RSS
‘Shofar’s Call to ‘Rehabilitate’ Zionism
The blowing of the shofar, traditionally done on Rosh Hashanah. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.
JNS.org – Shofar, an interdisciplinary journal of Jewish studies whose editors are committed “to publishing a diversity of beliefs, ideas and opinions,” is a project of cooperation with Purdue University. The academic institution was beset, as were many campuses, last year with pro-Palestine rallies and demonstrations, and even set up a “Liberation Zone,” although it would seem none for any Israeli hostages. I have no information that those events had a direct influence on the publication of an issue dedicated to anti-Zionism, but it exists.
Shaul Magid of Dartmouth College led that Shofar special issue, which was devoted to “Zionism and Its Jewish Critics.” He claimed that “while some scholars argue that the concept [of Zionism] has biblical origins, most acknowledge that it is a modern Jewish iteration of Western European nationalism that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century.” Who are these “most” scholars who champion perverse purposeful ignorance? What is their academic weight? Are these the instructors properly suited to lecture university students, Jewish and non-Jewish?
Magid and fellow travelers would have us believe that the many dozens of Torah commandments, hundreds of verses of Tanach, thousands of Midrashic, Talmudic and Second Temple literature pieces, as well as thousands of rabbinic dicta and responsa spanning some 2,500 years of Jewish core religion, culture and ritual revolving around Zion, Jerusalem, the Land of Israel and a Jew’s obligations to the same are to be erased and ignored. Similarly, the constant presence of Jews residing in the Land of Israel—immigrating and traveling to it, and sending charitable dollars to those living there all during the 1,800 years of our Exile, not to mention the Return to Zion during the sixth-century BCE—is to be disregarded.
In a follow-up response, Lior Sternfeld of Penn State University addresses the topic of “Settler Colonialism, From the River to the Sea, and the Israeli Case After October 7.” He intends “to offer a way to unpack some of the volatile concepts often used to analyze the Israel-Palestine conflict.” Nevertheless, he promptly engages in a volatile position and, as if objectively, observes that “well-meaning scholars and activists have sought to rehabilitate the concept of Zionism.”
And what is the need for that? Sternfeld knows and suggests that “Zionism, at least in its twenty-first-century form, negates the very existence of Palestinian identity and Palestinian nationalism. As such, the peaceful existence of the two peoples, enjoying freedom, independence, and self-determination, could never be achieved.” All the fault of the Jews. Sorry, the Zionists. For what is Zionism if not, according to Sternfeld, “settler-colonialism”?
As Sternfeld asserts—and we could assume teaches his students—the nakba (Arabic for “catastrophe”) that refers to the creation of the modern-day State of Israel in May 1948 was an “attempt … to eliminate the native people.” The next stage of his paradigm came with the influx of immigrants—Holocaust survivors from Europe and Jews who came from the Middle East, North Africa and many other locations. As he puts it, these “settlers became indigenous.” The next stage followed the Six-Day War in June 1967, when “the definition of colonial power became much more apt.”
Israel after 1967, Sternfeld insists, “became a colonial state.”
Why, supposedly, did it become such a state? His reasoning is that “Israel sought to control the land by sending settlers and exploiting the indigenous population and the resources to the benefit of Israel proper.” Moreover, the “native population did not get citizenship, any political rights, or equal legal status.” If one starts out without knowing the basics, like Sternfeld, then it will be no surprise that his conclusions and assertions are not only erroneous but dangerous.
Israel sent no one post-1967 to Judea, Samaria and Gaza. Yes, there were soldiers and even Nachal units, but it was the “settlers”—those of Gush Emunim and other groups, some not at all religiously motivated—who forced upon the government an extensive civilian Jewish residential presence there. Moreover, there was no exploitation of the population (and as for being “indigenous,” that requires another article altogether). Why should a group of people demanding to be separated from Israel deserve, in Sternfeld’s mind, to gain Israeli citizenship or political rights such as voting for Knesset representation?
What truly irks Sternfeld is the criticism voiced to the slogan chanted by pro-“Palestine” protestors that that presumed country should extend “from the river to the sea.” He ignores its eliminationist purpose in doing away with Israel altogether and probably a majority of its Jewish residents, preferring to highlight a parallel Israeli version of that slogan, an overlooked Israeli map covering the land “from the river to the sea,” unlike the pro-Palestine one “has political practice and military power.” That is an irrational presentation.
First of all, the Palestinian Authority maintains a political practice as well as military power. In addition, its educational system and media propaganda arms inculcate its population much better than Israel’s government does regarding territorial and legal heritage not to mention that in the P.A. area, there are no parallel Peace Now/B’Tselem groups that argue against land expansionism.
More importantly, historically speaking, the area of the “river to the sea” possesses an international Jewish legal status in that the League of Nations Palestine Mandate decision, Article 25, specifically awards that area for a reconstituted Jewish state. In addition, that was the territory left over after a fictitious “Transjordan” was created for a Saudi ruler expelled from his own country and received all of what was to be eastern Palestine—an Arab state. Does not Sternfeld know basic Zionist history, not to mention post-Oslo Accords diplomatic history?
One other of Sternfeld’s nonsensical arguments is that “the left must stop collaborating with the blame game of the right wing and stop seeking approval (that would never come) for disavowing any kind of resistance, especially the nonviolent one.” Especially? As that word means “more than usual; more than other people or things,” are we to understand that Sternfeld could permit a non-blaming of a less than non-violent resistance? Or is it just that his writing is obtuse at this point?
Sternfeld has a vision. It is one of a “time to move beyond Zionism into Israelism … to build a thriving Israeli society for the entirety of its population, next to an equally thriving society of dependent Palestine.” I admit to harboring a suspicion that Sternfeld’s grasp of the Israel-Arab conflict requires rehabilitation.
The post ‘Shofar’s Call to ‘Rehabilitate’ Zionism first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Students and survivors gather at Baycrest to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day
As Holocaust denial and distortion becomes a growing concern in Canada, a group of Toronto high school students marked the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz by sharing the stories of Holocaust survivors.
Grade 12 students from Toronto’s Crestwood Preparatory College observed International Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27, with a presentation at Baycrest, a Toronto healthcare and research centre for seniors. There they recounted the harrowing stories of survivors they had previously interviewed in person to an audience of about 150 people, including other students, educators and the survivors themselves.
Daniel Markusson, one of the presenters, acknowledged that the opportunity to hear first-hand accounts of the Holocaust has become increasingly rare.
“It was a really impactful experience to hear these stories directly from the survivors,” Markusson told The Canadian Jewish News. “You can watch documentaries or read books, but speaking to someone in person brings a whole new level of understanding.”
Markusson presented the story of survivor Judy Schachter, who he met with his classmates prior to the event. Born in 1936, Schachter grew up in the city of Humenne, in eastern Slovakia. Her early life, described as happy and nurturing, was shattered by the antisemitic policies of Jozef Tiso, an acolyte of Hitler and president of the First Slovak Republic from 1939 to 1945. As deportations to Auschwitz began, Schachter’s family fled to the Tatra Mountains, where they endured extreme cold, starvation and the constant fear of discovery.
“Hearing her experiences made me realize how critical it is to preserve these stories,” Markusson said. “It’s our responsibility to combat Holocaust denial and distortion.”
Another Crestwood student, Chaeni Lee, recounted the story of Peter Hajnal, who survived as a child in Hungary. After being sent to a children’s shelter, Hajnal endured harsh treatment and the loss of his younger brother. “Hearing Peter’s story reminded me of my grandmother’s experiences during the Korean War,” Lee said during her presentation. “It’s a reminder that trauma stays with people forever, even from when they’re young.”
Sydney Ross, another Crestwood student, shared the story of Martha Shemtov, who was a hidden child during the Holocaust. Ross described how Shemtov’s mother threw her off a train bound for a concentration camp, saving her life. Shemtov was later hidden and raised by a Catholic family until she was reunited with her father after the war. Reflecting on the harrowing account, Ross said, “Hearing these stories made me realize how much courage it took to survive and how important it is for us to share their voices. It’s a responsibility we can’t take lightly.”
Engaging younger generations
Holocaust survivor Judy Schachter, whose story was shared at the event, expressed gratitude for the students’ willingness to listen. “It’s hard to convince those who deny or distort history,” she told The Canadian Jewish News. “But projects like this give me hope that the lessons of the Holocaust won’t be forgotten.”
Schachter also spoke candidly about the challenges of addressing Holocaust denial. “You have to have receptive ears to receive that, and right now I think that that segment of the population really doesn’t want to hear it, so I almost wouldn’t even waste my time talking to them,” she said.
“I feel a deep responsibility to share my story, and I’m grateful for this particular school that they’re willing to listen.”
Baycrest’s Holocaust Resource Program, which helped plan the student presentation, offers consultation, counselling, and educational services for clients, families, and survivors in the Jewish community at Baycrest and in other long-term care facilities. Staff with specialized expertise run ongoing support groups for survivors and children of survivors.
Anne Max, a Baycrest social worker and a key member of the Holocaust Resource Program, highlighted how the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and rising antisemitism in Canada have deeply affected survivors.
“Everything we’re seeing that happens in the Middle East and in our streets (in Canada) is a huge trigger for survivors and their children,” Max told The Canadian Jewish News. “It has unleashed a lot of people’s feelings about what happened to them during the war.”
Max said events like the presentation at Baycrest are so important, providing survivors with a platform to share their stories and help younger generations understand the importance of combating hate.
Holocaust education programs are essential for younger generations who will eventually lose access to first-hand accounts, said Cyrelle Muskat, director of Quality, Systems, and Wellness at Baycrest.
Muskat’s grandmother, who recently died, was a survivor of Auschwitz. “A couple of years ago she made a point to do a Zoom meeting with a Jewish day school to share her story,” Muskat said. “More and more survivors are feeling that (sharing their story) is their mission.”
Denial and distortion on the rise
Recent studies have revealed alarming gaps in Holocaust awareness among Canadians, particularly younger generations, and a growing susceptibility to misinformation about one of history’s darkest chapters. The findings highlight an urgent need for education to address not only historical ignorance but also antisemitic attitudes.
A survey conducted by the Association for Canadian Studies and the Metropolis Institute in 2024 revealed that one in six Canadians aged 18 to 24 believed the Holocaust was exaggerated. This view was linked to an increased likelihood of antisemitic feelings and behaviours, according to the study. The findings also revealed that 22 per cent of Canadians under 25 rely primarily on online sources for Holocaust information, which may contribute to the spread of misinformation.
A 2019 study by the Azrieli Foundation and the Claims Conference found that 22 percent of Canadians under 34 had either not heard of the Holocaust or were unsure what it was. Nearly half of respondents—49 percent—could not name a single concentration camp or ghetto, despite over 40,000 such sites operating during the Second World War. In addition, 23 percent of Canadians believed that substantially fewer than six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust, while 24 per cent were uncertain about the death toll.
Preserving living history
Crestwood’s Oral History Project has become a cornerstone of the school’s commitment to historical education and remembrance. The initiative began as a way to preserve the personal stories and artifacts shared by speakers visiting Masters’ classes. Originally, it started as a family history project, with students and their families contributing personal and community histories.
“When I started this project over 20 years ago, most students had grandparents who lived through the war,” said Scott Masters, the Crestwood history teacher who spearheaded the program. “That’s no longer the case, so this project helps build those connections for a new generation.”
As part of the oral history project, Masters and his students have digitized photos and mementos from interviewees, preserving them as historical documents. These records, along with individual interviews, are accessible on the project’s webpage, where visitors can search for specific topics—such as survivors from Theresienstadt or veterans who served on D-Day—and listen to personal accounts.
This archive, which contains over 1,000 interviews—including nearly 300 with Holocaust survivors—ensures these stories are preserved for future generations.
“It’s about showing the personal side of modern history,” Masters explained. “These stories make history tangible and help us understand the human experiences behind the events.”
The post Students and survivors gather at Baycrest to mark International Holocaust Remembrance Day appeared first on The Canadian Jewish News.
RSS
Israel’s UN Ambassador Reaffirms Imminent Ban of UNRWA Operations Over Hamas Ties
Ambassador Danny Danon, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations, looks on as he speaks to members of the press about the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, at the UN headquarters in New York City, US, Sept. 4, 2024. Photo: Reuters
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon reaffirmed on Tuesday that the controversial UN agency responsible for Palestinian refugees and their descendants will face an imminent ban from Israel over its ties to the Hamas terrorist group.
“Within 48 hours, the State of Israel will cease its cooperation with UNRWA,” Danon told the UN Security Council, referring to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. “UNRWA must cease its activities and evacuate all its facilities in Jerusalem.”
The public announcement came after Israel passed legislation in October banning UNRWA from operating within Israeli territory and prohibiting any Israeli authority from engaging with the agency.
Israel followed up on the legislation this past week, issuing a directive to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres demanding that UNRWA cease all activities in East Jerusalem by Jan. 30.
“This decision was driven by UNRWA’s constant refusal to address the widespread infiltration of its ranks by Hamas and other terrorist organizations,” Danon added in his remarks on Tuesday.
The Israeli government and research organizations have publicized findings showing numerous UNRWA-employed staff, including teachers and school principals, are active Hamas members, some of whom were directly involved in the Palestinian terrorist group’s Oct. 7, 2023 massacre across southern Israel, while many others openly celebrated it.
On Tuesday, Danon said that UNRWA will be banned from “maintaining any representative, office, service or activity within” Israel and the Jewish state will “terminate all collaboration, communication, or contact with UNRWA or anyone operating on its behalf.”
The ambassador asserted that the decision was “necessary” due to UNRWA’s decision to pursue “political agendas, neglect, and cover-ups over humanitarian principles.” Moreover, Danon contended that UNRWA has “failed to benefit the people who were supposed to benefit from their services.”
Israel has maintained that the agency still employs some 450 terrorist operatives in Gaza, even after firing several over their alleged involvement in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attacks on southern Israel. Many countries, including the US, paused funding to UNRWA amid allegations that the agency aided Hamas terrorists. UNRWA employs 14,000 staff members in Gaza.
UNRWA officials have denied the agency’s complicity in the Oct. 7 massacre and argued their aid work in Gaza is crucial to alleviating the humanitarian crisis in the war-torn enclave.
“In two days, our operations in the occupied Palestinian territory will be crippled,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told the 15-member UN Security Council on Tuesday. “Full implementation of the Knesset [Israeli parliament] legislation will be disastrous.”
However, US officials said that the UN is “exaggerating” the impact of Israel’s decision.
“UNRWA exaggerating the effects of the laws and suggesting that they will force the entire humanitarian response to halt is irresponsible and dangerous,” US Ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea told the Security Council on Tuesday.
“What is needed is a nuanced discussion about how we can ensure that there is no interruption in the delivery of humanitarian aid and essential services,” she said. “UNRWA is not and never has been the only option for providing humanitarian assistance in Gaza.”
Experts have told The Algemeiner that UNRWA fosters new generations of terrorists, in part through school curricula that promotes hatred of both Jews and Israelis.
Danon argued that the Jewish state should not be forced to collaborate with an organization that compromises its national security and that it will continue to pursue partnerships with humanitarian groups that are not tied to terrorists.
The post Israel’s UN Ambassador Reaffirms Imminent Ban of UNRWA Operations Over Hamas Ties first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Israel Slams Newly Signed Iran-Russia Treaty as ‘Dangerous for the Entire World’
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian attend a ceremony to sign an agreement of comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Jan. 17, 2025. Photo: Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via REUTERS
Israel is deeply concerned about a recently signed “comprehensive strategic partnership treaty” between Iran and Russia, according to the Jewish state’s ambassador to Moscow.
“Iran is a country that has openly and publicly stated many times its intention to destroy Israel,” Simona Halperin told the Russian state news agency TASS in an interview published on Monday when asked about the pact.
“Any cooperation aimed at developing Iran’s ability to realize those intentions, or any agreement intended to strengthen Iran’s economic, strategic, or military capabilities, is dangerous for the entire world and particularly for Israel,” she added.
Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart, Masoud Pezeshkian, strengthened military ties between their countries by signing a 20-year strategic partnership.
Under the agreement, Russia and Iran will deepen bilateral cooperation across numerous sectors, including defense, energy, finance, transport, and agriculture. They will also enhance security ties through joint military drills, warship port visits, and officer training.
While the signatories pledged not to assist aggressors in the event of an attack on either country, the agreement does not include provisions for mutual military assistance in the case of an armed attack.
Following the signing of the agreement, Putin emphasized the strengthened bilateral cooperation, particularly in trade and economic relations.
“We need less bureaucracy and more concrete action. Whatever difficulties are created by others, we will be able to overcome them and move forward,” he said, referring to Western sanctions on both countries.
Pezeshkian also pointed to the potential of the agreement, saying it serves as another stimulus for “the creation of a multi-polar world” — a phrase referring to an international system in which the US is not the dominant country.
Meanwhil, Iranian and Russian officials have been working on an international alliance with Russia against US sanctions called the “International Union Against US Sanctions.” An Iranian lawmaker spearheading the effort said last month that it will soon be completed and ready to be put into practice.
The new agreement already seems to be fostering further defense ties.
On Monday, Iran confirmed the purchase of Russian Sukhoi-35 fighter jets, amid increasing tensions with Israel and the United States, potentially bolstering its ailing air force.
According to the semi-official Iranian Students News Agency, Ali Shadmani, a senior official in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, revealed the purchase but did not specify the number of jets or their delivery status.
After purchasing the new Russian fighter jets, Iran threatened Israel with potential consequences for any aggressive actions.
“If the enemy acts foolishly, it will taste the bitter taste of being hit by our missiles, and none of its interests in the occupied territories will remain safe,” Shadmani said.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin has refused to comment on these reports, neither confirming nor denying Russia’s role in supplying Su-35 fighter jets to Iran.
Iran’s current fighter fleet mainly consists of American planes acquired before the 1979 Islamic revolution, when the US and Iran had diplomatic ties, as well as Soviet planes from the 1970s and 1980s.
Last year, Tehran received two Su-35SE fighter jets from Russia as part of a program to replace its fleet of outdated US-made F-14 Tomcat fighter aircraft, according to the German newspaper Flugrevue.
This bilateral cooperation comes at a time when Iran’s influence in the Middle East is in retreat, with the fall of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad in Syria and Israel’s military successes against two of Iran’s terrorist proxies: Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The post Israel Slams Newly Signed Iran-Russia Treaty as ‘Dangerous for the Entire World’ first appeared on Algemeiner.com.