The Florida Holocaust Museum in downtown St. Petersburg, Fla. Credit: EQRoy/Shutterstock. By Bob Fryer (Jewish Press of Tampa Bay) — For about a year, officials at the Florida Holocaust Museum in downtown St. Petersburg kept a closely guarded secret that the museum was seeking to become the permanent home of a treasure trove of documents from the late Elie Wiesel. On Feb. 3, at its annual “To Life” fundraising gala — the museum’s biggest annual social event — museum board chair Mike Igel let the secret out, telling the audience the Wiesel Foundation had chosen the museum to house and exhibit a ..read more

The rotunda at the University of Virginian in Charlottesville, Va. Credit: Aaron Josephson via Wikimedia Commons. (JNS) — Multiple antisemitic incidents and displays of anti-Israel activism have led a group of students to meet with administrators at the University of Virginia and seek action. Joel Nied, an attorney, accompanied the students to their meeting and described the environment they have been experiencing since the Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel on Oct. 7, which led to the deaths of 1,200 people. “There is this movement on campus that is blatantly antisemitic,” he said. He des ..read more

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) speaks during a House Judiciary Committee field hearing on New York City violent crimes, at the Javits Federal Building in New York City on April 17, 2023. Credit: Lev Radin/Shutterstock. (JNS) — U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, on Feb. 24 slammed as an “absolute disgrace” the Biden administration’s decision to reverse the “Pompeo doctrine,” which held that Jewish homes in Judea and Samaria were not necessarily illegal. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Feb. 23 that Israel’s approval of 3,000 new housing units ..read more

There will be an Interfaith Shabbat Weekend featuring scholar in residence Keren McGinity in Birmingham the weekend of March 8. McGinity is United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism’s interfaith specialist, and a research associate at the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute at Brandeis University. On March 8 at 9 a.m., there will be a breakfast meet and greet for weekend sponsors. At noon, there will be a Lunch and Learn at Temple Emanu-El, “Sacred Grandparenting: Raising Resilient Jewish Children in Interfaith Homes.” She will discuss how grandparents are key bridges to Jewish identity for grandchild ..read more

By David Swindle (JNS) — New data shows that an effort by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to respond to antisemitism in higher education has led to nominal results so far. In January, DeSantis announced an “emergency measure” during Florida’s State of the State address that would allow Jewish students and others experiencing religious discrimination to potentially receive in-state tuition, with application fees waived, as part of the process. He said of the measure that “the pro-Hamas activities and rampant antisemitism we’ve witnessed throughout the country on these campuses has exposed the intelle ..read more

(JNS) — Dozens of neo-Nazis bearing black swastika flags marched at the Tennessee State Capitol in Nashville on Feb. 17, drawing widespread condemnation from Jewish and political leaders, including two state representatives who blamed state Republicans for the march. “Through the weekend, Nashville experienced gross displays of antisemitism and racism,” wrote Freddie O’Connell, Nashville’s Democrat mayor. “We will not let hateful distractions become dangerous actions.” “Nazism and antisemitism should never be tolerated in any form,” wrote Republican Gov. Bill Lee. “As Jewish people around the ..read more

Genesse Moreno By Beth Harpaz The Forward — The former mother-in-law of a woman who opened fire inside a Texas megachurch said the FBI found antisemitic material in the shooter’s home, including a painting where she’d written “Death to Jews.” “I spent 3 ½ hours with the FBI yesterday,” said Walli Carranza, whose son, Quito, was married to the shooter, Genesse Moreno. “They showed me many of her writings, many things that were hateful, vile things.” But Carranza, who describes herself as a rabbi trained in the Jewish Universalist tradition, was adamant in blaming mental illness for Moreno’s act ..read more

By popular demand, the Women’s Mega Challah Bake returns for the first time since the pandemic. Chabad and Hadassah New Orleans invite all women in the community to an evening of unity and inspiration, Feb. 29 at 7 p.m. at Shir Chadash in Metairie. Previous Mega Challah Bakes took place in 2017 and 2019. Organizers anticipate about 250 at this event. Each woman will experience making Challah at her own seat, including forming the dough and shaping it. There will be a dinner and wine bar, and each participant will receive a personalized event apron. This year, there will also be a “Challah Wars ..read more

By Kiara Dunlap When a young woman from California moves across the country for college and lands an internship with Southern Jewish Life magazine and the Birmingham Times, she quickly learns a lot about rich, deeply rooted history here in Birmingham. I am Kiara Dunlap, a recent graduate of Miles College, a Birmingham-area HBCU. Through an innovative joint internship, I interned for the two publications, writing stories of interest to both the Black and Jewish communities. Through this experience, as well as my four years at Miles, I gained valuable perspective on the history of each community ..read more

The National WWII Museum will open the highly anticipated Liberation Pavilion, its final permanent exhibit hall, and officially dedicate the Col. Battle Barksdale Parade Ground, an outdoor gathering space in the heart of the New Orleans campus, on Nov. 3 — in time for the last surviving members of the World War II generation to experience what has been built in their honor. One emphasis of the new pavilion will be bearing witness to the Holocaust. The pavilion will also explore the end of World War II, the postwar years and how the war continues to affect the world today. The three-story pavil ..read more