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December 18, 2020



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WJC President Ronald S. Lauder lights Hanukkah candles with Auschwitz-Birkenau
Survivors

Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Ambassador Lauder has hosted
four online reunions with the group of Survivors: a Passover celebration, a July
virtual meeting, which celebrated the engagement of survivor David Marks and his
fiancée Kathy Peck, a High Holidays Zoom reunion, and -- this week -- a Hanukkah
candle lighting. Read More...
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[[link removed]]World Jewish Congress deplores EU court decision allowing ban of religious
ritual slaughter

"Beyond concerns about physical security and rising levels of antisemitism, EU
Member States are now given discretion to also dictate whether Jews can live
their religion unencumbered or not. If that is the law in the European Union
today, the law needs to change. We will spare no efforts to right this wrong,”
the WJC said in a statement. Read More...
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[[link removed]]WJC applauds European Council’s adoption of declaration to universalize fight
against antisemitism

World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder: “The adoption of this
declaration by the European Council demonstrates that Germany in its Council of
the European Union presidency and the EU leadership as a whole recognize the
danger that antisemitism and hate create and the threat to society and safety
when left unaddressed.” Read More...
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[[link removed]]Jewish religious women leaders emphasize common ground during forum on women in
contemporary Judaism

The World Jewish Congress, together with Israel’s Ministry of Diaspora Affairs,
brought together female leaders from across the religious spectrum for a warm
and thought provoking discussion on the diverse roles that women play across the
global Jewish community. Read More...
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[[link removed]]Israel and Bhutan establish formal Diplomatic relations

In a statement, WJC said, “Israel’s establishment of diplomatic relations with
the Kingdom of Bhutan is but the latest monumental step the State of Israel has
taken in recent months to normalize relations with multiple countries across the
Middle East and North Africa region, and now, with a Buddhist kingdom in Asia.” Read More...
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[[link removed]]A taste of a Sephardic Hanukkah

The WJC Jewish Diplomatic Corps hosted professional chef Susan Barocas for an
interactive live cooking lesson. Barocas, who has cooked for several White House
Passover Seders, taught participants how to bake Bimuelos, a Sephardic dish
commonly eaten on Hanukkah. Read More... [[link removed]] [[link removed]]

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French court convicts 14 people for involvement in Charlie Hebdo attacks

In an interview following the verdict, President of Conseil Représentatif des
Institutions juives de France (Crif) Francis Kalifat thanked the prosecution for
effectively presenting the case, adding, it was crucial for the antisemitic
nature of the attacks to be recognized to show "the daily life of French Jews,
and the consequences of antisemitism." Read More... [[link removed]] [[link removed]]

[[link removed]]Dutch Government creates role of antisemitism coordinator

Justice Minister Ferd Grapperhaus made the announcement on Sunday, adding that
the new post was part of the government’s official approach toward dealing with
threats, discrimination and intimidation. Read More...
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[[link removed]]FBI investigating hack of NY Jewish high school’s website | Insider

The homepage of the high school displayed a video of Nazis marching, along with
the song with the words “Let the Jews die.” Other pages on the site taken over
by photos of the Auschwitz concentration camp and a Nazi rally. Read More...
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Israel expects enough vaccines for 4 million people by March | The Times of
Israel

Israel is preparing to launch a mass vaccination program next week, with the
government setting a target of 60,000 vaccinations a day. Two million Israelis
could be vaccinated by early as the end of January. Read More...
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[[link removed]]Hundreds of Bnei Menashe Indian Jews make aliyah | Jewish News

Following a special government edict, 252 new olim from northeast India made
Israel their new home on Tuesday in an operation supported by Israel’s Ministry
of Aliyah and Integration. Read More...
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[[link removed]]WJC at Knesset Committee for the Advancement of Women and Gender Equality

WJC Jewish Diplomatic Corps member Ariel Rodal- Spieler spoke to the Knesset
about steps the organization is taking to ensure equal gender representation in
its activities. She also outlined measures Jewish leaders can take to implement
an equitable workplace culture. Read More...
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Polish diplomat in Istanbul rescued hundreds of Jews from the Holocaust, report
says | JTA

Wojciech Rychlewicz, then a consul in Istanbul, provided hundreds of false
certificates that identified Jewish refugees as Christians. The refugees would
then be able to obtain visas in countries that had policies in place to prevent
Jewish refugees from entering. Read More...
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[[link removed]]Meet Saul and Ruby: 2 Holocaust survivors with a klezmer band | New York Post

During a trip in 2016, the pair performed on the infamous railroad tracks
leading to Auschwitz: an act of solidarity with the victims. On that same trip,
they were invited to the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, where they met with
government officials and shared their stories. Read More...
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UN human rights chief ‘appalled’ at Iran execution, questions trial process and
verdict

In a statement, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called
on Iran’s government to immediately free all those detained for exercising their
human rights, and to immediately halt the suppression of independent voices and
dissent with the use of the death penalty and “vague national security charges.” Read More... [[link removed]] [[link removed]]

[[link removed]]US blames Iran in abduction, death of ex-FBI agent Levinson | AP

Robert Levinson disappeared in Iran under mysterious circumstances more than a
decade ago, and U.S. diplomats and investigators have long said they thought he
was taken by Iranian government agents. Read More...
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[[link removed]]Hezbollah terrorist sentenced to life in prison for assassination of PM Hariri

The defendant was convicted in August on five charges related to the attack, and
sentenced on Friday to a life sentence for each one. But the sentence was
largely symbolic as Mr. Ayyash, whose whereabouts remain unknown, was tried in
absentia, meaning that if he is apprehended, he will be entitled to a new trial. Read More...
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New restrictions put stop to garden minyanim in London | The Jewish Chronicle

Places of worship remain open for collective prayer with no cap on attendance as
long as social distancing restrictions are strictly maintained. Wedding
ceremonies may continue with up to 15 people present. Read More...
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[[link removed]]A Jewish miracle: Spain's young Jewish generation

Five-hundred-years after the Inquisition and exile of Jews from the Iberian
peninsula, the Jewish community has returned. Camila Piastro, a young leader of
the Barcelona community talks about this miracle. Watch Now...
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15 December 1961 | Israel sentences Nazi leader Adolf Eichmann to death

While prior to the trial Nazi crimes were well known, few who had experienced
the Holocaust firsthand were comfortable publicly speaking about it. Historians
often credit the trial with removing some of the shame and stigma survivors felt
and inspiring thousands to share their stories. Read More...
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[[link removed]]16 December 1991 | UNGA rescinds ‘Zionism is racism’ resolution

Just a quarter of a century after the UN passed its notorious “Zionism is
Racism” resolution the United Nations General Assembly rescinded it. Among those
supporting it was the Soviet Union, in one of its final votes before its
dissolution. Read More...
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