May 3, The Arab Spring Uprisings: Struggle for Freedom in the Middle East

Prof. Walid Phares speaks 7:00 pm tonight ( Thursday) at Sheslow Auditorium, Drake University. If you'd like some insight into the current Middle East, come hear his analysis of the Arab Spring uprisings. Sponsored by JFed Forum, Drake Hillel, and JCRC of the Jewish Federation.

Includes Q & A 

jcrc@dmjfed.org

May is Jewish American Heritage Month

The White House

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

May 01, 2012

Presidential Proclamation -- Jewish American Heritage Month, 2012

JEWISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH, 2012

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

Three hundred and fifty-eight years ago, a band of 23 Jewish refugees fled Recife, Brazil, beset by bigotry and oppression. For them, receding shores marked the end of another chapter of persecution for a people that had been tested from the moment they came together and professed their faith. Yet, they also marked a new beginning. When those men, women, and children landed in New Amsterdam -- what later became New York City -- they found not only safe haven, but early threads of a tradition of freedom and opportunity that would forever bind their story to the American story.

Those 23 believers led the way for millions to follow. During the next three centuries, Jews around the world set out to build new lives in America -- a land where prosperity was possible, where parents could give their children more than they had, where families would no longer fear the specter of violence or exile, but live their faith openly and honestly. Even here, Jewish Americans bore the pains of hardship and hostility; yet, through every obstacle, generations carried with them the deep conviction that a better future was within their reach. In adversity and in success, they turned to one another, renewing the tradition of community, moral purpose, and shared struggle so integral to their identity.

Their history of unbroken perseverance and their belief in tomorrow's promise offers a lesson not only to Jewish Americans, but to all Americans. From Aaron Copland to Albert Einstein, Gertrude Stein to Justice Louis Brandeis, generations of Jewish Americans have brought to bear some of our country's greatest achievements and forever enriched our national life. As a product of heritage and faith, they have helped open our eyes to injustice, to people in need, and to the simple idea that we might recognize ourselves in the struggles of our fellow men and women. These principles led Jewish advocates to fight for women's equality and workers' rights, and to preach against racism from the bimah; they inspired many to lead congregants on marches to stop segregation, help forge unbreakable bonds with the State of Israel, and uphold the ideal of "tikkun olam" -- our obligation to repair the world. Jewish Americans have served heroically in battle and inspired us to pursue peace, and today, they stand as leaders in communities across our Nation.

More than 300 years after those refugees first set foot in New Amsterdam, we celebrate the enduring legacy of Jewish Americans -- of the millions who crossed the Atlantic to seek out a better life, of their children and grandchildren, and of all whose belief and dedication inspires them to achieve what their forebears could only imagine. Our country is stronger for their contributions, and this month, we commemorate the myriad ways they have enriched the American experience.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2012 as Jewish American Heritage Month. I call upon all Americans to visit www.JewishHeritageMonth.gov to learn more about the heritage and contributions of Jewish Americans and to observe this month with appropriate programs, activities, and ceremonies.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of May, in the year two thousand twelve, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-sixth.

BARACK OBAMA

The death of Israeli PM Netanyahu's father

The father of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Professor Ben-Zion Netanyahu, passed away early this morning (Monday), 30.4.12.

Ben-Zion Netanyahu, 102, died at home. Last night, his son, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu managed to visit him one last time.

Our sincere condolences are offered to the Netanyahu family.

 

 

Program Note: May 3 - Understanding the Current Middle East with Prof. Walid Phares

 

 

Brigitte Gabrielle speaks tonight re: Global Islamic terrorism

Brigitte Gabrielle, expert on global Islamic terrorism, speaks tonight, Tuesday, April 24  7:00PM at Point of Grace Church,
305 NE Dartmoor Dr., Waukee, IA 50263
515-987-9595 

April 29: Live Iowa Public Radio broadcast at the Caspe Terrace. Concert commemorates Passover season and the Holocaust

2 PM,  Sunday, April 29:  Iowa Public Radio to present a live broadcast of concert at the Caspe Terrace.

 

UNI FACULTY ARTISTS, DAVENPORT CANTOR TO PERFORM IN PASSOVER AND HOLOCAUST CONCERT

 

Cedar Falls, Iowa - April 4, 2012 – University of Northern Iowa’s Center for Holocaust and Genocide Education and the Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines present Music to Commemorate the Passover Season and the Holocaust on Sunday, April 29, 2012, at 2 p.m. at the Caspe Terrace in Waukee, IA.

 

This special collaboration features Cantor Gail Karp, Temple Emanuel of Davenport, and UNI School of Music faculty members Hunter Capoccioni, double bass, and Dr. Dmitri Vorobiev, piano.

 

The program includes works by Bloch, Berlinski, Ravel, Osborne and Bruch, as well as a variety of Hebrew and Yiddish songs performed by Cantor Karp.   Des Moines-area rabbis Leib Bolel (Beth El Jacob Synagogue), David Kaufman (Temple B'nai Jeshurun) and Yossi Jacobson (Lubavitch of Iowa) will speak about the significance of Passover and Holocaust commemoration, and Cantor Karp will speak about the role of music in Jewish life and liturgy.

 

Iowa Public Radio Classical’s Performance Iowa series will present a live statewide broadcast of Music to Commemorate the Passover Season and the Holocaust on all Iowa Public Radio Classical station frequencies and online at www.iowapublicradio.org.

 

The Caspe Terrace is located at 33158 Ute Avenue, Waukee, IA 50263-7538. The 25,000 square-foot facility is approximately 15 minutes from Des Moines, and houses the Bookey Lodge, the Staroselsky Clubhouse, the Martin Bucksbaum Arts Wing, the Jewish Historical Society and the Caspe Heritage Gallery.

 

###

For more information, please contact:

 

Dr. Stephen J Gaies

Director, University of Northern Iowa Center for Holocaust and Genocide Education

Baker Hall 30

Cedar Falls, IA 50614-0518

(319) 273-3870

stephen.gaies@uni.edu

 

For information about tickets ($8 in advance, $10 at the door), please contact:

Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines
33158 Ute Avenue
Waukee, IA 50263-7538
(515) 987-0899 Ext. 230
tammy@dmjfed.org

 

From Darfur to Nuba: A Transfer of Genocide

April 6, 2012  By Rabbi David Kaufman in The Times of Israel.     See also: http://HelpNuba.net

 

This week, Ahmed Harun, Governor of South Kordofan was shown in a video saying that his soldiers should “take no prisoners” in the fighting in the southern part of Sudan.   http://helpnuba.net/2012/04/05/take-no-prisoners/

As Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the Chief Prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (ICC), noted:

‘Take no prisoners’ means a crime against humanity or a war crime, because if the prisoner was a combatant it is a war crime and if the pisoner was a civilian it’s a crime against humanity.

For those who may not know, Ahmed Harun is already wanted for crimes against humanity by the ICC because of his actions as Governor of Darfur where he conducted ethnic cleansing and perpetrated what is widely recognized as genocide against the Darfurian people.

Now ethnic cleansing and genocide are taking place in the Nuba Mountains under Harun’s direction in South Kordofan while the same is threatened in the provinces of Blue Nile, and Abyei. The Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement and Army have for many years been working with the South Sudanese against the government in Khartoum. The people of Nuba, like their Christian friends to the south, would like independence and for that to happen, South Sudan must help.

The ongoing peace negotiations between the governments of Sudan and South Sudan have the potential to force South Sudan to abandon their long time friends in the north and to dramatically worsen the situation in South Kordofan and Blue Nile. President Obama is said to have asked South Sudan’s President, Salva Kiir, to do just that, to distance South Sudan from those fighting against Ahmed Harun’s forces in South Kordofan.

One may assume that the President of the United States is trying to broker a peace that he believes will end the fighting in South Kordofan and ensure the peace between Sudan and South Sudan. He may well believe that this peace would end the fighting in South Kordofan. Yet what are the likely consequences of such a peace for South Kordofan???

Considering the fact that Governor Harun and Sudan’s President Bashir are both wanted by the International Criminal Court for the crime of genocide in Darfur and there is evidence that they are carrying out a very similar plan in the Nuba Mountains, one must question whether or not they are negotiating peace because they would simply like to remove an impediment from their ability to ethnically cleanse the Nuba people and to extend their reign of terror into other provinces as well. If peace comes, South Sudan, the best ally of the Nuba by far, will be unable to help them. We could see an even further deterioration in South Kordofan where women and children are being raped and killed and villages bombed even today. This is not a military conflict. Sudanese troops are massacring civilians there.

If South Sudan cannot help, someone else must. A no fly zone must be implemented and an international force must be ready to step in to prevent genocide otherwise the Nuba people will be left alone to face Harun and his murderous reign.This is not a matter of fighting for independence, it is a struggle for life. We cannot stand idly by.

Source: http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/from-darfur-to-nuba-a-transfer-of-genocide/

 

 

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