Update on ZOA Event March 11 in Orange County

I am posting updated information on the March 11 event hosted by the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA). The venue location has been changed (as I expected it would).

The original site was the Jewish Community Center.

If you are in the area, I urge you to attend. I will be there.

As for the change in venue, my question is what involvement, if any, did the Orange County Jewish Federation have in denying ZOA space? It is a known fact that the Federation is at loggerheads with ZOA going back a few years when ZOA was involved in complaints about anti-Semitism at UC Irvine. The policy of the Federation was and is now to downplay those complaints due to the fact that they are so cozy with the university and the UC president himself. If true, this would not be the first time the Federation has stopped certain speakers from appearing at the Jewish Community Center, where they are a co-tenant.

At any rate, if anyone would like to inquire with the Federation as to whether they had any involvement in this mess, their e-mail is info@jffs.org. Direct it to Shalom Elcott. (He's the boss.)

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The Orange County Chapter of the Zionist Organization of America is proud to invite you to a timely discussion on “Combatting Anti-Semitism and Anti-Zionism on College Campuses” on Sunday, March 11, 2011, from 3 pm to 5 pm. 

This month’s (Feb. 2012) Orange County Jewish Life magazine contains an article about swastikas repeatedly showing up in Orange County high schools. And, according to a recent national survey conducted by the Institute for Jewish & Community Research, 43% of Jewish students confirm anti-Semitism on their campuses.  This survey also found that anti-Semitism is being normalized and under-reported. The problem of anti-Semitism in our educational institutions is real.  You owe it to yourself and your children to be informed.

Please note that the location of this program has been changed to the Radisson Hotel Newport Beach.  We were forced to make this change because the Jewish Community Center of Orange County would not permit the ZOA to pay to rent space, although rooms were available.

Since December 2011, we had been arranging for this program to be co-sponsored by the ZOA and the Bureau of Jewish Education, which is a partner agency of Orange County Jewish Federation and Family Services.  Later on, the ZOA Chapter was told, without explanation, that the Bureau did not wish to be mentioned as a co-sponsor.  We were told, however, that space would be reserved at the JCC by the Bureau and that the event would be publicized to the high school students enrolled in Bureau programs. The Bureau pulled out completely after the Chapter placed a statement at the bottom of our previous electronic announcement simply thanking the Bureau for its contributions to the program. We had cleared that electronic announcement with the Bureau.  To be clear, Bureau leadership is now asking us to state that the Bureau is not contributing to this program.

Because our ZOA Chapter believes that this program is of such importance to Jewish college-bound students and to the greater Jewish community, we have moved the event to a new and welcoming location.

Our speakers are personally and professionally involved in this matter and will share their expertise.  We share the axiom of former ZOA President Justice Louis D. Brandeis that “sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.”

Please mark your calendars and plan to attend.  An RSVP as shown on the flyer below is appreciated.

Please forward to anyone who may be interested.  Thank you.

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WHEN  Sunday March 11, 2012 3 - 5 pm                WHERE     Radisson Hotel Newport Beach 4545 MacArthur Blvd. Newport Beach, CA 92660 Complimentary parking Click here for directions to the hotel   EVENT IS FREE OF CHARGE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC        RSVP zoawest@zoa.org  (323) 424-4435    www.zoawest.org The ZOA Western Region is going paperless! Sign up here to receive our zLetters, zEvent announcements, zAlerts, and more. You can edit preferences or unsubscribe anytime!    THE ZOA ORANGE COUNTY CHAPTER PRESENTS       COMBATTING ANTI-SEMITISM AND ANTI-ZIONISM ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES Join us for a timely discussion geared to students, parents and educators on how to recognize and respond effectively to anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism on campus, featuring:   Susan Tuchman, Esq. Director, ZOA's Center for Law and Justice Tammi Rossman-Benjamin  Lecturer, UC Santa Cruz Dr. Leila Beckwith  Professor Emerita in Pediatrics, UCLA WHAT YOU WILL LEARN Extent of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism on college campuses, including Cal State and University of California systems as well as private colleges Where and how anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism are most often encountered (e.g. classrooms, anti-Israel rallies, campus clubs, actions and inaction by administrators) How to recognize anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist sentiment and harassment How to tell the difference between legitimate criticism of Israel and anti-Semitism Rights of Jewish students under United States law and available legal tools Steps students should take if they fall victim to anti-Semitism   ABOUT THE SPEAKERS       Susan Tuchman is the director of the ZOA's Center for Law and Justice. Named in 2006 by the Forward newspaper as one of 50 most influential members of the Jewish community, Ms. Tuchman has effectively advocated for Jewish students facing anti-Semitism and Israel-bashing on their college campuses.  Under her leadership, the ZOA filed a landmark civil rights complaint on behalf of Jewish students at UC Irvine who had been subjected to years of anti-Semitic harassment and intimidation. Largely due to the ZOA's efforts, the U.S. Department of Education issued a new policy in October 2010, making it clear that Jewish students at federally-funded schools are protected from anti-Semitic harassment and intimidation under federal law.  Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, a Lecturer in Hebrew and Jewish Studies at UC Santa Cruz, writes and lectures on academic anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism and on the growing threat to the safety of Jewish college students. She co-chaired a 2010 scholarly workshop at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. entitled "Contemporary Anti-Semitism in Higher Education." Her complaint under Title VI of the 1964 U.S. Civil Rights Law, alleging harassment and intimidation of Jewish students at UC Santa Cruz, is currently under investigation by the Department of Education.   Dr. Leila Beckwith, Professor Emerita in Pediatrics at UCLA, is a developmental psychologist who has taught and conducted research for more than 30 years. The Second Intifada and the 9-11 assault against America led her to become politically active within the University of California system. Ms. Rossman-Benjamin and Dr. Beckwith recently founded the AMCHA Initiative, a grass-roots advocacy coalition dedicated to protecting Jewish students on campuses within California. They also co-founded the Investigative Taskforce on Campus Antisemitism, which investigates and reports on campus incidents throughout the entire U.S. and makes recommendations for improvement.   About the ZOA Founded in 1897, the Zionist Organization of America ("ZOA") is the oldest pro-Israel organization in the United States. With offices around the country and in Israel, the ZOA is dedicated to educating the public, elected officials, media, and college/high school students about the truth of the ongoing and relentless Arab war against Israel. ZOA is also committed to promoting strong U.S.-Israel relations. ZOA works to protect Jewish college and high school students from intimidation, harassment and discrimination, and in fighting anti-Semitism in general. To learn more about the ZOA, go to www.zoa.org.