Archive for October, 2022
New York Attacks on Jews
Dear Friends,
Elie Wiesel reminds us, “We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.”
To see the video in the article, click HERE.
We encourage you to spread the word about what is happening in America’s largest city in the hope many will push back in whatever way they can.
Best wishes,
Harriet and Bill
New York mayor condemns ‘outrageous attacks’ on Jews as near-daily assaults continue
Mayor Eric Adams says antisemitism ‘won’t be tolerated’ after woman strikes Haredi man on sidewalk, as community members call for stiffer punishments against assailants
By LUKE TRESS Times of Israel 19 September 2022
NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday condemned attacks on Jews as near-daily assaults on community members continued, drawing calls for more US government action.
“These outrageous attacks on our Jewish community won’t be tolerated, not in our city,” Adams said in response to a video showing a woman striking a Jewish man.
The video posted by Boro Park Shomrim, a neighborhood watch group, showed the woman pursuing an ultra-Orthodox man down a city sidewalk, screaming at him. She then swatted off his kippah and shtreimel, a traditional hat worn by Haredi men on Shabbat and holidays.
NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday condemned attacks on Jews as near-daily assaults on community members continued, drawing calls for more US government action.
“These outrageous attacks on our Jewish community won’t be tolerated, not in our city,” Adams said in response to a video showing a woman striking a Jewish man.
The video posted by Boro Park Shomrim, a neighborhood watch group, showed the woman pursuing an ultra-Orthodox man down a city sidewalk, screaming at him. She then swatted off his kippah and shtreimel, a traditional hat worn by Haredi men on Shabbat and holidays.
Boro Park Shomrim said the woman had been arrested.
“We will keep our streets safe,” Adams said, thanking police for “their quick response to these acts of anti-Semitic hatred.”
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul said, “Acts of antisemitism are abhorrent and unacceptable.”
“Hate crimes will not be tolerated in New York, and we’ve strengthened our laws to further hold perpetrators accountable,” Hochul said.
The American Jewish Committee, Anti-Defamation League, US House Representative Jerry Nadler and local politicians also condemned the attack.
Another day and another disturbing incident in #BoroPark. This despicable incident happened this afternoon but thanks to our volunteers, she was caught and subsequently arrested by @NYPD66Pct
A nearly identical incident also occurred in Boro Park earlier this week when a man riding a bicycle knocked the hat off of a Jewish man on a street.
Jews are consistently the group most targeted in hate crimes in New York City on an annual basis, in per capita and absolute terms, with the Anti-Defamation League reporting a record-high number of incidents last year.
The NYPD has confirmed 149 anti-Jewish hate crimes between the start of the year and June 28, representing an incident every 29 hours on average. The attacks range from violent assaults to racial slurs and property damage, and many more likely go unreported.
In August, the NYPD reported 24 anti-Jewish hate crimes, far more than against any other group and a 118-percent jump over the same month last year.
Many of the attacks target visibly identifiable Jews and Jewish targets in Brooklyn. Haredi communities in the area are also feeling under attack due to an uproar over secular education in the yeshiva religious school system, with some community leaders warning the issue could stoke further antisemitism.
Most of the attacks do not result in serious punishment, drawing the ire of Jewish advocates who have demanded changes to bail laws that could lead to harsher repercussions for assailants.
Late last month, police announced two arrests for suspected hate crimes against Jews, as Brooklyn community leaders praised police, called for bail reform and said the community was “terrified.” Police also said they would step up patrols around synagogues.
On Thursday, US House Representative Ritchie Torres called on the FBI and the US attorney general to investigate New York’s response to antisemitism, highlighting the low number of serious punishments for anti-Jewish hate crimes.
“The federal government can no longer stand by passively as antisemitic violence goes unchecked and unpunished in America’s largest city,” said Torres, a Democrat who represents New York’s 15th Congressional district in the Bronx and is a firm supporter of Jewish communities and Israel.
In a rare case, a US federal court charged a pro-Palestinian activist with a hate crime after he beat a Jewish man on the sidelines of a protest in Manhattan in April. An investigation found the defendant had attacked two other Jews in unprovoked assaults last year.
In some of the other incidents in the past week, a Jewish man was punched in the face repeatedly in an unprovoked attack in Queens; Nazi graffiti was sprayed on a fountain in Manhattan; and a Jewish woman was shot with a BB gun in Brooklyn.
Haiti Update
Dear Friends,
Tragically, this is Haiti today, a country that opened a welcoming door to Bill and his family in 1939.
Harriet and Bill
U.S. backs sending international forces to Haiti, draft proposal says
By John Hudson and Widlore Mérancourt
Washington Post October 15, 2022
A draft U.N. resolution, citing instability and violence in Haiti, suggests the Biden administration may be willing to participate in a multinational mission that has a military component
The United States has drafted a United Nations Security Council resolution encouraging “the immediate deployment of a multinational rapid action force” to Haiti in response to the rapidly deteriorating security and humanitarian situation there, according to a copy of the resolution obtained by The Washington Post.
The drafting of the resolution follows a push by U.N. Secretary General António Guterres for the creation of an international force to bolster the Haitian National Police as powerful armed gangs destabilize the country, disrupting the supply of fuel and electricity to the impoverished Caribbean nation.
The resolution is the first sign the Biden administration may be willing to participate in a Haiti mission that has a military component. U.S. officials have been noncommittal when asked about requests to send U.S. forces to lessen the violence and misrule that has led to a shortage of clean drinking water and threatens to worsen a cholera outbreak.The resolution does not identify specific countries that would participate in the rapid reaction force, nor does it spell out what roles those nationswould play.
Neither the White House nor the State Department immediately responded to requests for comment about the draft resolution, which was first reported by the McClatchy news organization. A spokesperson for the Haitian government did not immediately respond to a request for comment either.
A Pentagon spokesman, Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder, declined to comment.
A person familiar with discussions underway within the U.S. government, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the matter is considered sensitive, said that any American military personnel involved in a Haiti mission would likely provide logistical support only. This person said they were unaware of any plans to put U.S. “boots on the ground.”
Steep fuel price hikes spark violent protests in Haiti
The United States has long been reluctant to deploy military forces in Haiti. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States would accelerate the provision of humanitarian aid to Haiti, and “increase and deploy” security assistance for the country’s national police “in coming days.” He did not specify what that could entail, saying only that the aim was to “strengthen their capacity to counter gangs and reestablish a stable security environment under the rule of law.”
In this week’s proposal, Guterres recommended that countries send a rapid-response force that would be followed by a mission led by the United Nations. In the draft resolution reviewed by The Post, which a diplomat said was up to date as of Friday, the United States is “encouraging the immediate deployment of a multinational rapid action force to support the [Haitian National Police], as recommended in the Secretary General’s letter.”
It is unclear the degree to which other members of the U.N. Security Council support such a move, if China or Russia would veto the proposal, or if the current draft may change substantially before being proposed by the United States as soon as Monday.
The resolution also imposes an arms embargo, asset freeze and travel ban on criminal elements in Haiti. It singles out Haitian gang leader Jimmy Cherizier, who is known as Barbecue, as someone who has “engaged in acts that threaten the peace, security, and stability of Haiti and has planned, directed, or committed acts that constitute serious human rights abuses.”
In Haiti, a man named Barbecue test the rule of law
Last month, Cherizier, who leads the group G9 Family and Allies, blocked access to Varreux Terminal in Port-au-Prince, the capital. The port is responsible for about 70 percent of the fuel distributed in the country.
Cherizier is seeking a change in the leadership of the country, governed since last year by Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who assumed power after the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Moïse’s killing remains unsolved.
The blockade has exacerbateda dire economic and social situation in Haiti. Hospitals are running out of fuel in the middle of a resurgence of cholera early this month. Banks are open three days a week, as opposed to six normally. At least one bank branch is scheduled to close next week due to fuel scarcity.
Cholera resurfaces in Haiti as gangs hinder access to water, hospitals
According to the World Food Program, 4.7 million people in Haiti face varying degrees of hunger, with an estimated 19,000 experiencing what the organization considers catastrophic levels.
Port-au-Prince is increasingly becoming an isolated island with gangs, often tied to the political and economic class, blocking the main roads, all but eliminating connection to the north and the south of the country. Their grip renders it extremely difficult for humanitarian assistance to reach those in needs.
Outgunned by the gangs, the Haitian National Police has lost control of the situation. Local media reported that in recent days a gang seized an armored vehicle and stole the equipment inside.
On Saturday, the State Department issued a statement saying U.S. and Canadian military aircraft arrived in Port-au-Prince that day to deliver “vital Haitian government-purchased security equipment, including tactical and armored vehicles,” to Haiti’s authorities.
“The equipment will assist the [police] in their fight against criminal actors who are fomenting violence and disrupting the flow of critically-needed humanitarian assistance,” the statement said.
Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/10/15/haiti-biden-un-security-resolution/
Haiti Holocaust Survivors 