Last Known Member of Nazi-resistance Group White Rose Dies at 103
German-born doctor Traute Lafrenz, who was the last known surviving member of White Rose, which formed in Munich in 1942 and advocated nonviolent resistance against the Nazi government, died on March 6 at 103, JNS.org reported.
As young German college students allied against their country’s government, the group concluded its first leaflet: “Do not forget that every nation deserves the government that it endures.”
The Nazi government beheaded three of the group’s members for producing and distributing leaflets opposing the totalitarian regime.
Lafrenz also faced punishment for her involvement. The Gestapo arrested her in 1943, but she managed to conceal the depth of her involvement in the group, so she only received a one-year jail term.
After the war, Lafrenz relocated to the United States, married another doctor and worked in hospitals in California and Illinois before retiring in South Carolina.
FBI: Anti-Jewish Incidents Jumped Nearly 20% in 2021
A new FBI report found that anti-Jewish incidents increased nearly 20% in 2021 relative to 2020 but decreased relative to prior years, JTA.org reported.
The updated FBI statistics released on March 13 counted 817 anti-Jewish criminal offenses reported by local law enforcement agencies in 2021, up from 683 in 2020 — a year when people largely stayed off the streets for a substantial period due to the pandemic.
The 2021 numbers, however, represent a 15% decline from 2019, when the FBI reported 963 hate crimes, as well as a slight decline from 2018, when FBI statistics show 847 hate crimes.
Overall, the report showed a total of more than 10,800 total hate crimes — the highest number in decades. As in previous years, anti-Jewish incidents comprised the majority of the 1,590 hate crimes based on religion.
Disgraced New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo Announces New Pro-Israel Group
Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has a new project, a year and a half after resigning amid a flurry of sexual harassment allegations: a pro-Israel organization targeting Democrats, New York Jewish Week reported.
Cuomo delivered the message via video on March 13 at an event at Carnegie Hall hosted by the World Values Network, the organization led by Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. Boteach organized the event in honor of the 80th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.
The launch of “Progressives For Israel” was first reported by Jewish Insider.
While Cuomo provided few details about the organization, he said that it would call on Democrats to stand with Israel, “because silence is not an option.”
Israel Police Seize Rare, Exotic Animals in Black-market Raid
Israeli authorities busted a massive black-market operation featuring rare and exotic animal species, the Nature and Parks Authority said on March 14, JNS.org reported.
“We were able to stop a breeder that was illegally keeping a large number of animals, some of which were kept in poor condition,” said Nature and Parks Authority National Wildlife Crime Prevention Unit official Yaniv Shalom.
The animals, worth tens of thousands of shekels, were either set to be sold or were being kept by individuals. Those in poor condition were transported for veterinary care.
— Compiled by Andy Gotlieb
