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December 11, 2020



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WJC President’s Hanukkah message

World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder: “I would like to wish all the
Jewish communities of the World Jewish Congress family a Happy Hanukkah. My hope
is that we can all find happiness and comfort in this year's Festival of Light,
and that it will help us banish the darkness of this difficult period.” Read More...
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[[link removed]]Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg praises partnership with WJC in address to
Governing Board, affirms decision to ban Holocaust denial

WJC President Ronald S. Lauder told the representatives of more than 100 Jewish
communities: “Facebook has taken very positive action in facing Holocaust denial
and hate speech. The major fight we have today is fighting antisemitism. It’s a
battle that can’t be won, but we can have a major impact on it.” Read More...
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[[link removed]]WJC President Ronald S. Lauder welcomes normalization agreement between Israel
and Morocco

President Lauder declared, “This agreement is the latest evidence of shifting
societal attitudes toward Israel in the region, and I hope that this move will
encourage others to follow their lead." Read More...
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[[link removed]]Women in Contemporary Judaism: Jewish Unity and Religious Diversity

In partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs, WJC will bring
together Jewish women religious leaders on 15 December to celebrate their
diversity of opinions, acknowledge the challenges they face, and address how to
best meet these obstacles going forward. Read More...
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[[link removed]]WJC Jewish Diplomatic Corps: United Against Racism Global Conference

During the last two weeks of November, the WJC Jewish Diplomatic Corps held a
major 10-day global event, aimed at empowering and training its members to build
personal and organizational alliances with other communities. Read More...
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[[link removed]]Follow Finland - ban racist organizations

In a joint op-ed with several other Jewish leaders, WJC Executive Vice President
Maram Stern called on Sweden to follow Finland's example and ban the neo-Nazi
Nordic Resistance Movement party: “When a group seriously threatens democracy,
it is of the utmost importance that the democratic society vigorously reacts.” Read More...
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COVID-19 fuels highest rate of online antisemitism ever recorded in the UK,
report finds | The Independent

The report issued by the UK's Community Security Trust discussed the prevalence
of several antisemitic conspiracy myths online, including that Jews are creating
and spreading COVID-19. The first half of 2020 saw the highest rate of online
antisemitism ever recorded, the report found. Read More...
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[[link removed]]New Zealand still struggling with identifying hate crimes, but Jewish community
hopeful for improvement

According to a report by the New Zealand police department, 40% of hate crime
complaints are recorded improperly or downgraded. Police have started working
with advocacy groups to improve their system logging hate crimes. Read More...
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[[link removed]]Jewish sites vandalized in Greece​

Following the defacing of a Holocaust monument and an outer wall of a synagogue,
the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece (KIS) issued a statement
stressing that the perpetrators’ actions “emanates from religious fanaticism and
intolerance.” Read More...
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Israeli government unlikely to tighten restrictions over Hanukkah | JPost

While restrictions are unlikely to be tightened, Health Minister Yuli Edelstein
said that the ministry would likely establish a threshold of infection that
would require Israel to increase restrictions. Read More...
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[[link removed]]UK and Israel sign agreement on military cooperation | Jewish News

While many of the details of the agreement are classified, the agreement covers
areas of warfare such as maritime, land, air, space, cyber and electromagnetic.
Analysts suspect that a driving force behind this week’s announcement is the
UK’s desire to transition to a digital military, potentially using
Israeli-designed platforms. Read More...
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The first Hanukkah in the Warsaw Ghetto

Reflecting on Hanukkah in the Warsaw Ghetto, Chaim Kaplan wrote in his dairy,
"Never before in Jewish Warsaw were there as many Hanukkah celebrations as in
this year of the wall... Polish Jews are stubborn: The enemy makes laws but they
don’t obey them. That is the secret of our survival.” Watch Now...
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[[link removed]]The life of Władysław Szpilman

Born in 1911 in Poland, Szpilman trained as a pianist in Warsaw and Berlin. His
incredible story, including his escape of the Warsaw Ghetto, became known to the
world with the film based on his memoir of survival, The Pianist . Watch Now...
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Rabbi Elie Abadie of UAE: My country is going to become the new safe haven for
Jews and the persecuted

The United Arab Emirates' first full time resident Jewish spiritual leader,
Rabbi Elie Abadie, sat down with The Jerusalem Post to discuss his new role, as well as how the Abraham Accords is changing the
country. Read More...
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President Duda wishes Happy Hanukkah to Poland's Jewish community

"Due to the epidemic this Hanukkah is going to be different than usual. But the
story dating back more than 2000 years about the miraculous multiplication of
the olive oil in the Temple of Jerusalem following the victory of Jewish rebel
warriors who defeated their enemy and defended the freedom of their nation will
be equally momentous," wrote Polish President Andrzej Duda. Read More ...
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[[link removed]]Prince Charles honors Rabbi Jonathan Sacks at ceremony marking 30 days since
passing | JTA

During his remarks, Prince Charles called former British Chief Rabbi Jonathan
Sacks a “light unto this nation”, adding that “Through his writings, sermons and
broadcasts, Rabbi Sacks touched the lives of countless people with his unfailing
wisdom, with his profound sanity and with a moral conviction which, in a
confused and confusing world, was all too rare.” Read More...
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[[link removed]]Jewish community reflects on anniversary of Jersey City shooting | Bergen Record

A year after one of the worst hate crimes in New Jersey history, the scars
remain. But the shocking attack that left four victims dead has also brought
people closer together and forced Jews and African Americans to come to shed
preconceptions about one another. Read More...
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[[link removed]]Jewish law says: If science shows COVID-19 vaccine is helpful, you should take
it

"As a rabbi, I am a student of Jewish law, which underscores the importance of
seeking out experts in their particular fields to help communities navigate
worldly challenges. If the science says it’s helpful to take the vaccine, we
should do so," writes Rabbi Avi Weiss in the New York Post . Read More...
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[[link removed]]Guido Goldman, co-founder of Center for European Studies, passes away at 83 |
The Harvard Crimson

Goldman was born in Zurich on Nov. 4, 1937, and his family fled Europe in 1940.
His father, Nahum Goldman, would go on to co-found the World Jewish Congress and
serve as president of the World Zionist Organization. Read More...
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Chief Rabbi Mirvis and Archbishop Welby: No two bereavements are the same

In a joint interview marking National Grief Awareness Week, Chief Rabbi Ephraim
Mirvis and Archbishop Welby reflected on the pain of losing a loved one. Earlier
in the week, a two-minute moment of silence was held at St Paul’s Cathedral in
memory of those lost during the pandemic. Read More...
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7 December 1941 | Japan attacks Pearl Harbor, leading U.S. to enter WWII

The tragedy had far-ranging geopolitical effects beyond Japan and the United
States. In what is seen by many historians as one of his greatest errors during
World War II, Adolf Hitler applauded the attack and along with Italy declared
war on the United States. Read More...
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[[link removed]]9 December 1946 | Doctors' Trial commences to bring Nazi criminals to justice

The trial aimed to bring leading German physicians to justice for their
participation in war crimes and crimes against humanity. The most important
legacy of the Doctors’ Trial is believed to be the Nuremberg Code, which defined
legitimate research in attempt to protect humans from enduring the cruelty that
Nazi physicians had enacted during the Holocaust. Read More...
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[[link removed]]8 December 1978 | Former Prime Minister of Israel Golda Meir passes away

Affectionately known as the ‘Iron Lady’ and dubbed "the best man in the
government" by Prime Minister Ben-Gurion, Meir is often remembered as a
"strong-willed, straight-talking, grey-bunned grandmother of the Jewish people." Read More...
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