New JCRC Director Begins Work
Rabbi Batya Glazer started as director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Philadelphia (JCRC) on Aug. 13.
Glazer previously served as JCRC of Greater Washington’s director of D.C. government and community relations and director of D.C. and Maryland interfaith relations.
“Society thrives when all communities feel supported. We are in a boat. We either sink or float together,” Glazer said. “By working together to build strong, healthy societies, where all communities and all community members are valued, we create the best possible world for all of us.”
Glazer said she intends to leverage some of her D.C. connections to make contacts in the Philadelphia area. A Haddonfield, N.J., native, she’s excited to reconnect with the local Jewish community.
She noted she is particularly looking forward to connecting with the local African-American community.
“I look at the experience of the Jews of Europe and a society where anti-Semitism and bigotry were a factor in the experience of being a Jew,” Glazer said. “I see parallels to this experience of being black in America.”
Katz JCC Counselor Under Investigation
A former assistant counselor at the Katz Jewish Community Center in Cherry Hill, N.J., was fired as prosecutors investigate allegations of inappropriate touching of a minor.
Per CBS Philly, the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey released a statement about the allegations:
“Allegations have been made against an assistant counselor, a minor, formerly employed at the Early Childhood Camps at the Katz JCC. Upon learning about the allegations, this person was immediately separated from all children and the allegations were reported to the state agency responsible. Thereafter, this person’s employment was terminated.
“The Katz Jewish Community Center is cooperating fully with law enforcement and cannot share any additional information given this is an ongoing investigation. We are continuing to work with the investigators for the safety and security of our children, which is always our priority.”
Two Israeli Institutions Ranked Among Top 100 Universities in the World
The Technion Institute of Technology and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem placed 77th and 85th, respectively, in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (also known as the Shanghai Ranking), JNS.org reported.
A year earlier, Technion placed 93rd and Hebrew University wasn’t in the top 100.
The rankings take into consideration the number of Nobel Prize winners emanating from the university, along with the rate of publication in acclaimed academic and scientific journals.
Israel was the only Middle Eastern country featured in the Top 100 list.
Emigration from Israel Slows in 2016
Emigration from Israel slowed to its lowest total in 10 years in 2016, with just 15,200 residents leaving the country and staying abroad consecutively for a year or more, JNS.org reported, citing Central Bureau of Statistics data.
That was a decline of 9 percent from the previous year.
Among those leaving the country, 11,100 were Jewish and 700 were Arab. On the flip side, just 8,900 Israelis returned to live in Israel after a year or more abroad.
