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DECEMBER 3, 2020 | The Jewish Home
the end of the year. He leaves behind an organization that has grown tremendously under his tenure, opened new research and educational arms, and positioned itself as a major international clearinghouse for Holocaust education and study. Thirty-five percent of the museum’s budget comes from the government. The government has failed to pass a 2020 and a 2021 budget, leaving many key public institutions to fend for themselves without access to funds already allocated to them.
A Special Advocate
An Israeli woman with muscular dystrophy was elected this week to serve on a United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities. Odelia Fitoussi, 43, is the first Israeli to serve on the committee. She was elected to one of nine available spots, receiving support from 109 countries. Israeli officials applauded her appointment. “I am sure your important voice at the UN will be a positive influence for people with #disabilities around the world. We are so proud of you!” President Reuven Rivlin tweeted on Tuesday morning. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Fitoussi, who was born with a genetic neuromuscular disorder known as SMA2, telling her that he appreciates her “abilities and skills that led her to be elected to a significant and important position in the international arena.” The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, or CRPD, is a body of independent experts tasked with monitoring the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was signed by nearly all countries in the world. “I feel privileged to be a member of the CRPD, the place where Israel was a partner in creating a new lan-
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guage for people with disabilities, a language of rights, of pride in who you are, in our uniqueness as people with disabilities who enrich society with all the good we have built,” Fitoussi said in a statement. An art therapist for children based in Bat Yam, Fitoussi has long advocated for the rights of people with disabilities, including by working toward greater inclusion of teachers with disabilities in the education system.
Trump Pardons Michael Flynn
President Donald Trump pardoned former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn last week nearly three years after Flynn pleaded guilty for lying to the FBI. “It is my Great Honor to announce that General Michael T. Flynn has been granted a Full Pardon,” Trump tweeted. “Congratulations to @GenFlynn and his wonderful family. I know you will now have a truly fantastic Thanksgiving!” The pardon caps off a multi-year ordeal the decorated officer underwent to clear his name. A former three star general, Flynn had been Trump’s national security advisor for only 24 days after the president’s shock victory in 2016 before stepping down in January 2017. Flynn’s sudden resignation came after he admitted to lying to FBI agents regarding a phone call he had with the Russian ambassador to Washington. A year later, Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to a federal agent and awaited his sentencing. However, Flynn then attempted to retract his guilty plea after retaining Sidney Powell, a high-profile Washington attorney, to fight his case. His legal battle soon uncovered egregious cases of prosecutorial misconduct, including handwritten notes in which the FBI agents who questioned
him wrote down their intent to frame him for a crime he did not commit. It later emerged that Flynn only agreed to plead guilty after prosecutors threatened to imprison his son, an illegal tactic that was hidden from the judge. The prosecutorial abuse and lack of an underlying crime led the Department of Justice to drop the charges against Flynn last year. In a move many call unprecedented, Emmet Sullivan, the presiding judge, refused to dismiss the case and even appointed another judge to argue why Flynn should be prosecuted for perjury. Sullivan’s irregular behavior led Powell to appeal to a higher appellate court, which ruled that the judge must dismiss the case. Sullivan dragged his feet, leading Trump to get frustrated and pardon Flynn despite the latter requesting that he be given a chance to prove his innocence. “The President has pardoned General Flynn because he should never have been prosecuted,” said White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. “An independent review of General Flynn’s case by the Department of Justice – conducted by respected career professionals – supports this conclusion. “In fact, the Department of Justice has firmly concluded that the charges against General Flynn should be dropped. This Full Pardon achieves that objective, finally bringing to an end the relentless, partisan pursuit of an innocent man.” Trump’s pardon absolves Flynn of “any and all possible offenses” arising from Mueller’s investigation, as well as any related grand jury proceedings. The clemency grant uses sweeping language, immunizing Flynn from charges based on “facts and circumstances, known to, identified by, or in any manner related to the investigation of the Special Counsel.”
Biden Sprains Foot While playing with his dog, Major, Joe Biden “sustained a sprain in his right foot,” according to his office. Biden saw a doctor for his injury. A subsequent CT scan “confirmed hairline (small) fractures of President-elect Biden’s lateral and intermediate cuneiform bones, which are in the mid-foot,” according to a statement from his doctor, Kevin O’Connor. “It is anticipated that he
