Board of Deputies President meets Pope to demonstrate strong intercommunal relationship

“I was delighted to have the opportunity to meet Pope Francis to discuss issues of importance to both our communities," said Board of Deputies of British Jews President and WJC Vice President Marie van der Zyl. "As two historic religious communities, the relationship between the Jewish and Catholic communities is of great significance and particularly in recent decades since Nostra Aetate." Read More...

UK Jews thank Pope Francis for his friendship and support

German dictionary changes ‘Jew’ definition after outcry over tie to Nazi use of word | Times of Israel

“Even if ‘Jew’ is used pejoratively in schoolyards or only hesitantly by some people, and the Duden editors are certainly well-meaning in pointing out this context, everything should be done to avoid solidifying the term as discriminatory,” said Central Council of Jews in Germany President and WJC Vice President Joseph Schuster. Read More...

Former COSATU leader Bongani Masuku ordered to apologize to Jewish community for 2009 hate speech

“Freedom of expression does not permit people to incite harm against and call for the expulsion of one’s fellow citizens because of their political views. Such rhetoric crosses the line between legitimate comment and prohibited hate speech," said SAJBD Chairperson Professor Karen Milner. Read More...

OpEd: If France is to lead the European Union, its antisemitism warrants attention

“The past two years also brought an uptick in antisemitism, spurred by the coronavirus pandemic and other factors,” said WJC Executive Vice President Maram Stern. "The Jewish people once again have been scapegoated and we must take specific measures to fight antisemitism as a distinct evil. President Macron must honor his commitment and lead the fight against antisemitism in all its forms, in France and across Europe.” Read More... 

WJC shares best practices in addressing religious intolerance at Istanbul Process meeting 

WJC urged the gathered governments to fight antisemitism by using educational materials developed by UNESCO, and to review the material taught in schools in order to remove mentions that discriminate, stereotype or contain false information about other religious groups, including Jews. Read More... 

OpEd | The 2021 Jewish on Campus Annual Report is out—here’s what we must learn in order to tackle antisemitism”

"As antisemitism continues to rise, it is important to form coalitions to combat antisemitism and other types of bigotry. We need to discuss with our allies the intersection of misogyny and antisemitism (as well as antisemitism and prejudice in general)—and continually act against misinformation and antisemitic online behavior," writes Jacob Blum of Jewish on Campus. Read More...

MEP who appears to give Nazi salute in European Parliament faces sanctions procedure | Politico

“It offends me and everyone else in Europe,” said European Parliament president Roberta Metsola. “We stand for the opposite. We are the House of democracy. That gesture is from the darkest chapter of our history and must be left there.” Read More...

Understanding antisemitism: Scapegoating Jewish people

This trope is often used to falsely malign the Jewish people and paint them as a homogeneous group. The perpetrators of conspiracy myths, on the other hand, are portrayed as the lone hero attempting to unmask the secret powers of evil. Read More...

Egypt’s Sissi gives Minister Elharrar a special summit welcome | Times of Israel

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi entered the large hall to fanfare, welcomed the convention’s guests, and then put down his mic to walk to the other side of the hall, where he spoke a few words with Israeli Energy Minister Karine Elharrar. Read More...

Israel PM focuses first Bahrain visit on building anti-Iran alliance | Axios

Israeli Prime Minister's Bennett’s meeting with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa was also widely reported in Bahraini state and private media, and a joint statement published after the meeting stressed that relations would be based on a “joint warm peace strategy." Read More...

Speaker Pelosi in Jerusalem: US support for Israel is 'ironclad' | Associated Press

“Our delegation is also here to reaffirm America’s commitment to a just and enduring two state solution, one that embraces, enhances stability and security for Israel, Palestinians and their neighbors,” Pelosi said. Read More...

OpEd | Peter Beinart is wrong: Israel haters should not be synagogue educators

"A religious school is not a soap box or an open forum; it is an instrument for synagogues to expose young and impressionable children to the values of the Jewish tradition as their community understands them. And for virtually every synagogue in America, those values include strengthening the Jewish people and the Jewish state," writes former president of the Union for Reform Judaism Eric H. Yoffie. Read More...

‘Mates for life’: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanked Australia for remaking his stepfather after the Holocaust | JTA

“The reason he was brought back into the world was ultimately because of Australia,” Blinken said of his stepfather, Samuel Pisar, the philosopher and legal scholar whom Blinken has often cited as being an inspiration for his own dedication to human rights and public service. Read More...

French Senate finalizes moves to return Nazi looted artworks to owners | Radio France International 

This is the first time in 70 years that the French government has made serious steps to return artworks "that were acquired in troubling circumstances during the occupation because of anti-Semitic persecution," said French Culture Minister Roselyne Bachelot. Read More...

Australia to list entirety of Hamas as terrorist organization | JPost

A person found guilty of a terrorist offense in Australia may face up to 25 years in prison, according to the Australian Attorney-General's Department. This includes being a part of, training, recruiting or directing activities of a terrorist organization. Other offenses include receiving funds from or giving them to a terrorist organization. Read More...

14 February 1896 | Theodor Herzl publishes The Jewish State 

The seminal book encouraging Jews to purchase land in the historic Land of Israel, and calling for the creation of a Jewish state with international acceptance, was published in the context of rising antisemitism in Europe, following the Dreyfus Affair in 1894. Read More...

14 February 1949 | Israel’s legislative body meets for first time

In his speech opening the inaugural session, Chaim Weizmann, who would go on to be elected President of Israel, said that “It is with a sense of honor and awe that I rise to open the Constituent Assembly of the State of Israel, the first Jewish assembly of our day, in Jerusalem, the eternal city.” Read More...