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World Jewish Congress files amicus briefs in SCOTUS art case | Jewish Insider

The brief, filed on behalf of WJC President Ronald S. Lauder, the WJC, and the Commission for Art Recovery, argues that the case concerning the Guelph Treasure, an art collection purchased from a group of German Jews by Nazi agents in 1935, falls under U.S. jurisdiction. Read More... 

World Jewish Congress to honor UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Maestro Zubin Mehta at Theodor Herzl Award Virtual Gala

At this year's event, being held virtually on Monday November 9, the WJC will pay tribute to the Secretary-General of the United Nations H.E. Mr. António Guterres with its prestigious Theodor Herzl Award. Also being honored is Maestro Zubin Mehta, Music Director Emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, who will accept WJC's Teddy Kollek Award for the Advancement of Jewish Culture. Read More... 

World Jewish Congress horrified by terror attack in Austria

In a statement, the WJC said, “Sadly, what we are witnessing has become all too common. Over the past month, we’ve seen a disturbing rise in extremist Islamist violence on the streets of Europe. Moreover, it appears that a number of these recent deadly attacks have targeted places of worship. No one should live in fear as they practice their religion or live their daily lives.” Read More... 

World Jewish Congress lifts voice of young singer-songwriter in support of Holocaust education 

In her song, “Murdered Angels,” Sarah Gargano honors her grandmother, Erica Schwartz Spitzer, who fled Vienna the night before Kristallnacht in 1938. The WJC produced video showcasing the song features photos of Spitzer throughout her lifetime and shows the progression of the war and its impact on their family, among countless others. Read More... 

WebTalk | The legacy of Yitzhak Rabin: A conversation with his son

During the conversation about his father’s legacy, Yuval Rabin noted that in addition to his father’s contributions to the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, his legacy within Israel’s domestic framework were deserving of praise. Read More... 

The United Nations' fight against antisemitism

The WJC has long worked with the United Nations to ensure that the fight against antisemitism is at the forefront of the body’s human rights agenda. In partnership with the Permanent Mission of the Federal Republic of Germany and other co-sponsors, the WJC will be holding an online event on the role of the UN in combating antisemitism as a side event to the 75th United Nations General Assembly on 17 November 2020 at 10 a.m. EST / 16 p.m. CET. Read More... 

International Envoys and Coordinators on Antisemitism co-sign letter urging soccer teams to adopt IHRA definition of antisemitism

The letter urged professional soccer teams to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) universal definition of antisemitism in order to strengthen the resolve of the Jewish community and support the international work on combating antisemitism in football." Read Now... 

Gravestones in Republic of Moldova vandalized with swastikas

Over the course of a week, dozens of gravestones were toppled over and spray-painted with swastikas. President of the Jewish Community of the Republic of Moldova Alexander Bilinkis condemned the incident saying: “Vandalism at the Jewish cemetery is not a new phenomenon, but its increased frequency has caused serious concerns, outrage and pain.” Read Now... 

October 2020: Antisemitism in review 

The World Jewish Congress has compiled a brief review of some of the concerning trends and incidents witnessed and recorded over the course of October 2020. Among these incidents, a synagogue in Hamberg Germany was attacked on Sukkot, Jewish sites in Greece were vandalized for the third time in a month, and the Swedish city of Malmö suspended the Arab Book Fair amid revelation of an antisemitic book for sale. Read Now... 

Ministers vote to reopen shops next week | Times of Israel

The ease in regulation only applies to street-front stores in areas with the lowest infection rates, and excludes malls and shopping centers. Over the past two months the number of daily coronavirus infection rates in Israel has declined from around 8,000 to several hundred. Read More... 

UN committee passes annual anti-Israel resolutions | JPost

Among the seven anti-Israel resolutions passed were resolutions only referring to the Temple Mount as an Islamic holy site and eastern Jerusalem as “occupied.” Eight countries besides Israel voted against the Jerusalem resolution, including Australia, Canada, Guatemala, Hungary, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru and the United States. Read More... 

Malawi to open embassy in Jerusalem | JPost

The announcement was made by Malawian Foreign Minister Eisenhower on Tuesday. If the promise is fulfilled, Malawi would become the first African nation in decades with an embassy in the capital of Israel. As of November 2020, Israel has diplomatic missions in 12 African countries. Read More... 

Ruth Calderon appointed WZO president  

Upon approval by the WZO, Calderon will be the organization’s first president in decades, and the first woman to head a Zionist institution. Calderon is perhaps best known for her impassioned Maiden Speech in February 2013,where she called for the widespread study of Jewish and Hebrew texts as the basis for a new Hebrew culture. Read More... 

Searching for refuge after the Second World War | History News Network

Following the Holocaust, a primary group with “nowhere to go” were the Jews who survived the Nazis’ extermination efforts. While some officials argued that giving targeted support to Jewish survivors would be “unfair to the many non-Jews who have suffered on account of their clandestine and other activities in the Allied cause,” Earl Harrison of the State Department wrote to President Truman, that “the first and plainest need of these people is a recognition of their actual status and by this I mean their status as Jews.”  Read More... 

ISIS attack on Kabul University leaves dozens dead | The Associated Press

Most of the casualties were students and there were fears the death toll could climb further with some of the wounded said to be in critical condition. The terror attack was the second incident on an educational institution in Kabul in the past couple of weeks. Read More... 

UK Chief Rabbi to join faith leaders in appealing for places of worship to remain open | The Jewish Chronicle 

In a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Chief Rabbi Rabbi Mirvis, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, Catholic leader Cardinal Vincent Nichols and other senior faith figures argued that "public worship can be made safe from COVID-19 transmission.” Read More... 

Brazilian governor distances self from father’s Nazi sympathies | JTA 

Responding to a question about her father’s controversial comments about the Holocaust and Hitler, Governor Reinehr delivered a long answer that did not directly condemn Nazism. Responding to the controversy, the Brazilian Israelite Confederation called on Governor Reinehr to “vehemently express her disgust at the denial of the tragedy that was the Holocaust.” Read More... 

2 November 1917 | Britain issues Balfour Declaration in support of Jewish homeland in Palestine

British Foreign Secretary Arthur James Balfour wrote a letter to Baron Lionel Walter Rothschild, expressing the British government’s support for a Jewish homeland in Palestine. The letter, known as the Balfour Declaration, was the first major international recognition of the right of the Jews to a home in their ancestral land. Read More... 

4 November 1995 | Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin assassinated

Prime Minister Rabin’s assassination by right-wing extremist Yigal Amir remains one of the most impactful moments in Israeli history. The catastrophe took place following the conclusion of a rally where Rabin spoke about the need for peace and the two-state solution. Read More...