Over the weekend, the Jewish National Fund-USA launched its Global Conference for Israel at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas. The conference, which officially opened on November 15 and featured a Shabbat dinner, centered on the theme "We Choose Life: Rebuilding and Reimagining Israel's North and South," bringing together over 2,500 supporters from across the world, according to reports from PR Newswire and FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth. Jewish actor and comedian Michael Rapaport served as emcee for the event.

Live with the one and only @michaelrapaport, our incredible emcee for tonight's Gala Dinner at the Global Conference for Israel! #JNFGC24 #PoweredByJNF pic.twitter.com/HXL0TXFUKQ

— Jewish National Fund-USA (@JNFUSA) November 17, 2024

"When we come together, we are unstoppable. Indeed, one of the greatest things about Jewish National Fund-USA is that we're not about Right or Left, red or blue, we're about the land and the people of Israel," Jewish National Fund-USA President Deb Zaluda told attendees during her opening remarks.

Conference Co-chair Michael Miller addressed the organization's emergency response efforts: "5784 was a horrific year all around the world. You – we – came together urgently to fight antisemitism and to support our brethren in Israel. Jewish National Fund-USA immediately started providing emergency relief, as well as monthly volunteer missions and community events. Together, we're building a future that will have a lasting impact for generations to come."

The gathering featured prominent Israeli leaders, including Mayor of Eshkol Michal Uziyahu and Commander of the Emergency Squad of Kfar Giladi Nisan Zeevi. Uziyahu emphasized the resilience of communities under pressure, stating, "When confronted with such darkness, we face a crucial choice. We can passively watch as history unfolds around us, or we can actively choose to shape it. By choosing life, light, and hope, we follow in the footsteps of generations before us… who refused to be merely victims of circumstance."

Jewish National Fund-USA CEO Russell Robinson reflected on recent events, noting, "The stories that will be written about October 7 will be about the over 1,200 people who were murdered, raped, and massacred... yet the stories should also be about the bravery of the 60,000 people in the Israel envelope and the 120,000 people in the north who had to leave their homes and became refugees in their own land."

Shabbat Shalom from the JNF-USA Global Conference! The energy is electric as over 2,500 passionate Zionists will gather tonight for Shabbat dinner. Wishing everyone a peaceful and joyous Shabbat filled with unity, connection, and Israel pride!#JNFGC24 #PoweredByJNF #Israel pic.twitter.com/9yEVAWCuCk

— Jewish National Fund-USA (@JNFUSA) November 15, 2024

 The conference this year aims, in part, to provide a counterweight to pro-Palestinian activism spreading across university campuses, including UT Dallas, according to SMU Political Science Professor Matthew Wilson.

"The vast majority of Jewish Americans believe in the legitimacy of the state of Israel," he said. "Now, they vary in their assessment of specific Israeli government policies, particularly with regards to the conduct of the war in Gaza or Israeli actions in Lebanon. I think the organizers of this conference, to some degree, want to push back on that and to rally support among younger people for the Israeli position," Wilson said.

However, opposition to the Israeli prime minister's war strategy continues to increase. Outside the conference venue, Palestinian solidarity demonstrators made their presence known, with police arresting several protesters during a street sit-in on Thursday.

"You have both Jews that have an interest in this, and you have non-Jews who have an interest in this," said Kenneth Gray with the University of New Haven. "And so you have quite a few voices that are speaking out against Israel."

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This was following allegations that Halprin, a Jew, was sentenced by a judge who made anti-Semitic remarks and has a history of bigotry.

The judge, Vickers Cunningham, has been accused of privately referring to Halprin, as he sentenced him to death in 2003 for being part of the murder of Irving, Texas, police officer Aubrey Hawkins at an Oshman's Sporting Goods store on Christmas Eve 2000, with an anti-Semitic slur, calling him "that f***in' Jew."

Cunningham allegedly also said that Jews "needed to be shut down because they controlled all the money," according to Halprin's attorneys.

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Two letters of support were recently shared with Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and Dallas District Attorney John Creuzot, including one from Jewish community leaders and another from more than 75 Texas faith leaders from multiple religions, denominations and organizations, which states, "As a diverse group of faith leaders, we stand united against any expression of hatred. … Texas must not carry out the scheduled execution of Mr. Halprin without first guaranteeing that his trial was not tainted by an anti-Semitic judge who held a religious bias against him."

The letter from 14 Jewish leaders, including Rabbi Menachem Katz, the Aleph Institute's director of prison and military outreach, states, "When we speak about hatred and anti-Semitism in our communities, we often note that one kind of discrimination or bias goes hand in hand with another. So it is unsurprising to read in Mr. Halprin's brief that Judge Cunningham also used the most offensive language to talk about Black and Latino defendants."

Although not a signatory to the letter from Jewish leaders, the American Jewish Committee filed an amicus brief the stay Halprin's execution.

"The right to an impartial judge is not only a blackletter rule of constitutional law but also integral to the functioning of the entire Texas judicial system," states AJC in the brief filed in support of Halprin's petition. The brief was signed by AJC, more than 100 Texas Jewish attorneys, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, Men of Reform Judaism and the Union for Reform Judaism.

The brief also states that "Texas law is clear that hateful and prejudicial rhetoric cannot hide behind the robe."

Four of "The Texas Seven" have already been executed. A fifth shot himself to death before police could apprehend him.

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org

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The newly renamed Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum is the latest in the US to broaden its permanent exhibit and embolden its efforts to inspire visitors to take action to make the world a better place.

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"We're hoping that in the moments that they finish this journey they will be thinking: What can I do? How can I make a difference in my community?" said Mary Pat Higgins, the museum's president and CEO.

Expanding the focus to include more recent atrocities and human rights struggles helps draw in more visitors to be reminded that the lessons from the Holocaust are still relevant.

The museum set to open in Dallas, Texas on Sept. 18 is five times bigger than its older location – a jump from 6,000 square feet (557 sq. meters) to 55,000 square feet (5,110 sq. meters). Museum officials hope to see 200,000 visitors a year – more than double the previous figure.

The Holocaust Museum Houston has already seen a spike in visitors since reopening in June after a renovation and expansion that more than doubled its size. The primary focus of the original museum was the Holocaust, but it now details other genocides and has tributes to human rights leaders including Nobel Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, who as a child in Pakistan began advocating for girls' education.

"We look at it like this, if we can get them in the door and attract them in – it might be something like social activism – then they can also benefit from learning about the Holocaust when they're here," said Kelly Zúñiga, CEO of the Houston museum.

In Cincinnati, the Nancy and David Wolf Holocaust and Humanity Center's move in January into Union Terminal train station meant that it could include a gallery showcasing people who have made positive changes in their community. "We examine individuals who stood up and who seized the moment and we talk about their character strengths," said Jodi Elowitz, the center's education director.

Two years ago the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Skokie, Illinois opened as part of its permanent exhibit at the Take a Stand Center, which is focused on human rights. "Hopefully they're getting knowledge, they're finding their passion or their particular cause or issue that they're interested in," said Kelley Szany, vice president of education and exhibitions for the museum.

The Dallas museum's orientation video asks the question: Why should visitors care?

"The rest of the museum goes on to not answer the question because we don't provide answers. We do provide direction. We expect you to be able to answer the question however you were impacted," said Eddie Jacobs, who designed the exhibit with fellow Berenbaum Jacobs Associates founder Dr. Michael Berenbaum.

The gallery detailing genocides that happened before and after the Holocaust uses sculpture and graphic novels to help visitors understand the tactics that led to the mass killings. The sculpture on the mass murder of Tutsis by the Hutus in Rwanda in 1994 includes machetes and victims' racial identification cards. A graphic novel notes that polarization tactics that led to the genocide included Tutsis being referred to as cockroaches, pointing out that the Nazis portrayed Jews as rats and poisonous mushrooms.

The last stage of the visit turns to the US for an exploration of how American ideals compare to reality, Berenbaum said. Visitors use interactive touchscreens to explore their own attitudes and biases. As they end their visit, they can learn about volunteer opportunities.

"The Holocaust is remembered. The question then becomes deeper: How is it remembered and what are we to do with that memory?" Berenbaum said.

Max Glauben, who as a Jewish teenager from Poland spent time in Nazi concentration camps, where his parents and brother were killed, helped found the Dallas museum. Glauben, who immigrated to the US after WWII, hopes that the museum inspires people to take inventory of their own lives.

"Maybe after seeing all this they realize that maybe we should become better," said Glauben, 91.

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It will be the first time the Texas-based carrier has flown to Ben-Gurion International Airport since it dropped its Philadelphia-Tel Aviv route in 2015 over losses which amounted to $20 million annually.

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"It's a huge validation of the tremendous economic growth in North Texas and its immense potential," said Vasu Raja, the airline's vice president of planning. "When you look at the marketplace, Tel Aviv is really the largest underserved destination in the American Airlines network."

"I am thrilled to see American Airlines open a direct flight to Israel from Texas," said Consul General of Israel to the Southwest United States Gilad Katz in a statement. "This flight demonstrates the important bond Israel and Texas share while continuing to strengthen business and tourism ties between us. This new route highlights the growing demand from Americans and Israelis who are interested in learning more about one another."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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