Dozens of liberal Jewish groups have signed a letter defending Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives at a time when such efforts are under fire from the Trump administration, and after some Jews have accused DEI programs of fueling antisemitism. “Jewish tradition teaches of the Divine spark in every person,” the statement begins. “As Jewish groups […]
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Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, flooded the social network X with antisemitic comments early Friday morning, in a repeat of the spree that cost him his fashion deals and public esteem two years ago. In dozens of tweets to his 32 million followers, Ye praised Hitler, called himself a Nazi and said […]
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The mood was bittersweet recently when Rabbi Dan Kaiman headed to the local airport to welcome an Afghan refugee about to be reunited with her sister. On the one hand, the arrival would add to a string of happy reunions facilitated by his synagogue, Congregation B’nai Emunah in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a partner of an official […]
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When ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt spoke in December at an event in New York, he told the audience, “If you ask me today’s date, I would tell you it’s October 8.” The leader of ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) was discussing the coordinated attacks on Israeli soccer fans in Amsterdam in early November following a match […]
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For all the millions of words written about Donald Trump’s inexplicable (to his opponents, anyway) political appeal, the simplest explanation may be the way he channels coffee shop banter into actual policy proposals. Too many immigrants? Build a wall. Greenland’s a commodity? Let’s buy it. Gaza is a wasteland? Let’s clear it out — of […]
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A tool for policing campus antisemitism, which since Oct. 7 had been largely limited to the U.S. Department of Education, is now expanding into other federal departments under President Donald Trump’s directive. The Department of Health and Human Services announced this week that it, too, will be conducting Title VI investigations into allegations of antisemitism. […]
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Like many American Jews, Rabbi Shai Held has devoted considerable energy since Oct. 7, 2023, to praying for the release of the Israeli hostages taken by Hamas. Still, when Israel and Hamas struck a deal for some of them to be freed last month, he felt grief. That’s because the deal required Israel to release […]
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A man who fired a gun in the air outside of an Albany, New York, synagogue while shouting “Free Palestine!” has pleaded guilty to hate crime and firearms charges. The Justice Department announced on Tuesday that Mufid Fawaz Alkhader, 29, had pleaded guilty to obstructing the free exercise of religious beliefs by threat of force […]
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The Trump administration has ignited criticism by giving a high-level State Department portfolio to a man whom Donald Trump’s White House fired in 2018 for speaking to a conference of white nationalists. Darren Beattie is Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s pick for acting undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs, a position that would require […]
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President Donald Trump has promised a tougher fight against campus antisemitism than what his predecessor Joe Biden offered. But on Monday he signaled that at least one aspect of Biden’s approach would continue: Title VI civil rights investigations. The federal Department of Education on Monday announced investigations into alleged “widespread antisemitic harassment” at five universities: […]
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