1. Shameful: UNESCO Demands Israel RelinquishControl of Jerusalem on Yom Ha'atzmaut

In what can only be called a shocking anddisgraceful move, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and CulturalOrganization (UNESCO) passed a resolution yesterday – on Israel’s IndependenceDay – whichdemands that Israel disavow its eternal capital, the holy city of Jerusalem.The resolution was reportedly backed by the Palestinian Authority, andsupported by a number of Arab states, including Western-aligned nations such asEgypt, Oman, and Qatar. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called theresolution “absurd” and “delusional”, and announced earlier today that Israelwill be cutting its United Nations funding by at least $1 million in responseto the resolution.

2.Hamas Moderates Rhetoric and Public Image, Still Wants to Destroy Israel andthe Jewish People

The Hamas terrorist group - which also serves as apseudo-government for the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip - unveileda long-rumoured public image makeover on Monday, softening the languagearound many of its positions and white-washing its notoriously antisemitic andhateful founding charter. However, despite the terrorist group’s rebrandingefforts, Hamas maintains its intent to eventually destroy the state of Israeland the Jewish people, which it refers to as an illegitimate occupying stateestablished by “Zionist occupiers.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahucalled the rebranding a “smoke screen” and added that Israeli authorities “seeHamas continuing to invest all of its resources not just in preparing for warwith Israel, but also in educating the children of Gaza to want to destroyIsrael.” You can read the re-worded Hamas Charter here.

3. ADL Reports 86% Spike in Antisemitic Incidents in 2017, Statistics Questioned by Jewish Community Leaders

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has released a report which states that antisemitic incidents in the United States have risen 86% during the first three months of this year, when compared to the first three months of last year. The ADL says that there has been a massive increase in the harassment Jewish Americans face, and particularly young Jewish students who have faced bullying and vandalism in public K-12 American schools. The report shows that a total of 541 incidents have been reported so far this year, compared to 1,266 incidents reported over the entirety of 2016. However, some Jewish community leaders have questioned the report for including the numerous bomb threats by an Israeli-American teenager, arguing that they cannot be considered antisemitic. "Now that it's clear that this was a mentally unstable individual, I would not categorize these as antisemitic hate crimes," said Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

4. New Zealand Reaches Out to Israel toRestore Good Relations Following Judean Settler Row

New Zealand’snewly appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gerry Brownlee, has reportedlyreached out to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an effort to restoregood diplomatic relations between New Zealand and the Jewish state following a falling-out betweenthe two nations after New Zealand chose to co-sponsor the United NationsSecurity Council’s (UNSC) infamous resolution which condemned Israeli settlersin Judea late last year. New Zealand’s decision to co-sponsor the hateful andmisinformed resolution, and its passing the UNSC due to the Obamaadministration’s decision to abstain from vetoing it, led to Israel withdrawingits ambassador from New Zealand and temporarily denying the travel rights ofNew Zealand’s ambassador to Israel. Brownlee told media that he’d “sent aletter to Mr. Netanyahu yesterday firstly congratulating them on their nationalday, but expressing a desire for the Israeli-New Zealand relationship to getback on track.”

5. Governor of Texas Signs Anti-BDS Bill into Law on Yom Ha'atzmaut

As expected, on Israel’s Independence Day yesterday, FSWC was happy to learn that Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) signed into law Bill 89, which prevents the state of Texas from awarding state-government contracts to firms which participate in the antisemitic Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign against Israel. Abbott said during remarks given following the signing that “as Israel's number one trading partner in the United States, Texas is proud to reaffirm its support for the people of Israel and we will continue to build on our historic partnership. Anti-Israel policies are anti-Texas policies, and we will not tolerate such actions against an important ally.”

6. Trump and Abbas Meet for the FirstTime at the White House

US President Donald Trumpand PA President Mahmoud Abbas met for the first time today in the WhiteHouse, marking the first day of a three-day visit. During the meeting, Trumpdiscussed the establishment of a peace agreement between Israel andPalestinians, stating, “We've spoken to Netanyahu and to many Israeli leaders,we'll start a process which hopefully will lead to peace.” He also called onPalestinians to “speak in a unified voice against incitement to violence andhate." Trump failed to address any questions about moving the US embassyfrom Tel Aviv to Jerusalem or Hamas, the terrorist group that currentlycontrols Gaza.

7. FSWC at Work

Late last week, FSWC’s education department hostedmembers of police services from across the province for a series of workshopsin our in-office Tom and Anna Koffler Tolerance Training Centre. Members ofthe Kingston Police Force, Halton Police Service, Cobourg Police Service, YorkRegional Police, and Weyburn Police Service attended the workshops, which weretailored towards the special needs of law enforcement, and were geared towardsassisting the police services in understanding how to properly and effectivelycounter and respond to antisemitic hate crimes, and discriminatory crimes ingeneral. FSWC is dedicated to ensuring that all members of Ontario’s lawenforcement agencies have access to tolerance and effective hate-crimesresponse training, and believes that we are uniquely positioned to continuedelivering these world-class training services.

PHILANTHROPYCORNER

FSWC is a designated Canadian charitableorganization that provides tax receipts for charitable contributions. Adonation to FSWC is tax deductible and provides an incredible footprint ofdirect action in our community. If you want to change lives and provide forpositive community development, consider extending your philanthropy to Friendsof Simon Wiesenthal Center this fall. Make it count.