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Australian attorneys want U.N. to foreswear 'lynch mob mentality'
 SYDNEY, Australia (WJC)—A group of Jewish lawyers in Australia, including World Jewish Congress Vice-President Robert Goot (at left) , has urged the United Nations not to submit to the prevailing “lynch mob mentality towards Israel.”
In its submission to the UN Human Rights Council, which is conducting an inquiry into Israel’s offensive in Gaza last January, the Australian lawyers say they were driven to act because most council members had a “long record of implacable hostility to Israel’s very existence,” which was “in direct contravention” of the UN charter.
The UN inquiry is currently conducting an inquiry into Israel’s alleged human rights violations during the Gaza War, led by Justice Richard Goldstone of South Africa. A second round of public hearings ended this week.
The submission by the Australian lawyers, which also includes Mark Dreyfus, a Jewish member of Parliament, argues that Israel was not responsible for the outbreak of hostilities in December 2008 and that its actions were proportionate to the threat posed by Hamas rockets. “Israel was lawfully entitled to use whatever force was needed to remove the danger of Hamas rockets and mortars and prevent a recurrence of the attacks on its civilians,” the lawyers wrote.
They added that they were “appalled” that the mandate of the inquiry did not include any consideration of the case of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier held by Hamas in Gaza for more than three years. “The omission from your mandate and the refusal of the NGO community to demand Red Cross access to Gilad Shalit represent a significant moral failure,” they wrote.
The final report of the inquiry is scheduled to be finalized next month and is expected to be presented to the Human Rights Council in September.
Western European imams and rabbis to tour U.S. together
NEW YORK—In conjunction with the World Jewish Congress (WJC) and the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding (FFEU), under the presidency of WJC United States chair Rabbi Marc Schneier, will be hosting 28 imams and rabbis from ten European countries from 20-23 July. Many of the participants have been involved in similar efforts in their home countries.
The purpose of the forum will be to introduce European imams and rabbis to the pioneering work that FFEU has been doing over the past two years to strengthen Muslim Jewish relations in North America, and to facilitate a dialogue between the visiting European imams and rabbis and their counterparts in the United States who have been active in the field.
The delegation of imams and rabbis will spend two days in New York, where they will join together with North American counterparts as well as American experts in the field of inter-ethnic and interfaith relations. While in New York, the delegation will meet with prominent political, civic and religious leaders, and be hosted by the United Nations and Ellis Island. They will then travel to Washington, where they will be received by Jewish and Muslim members of Congress and visit an exhibit at the US Holocaust Museum.
Rabbi Richard Marker elected chair of Jewish group engaged
in interreligious dialogue
NEW YORK (Press Release) -- IJCIC, (The International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultation) the consortium charged with representing world Jewry in its relationships with other faiths, announced the election of new officers. IJCIC which is comprised of the three major religious streams and major secular organizations has existed for over 40 years. It is widely recognized as the spokesgroup and representative body for dealings with other world religious bodies.
Rabbi Richard Marker has been elected as Chair of IJCIC after serving for two years as vice chair. Professor Lawrence Schiffman who will assume the role of Vice Chair, and Betty Ehrenberg, who will serve as Treasurer, join him.
Marker, who succeeds Rabbi David Rosen as chair, is a principal of Marker Goldsmith Philanthropy Advisors, Senor Fellow at NYU's Academy for Grantmaking and Funder Education, and an internationally known lecturer and writer about philanthropy. He has had a long career both in and outside the Jewish community, including serving as the first Jewish university employed chaplain in the Ivy League, as International Vice President of Hillel, as Executive Vice President of the now defunct Bronfman [Seagram] Foundation, as a professor, and as a management consultant. Over the past 41 years he has been active in inter-faith affairs on the local, national and now international level. Among his other current leadership roles, he also serves as co-chair of the Board of World Religious Leaders.
Marker says that "Interreligious activity is as important as at any time in the past, and it has expanded. Our work now includes not only European- and American-based Christian groups, but appropriate Muslim ones, and numerous Eastern religious traditions as well. It is a challenging time to fulfill our mandate." Marker adds that all Jews can be proud of how IJCIC provides a united and thoughtful voice for the community. "Our 40-year pluralist experience positions us well to assume our role on a more complex world scene." Marker is a delegate of the Rabbinical Assembly to the IJCIC Board.
Schiffman, who serves as Edelman Professor of Hebrew and Judaic studies and chair of the Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University is an internationally known scholar of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Rabbinic Judaism. His writings have helped to redefine our understanding of the Jewish background of Christianity. In both academic and religious contexts, he has been active throughout his career in interfaith relations. He is a member of the international team that published the entire corpus of the Dead Sea Scrolls, a past president of the Association for Jewish Studies and a Fellow of the American Academy for Jewish Research. He has served as visiting professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. He serves IJCIC as a delegate of the Orthodox Union.
Betty Ehrenberg is the Executive Director of the World Jewish Congress- United States and North America. She has held many positions in Jewish communal organizations and has worked with many diverse organizations on international issues such as the United Nations, the Middle East, and anti-Semitism, as well as on interfaith, community and government relations. In her past positions as Executive Director and Director of International and Communal Affairs of the Institute for Public Affairs of the Orthodox Union, she served as a liaison to other religious groups and as a delegate to IJCIC. She also has an extensive background in Jewish education and speaks to many international groups on a wide variety of issues. She is a delegate of the World Jewish Congress. She succeeds Seymour Reich, Esq., as Treasurer.
IJCIC was initially created to represent the world Jewish community to the Vatican. In the years since then, its mandate and involvements have expanded. IJCIC now cultivates ongoing connections to the religious leadership of numerous world religious bodies, addressing interreligious concerns and joining other faiths in addressing moral and ethical issues of common concern.
Ibim wraps up academic year; waits for babbling babies
IBIM, Israel -- The following report is from Sonny Zinger, director of the Ibim-San Diego Student Village, which is financially supported by the United Jewish Federation of San Diego County.
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"The month of June marks closures and farewells. The academic year has come to an end, our team of counselors has completed work, our students are leaving for summer
vacation, we have finished our project of securing the apartments around the village, and we are preparing for the start of our new year which begins on September 1.
"However as usual, at Ibim, there is never a lack of what to do. We are working diligently to prepare for the group of young families scheduled to arrive from the Former Soviet Union.
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Twenty families with eighteen children have already registered. Clearly, this new program is a great challenge for us and will bring with it a change of scenery in the Village. For the first time we will hear babies' babble and see toddlers taking their first steps on our lawns.
"We would like to thank all of those who were part of our efforts this past year – part of the greater San Diego- Ibim family, and wish all the best to our graduates on their future endeavors. Over the past month, we were privileged to host two groups from San Diego – Birthright and the Scott Stone tour.
"I take this opportunity to wish everyone continued fruitful cooperation in sight of our new challenges, as well as a fun and relaxing summer vacation."
NEW YORK (Press Release) —The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) mourns the death on Monday of Dr. Gary A. Tobin, a scholar, researcher and educator on current issues of concern to the Jewish community, including anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism in American schools and on college campuses.
Tobin was the president of the Institute for Jewish & Community Research in San Francisco. For 14 years, he was the Director of the Maurice and Marilyn Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University.
Among his many publications is The Uncivil University: Politics and Propaganda in American Education, in which Dr. Tobin reported on the results of his comprehensive research on anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism in American education. Dr. Tobin found that anti-Semitism exists at both public and private universities in all regions of the country, at both Ivy League schools and community colleges. He called for educating the campus community about anti-Semitism and anti-Israelism, and urged colleges and universities to address the problem by speaking out against anti-Semitic bigotry, reviewing academic departments to ensure that they are upholding honest scholarship and teaching, and protecting Jewish and pro-Israel students from harassment and intimidation.
Susan B. Tuchman, Esq., the Director of the ZOA’s Center for Law and Justice, said, “I had the privilege of testifying with Dr. Tobin at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights’ hearing on campus anti-Semitism in November 2005. Gary’s clear and comprehensive testimony, and the substantial evidence of campus anti-Semitism that he documented and submitted, were crucial to the landmark conclusions that the Commission issued, including that anti-Israelism and anti-Zionism can be manifestations of anti-Semitism and that university leaders and the government must exercise their leadership and authority in combating the problem, which affects Jewish students on campuses across the country. I have relied on Gary’s research in doing my work on behalf of the ZOA and Gary himself was always a helpful resource. It was an honor to know and work with him.”
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