Remembering Rubin Sztajer, Fred Malek dies and James Beard Award finalists
Holocaust survivor Rubin Sztajer dies
RubinSztajer was never one to mince words. He didn’t have the time or patience forfalse pleasantries or the politesse of polite society, and he didn’t fret overwho might be offended by his frankness, writes Editor-in-Chief Alan Feiler. Afterall, Rubin, a local survivor of six Nazi death camps who died March 26 at age94, had been to the depths of hell and back. And he was a man on a mission – tolet the world know about the horrors of the Holocaust and to prevent thatmemory from receding into the dustbin of history. But that meant alwaystalking tachlis and beingcompletely accurate about the Shoah. “Trust me, it was horrible enough,”he said to me on many occasions. “There is no need for any exaggerations orcreativity.”
Read more: Survivor Rubin Sztajer Was Committed to Telling the Truth about the Holocaust
Yad Vashemruns ads urging an end to ‘divisive anti-Semitic language’
Yad Vashem,Israel’s official Holocaust memorial, ran an ad in The New York Times andThe Washington Post during the AIPAC conference urging politicians to stop using“divisive anti-Semitic language and distorted Holocaust references.” The adread, “We implore all leaders and citizens to refrain from hateful discourse,and to reaffirm the common humanity that binds us together. Divisiveanti-Semitic language and distorted Holocaust references voiced by politiciansand too many others is deeply troubling.” The top half of the ad is a quotefrom famed Holocaust survivor and author Elie Wiesel which states: “Theopposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.” The ad refers to recent“horrible results of unbridled hatred,” namely the attack on a Pittsburghsynagogue building that left 11 dead, and attacks on two mosques in New Zealandthat left 50 dead.—JTA
Facebook andInstagram to ban white nationalist/separatist posts
Facebook and Instagram announced a ban on posts that involve “support and representation of white nationalism and separatism.” The social networking giant announced the ban on March 27 and will begin enforcing it next week. “It’s clear that these concepts are deeply linked to organized hate groups and have no place on our services,” a post by Facebook, which owns Instagram, said. “Our policies have long prohibited hateful treatment of people based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity or religion — and that has always included white supremacy.” Facebook did not at first extend that ban to white nationalism out of concern that it could also end up censoring movements like Basque separatism or pride in the United States. But conversations with experts convinced the company that “white nationalism and separatism cannot be meaningfully separated from white supremacy and organized hate groups.” Facebook also announced that it would begin connecting people who search for hateful terms to resources that help people leave hate groups. Last year, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg sparked backlash when he said the site would not remove posts denying the Holocaust.–JTA
Fred Malek,GOP official who tallied Jews for Nixon, dies at 82
Fred Malek,a former White House aide who recorded the number of Jews working in the Bureauof Labor Statistics for President Nixon, has died. His death at age 82 wasannounced March 26 by the American Action Network, a conservative advocacygroup he formed with former Republican senator Norm Coleman of Minnesota. In1971, Nixon complained to members of his staff about a “Jewish cabal” ingovernment working against him. He specifically set out to demote members ofthe Bureau of Labor Statistics who he believed were tweaking employmentstatistics to make him look bad. At Nixon’s request Malek, the White House personnelchief, sent a list of names he thought sounded Jewish to White House aides H.R.Haldeman and Charles Colson in September 1971. Three employees Malek named weredemoted to different positions within the bureau. The story resurfaced in 1988,and Malek resigned from his post as deputy chairman of the Republican NationalCommittee. Malek was a finance co-chair of John McCain’s presidential campaignin 2007 and then became an adviser to Sarah Palin, McCain’s running mate. In2017, President Donald Trump appointed Malek to chair the board of the WoodrowWilson International Center for Scholars, a prominent think tank affiliatedwith the Smithsonian Institution.—JTA
Criminal charges dropped against JussieSmollett
Criminalcharges against “Empire” star Jussie Smollett have been dropped. TheProsecutor’s Office in Chicago announced March 26 that all the disorderlyconduct charges alleging that Smollett lied to police about a racist andhomophobic attack have been dropped. In addition, a judge agreed to grant amotion to seal the case and expunge Smollett’s record, according to reports. Smolletthad volunteered in the community and agreed to forfeit his $100,000 bond to bereleased from jail the day after he was charged on Feb. 20, the Prosecutor’sOffice said in a statement. It is not clear why the actor, who is Jewish,black and gay, had to forfeit his bond or what community service activities heperformed. The statement called it “a just disposition and appropriateresolution to this case.” “I have been truthful and consistent on every levelsince day one,” Smollett told reporters on March 26 following the court hearingafter thanking his family, friends and fans for supporting him and his versionof events in the Jan. 29 attack in downtown Chicago.
Read more: Criminal Charges Dropped Against ‘Empire’ Star Jussie Smollett
James Beard Awards announcesfinalists
The James Beard Foundation announced its 2019 slate of finalists on March 27. This “short list” of nominees honors the year’s outstanding restaurants, chefs, and food-centric journalism, books, and broadcast media. Among the finalists were Baltimore’s Cindy Wolf of Charleston for Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic. In the journalism awards category, Michael Twitty was honored for “Back to Where It All Began: I Had Never Eaten in Ghana Before. But My Ancestors Had” in Bon Appetit and in the Innovative Storytelling category, Tablet Magazine was recognized for its “100 Most Jewish Foods.”
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A junior at Roland Park Country School, Katie Grossman writes about a recent experience that spurred her to take action to fight antisemitism.
At a time when many Jews fear appearing Jewish in public, seeing Judaism depicted correctly onscreen is reassuring, writes Jewish content creator Rabbi Yael Buechler.
Cruel, inappropriate, egomanical, outrageous and bullying are all attributes that pass for presidential these days, writes Michael Olesker.
