Ben Harris
By Ben Harris
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Fast Forward Betsy DeVos Narrowly Confirmed as Education Secretary Amid Jewish Split
(JTA) — Betsy DeVos was confirmed as secretary of education, with Vice President Mike Pence casting the tie-breaker in a historic 51-50 vote. DeVos, a Michigan billionaire whose advocacy for school choice has led to sweeping changes in the educational landscape in her home state, provoked divergent opinions in the Jewish community. Both the haredi…
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Fast Forward White Supremacist Fliers Spread at Indiana University
(JTA) — Indiana University said it contacted the FBI after white supremacist fliers were found posted on the Bloomington campus. In a statement Tuesday, Provost and Executive Vice President Lauren Robel said the fliers were put up “by a group that identifies with white supremacy” and targeted minority faculty members. “Posted under cover of darkness,…
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Fast Forward Cambridge Jews ‘Deeply Concerned’ About Campus Anti-Semitism
(JTA) — Jewish student leaders at Cambridge University in England said they were “deeply concerned” about recent anti-Semitic activities at the school. Jewish Society Co-Presidents Adam Goott and Alex Szlezinger told the student newspaper, the Varsity, they were in touch with campus police and Britain’s Community Security Trust following the appearance over the weekend of…
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Fast Forward Trump Aide Sebastian Gorka Calls Criticism of Holocaust Statement ‘Asinine’
(JTA) — A aide to President Trump said that criticism of the White House statement on the Holocaust that omitted Jews was motivated solely by a desire to attack the president. Sebastian Gorka lashed out after being asked Monday by conservative talk show host Michael Medved if he would acknowledge that it was “questionable” for…
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Fast Forward 53% of Israeli Jews Say Don’t Annex West Bank Settlements
(JTA) — A new poll found that 50 percent of Israelis are hesitant about expanding construction in the settlements. The Peace Index, a monthly survey of Israeli opinion conducted by the Israel Democracy Institute, reported Tuesday that half of Israeli Jews are sure that settlement expansion is unwise or think it might be. Another 45…
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Fast Forward Months Later, Swastikas Still Scrawled on Trees in Upstate New York Town
(JTA) — Swastikas and Nazi slogans remain on dozens of trees in an upstate New York town months after they were first reported to local police. Police in Clarkstown, in Rockland County, say they are continuing to investigate the vandalism, which was first brought to their attention on July 24, the Journal News reported. No arrests…
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Fast Forward Iran Leader Sets February 10 as Response to Trump Sabre-Rattling
(JTA) — Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei shot back at President Donald Trump, who warned Iran last week that it was “on notice” for testing a ballistic missile. In a speech to military officers in Tehran on Tuesday, Khamenei said a response to Trump’s threats is forthcoming, according to a report on Khamenei’s website. “Trump…
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Fast Forward Israel Warns of Possible Escalation in Gaza After Rocket Fire
(JTA) — Two Israeli ministers warned of a possible escalation along Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip. Education Minister Naftali Bennett said Tuesday that a conflict in Gaza is a “matter of when, not if,” the Times of Israel reported. And in an interview with Army Radio on Tuesday, Housing Minister Yoav Galant, a former…
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