13 dec 2019
The US-based group Jewish Voice for Peace issued the following statement in response to Donald Trump’s latest executive order.
Their statment reads as follows:
The impending Executive Order by President Trump will do nothing to make Jewish students safer on college campuses, and Jewish Voice for Peace is appalled at this blatant attempt to silence criticism of Israel.
Trump’s Executive Order allegedly targeting campus antisemitism is the culmination of decades of attempts by anti-Palestinian organizations to suppress Palestinian organizing, advocacy, research and teaching on college campuses.
The EO, which would codify a dangerous and overly broad definition of antisemitism into federal civil rights law, fails to offer any protection to Jewish students.
Instead, it will usher in a climate of fear on college campuses, where university administrations will be incentivized to silence student activism, faculty research, and teaching about Palestine – while white supremacist organizing, which has been steadily increasing under Trump, will go unchecked.
Rabbi Alissa Wise, acting Co-Executive Director of Jewish Voice for Peace, said:
“Three days ago, Trump said Jews would vote for him because they like money. And yet now he suddenly pretends to care about Jewish safety? He has never cared about stopping antisemitism – this Executive Order is about silencing Palestinians and the people who speak up with them. The Executive Order is his way of forcing through a deeply unpopular and unconstitutional bill. Jewish Voice for Peace calls on members of Congress to immediately condemn this Executive Order and commit to overturning this authoritarian act.”
This EO essentially duplicates legislation that has failed to garner bipartisan support in the House or Senate for years. Opposition to the so-called “Anti-Semitism Awareness Act” has grown steadily, including objections from activists and free speech groups.
Most recently, over 250 Jewish students opposed the 2019 act. In 2016, over 60 Jewish Studies professors, and over 300 Jewish students, opposed this definition.
When this definition was proposed by anti-Palestinian activists to the University of California in 2015, over 300 UC faculty came out in opposition, along with the LA Times editorial board, American Civil Liberties Union, and California Scholars for Academic Freedom [pdf].
The EO relies on the work of Kenneth Marcus, the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights in the Department of Education. Marcus, and his organization the Brandeis Center, has long harassed students and faculty who disagree with his extremist and right-wing views on Israel.
He openly advocates for defunding Middle East studies departments who are too critical of Israeli policy, and has, in his capacity as head of the Brandeis Center, gone after individual students who protest Israeli actions.
Their statment reads as follows:
The impending Executive Order by President Trump will do nothing to make Jewish students safer on college campuses, and Jewish Voice for Peace is appalled at this blatant attempt to silence criticism of Israel.
Trump’s Executive Order allegedly targeting campus antisemitism is the culmination of decades of attempts by anti-Palestinian organizations to suppress Palestinian organizing, advocacy, research and teaching on college campuses.
The EO, which would codify a dangerous and overly broad definition of antisemitism into federal civil rights law, fails to offer any protection to Jewish students.
Instead, it will usher in a climate of fear on college campuses, where university administrations will be incentivized to silence student activism, faculty research, and teaching about Palestine – while white supremacist organizing, which has been steadily increasing under Trump, will go unchecked.
Rabbi Alissa Wise, acting Co-Executive Director of Jewish Voice for Peace, said:
“Three days ago, Trump said Jews would vote for him because they like money. And yet now he suddenly pretends to care about Jewish safety? He has never cared about stopping antisemitism – this Executive Order is about silencing Palestinians and the people who speak up with them. The Executive Order is his way of forcing through a deeply unpopular and unconstitutional bill. Jewish Voice for Peace calls on members of Congress to immediately condemn this Executive Order and commit to overturning this authoritarian act.”
This EO essentially duplicates legislation that has failed to garner bipartisan support in the House or Senate for years. Opposition to the so-called “Anti-Semitism Awareness Act” has grown steadily, including objections from activists and free speech groups.
Most recently, over 250 Jewish students opposed the 2019 act. In 2016, over 60 Jewish Studies professors, and over 300 Jewish students, opposed this definition.
When this definition was proposed by anti-Palestinian activists to the University of California in 2015, over 300 UC faculty came out in opposition, along with the LA Times editorial board, American Civil Liberties Union, and California Scholars for Academic Freedom [pdf].
The EO relies on the work of Kenneth Marcus, the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights in the Department of Education. Marcus, and his organization the Brandeis Center, has long harassed students and faculty who disagree with his extremist and right-wing views on Israel.
He openly advocates for defunding Middle East studies departments who are too critical of Israeli policy, and has, in his capacity as head of the Brandeis Center, gone after individual students who protest Israeli actions.
12 dec 2019
Jeremy Corbyn in Tunisia in 2014
Deputy FM says while inappropriate for government official to comment, she says UK Labour leader is 'real danger to Israel-Britain relations' and that local Jewish community 'very worried' due to repeated allegations of anti-Semitism
Israel voiced worry about Britain’s election on Thursday, describing the possible rise of the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn as a threat to bilateral ties and alarming for British Jews.
“It is true that we as a country cannot say we support this-or-that candidate, but Corbyn is a real danger to Israel-Britain relations, and I know British Jewry is very worried about this possibility,” she said.
Corbyn, a veteran pro-Palestinian activist, has been repeatedly hit by allegations of anti-Semitism in Labour, with many of the country’s Jews saying saying they would consider emigrating should he be elected.
Jewish women MPs Luciana Berger and Dame Louise Ellman say anti-Semitism drove them out of the party, the former to the Liberal Democrats and the latter into retirement from politics.
Corbyn and Labour, Britain’s biggest opposition party, claim they oppose anti-Semitism. They say the party is not institutionally anti-Semitic, that complaints relate to a small minority of members, and that the processes to deal with such allegations have now improved.
The party is however currently under investigation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission for institutional anti-Semitism.
Seventy serving and former officials of the party have made critical submissions to the independent inquiry, including one respondent who listed 22 examples of anti-Semitic abuse at party meetings where he was called a "child killer" and "Tory Jew."
A parliamentary candidate describes witnessing a party member tell a Jewish councilor to go home and count their money after they were deselected.
Another party worker said a colleague objected to the prospective membership of 25 ultra-Orthodox Jews, and visits were made to their homes - something that did not happen for other applicants.
Corbyn has called for recognizing a Palestinian state and reviewing British arms exports to Israel. He has also come under criticism for calling Hamas and Hezbollah his "friends."
In 2014, he visited the Tunisia grave of one of the masterminds of the massacre of 11 Israeli Olympians at the 1972 Munich Games.
In 2010, Corbyn hosted a pro-Gaza event in Parliament on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. under the headline "Never Again for Anyone – Auschwitz to Gaza." Some of the speakers at the event accused Israel of using the Holocaust for its own political purposes, while leaflets were handed out claiming Israel is carrying out genocide.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz said last week that he hoped Corbyn would lose the election to Boris Johnson, the Conservative prime minister. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not commented on the ballot.
“It must be understood that the things that Corbyn says, and the wind blowing through Labour today, is a wind of anti-Semitism. And this is a very grave matter,” Hotovely said.
“Jews will always have a place in the State of Israel. In other words, they do not have to feel in danger. But it is important to understand that this election is really a fateful election, and we really have to wait patiently here.”
Deputy FM says while inappropriate for government official to comment, she says UK Labour leader is 'real danger to Israel-Britain relations' and that local Jewish community 'very worried' due to repeated allegations of anti-Semitism
Israel voiced worry about Britain’s election on Thursday, describing the possible rise of the Labour Party under Jeremy Corbyn as a threat to bilateral ties and alarming for British Jews.
“It is true that we as a country cannot say we support this-or-that candidate, but Corbyn is a real danger to Israel-Britain relations, and I know British Jewry is very worried about this possibility,” she said.
Corbyn, a veteran pro-Palestinian activist, has been repeatedly hit by allegations of anti-Semitism in Labour, with many of the country’s Jews saying saying they would consider emigrating should he be elected.
Jewish women MPs Luciana Berger and Dame Louise Ellman say anti-Semitism drove them out of the party, the former to the Liberal Democrats and the latter into retirement from politics.
Corbyn and Labour, Britain’s biggest opposition party, claim they oppose anti-Semitism. They say the party is not institutionally anti-Semitic, that complaints relate to a small minority of members, and that the processes to deal with such allegations have now improved.
The party is however currently under investigation by the Equality and Human Rights Commission for institutional anti-Semitism.
Seventy serving and former officials of the party have made critical submissions to the independent inquiry, including one respondent who listed 22 examples of anti-Semitic abuse at party meetings where he was called a "child killer" and "Tory Jew."
A parliamentary candidate describes witnessing a party member tell a Jewish councilor to go home and count their money after they were deselected.
Another party worker said a colleague objected to the prospective membership of 25 ultra-Orthodox Jews, and visits were made to their homes - something that did not happen for other applicants.
Corbyn has called for recognizing a Palestinian state and reviewing British arms exports to Israel. He has also come under criticism for calling Hamas and Hezbollah his "friends."
In 2014, he visited the Tunisia grave of one of the masterminds of the massacre of 11 Israeli Olympians at the 1972 Munich Games.
In 2010, Corbyn hosted a pro-Gaza event in Parliament on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. under the headline "Never Again for Anyone – Auschwitz to Gaza." Some of the speakers at the event accused Israel of using the Holocaust for its own political purposes, while leaflets were handed out claiming Israel is carrying out genocide.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz said last week that he hoped Corbyn would lose the election to Boris Johnson, the Conservative prime minister. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not commented on the ballot.
“It must be understood that the things that Corbyn says, and the wind blowing through Labour today, is a wind of anti-Semitism. And this is a very grave matter,” Hotovely said.
“Jews will always have a place in the State of Israel. In other words, they do not have to feel in danger. But it is important to understand that this election is really a fateful election, and we really have to wait patiently here.”
11 dec 2019
Executive order will broaden existing working definition of anti-Semitism to that of International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance; Israel welcomes move, with FM calling it 'important step in fight against BDS movement'
U.S. President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order on Wednesday that would treat "Jewishness" as a nationality and not just a religion, making anti-Semitism subject to a law that bars discrimination on the basis of national origin at educational institutions that receive federal funding.
The move is intended to target those colleges and universities that fail to combat anti-Semitism, a senior administration official said Tuesday.
In the order, Trump is expected to tell the Department of Education to consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism - which can include criticism of Israel - when evaluating discrimination complaints under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color and national origin.
One U.S. official said Trump's order would make it clear that Title VI will apply to anti-Semitism as defined by the IHRA. That definition says anti-Semitism may include "targeting of the State of Israel" and singling it out for criticism above other nations.
The order, which is likely to draw criticism from free speech advocates, will broaden the federal government's definition of anti-Semitism and instruct it to be used in enforcing laws against discrimination on college campuses, according to three U.S. officials. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity.
Title VI bars discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin at colleges and universities that receive federal funding. One official said Trump's order would make it clear that Title VI will apply to anti-Semitism as defined by the IHRA. That definition says anti-Semitism may include "targeting of the State of Israel."
Previous attempts to clarify and codify the application of Title VI to anti-Semitic acts have become bogged down in debates over whether Judaism should be seen as race or is indicative of a national origin.
Free-speech advocates have also expressed concerns that a broader definition of anti-Semitism might be used to limit criticism of Israeli government actions.
Still, a second official insisted the order was not intended to limit freedom of expression and was not aimed at suppressing the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement known as BDS that aims to support Palestinian aspirations for statehood by refusing to purchase Israeli products or invest in Israeli companies. The movement is on the rise, sparking tensions on many college campuses.
The movement, however, has received a bipartisan rebuke in the U.S. Congress and many states have passed anti-BDS measures.
Trump has urged allies to rein in the boycott movement, while its backers deny anti-Semitism charges and describe themselves as critical of Israeli decision-making, not Jews.
A third official said the order was a response to an alarming rise in the number of anti-Semitic incidents on campuses and would mean that Jewish students who are discriminated against for their religion have the same kind of recourse as black students who are victimized by racism.
The Republican Jewish Coalition applauded the move, with the group's chairman, former Sen. Norm Coleman, calling it "a truly historic and important moment for Jewish Americans" and hailing Trump as "the most pro-Jewish president" in the nation's history.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday also lauded Trump's move and urged more countries to adopt similar measures.
"I congratulate U.S. President Donald Trump on his intention to sign an executive order to combat anti-Semitism in U.S. universities and colleges and withholding federal funding from institutions that will fail to prevent anti-Semitism on their grounds," said Katz.
"As part of the order, Judaism will be defined as both a religion and a nationality, enabling a more effective fight against the anti-Israel boycott movement on campuses.
"In addition, the administration is expected to adopt the IHRA's definition of anti-Semitism which defines anti-Israelism as anti-Semitism. These are very significant steps in the fight against ongoing anti-Semitism and the boycott movements. I urge more countries to adopt similar measures."
The Trump administration has previously acted to constrain perceived campus anti-Semitism, last year reopening a case of alleged discrimination against Jewish students at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Trump delivered a speech on Saturday night that featured remarks from a recent New York University graduate who had accused the school of failing to protect its Jewish students from harassment.
On the other hand, Trump has been accused of trafficking in anti-Semitic tropes, including comments about Jews and money. But he has also closely aligned himself with Israel, including moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and taking a hard line against Iran.
The Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism found white supremacist propaganda on campuses up 7% from the last academic year, which ended this May. Anti-Semitic incidents at colleges and universities, however, have slightly gone down with 201 recorded incidents in 2018 as opposed to 204 incidents in the previous year.
The ADL and the Academic Engagement Network released model guidelines for faculty in November after two instructors at the University of Michigan declined to write letters of recommendation for students seeking to study abroad in Israel.
U.S. President Donald Trump plans to sign an executive order on Wednesday that would treat "Jewishness" as a nationality and not just a religion, making anti-Semitism subject to a law that bars discrimination on the basis of national origin at educational institutions that receive federal funding.
The move is intended to target those colleges and universities that fail to combat anti-Semitism, a senior administration official said Tuesday.
In the order, Trump is expected to tell the Department of Education to consider the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of anti-Semitism - which can include criticism of Israel - when evaluating discrimination complaints under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color and national origin.
One U.S. official said Trump's order would make it clear that Title VI will apply to anti-Semitism as defined by the IHRA. That definition says anti-Semitism may include "targeting of the State of Israel" and singling it out for criticism above other nations.
The order, which is likely to draw criticism from free speech advocates, will broaden the federal government's definition of anti-Semitism and instruct it to be used in enforcing laws against discrimination on college campuses, according to three U.S. officials. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity.
Title VI bars discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin at colleges and universities that receive federal funding. One official said Trump's order would make it clear that Title VI will apply to anti-Semitism as defined by the IHRA. That definition says anti-Semitism may include "targeting of the State of Israel."
Previous attempts to clarify and codify the application of Title VI to anti-Semitic acts have become bogged down in debates over whether Judaism should be seen as race or is indicative of a national origin.
Free-speech advocates have also expressed concerns that a broader definition of anti-Semitism might be used to limit criticism of Israeli government actions.
Still, a second official insisted the order was not intended to limit freedom of expression and was not aimed at suppressing the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement known as BDS that aims to support Palestinian aspirations for statehood by refusing to purchase Israeli products or invest in Israeli companies. The movement is on the rise, sparking tensions on many college campuses.
The movement, however, has received a bipartisan rebuke in the U.S. Congress and many states have passed anti-BDS measures.
Trump has urged allies to rein in the boycott movement, while its backers deny anti-Semitism charges and describe themselves as critical of Israeli decision-making, not Jews.
A third official said the order was a response to an alarming rise in the number of anti-Semitic incidents on campuses and would mean that Jewish students who are discriminated against for their religion have the same kind of recourse as black students who are victimized by racism.
The Republican Jewish Coalition applauded the move, with the group's chairman, former Sen. Norm Coleman, calling it "a truly historic and important moment for Jewish Americans" and hailing Trump as "the most pro-Jewish president" in the nation's history.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday also lauded Trump's move and urged more countries to adopt similar measures.
"I congratulate U.S. President Donald Trump on his intention to sign an executive order to combat anti-Semitism in U.S. universities and colleges and withholding federal funding from institutions that will fail to prevent anti-Semitism on their grounds," said Katz.
"As part of the order, Judaism will be defined as both a religion and a nationality, enabling a more effective fight against the anti-Israel boycott movement on campuses.
"In addition, the administration is expected to adopt the IHRA's definition of anti-Semitism which defines anti-Israelism as anti-Semitism. These are very significant steps in the fight against ongoing anti-Semitism and the boycott movements. I urge more countries to adopt similar measures."
The Trump administration has previously acted to constrain perceived campus anti-Semitism, last year reopening a case of alleged discrimination against Jewish students at Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Trump delivered a speech on Saturday night that featured remarks from a recent New York University graduate who had accused the school of failing to protect its Jewish students from harassment.
On the other hand, Trump has been accused of trafficking in anti-Semitic tropes, including comments about Jews and money. But he has also closely aligned himself with Israel, including moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and taking a hard line against Iran.
The Anti-Defamation League's Center on Extremism found white supremacist propaganda on campuses up 7% from the last academic year, which ended this May. Anti-Semitic incidents at colleges and universities, however, have slightly gone down with 201 recorded incidents in 2018 as opposed to 204 incidents in the previous year.
The ADL and the Academic Engagement Network released model guidelines for faculty in November after two instructors at the University of Michigan declined to write letters of recommendation for students seeking to study abroad in Israel.