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	May 15, 2020

“Never Again Education Act” to provide critical support for Holocaust education in the United States

WJC President Ronald S. Lauder: “Antisemitism is an insidious force in our country, as well as globally, and our elected officials have a responsibility to ensure that future generations understand the horrors of the Holocaust to prevent it from ever happening again. This legislation is a tremendous step forward toward prioritizing and standardizing Holocaust.”

Germany sees increases in antisemitic conspiracy theories linked to COVID-19

Dr. Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany and WJC Vice President, rebuked the perpetrators of these antisemitic conspiracy theories and imagery, saying, “demonstrating against the current measures with symbols reminiscent of the Holocaust is tasteless and mocks the victims of the Shoah. Everyone who marches with noble motives should be aware of that.”

Under new French law, social media companies obliged to remove hateful content

Representative Council of Jews of France President and WJC Vice President Francis Kalifat welcomed the passage of the legislation, describing it as “an important step and step forward in the fight against online hatred...hate on the Internet is a scourge that should not be overlooked.”

Webtalks | Fighting antisemitism in the age of COVID-19

U.S. Department of State’s Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Elan Carr discusses with Chaya Singer, member of the WJC Jewish Diplomatic Corps, how the U.S. government is continuing to remain vigilant against hate during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Webtalks | Why we must define antisemitism

Rabbi Andrew Baker, Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson on Combating Anti-Semitism & AJC Director of International Jewish Affairs, explains in a conversation with WJC Jewish Diplomatic Corps member Zack Silverberg, why it is crucial for national governments to adopt a standardized definition of antisemitism.

WJC condemns May 16 Sarajevo Mass honoring members of murderous, Nazi-allied Ustasha forces

“The fact that the Croatian parliament is sponsoring such a contemptible display under the banner of honoring the memory of those who gave their lives for Croatian freedom is a slap in the face to all the innocent victims of the Ustasha."

It is still not enough | Interview with Commissioner for Jewish Life and the fight against Antisemitism Felix Klein

In an interview with Weser-Kurier, Germany’s Commissioner for Jewish Life and the Fight against Antisemitism Felix Klein called on the Bremen municipality to reconsider and appoint a local commissioner tasked with overseeing efforts to combat antisemitism and promoting Jewish life.

Antisemitic incidents reach four-decade high in United States

The report found a 6% increase in antisemitic harassment incidents and a total of 171 incidents involving Israel or Zionism. Several of the incidents involving Israel came from a white supremacist group known as Patriot Front, who on at least five occasions protested “Zionist influence” outside of pro-Israel organizations. There were over 230 incidents targeting synagogues or Jewish community centers overall, including the attack at a Chabad in Poway, California, which left one dead.

France’s Jewish community prepares for ease of coronavirus restrictions

“What we are very worried about is the economic crisis that is going to follow the health crisis. We expect that a lot more people are going to need the help of Jewish institutions,” Robert Ejnes the executive director of the Representative Council of Jews of France. “For this reason, Jewish organizations are working on increasing their fundraising.”

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urges religious leaders to challenge hate

In a video meeting, UN Secretary General said religious leaders can play “a pivotal role” in their communities and “deliver solutions to not only address the pandemic, but to recover better (and) promote non-violence and reject xenophobia, racism and all forms of intolerance.”

Martin Wenick dies at 80 of COVID-19 complications

He was the former executive director of the National Council for Soviet Jewry.

SAJBD launches R9-million fund for food aid countrywide | SA Jewish Report

“We understood that people in our country were going to face a lot of hardship,” said Wendy Kahn, the national director of the WJC-affiliated South African Jewish Board of Deputies. “We understood it was time to coordinate an outreach initiative.”

Conservative movement allows live-streaming on Shabbat and holidays during pandemic | Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Noting the “unprecedented time” brought on by the virus, the movement’s Jewish law authorities voted Wednesday to allow livestreaming with a number of caveats, including that the equipment be set up in advance or that a timer be used to avoid the active use of electricity on Shabbat and holidays.

WJC to take part in IHRA workshop on Holocaust distortion, amid urgent need for action

The 18 May workshop is an initiative of the Global Task Force Against Holocaust Denial and Distortion.

WATCH | Indelible: The daughters of Holocaust survivors in the photography of Debbie Morag

Israeli photographer Debbie Morag was born in the Bergen-Belsen Displaced Persons camp. Her photographs of the daughters of Auschwitz survivors testify that the memory of the Holocaust never leaves them.

‘Day of Prayer’ sees humanity united in the fight against Covid-19 | Vatican News

Among those known to be adhereing to the 'Day of Prayer for Humanity' are the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Center for Interreligious Dialogue in Iran, the Islam Adyan Foundation, the World Jewish Congress, the Institute of Jainology, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the World Council of Churches, as well as Buddhist representatives, and Hindu spiritual leaders.

The SS and the Vatican | Op-ed by Shimon Samuels in the Jerusalem Post

What will Pope Pius XII's archives disclose about the Vatican’s relationship with an SS officer?

Kafka, Kafka Everywhere | Op-ed by Bailey Trela in Tablet Magazine

The outsourcing of authoritarian mechanisms to private entities fits neatly into Kafka’s universe, where a nebulous alliance exists between the hidden hydra of the state and the various minor clerks, landlords, and businessmen that oppress his characters, as though the absurdities of economic oppression were privileged in some fundamental way—as though profiteering itself partook of the same rarefied psychology that engenders Kafka’s plots.

WATCH | Jewish youth of Europe

Antisemitism may be on the rise, but young Jewish Europeans have shown themselves to be resilient against it - and they want their voices to be heard. One group of young European Jews are working to guarantee a strong Jewish future in Europe.

Watch now...

WATCH | The daring Israeli mission to bring Nazi criminal Adolf Eichmann to justice

60 years ago, on May 11, 1960, Adolf Eichmann, one of the major Nazi organizers of the Holocaust, was kidnapped from Argentina in a daring Mossad mission. It was fifteen years after the Holocaust. This time around, Eichmann didn't escape justice. He was brought to Israel – and made to stand trial for his crimes.

Watch Now...

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