Shalom ZOA Members, Friends and Supporters of Israel,

We hope that our newsletter finds you and your loved ones well.

You are most likely not yet thinking about Chanukah, which begins at sundown on December 10. But now is the time to think “Buy Israel” for the annual commemoration of a miraculous Jewish military and cultural victory. There are many opportunities to buy gifts from Israel such as hand-crafted jewelry or artwork, to Chanukiot, to chocolate gelt. Buying from Israel helps Israeli businesses that may be struggling with lack of tourism as a result of Corona virus restrictions and it helps counter the anti-Jewish BDS movement. When you search for products online, make sure that you are buying from Israeli businesses or products that are actually made in Israel. Some items can be purchased in local businesses including wines, or snacks including Bamba.

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On the topic of BDS, the combined tactics of boycotting, divesting from and sanctioning the Jewish state are becoming more apparent to others as merely as a manifestation of Jew-hatred as more Arab states forge open relations with Israel. Israeli media are filled with reports that Sudan will announce plans to “normalize” relations with Israel as early as this weekend thanks to the diplomatic efforts of the Trump administration along with prevailing trends in the Middle East. Khartoum, Sudan was where the famous “Three Nos” were announced by the Arab League in September, 1967 in response to Israel’s generous offer to relinquish nearly all of the territories gained in her Six-Day War victory – in exchange for peace with Egypt and Syria. “No peace with Israel, no negotiations with Israel, no recognition of Israel” said the Arab League.

Today while the Arab nations themselves embrace Israel and ramp up commerce with Israel, student groups and students ramp up their BDS efforts on campuses throughout America. Advocates for Israel can use the developments with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and soon Sudan to expose the hate and cynicism at the root of BDS.

Congressional Candidates Questionnaire

Earlier this week we released the responses to our 2020 Congressional Candidates Questionnaire, an informational guide to the opinions and positions of those candidates who opted to participate. ZOA does not endorse candidates. In case you missed our email on the subject you can view the results at: https://philly.zoa.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/10/candidates-questionnaire-2020-results-responses.pdf

Friends: If you can help Greater Philadelphia ZOA by making phone calls (no soliciting!) and/or help with a mailing from your home or office, please call Executive Director Steve Feldman at 610-660-9466.

Thank you!

 

Please Support Greater Philadelphia ZOA’s Vital Work!

https://zoa.org/donate/philly/

Send checks payable to ZOA to: ZOA, PO Box 56, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004.

Thank you in advance!

Let’s Talk About Zionism, Israel and ZOA – From the Comfort of Your Home:

Call our office at 610-660-9466 to make an appointment for a virtual conversation with Executive Director Steve Feldman.

 

 

Shalom ZOA Members, Friends and Supporters of Israel,

Greater Philadelphia ZOA is once again calling on you to help us help Israel, the Jewish community and the relationship between the United States and the Jewish state.

• We need you to help amplify our work through your advocacy.
• We need you to volunteer your time and skills to help us reach more people.
• We need you to financially support our work.

ZOA staff and lay leaders are incessantly engaged in supporting and defending Israel, combatting Jew-hatred and strengthening the bonds between Israel and America in a number of arenas. Most of what we do occurs “behind-the-scenes” in the “trenches.” We do not issue news releases on everything that we accomplish and the media fails to report on most of what we do – but nevertheless we are doing. But we cannot do it alone. Please engage in the advocacy – whether it is directed at media, schools, politicians or even talking to family and friends. Help educate them; offer them facts; stimulate their intellect.

Greater Philadelphia ZOA needs to reach more people and be in touch more efficiently with our members and supporters, and to accomplish this we need volunteers. If you can spare some time and skills to make calls and do some internet research from your home, please call Executive Director Steve Feldman. There is no soliciting involved in this project!

Your contributions are the fuel that gives us the ability to continue our work at the high-level that you are accustomed to and that the causes we are engaged in require. If you have not made a donation to our chapter recently, please consider doing so now. If you have given us a donation earlier this year, please consider another donation now if you are able. Due to the COVID-19 epidemic, many of our typical fundraising efforts have been hampered.

To learn about advocacy, please see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yg5nD7UHyE

And: https://philly.zoa.org/join-zoa-philly/advocacyactivism-how-to/

And: https://philly.zoa.org/pdf-resources/

To volunteer, please call Steve at 610-660-9466.

To donate: Send a check to P.O. Box 56, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004 or click on https://zoa.org/donate/philly/

Thank you in advance!

Click all images to enlarge.

Now Available on YouTube:

Last night, Greater Philadelphia ZOA had the privilege of featuring two excellent scholars, Dr. Eunice G. Pollack and Dr. Charles Asher Small, to discuss the important topic “Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam: Jew-Hatred, Inc.” for a special virtual event. Due to human error, the first 10 minutes of this event was not recorded. We deeply apologize to our guests and sponsor. This event was sponsored by Betsy and David Rentz. We thank them for their support. See the video on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/ANOEelnwv7Y.

To support Greater Philadelphia ZOA and learn more about our work and advocacy, please go to www.philly.zoa.org

To sponsor an upcoming Greater Philadelphia ZOA virtual event, call Steve Feldman at 610-660-9466.

Friends: If you can help Greater Philadelphia ZOA by making phone calls (no soliciting!) and/or help with a mailing, please call Executive Director Steve Feldman at 610-660-9466.

Thank you!

Please Support Greater Philadelphia ZOA!

Now more than ever ZOA’s strong voice is needed locally and nationally, and your donations and participation give us that strength and the fuel we need. The level of anti-Israel and anti-Zionist rhetoric and activity in schools, on social media and traditional media and in the political arena is unprecedented in its brazenness. While much of the nation remains shutdown, the Jew-haters have not skipped a beat. Please help us expose them, refute their lies and distortions, and offer a remedy to those who they have “poisoned.”

Please make a donation now, while you are thinking about it, to help Greater Philadelphia ZOA.

Go to:

https://zoa.org/donate/philly/

Or you can send a check to:

ZOA

PO Box 56

Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004

Questions, Concerns, Suggestions?

Want to have a better understand about Israel, or Zionism, or an aspect of the Middle East or the “peace process”?

Want to know more about ZOA or what we are doing, or want to become more involved in our organization?

Let’s “meet” via Zoom to discuss Israel, Zionism, the Jewish community and related matters, plus the Zionist Organization of America, what we do and how you can help us. All questions answered!

Email Steve at [email protected] to make an appointment or call 610-660-9466.

For the Yom Tovim and Break-the-Fast:

Donate

 

 

Shalom ZOA Members, Friends and Supporters of Israel,

We hope that this week’s newsletter finds you and your loved ones in good health and that the impact of the pandemic is minimal for you and your family.

As you know, ZOA locally and nationally are functioning apace: fighting the battles, educating the public, promoting and defending Israel, and preparing for upcoming struggles to ensure a strong, secure and vibrant Jewish state of Israel; a strong mutually beneficial US-Israel relationship; and the well-being and security of the American Jewish community.

In addition to all of the above, we have lately offered more programming than ever before via our webinars and virtual events generated both locally and nationally. We have brought you live the perspectives of Zionists from around the world; we have conducted a seminar to show how current and historical maps can be used effectively to make the case of our deep and longstanding connection to our Homeland; and a thoughtful presentation by Naphtali Perlberger on our connection to our G-d-given Land that has nothing to do with the United Nations or Balfour. National ZOA has taken you live to Jerusalem, presented outstanding authors and insights from our in-house experts on our staff. More outstanding programming is on the way including two special Philadelphia-based virtual events next week (see flyers and details below).

We need your financial support especially at this time to continue the kind of work frankly that only ZOA does. We realize that many of you have been severely impacted by the pandemic and related closures and quarantine and that you cannot help us at this time. But for those who can, please contribute to Greater Philadelphia ZOA (see details below) as best as you are able.

It was ZOA that exposed and led the way to show the danger that a Conference of Presidents led by a former HIAS official could pose to support for Israel; it is ZOA that pushed harder than anyone for Title VI to protect Jewish students on America’s campuses; it was ZOA that since 1995 relentlessly urged the moving of the US Embassy to Jerusalem; it was ZOA that protested Marc Lamont Hill on Temple University’s campus and took our effort to have him removed directly to Temple’s Board; it is ZOA that has fought the BDS movement with a proactive, positive “Buy Israel” campaign; it is ZOA that gives the community the advocacy resources and tools to defend Israel. Of course these are only a fraction of ZOA’s activities.

The next battles will include fighting for Israel’s right to extend sovereignty to Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, exposing the increasing anti-Jewish and anti-Israel activities by elected officials and pointing out that attacks against Israel are attacks against Jewry. We need your support to wage these battles with our full vigor and with all of the resources that are necessary to prevail.

Your support gives us courage and chizuk!

https://zoa.org/donate/philly/

Or you can send us a check to:

ZOA

PO Box 56

Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004

Coming up Next Week From Greater Philadelphia ZOA:

On Tuesday, May 19 at 3:30 p.m. we will offer a special event for children and their parents and grandparents featuring a reading of the new book Z Is for Zionism. This was created by Ze’ev Zion to counter the anti-Israel book called P Is for Palestine. Z Is for Zionism uses rich text and illustrations to give children ages 6 through 13 a good foundation to understand Zionism and Israel. Ruth Gleit – a mom, grandmom and former reading teacher – will read the book live while on screen we will display each page as she reads it so that children can read along.

Please: If you have children or grandchildren, nieces or nephews in that age range – register them and help them watch this event. If you are an educator or have a connection to a Jewish school or congregation school: Please get word of this event out to as many people as possible so that as many young Jews as possible can benefit from this event and this book. This book could have great positive impact on young Jewish children.

To register: Please email us at [email protected] with your interest or have someone from the school or congregation email us and we will send them the link. We are taking this extra step for security purposes.

Then on Thursday, May 21 at 7 p.m. we will offer: “Ben Hecht: Maverick Zionist.” Few know the remarkable work that this legendary Hollywood screenwriter and author did to try to save Jews during the Holocaust, and then his Herculean efforts on behalf of re-establishing the Jewish State of Israel. Journalist and Ben Hecht expert Jesse Tisch will discuss and describe the great works of this unlikely Jewish hero from another era who has largely and undeservingly been forgotten. Please let your friends and social media contacts know about this Greater Philadelphia ZOA virtual event that people can watch and enjoy from anywhere! Use this link to register: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIrcuqhpjkpG9cjRLgXcdAlOBThumokEZ8X

See the flyer for each of these events below. We ask that you please forward them and post them on social media along with our email address.

We literally have dozens more Zoom events planned over the next couple months. Please help support these virtual events by being a sponsor of one or through a donation. Call our Office at 610-660-9466 for details. You can promote a business, celebrate a simcha, honor a loved one or a friend, or dedicate an event in memory of someone.

Click on images to enlarge

Still Seeking Your Opinion:

We thank those of you who have completed our webinar survey – but we need more opinions for a fuller picture so that we can serve you better.

Please take three minutes to fill it out. It will help us fine-tune our upcoming programs. Thank you in advance!

Survey Monkey Webinar Survey:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QL3BHYD

Let’s “meet” over a beverage separately to discuss Israel, Zionism, the Jewish community and related matters, plus the Zionist Organization of America, what we do and how you can help us.

Email Steve at [email protected] to make an appointment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is so much going on and so much to tell you about in this week’s Greater Philadelphia ZOA newsletter, beginning with the fact that Greater Philadelphia ZOA is seeking a part-time office assistant on a contract basis for our Bala Cynwyd location. Duties will include bookkeeping, answering the phones, filing, mailings and writing letters, and other clerical tasks. Applicants must have excellent phone skills and have full working knowledge of Microsoft Office software including Word, Excel and Outlook. To apply, please call Steve at 610-660-9466.

Please see later in this newsletter details about ZOA’s exciting upcoming Israel Mission, how your family can brighten an Israeli soldier’s day, an opportunity for you to counter BDS while celebrating Chanukah a little early, and also how to get some Israel-themed gifts for your loved ones at Chanukah – plus an upcoming pro-Israel advocacy event in Cherry Hill. Also, see a photo from our event this past Wednesday night with Our Soldiers Speak and Israel Bonds. See also a video about a new anti-Jewish threat facing America’s classrooms and what you can do to mitigate the impact. All of these – and more – below.

Experience Israel With the Zionist Organization of America!

For all details including itinerary, pricing and registration, click on the image above or the link below. You can also call the Greater Philadelphia ZOA Office at 610-660-9466.

https://zoa.org/mission-events/zoa-israel-mission-2020/

More Problems Threatened for Jewish Students on U.S. Campuses

In our newsletters and other emails we have been informing you about the growing hostile environment for Jewish students on university campuses and even problems in high schools. Now, some Jew-haters want to make things even worse: Threatening to have an “intifada” in “every classroom” in America and “shutdown all the Zionists” on every American campus. They held an anti-Israel rally in Times Square on November 15 featuring speakers who announced these despicable plans to shut down free speech and intimidate pro-Israel students and speakers.

Please watch this brief video documenting some of these anti-Jewish/anti-Israel threats.  Video courtesy of MEMRI, the Middle East Media Research Institute.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TI9j8PBlotY&t=22s

If you are a parent or a grandparent of a student in a college or university, or one who will be going to college or university in the next few years, please reach out to the dean of students, the university president or other officials to make them aware of this plot and to ensure that steps are taken to prevent this threat of an “intifada” — violence and disruptions — from happening on their campus. Show them this video. Ask what they think about the video. Ask them what steps they are taking now, and what will they do to prevent it?

If you are a donor to a university or an alum, please also contact school officials to let them know about the plans of the enemies of the Jewish People to bring the violence perpetrated against Jews in Israel to U.S. institutions.

An Important Election Effecting the Present and the Future of Jewry

See the two images below for details:

Call the Greater Philadelphia Chapter Office at 610-660-9466 to schedule “Coffee With Steve.”

Out & About:

Upcoming Events and Activities:

Israeli soldiers and border police can use some warmth – warmth in the form of cards and letters from American children who want to thank those in uniform who serve to protect our homeland and our Israeli cousins and allies.

Each year the Zionist Organization of America runs a campaign to get schools and congregations to have their students create “thank you” cards and letters for the soldiers and police that our ZOA Mission participants personally deliver to the young Israeli men and women in uniform as they visit IDF and Border Police bases and installations. The men and women of the IDF are deeply touched by the expressions of gratitude from young Americans.

We welcome individual cards and letters from your kids or grandchildren for this project.

Please get us your cards and letters by January 20 so that we have time to collect them all and send them to Israel in advance of our mission. Cards and letters can be sent to our Office. From there they will be sent to our National Office and from there to Israel where our VIP Leadership Mission participants will pick them up and-deliver them to the soldiers and border police. Please send them to: Greater Philadelphia ZOA, PO Box 56, Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please call the Greater Philadelphia ZOA Office at 610-660-9466.

Thank you in advance for your participation!

Coming Up This Thursday:

Give More, Accomplish More, Get More!

Become a Member of One of ZOA’s New Donor Societies

For details, or to become a Donor Society member, please call

Greater Philadelphia ZOA Executive Director Steve Feldman at 610-660-9466.

 

Shalom ZOA Members, Friends and Supporters of Israel,

With today’s email, you will have “met” each of the individuals that Greater Philadelphia ZOA will honor at our Gala on Sept. 24. We urge you to attend the Gala and enjoy our celebration of America and Israel. It will take place at the Hilton Philadelphia City Avenue.

We hope you will agree that we have a special group of honorees this year, with impressive backgrounds and bold activity – each in their own way — on behalf of Israel and the Jewish People.

We ask that you consider also recognizing them and thanking them in the pages of our Gala Tribute Book. The book will be a keepsake for the honorees and all who attend the Gala. It is also posted on social media and emailed to our large contact list, and available on our Web site. Proceeds from the book make possible many of Greater Philadelphia ZOA’s activities and initiatives throughout the year, and also the bulk of the educational materials that we distribute throughout the region.

Please see more information about the Gala, the Tribute Book and Ad Journal, and honoree Dr. Jason D. Hill below.

Please also see below an important Action Alert about a problematic new curriculum in K-12 schools.

Greater Philadelphia ZOA has the privilege this year of honoring four truly great individuals at our 2019 Gala: Malka Kantor-Rapkin, Cliff Rieders, Rabbi Eliezer Hirsch and Dr. Jason D. Hill. These four individuals who are Patriots and Zionists, who are mavericks in their unabashed support for Israel, who are passionate about doing the right thing and put principle over popularity.

These are people whom you will want to meet and hear from at our Gala, and who you will want to publicly thank and congratulate in our Gala Tribute Book with a notice of gratitude and “Mazel Tov.” To do so, please see the information below.

 

 

Malka Kantor-Rapkin was born in Tel Aviv prior to Israeli independence. She and her husband-to-be came to Philadelphia in 1964 to study. After graduating from Gratz College, she taught Hebrew and music in Jewish day schools in New Jersey, Michigan and elsewhere.

Motivated by her entrepreneurial spirit, Malka made a change and for more than 35 years had a successful career in the financial services industry, co-founding her own planning and wealth management firm Kantor Financial Group — which today continues to thrive as Certior Financial Group.

Over the past 55 years, Malka has dedicated her time, talent and resources to support Jewish organizations and causes with connections to Israel. She travels annually to Israel to keep close ties with her family and friends, and she continues to cultivate and pass on to her children and grandchildren the family traditions of love, connection and commitment to Israel: past, present and future.

 

 

Rabbi Eliezer Hirsch is the spiritual leader and founding rabbi of Mekor Habracha/Center City Synagogue in Philadelphia. Since Mekor’s establishment more than a decade ago, he has presided over the synagogue’s rapid growth and significant contributions to the flourishing Center City Jewish community.  Under his leadership, Mekor has consistently attracted a diverse membership, including large numbers of young adults.

Rabbi Hirsch seeks to share his devotion to Israel with his congregation by including special blessings for Israel and the IDF in Mekor’s Shabbat and holiday services, celebrating numerous congregants who have made aliyah, and expressing a fervent voice for Israel in his sermons.  Many of Mekor’s members take his message to heart and follow his example, by becoming active in pro-Israel advocacy.

Not content to limit his support for Israel to his own congregation, Rabbi Hirsch has made a powerful impact across the Philadelphia region.  Steadfast in his opposition to BDS, he has signed rabbinical petitions and attended protest rallies.  In 2015, he joined a Rabbinic Mission to Israel which included a diverse group of rabbis from both Pennsylvania and central New Jersey.  In 2017, he raised funds for Kav L’Noar, an Israeli family services agency, by running the Jerusalem marathon as a member of the Rabbis Can Run initiative. Both personally and on behalf of Mekor Habracha, he contributes to a wide range of Israeli and American nonprofits that provide charitable and political support for Israel.

In addition to leading Congregation Mekor Habracha, Rabbi Hirsch serves as dean of Jewish philosophy for the Association of Hebraic Studies Institute, a distance learning college based in Wesley Hills, NY.

He received rabbinical ordination from the renowned Ner Israel Rabbinical College in Baltimore, and Yeshiva Ohr Reuven in Suffern, NY. He earned a Dual Bachelor’s Degree in Talmudic Law and Accounting, and a master’s degree in Talmudic Law from Ner Israel. Rabbi Hirsch also completed post-graduate studies in Advanced Rabbinics and Synagogue Management at Touro College and holds Torah U’mesorah teacher certification.  During his two decades of study in Yeshiva, including four years in Israel, he forged close relationships with prominent rabbinic leaders and received years of training from renowned Halachic authorities.

In his sermons and classes, Rabbi Hirsch connects the lessons of the Torah portion and Jewish holidays with insights for everyday life, emphasizing the Torah’s eternal relevance for Jews of all backgrounds. With this purpose in mind, he has authored two books: Pesach Without the Pain: A Practical Guide to the Laws and Practices of Passover, and Bringing Order to the Seder: A Modern Guide to the Traditional Passover Haggadah.  At its heart, Bringing Order to the Seder is an impassioned tribute to Zionism and a testament to the Jewish people’s inalienable right to the land of Israel.

 

 

 

Cliff Rieders has been instrumental in fighting the BDS movement against Israel. He drafted a resolution which passed the Pennsylvania House and Senate unanimously. He was also involved in the drafting of legislation which recently passed the General Assembly in Pennsylvania and was signed by Governor Wolf.

Cliff serves on the National Board of the Zionist Organization of America and assisted in the creation of ZOA’s Center for Law and Justice. Cliff is a frequent consultant to President Morton Klein, attorney Susan Tuchman, and others within ZOA.

He serves on the Advisory Board of the New York University Taub Israel Studies Program and has served as president of Congregation Ohev Sholom in Williamsport, Pennsylvania numerous times in the last 30 years.  One of Rieders’ daughters, Kaila, has served as an officer in the Israeli Defense Forces and currently resides in Jerusalem, attending law school at Ramat Gan.  Rieders has traveled to Israel on many occasions, and has worked in a variety of causes connected with the State of Israel.  He has written widely, including the widely distributed manual, A Jewish Dialogue.  Rieders has written on and examined numerous pieces of legislation related to Israel and the Middle East, including a critique of the Iran nuclear accords and their danger to the United States and Israel.

Rieders is a partner in the Williamsport law firm of Rieders, Travis, Humphrey, Waters & Dohrmann. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Coat of Arms Society and Academic Scholarships from New York University and received his Juris Doctor from Georgetown University. In Washington he worked for the Maritime Administration, U.S. Dept. of Commerce and for defense counsel Henry Rothblatt in the Watergate case.

Cliff’s areas of legal expertise include medical malpractice, personal injury actions, constitutional law and civil rights issues, commercial cases, class actions, complex litigation, and federal law issues.

He has served as president of the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association, now called the Pennsylvania Association for Justice, and the Pennsylvania Bar Association. He is a past chairman of the Amicus Curiae Committee, current member of the Political Action Committee and chairperson of the Pennsylvania Bar Association Health Care Law Committee; Association of Trial Lawyers of America, now called American Association for Justice; Federal Bar Association, Past President of the Central Pennsylvania Chapter; American Law Institute, Consultative Group on Products Liability Restatement of Torts Third, Products Liability, General Torts and Apportionment of Liability projects; Emotional Distress and others.

Cliff is a member of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court Standard Civil Jury Instruction Committee, and a founding sponsor of the Civil Justice Foundation.  He was the first president of Citizens for Consumer Justice, and is a past member of Pennsylvania’s Patient Safety Authority.  He has written numerous articles for The Barrister, Trial magazine, and other publications.  He is a frequent op-ed writer. He has received numerous awards for his work and is a frequent lecturer.  He is the author of Pennsylvania Medical Malpractice; Workers’ Rights in Pennsylvania; Financial Responsibility Law Issues; Bad Faith in Pennsylvania; Legal Malpractice Claims in Pennsylvania; and Attorney’s Fees, Statutes and Laws.

 

 

Dr. Jason D. Hill is a professor of philosophy at DePaul University and an unapologetic supporter of Israel.

Hill’s article “The Moral Case For Israel Annexing The West Bank — And Beyond,” published in The Federalist, struck a nerve in academia. In this article, Hill wrote: “The proper response from Israel should have been to immediately annex the land and make the people there the responsibility of their original political homeland: Jordan.

There can be no such thing as legitimate “Palestinian Territory” in a geographic region legally seized in a defensive war instigated by a foreign aggressor. The purpose of war is always to vanquish the enemy. The losers of the war cannot make demands on the victors that the victors themselves would not have been put in the position of meeting had the adversary or enemy not forced the victors into making it in the first place.”

Hill concluded: “One cannot admit anti-Semitics devoted to the destruction of Israel into the domain of Jewish civilization. There has to be some semblance of re-shaping the political sensibilities of those outside the historic process. If this is not possible, then we have to admit to their intrinsic humanity, but also, nevertheless, confess to their tragic status as political ballasts.”

DePaul students demanded he apologize and called for Hill to be censured. Fellow faculty members passed a resolution condemning him. Those actions did not stop Hill – they made him press harder, demonstrating true academic freedom and revealing the toxins on America’s campuses.

Hill is the author of four books: We Have Overcome: An Immigrant’s Letter to the American People, Becoming a Cosmopolitan: What It Means to Be a Human Being in the New Millennium, Civil Disobedience and the Politics of Identity: When We Should Not Get Along, and Beyond Blood Identities: Posthumanity in the Twenty First Century.

Professor Hill is also President and CEO of the Institute for Immigrant Assimilation. He holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Purdue University and has been a professional writer and book author for more than 30 years. He is a specialist in ethics and American politics and has been published in major magazines including The Federalist, Commentary Magazine, Spiked Magazine, and Salon. He is also a contributor to The Hill.

Hill has lectured and taught extensively in the United States, Europe and Asia. From 2010-2012, a consortium of four universities in England held a series of conferences devoted to Dr. Hill’s post-human cosmopolitanism and adopted the moral vision contained therein as part of their mission statements. His scholarly articles have been published in anthologies and journals in Germany, the Czech Republic and The Netherlands. He is also a well-respected motivational speaker. He has been interviewed regularly in various media outlets, including NBC’s Today show, The Daily Caller Show, Fox News, Fox Business, Billy O’Reilly’s ‘NO Spin News,’ NPR, NRATV and several other mainstream media. Hill came to the United States at the age of 20 from Jamaica, and he says he “has thrived beyond his wildest dreams. He remains incredibly grateful to this country for its bountiful opportunities.”

Dr. Hill will also be our keynote speaker at the Gala!

For Greater Philadelphia ZOA’s Gala Tribute Book and Ad Journal brochure and our mailing address to pay by check:

http://philly.zoa.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2019/07/gala-2019-ad-blank-5c-2-for-email.pdf

To purchase ads, notices and tickets electronically:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2019-greater-philadelphia-zoa-gala-tickets-64577646479

Deadline for ads and notices is August 24. We suggest payment via check so as to avoid the Eventbrite fees.

Please call us with any questions at 610-660-9466.

 

What are schools in your area teaching or planning?

ALERT:

California is considering adopting a new ethnic studies curriculum that is anti-Jewish and anti-Israel. Could something similar be in the works in the state where you live, or in your local schools?

California law requires the State Board of Education to adopt an Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum.  The current draft curriculum is posted for public comment through August 15, 2019.  (You can access the curriculum here: https://zoa.us7.list-manage.com/track/click?u=29eb7d7528ed4ff8219eea4e4&id=0fbb4d67c3&e=fbbbe3ea2e.) After the public comment period closes, the Instructional Quality Commission will review the model curriculum and all public comments, and recommend revisions.

The California Legislative Jewish Caucus strongly objected to the current draft of the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum (ESMC). Here’s what the Caucus rightly said:

• Jews are essentially omitted as an ethnic group in the ESMC. While the ESMC specifically discusses bias against other communities, it omits any meaningful discussion of anti-Semitism.
• In the few instances where the ESMC actually acknowledges Jews, it does so in a denigrating and discriminatory manner.  For example, the ESMC recommends song lyrics which say that Israelis “use the press so they can manufacture” – a classic anti-Semitic stereotype that Jews control the media.
• The ESMC promotes the anti-Semitic, anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement, and singles out Israel – the only Jewish state in the world – for special criticism and condemnation that is both out of context and factually inaccurate.

ACTION:

Forward this Action Alert to your friends and family who live in California and post it on social media. Ask them to submit their objections to the ESMC by August 15, 2019, using the public input template provided on the California Department of Education website.  Download the Public Input Template, fill it out using Microsoft Word, and submit it as a Microsoft Word file (.DOC or .DOCX) via email to [email protected].

https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/cr/cf/esmcpubliccomment.asp?utm_source=ZOA&utm_campaign=b00c849d6e-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2019_08_08_11_41&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_57a3dee48d-b00c849d6e-157928337

Also: Please look around your state’s Department of Education web site for curriculum guidelines, proposals and opportunities for you to have input. Be pro-active.

Pennsylvania: https://www.education.pa.gov/Pages/default.aspx

New Jersey: https://www.nj.gov/education/

Delaware: https://www.doe.k12.de.us/

In addition, check the Web site for the school district where you live.

If you see anything anti-Jewish, anti-Israel or otherwise troubling, please let us know at 610-660-9466.

Stimulating Conversation Guaranteed:

http://philly.zoa.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2017/12/coffee-with-steve-2.pdf

Become a Member of One of ZOA’s New Donor Societies

For details, or to become a Donor Society member, please call

Greater Philadelphia ZOA Executive Director Steve Feldman at 610-660-9466.