Friday, April 29, 2022
The Jewish Comedian Who Joked About Hasidic Women Being Physically Assaulted
On Sunday, as I made my way home from our Passover vacation, I received a troubling notification on Instagram. One of our readers tipped us off that a Jewish comedian named Judy Gold had posted a video of a very distasteful joke she made about a Hasidic woman not only being physically assaulted, but how Gold fantasized about doing it herself. To complicate matters, Gold is generally considered to be a proud Jew, who frequently speaks out against antisemitism.
The joke began by Gold noting that this Hasidic woman in Brooklyn, who was all of 25 years old, had nine kids and was pregnant with her tenth. These details were totally fabricated, but the audience found them to be hilarious, because you know – those Orthodox Jews, popping out all of those awful babies to add more backwards and extreme Jews to the world. Yuck!
But then the joke got worse. Gold referenced a series of actual events that occurred in fall of 2018 where an antisemitic man in Los Angeles was pulling wigs off of Orthodox Jewish women on the street. He began these assaults on Yom Kippur with his first victim – an 80 year old woman – and targeted numerous Jewish women after that, until he was finally arrested in November of that year. The police reported that these incidents were considered hate crimes.
In Gold's joke, there is just one Orthodox woman, who is 25 and Hasidic and her wig is pulled off. But instead of the punchline being something about how bad antisemites are or how troubling it is for a woman to be undressed without her consent, Gold notes that the wig removal of a Hasidic woman is something she always wished she could do. She then goes on to imagine what exactly Hasidic women have under their wigs to make their heads so off limits to the public and something only their "hot Hasidic" husbands can see. Gold uses vulgar language to describe what might be under the wig.
Celebrities with large followings, like Cree Summers and Pamela Adlon commented with laughing emojis and "This is genius," respectively on Gold's Instagram Reel. The joke was neither hilarious nor genius. It was nasty and dehumanizing. But Orthodox Jews are likely not real to either of them, and no one cares when we actually get hurt, let alone merely get harassed online, so they commented without fear of any consequences.
I asked Cree on Instagram if the joke would have been funny if a Black woman's wig was snatched off her head without her consent or if a Jew specifically has to be assaulted in order for the humor to work. She removed her comment after that. I asked Pamela if she'd find a joke about a hijab being removed to be funny or if it's only GENIUS when a religious Jewish woman is attacked.
Some of our fans didn't understand what I meant by "dehumanizing." So I'll explain. In the joke, the Hasidic woman has no agency or emotions. She exists first as a baby-making machine and then to not just be undressed by the actual assailant but to be fantasized about being undressed by Gold as well. The humanity of the actual women who were violated in these attacks doesn't exist. They are simply objects for other people's amusement. And for those of us who wear wigs, we are walking around with literal targets on our heads. That Gold is not just publicizing this sick type of attack, but bringing positive attention to it makes those of us who actually wear wigs feel a little less safe. Could we be next?
After sharing the joke with our followers on Instagram and Twitter, and my noting that apparently Gold thinks it's hilarious for Orthodox Jewish women to be assaulted, Gold doubled down and Tweeted that while I may not like the joke, she speaks about antisemitism regularly and discusses that we are only 2% of the population but receive 60% of the religious hate crimes. At that point I Tweeted back that I too used to look down on Orthodox Jews and that if she's committed to fighting antisemitism I'd love the chance to educate her because we need to stick together. Gold responded to that Tweet, saying she'd love to speak with me. She removed the video after that, which was a great development. Though as of the writing of this article, she has yet to respond to my messages to her to speak. I hope we will connect.
Today is Yom Hashoah – 77 years since the Holocaust ended and countless times since we vowed "Never Again," yet as attacks on Jews around the world are up everywhere, that sentiment is getting harder to utter in earnest. Antisemitic incidents increased 167% in 2021, according to new statistics published by the ADL. 2021 was the highest year of Jew-hating events that occurred in the U.S. since the organization began tracking such numbers in 1979. Those attacks are primarily targeted against the very Jews Gold joked about. And any Jew who cares about rising antisemitism needs to understand about the precarious place that visible Jews are finding ourselves in.
In only the last few weeks alone, Orthodox Jews in the New York area have been ganged attacked, kids have been jumped and threatened with machetes and crowbars, they've had to endure an attempting killing spree with a stabbing and car-ramming. And just this past Sunday, a 6 year old boy had his yarmulke snatched by a sick antisemite, an incident not too far removed from the wig-snatching joke Gold still had on her Instagram page on that very same day.
How can proud Jews, who are against antisemitism, show such blatant disregard for experiences their Orthodox Jewish brothers and sisters are enduring? While I can't speak to the motivation of others, in my pre-Orthodox days, even as a proud Conservative Jew, I looked down on Orthodox Jews as backwards, extreme, misogynistic, and oppressed. If one of them was attacked, it hurt me, it felt like an attack on all Jews, but I wished they weren't so weird, so Jewish, so not with the times. I held all this judgment without personally knowing a single Orthodox Jew.
I didn't understand their motivation for how they lived, dressed or believed. I felt a general unity from afar, knowing we'd all be rounded up if another Hitler came around, but I never had the chance or made the effort to understand them up close. So while I didn't want them to be hurt, I thought their lifestyle was fair game for mocking. I don't know if Jews who have the privilege of blending in are quite aware of what it feels like to be so identifiable as crimes on Jews continue to rise and the world yet again stays silent. It's time for their judgment to stop because we need each other more than ever.
There are real people under those wigs, yarmulkes and beards. Many of us are in fact on social media. And we are feeling increasingly vulnerable. Respect is a two way street and secular and religious Jews must both work to see each other's humanity and love one another like family.
Sometimes family members say things they shouldn't. If the family is healthy, they will call out the problem, discuss it and make up. So here's to all of that, Judy Gold, and to all of my fellow Jews.
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Wednesday, April 27, 2022
Tory councillors disciplined for ‘hate’ directed at Jewish Labour candidate
Conservative councillors in Oliver Dowden's constituency have been disciplined for a "hate" campaign against a Jewish Labour candidate, according to an independent investigation commissioned by Tory HQ.
The report found the behaviour of five Hertsmere Tory councillors "may well have encouraged" antisemitic abuse of Labour's Dan Ozarow, as well as multiple breaches of the party's code of conduct.
Campaigning tactics included a digital billboard at Elstree and Borehamwood station with a picture of Ozarow suggesting he was a supporter of Hezbollah, mocked up on a fictitious newspaper.
NEW In a statement, the five councillors denied the findings and said they were disappointed details had leaked before their appeal had finished, saying the accusations were "politically motivated". NEW
CCHQ asked an independent QC to examine the behaviour of the councillors and the subsequent abuse of Ozarow on social media, where he was told to "go to the gas chambers" and that he "lacked a Jewish soul".
Ozarow described feeling "terrorised" by the abuse of him and his family, including an anonymous phone call that appeared to threaten his wife and unborn child. Hertfordshire police recorded several social media posts as "hate incidents".
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Tuesday, April 26, 2022
String of antisemitic incidents target Rutgers Jewish fraternity
A string of antisemitic incidents, which remain under investigation by Rutgers University police (RUPD), have targeted a Jewish fraternity at Rutgers University.
On the heels of an incident Friday, the Rutgers University fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) was egged by unknown perpetrators on Monday night or early Tuesday morning.
An egging also occurred last year at the same time — during the fraternity's annual 24-hour Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) reading of names of people who died during the Holocaust, said Rutgers Hillel Interim Executive Director Rabbi Esther Reed.
Members of AEPi called RUPD Friday afternoon after a separate antisemitic incident.
At approximately 4:15 p.m. Friday, several carloads of people carrying and waving Palestinian flags stopped in front of the AEPi fraternity house on Sicard Street. Fraternity house members said occupants of the vehicles "yelled antisemitic remarks, spit in their direction and threw miscellaneous items," Rutgers police said.
Epithets yelled by the perpetrators included "baby killers" and "terrorist," Reed said. Reed said the incident, which involved four cars, took place after a local chapter of the organization Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) hosted a Friday afternoon rally called "Defend Al-Aqsa, Defend Palestine."
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Monday, April 25, 2022
Comedy Based On Life Of Hasidic Rapper Nissim Black In Works At HBO Max
HBO Max is developing Motherland Bounce, a comedy based on the life of Hasidic hip-hop star Nissim Black, from writer/comedian Moshe Kasher and The Gilded Age executive producer/director Salli Richardson-Whitfield as part of her overall deal with HBO.
Created and written by Kasher with story by Black and directed by Richardson-Whitfield, Motherland Bounce is the story of Black's spiritual quest as the former gangster rapper becomes the world's first Black Chassidic Jewish hip hop star.
Kasher and Black executive produce with Richardson-Whitfield via her HBO-based Early May Productions, and Erwin More. Eric Schulman and Aaron Fogelson serve as co-producers.
Black has in recent years become one of the most recognizable faces in Israeli hip-hop, his unlikely story starting in Seattle where he was selling drugs by the age of 12 and joined a gang shortly after that. His unique path to Orthodox Judaism and Israeli hip-pop stardom came after a confrontation with a rival nearly cost him his life and set him on a spiritual quest for answers that led him to Hasidism and a move to Jerusalem. His latest singles "Mothaland Bounce", "The Hanukkah Song 2.0" and "Adored" have peaked at No. 4, No. 5 and No. 21 respectively on the Israeli charts. Black is repped by Aaron Fogelson and attorney Fred Toczek at Felker, Toczek, Suddleson, Abramson.
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Thursday, April 14, 2022
Mimi Reinhard, secretary who typed up Schindler’s list saving Jews during Holocaust, dies at 107
A secretary who typed up Oskar Schindler's list of Jewish people to be spared from extermination by Nazi Germany during the Holocaust has died at the age of 107.
Mimi Reinhard was one of 1,200 Jews saved by the German industrialist after he bribed Nazi authorities to let him keep them as workers in his factories during the Second World War.
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Wednesday, April 13, 2022
For Late Leader’s 120th Birthday, Chabad Jews Stage Worldwide Celebration
A massive rally and concert drew 15,000 people to the streets of Crown Heights, Brooklyn, on Sunday night. On Monday, a different late-night party spilled into the streets of Queens.
And, on Tuesday, 120 "Mitzvah Tanks" fanned out across New York City to distribute matzah for Passover and give passersby a chance to complete Jewish rituals, while back in Crown Heights, children were feted for their success in memorizing millions of lines of Jewish texts.
The local festivities were among the largest and splashiest of a global 120th birthday bash for Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Chabad-Lubavitch Orthodox movement's last leader, who died in 1994, and the figure whose life and mythology continue to animate the movement's followers today.
Among those celebrating Schneerson — known as the Rebbe to his followers — were the thousands of Chabad adherents spreading his message as emissaries around the world; Jews who participate in Chabad activities but are not affiliated with the movement; politicians and public officials, and even non-Jewish celebrities who have been inspired by his example.
"Today is the 120th birthday of the Rebbe Schneerson, the preeminent spiritual leader from whose teachings and lessons I've gained inspiration over the years. ❤️🎂🙏🏾," the model Naomi Campbell, a longtime Schneerson fan who is not Jewish, posted on Instagram, along with a portrait of a smiling Schneerson and a picture of herself praying at his grave.
"In tribute to his tremendous legacy, I will spend a moment of silence today thinking about the infinite potential that God has blessed us each with to better the lives of others and create a more meaningful world," Campbell added. "What's your tribute?"
Chabad treats Schneerson's birthday — the 11th day of the Hebrew month of Nisan, which this year fell on Tuesday — as a holiday every year, using it as a springboard for outreach and for a political movement to bring a moment of silent reflection to American schools. President Joe Biden, as his predecessors have done since 1978, issued a proclamation this year honoring the birthday as "Education and Sharing Day."
"The rebbe's devotion to educating people worldwide and his profound respect for diversity, inclusiveness and equal justice have set a strong example for generations of Americans and people across the globe," Biden said in the proclamation, which was accompanied by state and local versions across the country.
This year the international Chabad community pulled out extra stops for Schneerson's birthday because of the special significance of 120 in Jewish tradition. Moses was 120 when the Bible records his death, and that age is considered the ideal duration of a good life. "To 120 years" is a traditional accompaniment of birthday greetings for many Jews, especially in Orthodox communities.
To mark the occasion, Chabad has hosted weeks of events on at least five continents, from parties in Buenos Aires and Los Angeles to a conference in Washington, D.C., that drew lawmakers from across the political spectrum. It also launched a host of new education programs and vowed to open more than 1,200 new institutions — synagogues, schools, camps, ritual baths and more — over the next year in Schneerson's honor.
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Tuesday, April 12, 2022
Anti-Semitic incidents are surging in post-pandemic NYC
After a pandemic lull, anti-Semitic hate crimes in New York City are at historic highs.
The NYPD says there were 86 anti-Jewish hate crimes in the city in the first three months of this year. At this rate, annual totals would far exceed the 242 reported in 2019 – itself a record before the number dropped during the COVID lockdown.
In an incident that took place on a Saturday evening earlier this month, which is the end of the Jewish Sabbath, teens armed with a sword threatened and made anti-Semitic remarks to six yarmulke-wearing boys on the Upper West Side, according to the NYPD and the Anti-Defamation League.
The day before in Williamsburg, police said, a Hasidic man was assaulted in the sort of unprovoked attack that has become increasingly common in recent years -- Brooklynites who are visibly identifiable as Jews, due to their garb and hair coverings, are often the victims of anti-Semitic attacks. In that case, a 16-year-old boy was charged. His accomplices are still at large. The ADL offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to his accomplices' arrests and convictions.
While there's been a surge in anti-Asian crimes in the city, statistics show that Jews are still the most targeted hate crime victims. Of the 524 hate crimes recorded in the city last year, 198 were designated as anti-Jewish and 131 as anti-Asian.
Scott Richman, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League, said after his agency recorded more anti-Semitic incidents nationwide in 2019 than at any time in the last 40 years of collecting data, there was a dip during the pandemic. But "we began seeing toward the end of 2021 a rise again in these same types of assaults, and it's been pretty much non-stop since the end of 2021."
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Thursday, April 07, 2022
Cops nab 13-year-old boy who threatened Jewish children with sword on Upper West Side
Police arrested a 13-year-old boy they say threatened a group Jewish children with a sword on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
The child, who was not named because of his age, surrendered to cops at the 20th Precinct stationhouse with a parent Wednesday afternoon after images of him and his friends were distributed by police in connection with the Saturday evening clash on W. 86th St. and West End Ave.
Cops identified the youth as the one who brandished a short sword as he and his friends harassed a group of six Jewish children ranging in age from 12 to 16.
His friends, who remained at large Thursday, wielded a knife and a crowbar, police said.
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Wednesday, April 06, 2022
Isolated Jewish communities in far-flung countries to receive Passover boon
Small Jewish communities isolated from the major centers of Jewish life will receive over 50,000 packages of matzah and wine for the upcoming Passover holiday, according to the Jewish Agency for Israel.
For the third year running, the project is being funded by the philanthropic Werdiger family of Melbourne, Australia. Deliveries will be carried out with the aid of the Jewish Agency and the Chabad Hasidic movement.
According to a spokesperson for the family, the contributions include 1,750 boxes of wine and 6,500 packages of matzah. The parcels will benefit around 110 different isolated Jewish communities in countries such as Tanzania, Rwanda, Namibia, China, Japan, Nicaragua, Laos, Ethiopia and others. Some of these countries lack access to kosher products and have limited access to wine and matzah for the holiday.
Jewish Agency chairman Yaakov Hagoel expressed his thanks to the Werdiger family as well as those who helped to carry out the operation.
In the African nation of Tanzania, Rabbi Claudio Kupchik, the local Chabad emissary, will host his movement's first-ever seder to take place in the city of Arusha.
"This year, we are expecting to celebrate with 300 people, Jews and Israelis from different countries united on one evening around the seder table," Kupchik said.
Rabbi David Kaplin, who has headed Chabad in Central America for 13 years, voiced his and his community's excitement about the upcoming holiday and the return of Israeli tourists to Central America after a two-year lull amid the pandemic.
According to Kaplin, Chabad houses across the region will host upwards of 5,600 Israelis for the seder.
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Tuesday, April 05, 2022
Orthodox Jewish Man Assaulted by Six Men in NYC
A Hasidic Jewish man was assaulted by six men in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn on April 1.
The 21-year-old man, who has not been publicly identified, can be seen beaten nearby the side of a truck in grainy footage released by the New York City Police Department (NYPD). He suffered minor injuries following the assault.
Anti-Defamation League (ADL) New York / New Jersey Regional Director Scott Richman announced that they are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrests of the remaining perpetrators. "We are shocked at the viciousness of these images of this incident that have been distributed over social media and other means," he said. "Nobody should be subjected to hateful violence in the streets of New York. We must do everything in our power to help authorities identify and apprehend those responsible, and we must also work together in order to prevent these incidents from happening in the first place."
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Friday, April 01, 2022
Orthodox women sue airlines for discrimination after being booted from flight to US
Nineteen Orthodox Jewish women blocked from the second leg of a flight from Ukraine to New York last summer are suing the airlines for religious discrimination.
The group of young women and their chaperones were prevented from boarding a flight traveling from Amsterdam to New York allegedly for eating outside of designated mealtimes — a violation of the airlines' COVID-19 protocols.
However, in a discrimination suit filed Tuesday against Delta Air Lines and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, the plaintiffs said they only removed their masks to eat the kosher food they had brought themselves, and that airline personnel never informed them that they were not adhering to the mask requirements.
The complaint alleges that no other passengers were punished for removing their masks or eating their own food, and the women were singled out "solely for the purpose of unlawfully harassing plaintiffs because of their Jewish race, ethnicity, and/or religion."
The 19 plaintiffs, all from New York, were part of a tour group of 54 young Hasidic Jewish women and their chaperones. They had spent two weeks touring Jewish heritage sites in Ukraine, Hungary, and Poland.
On Thursday, August 5, the women were supposed to fly back to New York from Kyiv via Amsterdam. According to the complaint, a flight attendant on the first leg told a group leader that some of the women had removed their masks but assured her it was just a warning.
When the group attempted to board their next flight in Amsterdam, 19 of them were not allowed to board. Two of the barred passengers had not even been on the first flight from Kyiv to Amsterdam, the suit alleges. The plaintiffs spent the night in the airport.
The suit also alleges that the chaperones were told they would forfeit their tickets if they did not board the second flight without their charges.
The 19 travelers were also removed from a flight the next day after they attempted to switch seats with other passengers in order to sit together. Other passengers who also switched seats were not removed from the plane, the complaint alleges.
In the end, the group took a train to Antwerp, Belgium — home to a sizable Orthodox Jewish community — where they spent Shabbat. They flew from Brussels to New Jersey on Sunday, August 8.
In a statement to Business Insider, Delta did not comment on the pending litigation, but said "compliance with flight crew member instructions for the safety and well-being of everyone is paramount. Delta also has zero-tolerance for discrimination in any form in all aspects of our business."
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines did not comment.
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