Latest news with #AJC
Miami Herald
5 hours ago
- General
- Miami Herald
‘We are all Jews.' Murders in DC call for moral clarity and action
Earlier this month, while accepting an American Jewish Committee (AJC) award given to distinguished members of the legal profession, Miami trial lawyer Peter Prieto shared the story of Army Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds, the highest-ranking soldier in a German POW camp during World War II. When the camp commandant ordered that Jewish POWs be separated from the rest, Edmonds — a Christian — responded by commanding all 1,275 U.S. prisoners to stand together. He told their captors: 'We are all Jews.' Edmonds put everything on the line to show that targeting Jewish soldiers was an attack on all POWs. His bravery and moral clarity feel all the more poignant and necessary this week, after two beloved friends of AJC, Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky, were gunned down outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C., on May 21. They, like those POWs, were targeted because they were Jewish — leaving a Jewish event at a Jewish museum. The accused gunman was heard shouting 'Free, free Palestine,' while he was detained and now faces two counts of first-degree murder that could lead to the death penalty.' That night's AJC Young Diplomats Reception was focused on humanitarian diplomacy and building bridges across seemingly intractable divides to help those in need in the Middle East and North Africa. But it did not matter to the shooter that Sarah, an American Jew from Kansas, was committed to peace-building between Israelis and Palestinians and passionate about sustainability and people-to-people relations. It did not matter that Yaron — whom one AJC colleague called 'one of the best'— had worked with us on numerous occasions to broaden and strengthen Israeli-Arab engagement. We cannot allow our community here in Florida — or leaders around the world — to treat their murders as simply another tragic incident and move on. And we cannot separate this violence from the dangerous rhetoric that fuels hatred and conspiracies against Jews. Since the double shooting, synagogues and Jewish organizations in Miami-Dade and Broward counties and across the country have heightened security. Then last Sunday, less than two weeks after the Capital Jewish Museum tragedy, a man launched a firebomb attack on a pro-Israel march in Boulder, Col., injuring a dozen people — including an 88-year-old Holocaust survivor. The accused attacker, an Egyptian national who had overstayed his U.S. visa, confessed he had planned to carry out a mass shooting but switched tactics when he was denied a gun permit because of his immigration status. His vile, cowardly act is another example of Jews targeted simply for being Jewish. It is yet another urgent reminder that unchecked hatred does not remain isolated — it escalates, and it spreads.' When people chant about murder, when they side with terrorists, when they march through the streets calling for violence — this is the outcome. From universities to city streets and across social media, antisemitism is surging — not just in whispers or coded language, but in clear threats and shameful silence. And to be clear: silence is complicity. Antisemitism has never been just a Jewish problem. The hate that starts with Jews inevitably spreads, threatening not only people, but also the pillars of democracy on which our nation is built. This moment demands moral leadership — not only from elected officials and clergy, but from our neighbors, business leaders, educators and everyone who believes in a shared future of dignity and safety for all. Thoughts and prayers — while appreciated — are far from enough. Everyone has a role to play in making sure this never happens again. Each of us must help build a society that rejects antisemitism completely — no excuses, no exceptions. When someone dies, it is traditional for Jews to say, 'May their memory be a blessing.' In honor of Sarah and Yaron, let us embody the moral clarity shown by Master Sgt. Edmonds — who saved all his fellow soldiers —and stand firmly together on the side of humanity. Stand with us and say: 'We are all Jews.' Brian Siegal is director of the American Jewish Committee Miami and Broward regional office. Susan Greene Pallot is president of AJC Miami and Broward.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Southwest Airlines Cuts Flights in Atlanta
Southwest Airlines has made a number of unpopular moves over the past several months and weeks, highlighted by the airline's decision to end its longstanding "bags fly free" policy. Now, the airline has made yet another unpopular decision. As detailed by a piece from Emma Hurt of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution this week, Southwest Airlines has cut more than a third of its schedule at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, the busiest airport in the world. While Delta Air Lines dominates the airport, accounting for about 80 percent of the flight capacity at Hartsfield-Jackson, Southwest has long been the second-largest carrier in Atlanta. But with these recent cuts, it seems like only a matter of time before it no longer holds that status. The move has been unpopular amongst customers, with the AJC highlighting one longtime Southwest customer who has now abandoned his loyalties to Southwest. 'Southwest never gave me a reason to shop around,' Atlanta-based filmmaker Adelin Gasana told the AJC. 'It was just my go-to … but this is the first time I've been shopping around for domestic flights.' Southwest flight attendants aren't necessarily happy, either. Alison Head, an Atlanta-based flight attendant for Southwest who represents the base on the Transport Workers Union's executive board, expressed concern about the cuts. 'Morale is very uneasy as we've watched other carriers come into Atlanta,' she wrote. She went on to criticize the airline for presumably valuing profits and stock market perofmance over the people and service. 'We feel like we're up against Wall Street,' Head said. 'Southwest has always been known for the 'LUV,' (its stock market ticker symbol) and we feel like they're not willing to protect the 'LUV' like they once were.' Clearly, this is yet another unpopular move from the airline. Southwest Airlines Cuts Flights in Atlanta first appeared on Men's Journal on May 30, 2025 Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Fox News
5 days ago
- General
- Fox News
Jewish Republican lawmaker talks antisemitism in America after deadly DC shooting
The deadly shooting outside Washington, D.C.'s Capital Jewish Museum has added to an ongoing conversation about antisemitism after Hamas' brutal Oct. 7 massacre. Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim were killed when leaving an event at the museum hosted by the American Jewish Committee (AJC). The suspected shooter, Elias Rodriguez, has since been charged with their murders. Rep. David Kustoff, R-Tenn., is one of only four Jewish Republicans serving in Congress, placing him in a unique position when it comes to assessing antisemitism in America and how it has been politicized. "We know that antisemitism has been around for a very long time, and obviously, after October 7, 2023, it came to the forefront. It came out as strongly as it did, in part because colleges and universities allowed some pro-Palestinian and frankly some pro-Hamas protesters to preach hate and antisemitism—and they didn't do anything to stop it," Kustoff told Fox News Digital. The Tennessee congressman condemned the shooting in D.C., calling it "a horrific act of antisemitic terrorism." "Antisemitic violence has no place in our society. We must remain united in calling out and confronting this rising tide of hate," Kustoff wrote in a post on X. Kustoff said that in his district, which he described as "strongly Republican, strongly pro-Trump," there aren't many Jewish people. In fact, according to World Population Review, just under 30,000 Jews live in Tennessee, which has more than 7.3 million residents. Despite the small Jewish population, Kustoff told Fox News Digital that people in his district are "very supportive of Israel, very supportive of the U.S.'s relationship with Israel, and they love the Jewish people." However, Kustoff also said that Jewish people in his district have "real concerns about going to synagogue." Jewish institutions and community centers have had "to go above and beyond" in terms of security, according to Kustoff. The congressman spoke about an incident in 2023 when a man opened fire outside the Margolin Hebrew Academy-Feinstone Yeshiva of the South. The suspect was later identified as Joel Alejandro Bowman, who faces several charges, including attempted second-degree murder. Kustoff sees the issue of combating antisemitism as one that has received bipartisan support in Congress. He praised Democrats like Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., and Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill. — who are Jewish — for their support of Israel and its relationship with the U.S., calling them "true leaders." Kustoff also noted that, while they are not Jewish, House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., have been vocal about their support for Israel. While Kustoff praised colleagues on both sides of the aisle, he also criticized members of Congress who have made "incendiary" remarks about Israel, saying such rhetoric "in effect helps to breed antisemitism." Kustoff spoke to Fox News Digital shortly after a video of outspoken Israel critic Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., refusing to condemn the murders of Lischinsky and Milgrim went viral. When asked about the incident, Kustoff said that "We get asked easy questions and difficult questions all the time as members of Congress. That was clearly an easy question to answer, and her constituents can make their own decisions." As chairman of the House-Knesset Parliamentary Friendship Group, Kustoff has had a close-up view of U.S.-Israel relations. He recalled his July 2024 trip to Israel, where he toured the site of the Nova Music Festival and a kibbutz that was attacked on Oct. 7, and met with Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "[Netanyahu] told me that he knows that the American people are still very supportive of Israel and the Israeli people know that," Kustoff told Fox News Digital. "We talked about the instances on college campuses. In closing, his feeling was that a number of these students probably couldn't look at a map and know where Israel is located."
Boston Globe
5 days ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
The eternal light of the woman gunned down at the Jewish Museum
Milgrim's mission, personally and as an aide at the Israeli Embassy, was peace. For that cause, she strove valiantly, constantly, and in the service of that cause, her life was taken. A force of goodness and grace met the embodiment of evil. Milgrim did not go gentle into that good night. Advertisement Young children can remark that perhaps God is crying when it pours like it did on that stormy night. The rain pelting Washington may have saved lives, as attendees at the American Jewish Committee event waited inside and ran to cars in the moments before the shooting. The suspected gunman fumbled with his weapon. It jammed. The AJC had held another event the night before, where centenarian Advertisement Shortly before Hitler came to power, antisemitic thugs had murdered Frank's uncle when they discovered he was Jewish as he walked down the street. As a child in Nazi Germany, Cohn saw the antisemitic evil that rang out in gunfire in Washington last week. After the suspect allegedly fired 21 rounds of bullets into Sarah and Yaron, he entered the building to taunt the other Jewish attendees at the event, proud of his heinous crime: His chants echoed slogans from demonstrations on college campuses last year. Jewish students were regarded by some as being too sensitive to these protests, as their classmates, much like Frank's nanny, embraced carelessness with their lives, screaming 'Globalize the Intifada,' a call for worldwide violence against Jews. While it is true that many of the college demonstrators display an uncommon ignorance about the subject matter, the Jewish students on their campuses, like the small Jewish boy on the streets of Nazi Germany, knew that they had been betrayed. A CNN anchor Advertisement To use language common to the campus culture, I would ask that anchor if she believes Forgive me if I seem enraged. I am. It was a righteous fury to defy the Nazis that sustained Frank in his noble mission in World War II, and a righteous fury that fueled the soul of Sarah Lynn Milgrim, who never gave up for the cause of peace, who sought justice for sexual assault victims of Oct. 7, and who brightened the world with her magnificent fire. May her drive light our way, pushing toward goodness, against the hatred in the heart of her suspected killer, and toward the peace she furiously sought.
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Georgia Republican pushes back on Trump's position on immigrants
ATLANTA - A Dalton Republican who supported President Donald Trump said he is against the administration's hard-line stance on immigration. "It's one of those deals where you hold your nose on some issues," state Rep. Kasey Carpenter said on the "Politically Georgia" podcast. "But it's been heartbreaking for sure." Carpenter is known for his hard-line conservative voting record, but he breaks ranks with his GOP colleagues over immigration. "I hope that I've shown my colleagues that it's OK to do the right thing. You might lose five points in a primary," he said. "You might lose 10 points in a primary, but you're doing the right thing." Carpenter's district is majority minority, according to 2023 data from the Georgia Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment Office, with 50% of its residents reporting as Hispanic, 42% white and 4% Black. The area made headlines when college student Ximena Arias-Cristobal was arrested earlier this month by a Dalton police officer and turned over to federal immigration authorities after a traffic stop. The Mexican-born Georgia woman has been released on bond, and the officer in the incident has resigned. "She was really ingrained in our community," said Carpenter, who wrote a character letter on behalf of Arias-Cristobal. "So it was a huge outpouring of support for her." Carpenter says Republicans and Democrats alike raise money on the issue of immigration, using communities as "political volleyballs." But for him the solution is simple. "You secure the border, get rid of the hardened criminals (and) give the people that have been here a long time a pathway," he said. "I think the reality is the overwhelming majority of Americans would support it." Carpenter's stance is supported by data in the latest round of AJC polling. In the poll, 57% of people surveyed said they believe there should be a way for most people who have come to the U.S. without permission to stay in the country legally if they meet certain requirements. "There are good people that have been here for a really, really long time that we don't want to get rid of," Carpenter told hosts Greg Bluestein and Patricia Murphy. Have a question or comment for the show? Call or text the 24-hour Politically Georgia Podcast Hotline at 770-810-5297. We'll play back your question and answer it during our next Monday Mailbag segment. You can also email your questions at PoliticallyGeorgia@ Listen and subscribe to our podcast for free at Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also tell your smart speaker to "play Politically Georgia podcast." AJC staffers Adam Beam and Phoebe Quinton contributed to this report. Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
