Harvard Lampoon Apologizes for Sexualized Anne Frank Image
The student-run Harvard Lampoon humor magazine issued an apology after superimposing the face of Anne Frank onto the body of a bikini-clad woman, JTA reported.
Text with the doctored photo said “Gone Before Her Time: Virtual Aging Technology Shows Us What Anne Frank Would Have Looked Like if She Hadn’t Died.” Also: “Add this to your list of reasons the Holocaust sucked.”
The magazine apologized on May 14.
“We as individuals and we as an organization would like to apologize for our negligence in allowing this piece to be created for and printed in our latest issue. We are sorry for any harm we have caused. Furthermore, we want to both affirm and emphasize that the Lampoon condemns any and all forms of anti-Semitism.”
The Harvard Crimson student newspaper reported that a petition with nearly 300 signatures had circulated on campus calling for an apology and an explanation about how the image came to be.
Jewish Fraternity at Hofstra Suspended for Making Puppy Drink Beer
Hofstra University’s Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity was suspended after a video was posted on social media that appears to show members making a puppy drink from a beer keg, Newsday reported.
In the video, a spaniel dog is held upside-down and beer is squirted into its mouth; observers are seen laughing.
“The behavior seen on the video is unacceptable and in violation of the University’s Code of Community Standards,” Hofstra officials said in a statement.
The fraternity’s parent organization also placed the chapter on a “cease and desist.” That means its members must not partake in official or unofficial activities.
Tennessee Commissioners Unanimously Support Censure of Judge
Shelby County, Tennessee commissioners voted unanimously on May 13 to censure a judge who posted a link to an article saying Jews should “get the f— over the Holocaust,” JNS.org reported.
The commissioners themselves don’t have the authority to censure Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Jim Lammey, but have approved a resolution asking the Tennessee Board of Judicial Conduct to censure him.
Numerous organizations — Jewish and otherwise — have called for Lammey to be reprimanded.
Lammey declined to attend the commissioners’ meeting and said the “characterization of me by the local media and certain interest groups as being a Holocaust-denier, anti-immigrant and racist” was incorrect.
CEO of Financially Troubled NMAJH To Resign Effective End of June
National Museum of American Jewish History (NMAJH) CEO Ivy Barsky announced May 20 that she will resign her position at the end of June, philly.com reported.
Barsky, 55, has been the CEO and Gwen Goodman director since July 2012.
The museum has struggled financially in recent years and announced a financial restructuring in 2017 after ending the fiscal year with a $1.8 million deficit.
At that time, staff was reduced from 50 to 32, the 2018 fiscal year expense budget was trimmed from $10 million to $7.7 million and Barksy took a paycut from $324,000 to $299,000. In addition, the museum cafe was closed and one exhibit was canceled.
Philly.com said the museum’s board hired ZANDAFI Philanthropy Advisors President Misha Galperin to begin developing a transition plan for the weeks ahead.
