FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Orthodox Jewish leaders condemned The Harvard Crimson‚ the student newspaper of Harvard University‚ for “whitewashing” antisemitism in a series of op-eds published at the tail end of 2023. Although Harvard’s efforts to respond to antisemitism on campus after Hamas’ terrorist attacks Oct. 7 in Israel drew early scrutiny‚ the university took the spotlight even more after its president‚ Claudine Gay‚ said at a Dec. 5 congressional hearing that calls for genocide against the Jewish people may not violate Harvard’s policies against harassment‚ depending on context. Gay resigned Tuesday amid a plagiarism scandal; concerns about Harvard’s failure to clamp down on antisemitism remain. The Harvard Crimson published “Antisemitism at Harvard‚ According to Seven Jewish Affiliates” on Dec. 29‚ a package of five “op-eds‚” three of which warn against the “weaponization of antisemitism” against pro-Palestine protesters. One op-ed claims that “Jewish safety—in Israel and the diaspora—is inextrictably intertwined with Palestinian liberation.” In another‚ a former executive director of Harvard Hillel condemns “today’s McCarthyist tactic of manufacturing an antisemitism scare‚ which‚ in effect‚ turns the very real issue of Jewish safety into a pawn in a cynical political game to cover for Israel’s deeply unpopular policies with regard to Palestine.” Some essays acknowledge the deep pain that Israelis and American Jews feel since the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7 in southern Israel‚ where terrorists slaughtered more than 1‚200 people‚ including women and children‚ and raped women while murdering them. An op-ed criticizing the disturbing denial of Jewish grief in the wake of Oct. 7 included this caveat: “We are not blind to the fact that charges of antisemitism have been politicized and weaponized to silence criticism of Israel—including silencing calls for a cease-fire.” Other Jewish leaders condemned such statements. Rabbi Yaakov Menken‚ managing director of the Coalition for Jewish Values‚ which represents more than 2‚500 Orthodox Jewish rabbis in American public policy‚ said the essays surfaced by The Harvard Crimson were “reflective of an academic effort to whitewash antisemitism.” “They problem is the reverse of what they say‚” Menken told The Daily Signal in a phone interview Tuesday. “Several of the pieces explicitly referred to the weaponization of antisemitism to somehow exonerate Israel. Instead‚ in reality‚ the articles reflect an academic effort to whitewash antisemitism by using Israel as a fig leaf.” “Anyone who justifies mass rapes‚ burnings‚ beheadings‚ and captive taking is not a civilized human being‚” Menken said. “How is it not antisemitic to make an exception when the victims are Jews?” Menken also condemned calls for “Palestinian liberation” that appear in some of the op-eds presented by the Crimson. “As soon as you describe Arabs uniquely in that region as Palestinians to the exclusion of Jews‚ you’ve wandered into antisemitic territory‚” the rabbi said. “As soon as a person claims that it is not antisemitic to employ demonization and double standards against Israel‚ you are listening to an antisemite.” Rabbi Avi Shafran‚ director of public affairs at Agudath Israel of America‚ also condemned the op-eds. “Unfortunately‚ the Crimson essays simply reflect what is ‘out there‚’ and‚ as such‚ some of them elide facts and only intensify animus against Israel and Jews‚” Shafran told The Daily Signal in an emailed statement Tuesday. “Referring to Israel’s security efforts to protect its citizens (Jewish and Arab alike) as ‘the subjugation of millions’; and labeling well-earned exposure of antisemitism a ‘weaponiz[ation] to silence criticism of Israel’ reveal a jaundiced view of Israel and a crass insensitivity to Jew-hatred‚” the rabbi said in the email. “No reasonable person conflates all criticism of Israel with antisemitism‚” Shafran wrote. “But every reasonable person recognizes that much condemnation of Israel indeed has its roots not in a high-minded quest for peace but in a darker place.” Shafran insisted that Jews and supporters of Israel‚ not pro-Palestine protesters‚ face the true intimidation. The Anti-Defamation League has recorded a spike in antisemitic incidents across the U.S. since Oct. 7‚ noting that incidents of harassment‚ vandalism‚ and assault increased by 388% over the same period in 2022. ADL’s tracker found explicit or strong implicit support for Hamas and/or violence against Jews in Israel celebrated during at least 109 anti-Israel rallies since the terrorist attacks. “The charge there is some widespread ‘bullying’ of ‘pro-Palestine organizers’ is risible‚” Shafran said. “Intimidation lies‚ rather‚ in the hateful chants and angry rhetoric emanating from precisely those ‘pro-Palestinian’ advocates—against Israel and Jews.” “Calling fear of antisemitism in our times a ‘McCarthyist tactice of manufacturing a … scare’ is‚ simply put‚ a grotesque denial of reality‚” the rabbi added. Sahar Tartak‚ a Jewish student at Yale University and editor in chief at The Yale Free Press‚ also condemned the five essays presented by The Harvard Crimson. “Much of the series cherry-picked opinions from Jews specifically defending attacks on Jews‚” Tartak‚ who has testified about antisemitism on campus‚ told The Daily Signal on Wednesday. “The idea that antisemitism is ‘weaponized’ by ‘powerful people’ to shut down discussion plays into a conspiracy theory that Jews are controlling our dialogue‚ when in truth many right-minded people are just against terror and support for the massacres of Oct. 7.” “Anyone who feels oppressed when they are condemned for cheering on mass rape should reconsider their moral compass‚” the Jewish student said. “These are not just innocent criticisms of Israel (which are common from within the Jewish state)‚ but an active campaign against Israel’s existence and the existence of Jews in the region‚ supportive of a barbaric terrorist organization and its brutalities‚” Tartak said. “Just because a Jew does not defend his own right to exist in an article for the Crimson‚ that does not mean Jews have no right to exist.” Tartak also noted that when the Crimson ran an op-ed about defining antisemitism‚ it chose a scholar who opposes the most mainstream definition of antisemitism‚ that of the International Holocaust Remembrance Association. Derek J. Penslar‚ the William Lee Frost Professor of Jewish History and the director of the Harvard Center for Jewish Studies‚ is a member of the Nexus Task Force and a signatory to the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism. As such‚ he has ties to both the Nexus Document and the Jerusalem Declaration‚ which are competing definitions of antisemitism. In his op-ed‚ Penslar acknowledges that mainstream Jewish organizations‚ including the Anti-Defamation League‚ the American Jewish Committee‚ and the World Jewish Congress‚ have championed IHRA’s definition and criticized other definitions as being too lenient on antisemitism when it comes to harsh criticisms of Israel. “Following the IHRA definition‚ calling Israel racist or subjecting it to criticism not directed toward any other democratic country is antisemitic‚” Penslar writes. “The [other] definitions‚ however‚ leave more room for criticism of Israel‚ and in that sense they are more conducive to the essential‚ though difficult‚ conversations happening within the Harvard community.” Writing for National Review‚ Tartak condemned the Nexus Document and its definition of antisemitism‚ saying that it “in effect condones antisemitism in the form of applying double standards to Israel.” “The trouble is that those who think Israel has no right to exist as a nation rarely reject any other nation’s right to exist‚” she wrote‚ condemning the Biden administration’s embrace of the Nexus Document. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.  The post The Harvard Crimson ‘Whitewashes Antisemitism by Using Israel as a Fig Leaf‚’ Jewish Leaders Warn appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. UK-based free speech advocates the Free Speech Union (FSU) are warning that the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)‚ the country’s financial regulator‚ has come up with a proposal that could end up having a “chilling effect” on free speech.” The proposal is to start treating what would be perceived as a lack of diversity and inclusion as a non-financial risk‚ where large companies are concerned. Proceeding from that‚ FCA wants that “risk” to be “treated appropriately within the firm’s governance structures.” And all of this is bad news‚ as far as the Free Speech Union is concerned. This is primarily because‚ if enacted‚ these new rules would result in what the organization calls politically contentious diversity and inclusion policies getting even more “embedded” in these companies than they currently are – at the expense of free speech‚ specifically among those who do not agree with “the ideology underpinning those policies.” In a post on LinkedIn‚ the nonprofit explains that FCA‚ along with the Prudential Regulatory Authority (PRA) organizes two consultations to which the Free Speech Union responded. Between themselves FCA and PRA regulate some 45‚000 businesses and 1‚500 banks‚ insurers‚ building societies and credit unions‚ respectively. The post goes on to explain that since its establishment in 2020‚ the FSU handled over 2‚250 cases – “one in 20 relate(d) to inclusion and diversity training schemes in the workplace.” Other than revealing that the latest proposal is not at all out of character for the authorities‚ the FSU notes that workplace training of this kind is also not properly regulated‚ as it employs third parties who insist that differences in employees’ status and earnings are solely down to sexism‚ racism‚ homophobia‚ transphobia‚ etc. The issue the FSU takes with this is that what it says are “controversial analyses rooted in critical social justice ideology” rather than any universally accepted fact. There is one point where the two “worlds” converge – namely‚ the need to have less “groupthink” in the workplace. But‚ unlike the regulator‚ that goes for methods such as “anti-racism training” and “unconscious bias training” as a means to achieve that end‚ true diversity of thought is the solution to the “group think problem‚” says FSU. And the group believes that more diversity of experience and that related to demographics is a positive step – but that the way FCA is going about this based on ideology is wrong. The post Free Speech Union Cautions Against UK Financial Regulator’s “Diversity” Policy‚ Citing Free Speech Concerns appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The California Court of Appeal for the 4th District has decided that video material from police drones‚ collected in response to 911 calls‚ cannot be hidden from the public in every case. The drones in question operate under a scheme known as‚ Drones as First Responders (DFR)‚ pioneered by the Chula Vista Police Department‚ while the court was looking into a case brought by a journalist attempting to gain access to some of this video content as a public record. We obtained a copy of the decision for you here. The reporter‚ La Prensa’s Arturo Castañares‚ took legal action which led to a first-instance court ruling against him‚ and allowing the police department to keep all the material secret. The court’s reasoning was that video footage is not included in the California Public Records Act‚ which regulates the disclosure of investigatory records‚ writes the digital rights group Electronic Frontier Foundation‚ EFF. Clearly‚ things didn’t end there and now the court of appeals has ruled that there is in fact no categorical exemption of videos obtained from drones‚ when it comes to public disclosure. The ruling also went into the nature of 911 calls – some in fact pertain to criminal activity and are therefore a part of a police investigation – but not all‚ the court of appeals noted. One example cited in the judgment is a report about a dangerous wild animal in a neighborhood. And for that reason‚ there are no grounds to impose a blanket ban on public disclosure of all video material resulting from 911 calls. “The drone video footage should not be treated as a monolith‚ but rather‚ it can be divided into separate parts corresponding to each specific call. Then each distinct video can be evaluated under the CPRA (the California Public Records Act) about the call triggering the drone dispatch‚” said the court. EFF‚ the First Amendment Coalition‚ and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press supported the journalist with an amicus curiae‚ saying that‚ “categorically excluding all drone footage from public disclosure could have troubling consequences on the public’s ability to understand and oversee the police drone program.” These groups also looked at the case from the angle of the high potential for privacy violations stemming from the widespread use of drones (which increases with DFR and similar programs now adopted by other police departments across the US). The gist of this argument is that drones represent a cheap way to carry out comprehensive surveillance of the population and that this method of police work should therefore be the subject of public scrutiny – through disclosure. The post California Court: Police Drone Footage From 911 Calls Is Not Exempt From Public Records Law appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. A US federal institution is getting dangerously close to advocating for restrictions on speech. We have learned a lot about this from Twitter and Facebook Files‚ but this time pressure is expressed openly‚ albeit in a careful and subtle way. The United States Institute of Peace (USIP)‚ funded by Congress and promoting the country’s interests worldwide on the declared premise of opposing violent conflict‚ is now taking on the task of helping preserve election integrity by censoring speech. In its post‚ USIP is careful not to talk about the elephant in the room‚ the US election‚ instead mentioning a number of other votes about to take place in 2024 across the planet. But it’s easy to see how “recommendations” here – for public and private sector and think tanks to come together in fighting “election disinformation” – once having taken shape and one put in practice in‚ say‚ Taiwan or India‚ can easily be replicated at home. We have heard this same narrative many times these last months‚ from many “disinformation warriors” from the ranks of US Democrats and aligned legacy media and NGOs – the year is supposed to be more important than any other around the world when it comes to elections‚ and‚ “disinformation‚” “AI‚” and technology in general (such as messaging apps and social sites) could represent serious threat vectors. USIP calls this “unmanaged technology” – an interesting euphemism for technology that is not fully controlled. In order to “manage” technology‚ USIP wants to see “strong collaboration and planning” not only from civil society and what it refers as “peacebuilders” (highly likely counting itself among those) – but also tech companies‚ and governments. USIP at the same time doesn’t exactly treat voters as adults capable of critical thinking‚ but instead says that if its warnings are not heeded and the said players don’t spring to action‚ election integrity will suffer from (the voters’) “increasing inability to discern fact from fiction.” USIP mentions‚ as one of the ways to “address” election misinformation‚ what a nonprofit called Digital Action is doing – apparently an umbrella organization for as many as 180 civil society groups around the world. “Digital Action seeks to hold social media companies and governments accountable to protect the integrity of elections‚” writes USIP. Maybe free speech advocates should keep an eye on Digital Action‚ and if necessary‚ hold it accountable. The post Federally Funded United States Institute of Peace Calls for “Collaborations” Between the Public and Private Sectors To Address “Disinformation” appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Governments and corporations around the world are showing great enthusiasm in either already implementing‚ or planning to implement some form of digital IDs. As it turns out ironically‚ these efforts are presented to citizens as not only making their lives easier through convenience‚ but also making sure their personal data contained within these digital IDs is safer in a world teeming with malicious actors. Opponents have been warning about serious privacy implications‚ but also argue against the claim that data security actually gets improved. It would appear they are right – at least according to a report by a cybersecurity firm issued after the hacker attacks happening around the Christmas holiday‚ something that’s now been dubbed “Leaksmas.” Not only governments‚ but hackers as well love digital IDs and huge amounts of personal information all neatly gathered in one place‚ and‚ judging by what’s been happening recently‚ in many instances‚ sitting there pretty much easily available to them. And hackers have expressed this love by making digital ID data their primary focus‚ the firm‚ Resecurity‚ said in its report. Resecurity claims that this is a clear fact‚ and that it was able to discern it by analyzing data dumps once they started appearing on the dark web after the Christmas-time “digital smash-and-grabs.” In numbers‚ a staggering 50 million records containing personally identifiable information have surfaced on the dark web. The reason so many stolen datasets have made it to the black digital market all at once appear to be “technicalities” related to the time window during which most of it will be “sellable”. Breaking down that 50 million number‚ Resecurity said that 22 million records were stolen from a telecommunications company in Peru‚ which include what’s known there as DNIs – national IDs. According to reports‚ it is hard to overestimate how devastating this event could be‚ if the DNIs end up in the wrong hands. It is the sole ID document recognized by the authorities in Peru for a range of things fundamental to people’s everyday life: “judicial‚ administrative‚ commercial and civil transactions‚” as one article put it. After Peru‚ other countries most affected are the Philippines‚ the US‚ France‚ and Vietnam. The post The Digital ID Rollout Is Becoming a Hacker’s Dream appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

Shields have existed for as long as warfare has. The function of a shield is to protect its wielder from bodily harm‚ such as from blunt weapons‚ edged weapons‚ polearms‚ projectiles and other dangers introduced in combat. Like warfare itself‚ shields evolved over time. Their shape and construction varied according to cultures‚ geography‚ the fighting style of their intended wielder‚ and the materials available for manufacture. One common thread weaving the diverse history of shields together is that of symbolism. Archaeological evidence suggests that decorative designs have been applied to shields since prehistoric times. The Aztec created symbolic designs on shields‚ as did Aboriginal Australians and Zulu peoples. Many times‚ decorative designs served a practical purpose: set color schemes‚ marks‚ or unit symbols served to identify warriors on the battlefield. However‚ shield symbolism often went beyond mere functionality to speak to an individual warrior’s ethos or to send a message to the enemy.  Shields and Spiritual Beliefs Spiritual motifs are common elements of shield symbolism. These were used to invoke protection or power‚ broadcast strength or ability‚ or both. For example‚ the shields of ancient Greek hoplites depicted monsters to frighten enemies‚ or entities who could bestow power‚ such as mythological creatures‚ deities or emblems of their gods. Ancient Roman shields were red‚ the color of war and military might‚ and often bore lightning bolts to signify Jupiter‚ the king of the Roman gods and symbol of Roman supremacy. Roman shields sometimes displayed wreaths of laurel leaves to signify victory as well as symbols of importance to particular legions or units. In medieval times‚ shields of Christian knights bore religious symbols‚ such as the cross or fleur de lis. Symbols used on shields took on such importance in Western Europe and Great Britain that the shield can be credited with inspiring the art of heraldry. A Unique Art Form The simple‚ ancient tool of the shield is thus a wellspring of human expression. Decoding the the images on shields‚ and even their shapes and colors‚ can reveal interesting things about the fighters of ages past—what powers commanded their loyalties‚ what they valued‚ what they believed in‚ and what they were trying to communicate to others‚ whether on ceremonial occasions or in the thick of violence on the battlefield. This 14th century German “standing shield” weighs 50 lbs and was designed to form a “shield wall.” It bears the distinctive wheel coat of arms of the city of Erfurt‚ a trading hub in Thuringia‚ and is marked with holes from bullets and crossbow bolts. This 15th century shield shows not only a picture of the legendary St. George slaying the dragon but a prayer invoking his heavenly protection. A Persian shield from the late 18th to 19th century displays eight cartouches containing elaborately calligraphed verses written by the Persian poet Sa’di‚ which suggest the shield’s makers were invoking blessings on the work of their hands. A 16th century shield‚ owned by a Spanish nobleman is adorned with three lions‚ which refer to the heraldic coat of arms of its owner; violent damage to its surface suggests it saw action. This Hungarian-style light cavalry shield displays Muslim imagery on its exterior and Christian symbols on its interior‚ indicating it was used in tournaments by a Christian dressed in Muslim fashion. this article first appeared in military history quarterly See more stories subscribe now!  

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