Latest news with #EndJewHatred
India Today
17-05-2025
- Politics
- India Today
NYU student denied diploma over graduation speech condemning Israel
New York University said it would deny a diploma to a student who used a graduation speech to condemn Israel's attacks on Palestinians and what he described as US 'complicity in this genocide.'Logan Rozos's speech Wednesday for graduating students of NYU's Gallatin School sparked waves of condemnation from pro-Israel groups, who demanded the university take aggressive disciplinary action against a statement, NYU spokesperson John Beckman apologised for the speech and accused the student of misusing his platform 'to express his personal and one-sided political views.' 'He lied about the speech he was going to deliver and violated the commitment he made to comply with our rules,' Beckman added. 'The University is withholding his diploma while we pursue disciplinary actions.'Universities across the country have faced tremendous pressure to crack down on pro-Palestinian speech or risk funding cuts from President Donald Trump's administration, which has equated criticism of Israel with NYU, which is attended by Trump's son, Barron, has largely avoided the president's ire so an actor and member of the Gallatin Theater Troupe, was selected by fellow students to give the liberal art program's address. He said he felt a moral and political obligation to speak to the audience about what he called the atrocities in genocide currently occurring is supported politically and militarily by the United States, is paid for by our tax dollars and has been livestreamed to our phones for the past 18 months,' he speech drew loud cheers from the crowd, along with a standing ovation from some graduating as video of the speech spread online, it was roundly denounced by pro-Israel groups, who accused NYU of creating an unsafe environment for Jewish students.'No student — especially Jewish students — should have to sit through politicised rhetoric that promotes harmful lies about Israel during such a personal milestone,' the Anti-Defamation League said in a group #EndJewHatred suggested the speech — which did not mention Jewish people — would meet the university's newly-expanded definition of antisemitism, which includes certain criticism of emailed inquiry to Rozos was not pro-Palestinian rallies roiled campuses across the country last spring, the 2024 commencement season was was marked by tensions and cancellations, and strict limits on what students could billions of dollars of funding at risk from the Trump administration, the stakes for universities are even higher this year, some faculty said.'They are bending over backward to crack down on speech that runs counter to what the current administration in Washington espouses,' said Andrew Ross, a professor of social and cultural analysis at and many of my colleagues are frankly appalled at the decision that's being made to deny a student speaker his diploma,' Ross added. 'This is a very good example of an administration falling down on the job.'
Toronto Sun
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
OPINION: Toronto's Nova exhibition through a Muslim lens
On April 29, we were invited by the organization End Jew Hatred, as Muslim members of The Council of Muslims Against Antisemitism and Muslims Facing Tomorrow, to visit the NOVA exhibit in Toronto. April 29 is recognized as End Jew Hatred Day, soon to be formalized. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account It is interesting to note that the entire exhibition is about resilience, renewal and revival of the spirit. There are no Israeli flags and no mention of the Israel-Gaza war except the reality of the attack on a music festival. The exhibit started in Israel, travelling to New York, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires and Miami with the partnership of American producers Scooter Braun, Joe Taplow and Josh Kaden, before coming to Toronto where it will conclude on June 8. In Toronto, it's the work of the U.S. and Canadian production teams led by Reut Feingold. The tribe of Nova community has developed this catchphrase 'We Will Dance Again.' The exhibition has been largely funded through the generosity of individuals and corporate donors who have come together to ensure that this story of the largest massacre in music history is told via the exhibit experience that has become the catalyst for remembrance, dialogue, allyship and healing. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Guido Smit, executive director of the Council of Muslims Facing Tomorrow, described the exhibition as 'a test of our collective conscience.' This is our experience: Mohammad Rizwan: 'Imagine a packed, bustling and bouncing dance floor with a dancing kaleidoscope of lights and suddenly for a moment the frame freezes, the music stops, and the lights fade. Those few moments feel like eternity but then the whole scene springs back to life like someone had hit the play after pushing the pause button on the player. Reut Feingold, an Israeli director and curator and his team hit that pause button to recreate the scene on the morning of Oct. 7, 2023 resulting in the Nova Music Festival at an exhibition in Toronto. The exhibition holds the honour of being the largest exhibition in Canadian history spanning over 60,000 square feet of space. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The sand on the ground is real — so are the folding chairs, slippers, sunscreens even the bar and with all its scattered bottles, pints and knocked-down chairs. A section recreates the parking lot with original burnt cars along with a section with leftover memorabilia of clothes, shoes and jewelry items. It's a frame straight out of a Steven Spielberg movie, frozen and paused at the time of the Hamas terrorist attack on Oct. 7 — except it's real. You can touch it, feel it, and you can see it through numerous display monitors all along the exhibition path. The path winds down through various sections of the exhibition and ends at the Healing Room where the letters glow, WE WILL DANCE AGAIN. Watching the exhibition was a surreal experience though the tragic emotions hover over you like a dark cloud as you walk through the spectacle. I have witnessed few curated spectacles and many original, tragic and emotive ones during my 25 years as journalist and a war correspondent in Afghanistan, but this one compares to nothing so far. Very powerful, very artistic and uniquely aesthetic. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. I had a few questions when I was done marvelling at what I saw and I reached out to one of the exhibition organizers, Jesse Brown, the lead Canadian representative for the exhibition. He said, 'The exhibition was created by Nova Music Festival organizers three months after the Oct. 7 attack in Israel as an effort to support the survivors and the victims with three guiding words in mind – witness, reflect and heal. All these artifacts before they became exhibition were in the possession of Israeli police as forensic evidence.' The exhibition ended in the Healing Room with a panel hosted by End Jew Hatred and facilitated by prominent journalist Brooke Goldstein, founder of The Lawfare Project. Speakers were MP Melissa Lantsman, co-deputy leader of the Official Opposition, and MPP Laura Smith, First Vice-Chair, Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs. The panelists were Ofir Amir, Tribe of Nova Co-Founder and survivor, Stella Escobedo, Emmy Award-winning journalist and news anchor, and Raheel Raza. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Another event with constructive discussion and diverse speakers is being hosted by Secure Canada on June 5.' Raheel Raza's message to the audience of 250 plus was: 'The radicals have won the battle, but we can't let them win the war. In order to do this, we must band together regardless of politics, faith and nationality. We have to work together and build alliances as Canadians to bring Canada back to the peacemaker it was and not a haven for extremism. By amplifying each other's voices, sharing resources, and standing up for one another, we demonstrate that hate against one group is hate against all, and that unity is a powerful force for change. Antisemitism is a symptom of a much larger disease: Hatred and dehumanization of 'the other.' When any group is targeted, the entire fabric of society is weakened. Allowing antisemitism to flourish unchallenged emboldens other forms of racism, xenophobia and bigotry. Speaking out isn't just about defending the Jewish community — it's about protecting the ideals of equality, human rights, and dignity for all. Silence enables hate to grow — collective, vocal opposition makes it clear that such ideologies have no place in Canada. We will dance again!' — Raheel Raza and Mohammad Rizwan are Directors of The Council for Muslims Against Antisemitism Olympics Editorial Cartoons Columnists NHL Celebrity
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
NYC precinct council prez Robert Josman blasted for removing Israeli hostage posters: ‘Overt hatred'
The head of a police community group in one of NYC's most Jewish neighborhoods tore down posters of missing Israeli hostages, disturbing footage shows. Robert Josman, longtime president and treasurer of the 24th Precinct Community Council on the Upper West Side, was filmed cutting down the posters at least twice since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attacks. Josman, 59, was filmed earlier this month ripping down the signs while walking a dog, video shows. And in October, he was confronted by two people when he used a pair of scissors to cut the flyers off a pole, footage shows. Without identifying himself, he argued it was illegal to post anything on NYC property and said he had consulted with the police precinct — but admitted he didn't work for the city, according to the video, which has been shared widely online. Curiously, Josman hasn't removed any other signage that clutters poles across the neighborhood, critics noted. A coalition of Upper West Siders is now calling for Josman be booted from his volunteer role as head the council, which primarily advises NYPD police precincts on local issues and makes recommendations for new commanders 'Mr. Josman — whose role is to foster community and police cooperation — has directly undermined his own role by demonstrating overt hatred toward an ethnic group within the city community,' the group wrote in a letter to Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and the NYPD brass. 'This selective enforcement to address only the hostage posters while leaving other signage intact makes plain that Mr. Josman is not focused on protecting lampposts, but is instead determined to inflict hatred by spiting the Jewish and Israeli communities in his neighborhood.' The group is also calling for mandatory anti-discrimination training for all public servants, such as precinct council members. 'Tearing down hostage posters is a despicable act — an attempt to erase awareness of the kidnappings and shield Hamas from public outrage over its violence,' Brooke Goldstein, founder of the #EndJewHatred movement, told The Post. 'Such behavior, especially while hostages, including Edan Alexander, an American from New Jersey, still remain in the clutches of Hamas terrorists and are being tortured and abused every day, reflects an alarming level of hostility toward Jewish people and contradicts fundamental moral values,' Goldstein added, calling on Josman to step down. Last year, the 24th Precinct saw 21 hate crime incidents reported — the fifth highest total out of the city's 78 precincts, according to NYPD data. The same number of incidents were reported in 2023, a jump of 35% from the previous year, the data show. Behind Brooklyn, Manhattan is home to the second highest population of Jewish people in Gotham, with 54,000 Jewish adults on the Upper West Side, second most in the borough after the Lower East Side's 57,000 according to studies. Josman did not respond to an inquiry from The Post. The NYPD did not comment on the allegations and said it had no complaints related to Josman on file.
