Ultra- Orthodox Jews in New York City have displayed fierce resistance to government lockdown restrictions aimed at controlling the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. Like their counterparts in Israel, they have been reluctant to accept, much less obey, temporary measures to contain the deadly contagion, even as some of their rabbinical leaders have professed […]
A court in Athens rendered a judicious verdict on October 7 by condemning the Greek neo-fascist political party Golden Dawn as a criminal organization. Its decision was hardly surprising, since there was never any doubt that Golden Dawn was beyond the pale of decency and respectability. It took three judges five years to reach that […]
President Emmanuel Macron intends to introduce a bill in December to defend France’s secular values against radical Islam and sectarianism. It’s a long overdue and welcome piece of legislation. It should have been tabled years ago. Macron announced the details on October 2 as an important trial took place in Paris that reminded Parisians why […]
Let’s call a spade a spade. Donald Trump is soft on white supremacy. He should be ashamed of himself. White supremacy is a blot on American democracy and a threat to Jews and other minorities, and no U.S. president should tolerate it. During the recent presidential debate with Democratic rival Joe Biden, moderator Chris Wallace […]
Of the eight Jewish justices who have sat on the U.S. Supreme Court since the appointment of Louis Brandeis in 1916, Ruth Bader Ginsburg held the record for longevity. Ginsburg, who died of cancer on September 18 at the age of 87, served for 27 years, four more than Felix Frankfurter, who was appointed in 1939. […]
Incredulously enough, a street in the eastern Ontario town of Ajax is named after a German naval officer who was an ardent Nazi and a keen supporter of Adolf Hitler. Langsdorff Drive bears the name of Hans Langsdorff, the captain of the Graf Spee, an ill-fated cruiser that engaged the British Navy in the first major […]
Emboldened by vicious conspiracy theorists who maliciously blame Jews for the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, a Toronto Polish newspaper recently carried an article disseminating that outrageous calumny. By way of response, B’nai Brith Canada justifiably filed a criminal complaint with the police and requested an investigation of this gross manifestation of antisemitism as a […]
A university is an incubator of diverse ideas and a bastion of intellectual freedom. It most certainly is not an institution that discourages or downplays the valued give-and-take of lively debate. If this is an acceptable or reasonable definition of a university’s role in modern society, then the University of Southern California in Los Angeles […]
We’ve repeatedly heard this vile expression from prejudiced Muslims. Quoting from two verses in the Koran, Muslims of this odiferous ilk portray Jews as descendants of apes and pigs. The offensive verses, 59 and 60, are found in chapter five of the Islamic holy book and turn on the refusal of the disobedient “People of the […]
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Germany’s defence minister, delivered an important speech on July 20, the 76th anniversary of the abortive plot to kill the arch demon Adolf Hitler. Speaking at a ceremony in Berlin during which new army recruits were sworn in, she paid tribute to Claus von Stauffenburg, the colonel who was summarily executed for his […]