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March 29, 2016

White supremacist hacker claims printing of swastika flyers at colleges

A well-known computer hacker said he was behind anti-Semitic, racist flyers that appeared on printers at more than a dozen colleges last week.

Andrew Auernheimer, who goes by the name “Weev,” exploited network printers at the colleges to produce the swastika-covered flyers, he claimed as early as Friday.

Auernheimer, 30, was part of a group that in 2010 hacked AT&T’s servers and accessed the data of 114,000 customers. His conviction on identity fraud and conspiracy to access a computer without authorization was overturned on appeal.

The self-described “white nation­al­ist hack­tivist” sent the flyers to every publicly accessible printer in North America and did not specifically target college campuses, he told various media outlets.

The flyers read: “White man … are you sick and tired of the Jews destroying your country through mass immigration and degeneracy? Join us in the struggle for global white supremacy at The Daily Stormer.” A pair of large swastikas appear alongside the address of the neo-Nazi website The Daily Stormer.

Among the colleges hit by the flyers were Princeton University, the University of California, Berkeley, Smith College, Brown University, the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Mount Holyoke College.

In an October 2014 feature on The Daily Dot, Auernheimer described himself as “a long-time critic of Judaism, black culture, immigration to Western nations, and the media’s constant stream of anti-white propaganda,” the Anti-Defamation League pointed out. The article said he has a “giant swastika tattoo.”

That same month, the ADL noted,  Auernheimer ranted about “the Jews” unprecedented “empire of wickedness” on The Daily Stormer. 

“They took con­trol of our sys­tems of finance and law. They hyper­in­flated our cur­rency. They cor­rupted our daugh­ters and demanded they sub­ject them­selves to sex work to feed their fam­i­lies. These are a peo­ple that have made them­selves a prob­lem in every nation they occupy, including ours,” he wrote.

Universities have notified the police and launched investigations regarding the flyers, but it was unclear ifAuernheimer broke any laws, according to The New York Times.

Anti-gay and transgender flyers appeared Monday on printers at Berkeley and Amherst, the Times reported. Auernheimer, who posted the code he used to access the printers online, said he was not involved.

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Patty Duke’s Jewish Moment

Patty Duke, who died March 29 at the age of 69, was a remarkable actress and a pioneering crusader for mental health awareness, a result of her own struggles with manic depression/bipolar disorder.  

“This morning, our beloved wife, mother, grandmother, matriarch and the exquisite artist, humanitarian, and champion for mental health, Anna PATTY DUKE Pearce, closed her eyes, quieted her pain and ascended to a beautiful place,” her son Sean Astin said on Facebook, and linked to a fundraising site for the Patty Duke Mental Health Project. “We celebrate the infinite love and compassion she shared through her work and throughout her life.”

Catching up on the life of a woman I knew mostly through her sitcom appearances, I came across another little fact: she once used her beautiful voice to perform the Jewish folksong “Dona Dona” — a staple of the Israeli folk music scene– on the Ed Sullivan Show.

This was in the afterglow of Israel's victory in the Six Day War, when the little country was being celebrated as David against an Arab Goliath.  No controversy, no protesters, no BDS — just an American heartthrob backed by a troop of dancers in vaguely Russo-Middle Eastern costumes.   Simpler times.  Enjoy… and thank you Anna.

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Michigan Uber driver accused of anti-Semitism dropped from company

An Uber driver accused by a Jewish University of Michigan student of making anti-Semitic remarks, precipitating a profanity-laced tirade by the student, has been dropped from the company.

Uber told the student publication, the Michigan Review, this week that it was investigating the incident between the driver, Artur Zawada, and the student, Jake Croman.

A video of Croman screaming a torrent of profanities at Zawada has gone viral since it was posted on March 23, three days after the incident. Croman said he was responding to anti-Semitic remarks.

Zawada told the Review in an interview Monday evening that he did nothing wrong. He denies the charges of anti-Semitism.

Croman is being investigated by school administrators and his fraternity over the incident.

Zawada filed a complaint with the Ann Arbor Police Department. He told Tab Michigan that Croman’s rant was unprovoked and came after he told Croman that he would not drive him because of three previous bad experiences with the student.

An immigrant from Poland, Zawada has been in the United States for 30 years. He told the Review that he has no reason to be anti-Semitic.

“Half the Jewish people who founded Israel were Polish citizens,” he said. “I have Jewish friends. I have professors I know at the University of Michigan who are Jewish. I worked for my boss and he was Jewish.”

Croman is the son of multimillionaire New York real estate developer Steven Croman, who is being investigated by the New York State attorney general for allegedly using illegal tactics to pressure rent-stabilized tenants into vacating their apartments, according to the New York Daily News.

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Poll: Trump, Clinton lead among Russian American Jews

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are the top choices for president among Russian-speaking American Jews, according to poll data obtained by Jewish Insider.

16.3 percent of Russian American Jews support Trump, and 12.7 percent support Clinton, according to a poll of more than 500 Russian-speaking Jews in the greater New York and Los Angeles areas conducted by Israeli research firm Midgam on behalf of Limmud FSU ahead of the organization’s upcoming conference in Parsippany N.J., April 1-3.

The survey was conducted between January and March 2016.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders received the support of 10.8 percent, while only 5.4 percent picked Texas Senator Ted Cruz as their choice for president. The rest of respondents chose former candidates Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio or hadn’t made up their minds yet.

Sanders topped Clinton (14.3% vs. 13%) among Russian Jews residing in New York. Trump was the choice of 22 percent, while Cruz, who is expected to attend an event in the Russian Brighton Beach neighborhood next month, received a mere 2.6 percent. Among voters in LA, Clinton leads the pack with 12.4 percent.

The poll also showed that 52 percent of Russian-speaking American Jews say they are more concerned about their personal security amid recent terror attacks in Europe and Israel. 19 percent said they were “much more concerned” about their personal safety, and 33 percent said they were “slightly more concerned.”

Respondents were also asked about the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement against Israel. 67 percent said they believe BDS poses “a strategic threat against the State of Israel and the Jewish people.”

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Bill Clinton meets Jewish leaders in New York

Former President Bill Clinton met with a group of two dozen multi-denominational rabbis for an off-the-record two-hour meeting at a law firm in Midtown Manhattan on Tuesday, according to a source who spoke with participants after the meeting.

Rabbi Menachem Genack of the Orthodox Union, Rabbi Julie Schonfeld of the Rabbinical Assembly, and Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President Emeritus of the Union for Reform Judaism, were among the participants.

Clinton – saying he feels among friends – spoke about spirituality, policy issues and his wife’s presidential campaign, according to the source. The former president also highlighted Hillary’s remarks at AIPAC’s annual policy conference last week , where her policy and knowledge were impeccable when compared to Trump’s recent comments on the Israeli Palestinian conflict, according to one attendee who wished to remain anonymous in order to preserve the ground rules of the meeting.

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Israeli soldier who shot Palestinian assailant could see charges downgraded from murder

A soldier caught on video shooting a prone Palestinian terrorist in the head could be charged with manslaughter rather than murder, the military prosecutor said at a hearing.

“We are trying to decide what he could be charged with, including manslaughter,” the prosecutor said at Tuesday’s hearing in Kastina, near Ashdod, where it had been moved from the Jaffa military court.

Hundreds of the soldier’s supporters demonstrated outside the court.

The hearing was held in order for the military prosecutor to request that the soldier be held in detention for an additional nine days, until the office can complete its investigation and file an indictment. The judge approved the request at the end of the hearing.

The soldier, whose name is subject to a gag order, was held on murder charges on Friday for shooting a Palestinian wounded after stabbing an Israeli soldier in Hebron.

On Tuesday, the prosecutor said the soldier shot the Palestinian stabber in the head though he was down on the ground and no longer a threat.

The soldier arrived at the scene several minutes after the terror attack and acted independently, the Israel Defense Forces found in an initial investigation.

An autopsy of the Palestinian assailant to show whether or not the shot was fatal could make a difference in the charges or prevent both murder and manslaughter charges from being levied in favor of negligent homicide or violating the rules of engagement.

On Monday evening, the Magen David Adom emergency medical service released the findings of its own investigation into how it handled the incident, which found that treatment for the downed Palestinian assailant was delayed because he was not declared as safe to be approached.

“The risk of an explosive device or other dangerous element had not been removed, due to the fact that the terrorist was supine on the ground with a jacket (on a hot day) and that no security officer in the field had dispelled the concern,” the organization said in a statement.

This is in direct contradiction to the IDF’s claim that the assailant had been checked and cleared of being in possession of explosives.

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Israeli companies to build smart city in Brazil

Three Israeli companies won an international competition to help create a pilot smart city in Brazil to house 20,000 residents of low socioeconomic status.

The startups won a challenge to develop high-tech solutions in security, landscaping and engineering for the future city called Croatá Laguna Ecopark in the northeastern municipality of Sao Goncalo do Amarante, the Brazilian Israelite Confederation announced Monday in its newsletter.

In most cases, the smart technology is fitted to existing cities, but the Brazilian government decided recently to try a different approach and build a smart city from scratch.

Twelve Israeli tech firms participated in the 3C Smart Cities Challenge held in Tel Aviv with cooperation from the Brazilian government; Italian group Planet Idea; the Tel Aviv University center for entrepreneurship, Startau, and the Israeli innovation center from global security conglomerate Tyco.

“Israel has positioned itself in recent years as a hub for smart city technologies, so it is natural we would take part in this unique project, which has significant impact for proving the feasibility of the technology and the vision,” Tyco Vice President Ofir Bar Levav told the Israeli business news service Globes,

The winner of the competition was Magos, which is taking part in a program by Tyco Innovation. Its technology makes available for the first time high-resolution, compact security solutions with low energy consumption and a simple installation at affordable rates to civilian clients. Second-place GreenIQ develops solutions for smart management of green spaces, offering up to 50 percent savings in water consumption. Third place went to Pixtier, which develops an engineering system to build and plan smart cities.

Planet Idea operations director Gianni Savio said smart cities are urban spaces ”in which the smartest and most economically sustainable technologies are designed and integrated,” and are also focused on social housing, ”and therefore targeting mid- and low-income levels, showing that the economical nature of a construction does not rule out its being of high quality.”

Once finished, the ecopark will cover a surface area of 330 hectares and will have about 21,000 inhabitants in 6,000 homes and almost 6,800 lots, including crafts and industrial settlements. The cost of a home of slightly more than 500 square feet is expected to be about $30,000.

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Israel’s president sends thanks to Jews in Turkey, offers assistance

President Reuven Rivlin of Israel offered assistance to the Jewish community of Turkey in the aftermath of the Istanbul terror attack that killed three Israelis and reports of planned ISIS attacks on Jewish targets.

On Tuesday, Rivlin spoke by telephone with İshak İbrahimzadeh, president of the Jewish community of Turkey, the president’s office said in a statement. The president expressed his gratitude to Ibrahimzadeh for his community’s assistance to the injured in the March 19 attack and the families of those killed. The attack may have targeted an Israeli tour group.

“Thank you for your care; you reminded us that ‘all Jews are brothers,'” Rivlin said.

Along with the three Israelis, one Iranian national died in the Istanbul attack.

Rivlin also expressed concern for the Jews of Turkey in the wake of a Sky News report Monday evening that Islamic State terrorists are planning an “imminent” attack on Jewish kindergartens, schools and youth centers in the country.

“We are very worried about the information we are receiving, and following the situation closely with the relevant authorities in Israel and Turkey,” Rivlin said.

In thanking Rivlin, İbrahimzadeh said: “Hopefully we shall overcome this soon and return to normal life. We appreciate this offer and the solidarity of the State of Israel very much.”

The Sky News report said the most likely target is a synagogue in Istanbul’s Beyoglu district, which is attached to a community center and school, the British news service reported Monday. The report is likely referring to the Neve Shalom Synagogue, which was hit by attacks in 1986 and 2003.

Just hours earlier, Israel warned its citizens living in or visiting Turkey to leave immediately, warning of an Islamic State threat.

Sky News reported seeing an intelligence report saying the Islamic State was behind the attack in Istanbul as well as the series of bombings in Brussels on March 22.

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Newly appointed Consul General in NY: J Street is ‘un-Jewish’

J Street expressed “deep concern” of the appointment of Dani Dayan, a former leader settler leader, as Israel’s Consul General in New York on Monday.

“Dayan is but the latest appointment to a senior diplomatic post of an adamant opponent of the two-state solution, whose posting will serve to inflame opponents of Israel’s policies,” J Street president Jeremy Ben-Ami said in a statement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the appointment of Dayan as Consul General of New York after he was initially tapped to become Israel’s Ambassador to Brazil, but rejected by the Brazilian government.

“Though the Prime Minister of Israel continues to express his concern that Israel does not become a binational state, he is sending as his envoy to New York a man who served for years as chairman of the settlers’ council and who revels in predicting the demise of the two-state solution,” J Steet said in its statement.

But it appears that there’s no love lost between Dayan and J Street.

During an interview with i24News’ “” target=”_blank”>FaceOff – 03/26/2016 by Newly appointed Consul General in NY: J Street is ‘un-Jewish’ Read More »

‘Kosher’ tartan celebrates Scottish, Jewish heritage

A Scottish rabbi has created what he says is the world’s only “kosher” tartan, a plaid fabric pattern that represents both Scottish and Jewish heritage.

Rabbi Mendel Jacobs has registered the design with the Scottish Tartans Authority and is selling various wool Judaica items made from it, including a prayer shawl, prayer shawl bag and kippah.

“A friend of mine told me about a Polish tartan and a Sikh tartan had been registered, so why not a Jewish one?” Jacobs, of Glasgow, told The Scotsman.

Jacobs said he selected blue and white as the main colors because they appear on both the Scottish and Israeli flags, along with a central gold line representing the gold “from the Ark in the biblical Tabernacle and many ceremonial vessels.”

The design also includes silver “to represent the silver that adorns the Scroll of the Law” and red “for the traditional red kiddush wine.”

In addition to the Judaica, Jacobs is selling other items featuring the tartan, such as a mouse pad, necktie, kilt, scarf, mug and ballpoint pen. The fabric items are made of 100 percent Scottish wool.

“The Jewish people have been an integral part of Scottish culture for more than 300 years, with the first Jew recorded in Edinburgh in 1691,” Jacobs told International Business Times UK. “In Scotland, the Jews were never persecuted and there were no pogroms, no Holocaust, no national or state-sponsored anti-Semitic laws. When England was burning and exiling its Jews in the Middle Ages, Scotland provided a safe haven from English and European anti-Semitism.”

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