Facebook has announced that they have removed several pages, accounts and groups connected to Iran that they say promulgated disinformation of United States politics leading up to the upcoming midterm elections.
Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook’s head of cybersecurity policy, stated that Facebook has taken down 82 pages, accounts and groups that engaged in “inauthentic behavior,” which included posts “about politically charged topics such as race relations, opposition to the President, and immigration.”
Examples of such posts included a fake Time magazine cover of President Trump that stated, “The worst, most hated president in American history!” as well as a photo of UK Labour Party Leader Jeremy Corbyn attributing the following quote to him: “The idea that somehow or other you can deal with all the problems in the world by banning a religious group from entering the U.S.A. is offensive and absurd.”
While Gleicher said they could tie some of the removed accounts, groups and pages to Iran’s state media, they could not establish a concrete connection between them and the Iranian government.
“Free and fair elections are the heart of every democracy and we’re committed to doing everything we can to prevent misuse of Facebook at this critical time for our country,” Gleicher said.
Ben Nimmo of The Atlantic Research Council’s Digital Lab said that the propaganda disseminated from the Iranian accounts resembled “left-leaning Americans to amplify divisions over politically charged issues in the U.S.” and they followed a similar playbook that the Russians used in the 2016 elections, according to USA Today.
Facebook also removed accounts for spreading Iranian disinformation in August. There was some overlap between those accounts and the ones removed in October.
Swarthmore’s Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) chapter is calling on the university to divest from companies that do business with the Israel.
The Phoenix, Swarthmore’s student newspaper, reports that SJP held a rally on Oct. 9 calling on the school to divest from seven specific companies – a list that included Boeing, Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard, Hyundai and Hewlett-Packard – that “are complicit in Israeli settlement of disputed land.”
“I think the goal is more broadly is several things: get Israel to end the blockade on Gaza, get Israel to end its military occupation of the West Bank, and allow Palestinians the right of return, which they are guaranteed under international law,” SJP member Fouad Dakwar said at the rally.
Swarthmore Students for Israel wrote in an Oct. 10 statement on Facebook that they “vehemently condemn” SJP’s latest announcement:
Israel is an issue that supersedes religious and political lines and we firmly stand with the Pro-Israel community, both Jewish and non-Jewish alike. As such we recognize the variety of opinions within the pro-Israel spectrum but come together with the soul binding belief that Israel has the right to exist and that the Jewish people have a right to self-determination. Furthermore, Swarthmore College prides itself on critical thinking, open dialogue, and respect for each other’s humanity and right to existence. The BDS movement has proven time and time again that it strictly opposes every single one of these values.
At this time we are unaware how SJP plans to initiate this campaign or how it will manifest, but our student and alumni community can rest assured that we will do our utmost to combat it in all forms as it reveals itself. When the time comes, we hope our allies will reach out and help us defeat this.
The reality stands that pro-Israel and Jewish students are harassed and/or assaulted, both on the national level and within the Swarthmore community. It is unacceptable. The support is here. The community is here. We are here.
Swarthmore Students for Israel’s co-president, Rebekah Katz, wrote an op-ed in The Phoenix titled “BDS is a Denial of My Existence” arguing that while she is a progressive who is critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and supportive of a two-state solution, SJP seeks to destroy Israel altogether:
In my experience, however, advocates of Students for Justice in Palestine don’t necessarily see my viewpoint. They often make the claim Zionism is defined as white supremacy and colonialism, and advocate for BDS as a solution to that erroneous definition, and fail to recognize the spectrum of opinions within the pro-Israel community. If they’re going to draw these conclusions, than they also need to understand how the organizations and movements they support reflect terribly on the cause they claim to be fighting for. When I see Students for Justice in Palestine, I see their co-founder Hatem Bazian perpetuating blatant antisemitism on Twitter by retweeting memes of a foolishly depicted Hassidic men with the overlay “Mom, look! I is chosen! And now I rape, smuggle or steal the land of the Palestinians! #Ashke #Nazi;” I see aggressive and intimidating protest exhibited at UCLA’s Indigenous Peoples Unite panel discussion; I see major activists tweeting (and deleting) things like “‘I would have killed all the jews in the world, But I kept some to show the world why I killed them’ -Hitler- #PrayForGaza #PrayForPalestina.” I see support for indiscriminate rocket fire from Gaza landing in civilian homes filled with mothers and children and stabbing attacks and shootings, and blatant conflations of anti-Zionism and antisemitism perpetuated by their own advocates despite my hearing their own constant assertions that they are not the same thing.
Katz added that the SJP-BDS crowd tends to view Israel as simply being a safe haven of “white European and American” Jews, yet ignore the fact that Israel is a place of refuge for “Jews of color in the Yemeni, Mizrachi, North Africa, Sephardic, and Arab communities.”
“To advocate for the disintegration of the Jewish state via BDS is to advocate for the displacement of these very people,” Katz wrote. “And so how do I disregard the reality that the Jewish people are still in danger to this day, that six million of my people were massacred no more than 80 years ago and the constantly impending fear that there’s no telling when a massacre may happen again? How am I supposed to throw away the level of protection that Israel provides by supporting its disintegration? How am I supposed to ignore the millennia of pain my own people have faced? And so, how could I possibly support a movement that, at its core, threatens to take that away?”
Swarthmore Vice President of Finance and Administration Greg Brown told The Phoenix that the university does not divest from companies based on political purposes.
“The investment guidelines of the Board of Managers clearly state that endowment investment decisions are made without regard to social issues,” Brown said.
SJP’s prior activity on Swarthmore’s campus includes protesting a Swarthmore Students for Israel and CAMERA event on campus and calling for the school to boycott Sabra hummus. The university responded to the hummus protest by offering an alternate brand of hummus in addition to Sabra hummus.
The leader of a Southern California white supremacist group and two of its members were arrested on Oct. 21 and 24.
The three men – Robert Rundo, Tyler Laube, and Robert Boman – were arrested for organizing and participating in riots as part of the Rise Above Movement (RAM) group. Rundo is the leader of the group’s MMA (mixed martial arts) training program and has a prior conviction of assault with a weapon.
A fourth person, Aaron Eason, also faces charges but has not been arrested yet.
RAM has been connected to riots in Berkeley, Huntington Beach and Charlottesville, according to The Los Angeles Times.
Oren Segal, director of the Anti-Defamation League’s (ADL) Center on Extremism, told ProPublica, “RAM operates like an alt-right street-fighting club,” as RAM trains its members to physically attack its enemies.
The ProPublica report notes several RAM members have criminal histories and there are several altercations recorded on video involving RAM members.
For more on RAM, read the ADL’s profile on them here.
The first female to have her own one-hour comedy special on television, Elayne Boosler has always been an innovator. Beyond being a prolific stand-up comic and actress, Boosler has also been an active philanthropist, author and political activist. Simply put, she has remained busy for decades doing great projects that are meaningful to her.
The latest release from Elayne Boosler is “Timeless,” a boxed set that features her latest album, “The 50/50 Club.” I had the pleasure of speaking with her about “Timeless” and plenty more.
Jewish Journal: How long did you spend writing “The 50/50 Club?” Were you testing it on the road before filming the special?
Elayne Boosler: I don’t actually sit down and “write” my stage shows. I just read a lot all day, go onstage, talk about what stuck, what made an impression, and pieces of material kind of grow out of all that. You go on each night and they get honed. It’s very organic. I figure if something made an impression on me it probably resonated with the audience too, as I’m pretty average.
JJ: Your boxed set, “Timeless” — which includes “The 50/50 Club” — spans decades of your career. Did you always own the rights to some of your older specials? Or is that a more recent development?
EB: I’ve always owned my own shows because no one would hire me in the early days. When I finally found a way to pay for my first special myself — let’s just say nudity, drugs, modern art, oysters and a piano were involved — I licensed it instead of selling it. I didn’t know anything, it was a lucky happenstance. So when I continued to do specials, I made sure I always owned them myself. They’re mine! All mine!
JJ: “Timeless” promotion aside, what is coming up for you?
EB: I’m taking a break after 46 years of nonstop stand-up comedy on the road. “But I always wanted to see you live!” “You had 46 years to buy a ticket, b**ch, not my problem anymore.” I’m working on several books I have been writing for many years, and now I will be able to finish them. And of course I run Tails Of Joy (www.tailsofjoy.net), the nationwide, non-profit, all species of animal rescue I founded 20 years ago. That alone is a full-time job. And we’re all volunteer, nobody gets paid. A labor of love, heartbreak and poverty.
JJ: I have heard mixed reviews from comics that actually lived through that era. How do you feel about the show “I’m Dying Up Here?”
EB: The book the show is based on captured the overall “Mise–en-scène,” but the details were so strikingly inaccurate throughout, that for me and most of my comedian friends, it was a work of fiction. As for the TV show, I’m just happy when my friends get work.
JJ: Your husband Bill has managed some of the biggest names in rock history. Did you open for a lot of musicians way back when?
EB: Back in the day all comedians started out opening for music acts. It could be a blessing or a curse. Believe me, I wouldn’t want to have to sit through me if I was waiting for Lady Gaga to come out. But the good part was I got to see the greatest acts in the country for free every night.
JJ: So when not busy with work, how do you like to spend your free time?
EB: I love writing, always considered that my job definition, so writing articles and continuing to work on the books is a joy for me. Animal rescue through the email rescue tree continues all day long; I spend half my day calling veterinarians all across the country, paying for dogs or cats that tiny rescue groups are bringing in, but can’t afford to pay for. That’s part of what Tails Of Joy does, keep the littlest guys from falling through the cracks.
My husband Bill has driven motorcycles his entire life— not Harleys, “Get a muffler!” — so we’ll take off on long weekend roundtrips. Sometimes all the way up to Monterey and back from Friday to Sunday, a bit rough on the body and the marriage. We just love taking off in the car and going, anywhere, without reservations, and seeing how it shakes out.
Even more challenging when you have two big dogs with you, but it’s accounted for some of the funniest stories ever. Or we’ll take the dogs to Malibu and I’ll watch Bill surf, the dogs will swim out and he’ll ride them back on the board. We are the oldest hipsters out there. I wanna be me when I grow up.
JJ: Is there something you wish more people knew about Elayne Boosler?
EB: I think you all know enough.
JJ: How did you first get involved with the world of animal rescue?
EB: Everyone loves animals. I always knew one day I would find the best way to help within my abilities. It’s really deepened my bond with the audience, taking it from having comedy fans to having a deep connection based on our love of saving strays and animals’ lives.
People can ask for and get help when they need it, animals have no chance if not for us. And every time we save an animal we’re helping a person, or a family, too. Animals bring out the compassion in a society, without that we are doomed to savagery, so it’s an important thing to nurture.
JJ: Finally, Elayne, any last words for the kids?
EB: Everyone says to me, “When I get time and/or money I want to help save animals, too.” Listen, you do not have to wait. Just because you can’t do everything doesn’t mean you can’t do anything. Amazon has a charity program. If you shop at Amazon, start at smile.amazon.com. Choose “Tails Of Joy, Studio City” as your chosen charity, bookmark it, start there every time, and Amazon will donate a portion of your shopping to us every time you shop. You don’t have to do anything else and it costs you nothing.
Do you know how important that one thing is to us? If everyone reading this does that, I guarantee you we can save a thousand more homeless and desperate dogs, cats, bunnies, chimps, injured wildlife and sea life, etc. etc. this year, and you can read all about our wonderful work on our website, www.tailsofjoy.net. Just do that and you’ll truly be a rescuer.
More on Elayne Boosler, including tour dates and information on her books, can be found online at www.elayneboosler.com.
I read an article recently about a person whose frequent flyer program had failed to deduct 50,000 miles from his account for an award ticket.
“These big corporations cheat us so often,” he wrote.”I deserve this. Besides, they will never catch it.”
His post reminded me of a teaching from the Talmud: Rava taught, “When a person dies and is brought in for his final judgement he is asked: were you ethical in your business dealings?” (Shabbat 31a).
What does this mean for us?
When we receive change at the grocery,
When we take an excess amount of free samples at the bakery,
When we notice a bank error in our favor,
When we find money on the ground, …
The opportunity exists in any given moment in time to make an ethical decision.
And while the business owner may never know, that’s not the point.
WE know. It’s not about them. It’s about us! It’s about living a life of goodness.
Doing the right thing, even when no one is watching, is the cornerstone of integrity. So when the bank error is in our favor, we may, in reality, be the ones who lose when we don’t do the right thing!
With love and shalom,
Rabbi Zach Shapiro
A change in perspective can shift the focus of our day – and even our lives. We have an opportunity to harness “a moment in time,” allowing our souls to be both grounded and lifted. This blog shows how the simplest of daily experiences can become the most meaningful of life’s blessings. All it takes is a moment in time. Rabbi Zach Shapiro is the Spiritual Leader of Temple Akiba of Culver City, a Reform Jewish Congregation in California. He earned his B.A. in Spanish from Colby College in 1992, and his M.A.H.L. from HUC-JIR in 1996. He was ordained from HUC-JIR – Cincinnati, in 1997. He was appointed to the HUC-JIR Board of Governors in 2018.
This World Series has been a real nail biter. So, as Dodger fans, let’s cheer on our home team with some easy Dodger-themed floral arrangements in vases featuring those perennial baseball snacks — peanuts and Cracker Jack.
The vase-in-vase technique used to display the peanuts and Cracker Jack is a nifty trick that you can adapt to any occasion. Fill the space between the vases with fruit slices, candy, leaves — use your imagination.
What you’ll need: Large vase
Small vase or drinking glass
Peanuts and/or Cracker Jack
Flowers
Blue ribbon or paper
1. To create the vase-in-vase arrangement, gather two vases — one large and one small. The small vase should fit into the larger one so there is a gap of about one inch. Fill the small vase halfway with water.
2. In the gap between the vases, place the peanuts or Cracker Jack. If your gap is tight and they fit on only one side, that’s fine.
3. Place flowers in the inner vase that contains water. Because this is a Dodgers arrangement, select blue or white flowers.
4. Wrap a blue ribbon around the vase. If you don’t have a ribbon, you can use a thin blue piece of paper as the ribbon. Print out a Dodgers logo, cut it out and glue it to the ribbon in front.
Jonathan Fong is the author of “Flowers That Wow” and “Parties That Wow,” and host of “Style With a Smile” on YouTube. You can see more of his do-it-yourself projects at jonathanfongstyle.com.
