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Rabbi David Wolpe resigns from Harvard antisemitism committee over president’s ‘painfully inadequate testimony’ on campus antisemitism
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(JTA) — Rabbi David Wolpe is stepping down from the antisemitism advisory committee at Harvard University, citing “events on campus and the painfully inadequate testimony” of the university’s president, Claudine Gay, during a congressional hearing this week on campus antisemitism.
“Without rehashing all of the obvious reasons that have been endlessly adumbrated online, and with great respect for the members of the committee, the short explanation is that both events on campus and the painfully inadequate testimony reinforced the idea that I cannot make the sort of difference I had hoped,” Wolpe wrote Thursday on X, formerly Twitter.
1/3 Resigning, a Hanukkah Message: As of today I have resigned from the antisemitism advisory committee at Harvard. Without rehashing all of the obvious reasons that have been endlessly adumbrated online, and with great respect for the members of the committee, the short…
— David Wolpe (@RabbiWolpe) December 7, 2023
Wolpe, who is a visiting scholar at Harvard Divinity School and a rabbinic advisor to the Anti-Defamation League, has built a reputation as one of the country’s most prominent and sought-after rabbis and Jewish thinkers. He recently left his pulpit at Los Angeles’ Conservative Sinai Temple, where he is now an emeritus after more than two decades as senior rabbi, and is the author of eight books.
His exit from the committee is a blow to Harvard’s signature effort to fight antisemitism on campus in the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Harvard’s administration announced the advisory committee after facing backlash for what critics called an insufficient response to a student group statement that blamed the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Upon announcing the committee at a Shabbat dinner, Gay said it would “educate our community so that they can recognize and confront antisemitism wherever they see it.”
Since it was announced at the beginning of November, the committee has met frequently. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency has learned that Gay did not directly consult the committee about the congressional hearing before it took place. Her testimony drew intense criticism when she appeared to equivocate in defining antisemitic speech.
In a statement to JTA, Gay said she appreciated Wolpe’s input and added, “Antisemitism has no place in the Harvard community, and I am committed to ensuring no member of our Jewish community faces this hate in any form.”
After a wave of criticism, Gay released a statement on Wednesday saying that Harvard students would face consequences if they called for genocide.
“There are some who have confused a right to free expression with the idea that Harvard will condone calls for violence against Jewish students,” Gay said. “Let me be clear: Calls for violence or genocide against the Jewish community, or any religious or ethnic group are vile, they have no place at Harvard, and those who threaten our Jewish students will be held to account.”
In his thread of posts on X, Wolpe said he considered Gay to be “both a kind and thoughtful person,” and that most Harvard students “wish only to get an education and a job, not prosecute ideological agendas.”
But he added that many students believe in what he called an “evil” ideology that fuels hatred of Jews.
“However, the system at Harvard along with the ideology that grips far too many of the students and faculty, the ideology that works only along axes of oppression and places Jews as oppressors and therefore intrinsically evil, is itself evil,” he wrote. “Ignoring Jewish suffering is evil. Belittling or denying the Jewish experience, including unspeakable atrocities, is a vast and continuing catastrophe. Denying Israel the self-determination as a Jewish nation accorded unthinkingly to others is endemic, and evil.”
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The post Rabbi David Wolpe resigns from Harvard antisemitism committee over president’s ‘painfully inadequate testimony’ on campus antisemitism appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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‘A Vile Act of Hate’: Israeli Hostage Posters Torn Down Outside US Lawmaker’s Capitol Hill Office
Posters of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas terrorists from southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 were ripped from a wall outside US Rep. Brad Schneider’s (D-IL) office in an act of vandalism on Capitol Hill, Washington, DC, July 4, 2024. Photo: Screenshot
US Rep. Brad Schneider’s (D-IL) office was vandalized on Thursday when unknown perpetrators ripped down flyers of the hostages kidnapped by Hamas terrorists during their Oct. 7 onslaught across southern Israel, according to a social media post by the congressman.
Schneider said his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC was targeted over US Independence Day in what he called “a vile act of hate” in a thread on X/Twitter.
“My Capitol office was vandalized yesterday in a vile act of hate in which the posters of the more than 100 people still held hostage in Gaza (including 8 Americans) were ripped from the wall, shredded, and tossed across the hallway,” he wrote, along with a picture of the torn down posters.
My Capitol office was vandalized yesterday in a vile act of hate in which the posters of the more than 100 people still held hostage in Gaza (including 8 Americans) were ripped from the wall, shredded and tossed across the hallway. pic.twitter.com/zSh86mdvIX
— Rep. Brad Schneider (@RepSchneider) July 5, 2024
After Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, in which the Palestinian terrorist group killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostages into Gaza, many activists, organizations, and elected officials put up photos of those taken captive as a way of spreading awareness.
In the days following the Oct. 7 atrocities, however, many videos surfaced of anti-Israel protesters and individuals tearing down the posters in cities and on college campuses across the country.
“This was a shameful act on any day, but especially on July 4, our country’s Independence Day. Sadly, it was but one of many hateful, un-American actions that took place across the country on the day we celebrate freedom and democracy,” Schneider wrote.
“I’ve been disgusted by the videos and reports of individuals calling July 4th a ‘terrorist holiday’ and burning American flags,” he added, referring to fiery and raucous demonstrations organized by anti-Israel groups to disrupt Fourth of July celebrations in US cities.
Some videos from the protests circulated on social media showed people yelling “death to America” and trying to steal and burn American flags.
This is not the first time Schneider has been targeted by anti-Israel agitators in recent days.
“More than 700 miles from the Capitol,” Schneider wrote, “my home was targeted last weekend at 2:30 am by approximately 50 masked demonstrators banging drums, blowing horns, and screaming antisemitic chants.”
The protesters roamed the streets of the greater Chicago area this past weekend, harassing Jewish residents and fostering unrest in their campaign to pressure elected officials into boycotting and divesting from Israel. Marching through the heavily Jewish suburb of Highland Park early in the morning, a mob consisting of dozens of demonstrators — who concealed their faces with masks and keffiyehs — amassed outside the home of Schneider, who is Jewish, reportedly dousing “red liquid” on the sidewalk.
Schneider noted that the same group that protested outside of his house also protested against the United States on Thursday.
“These actions don’t advance peace,” he pointed out. “Instead, they play directly into the hands of Hamas terrorists enabling them to continue to hold hostage not only those they kidnapped from Israel, but all civilians in Gaza as well.”
About 120 hostages currently remain in Gaza, after many were released as part of a temporary ceasefire deal in November and others were rescued by Israeli soldiers conducting special operations. It’s unclear how many of the remaining hostages are still alive.
The post ‘A Vile Act of Hate’: Israeli Hostage Posters Torn Down Outside US Lawmaker’s Capitol Hill Office first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Anti-Israel Activists Flood Streets of US Cities to Disrupt Fourth of July Celebrations
Illustrative: Anti-Israel demonstrators clash with New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers during a protest on April 18, 2024. Photo: Reuters Connect
Anti-Israel groups organized fiery and raucous demonstrations in both New York and Philadelphia to disrupt Fourth of July celebrations marking US Independence Day on Thursday, drawing attention to the ongoing war in Gaza while showing their antipathy toward the United States.
Organizations including the Philly Palestine Coalition, Coalition for Justice in Palestine, and Within Our Lifetime called on their supporters to reject America’s annual celebration of national independence and patriotism in favor of showing support for Hamas, the Palestinian terrorist group that slaughtered over 1,200 people throughout southern Israel on Oct. 7.
Protesters responded by flooding streets and parks in Philadelphia and New York City, waving Palestinian flags and carrying signs denigrating both Israel and the United States.
In Philadelphia, roughly 400 protesters marched into Rittenhouse Square, bellowing chants such as “long live the intifada!” and “empire will fall!” The demonstrators proudly waved flags representing the Palestinians, Hamas, and the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah while tossing American flags on the ground and lighting them on fire.
“This July 4th, join us as we stand with the resistance and support Palestine, not AmeriKKKA! We don’t celebrate the legacy of genocide, colonialism, and slavery that July 4th symbolizes, but struggle for true LIBERATION for all ” the Philly Palestine Coalition wrote on Instagram earlier this week.
In New York, hundreds of pro-Hamas agitators gathered in Washington Square Park on Independence Day to participate in the “Flood Manhattan for July 4th” demonstration, chanting slogans such as “there is only one solution, intifada revolution!” and “US imperialists, number one terrorists!” The activists then marched through the park, screaming chants and carrying banners that read “resistance until return” and “globalize the intifada” each of which represent calls to enact violence against Jews. In one video circulated on social media, radicals placed the American flag on the ground and incinerated it.
“This country emphasizes freedom and independence, but the truth is it’s only independence for whites,” Besan Ahmad, a Philadelphia-based organizer, told WHYY News. “And the independence of those whites came from black, brown, and indigenous people.”
The July 4 protests represented a broader pattern of leftist agitators disrupting traditions and celebrations to draw attention to the anti-Israel cause. Last month, pro-Palestinian activists obstructed and hijacked Pride Month parades in major cities across the United States. Activists have also disrupted concerts, festivals, and parties to show their solidarity with the Hamas terrorist group.
Beyond Israel, the demonstrations also revealed a shared animus toward the US. Protesters have repeatedly chanted “death to America” and unfavorably compared US police and the Israel Defense Forces to the Ku Klux Klan. The activists, who typically brand themselves as “anti-colonial” or “anti-imperialist,” have often praised countries such as Russia or Iran, the latter of which backs Hamas and Hezbollah and has routinely called for the destruction of both Israel and the United States.
The post Anti-Israel Activists Flood Streets of US Cities to Disrupt Fourth of July Celebrations first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Man Arrested, Charged With Hate Crime for Vandalizing Kosher Bagel Shop in Miami
A flag owned by Holy Bagels & Pizzeria that was vandalized on June 16, 2024. Photo: Miami PD.
The Miami Police Department on Tuesday arrested the man allegedly responsible for the antisemitic vandalism of a Jewish-owned kosher bagel shop in downtown Miami last month.
Kenneth Guerrera, 28, was charged with criminal mischief with prejudice, a hate crime charge, for vandalizing Holy Bagels & Pizzeria on June 16.
The kosher bagel and pizza shop was vandalized along with a flag outside the store’s entrance. The vandal spray painted “Free Palestine” and “Stop Genocide” on the front door and windows of the restaurant. The suspect also tore down from outside the store an Israeli-American flag that said “Stand With Israel” and spray painted “Free Palestine” on it. A number of volunteers helped clean off the graffiti after the vandalism, including Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and US District Court Judge Roy Altman.
Miami’s Local 10 news reported that a police officer in the Miami area identified Guerrera after seeing a police wanted flyer as well as surveillance video from the incident. Police said that after his arrest, Guerrera agreed to speak with detectives without an attorney, but his full confession was not shared with the public.
“The apprehension is a reminder that we will not tolerate such despicable acts of hate and will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that our community remains a safe and inclusive place for all,” said Chief of Police Manuel Morales after Guerrera’s arrest.
The post Man Arrested, Charged With Hate Crime for Vandalizing Kosher Bagel Shop in Miami first appeared on Algemeiner.com.