Pages

▼

Friday, December 23, 2022

12/23 Links Pt2: The top 10 Jewish stories of 2022; A startup nation for Zionist causes; Norway’s huge sovereign wealth fund said weighing divesting from Israel

From Ian:

Jonathan S. Tobin: The top 10 Jewish stories of 2022
It’s been a difficult decade. 2020 was the year of coronavirus-pandemic panic and the general collapse of established norms. This was compounded by the Black Lives Matter riots that set off a moral panic about race, with the mainstreaming of fringe ideas and intersectionality.

2021 was a little better, as the world gradually shook off its COVID paranoia. But it was notable mainly for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot that has roiled American politics ever since, the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan and the creation of an Israeli government that combined members of the right, the left and even Islamist parliamentarians.

2022 has been something of a challenge, with war and antisemitism dominating Jewish news just as much, if not more, than in the previous two years. As it comes to an end, here’s a look back at the year with my list—in reverse order—of the top 10 stories and how they’ve shaped the Jewish world.

For good or for ill, JNS has covered them all. Stick with us in 2023, as we continue to give you the best in Jewish journalism with news, analysis and opinion you can’t find anywhere else.

10-The U.N.’s and ‘human rights’ groups’ war on Israel escalates
The report of the U.N. Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry (COI) on the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, published in June, was a textbook case of antisemitic incitement. In its view, there is no Palestinian incitement, no Palestinian terrorism, no Palestinian rejection of peace. Led by open antisemites like Navi Pillay, the document denied Jewish history and the truth about the century-old war that Palestinian Arabs and their enablers have been waging on Zionism.

Like the rest of the hatred directed at Israel from the world body and so-called “human rights” NGOs, this campaign is often downplayed or ignored by the Jewish world. That’s a mistake, since efforts such as those apparent in the COI report serve as the foundation for the ongoing “lawfare” endeavor to isolate and turn Israel into a pariah state. Far from being insignificant enough to warrant a lack of attention, these undertakings legitimize antisemitism throughout the world and undermine otherwise successful normalization moves between the Jewish state and its Arab neighbors.

9-Normalization with the Arab world continues
The second year since the signing of the 2020 Abraham Accords, which led to the normalization of relations between Israel and four Arab and Muslim countries, saw those ties strengthened, with tourism and economic activity continuing to expand in 2022. But, while progress towards full acceptance is slow, the steady rise in trade and the growing signs of security cooperation testify to the Arab world’s belief that it can no longer be held hostage by Palestinian intransigence.

These positive trends might have been even stronger by now, had the administration in Washington prioritized the quest to build on its predecessor’s achievement and expand the circle of peace, especially with Saudi Arabia. But President Joe Biden has botched relations with Riyadh. And though he doesn’t oppose the accords brokered by former President Donald Trump, his foreign-policy team is still more interested in appeasing Iran and the Palestinian Authority.
The European Genizah
The term “European Genizah” refers to thousands of individual pages that were torn out of Hebrew manuscripts centuries ago, and then used to bind books and cover archival files. Sometimes these pages were discovered by chance, and sometimes as a result of a systematic search. They were discovered mainly in Central Europe, in dozens of libraries, archives, and monasteries, and even among private possessions.

The European Genizah is not limited to Hebrew manuscripts. Tens of thousands of manuscripts in Latin, Greek, and other local languages were discarded as worthless throughout Europe, mainly in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, but also during the medieval era. They were then used by bookbinders and notaries in bindings, to cover files, and occasionally for other uses as well. An unwanted manuscript—whether because the ideas and opinions they contained had been invalidated, because better versions of the works had been published, or because newer and more beautiful manuscripts (or printed books) had been obtained—was removed from the shelves and sold to bookbinders. It goes without saying that ordinary folks had no interest in preserving manuscripts for which they no longer had any use, but even esteemed university libraries did not hesitate to discard thousands of manuscripts, some of which were purchased by craftsmen who used the parchment in bindings and to cover archival files. Parchment is a valuable material, easy to cut but hard to tear, and light (especially in comparison to the heavy wooden bindings that were common then). Therefore, bookbinders found much use for passé manuscripts that no one wished to read any longer. A handful of scholars understood by the middle of the sixteenth century that bookbinders were in possession of ancient manuscripts that should be rescued from their blades, but the phenomenon continued unabated for a long time and throughout Europe. Tens of thousands of such pages have been discovered recently in various countries, some in old bindings, and some in the covers of archival documents.

I will not presently address non-Hebrew manuscripts that have been discovered in book bindings, but I nevertheless note that even these contain, albeit infrequently, information of importance for Jewish history or the history of the Hebrew book. I cite three examples: The first is the remnant of a very old Hebrew manuscript that was discovered by chance within a Latin fragment used in a binding. The second is from a Marseille notary who bound his archival files in the early 1320s with a Latin document that he had written himself a short time before. By then, he no longer needed that document, so he excised and repurposed the parchment. The document contains the account of an investigation conducted by the Inquisition in Toulon, a city near Marseille, against a Jew suspected of helping an apostate Jew return to his original faith. It provides important information about the history of the Jews of that community during this period. The third consists of strips of outdated bills in Latin, which were used in England to bind newer bills. These strips contain information on loans made by English Jews to their Christian neighbors in the thirteenth century.
A startup nation for Zionist causes
Israel is rightly appreciated as a fount of innovation in a vast array of technologies and industries. Being a startup nation demands a mindset that looks at matters afresh, without being constrained by the way things have always been done.

To have a startup nation mindset is to have vision, see the big picture and move towards the fulfillment of that vision. It also entails the willingness to create something new and possibly unprecedented, rather than await approval or direction from others.

Happily, this mindset is not only prevalent in the private sphere, but also – though less visibly – in the realm of organizations seeking to strengthen and defend Zionist values and policies in Israel.

There is a growing coterie of individuals and organizations who understand that the blessings of Zionism, Jewish sovereignty and control of our own land cannot be taken for granted. As Herzl knew, Zionism and its logical extension, the State of Israel, had to be willed into being – "im tirtzu."

But the willing of Zionism and Israel is a constant process, always facing new problems and seeking new opportunities.

The new Zionist NGOs have proven themselves an essential part of Israeli society. Think of the amazing contribution made by groups like Regavim, which call attention to illegal construction. Ad Kan points out the lies of certain Israeli "human rights" organizations. Im Tirtzu and NGO Monitor address foreign government funding of anti-Zionist Israeli organizations. Organizations like B'yadenu have relentlessly pressed for Jewish civil rights on the Temple Mount.

Realistically, if these organizations were not front and center, it is quite likely that the problems they have raised would have gone unaddressed.

These NGOs did not simply emerge fully-formed. They too were willed into existence. In part, this was done by a small fund that has been instrumental in identifying nascent organizations worthy of support and incubating them with seed funding, organizational advice and networking opportunities.

This small fund is the Israel Independence Fund, which since 2007 has had conspicuous success in identifying fledgling organizations with the potential to make a difference in Israeli society.


Norway’s huge sovereign wealth fund said weighing divesting from Israel
Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, a major global investor, is reviewing its investments in Israel and may halt them entirely due to Israeli banks’ involvement in West Bank settlements, according to multiple reports in Hebrew media outlets Thursday night.

The fund, which manages and invests revenue from the country’s natural resources for the benefit of the government’s developmental budget, is worth some $1.3 trillion and is the largest of its kind in the world, owning some 1.3 percent of the world’s publicly traded companies.

It is currently invested in some 80 Israeli stocks, including banks, industry and technology companies.

The fund has in the past divested from numerous companies around the world for activities it deemed unethical, including a number of Israeli companies involved in settlements.

According to Haaretz, Jerusalem officials believe the latest move was influenced by the UN’s 2020 decision to issue a blacklist of more than 100 global companies that conduct business tied to Israeli settlements.

Channel 12 reported that the fund has been considering halting investments in Israel for many months, but the issue has recently gained speed.

The network, citing an unidentified Israeli official with knowledge of the matter, reported that the hard-right character of the incoming government has played a part.

“Our efforts to dissuade the fund from this action will be difficult to bring to fruition in the face of the stated policies of the [new] government regarding the territories,” the official said.
“Why should I have to change everything about myself ” Jewish rapper Westside Gravy on refusing to cower to antisemitism and anti-Black racism
Westside Gravy, a rapper and producer who uses his music to address antisemitism, appeared on the most recent episode of Podcast Against Antisemitism where he spoke candidly about the discrimination he faces, and his refusal to back down from it.

“A lot of times, there’s a conversation about the talk that Black parents have with their Black children regarding how to interact if you’re getting profiled or harassed by anyone, really, but especially people talk about it when it comes to issues of police brutality,” the rapper said. “And there’s also a similar thing that to do with being Jewish, publicly identifying as Jewish.

“There’s times that I’ve been harassed and had things yelled at me for being identifiable as a Jewish man,” he revealed. “You should be able to go out and not hide aspects of your identity that are immutable…you can’t change them, you can’t hide them, or else you’re hiding a part of yourself. And at the same time, it’s about being conscious of whatever situation you’re in.”

The California native, who now lives in Israel, broke down the meaning behind some of his lyrics. In his song, Wish You Would 2, he raps: “Why do I gotta be the one to pay the price and change my life? It just ain’t right to trade my sight and see myself through hatred’s eyes.”

“There’s a couple times I’ve written lines, I’m like ‘This sums up everything I’m trying to say,’” he explained, before delving into the theory of “double consciousness”.

He explained: “There’s this idea that originated, even talking specifically about the Black experience, that if you’re walking around, you have to be conscious not only of who you are as a person but also how you’re perceived…I get perceived as all sorts of things just because of stereotypes, unfair stereotypes of other people.

“I was trying to play on that, and at the same time, humanise what it means to be a Jewish person because I’m speaking from a first-person perspective of ‘Why should I have to change everything about myself?’”
School board needs to act after Jewish teen targeted with swastika, Nazi salute, father says
An Ottawa dad wants Ottawa's largest school board to take a stronger stance against antisemitism, and make necessary changes, after his son was targeted with a swastika and taunted by fellow students.

On Dec. 1, David Baker's 16-year-old son, who is Jewish, entered a locker room at Sir Robert Borden High School where students spoke in what sounded like German and made a Nazi salute, the father said. On the floor was a large swastika made of ski poles, he said.

"There is no other symbol that is more horrifying to the Jewish people than the swastika," said Baker. "It represents the six million Jews that were systematically murdered for no other reason than they were Jewish."

Baker complained to school officials and said he was told the four students involved would be suspended. He was also told he would be notified prior to the students returning to class, he said, so the family could prepare their son before seeing the perpetrators again.

"Suddenly all of the students were back at school without our knowledge and one of them confronted our son in the hallway showing absolutely no remorse for what he had done, and how he'd behaved," he said.

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) declined to comment on the students involved or their punishment. In an email to parents, the board called the swastika incident a "blatant act of hate and antisemitism, which is absolutely unacceptable."

A board spokesperson said the school will engage students in learning about antisemitism this week and will continue to provide more learning on the topic in the new year.

"This work continues to be done in partnership with faith leaders, community partners and organizations," said a statement from the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.


Bipartisan bill awards Congressional Gold Medal to last living Nuremberg prosecutor
U.S. Reps. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), Joe Wilson (R-S.C.), Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) and Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) on Thursday were joined by U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) in announcing their bipartisan bill to award a Congressional Gold Medal to Benjamin Ferencz, the last living Nuremberg trials prosecutor.

Over the course of his life, Ferencz has advocated for the rule of law and international justice. During World War II, Ferencz served in the U.S. Army and helped collect evidence of Nazi war crimes. Following the war, he was honorably discharged with the rank of sergeant of infantry and was awarded five battle stars for his service. Later, Ferencz was appointed chief prosecutor in the proceedings that convicted 22 former Nazi Schutzstaffel (SS) officials.

The bill was included in the Fiscal Year 2023 spending package and is expected to pass on Friday with President Joe Biden’s signature.

“By awarding Ben Ferencz, the last living Nuremberg prosecutor, with the Congressional Gold Medal, Congress is sending an important message: that hate, bigotry, and antisemitism can never be tolerated,” said Rep. Frankel. “This message couldn’t come at a more important time with antisemitism and Holocaust denial on the rise.”

Frankel went on to praise Ferencz as a hero of the Jewish community who has dedicated decades of his life to combating antisemitism and keeping the lessons of the Holocaust alive.

“Ben Ferencz is a true champion of human rights,” said Rep. Wilson. “Beginning with his time as an investigator in World War II and chief U.S. Army prosecutor during the Nuremberg Trials, through his long, outstanding career as an advocate of the international rule of law. Mr. Ferencz deserves our respect and appreciation.”
Jewish Texans Experiencing Massive Surge of Antisemitic Incidents, New Report Says
Jewish Texans have experienced an over 400 percent increase in antisemitic incidents since 2020, according to a recently released state report, the first of its kind in Texas’ history.

The report, authored by local faith and civic leaders in the Texas Holocaust, Genocide, and Antisemitism Advisory Commission, found 60 antisemitic incidents in Texas so far in 2022. In 2020, there were 14.

“The trend accelerated even before Gov. Gregg Abbott formally signed [HB2357] into law on June 16, 2021,” the commission wrote, citing legislation the Texas state legislature approved to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism.

“Antisemitic incidents have grown more frequent and more extreme in Texas,” it continued. “This reflects a national and global trend as hate can spread more easily than ever through social media and other online channels.”

The commission cited several incidents from recent years as examples of disturbing antisemitic activity, most notably in Colleyville, Texas, in which a gun-wielding terrorist took four hostages at a synagogue. Other incidents include an intentional fire set by a white supremacist at synagogue in Austin in Oct. 2021, which severely damaged the building; and several acts of harassment committed by boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement activists against pro-Israel college students.

The commission recommended training courses on antisemitism for university officials, “more fully” integrating Holocaust education into state curricula, enhancing law enforcement’s understanding of and response to antisemitism, and legislation barring state funded colleges and universities from participating in academic boycotts of Israel.
Maryland High School Students Stage Walkout to Protest Antisemitism
Students at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Maryland staged a walkout on Thursday to protest antisemitism, a local ABC outlet reported on Thursday.

On Saturday, “Jews not welcome” was graffitied on the school’s monument sign. The culprits have not yet been identified, and the incident has prompted alarm among students and staff at the school.

“The worst part about what happened to our sign is that the people who wrote it weren’t entirely wrong,” student Rachel Barold said to the hundreds of students who attended the demonstration, according to footage obtained by ABC 7. “Whitman and MCPS [Montgomery County Public Schools] hasn’t been a welcoming community to Jewish people for a long time, and this isn’t an issue that’s unique to MCPS, it’s an issue around the country and around the Earth.”

The student went on to say that Jewish students in the district are stereotyped and that antisemitic graffiti is ubiquitous.

“It is time that we take action,” Barold continued, calling for education about the Holocaust. “MCPS, please help us,” she added.

Montgomery County Public Schools on Saturday denounced the incident, with Superintendent Monifa McKnight saying on the district’s behalf that it is “deeply disturbed and saddened by the antisemitic graffiti.”

“MCPS’s mission is to foster an inclusive and welcoming environment that celebrates the diversity of our global community and all cultural backgrounds. This hurtful behavior, along with any acts of discrimination, have no place in our school community and will not be tolerated,” she continued.
'Kanye was right' graffitied alongside swastika in Melbourne, AU
"Kanye was right" was spray painted alongside a swastika in a park in Melbourne, Australia last weekend, the Australian Jewish News reported Wednesday.

The graffiti, which was discovered at Central Gardens Park in Hawthorn, Melbourne, was reported by a Jewish man who is the grandchild of Holocaust survivors. He was told by the local council that the graffiti would be removed this week.

“Tragically, the recent spate of antisemitic remarks by celebrities has emboldened bigots around the world, including here in Melbourne,” Daniel Aghion, President of the Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV), said.

Kanye-inspired antisemitism
Similar incidents have taken place across the Jewish diaspora since American rapper Kanye West began an infamous antisemitic tirade – one that resulted in West winning the dishonorable title of "Antisemite of the Year."

A banner declaring “Kanye [West] is right about the Jews” was hung over a Los Angeles highway in late October, according to white supremacist channels and an antisemitism watchdog NGO.

Another banner told drivers to “honk if you know,” and a third advertised Goyim TV, a YouTube clone dedicated to antisemitic, white supremacist and neo-Nazi video content.

Chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission Dvir Abramovich told the AJN he is “not surprised” to see that “neo-Nazis have embraced Kanye West’s hate-filled and threatening comments against the Jewish community”.


San Francisco man assaulted by skateboarder asking if he is Jewish
A San Francisco skateboarder allegedly asked a Jewish man to confirm he was Jewish before physically assaulting him, according to California prosecutors.

Officials labelled the beating a hate crime, the Sacramento Bee reported.

The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office said that Eduardo Navarro Perez accosted the victim on Haight Street, asking him if he was Jewish or Black.

When the victim said he was Jewish, Navarro Peretz beat him with a skateboard, according to a statement from the DA’s office.

While attacking him, “Navarro Perez made disparaging remarks towards Jewish people.”

District Attorney Brooke Jenkins announced that Navarro Perez had been charged with assault with a deadly weapon and committing a hate crime. The suspect’s assault charges include “hate crime enhancements” due to evidence pointing to the attack being “motivated by animus towards Jewish people.”

“There is no place for antisemitism, or any crimes motivated by hate in San Francisco, in our state or anywhere else,” Jenkins said in a statement. “We will do everything in our power to hold Navarro Perez accountable and ensure there are consequences for this attack.”
Ice menorah smashed in second holiday attack at Upper East Side Chabad
Upper East Side (UES) Chabad Israel Center’s ice-carved menorah was smashed Wednesday night in an apparent anti-Jewish attack.

The shattered menorah, stationed at the corner of East 93rd Street and 2nd Avenue, follows another antisemitic vandalism which occurred at the same center in October during the Sukkot holiday.

Rabbi Uriel Vigler, who heads the Chabad Israel Center on the UES, the commissioners of the ice menorah, called Wednesday's act, which occurred on the fourth night of Hanukkah, "malicious and intentional."

"The ice was smashed from both sides," he said. "Also on Sukkot we faced this kind hate when our [sukkah] was vandalized. On Hanukkah Jews light the menorah purposely at night time in order to spread light, because just of bit of light dispels the darkness.

"The forces of hatred will never be victorious," Vigler continued. "Even though we no longer have this ice menorah we still plan to light the 5th night tonight and pray that light will win over darkness like it alway has for the Jewish people."

Yoav Davis, founder of the Instagram account @Jews_of_NY, which boasts more than 80K followers, condemned the act. “The amount of antisemitic hate crimes we get alerted about from our followers in New York really is heartbreaking," he told The Jerusalem Post. "On the subways in the streets and now also towards Jewish monuments it’s just never been [this] bad here. We need our allies and our elected representatives to speak up and do a lot more."


“We hate the Jews” Woman reportedly harassed on London Underground by two men
A woman was reportedly harassed on the London Underground by two men, one of whom is believed to have made sexual advances.

The woman was travelling on the Piccadilly line from Arsenal to Kings Cross at 14:00 on 14th December when one of the men allegedly said: “We hate the Jews.”

It is understood that the woman then confronted the man, whereupon the man was purported to have made sexual advances toward her.

When the woman refused his alleged advances, both men then reportedly “attacked” her with an “array of racism and taunting”.

According to the woman, she was then chased off of the carriage by the men, and later stated that “not one person stuck up for me on that train.”
Wigan man jailed after posting antisemitic content
A man in Wigan was jailed on Wednesday after posting antisemitic content.

Stuart Sutton, 45, who was brought to the attention of Counter Terrorism Policing North West (CTPNW) by CST, posted antisemitic and racist material over an eight-month period in 2021.

CPTNW conducted a search of his home on 2nd February of this year, arresting him shortly thereafter.

Mr Sutton has been sentenced to two years in prison, reduced to sixteen months owing to his early guilty plea.

Detective Superintendent Andy Meeks, of the CTPNW Investigation Department, said that “We would always encourage people to report acts of racial hatred whether that’s in person or online,” while Amanda Bomsztyk, CST’s Northern Regional Director, said that “It is important that such extreme Jew-hatred and racism leads to arrest and imprisonment.”
Why are Los Angeles billboards covered with inspirational Jewish quotes?
To coincide with Hanukkah, billboards were placed across Los Angeles by the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles this week which included phrases of love, wisdom, and encouragement from ancient Jewish texts. Phrases such as “a little bit of light dispels a lot of darkness” and “be slow to anger and abounding in kindness” are popping up across the city.

'We are worried and we want to do something about it'

Rob Goldenberg, Chief Creative Officer of the Federation, stated that “the constant antisemitism that Jews here in Los Angeles and around the country and world are seeing has had a devastating impact on our community. We are worried and we want to do something about it.

"When we discussed various ideas, we wanted to push back with love. Responding to antisemitism requires a whole societal response. The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, using ancient Jewish values and teachings, seeks to engage our community with messages of love — to counter the hate by spreading love to not only Jews in Los Angeles, but to all who have experienced hate and intolerance.

For there is so much more that unites us all than divides us.”

The billboards were posted in partnership with OUTFRONT MEDIA and can be viewed across LA.

“It’s been extremely upsetting to see the recent rise in hateful speech taking place," Bryan Canley, General Manager of OUTFRONT’s Los Angeles office, stated in a press release. He added that "there is no place for that in LA, or anywhere else. We are all part of one community, and it is important to stand in solidarity with our Jewish Angelenos. We have followed The Jewish Federation of Greater of Los Angeles and the work they do to combat hate and wanted to help amplify their efforts."


Hanukkah: The fight against antisemitism is far from over
This week, Jews around the world have been celebrating Hanukkah, our annual reminder of the perseverance of the Maccabees against the forces of violent oppression and prejudice. The Hanukkah story teaches us the importance of resisting Jew-hatred, highlighting the ultimate source of our strength: the community of millions of Jews around the world who proudly keep their faith and sustain their inner light, even in the darkest and most perilous of times.

I was struck by just how far we have come since the days of Jewish exile during a warm meeting last week with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Washington. Unlike the time of the pharaohs, today our interests are aligned in the effort to create a safe, secure and stable region for all.

The Egyptian president’s commitment to safeguarding and enhancing peace and cooperation between Egypt and Israel, as well, shows the remarkable success of our efforts to build lasting relationships that break down barriers in government and civil society.

While the valiant fight against the forces of antisemitism is never easy, salvation lies in the strength of our community and our allies, not least among those the Egyptian president and other Muslim states that seek to normalize relations with the Jewish homeland.

Yet here in the US – a country founded on the principles of individual liberty – the same deadly antisemitism that plagued the Jewish slaves in biblical Egypt is resurfacing in new and twisted ways. From hateful antisemitic “Black Hebrew Israelites” storming through the streets of New York City, to Holocaust deniers such as Kanye West and Nick Fuentes cavorting with the former president, to conspiracy-minded filth overflowing on social media, to violence and threats of violence to Jews and Jewish institutions, to the plethora of attacks on Israel that are nothing more than veiled attacks on the Jewish people and our right to self-determination, the existential threat of antisemitism is alarmingly on the rise.

While our own systems of government in the US bear no resemblance to the rule of pharaohs, far too often it feels as if the new generation of political leaders has forgotten the story of Joseph and the suffering of the Israelites. As they “know not Joseph,” deep prejudice infiltrates and infects corners of the political right and the left, no longer confined only to the shadows.

AND YET, even in an increasingly hostile environment that tests what it means to live openly as a Jew in America, considerable tools and allies stand with us. The Conference of Presidents proudly participates in the Shine A Light initiative (shinealighton.com), a coalition of more than 60 civil society and nongovernmental organizations committed to combating antisemitism.


World’s largest Hanukkah menorah lit by Kent M. Swig
Kent M. Swig, president of Swig Equities, on Wednesday joined Rabbi Shmuel Butman of the Lubavitch Youth Organization to light the world’s largest menorah on the fourth night of Hanukkah in New York City.

“This year’s celebration marks another milestone year for me to be honored with an invitation from Rabbi Butman to light the Hanukkah menorah,” said Swig. “The menorah is a great symbol for the Jewish people, and it is also a beacon of hope and light for all New Yorkers as we now seek a safe path in the re-emergence of our great city from the covid pandemic.”

The 32-foot-high menorah is located in front of the Plaza Hotel on Fifth Avenue. Weighing 4,000 pounds, the steel structure features genuine oil lamps and glass chimneys to protect the lights from strong winds. It was designed by world-renowned artist Yaacov Agam.

“The menorah is a symbol of freedom and democracy for all people, and each individual takes inspiration from the menorah in their own way,” said Butman, director of the Lubavitch Youth Organization.




Buy the EoZ book, PROTOCOLS: Exposing Modern Antisemitism  today at Amazon!

Or order from your favorite bookseller, using ISBN 9798985708424. 

Read all about it here!
 

 

at