Trump recognizes Days of Remembrance of Victims of the Holocaust
(JNS) — U.S. President Donald Trump asked Americans on Wednesday to observe the Days of Remembrance of Victims of the Holocaust by upholding “the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and Nazi persecution by remembering the lessons of this atrocity so that it is never repeated.”
The request came in a presidential proclamation, honoring “the blessed memories of the six million Jewish men, women, and children who were viciously slaughtered by the genocidal Nazi regime and their collaborators — one of the bleakest hours in human history,” while also recognizing victims of the Holocaust from other targeted groups.
“We once again honor every Holocaust survivor who has imparted their wisdom to younger generations,” Trump wrote. “Today and every day, we commit to preserving their stories.”
72% of American Jews disapprove of Donald Trump’s performance so far, poll finds
(JTA) — Nearly three quarters of American Jews disapprove of the job Donald Trump is doing as president and most dislike how he is handling antisemitism in the United States, according to a new survey.
But American Jews are less disapproving of Trump’s handling of antisemitism than they are of his overall performance, according to the survey, published Thursday by the nonpartisan Jewish Electorate Institute.
The survey was conducted by the Mellman Group, led by Jewish Democratic pollster Mark Mellman, in mid-April and included 800 registered Jewish voters.
The survey found that 72% of American Jews disapprove of Trump’s job performance, including 67% who strongly disapprove, while 24% approve of the job he is doing, including 16% who strongly approve. Some 5% weren’t sure. The poll had a margin of error of 3.5%. The results roughly map to what is known about how American Jews voted in November’s election.
An elite Jewish society at Yale fractures over its director’s embrace of Itamar Ben-Gvir
(JTA) — Fissures are opening in a Jewish society at Yale University known for its commitment to open discourse after its director announced plans to host the far-right Israeli minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
At least three members of the selective society have resigned over director Rabbi Shmully Hecht’s decision to host Ben-Gvir, whose record includes extremist rhetoric and convictions for crimes including providing support to a terror organization.
Until recently, politicians on Israel’s right avoided partnering with Ben-Gvir because he had hung a picture of Baruch Goldstein, who massacred 29 Muslims at prayer in Hebron in 1994, in his home. Now, he is national security minister — and most American Jewish groups are eschewing him on his first official visit to the United States.
Authorities raid Michigan homes that advocates say belong to pro-Palestinian activists
(JTA) — Federal and state agents in Michigan raided at least three different home addresses connected to pro-Palestinian protesters Wednesday.
The raids — at homes in Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti and Canton — were tied to a vandalism investigation and not to immigration issues or on-campus demonstrations against Israel that have taken place over the last year and a half, according to a spokesman for Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.
A viral video showed officers breaking down the door of a home. Pro-Palestinian advocates said the homes all belonged to students or former students at the University of Michigan who have engaged in pro-Palestinian activism.
