The Whiteville Central School District in Allegheny County, New York, has recalled its yearbook after learning that Jeff Acor, a new history teacher, had called Adolf Hitler his favorite person in an interview. According to Acor, Hitler “faced many hardships early in life which a lot of people can relate to,” “is arguably the greatest […]

A home in Barcelona, Spain, that was originally owned by Astruch Adret, a Jewish businessman who was forced to sell the property and convert to Catholicism in 1391, is now known as Casa Adret. The building houses a four-story Jewish cultural center that attracts hundreds of visitors a month. It’s also the headquarters of Mozaika, […]

Dear OU board and OU Israel Free Spirit commission member, As I’m sure many of you have read by now, this past week featured two articles about Birthright, one published in The New York Times and another in “The Forward”. Here are links to both: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/11/us/israel-birthright-jews-protests.html https://forward.com/news/national/425859/ifnotnow-birthright-israel/ The background to these articles surrounds a group […]

A proposed fur ban in the New York City Council threatens not only 150 stores in the city that earn most of their income through fur sales but also Hasidic Jews and other communities. City Council Speaker Corey Johnson introduced the legislation, saying, “As an animal lover, I believe it is cruel to kill an […]

Students at Cambridge University laughed as Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad unleashed a stream of anti-Semitic statements. “I have some Jewish friends, very good friends. They are not like the other Jews, that’s why they are my friends,” Mohamad said when asked about some of his previous anti-Semitic comments. Mohamad also said he was entitled […]

Actor John Cusack, star of the films Say Anything and Gross Pointe Blank, tweeted an anti-Semitic image and slur, for which he subsequently apologized. The image depicted a hand in a sleeve bearing a Jewish star crushing a group of people. It included the quote, “To learn who rules over you, simply find out who […]

In April, Israel and the entire Jewish people were moved by the return of missing Israeli soldier Zechariah Baumel ז”ל after 37 years. Rav Baruch Wieder, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Hakotel, fought alongside Zechariah at the famous battle of Sultan Yaakov, where 20 Israeli soldiers lost their lives and four, including Zechariah, were taken prisoner. Their relationship […]

Al-Quds Day, named for the Arabic name for Jerusalem, was launched in Iran in 1979 to express support for the Palestinians and to oppose Zionism and Israel. International events subsequently followed. The annual al-Quds Day march in Berlin is frequently cited as a prime example of the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe. Despite attempts by […]

Pursuant to the backlash over a cartoon of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that was deemed to be anti-Semitic, the New York Times has announced that it will cease publication of daily political cartoons in its international edition, ending the paper’s relationship with two contract cartoonists. The offensive cartoon, which was published in April, depicted […]

As director of grassroots and community engagement for the Orthodox Union’s Teach NYS, Annie Watman helps mobilize Jewish day school parents and educators to lobby lawmakers on behalf of more affordable tuition. It’s an interesting career path for someone who grew up secular and attended public school. “It’s a little cliché, but when I went […]