California school to host ‘Nakba 75’ event on Jerusalem Day
Pro-Palestinian demonstrators hold boards during a rally marking Nakba Day, outside Tel Aviv University (photo credit: NIR ELIAS/REUTERS)
(Article by ZVIKA KLEIN – MAY 18, 2023)
An event headlined “Nakba 75” is scheduled to take place in the auditorium of the Public Santa Ana High School in Orange County, California on Thursday evening, May 18th. The stated goal of the event is to mark the 75th anniversary of the “Nakba” (Arabic for “catastrophe”), the term commonly used by Palestinians and anti-Israel groups to refer to the founding of Israel. The event is sponsored by American organizations that support terrorist attacks against Israelis and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Notably, the event’s invitation refers to Israel as a “settler-colonial state.” The auditorium in which the event is taking place in the Santa Ana High School is available to rent for $151 an hour and can be rented through a platform called Facilitron.
Santa Ana High School hasn’t responded to The Jerusalem Post’s request for comment on whether the school supports this narrative and whether the school would host pro-Israel events as well.
Jewish Students Stand Against Hate at UC Berkeley; Will the Staff Join Them?
Poster held by a protester at a UC Berkeley student senate meeting on Feb. 3, 2020. Photo: Moi Stern Weisleder.
(Article by Ron Belman – APRIL 27, 2023)
On Wednesday, February 15, the Associated Students of the University of California (ASUC) Berkeley Senate met to deliberate on adopting SR-027, a bill proposed by Senator Shay Cohen. The bill calls for the ASUC to formally adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Association (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism. The IHRA definition is the gold standard for identifying contemporary antisemitism; governments, universities, and international organizations have adopted it worldwide.
UC Berkeley has an unfortunate history of antisemitic incidents involving student groups and professors. For example, Hatem Bazian, a professor of Middle Eastern Studies at UC Berkeley, has been known to promote antisemitic conspiracies. Bazian has retweeted posts accusing Jews of getting away with mass murder, argued that Jewish money controls Congress, and routinely denies the historic Jewish ties and claims to the land of Israel.
UC Berkeley’s ‘Israel Apartheid Week’ tries and fails to silence Zionist students – opinion
Pro-Israel students at the University of Berkeley demonstrate next to Pro-Palestinian students. (photo credit: Club Z)
(Article by MASHA MERKULOVA – APRIL 3, 2023)
A small but mighty group of Jewish high schoolers from the youth group Club Z challenged the annual and deceptive event known as “Israel Apartheid Week” at the University of California, Berkeley.
The fraudulent campaign organized by the anti-Israel campus group “Bears for Palestine,” included daily inflammatory events defaming Israel, culminating with the construction of an “apartheid wall” on the final day.
While the organizers repeatedly tried to silence anyone who pushed back against their dishonest narrative, Jewish youth activists showed that with enough determination, one could ensure the truth is heard and empower local students with facts.
How worrying is the far-right’s ‘Day of Hate’ stunt?
An antisemitic demonstration in Florida. Source: Screenshot.
(Article by JONATHAN S. TOBIN- February 24, 2023)
Far-right hate groups have got the Jewish community scared and with good reason. After the murderous synagogue shootings in Pittsburgh in 2018 and Poway in 2019, extremist antisemitic hate ceased being a theoretical problem. Random viral videos of hateful acts and speech, vandalism as well as those public events in which white supremacists and their allies are able to generate publicity—like the August 2017 neo-Nazi “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, Va.—have all combined to create the impression that such groups not only present a credible threat to Jewish security but that they have considerable support.
In this context, the effort by a network of neo-Nazi groups to promote a “National Day of Hate” aimed at harassing and threatening Jews on Saturday, Feb. 25, has attracted the notice of both the organized Jewish world as well as law enforcement in places like New York City, Chicago and elsewhere.
Club Z calls on Jews to attend synagogue on Shabbat to combat ‘National Day of Hate’
A gate with a Star of David on it. Credit: Shutterstock/Peter Ekvall.
(Article by JNS – February 23, 2023)
In response to a “National Day of Hate” against Jews being planned for this Shabbat by a group of Neo-Nazi Jew-haters, Club Z calls on all Jews to be vigilant, aware and, most importantly, attend synagogue this Shabbat.
“I implore the Club Z family and Jews across the country to go to synagogue this Shabbat and celebrate loudly, proudly and more joyfully than ever before,” said Masha Merkulova, Club Z founder and executive director.
Club Z: A titanium dome for Jewish youth
Col. Richard Kemp speaking to participants at the Club Z National Conference in Miami, Florida. Photo: courtesy
(Article by RICHARD KEMP – January 22, 2023)
They have no use for safe spaces, are never triggered and reject the idea of victim culture. The teenagers of Club Z more closely resemble hardened titanium than the melting snowflakes of so many of their peers and represent a powerful beacon of hope for American values and the Jewish people. This Jewish youth organization—Z is for Zionist—held its national conference last weekend, and I was privileged to be there when 200 energetic young high school students, suited and booted for business, descended on an unsuspecting Miami airport hotel.
During keynote speeches and breakout sessions from some of the finest minds in the Zionist world, the students—aged between 14 and 18—listened intently, took notes, challenged, questioned, conversed, debated and argued, sometimes heatedly. They were quick-witted, intelligent, articulate and confident, yet no self-absorbed nerds—roasting and ragging each other, they made time to party into the night and rampage the hotel corridors as youthful needs must. They were serious people with a serious purpose but that didn’t stop them from plunging fully clothed in jackets, ties and stylish dresses into the hotel pool one evening, led with abandon by their Chief Zionist Officer, the redoubtable Masha Merkulova, founder of Club Z.
Club Z National Conference Empowers Hundreds of Teen
(Article by JEWISHFLORIDA.NEWS – JANUARY 8, 2023)
Club Z, a national Zionist youth movement, will hold its national conference in Miami, Florida, from January 13 to 16, 2023. Club Z creates a network of educated and articulate teen activists with a commitment to Zionism who advocate for Israel and the Jewish people.
The national conference is the only Zionist event of its kind, bringing together high school students from around the country for a
weekend of inspiration, fun, bonding and advocacy training with internationally renowned experts on Israel and the Middle East.
“How do we prepare our kids to face the onslaught of antisemitism that is infiltrating almost every aspect of life?” asks Club Z Founder Masha Merkulova. “We give them the knowledge, confidence and support to confront Jew-hatred in all its forms. The Club Z National Conference is the apex of our work throughout the year. Teens engage with international experts and fellow Zionists so they are prepared to go out into the world and unapologetically defend themselves, Israel and the Jewish people.”
We are Jews because we are Zionists, we are Zionists because we are Jews
Pro-Israel demonstrators in front of the Federal Building in Los Angeles on May 12, 2021. Photo by Harvey Farr.
(Article by Naya Lekht – October 3, 2022)
In the defining spirit of our times that promotes diversity and inclusion by encouraging individuals to self-identify, to celebrate their will to determine their identity—whether driven by gender, race or religion—what has transpired at UC Berkeley is an assault on Jewish identity.
Jewish teen advocacy: What is it and how does it lead to the new American Jew?
Courtesy of Club Z
(Article by Masha Merkulova – September 12, 2022)
For the past 20 years, Jewish education was hyper-focused on teaching tzedakah and tikkun olam. The rare attempts to educate and prepare students for campus were made through a one-time workshop or speaker. Why then, are we surprised when Jewish kids start or join anti-Israel groups?
Shabbos Kestenbaum is a student activist and the lead plaintiff against Harvard University, alleging pervasive and systemic antisemitism. He is a regular contributor on national media, has testified in front of the United States Congress multiple times, and lectures internationally on Jewish communal issues.
Shahar Azani is a veteran Israeli diplomat, passionate advocate for Israel and a frequent contributor to various media outlets focusing on Israel, Jewish issues and the Middle East.
Rawan Osman is a Syrian-Lebanese/German activist advocating for peace with Israel. Rawan previously served on the executive committee at PeaceComms and as a speaker at SharakaNGO. Currently, she is studying Islamic and Jewish Studies at Heidelberg University and is the founder of ArabsAsk. Additionally, Osman serves as the Chairwoman of PostOctober7 e. V.
Colonel Richard Kemp was a British infantry commander who spent most of his life combating terrorism and insurgency in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Balkans and Northern Ireland, where he was wounded in a terrorist attack. His name appeared on an Al Qaida kill list in 2013.
Dalia Ziada is an Egyptian award-winning writer, peace activist, and political analyst specializing in governance, geopolitics, and defense policy in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean. She has been globally recognized for her leading role as a civil rights activist in the Arab Spring revolutions of 2010-2011 and for her uncommon stance as an Arab Muslim intellectual in support of Israel’s war against Hamas in 2023.