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All of the Jewish groups. CIJA, StandWithUs, B’nai Brith, and other Jewish organizations you’ve heard of have banded together to write an open letter to York U president Mamdouh Shoukri, whose comments to The CJN about anti-Semitism on campus were condescending, the letter alleges. “We remain alarmed by the seeming disregard of York University’s administration to recognize and confront anti-Semitism on campus,” they claim. Read it here.
In my fly Zionist kicks. In honour of Israel celebrating 68 years of independence this week, Reebok has released new sneakers (a blue and white design, of course, sporting the message ‘Israel 68’) to honour the State of Israel’s yom huledet. I notice Nike and Adidas haven’t released such a pair… Proceeds from the shoes will go to Crossfit Without Borders, which helps support people with mental disabilities.
Choosing Hillary over Trump. After a new survey unveiled to the public highlighted the Israeli people’s preferences re: the upcoming U.S. elections (they take Hillary over Trump overall, but believe the Donald will better safeguard Israel’s security), the former Secretary of State wrote a letter to Jewish agencies affirming her opposition to the BDS movement. “I believe that BDS seeks to punish Israel and dictate how the Israelis and Palestinians should resolve the core issues of their conflict. This is not the path to peace,” she writes. Coincidence, or extremely well-timed?
$17 million for Hitler to kneel before you. So a controversial sculpture of a kneeling Adolf Hitler by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan has sold for a record $17.2 million (US) at a Christie’s and Sotheby’s auction in New York. Cattelan’s last piece to be sold at auction went for $7.9 million (US).
Bibi-envy. There’s definitely no shortage of Netanyahu haters out there, but could it be that they’re all just jealous? A new online survey of 30 countries shows that the Israeli Prime Minister is actually the tenth-most admired person in the world among Americans (Donald Trump is 8th, Stephen Hawking is 4th, and Pope Francis and Barack Obama hold the top two spots, respectively). Interestingly (or not), Bibi fails to make it on to any other country’s list (Israel, obviously, wasn’t polled).
Nazi Whores. Such was the working title of a movie Bob Dylan wanted to make about women who escaped Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust, writes his ex lover, Britta Lee Shain, in her new memoir Seeing the Real You at Last. The premise itself is certainly compelling…could do without the name, though.
Ronaldo: a TV legend in the Holy Land. Football star Cristiano Ronaldo obviously doesn’t care what boycott Israel activists had to say after he made a commercial for Israeli television network Hot. At least, that’s what we’re assuming now that he’s appeared in yet another commercial for the network. Watch:
Learning the history of Ghana’s Jews. There are several noteworthy movies featured at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival, but the most intriguing (to me, at least) is Doing Jewish: A Story from Ghana. Plays tomorrow and May 15th. Watch a trailer below:
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