Headlines — WORLD — Court allows German church to keep ‘Jewish Pig’ sculpture on display
A one-man effort to remove a medieval anti-Jewish sculpture from public view in Germany has failed, JTA reported. The Federal Supreme Court in Karlsruhe announced on June 14 that the St. Marien Church in Wittenberg didn’t have to remove the “Judensau” — Jew Sow — sculpture from its façade, since the church administration had adequately distanced itself from the original antisemitic intention. The Judensau is a Christian folk image dating to the Middle Ages that depicts Jews suckling on the teats of a pig, peering into its anus or, in the case of the Wittenberg relief, both. Michael Duellmann, who is Jewish, is vowing to take his fight to the next level, to Germany’s highest court of human rights. These sculptures are “much more than merely insulting,” he said. “They are an inducement to murder.” Duellmann, 79, had demanded that the sandstone relief be removed because it was defamatory to himself and to Judaism overall. After losing his case in district court and on appeal, he took it to Germany’s highest criminal and civil court two years ago, where he lost.
Jewish basketball star Sue Bird to retire after season
This season will be WNBA superstar Sue Bird’s last, JTA reported The Jewish four-time league champion and five-time Olympic gold medalist announced on June 16 that she would retire following the 2022 season. “I’ve decided this will be my final year,” Bird shared on social media. “I have loved every single minute, and still do, so gonna play my last year, just like this little girl played her first.” The 41-year-old point guard has won everywhere she’s played. At the University of Connecticut, Bird won two NCAA championships. She was the first overall pick in the 2002 WNBA draft and has played her entire career with the Seattle Storm. In the WNBA, the 12-time All-Star is the only player in league history to win titles in three different decades and is the all-time assists leader. Abroad, Bird played for three different Russian teams and won five Russian National League championships and five EuroLeague titles. She also won five Olympic gold medals playing for the U.S. Bird — whose grandparents immigrated to the U.S. from what is now Ukraine in the early 1900s and changed their surname from “Boorda” to “Bird” — became an Israeli citizen in 2006.
Israeli Academy of Sciences sues US fundraising arm for withholding donations
The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities is suing its American fundraising affiliate for refusing to hand over donations, JTA reported. Two Jewish Nobel laureates, Mike Brown and Roger Kornberg, who served on the board of the U.S. fundraising arm, the American Foundation for Basic Research in Israel, resigned in protest, according to the lawsuit. Lawyers for the academy, one of Israel’s most distinguished research bodies, alleged that AFBRI, created by the academy in 1990, has refused to approve the distribution from the $17 million in its coffers. The academy is a collective of scientists and scholars established by Israeli law in 1961 to encourage scholarship and maintain connections with the international scientific community. It grants awards and fellowships, in addition to generating reports for the government assessing the state of science in Israel. The law firm representing the academy, Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP, maintains that, since AFBRI was created to finance research in Israel, “any attempt to divert AFBRI’s funds away from [the academy] is a breach of the agreements with the donors.” AFBRI did not respond to a request for comment.
Seriously ill COVID patients in Israel jump 70% in a week
The number of COVID patients in Israel considered seriously ill hit 140 on June 17, compared to 85 a week early, The Times of Israel reported. Health experts called the situation “unstable” as the country deals with the new variant BA.5.; those experts warned that COVID wards may need to reopen. There were 7,313 Israelis who tested positive for the virus on June 17. The country’s death toll from COVID is 10,882.
Israeli economy contracts nearly 2% in Q1
Israel’s gross domestic product shrank by 1.9% on an annualized basis in 2022’s first quarter, Globes reported, citing estimates from the Central Bureau of Statistics. That decline was steeper than a previous estimate indicating the economy contracted by 1.6%. The contraction comes after a whopping annualized growth rate of 15.6% in the fourth quarter of 2021 as Israel exited the pandemic. GDP per capita fell by an annualized 3.5% in the first quarter, while private consumption fell 1.5% after growing 18.2% in the previous quarter. PJC — Compiled by Andy Gotlieb
www.pittsburghjewishchronicle.org
SAFEGUARDING YOUR PRESENT & FUTURE
This week in Israeli history — WORLD — Items provided by the Center for Israel Education (israeled.org), where you can find more details.
Working with Marks Elder Law when planning for your family’s future can help you make better decisions keeping more of your money during your lifetime ( ŭ ),ŭ3)/,ŭ ( 5 # ,# -ňŭ Crafting strategies that allow you to keep more of your assets during your lifetime; Exploring the many payment options for disability and longterm care services; Designing instruments that protect your assets from Medicaid spend-down requirements; Ensuring that your affairs will be handled the way you want if you experience a serious injury or illness; and Administering your estate to ensure proper distribution of your assets while minimizing any taxes owed.
We help families understand the strategies the benefits, strategies, benefits and the risks involved with elder law, disability law and estate planning.
Michael H. Marks, Esq. michael@marks-law.com member, national academy of elder law attorneys
www.marks-law.com 10
JUNE 24, 2022
412-421-8944
michael@marks-law.com 4231 Murray Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15217
June 24, 1987 — Arabs stage National Equality Strike
Israeli Arabs hold an Equality Day strike to protest discrimination and demand equal per capita funding for Jewish and Arab local authorities. Though the strike is dismissed as “Communist incitement,” the government increases Arab funding.
June 25, 2009 — Bridge of Strings opens
Jerusalem inaugurates the Chords Bridge, known as the Bridge of Strings, to serve pedestrians and the light-rail system at the city’s entrance. The bridge features 66 white steel cables hanging from a 384-foot spire.
June 26, 1944 — GOP platform supports Jewish State
The Republican National Convention follows presidential nominee Thomas Dewey’s lead and for the first time in its platform supports the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine. The Democrats take a similar step in July.
PITTSBURGH JEWISH CHRONICLE
June 27, 1945 — Shin Bet head Ami Ayalon is born
Ami Ayalon is born in Tiberias. A Medal of Valor winner, he commands the Israeli navy from 1992 to 1996, then leads the Shin Bet security service until 2000. He later represents Labor in the Knesset.
June 28, 1919 — Polish Minorities Treaty is signed
Poland, reconstituted as an independent state after World War I, adopts its Minorities Treaty, which, in addition to general assurances, specifically mentions cultural and civil liberties for Jews.
June 29, 1939 — Kibbutz Givat Brenner is established
Kibbutz Givat Brenner, named for writer Yosef Haim Brenner, is founded near Tel Aviv by pioneers from Lithuania, Italy and Germany who had labored in agricultural communities.
June 30, 2012 — Yitzhak Shamir dies
Israel’s seventh prime minister, Yitzhak Shamir, dies at 96. Born in Poland during World War I, he made aliyah in 1935. He joined the Irgun, then Lehi. He was first elected to the Knesset in 1973. PJC
PITTSBURGHJEWISHCHRONICLE.ORG