Grapevine February 11, 2024: TikTok: a ticking bomb?

Arguably the busiest public servant in the country, with more variety in his day-to-day activities than any other, President  Isaac Herzog’s meetings last week included one with members of the senior global management of the TikTok social media platform. Michael Beckerman, vice president for public policy for the Americas, and Theo Bertram, vice president for government relations and public policy for Europe, were both visiting Israel against the background of the significant increase in antisemitism and anti-Israel hatred throughout the platform and joined Herzog at his official residence for an in-depth discussion.

Also present was Israeli social media researcher Tom Divon of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Institute of Communications who showed the Tik Tok executives his findings on antisemitism and anti-Israel postings, most notably since the start  of the war against Hamas.

The postings included hate-filled conspiracy theories, fake news, shocking graphic and verbal content of a distinctly antisemitic nature, disdain for the Holocaust, hopes that it would be repeated, and other ugly xenophobic and racist comments.

Divon noted that some of the posts had been removed from the platform, but most had not.

The Tik Tok representatives told Herzog that 150 million fake accounts had been identified that were spreading anti-Jewish or anti-Israel rhetoric.  It was obvious however, that they didn’t know the whole story, as they were deeply disturbed by Divon’s findings.

They pledged to do all that was possible to eradicate such content from the platform.

HealthIL hosts over 500 participants to tackle wartime climate issues

MORE THAN 500 participants from the healthcare ecosystem gathered at HealthIL, reputed to be Israel’s biggest healthcare innovation event, to discuss a variety of challenges, such as insights so far from the events of the war and formulating ways of dealing with the challenges that await in the future, mental health, innovative models in healthcare, and more.

Among the guests were senior leaders from the healthcare system, innovation leaders from 65 health organizations, heads of innovation centers at the Clalit and Maccabi health funds, Sheba Medical Center, Ichilov Hospital, Assuta Medical Centers, Soroka, and Geha, as well as 350 startups and dozens of Israeli and foreign corporations and investment entities.

Among the speakers were Yael Ophir, executive director of HealthIL; Udi Goori, general manager of Carelon Digital Platforms, Israel, the center of innovation and technological partnerships of the American health company Elevance Health, which develops in Israel innovative models in the field of digital health, some in collaboration with Israeli startups. Goori emphasized that expanded digital capabilities are intended to empower the healthcare teams but cannot replace the human connection; Noa Asher, CEO of NTT Innovation Lab Israel, which promotes collaborations between Japanese corporations and Israeli startups, noted that such cooperative ventures are also in the field of digital health.

 The conference was held at the Tel Aviv Expo in cooperation with the Israel Innovation Institute, the Economy Ministry, the Israel National Digital Agency, the Health Ministry, and the Israel Innovation Authority.

Robert Kraft and Clarence Jones team up in new combatting antisemitism campaign

AMERICAN JEWISH businessman, sports executive, and philanthropist Robert Kraft, who owns the New England Patriots and also heads the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, has contacted attorney and investment banker Dr. Clarence D. Jones, who served as draft speechwriter for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and who  assisted King in drafting the immortal “I have a dream’” speech which King delivered in 1963 at the historic March on Washington.

The two men have met before and have much in common.

Jones, a staunch advocate for civil rights, and a passionate supporter of the long-standing partnership between America’s Black and Jewish communities, currently serves as chairman of the Spill the Honey organization which is dedicated to action against racism and antisemitism  through art and education

The reason for the call was to inform Jones that  the first on-screen  advertisement at Superbowl 2024 in Las Vegas will  feature Jones  urging Americans of all backgrounds  to be upstanding and not be silent in the face of hate, because  hate thrives on the  silence of the majority. The silence puts hatred of Jews and Judaism in the same bed of oppression as all other religious, ethnic, national and political groups experiencing  unjustified hatred.

In light of the work that Jones has done over the years in his efforts to eliminate hate, Kraft who describes himself as “a huge fan”, said that he was proud to spotlight all that Jones has done for the nation. It not only serves the interests of the Black community, but also the Jewish community.

International Fellowship of Christians and Jews continues to provide aid amidst war

IN CONTINUING  its supportive activities on behalf of  Israel’s Third Age community,  The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews donated a refrigerated truck to be used by the Yad B’Yad Organization. Once in place, the vehicle will be used to expand the work of soup kitchens in delivering more than  500 weekly meals to Holocaust survivors, the elderly and other needy families and individuals. The truck will also be used to collect and distribute dairy products intended for the needy.

 A  dedication ceremony to mark the transfer of the truck was attended by Yad B’Yad  Chairman Rabbi Yaakov Gloiberman, IFCJ Field Coordinator Yael Lahat, CEO of Yad B’Yad Betzalel Gloiberman, Mali Arris, Director of the organization’s Lod office and other activists from both organizations.

Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel to honor English-speaking heroes

THURSDAY, MAY 9 is only three months away. It’s the date on which AACI – the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel will hold its annual memorial tribute to heroes (and heroines) of the English-speaking community who lost their lives in service or as victims of terror. Buses to the memorial site in the Rabin Forest near Sha’ar HaGai will be available from Jerusalem, Modi’in, and Netanya to those who pre-register. The cost for the ceremony alone is NIS 25, and for a full-day experience that includes Mount Herzl, NIS 75 per person. The ceremony is scheduled to take place at 5.30 p.m. AACI, while mourning every fallen soldier, does not want to omit the name of any fallen soldier from an English-speaking country and wants his or her family to be aware of the ceremony should they want to attend says AACI director of projects Elayna Weisel. To make sure that anyone from the North American English-speaking community who fell on or after October 7 is included, anyone who has knowledge of such people is asked to contact AACI to ensure that the names of such fallen soldiers can be added to the memorial wall.

Jerusalem residents to honor Carlebach's legacy

AMONG THE residents of Jerusalem’s old city is Emunah Witt Halevi, a mother of 14 children and grandmother of 50. She has been teaching the principles of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach and retelling the stories he told to illustrate the beauty of Judaism, for well over half a century.  When Carlebach. who died in October 1994, was still alive, he often sang and told stories to gatherings in her home in Jerusalem.  After he died she continued to disseminate his teachings through a book called Kol Chevra, which she edits and publishes more or less annually.   In addition to preserving Carlebach’s legacy through the book, there are articles on Judaism by noted scholars.  The book is also a means of maintaining contact between Carlebach’s followers at the House of Love and Prayer in San Francisco and Mevo Mod’I’n in Israel, their children, and their grandchildren.  The seemingly ageless Emunah Witt-Halevi, whose petite figure belies the number of times she’s given birth, is naturally affectionate, and when she sees someone she knows in the street, she gives them a big smile and a warm hugh, believing that everyone needs to be hugged and to feel affection occasionally, especially when times are tough. A passionate public speaker, who used to be invited often to speak in America, she now  declines invitations outside of Israel, but will go anywhere inside of Israel to share what she calls Reb Shlomo Torahs.

In January next year, Carlebach followers and admirers will celebrate the 100th anniversary of his birth, and hopefully his daughter Neshama, who is a talented singer and composer in her own right will come to israel to join in the celebrations.

Meanwhile, another talented singer, Esther Rada, will appear in the Song of Hope series at Beit Avi Chai in a video with a Carlebach melody that she sings at most of her performances in Israel and abroad.  Born out of a meeting between Carlebach nbd singer Nina Simone, the melody set to a verse from the Psalms is sang across the board in synagogues from Reform to Ultra-Orthodox, the song LeMa’an Achai Vere’ai (To all of my brothers and friends)