RSS
Strong Majority of American Jews Feel ‘Less Safe’ After Hamas’ Oct. 7 Massacre, New Survey Finds
A pro-Hamas demonstrator takes the street during a massive rally in Los Angeles on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. Photo: Jacob Lee Green/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
An overwhelming majority of American Jews have reported feeling less safe after Hamas’ massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, according to a new survey conducted by the American Jewish Committee (AJC).
Released on Thursday as part of AJC’s “State of Antisemitism in America 2023 Report,” the survey found that over three in four American Jews who had heard about the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel said the onslaught made them feel a great deal (20 percent), a fair amount (23 percent), or a little (34 percent) less safe as a Jewish person in the United States.
According to the findings, American Jews have dealt with their concerns about safety by carefully managing their ventures into the public, avoiding wearing any apparel or items of clothing that would indicate their Jewish identity, and staying clear of neighborhoods where they are likely to be victims of antisemitic behavior. AJC added that Jews over the age of 30 were more likely to express heightened concerns about their safety post-Oct. 7 than younger Jews, 80 percent compared to 67 percent under age 30.
“It is sadly not surprising that the vast majority of American Jews are feeling less safe today than they did before Oct. 7,” AJC CEO Ted Deutch said in a statement. “In the days, weeks, and months since the terror attack, the world has seen a staggering increase in antisemitic speech, anti-Jewish violence, and demonstrations glorifying Hamas terrorists. How are Jews supposed to feel secure when so many side with the murderers in the wake of the deadliest attack against the Jewish people since the Holocaust?”
On Oct. 7, Hamas terrorists invaded southern Israel from Gaza, murdering 1,200 people and kidnapping 240 others as hostages.
AJC’s survey of Jewish adults was conducted by the independent research firm SSRS from Oct. 5 to Nov. 21.
The release of the results coincided with new data and reports showing that concerns about rising antisemitic hatred in the US are empirically supported.
This week, authorities in Colorado reported that dozens of bomb threats were sent to synagogues, as well as public schools, across the state. Meanwhile, the city of Philadelphia experienced a record high number of antisemitic hate crimes in 2023, surging by 237 percent, according to data from the California State University, San Bernardino’s Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism. The news outlet Axios was first to report on the anti-Jewish hate crime surge in Philadelphia.
“It is a very scary time to be a Jew anywhere in the world, but specifically in the US and there is a lot to do as far as countering antisemitism and keeping America as a beacon of hope as it has always been for Jews,” a survey participant told the American Jewish Committee. “This recent terrorist attack by Hamas has shaken us to the core.”
Another participant said, “I am shocked by the sizable vocal minority that is supporting Hamas. In many ways, I don’t feel comfortable living in my country for the first time in my life.”
Antisemitic incidents in the US have surged by 360 percent since Oct. 7, according to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which counted 3,283 in the ensuing three months. That total included 553 vandalisms and 60 assaults. Educational institutions in the US have also seen a rise in antisemitic incidents — 505 took place on college campuses and 246 at K-12 schools.
“In this difficult moment, antisemitism is spreading and mutating in alarming ways,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. “This onslaught of hate includes a dramatic increase in fake bomb threats that disrupt services at synagogues and put communities on edge across the country.”
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
The post Strong Majority of American Jews Feel ‘Less Safe’ After Hamas’ Oct. 7 Massacre, New Survey Finds first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Treasure Trove spotlights a menorah designed in the early years of the State of Israel
This laurel branch Hanukkah menorah, designed by artist Maurice Ascalon (1913-2003), won first prize at the 1950 Tel Aviv Design Competition. Between 2,000 and 4,000 of these were made by the Pal-Bell factory in Israel, and they were sold not only in Israel but in select department stores around the world, including Macy’s in New York and Harrods in London.
The shape of the oil containers resembles ancient Roman lamps, while the large pitcher is a reference to the single jug of oil that lasted for eight days that is at the heart of the Hanukkah story.
These hanukkiyot were manufactured out of cast bronze with a green patina that was created using reactive chemicals, a process developed by Ascalon, resulting in an antique verdigris look.
Ascalon, who was born in Hungary and originally named Moshe Klein, immigrated to Palestine in 1934 after training in Brussels and Milan. He started the Pal-Bell Company in the late 1930s for the production of ritual and secular decorative items. “Pal” is short for Palestine and “Bell” is short for bellezza, Italian for beauty and an allusion to his time in Milan where the artist learned and perfected his sculpting skills. During Israel’s War of Independence in 1948, Ascalon designed munitions for the Israeli army and, at the request of the Israeli government, retrofitted his factory to produce arms for the war effort.
Ascalon closed Pal-Bell and moved to the United States in 1956, where he taught sculpture at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles and opened Ascalon Studios, which produces large-scale sculptures for public spaces and houses of worship.
The studio, which is now run by Ascalon’s son David and his grandson Eric, was retooled during the COVID pandemic to manufacture safety boxes that allowed health-care workers to assist a patient on a ventilator while minimizing exposure.
Treasure Trove wishes you a happy Hanukkah , which starts on Dec. 25. This year, as Peter, Paul and Mary sang, “Light one candle for the terrible sacrifice, justice and freedom demand. Don’t let the light go out!”
The post Treasure Trove spotlights a menorah designed in the early years of the State of Israel appeared first on The Canadian Jewish News.
RSS
Germany: 5 Killed, Scores Wounded after Saudi Man Plows Car Into Christmas crowd
Magdeburg Christmas market, December 21, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Christian Mang
i24 News – A suspected terrorist plowed a vehicle into a crowd at a Christmas market in the German city of Magdeburg, west of the capital Berlin, killing at least five and injuring dozens more.
Local police confirmed that the suspect was a Saudi national born in 1974 and acting alone.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed his concern about the incident, saying that “reports from Magdeburg suggest something bad. My thoughts are with the victims and their families.”
Police declined to give casualty numbers, confirming only a large-scale operation at the market, where people had gathered to celebrate in the days leading up to the Christmas holidays.
The post Germany: 5 Killed, Scores Wounded after Saudi Man Plows Car Into Christmas crowd first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Syria’s New Rulers Name HTS Commander as Defense Minister
A person waves a flag adopted by the new Syrian rulers, as people gather during a celebration called by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) near the Umayyad Mosque, after the ousting of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, Photo: December 20, 2024. REUTERS/Ammar Awad/File Photo
Syria’s new rulers have appointed Murhaf Abu Qasra, a leading figure in the insurgency which toppled Bashar al-Assad, as defense minister in the interim government, an official source said on Saturday.
Abu Qasra, who is also known by the nom de guerre Abu Hassan 600, is a senior figure in the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group which led the campaign that ousted Assad this month. He led numerous military operations during Syria’s revolution, the source said.
Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa discussed “the form of the military institution in the new Syria” during a meeting with armed factions on Saturday, state news agency SANA reported.
Abu Qasra during the meeting sat next to Sharaa, also known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammed al-Golani, photos published by SANA showed.
Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir said this week that the defense ministry would be restructured using former rebel factions and officers who defected from Assad’s army.
Bashir, who formerly led an HTS-affiliated administration in the northwestern province of Idlib, has said he will lead a three-month transitional government. The new administration has not declared plans for what will happen after that.
Earlier on Saturday, the ruling General Command named Asaad Hassan al-Shibani as foreign minister, SANA said. A source in the new administration told Reuters that this step “comes in response to the aspirations of the Syrian people to establish international relations that bring peace and stability.”
Shibani, a 37-year-old graduate of Damascus University, previously led the political department of the rebels’ Idlib government, the General Command said.
Sharaa’s group was part of al Qaeda until he broke ties in 2016. It had been confined to Idlib for years until going on the offensive in late November, sweeping through the cities of western Syria and into Damascus as the army melted away.
Sharaa has met with a number of international envoys this week. He has said his primary focus is on reconstruction and achieving economic development and that he is not interested in engaging in any new conflicts.
Syrian rebels seized control of Damascus on Dec. 8, forcing Assad to flee after more than 13 years of civil war and ending his family’s decades-long rule.
Washington designated Sharaa a terrorist in 2013, saying al Qaeda in Iraq had tasked him with overthrowing Assad’s rule and establishing Islamic sharia law in Syria. US officials said on Friday that Washington would remove a $10 million bounty on his head.
The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people, caused one of the biggest refugee crises of modern times and left cities bombed to rubble and the economy hollowed out by global sanctions.
The post Syria’s New Rulers Name HTS Commander as Defense Minister first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login