redline in Syria, this bright line will not be crossed. I look forward to registering my discontent with Islamist Jew-hatred, American style, in 2020.

Elizabeth Pipko to 'Post': Jewish Democrats are walking away from party

American Jews are turning their backs on the Democratic party, claims Exodus Movement founder Elizabeth Pipko.

Speaking with The Jerusalem Post, Pipko said that she feels many life-long Democratic Party voters are questioning their loyalty to the party and joining what she calls the sweeping #WalkAway wave, an American movement to abandon liberalism.

“The biggest trigger for people is the obvious disregard that many on the left have recently shown for antisemitic statements and actions,” Pipko told the Post, alarming rhetoric that “only a few years ago would have been immediately condemned.”

Take for example recent statements made by Congresswomen Ilhan Omar, Ocasio Cortez and Rashida Tlaib against Israel and in favor of boycotting the Jewish state, she said.

“The BDS movement is a blatant attempt to delegitimize Israel’s right to exist,” Pipko said. “There is no place for any US elected officials to support a movement that stands against one of our closest allies and one of the freest countries in the world.”

Rashida Tlaib Condemns Terror Attack — but Not Really

Putting Tlaib’s hypocrisy aside, the most important aspect of Tlaib’s tweet is how she rushed to bring in “the Israeli occupation” and “equal rights.” She was insinuating, loud and clear, that Israeli policies are to blame for the violence.

This is remarkable, because nobody is being “occupied” or “denied rights” at the site where the murder took place. It’s a natural spring in the wilderness. There are no Palestinians there who are being “occupied.” There is no Israeli “settlement” there.

There was one final sentence in Tlaib’s non-condemnation: “Extremism that puts innocent lives at risk moves us no closer to peace.” Notice the words missing from that sentence: “Palestinian” and “terrorism.”

Congresswoman Tlaib could not bring herself to explicitly acknowledge or condemn Palestinians for murdering Jews, nor would she call those murders “terrorism.” Instead, she equivocated, rationalized, and ducked.

A vague phrase such as “extremism that puts innocent lives at risk” is a moral-equivalence word game that Tlaib is playing. Rashida Tlaib managed to issue a “condemnation of Palestinian terrorism” that does not have in it the words “condemn,” “Palestinian,” or “terrorism.” And she managed, once again, to make an utter mockery of the truth.

Pro-BDS Union Backs Bernie

Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders welcomed the endorsement of a union that has embraced the anti-Israel BDS movement.

Sanders announced on Monday that he was "humbled" after the United Electrical, Radio, and Machine Workers of America (UE) voted to endorse him in the 2020 election.

"I am humbled to receive the endorsement of my union brothers and sisters from UE," Sanders said in a statement. "We are running a true working class campaign, which speaks directly to workers and confronts the massive inequality we see in our society today."

UE General President Peter Knowlton cited the socialist Vermont senator's decision to march with striking Pennsylvania workers as a factor in the endorsement.

"From four decades of actively supporting UE members and other workers in Vermont, to his vocal support for our 1,700 members in Erie, Pennsylvania who went on a nine-day strike this past winter, Bernie Sanders has always made it clear which side he is on," Knowlton said in a statement.

In 2015, UE became the first American labor organization to endorse the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, which seeks to wage economic warfare on Israel. The union said it aimed to "pressure Israel to end the occupation." It passed a resolution accusing Israel of "apartheid," adding that "extremism in Israel has grown more severe."

Linda Sarsour claims ‘disgusting’ Zionists, Confederates protested her

Political Activist Linda Sarsour took to Twitter on Saturday to call Zionists who protested her speech in North Carolina "disgusting."

The post was in response to North Carolina Representative Graig Meyer, who photographed Ku Klux Klan members protesting in Hillsborough, NC.

Sarsour responded by saying that she spoke in the same location in March and that "not only were they also holding confederate flags, they were joined by right wing Zionists carrying Israeli flags. So disgusting."

The Confederate States of America was a white supremacist unrecognized republic in the 19th century which supported the right of white people to own slaves.

Sarsour has previously been outspoken in her disapproval of the Jewish state, oftentimes referring to land under Israeli occupation as Palestine. She previously appeared to accuse American Jews of dual loyalty to Israel. She claimed that the reason people attack supporters of the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement is because they "masquerade as progressives but always choose their allegiance to Israel over their commitment to democracy and free speech."

Albert Einstein’s letter denouncing antisemitism in US academia on sale

A 1935 letter by Albert Einstein denouncing antisemitism in American academia will be auctioned on Thursday in Los Angeles.

“The hostile attitude of universities towards Jewish teaching staff and students has been increasing perilously, even though it manifests in a genteel or hypocritical manner,” the Nobel Prize recipient wrote.

“Unfortunately, the current Jewish leaders do not comprehend the seriousness of the situation, similar to the German Jews in the time before Hitler. They believe that they are able to put an end to the problem by being silent and disregarding it, and they thus miss the time for creating places of support,” he added, highlighting that establishing Jewish teaching institutions was “an absolute imperative.”

“This is not just true for the functions of the educational system, of course, but in economic and social terms as well…” the scientist further wrote.

In the period between the First and the Second World War, many US universities, especially the most prestigious private ones, imposed quotas on the number of Jewish students they were willing to accept.

The letter was written in German and addressed to Jewish physicist Paul Epstein.

According to a statement by the auction house, Nate D. Sanders Auctions, the bidding will begin at $25,000.

Honest Reporting: Debunking the ‘Jews-Only Roads’ Charge

The charge of “Jews-only roads” in the disputed territories is part of the apartheid libel that attempts to portray Israel as a state that discriminates against Arabs on racial or religious grounds. The comparison is made not only with apartheid South Africa but also past racial segregation in the United States.

The charge, however, is false.

There are roads where different populations are separated from each other but this separation is based not on religion, race or ethnicity but on nationality. Jews-only roads simply don’t exist.

As Michael Totten wrote in response to this charge leveled by antisemitic journalist Helen Thomas:
She’s right that no American would tolerate white-only roads. Israelis, likewise, would never tolerate roads for Jews only. That’s why such roads don’t exist.

The roads she’s referring to in the West Bank are Israeli, and they’re not just for Jews. Israeli Arabs can drive on them, and so can non-Jewish foreigners, including Arab and Muslim foreigners. Palestinians were once able to drive on them but have not been allowed to do so since the second intifada, when suicide bombers used them to penetrate Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in order to massacre people.

Investigation: Radical ‘American Muslims for Palestine’ a Key Connector of Anti-Israel Groups

American Muslims for Palestine (AMP) has emerged as one of the most radical and controversial anti-Israel groups, with a far reach into campuses and anti-Zionist organizations. We have covered the role of AMP in numerous posts dating back several years.

AMP was involved in organizing protests and disruption of the Christians United for Israel Annual Summit in July 2019, which we covered in Investigation: Anti-Israel groups plan disruption of Christians United for Israel Annual Summit. That post has a section devoted to AMP’s origins and leadership, including its role in Students for Justice in Palestine. AMP also co-organized the U.S. Tour for Janna Jihad, Rewarding Palestinian child exploitation: Janna Jihad goes to Congress.

AMP also has been the subject of congressional testimony by Jonathan Schanzer of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, and reports by the ADL, NGO-Monitor, and Canary Mission.

The Washington Free Beacon is one of our favorite websites, with a long history of investigative journalism. So the Legal Insurrection Foundation was pleased to join with the Free Beacon in an investigation of the role AMP plays as a connector among various anti-Israel groups. (h/t MtTB)

Surely this is the tipping point! https://t.co/cFofKiIBiq
— (((David Lange))) (@Israellycool) August 27, 2019

Honest Reporting: The Guardian: Only the Palestinian Narrative Matters

Nevertheless, that’s not enough. Over the same period, the Guardian has run precisely zero Israeli book reviews, zero Israeli film reviews, and just one Israeli human interest story. In all, two color pieces about Israel were run in this time: an eerie photo-essay about the Tel Aviv central bus station, and a Sense of Place column in which an Israeli writer tells her grandfather’s story of saving an illegal immigrant. Neither story refers to the Palestinians, certainly not as aggressive or brutal, as some of the Palestinian-perspective articles do. Furthermore, the photo-essay isn’t original piece for the Guardian, but sourced from Reuters.

This lack of balance is made all the more astonishing given that in the last few days, Israel has come under attack twice, but the Guardian has neglected to document both the bombing which claimed the life of 17-year-old Israeli Rina Shnerb on Friday, August 23, and the unprovoked barrage of rockets fired from Gaza at Israel on the evening of August 25.

New organisations have every right to add color to the news by speaking to the people who live on the ground, by reviewing their books and shows, by showing their human side and by laying out their fears and concerns. The Guardian can document Palestinian film, music and literature all it wants, but what’s stopping it from documenting Israeli culture, too? There are books and music aplenty, and some challenging films and documentaries worthy of a wider audience. Our Boys, a ten-part series by America’s HBO and Israel’s Keshet about the kidnapping and murder of three Israeli boys and one Palestinian boy in 2014 provoked strong debate in Israel recently. At the very least it could have covered the critically acclaimed the recently released Netflix film The Red Sea Diving Resort, which details the Mossad’s secret mission to save countless Ethiopian Jews from the jaws of a massacre.

By documenting Palestinian culture and their troubles while totally neglecting to show the lives of their Israeli counterparts, including their legitimate fears and concerns, is to humanize one side while dehumanizing the other. And to do that while neglecting to report on Palestinian attacks on Israelis is to totally misinform readers about the reality of the ongoing conflict.

The Youtube algorithm is anti-Israel

Youtube is manipulating its algorithm to hide pro-Israel videos and promote pro-Palestinian ones.

If the Palestinians referred to Tel Aviv implying it is Israel's capital, then @Independent @JournoJane should put it in quotations. Otherwise, please correct and refer to Jerusalem as the capital and the place where Israeli government policies are made. https://t.co/aLqakn0HEP pic.twitter.com/dZ2Qaq4smI
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) August 27, 2019

Guardian journalists silent on murder of Rina Shnerb and celebrating Palestinians.

Guardian journalists were busy all last week writing about Israel, and then abruptly stopped on Friday.

Tom Faber wrote a piece about a Palestinian hip hop duo. His piece was called ‘If Israeli soldiers start shooting, we won’t stop the interview’: Palestinian hip-hop crew BLTNM. Faber must have feared for his life at the prospect of Israeli soldiers walking in during his interview in Ramallah with BLTNM and randomly start shooting.

This reminds me of Matti Friedman‘s observation that Israel is actually one of the most comfortable “war zones” to report from because a journalist can be sitting in a bar in Tel Aviv in the evening, having been at the Gaza border in the morning, being served a cold beer by a beautiful Israeli girl whose brother the journalist had just accused of being a war criminal.

Amanda Forslund and Charlotta Lindblom wrote a piece, based on a six year old study into PTSD in soldiers, accusing the Israeli government of abandoning its soldiers suffering from PTSD.

And Emma Goldberg spoke truth to power when she accused Trump and Netanyahu of being “afraid of letting them (Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar) travel through the country and ground their critiques in first-hand witness accounts of life in the occupied territories…”

US seeks death penalty for shooter in Pittsburgh synagogue massacre

A man charged with killing 11 people in a Pittsburgh synagogue should face the death penalty if convicted, federal prosecutors said in a court filing on Monday.

The US attorney's office in Pittsburgh filed a notice of intent to seek the death penalty against 46-year-old Robert Bowers in last year's attack.

The government filing said that justification for a death sentence included allegations of substantial planning and premeditation, the vulnerability and number of victims, and motivation of religious hostility.

It also listed the injury, harm, and loss caused to the victims and the choice of the Tree of Life synagogue as the site of the attack.

The notice accused Bowers of targeting the worshippers "in order to maximize the devastation, amplify the harm of his crimes, and instill fear within the local, national and international Jewish communities."

Bowers has pleaded not guilty and awaits trial. His lawyers did not return messages seeking comment. A spokeswoman for US Attorney Scott Brady declined to discuss the filing.

Connecticut Synagogue Defaced With Antisemitic Graffiti

Antisemitic graffiti was found scrawled on a synagogue in Newtown, Connecticut, on Saturday.

According to local outlet NewsTimes, police are investigating the defacing of the Adath Israel Synagogue as a hate crime.

Newtown Police Lieutenant Aaron Bahamonde was quoted saying, “As an agency we are extremely disturbed at this act of defacing a house of worship.”

“This serious hate crime will be given the full attention of this agency, while utilizing other law enforcement resources to determine the identity of those responsible,” he added.

“The congregation has been (assured) that enhanced patrols will continue in the area and that there will be a police presence during scheduled services,” he said.

The town has since repainted the synagogue and a $2,500 reward has been offered for the perpetrators.

Amazon Stops Selling Clothing Line With Photo of Holocaust Victim Being Executed

Amazon in the United Kingdom has stopped selling a line of clothing with a photograph of a Holocaust victim being executed.

The image, known as “The last Jew in Vinnitsa,” shows a Jewish man in the Ukrainian town about to be shot dead by the Einsatzgruppen, or “killing squad,” as he kneels alongside a mass grave consisting of dead bodies, with a group of Nazis watching. The photo dates between mid-1941 and 1943.

Following Israel’s Channel 12 news contacting Amazon UK, the online retailer took down the line of T-shirts, tank tops and hoodies that featured the photo.

The description of the clothing from the retailer, “Harma Art,” is “Choose from our great collection of authentic designs and stand out from the crowd!”

The Amazon store in the United States does not feature the clothing line.

Moroccan Authorities demolish Holocaust memorial near Marrakesh

Moroccan Authorities demolished a Holocaust memorial on Monday that was being built by German NGO PixelHELPER in Ait Faska, southeast of Marrakesh.

This comes less than a week after The Jerusalem Post revealed that the Holocaust memorial was in the works.

Founder of PixelHELPER Oliver Bienkowski said that all the installations and artworks that had so far been built “were deliberately destroyed by bulldozers,” and the rainbow blocks at the entrance, which memorialize LGBTQ+ victims of the Holocaust, were also desecrated.

He added that the “water and power lines have been cut.”

“We thought that there was acceptance of Jewish society in Morocco but its not [the case],” he told the Post. “We get a lot of antisemitic and anti LGBTQ+ messages.”

Late on Monday, Moroccan Authorities denied in a press statement that the memorial was being built, adding that such claims were “unfounded.”

“Information conveyed by certain electronic sites and on social networks about the establishment of a project by a foreign national including a museum and several facilities as well as a memorial in the form of art paintings, in the commune of Ait Faska, in Al Haouz province, are without any foundation,” the local authorities of Al Haouz province claimed. “The relevant services in this province have not granted any authorization for the establishment of such a project.”

Tech employees account for 8.7% of workforce, Innovation Authority says

High-tech employees account for 8.7% of Israel’s workforce, according to data presented by the Israel Innovation Authority, up from 8.3% in 2017.

At mid-2019, the number of salaried tech workers reached 307,000, the authority said in a statement. In absolute terms, the number of tech industry employees grew by some 19,000, despite a drop of some 3,000 in the field of drug manufacturing mainly due to cost-cutting steps at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., the statement said.

The software industry, where some 14,000 employees were added, is responsible for a large part of the increase.

“High-tech employment is characterized by high productivity and high wages, so it is of great importance to increase the number of employees out of the total number of employees in the economy,” the statement said.

The rise in employment levels in the tech field reflects the high demand for workers in the sector, and has been made possible by a number of steps the government has taken to increase the supply of highly skilled human capital, including training such sidelined populations as the Arabs, the ultra-Orthodox and more women, the statement said.

Israel to send firefighting equipment to Amazon rainforest

In response to devastating fires that have been raging in the Amazon rainforest for the past three weeks, Israel is sending a firefighting aircraft with flame-retardant chemicals to Brazil.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro tweeted on August 25 that he’d received a phone call from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offering the equipment to aid the firefighting efforts of the Brazilian armed forces and had gratefully accepted.

Netanyahu tweeted that he told Bolsonaro the flame retardants would be dispatched immediately. The Prime Minister’s Office had no further updates as of today.

Earlier this month, Brazil declared a state of emergency over the rising number of fires in the region. The Amazon, the largest rainforest in the world, is known as the “lungs of the world” for its role in absorbing carbon dioxide and producing oxygen. An estimated one million indigenous people and three million species of plants and animals live in the rainforest.

Bauhaus boomTel Aviv celebrates 100 years of the White City

It’s been 100 years since German architects trained in the Bauhaus style immigrated to Tel Aviv, eventually designing more than 400 buildings in the Bauhaus look.

Tel Aviv became known as the White City for its unusual collection of white, unadorned, balconied buildings, winning UNESCO recognition in 2003 as a World Heritage site. The city will celebrate 100 years of its iconic architecture with the grand opening of its official White City Center in September.

The Liebling Haus-White City Center is housed in the Liebling House, designed by architect Dov Karmi in 1936 for brothers Tony and Max Liebling.

The center was co-founded by the Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality with the Tel Aviv Foundation and the German government, and will host rooftop viewings, workshops, street parties and tours over the weekend of September 19-21, later serving as a resource center for both residents and visitors to the White City.

During Open House Tel Aviv, the opening weekend of the White City Center, there will be tours of hundreds of Bauhaus homes, private and public buildings, with a focus on some of the best-preserved buildings of the international style. Many of the tours will be available in several languages, for free and open to the public.

A full program of the White City Center celebration is available online.

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