61 h. ago Unnerved Jewish Americans reconsider safety protocols after string of attacks

Many see attacks as part of a rise in antisemitism, while others object to conflating anti-Zionism with antisemitismOn the first night of Passover, it seemed like a one off – an arson attack on Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro’s mansion. The arsonist, per police, took issue with Shapiro’s stance on Israel and Palestine.Then, in late May, outside an American Jewish Committee young professionals’ event for young Jews in the DC area to meet young diplomats, two Israeli embassy staffers were shot and killed; the shooter yelled, “Free Palestine.” Roughly a week and a half later, in Boulder, Colorado, a rally in solidarity with hostages held in Gaza was firebombed; the attacker also reportedly yelled, “Free Palestine.” Continue reading...

Events

61 h. ago Jewish Americans of all stripes reconsider safety protocols – but disagree on roots of recent violence

Many see attacks as part of a rise in antisemitism, while others object to conflating anti-Zionism with antisemitismOn the first night of Passover, it seemed like a one off – an arson attack on Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro’s mansion. The arsonist, per police, took issue with Shapiro’s stance on Israel and Palestine.Then, in late May, outside an American Jewish Committee young professionals’ event for young Jews in the DC area to meet young diplomats, two Israeli embassy staffers were shot and killed; the shooter yelled, “Free Palestine.” Roughly a week and a half later, in Boulder, Colorado, a rally in solidarity with hostages held in Gaza was firebombed; the attacker also reportedly yelled, “Free Palestine.” Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Jewish U.S. senators fear for their safety after Boulder flamethrower attack: ‘Antisemitic to their core’

Violence in Colorado, Pennsylvania and Washington, DC is a sign of increased threats toward Jewish Americans, the officials told The Independent

Events

4 d. ago You can oppose Israel’s policies without killing Jewish people | Jo

The majority of US Jews overwhelmingly oppose Netanyahu’s policies. But subtleties get lost and truly unleashed people reactIt happened again. The third time this year that Jewish people were attacked with murderous intent in a major US city under the guise of the assailant caring about the plight of the Palestinians in Gaza. It’s the second time that fires were set. The first happened when an attacker – a US citizen – broke into the official residence of Pennsylvania’s governor in Harrisburg, on the evening of Passover and set fire to the residence. The only thing that saved governor Josh Shapiro and his family was a quick response from security guards, leaving only some Passover Haggadahs, the text that charts Jewish hopes for freedom and liberation from one generation to the next, to burn on the tables still set from dinner.About two weeks ago, there was the murder of two innocent Jewish Israeli embassy workers who were attending an event hosted by the The American Jewish Committ...

Events

7 d. ago Jewish organizers are increasingly confronting Trump: ‘The repression is growing, but so is the resistance’

As the administration continues to exploit antisemitism to arrest protesters and curb academic freedoms, more American Jews are saying ‘not in my name’On the morning of Columbia University’s commencement last week, an intergenerational group of Jewish alumni gathered in the rain outside the Manhattan campus’s heavily policed gates, wearing keffiyehs and shirts emblazoned with the words “not in our name”. Two had graduated more than 60 years earlier, and one spoke of having fled the Nazis to the US as a child. Others recalled participating in Columbia protests of the past, including those that led the university to divest from apartheid South Africa.They spoke as alumni and as Jews to condemn the university’s investments in Israel, its repression of pro-Palestinian speech, and its capitulation to the Trump administration’s assault on academic freedom in the name of fighting antisemitism on campus. They had planned to burn their Columbia diplomas in protest, but the rain got in their ...

Politics

2 w. ago Shooting of Israeli embassy staffers underscores US ‘era of violent populism’

This is the latest act of violence in a string of incidents that have affected Jewish, Arab and Muslim communitiesUS politics live – latest updatesThe killing of two staff of the Israeli embassy in Washington DC comes as the war in Gaza has splintered the American body politic alongside the ongoing rise in political violence.A shooter, identified as Elias Rodriguez, shot the two people, Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, outside the Capital Jewish Museum on Wednesday after they left an event hosted by the American Jewish Committee. Rodriguez reportedly chanted “free, free Palestine” while being detained by security. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago There is no excuse for the killing of two Israeli embassy workers | Kenneth Roth

Critics of Israel’s atrocious conduct in Gaza should be clear that their focus is the authors of that violence – not Israeli civiliansIsrael’s campaign of bombing and starving Palestinian civilians in Gaza is inexcusable. It reflects a massive war crime, as the international criminal court has already charged, and arguably genocide. But it in no sense justifies the murder of two young Israeli embassy workers in Washington by a man who then chanted: “Free, free Palestine”. Nothing justifies violence against civilians.The killing of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim occurred on Wednesday evening outside the Capital Jewish Museum, where the American Jewish Committee was hosting a reception for young diplomats. The suspect, identified as Elias Rodriguez of Chicago, was detained shortly after the shooting. His social media accounts indicated that he had been involved in pro-Palestinian activism.Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch (1993-2022), is a visiting prof...

Events

2 w. ago NYC and Miami among cities that increase security around Jewish facilities in wake of DC shooting

Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were gunned down after they left the American Jewish Committee’s annual Young Diplomats Reception

Events

2 w. ago Dutch safety board calls for urgent improvements after deadly North Sea cargo ship blaze

A Dutch safety watchdog says that protocols for responding to emergencies on busy North Sea shipping routes off the Dutch coast must be urgently improved

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