RSS
Hockey player removed from U of Michigan team after vandalism outside Jewish center
(JTA) — A hockey player at the University of Michigan has been removed from the team after being implicated, along with another varsity athlete, in an incident of anti-LGBTQ vandalism outside a campus Jewish center.
The announcement last week by the elite hockey team, which said sophomore Johnny Druskinis had been removed “for violating team rules,” came more than a month after the incident, which occurred on Aug. 22.
It also came weeks after the two perpetrators — Druskinis and sophomore women’s lacrosse player Megan Minturn — made a public apology in front of 350 people at a Shabbat dinner in the Jewish Resource Center, the building whose sidewalk they had defaced. The center has declined to press charges against the students, and has indicated that it does not want to see the students face further punishment.
“As far as the JRC is concerned, these students aren’t bad people and certainly don’t need to have their lives ruined,” read a statement by the center that was posted this week, in the days following the hockey team’s announcement. “While they made a poor choice, they sincerely apologized, and we have high confidence they won’t repeat such actions ever again.”
According to surveillance video and photos circulated by the Ann Arbor Police Department, the vandals, one male and one female, spray-painted male genitalia and a homophobic slur on the sidewalk outside the center, a hub for the Orthodox outreach group Olami. The female perpetrator also spray-painted her initials. Earlier reports on social media that they had tagged the building with antisemitic imagery were incorrect, the Jewish Resource Center said.
Soon after the incident, the university’s president, Santa Ono, condemned the vandalism, noting that it came shortly after a Jewish fraternity at the school was spray-painted with a swastika.
“We strongly denounce this act of vandalism and all antisemitic acts. These incidents are in direct conflict with the university’s deeply held values of respect and inclusion and have no place within our community,” Ono said, according to CBS Detroit. “We are proud of our thriving Jewish life in Ann Arbor and on our campus.”
The two athletes’ identities were later verified by the student newspaper, the Michigan Daily, which reported that the perpetrators had contacted the Jewish Resource Center soon after the incident, seeking to apologize, and did so at a Sept. 8 Shabbat dinner. During the apology, students present told the Daily, the athletes said they had been intoxicated at the time and asked for forgiveness.
“Obviously, apologies can be faked, but from what I saw, it seemed genuine,” sophomore Sarah Ostad told the Daily. She added that, while the rabbis at the Jewish Resource Center appeared ready to forgive the students’ actions, “I don’t know if I feel like that. And I don’t think most people feel like that.”
In September, after the identity of the perpetrators began circulating on social media, the university announced that Druskinis had been removed from the hockey team. But university officials have not been forthcoming with more information.
A spokesperson for the university’s athletic department did not provide details to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency regarding the decision or share a copy of the team’s rules. The hockey coach declined to address the issue at a recent press conference. Ann Arbor police also announced that the perpetrators had been identified, but did not confirm wether they were Druskinis and Minturn. University officials have likewise not commented on Minturn’s status on the women’s lacrosse team, and did not respond to JTA requests for comment on her.
The Jewish Resource Center also did not respond to JTA requests for comment. But its statement noted that the themes of the Jewish holiday season concern “judgment” as well as “understanding and forgiveness.”
“We feel continued news coverage of this incident is unwarranted and unfortunate,” the JRC statement said. “From our perspective, it was put to rest weeks ago.”
—
The post Hockey player removed from U of Michigan team after vandalism outside Jewish center appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
RSS
Dozens of Terrorists Eliminated in Central Gaza, Weapons Seized from UN School in Raid
Some rises after an Israeli strike as Israeli forces launch a ground and air operation in the eastern part of Rafah, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, May 7, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
i24 News – Israel Defense Forces continue to operate in the Shejaiya area at the same time as fighting in the Rafah area and in the center of the Gaza Strip, the army said.
In the Shejaiya area, forces of the 98th Division attacked dozens of terrorist sites with the help of airstrikes from the Israel Air Force.
Over the weekend, Israeli soldiers raided a UN school in Shejaiya, where terrorists hid and stored weapons, grenades and valuable intelligence documents
This is yet another example of how Gazan terrorists use civilian structures to carry out attacks against Israeli forces pic.twitter.com/9oA9KLJehC
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) June 30, 2024
A UN school was raided where terrorists hid and stored weapons, grenades, and sensitive documents. In addition, a Hamas command center was discovered in a clinic.
Since Saturday, division forces located weapons, raided and captured terrorist compounds, and eliminated a number of terrorists.
IDF strikes Hamas target in Gaza
Israeli forces continue to operate in the Shejaiya area while continuing to push in Rafah and in central Gaza
The IDF attacked and destroyed a mortar launch position located within a tunnel shaft in Rafah pic.twitter.com/JqTACvuMys
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) June 30, 2024
The 162nd Division meanwhile continues in the Rafah area, eliminating a number of terrorists in various encounters and destroying tunnel shafts in the area.
The 99th Division 99 the center of the Gaza Strip carried out raids and destroyed terrorist infrastructure in the area.
Also on Saturday, an airstrikes destroyed a mortar launch position located inside a tunnel shaft in Rafah.
The post Dozens of Terrorists Eliminated in Central Gaza, Weapons Seized from UN School in Raid first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Israeli Government Approves Danny Danon as UN Ambassador
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon at a briefing on Iranian aggression on May 6, 2020. Photo: Screenshot.
i24 News – The Israeli government unanimously agreed on Sunday to appoint Likud lawmaker Danny Danon as Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, succeeding the current ambassador, Gilad Erdan.
Danon, who previously held this position, will soon serve a second term. Danon’s appointment to this important position comes at a particularly crucial time, as he is expected to represent Israel on the international stage as the country faces challenges at home and abroad.
“I am proud to return to serve the State of Israel as Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations during this critical period,” he said on Twitter.
“As Israel faces battles on numerous fronts, each and every one of us must do his utmost within his skills and experiences,” he said in an earlier statement. “This is how I have behaved in the past, and this is how I will continue to behave in the future.”
I am proud to return to serve the State of Israel as Israel’s Ambassador to the United Nations during this critical period.
With Israel confronting challenges on multiple fronts, it is imperative for each of us to contribute to the best of our abilities and experiences. This…
— Danny Danon דני דנון (@dannydanon) June 30, 2024
“In the face of the diplomatic terrorism that is rearing its head these days, I am forced to present the truth and hold my head high for the people of Israel and our common future here,” he concluded.
It is expected that Avihai Boaron, a former member of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, will enter in place of Danon.
The post Israeli Government Approves Danny Danon as UN Ambassador first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
‘Los Angeles Is Becoming Unsafe for Its Jewish Residents” Says Israeli Minister
Governor Newsom speaking at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles. Photo Credit: Office of Governor Gavin Newsom.
i24 News – Amichai Shikli, Israel’s Minister of Diaspora and Antisemitism, has urgently called upon California’s governor Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles’s mayor Karen Bass to address a concerning escalation of antisemitic incidents in the city.
In a strongly worded letter sent following a surge in antisemitic activities since October 7, 2023, Shikli expressed deep apprehension about the safety of Jewish residents in Los Angeles.
“Los Angeles is becoming more and more unsafe for its Jewish residents,” Shikli stated, emphasizing the urgent need for proactive measures to combat the rising tide of antisemitism.
He highlighted recent violent demonstrations on campuses that endangered Jewish students, alongside two serious incidents that he believes were mishandled by authorities.
One incident he pointed to was the tragic murder of Paul Kessler in November 2023 during a pro-Israel demonstration. Shikli criticized the court’s failure to classify the attack as a hate crime, stating, “It is shocking to see that the court did not recognize this as a hate crime. Paul was attacked for the sole reason that he was a Jew and a Zionist.”
Additionally, Shikli referenced an incident earlier in the week where an anti-Israel group disrupted an event at Adat Torah synagogue, resulting in an attack on Jewish attendees. Despite prior knowledge of the demonstration, law enforcement allegedly failed to take preventive actions to ensure the safety of Jewish residents.
Concerned about the city’s largest Jewish community in North America, Shikli urged immediate steps to enhance security around Jewish institutions and to ensure law enforcement is adequately trained to handle antisemitic crimes effectively. “At a time when antisemitism is at an all-time high, I urge you to implement measures to combat it,” he asserted.
The minister concluded his letter by proposing collaboration with local authorities and inviting the Los Angeles Police Department to participate in an international training program aimed at equipping security forces worldwide to combat antisemitism effectively.
The post ‘Los Angeles Is Becoming Unsafe for Its Jewish Residents” Says Israeli Minister first appeared on Algemeiner.com.