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February 19, 2021



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OpEd | Poland’s dangerous new direction

"The recent decision by a Warsaw court in a defamation case brought against two
prominent historians is yet another indication that Poland is choosing to go
back to a much darker time in its relationship with the Jewish people," writes
WJC President Ronald S. Lauder in New Europe . Read More...
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[[link removed]]March extolling Neo-Nazism, fascism in Bulgaria thwarted

Reacting to the cancellation of the Lukov March, Ambassador Lauder expressed
appreciation: “We join the Organization of Jews in Bulgaria, Shalom, in
expressing our sincere gratitude for the Bulgarian institutions’ definitive
actions against intolerance and hate speech...” Read More...
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[[link removed]]Chelsea FC launches “Say No To Antisemitism” website

The Chelsea Foundation announced the launch of the club’s ‘Say No to
Antisemitism’ website, a brand-new platform for all the club’s updates, events
and resources centered around Chelsea FC and owner Roman Abramovich’s campaign
to counter antisemitism. Read More...
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[[link removed]]WJC’s Campus Pitch Competition lends support to student initiatives to support
Israel & fight antisemitism

The event, which was held in cooperation with Israel’s Consulate in New York,
saw winning teams from Worcester State University, Bennington College, and
Yeshiva University awarded $5,000 each to carry out their initiatives on campus. Read More...
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Spanish prosecutors investigating antisemitic, Islamophobic hate speech | AP

The probe was opened after a small group of far-right extremists gathered on
Saturday to honor the memory of a Spanish platoon that joined Nazi troops during
World War II. Read More...
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[[link removed]]Germany sees spike in antisemitic crimes | Deutsche Welle

According to Central Council of Jews in Germany President Josef Schuster, the
increase in hate crimes illustrates that "the radicalization of society is
progressing and respect for minorities is declining." Read More...
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[[link removed]]Swiss synagogue desecrated in third antisemitic incident this month

In a statement announcing plans to file a criminal complaint, the WJC-affiliated
Swiss Federation of Jewish Communities (SIG-FSCI) described the incident as “a
massive desecration of the synagogue and a grave antisemitic incident.” Read More...
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[[link removed]]Leading Swedish football club Djurgården adopts IHRA definition of antisemitism

In a letter announcing the club’s decision, Djurgården CEO Henrik Berggren wrote
that the, "[c]lub stands for a welcoming and open environment where everyone
should feel welcome, regardless of political opinion, ethnicity, religion,
sexual orientation or other external or internal attributes.” Read More...
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President Joe Biden speaks with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu | Jpost

Netanyahu was the first leader in the Middle East to recieve a call from
President Biden. The “warm and friendly” conversation lasted for nearly an hour,
the Prime Minister’s Office said. Read More...
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[[link removed]]UAE swears in country’s first ambassador to Israel | Arab News

United Arab Emirates' Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum swore
in the country's first ambassador to Israel, Mohammed Mahmoud Al-Khaja. The
ceremony comes after the cabinet approved the setting up of an embassy in Tel
Aviv last month. Read More... [[link removed]] [[link removed]]

[[link removed]]Israeli study finds 94% drop in symptomatic COVID-19 cases with Pfizer vaccine |
CBS News

Since Israel launched its COVID-19 vaccine campaign in December more than a
quarter of the population — 2.5 million people — have received two doses of the
Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and over 42% have received the first shot, according to
the Health Ministry. Read More...
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[[link removed]]World Jewish Congress mourns the passing of former Ambassador Gideon Meir, ז"ל

“Gideon was a distinguished diplomat of the old school who worked tirelessly to
advance the cause of the State of Israel throughout the world," said WJC
Executive Vice President Maram Stern. "He understood the importance of Israel’s
ties with Diaspora Jewry and did a great deal to foster that relationship.” Read More...
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Pfizer CEO shares his family's tragic story during the Holocaust | Jpost

"It’s a story that had a great impact on my life and my view of the world, and
it is a story that, for the first time today, I share publicly," recounted
Pfizer CEO Dr. Albert Bourla during a virtual commemoration ceremony. Read More...
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[[link removed]]‘Amazing detective work’ reunites best friends believed to be murdered in the
Holocaust | Times of Israel

Eighty-two years after the nine-year old girls said goodbye in a German
schoolyard, Ana María Wahrenberg and Betty Grebenschikoff reconnected with each
other again on Zoom. Read More...
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[[link removed]]Reckoning with a Nazi father | The New Yorker

“A renowned lawyer, Winterstein served as Procurator General of Austria until
March, 1938, when, following the Nazi takeover and the country’s incorporation
into the Third Reich, he was fired, stripped of his pension, arrested (on
Kristallnacht), and deported to Buchenwald. For decades, the family wondered
about the identity of the writer. Eighty years later, the mystery was solved,”
writes Philippe Sands. Read More...
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[[link removed]]When genocide is caught on film | The New York Times

"Knowing how an event occurred removes it from the realm of abstraction — and
genocide has, unfortunately, become an almost abstract term. Photographs are
particularly good at piercing haziness, since they often capture individuals
taking action, not so-called cogs in a machine,” writes Susie Linfield. Read More...
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European powers, US meet as Iranian nuclear deadline looms | Times of Israel

Top diplomats from Europe and the United States held talks on Thursday to
discuss how to revive the 2015 deal on Iran’s nuclear drive, days ahead of a
deadline imposed by Tehran calling for Washington to lift sanctions. Read More...
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For first time, Jews in 6 Gulf countries come together in new association |
JPost

The new organization, the first of its kind, will include Jews and Jewish
communities from the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and
Saudi Arabia. The association will enable "people-to-people" contacts across the
Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Read More...
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OpEd | Why Antony Blinken is a symbol of solidarity between US, Ukrainian Jews

“The appointment of Antony Blinken as Secretary of State provides another reason
to celebrate the long and enduring ties between the U.S. and Ukrainian Jewish
communities. But more than that, it is an opportunity to fight for tolerance
together,” writes Jewish Confederation of Ukraine President and WJC Vice
President Boris Lozhkin. Read More...
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[[link removed]]Chief Rabbi Mirvis issues plea to avoid another 'tragic' Purim

“A year ago, unknown to us, some of our Purim celebrations provided an
environment in which the coronavirus could spread," Rabbi Mirvis recalled. “It
was so tragic that on the very day when we celebrate our physical survival,
there was danger to our lives and, through us, to others. This Purim, therefore,
let us guarantee that we will celebrate safely.” Read More...
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[[link removed]]Celebrating Black History Month

February marks Black History Month in the United States and Canada. There are
many important lessons to learn from members of the Black Jewish community who
are making an important impact on their communities and across the world. Watch Now...
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Archbishop of Madrid calls Spanish Jewish community president following
antisemitic rally

In a statement released on Twitter, Cardinal Archbishop of Madrid Carlos Osoro
denounced the rally as “intolerable,” and called for an “end of all violence and
any religious persecution.” Read More...
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14 February 1896 | Theodor Herzl publishes The Jewish State

The seminal book encouraging Jews to purchase land in the historic Land of
Israel, and calling for the creation of a Jewish state with international
acceptance, was published in the context of rising antisemitism in Europe,
following the Dreyfus Affair in 1894. Read More...
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[[link removed]]14 February 1949 | Israel’s legislative body meets for first time

In his speech opening the inaugural session, Chaim Weizmann, who would go on to
be elected President of Israel, said that “It is with a sense of honor and awe
that I rise to open the Constituent Assembly of the State of Israel, the first
Jewish assembly of our day, in Jerusalem, the eternal city.” Read More...
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