Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) announced on Tuesday that the state government will place Airbnb on its Scrutinized Companies List due to the company de-listing Israeli homes in Judea and Samaria.
Being put on the aforementioned list means that Airbnb is ineligible for state investment when it goes forward with its public offering. Airbnb is the seventh company to be put on the list, but is the first American company to be put on it.
“Airbnb made a conscious decision to discriminate against the Jewish people and as governor I have an obligation to oppose policies that unfairly target the world’s only Jewish State and our greatest ally in the Middle East,” DeSantis said in a statement. “Our action today solidifies the State of Florida’s resolve to stand with Israel and if Airbnb does not denounce their previous policy of discrimination we may be compelled to explore additional action.”
Airbnb responded to the vote with a statement saying that they are opposed to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and were “disappointed” by the Florida government’ move.
“There are over 20,000 Airbnb hosts in Israel who open their doors and showcase the best of Israeli hospitality to guests from around the world, which boosts local families, businesses and communities,” the statement read. “Our community of hosts in Israel has already welcomed more than 1 million guests and we will continue to invest in Israel.”
Israeli-American Coalition for Action chairman Shawn Evenhaim praised DeSantis in a statement.
“We extend our sincere thanks to Gov. DeSantis for his continued leadership in opposing the bigotry and anti-Semitism of the BDS Movement,” Evenhaim said. “He was a champion of the issue in Congress, and now as governor he has positioned Florida at the forefront. Governor DeSantis has set an important example at a time when many states around the country have begun the process of evaluating Airbnb’s discriminatory new policy.”
Actor Jussie Smollett, best known for playing Jamal Lyon on “Empire,” was hospitalized in Chicago Jan. 29 following an assault that the Chicago Police Department is treating as a “possible hate crime.”
According to a statement released by the Chicago police department, the actor, who is openly gay, was walking when “two unknown offenders approached him and gained his attention by yelling out racial and homophobic slurs toward him.” The offenders attacked Smollett then poured an unknown chemical substance on the victim.
At one point one of the offenders “wrapped a rope around the victim’s neck.” The actor, whose father is Jewish and mother is African American, took himself to the Northwestern Hospital and is in good conditions according to the statement. Area Central Detectives are investigating.
Many went online to send support to the actor including Empire creator Lee Daniels, African-American Rights Group theGrio.com, the Anti-Defamation League and Jewish progressive group Zioness, among others.
Chicago PD reported that the attackers were yelling out racist and homophobic slurs. TMZ said the attackers yelled “This is MAGA country!” https://t.co/vWJ1HdafjD
“This reported attack on Jussie is a disturbing reminder of the terrible homophobia and racism that plagues our society,” Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. “We call on police to investigate this vile incident as a hate crime and work swiftly to bring the alleged perpetrators to justice.”
Police are asking that anyone that has information regarding the attack contact the detectives at 312-747-8382 or report anonymously to www.cpdip.com.
Airbnb is facing a discrimination lawsuit in San Francisco, where the company is based, over their policy to de-list from Israeli homes in Judea and Samaria.
The lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of five Jewish Americans – two of whom reside in Efrat – argues that Airbnb’s policy is in violation of the Fair Housing Act as well as myriad California state laws for targeting only “residents of Israeli towns in Judea and Samaria and not to listings from any Arab or Palestinian towns in the region.”
“As a result, Jews and Israelis who live in Judea and Samaria, such as the [Eve and Earl] Harows, cannot rent out their property using Airbnb and Jews and Israelis throughout the world, such as the [Fay and Neal] Shapiros and Mr. [Joel] Taubman, cannot seek to rent accommodations in Judea and Samaria using Airbnb,” a press release from the plaintiffs’ attorneys states.
“Airbnb is eyeing the Israeli market to increase its offerings in the Middle East,” attorney Marc Zell said in a statement. “It is inconceivable that Airbnb would at the same time alter its longstanding policy against complying with the anti-Semitic BDS movement by delisting Jewish/Israeli accommodations in Judea and Samaria, while continuing to permit Arab homeowners located literally across the road to participate in the Airbnb program. This lawsuit aims to put an end to this nefarious policy.”
Airbnb did not respond to the Journal’s request for comment as of publication time.
In November, Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt wrote in a letter to Airbnb that they were “dismayed” by the company’s policy and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement will “view it as a victory for their hateful campaign against Israel.” Airbnb has insisted that they do not support the BDS movement and that their policy will be implemented in other disputed territories.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) has been facing questions over being a pictured with an avowed Hezbollah supporter; she has now said that she doesn’t know who he is.
On January 12, Tlaib was seen in a photograph with Abbas Hamideh, who has repeatedly expressed support for Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah at her swearing-in ceremony. Tlaib can also be seen in a picture with Hamideh in April 2018.
Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt is among those who have called for Tlaib to clarify her association with Hamideh.
Tlaib told the Detroit Free Press on Friday that she didn’t “know him and the ceremony was open to anyone who wanted to come, no names taken.”
“A photo does not mean I agree with anything someone says. It is obvious this man thrives on media attention from his recent posts,” Tlaib said. “It’s unfortunate that he was successful. I do not agree with the statements brought to my attention.”
Hamideh told The Daily Caller the day before he became acquainted with Tlaib when he decided to support her congressional bid but they don’t have a “close relationship.”
“Now, she knows me well, don’t get me wrong, and I know her well through her campaign and stuff like that— like we’ve met numerous times [at] numerous events,” Hamideh said.
When the name Nobel comes to mind, most think of the famous Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the invention of dynamite and the prestigious prize awarded to some of the greatest innovators and activists in the world. But few know that Alfred Nobel had two brothers that amassed a major part of the family wealth from their dominance in the oil industry of Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan, which, at the end of the 19th century was producing 50 percent of the world’s oil.
Alfred Nobel never actually visited Azerbaijan, but his brothers, Robert and Ludvig, and their descendants, spent decades living there, on a mansion called Villa Petrolea, surrounded by their fruitful oil fields. It was clear that the Nobel brothers didn’t simply view Azerbaijan as a place to do business; they were known to love Baku and the unique history of Azerbaijan.
It’s somewhat ironic to recall the October 1990 Nobel Peace Prize Committee announcement that Mikhail Gorbachev, president of the Soviet Union at the time, would be awarded the most prestigious Nobel Peace Prize. Ironic because of the violence and criminality associated with his leadership. In Azerbaijan, hundreds of innocent, civilian lives were lost to the actions of Gorbachev, and our nation is not alone in that. Ten months before the prize was awarded, Gorbachev sent 26,000 Soviet troops to Baku with orders to kill peaceful demonstrators indiscriminately, who were demanding freedom for Azerbaijan from the Soviet Union.
On that day, January 20, 1990, hundreds of men, women, children were slaughtered, and approximately 1,000 were wounded in a massacre, which the Human Rights Watch would later call a “collective punishment.” This marked the first time the Soviet Army took one of its own cities by force. Lives were stolen from Muslim, Christian and Jewish communities — nobody was safe during those most chilling days in Baku, when human beings were hunted on the streets and in their homes simply for their desire to be free.
The Soviet empire was collapsing, and Baku was Gorbachev’s last stand at exerting power and terror over the region. Fortunately, he failed, and in the days following the massacre, thereafter known to the world as “Black January,” more than 1 million Azerbaijanis flooded the streets of Baku to mourn the victims, to show to the world that despite Soviet aggression they would not live in fear, and stand up and celebrate the failure of the Soviets’ last attempt to stop them achieving the freedom of their nation.
The march and general strike in honor of those lives lost to tyranny lasted 40 days, and regenerated the spirit and resolve of the Azerbaijani people to continue embracing progress and peace and to stand bravely in the face of brutality. Later, Azerbaijan became one of the first Soviet republics to declare its sovereignty, and its independence was fully restored, following the collapse of the USSR in 1991.
I cannot imagine the reaction of Ludvig and Robert Nobel, were they still in the world, to learn that their Peace Prize had been awarded to a man who murdered and wounded so many civilians in a nation they not only called home for many years. A nation where they made a significant amount of their family fortune, much of which went to fund the Peace Prize, to the extent that the prize would not be possible without it. A nation that they spent their personal funds beautifying, where they built homes and dreams for the future, and where they lived among Azerbaijani people, side by side, as friends and neighbors.
Thankfully today, 29 years after the tragedy of Black January, Azerbaijan continues to thrive, in energy, technology, diplomacy and as a model for multicultural and multifaith harmony, where Muslims, Christians, Jews, Baha’is and others live in peace, dignity and mutual respect. The spirit of Nobel—of innovation, courage, creativity and hope— is still embodied in Baku and across the entirety of our nation.
The Nobel brothers y would be so pleased with present-day Azerbaijan, as a leader in business and energy today, and undoubtedly a leader in what matters most of all—peace.
A team of Israeli scientists are claiming that they have found a cure for cancer, and it will be available in a year’s time.
The Jerusalem Post reports that the Accelerated Evolution Biotechnologies (AEBi) company is utilizing peptides, which are chains of amino acids, to target and kill cancer cells without affecting the healthy cells in a patient’s body.
The treatment, which AEBi is calling MuTaTo (multi-target toxin), would involve patients providing part of their biopsy for doctors to determine the specific cancer cells to target, and then form a molecule cocktail to destroy the tumor.
“Our cancer cure will be effective from day one, will last a duration of a few weeks and will have no or minimal side-effects at a much lower cost than most other treatments on the market,” AEBi board chairman Dan Aridor told the Post. “Our solution will be both generic and personal.”
However, some doctors are skeptical about the approach, arguing that peptides are too short-lived to carry out a sustained attack on cancer cells and that the AEBi’s treatment has only been used on mice.
“As experience has taught us so many times, the gap from a successful mouse experiment to effective, beneficial application of exciting laboratory concepts to helping cancer patients at the bedside is in fact a long and treacherous journey, filled with unforeseen and unanticipated obstacles,” Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society (ACS), told the UK Daily Mail.
This article has been modified to state that Dr. Lichtenfeld is the chief medical officer of the American Cancer Society.
“Would you be interested to hear about how to survive aliyah, make it through the IDF as a Lt. Col., have the door slammed in your face, have people stand on your shoulders when you remove money from the cash machine, and peak over your shoulder at the pharmacists to see what types of medication you use, and much more… then we should talk. I do have a crazy life story and look forward to sharing it with you and your podcast audience.”
We took the bait.
Daniel Beaudoin (PhD, Lt. Col. Ret) is a speaker, educator and writer from Israel. He offers incisive and behind the scenes analysis on the assault on Israel by the UN and the international aid organizations who operate in the West Bank and the Gaza strip. He teaches on human rights, humanitarian operations and conflict resolution at Tel Aviv University. He is also a successful survivor of Aliyah and lives to tell the story.
A new group called the Democratic Majority for Israel has been formed by veteran Democrats aiming to promote support for Israel among Democrats.
The group is headed by Democratic pollster Mark Mellman, strategist Ann Lewis and J.P. Morgan executive Todd Richman. Former Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) and Henry Cisneros, who served as the secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under President Clinton, are among those serving on the group’s board.
According to Haaretz, the goal of the group is “to convince progressive Democrats to adopt a more traditional, pro-Israeli policy line.”
“Most Democrats are strongly pro-Israel and we want to keep it that way,” Mellman told The New York Times. “There are a few discordant voices, but we want to make sure that what’s a very small problem doesn’t metastasize into a bigger problem.”
The Times notes that the group might also start to get involved in primaries to support pro-Israel Democrats, such as Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who might face a primary challenge over his support for Israel.
Halie Soifer, executive director of the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA), said in a statement, “JDCA welcomes the establishment of the Democratic Majority for Israel. While our mission is distinct from DMFI’s, we welcome additional pro-Israel voices and look forward to working with DMFI to elect Democrats in 2020.”
Soifer continued, “JDCA is the only organization serving as the voice of Jewish Democrats, mobilizing the Jewish electorate to support Democrats who share our socially progressive and pro-Israel values. JDCA advocates for a values-driven agenda including, but not limited to, U.S. support of Israel. This past election, JDCA engaged more than half a million Jewish Democrats in a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) effort to elect House and Senate Democrats. We look forward to building on this work in 2020 to support Democrats who share our values.”
The establishment of DMFI comes as newly elected Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) have received attention for their open support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Tlaib has come under criticism for her associations with anti-Israel figures and for posting a “Palestine” sticky note over a map of Israel in her office; Omar has been criticized for accusing Israel of “hypnotizing the world.”
Vandals broke into the Siah Yisrael synagogue in Jerusalem Jan. 28, damaging Torah scrolls, walls and other Jewish ritual objects. Members of the synagogue found the items early Jan. 29 scattered across the floor.
“This morning we were shown a shocking case of the desecration of a synagogue and destruction of Torah Scrolls in Kiryat Yovel,” Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said in a statement. “This was a serious incident that is reminiscent of dark times of the Jewish people; we will not allow crimes like this to occur in our time.”
Photos obtained from the Jerusalem Post show the Torah scrolls dirty and dusty and a hole cut into the side of the art.
According to the JTA, the synagogue does not have any security cameras.
“I am shocked at the desecration of a synagogue in Jerusalem,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. “The police must immediately find those responsible in order to bring them to justice.”
Israeli politician and former Speaker of the Knesset Reuven Rivlin, wrote on Twitter, hoping that the Israeli police find the people responsible and “bring them to justice.”
תמונות קשות ומכאיבות הבוקר מבית הכנסת בקרית יובל. אני בטוח שמשטרת ישראל תגיע אל מחלליו ותביאם לדין במהרה על מנת להבטיח כי מראות שכאלה לא ישנו. pic.twitter.com/OFi3lZxOHR
The Jerusalem Post also reported that this attack comes after attacks on two synagogues in the central coastal city of Netanya. The Netan Ya Reform congregation was flooded on the night of Jan. 26 when unknown vandals broke in and placed a hose through it with the water running. Prayer books, furniture and building infrastructure was ruined by the water, which was knee-deep as of Jan 27.
The same weekend, prayer books were burned at the Orthodox synagogue McDonald International Shul (or New Synagogue) in Netanya, where the words “Hail Satan” were found graffitied on the wall.
“Two synagogues were vandalized in one week, the first in Netanya, and the second one – this morning in Jerusalem, our capital” Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein told The Jerusalem Post. “It happened here, in the Jewish state.”
While many Jews around the world remembered and honored those who perished in the Shoah on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Jan. 27, The World Congress Of GLBT Jews (Keshet Ga’avah), celebrated the documentation of its 30-year history.
“We had nothing written to witness for future generations,” World Congress President Franck Giaoui said. “How do you do [that]? In the future people would not have witnessed [what happened] 40 years ago so how do you remember? We decided to make a book.”
“Kol Koleinu (“All Our Voices” in Hebrew): From the Closet to the Bimah – A Legacy For Future Generations And All Communities” features the voices of Jewish members of the LGBTQ community and their struggles of being minorities within minorities.
Giaoui was one of several event coordinators for the launch at the Los Angeles Sculpture Gallery and said he was delighted to see “Koleinu” circulate in so many hands.
Giaoui grew up in France, was raised to be an activist, and joined several Jewish and LGBTQ organizations before moving to New York to oversee World Congress. One of the biggest reasons he wanted to create “Kol Koleinu” was to “write and preserve LGBTQ history” and share those voices on a global scale.
According to its mission statement, the non-profit operates as a “worldwide voice for LGBTQIA+ Jews,” striving to educate and strengthen the sense of community to ensure diversity and inclusivity. World Congress, which officially got its title at San Francisco in 1980, has chapters in the Americas, Europe and the Middle East and works with these countries to set up conferences, translate materials and meet other specific needs they desire.
World Congress has previously held conferences in Argentina, Israel and Italy. This year’s conference will be in Sydney, Australia from March 21-24.
Harper Shecter, one of the other main coordinators of the event, immersed herself with The World Congress in 2018 after being asked to share her Jewish transgender journey in “Kol Koleinu.”
“They realized they didn’t have enough transgender representation,” Shecter told the Journal. “There was an issue before at one of the prior conferences where some things weren’t really known, and someone was made to feel uncomfortable. I don’t think it was anyone’s fault. I think it was circumstantial not really having the information in front of them so it was imperative to them to have someone who could talk about trans right and the transgender experience.”
Shecter is one of more than 50 people who share their stories in the book. The chapters include anti-Semitism, interfaith relationships, gender and different Jewish LGBTQ experiences around the world.
“There’s so many places that have different experiences and it [the book] captures the image of what it’s like day to day with a certain struggle. It’s a collective as a Jew or as a LGBTQ person,” Shecter said.
The World Congress has many allies around the world including Los Angeles’ French Consul General Christophe Lemoine, who not only attended the event with his partner but was the keynote speaker.
(From left) World Congress President Franck Giaoui and Los Angeles’ French Consul General Christophe Lemoine at the “Kol Koleinu” book launch Jan. 27. Photo by Erin Ben-Moche
Lemoine, whose involvement in French politics spans decades, said he was proud to represent France at the event.
“France isn’t France without the Jewish community. It’s a very old Jewish community and it’s part of France. We need them to live in this community without fear.” he told the Journal.
“Anti-semitism is an old thing but we try to have measures and educate people to stop,” Lemoine added. “There was a plan launched in 2012 after the attack of a Jewish school in Toulouse, and there were measures taken against anti-semitism about educating people and fighting it and we saw a decrease…we were happy about this. It’s an ongoing effort. It’s something you don’t stop until there’s zero attacks.”
Giaoui said until recently the organization had little involvement in the United States because it was seen as a “progressive space.” His first exposure to 21st-century anti-semitism in the States happened at the Chicago Dyke March in 2017.
“We weren’t expecting to have anti-semitism in the U.S.,” Giaoui said. “It’s very surprising that people in the LGBTQ community, especially some activists, were very politicized and it was difficult… Unfortunately, I think the anti-semitism is mixing with anti-Zionism and I think we have to now tackle this issue not only in older conservative European countries [but] in the U.S.”
Giaoui hopes that “Kol Koleinu” helps educate many Jewish people around the world and many non-Jews. He said he became more educated about LGBTQ issues from reading stories about transgender experiences, the first gay couple in Latin America to legally adopt and more about interfaith relationships. He hopes that more people become allies from reading the book and potentially forming more chapters in areas that need it.
“We are not fighting anti-Semitism with only Jewish people,” Giaoui said. We need allies and we have to be generally concerned with not just ourselves and this is how we build bridges. I was born into a Muslim country and then I moved to France where I was the only [Arab] around my friends. So then I was gay in a conservative family. We are always the minority to someone else, we are always a stranger to someone, but at the end of the day we are all one. Our belief is that we have to widen our minds in order to be successful, otherwise we won’t succeed.”
To learn more about The World Congress or “Kol Koleinu: From the Closet to the Bimah A Legacy For Future Generations And All Communities” visit their website.
