Really ‘Jew-hate’

Unlike other media reporters and broadcasters, Dana Bash, CNN’s “Inside Politics” host, consistently calls antisemitism what it in reality it actually is: “Jew Hate.” Why is that noteworthy?

As both a Jewish American and communication scholar, I contend that the label “Jew Hate” more explicitly and concretely identifies the target of antisemitism, namely, Jews. In addition to giving antisemitism a face, this label more precisely captures the seriousness and dangerousness of the problem, as well as its harmful outcomes.

Bottom line: the term “Jew Hate” likely evokes a more visceral response, thus potentially having a greater capacity to persuade people to be outraged and take action to condemn antisemitism.

If the goal is to quell antisemitism and other forms of hate that dominate our public discourse, we must become even more cognizant of language choices and how those choices affect behavior. After all, words really do matter.
Richard Cherwitz

The nation’s largest credit union rejected more than half its Black conventional mortgage applicants

The largest credit union in the US has the widest disparity in mortgage approval rates between White and Black borrowers of any major lender, a trend that reached new heights last year, a CNN analysis found.

Navy Federal Credit Union, which lends to military servicemembers and veterans, approved more than 75% of the White borrowers who applied for a new conventional home purchase mortgage in 2022, according to the most recent data available from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. But less than 50% of Black borrowers who applied for the same type of loan were approved.

While many banks also approved White applicants at higher rates than Black borrowers, the nearly 29-percentage-point gap in Navy Federal’s approval rates was the widest of any of the 50 lenders that originated the most mortgage loans last year.

The disparity remains even among White and Black applicants who had similar incomes and debt-to-income ratios. Notably, Navy Federal approved a slightly higher percentage of applications from White borrowers making less than $62,000 a year than it did of Black borrowers making $140,000 or more.

Taliban sending Afghan women to prison to protect them from gender-based violence, says UN report

Taliban officials are sending Afghan women to prison to protect them from gender-based violence, according to a U.N. report published Thursday.

Before the Taliban seized power in 2021, there were 23 state-sponsored women protection centers in Afghanistan where survivors of gender-based violence could seek refuge. Now there are none, the U.N. report said.

Officials from the Taliban-led administration told the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan that there was no need for such shelters or that they were a Western concept.

The Taliban sends women to prison if they have no male relatives to stay with or if the male relatives are considered unsafe, the report said. Authorities have also asked male relatives for commitments or sworn statements that they will not harm a female relative, inviting local elders to witness the guarantee, it added.

Hundreds march for Palestine downtown, protest Jerry Seinfeld show

Hundreds of people gathered in downtown Syracuse to rally in support of Palestine, calling for a cease-fire and protesting Jerry Seinfeld’s stand-up show Friday evening.

The local “Shut It Down For Palestine” demonstration — organized by the Syracuse chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, the Syracuse Collective for Palestinian Liberation, the Resilient Indigenous Action Collective and the Syracuse chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation — was the latest of several similar pro-Palestine demonstrations on college campuses and in cities across the country following the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

The protesters marched from Clinton Square down S. Salina Street to the Landmark Theatre, where Seinfeld’s stand-up show was scheduled to take place at 7 p.m. Seinfeld was one of over 700 Hollywood celebrities to sign an open letter in support of Israel following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack.

After 1,200 people were killed in the attack, Israel responded with a tightened siege on Gaza, bombarding the territory. Since Oct. 7, over 17,000 people in Gaza have been killed, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.

Hamas not responding to attempts to get hostage negotiations back on track

Hamas has been unresponsive to overtures made in recent days to try to restart hostage negotiations, a source familiar with the efforts told CNN, as the US and other mediators try to resurrect talks that would see more hostages who were abducted on October 7 be released from captivity.

Qatar – which continues to play the role of interlocutor – has relayed to Hamas new ideas to try to get more hostages out of Gaza, including a potential deal that would include the release of not just the remaining women hostages, but men as well, according to one source familiar with the efforts and a senior US official.

“There’s not an active negotiation, but there’s a real exploration of ideas for how to get this going,” the senior US official said. But Hamas has not been responsive to the outreach, the source familiar said.

Qatar speaks with Hamas political officials in Gaza who then relay messages to the group’s leadership inside the strip who are actively trying to avoid detection by Israel. US officials had said getting answers from Hamas was an incredibly cumbersome process during the first round of negotiations that led to a series of hostages being released. It may now be even harder for Hamas leaders to engage in talks now given the Israeli focus on hunting them down.

Obeida survives and issues a chilling ultimatum. Will Hamas execute all hostages?

Hamas has vowed that no captive will leave the Gaza Strip alive unless their demands are addressed. This alarming news was relayed by a representative from the Palestinian group. The Israeli Prime Minister had previously stated that Hamas' demands are impossible to fulfill.

Abu Obeida, the spokesperson for the military wing of Hamas, stated that no additional captives would leave Gaza alive unless Israel complies with all the demands proposed by the Palestinian group during negotiations, which ended at the beginning of December, The Times of Israel reports. Obeida's announcement was his first in the past two weeks and effectively dispelled rumors about his condition. The media had speculated that the representative of the military arm of Hamas may have fallen in battle.

According to The Times of Israel, 138 hostages remain in the Gaza Strip, even though the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have confirmed the death of 18 captives in recent days. "Without a prisoner exchange, negotiation, or fulfillment of the resistance movement's demands, neither the authoritarian enemy, its haughty leadership, nor its advocates will reclaim their prisoners alive," stated Abu Obeida during a TV broadcast, alluding, among other things, to the release of all Palestinian detainees in Israeli control.

Last week, the Israeli Prime Minister had a meeting with the families of those held hostage in Gaza, and the Times of Israel reported that Benjamin Netanyahu stated that there is little practical possibility of releasing all the captives. He further emphasized that Hamas' demands are unsatisfiable. "At present, bringing everyone home isn't feasible. Can anyone realistically think such an alternative would be declined if available?" asked the Prime Minister. "Hamas has demanded that even you would find unacceptable," he added during the meeting with the hostages' families.

Turkish MP Has Heart Attack While Saying Allah Punishes Pro-Israel People

A Turkish member of parliament collapsed on Tuesday with an apparent heart attack amid discussing godly punishments for the Israeli people.

Felicity (Saadet) Party Member Hasan Bitmez fell beside a podium while addressing the Grand Assembly of the Turkish National Assembly during a reported budgetary discussion.

"You will not escape the wrath of Allah," Bitmez, 54, said moments before he fainted and seemingly hit his head on the floor, immediately drawing a swarm of onlookers to intervene and provide medical attention. He reportedly has diabetes.

Multiple reports indicate that some type of cardiac event occurred requiring life-saving measures, and that Bitmez was transported by stretcher to an ambulance that took him to a local hospital.

8 arrested, 2 cited after pro-Palestine protest causes major backup at Lowry Tunnel

Eight people were arrested and two others were cited after a pro-Palestine protest blocked eastbound traffic at the Lowry Tunnel on Interstate 94 in Minneapolis, officials said.

A convoy of vehicles decorated with Palestinian flags clogged traffic for about an hour when it parked inside the tunnel just before 5 p.m., traffic camera footage shows. Congestion appeared to extend for miles, affecting rush-hour commuters on interstates 94 and 394.

The Minnesota State Patrol said its troopers went to meet the demonstrators who were blocking traffic and started making arrests. Eight vehicles and three trailers were towed away.

According to the State Patrol, five men were arrested on suspicion of obstructing the legal process and impeding traffic; a man and a juvenile male were each arrested on suspicion of fleeing in a motor vehicle; and one woman was arrested for probable cause possession of a firearm without a permit. A man and a juvenile male were also cited for impeding traffic.

Update: 3 Oakland cafe workers out of a job after confrontation over anti-Semitic graffiti

Three Oakland cafe workers are no longer on the job following a confrontation this past week with a customer over anti-Semitic graffiti found in the coffee shop's bathroom.

According to a statement released by the coffee shop owners The incident occurred when a female customer noticed graffiti in the bathroom and tried to take a picture of it.

The woman recorded employees of Farley's East coffee shop blocking her access to the bathroom, while making anti-Israel comments.

In the video, one employee is heard telling the woman, "This is private property" before asking her to leave.

Biden to host Hanukkah ceremony at the White House amid fears about rising antisemitism

President Joe Biden is hosting a White House reception Monday to mark Hanukkah, celebrating the holiday as he has continued to denounce rising antisemitism in the U.S. and abroad amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

The president, first lady Jill Biden and second gentleman Doug Emhoff will attend the reception. Hanukkah continues through Friday.

The Biden administration in May announced what it called the first-ever national strategy to counter antisemitism. That laid out more than 100 actions, including a series of steps to raise awareness and understanding of antisemitism and the threat it poses around the U.S.

Still, antisemitism has only intensified in some quarters since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas and other militants sparked Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, which faces heightened criticism for the mounting Palestinian death toll. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned of an impending “humanitarian catastrophe” in Gaza and urged its members to demand an immediate humanitarian cease-fire.