Articles written by Rafael Medoff
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Ken Burns' Holocaust documentary may be hard on America, but not hard enough
(JTA) — Seventy-eight years ago this week, David Ben-Gurion rose before the Asefat Hanivcharim, Palestine Jewry’s elected assembly, and delivered an explosive “j’accuse” against the Allies for abandoning Europe’s Jews during the Holocaust....
Why did anti-BDS bill fail in Massachusetts when it succeeded in other states?
(JNS) Legislation to combat the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction movement against Israel has been adopted in more than 20 states in recent years, but it was derailed last month in Massachusetts. Pro-Israel activists are divided over the reasons why....
Florida exposes need for stricter gun control, say Jewish groups
(JNS)—Major American Jewish organizations are calling for stricter gun-control laws in the wake of the Feb. 14 mass school shooting in Parkland, Fla., that left 14 students and three staff members dead. A spokesperson for the women’s org...
Major Jewish organizations back Israel's BDS entry ban, barred group calls it 'bullying'
Leaders of several major American Jewish organizations have told JNS that they are supporting the Israeli government's decision to prevent the entry of foreign citizens who promote boycotts of...
URJ not opposed to Jerusalem decision
The Reform movement has started to retreat from its opposition to the Trump administration’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Following President Donald Trump’s recognition announcement, Union for Reform Judaism President Rabbi Ric...
After teen terror attack, Jewish leaders urge withdrawal of bill on Palestinian minors
In the wake of an attack by a teenage Palestinian terrorist that left two Israelis wounded last Friday, Jewish organizations and community leaders are calling for the withdrawal of a congressional...
Why they keep leaving Jews out of the Holocaust
The Canadian government has announced that it will correct a memorial plaque at its new National Holocaust Monument, which spoke of the “millions of men, women and children during the Holocaust”—but neglected to mention Jews. Unfortunately, Canad...
Palestinian 'supermom' says Jews drink Arab blood
The United Nations has crowned her a "human rights defender," while Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based broadcaster, hails her as a "Palestinian supermom." But Manal Tamimi's links to violence and tweets...
Senators concerned about extremist summer camp
Two prominent U.S. senators are raising questions about an American-funded school in Ramallah that is running an extremist summer camp for Palestinian teens from around the world, many of them...
Are some Dems moving away from Israel?
WASHINGTON—Some Jewish Democrats and community activists are concerned at what they see as fresh signs that the party is distancing itself from Israel. The latest controversy began when Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said at a July 22 Town Hall m...
Court ruling deals blow to Palestinian efforts to restrict Jews in Jerusalem
Palestinians are vowing to continue their efforts to prevent Jews from living in large parts of Jerusalem’s Old City, despite a July 31 Israeli court ruling permitting a Jewish purchase of several properties there. The ruling by Judge Gila K...
U.S. Jewish leaders back metal detectors on Temple Mount
There is a broad consensus among American Jewish leaders in support of Israel's use of metal detectors to intercept terrorists on Jerusalem's Temple Mount. The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations "supports taking the...
The Forward sees threat from 'censors,' but other Jewish editors and groups differ
Is a "mobilized faction" in the American Jewish community attempting to "censor" dovish views? The president of The Forward newspaper thinks so, but other editors and leaders of some left-of-center Je...
Biased U.S. textbooks turn young Americans against Israel
Anti-Israel bias in the textbooks used by many American high schools may be to blame for the decrease in sympathy for Israel among young adults. According to the Brand Israel Group, only 54 percent of U.S. college students lean more toward Israel...
Publication of pro-terrorist ad in The Forward raises eyebrows in Jewish media world
The decision by the Jewish weekly newspaper The Forward to publish a paid advertisement supporting imprisoned Palestinian terrorist Marwan Barghouti is being questioned by some editors of other American Jewish newspapers. The full-page ad appeared...
Dems, Jews join Trump in protesting Palestinian terror payments
WASHINGTON—Prominent Democrats and major U.S. Jewish organizations are joining President Donald Trump in calling on the Palestinian Authority (PA) to stop making payments to imprisoned terrorists and their families. Trump raised the issued during h...
U.S. action against genocide: a brief guide
President Donald Trump’s missile strike against Syria inaugurates a new chapter in the long and controversial history of American responses—and sometimes nonresponses—to mass murder around the world. Although the killing of Syrian civilians by Presid...
AJC lobbied U.S. to cover PA's unpaid bills
WASHINGTON—Amid growing congressional concern about the Palestinian Authority’s misuse of U.S. aid, a major mainstream American Jewish organization has been quietly lobbying Congress to cover the PA’s unpaid bills at a Jerusalem hospital. JNS.o...
Negotiator: peace talks failed due to Palestinian demands, Kerry's approach
The most recent round of Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations failed because the Palestinian Authority (PA) responded to each Israeli concession with new demands and the Obama administration kept taking the Palestinians’ side, according to a v...
Jewish leaders applaud Trump's focus on Palestinian incitement
WASHINGTON—American Jewish leaders are enthusiastically applauding President Donald Trump’s call on the Palestinian Authority to remove anti-Jewish hate material from its school books. At his press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Neta...
U.S. knew of Nazi euthanasia gassings but remained silent
Ahead of this year’s marking of International Holocaust Remembrance Day Jan. 27, new details have been revealed concerning how much the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration knew about the Nazis’ euthanasia policy, and why the U.S. failed to res...
Terror victims applaud Tillerson's criticism of Palestinian leaders, urge concrete steps
WASHINGTON-American victims of Palestinian terrorism are applauding Secretary of State-designate Rex Tillerson's criticism of the Palestinian Authority (PA) and are urging him to press the PA to take...
Lawmakers to challenge Obama's limit on defense aid for Israel
Democratic and Republican lawmakers are vowing to challenge a limit on U.S. defense aid for Israel that President Barack Obama included in the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding between the two nations. The agreement—reached in S...
Trump's top four contenders for secretary of state have strong pro-Israel records
WASHINGTON-Although it will be some time before President-elect Donald Trump names the members of his cabinet, the four individuals most often mentioned as contenders for the administration's top...
U.S. State Department calls Mahmoud Abbas's Palestinian Authority anti-Semitic
For the first time, the U.S. State Department has explicitly accused the Palestinian Authority (PA) of promoting anti-Semitism, a signal Jewish groups are hoping will lead to change in U.S. policy....
