25th T.O. Award to Tom Lantos and The Lantos Foundation

Dear Friends,

Tom Lantos was a tireless activist who best embodied Tikkun Olam as “world repair, social action and the pursuit of social justice.” Below are pictures of the man who tried and did change the world for the better.

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CLICK HERE TO SEE THE TIKKUN OLAM AWARD CERTIFICATE, Congressman Lantos’ biographical information and the mission statement of The Lantos Foundation.

For additional background details and information see the links below:

www.lantosfoundation.org
http://www.lantosfoundation.org/About_Tom_Lantos.asp
http://www.lantosfoundation.org/LantosFoundationPrograms.asp

Harriet and Bill

Call for Papers – 19th Yad Vashem International Conference of Holocaust scholars

Dear Friends,

“The 19^th Yad Vashem International Conference of Holocaust scholars (12/12-20/2012), which is organized in cooperation with the Ben-Zvi Institute for the Study of Jewish Communities in the East, will focus on new research examining those turning points along the following lines:

The End of 1942 – A Turning Point in World War II and in the Comprehension of the Final Solution?

• · The connection between the military developments and the spreading of information about the murder of the Jews and its comprehension in the free world.
• · The impact of the Allies military successes, including the liberation of formerly German-occupied territories, on the comprehension of the Holocaust in the free world, by Jewish communities and organizations and by the local populations, especially in North Africa and the Soviet Union.
• · The impact of the Allies military successes on their readiness to rescue European and North African Jewry.
• · The ways in which the declarations regarding the Final Solution were prepared and formulated; in this context, Pope Pius XII’s Christmas speech of that year will also be considered.
• · Who among Jews and non-Jews (in governmental circles and among the populations) in occupied and Axis powers countries listened to the declarations and to the news about the German defeats broadcasted from the free world and how did they interpret them in letters, diaries etc.
• · How were the declarations comprehended by Jews and non-Jews in the free world, in letters and diaries, in internal discussions in organizations, in letters-to-the-editor in newspapers, in governmental circles, in sermons of rabbis and clergymen, and the like?
• · What impact did the declarations and the German defeats have on the initiating of rescue attempts and schemes by the Yishuv and by Jewish organizations in the free world?
• · Did Operation Torch and the liberation of North Africa result in a new understanding of the place of North African Jewry in the Jewish world? What was the effect of the legacy of Vichy in the immediate aftermath of liberation in North African countries?”

Application Form

Call for Papers December 2012 Conference

Please spread the word.

Thank you for your interest and assistance,

Harriet and Bill

New Work by T.O. Award Recipient #16 Professor Dina Porat

Dear Friends,

Israeli Professor Dina Porat, Head of the Kantor Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry and Chief Historian of Yad Vashem, has written a deeply insightful and thought provoking paper, “The International Working Definition of Antisemitism and its Detractors.”

We are very grateful for her efforts to help us better understand an extremely complex issue and the willingness to share the analysis with our readers.

All the best,

Harriet and Bill

Exciting News about Recognition of Gabby Giffords

Dear Friends,

Gabby Giffords is an extraordinary woman who inspires us every day and we are very grateful for this latest recognition.

CLICK HERE for video showing the naming of a ship ceremony (following a short commercial).

See below for links to our previous posts on her:

Gabby Giffords Resigns from Congress – January 22, 2012

Whip Hoyer Honors the Service of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords

More on Gabby’s Resignation with Hoyer’s Speech

Honoring Gabrielle Giffords – January 15, 2012

Warm regards,

Harriet and Bill

T.O. Award # 24 to the Jewish Tribune of Canada

Dear Friends,
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It is a pleasure to recognize the Jewish Tribune as our 24^th recipient and to remind our readers of the work of Tikkun Olam Award winner #19, Professor Robert S. Wistrich, the Head of Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

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(Click on image to enlarge)

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Per Norm Gordner, Jewish Tribune editor:

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“The Jewish Tribune is the largest Jewish Weekly in Canada with a circulation of more than 60,000. We provide a credible printed and online voice for the issues and objectives pursued by B’nai Brith Canada and provide a newspaper which is topical and reflects the diversity of interests and opinions of Canadian Jews, through news coverage, op-ed columns and feature articles.“

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To our readers, we are very grateful to you for your continued enthusiastic response to our project as evidenced by the fact that yesterday we reached 25,000 views since beginning in March 2010.

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All the best,

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Harriet and Bill

23rd T.O. Award to Documentary Filmmaker

CLICK HERE to see the 23^rd Tikkun Olam Award given to Gloria Z. Greenfield.

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Dear Friends,

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A current statement like the following makes Gloria Greenfield’s new documentary, “Unmasked: Judeophobia,” all the more relevant and critically timed.

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Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, Israel was a “cancerous tumor that should be cut and will be cut,”

(Arutz Sheva, www.israelnationalnews.com 2/3/12)

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We are immensely grateful to Gloria and all those who shared their thoughts on the worldwide troubling indicators and challenges before us. The deep truths her film reveals are frightening, cautionary and hopeful because we can be empowered today, to respond in ways our Jewish ancestors never imagined possible. In the 21^st century, we can shift from waffling, psychic numbness and willful blindness to activism. We can fight for our rights not to be victimized or assaulted verbally, physically and emotionally. Individually and collectively, we can be a powerful force against anti-Semitism and work effectively to slow it down or block it.

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Those who seek and plan to harm Israel and thereby Jews around the world, should know we refuse to accept their latest false projections, insulting incriminations and scapegoating and we do it all in memory of those who survived and those who lost their lives in the “first” Holocaust.

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Harriet and Bill

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P.S. Warning: Some may find the trailer on the Unmasked Judeophobia website noted below disturbing.

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Website: Unmasked Judeophobia, A New Film from Doc Emet Productions

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About the Film

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Reviews:
Behind “Unmasked,” there is hope, Jerusalem Post
Unmasking Judeophobia, Jewish Tribune

22nd Tikkun Olam Award to Daniel Pearl & the Daniel Pearl Foundation

Dear Friends,

Daniel Pearl’s extraordinary life and work demonstrates the highest values of Tikkun Olam and we are grateful for the opportunity to recognize him and the Daniel Pearl Foundation as our 22^nd recipient. His legacy continually inspires us and is intertwined and embedded in our project.

CLICK HERE to see the award certificate and a video of President Obama signing the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act in the Oval Office.

Daniel served as the South Asia Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal, when he was kidnapped and murdered by terrorists in Karachi, Pakistan, around February 1st, 2002.

A journalist, story-teller, bridge-builder, musician, and champion of humanity, Danny lived a life that knew no geographical boundaries, with a spirit that knew no prejudice. Through words and music, he communicated joy, humor, friendship and understanding in many parts of the world.  He gave voice to millions of voiceless people in the Balkans, the Middle East and South East Asia, and painted for millions of readers the human face behind the news.

His last words, “My father is Jewish, my mother is Jewish, I am Jewish,”  have come to symbolize the universal right of every individual to assert with pride his/her faith, heritage or identity. Daniel Pearl has since become a symbol for East-West dialogue, freedom of expression, interfaith harmony, and Jewish pride.

The Daniel Pearl Foundation, founded by Daniel’s family and friends in 2002, promotes the ideals that inspired his life and work.  The Foundation works domestically and internationally to promote cross-cultural dialogue and understanding, to counter cultural and religious intolerance, to cultivate responsible and balanced journalism, and to inspire unity and friendship through music. (www.danielpearl.org).

In the past 10 years, people of all faiths have commemorated Daniel birthday  of October  10,  in what has become the earth’s largest interfaith symphony a growing network of music concerts named “Harmony for Humanity” which in 2011 numbered more than 2000 performances in more than 80 countries, dedicated to religious harmony and the oneness of humanity.

On May 19, 2010, U.S. President Barak Obama signed the Daniel Pearl Freedom of the Press Act which protects journalists around the world.

 Harriet and Bill

Circling the Wagons – “Mein Kampf” Today

Dear Friends,

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We want to thank all those who were involved in stopping the latest potential activity related to Mein Kampf. (See  articles: German magazine caves in battle to reprint Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’ and German Jewish chief doubts ‘Mein Kampf’ pamphlets)

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Appalling situations like this are a call to action and we are proud to be associated with the effort to keep the spotlight on 21^st Century anti-Semitism.

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All the best,

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Harriet and Bill