David Friedman had an early test of his ability to speak diplomatically as he sought to wriggle his way out of the deep hole he dug for himself during years of acerbic far right-wing writing about Israel and the Jewish community. On the two-state solution, Friedman was forced to defend his views as a staunch…
(JTA) — A South Carolina man who ranted against Jews was arrested for buying a gun for a shooting “in the spirit of” a white supremacist who killed nine at a black church, according to a federal complaint. Benjamin Thomas Samuel McDowell, a former convict with connections to white supremacists, was arrested Wednesday after he bought a handgun…
(JTA) — After swastika graffiti was discovered at a Boston-area high school, the principal turned to a local synagogue for help in educating the students about its significance to Jews. The swastika was found drawn on a bulletin board in an English classroom at Westwood High School, the Fox Boston affiliate reported Wednesday. The principal emailed…
NEW YORK (JTA) — Hate crimes continue to rise in New York City, and Jews remain the most targeted group, according to the city’s police department. Fifty-six hate crimes were reported from Jan. 1 to Feb. 12, with 28 of the incidents targeting Jews, the New York Police Department said, according to Politico. The total number of…
David Friedman doesn’t think J Street, the Anti-Defamation League, or President Obama deserve an apology for his attacks on them. In his prepared opening statement at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Friedman acknowledged “rightfully” criticism of some of his rhetoric. This rhetoric included, among other, calling J Street “kapos” — the Jews who collaborated with…
The hashtag #Jewish48 was spreading across the Jewish twittersphere Thursday, a reference to a spate of recent telephone bomb threats delivered to 48 Jewish community centers. The wave of social media activism comes on the heels of President Trump’s meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — during which Trump dodged a question about rising…
There are more than 900 hate groups operating across the country, according to a newly-released report from the Southern Poverty Law Center, a slight uptick from last year. In 2015, the SPLC tracked 892 groups. In 2017 that number had risen to 917. The SPLC center dubbed 2016, a “year of hate,” during with far-right…
(JTA) — The inhouse magazine for guests of a Japanese hotel chain contained an article with anti-Semitic statements written by the chain’s CEO. An article by Toshio Motoya of the APA Group in the February edition of Apple Town, the magazine for guests staying at the chain’s Canadian hotels, says that “Jewish people control American…
(JTA) — A paramedic from Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency rescue organization is on her way to Peru with 100 units of blood for an Israeli tourist hospitalized there after contracting a serious blood-related illness. The paramedic left with the blood late Wednesday night after the Health Ministry of Peru gave permission to bring the…
Protests are nothing new in congressional meetings, but David Friedman’s confirmation hearing brought out an impressive array of hecklers. As Friedman prepared to read his opening statement at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a protestor stood up waving a Palestinian flag and raising the issue of Palestinian refugees. “Mr. Friedman supports the annexation of the…
Members of Jared Kushner’s family are suspending their big league dreams. A Kushner bid to buy the Miami Marlins, led by Jared Kushner’s younger brother, Joshua Kushner, and a brother-in-law, was paused on Wednesday, amid reports that the team’s current owner, Jeffrey Loria, is up for an ambassadorship. “We do not want this unrelated transaction…
