Brandeis Students protest Israeli Parliament Members [Brandeis SJP]
On Monday, a Brandeis student group calling themselves Students for Justice in Palestine disrupted a town hall meeting in Newton, Mass where 5 members of the Israeli Parliament intended to speak. This activism comes on the heels of a similar effort by SJP last year. After the incident, the University elected to hold the event off campus.
“The activists mic-checked the panel, protesting the undemocratic nature of the Israeli apartheid state and notified the offending officials that until their government ceased its discriminatory policies they were not welcome by students at Brandeis University community events. The activists were pushed outside the hall by police officers and private security guards. One Brandeis student was arrested and another was injured while being thrown to the floor by a police officer.”
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this post misspelled Brandeis University. We’ve corrected it and apologize for the error.
The Trayvon Martin Shooting and Jewish Halakah [Foward]
This striking editorial discusses the Jewish law of Din Rodef, and whether or not it is applicable in the shooting of a 14-year-old boy in Florida by a neighborhood watch member. Florida’s complex Stand Your Ground laws muddle the case even more.
“But that very elasticity became a recognized danger in rabbinic law precisely because it is so situationally ambiguous. How does one perceive a threat? Today, the answer is muddied further by Florida’s questionable Stand Your Ground law, which allows a person to use deadly force in self-defense well beyond the norms of protecting one’s property. Thus Zimmerman, a Neighborhood Watch volunteer, claimed that he was justified in shooting Martin because the young man, armed only with a can of ice tea and a bag of Skittles, attacked him first. And with such a claim, the Sanford police said that under Stand Your Ground, they could not even detain, never mind arrest, the acknowledged killer.”
Baltimore Jewish Times goes on the block [Forward]
The Baltimore Jewish Times has served as a vital voice for Baltimore’s Jewish community over the last 93 years. Now, bankrupt, the family owned paper is going on the auction block. Joel Shurkin discusses every journalists nightmare:
“Its parent company, Alter Communications, had a contract, dating back to the late 1950s, with the Baltimore printer H.G. Roebuck & Son. According to the paper’s publisher, Andrew Buerger — great-grandson of the original owner — the relationship soured in 2008, when, Buerger says, he tried to negotiate a lower price because he was unhappy with the quality of the printing. Roebuck refused.”
From Bread of Affliction to Black Tie [Tablet]
Stephanie Butnick rounds up this year’s crop of Matzah trays, which encompasses everything from high art to futurism.
“Connolly isn’t the only one getting inspired by Passover. From mod to magnetic, a range of designers are sprucing up the Seder with all sorts of funky wares, proving that Hanukkah doesn’t have to get all the fun stuff.”
Final Four (+ Bagels and Lox) [Tablet]
Every year, the Jewish coaches of the NCAA gather for Saturday morning brunch. This year, though some members of the tribe have been steeped in scandal, the Jewish Coaches Association is back, and stronger than ever.
“The JCA is exactly what it sounds like, with the caveat that its focus is primarily college basketball. Aside from a few officers, there are no members and no dues. It’s a bunch of guys—yes, mostly guys, although the group includes Coach Andy Yosinoff, who has coached the women’s team at Emmanuel College, a Boston-area Division-III school, for 35 years, taking them to their own Final Four in 2001—getting together to schmooze and eat. What do they eat? It’s a Saturday morning: What do you think they eat? (Here’s a hint: Pearl confessed to using margarine rather than cream cheese.)”
