Auschwitz exhibit, Trump’s transgender ban, Larry David’s genes and Jon Stewart’s standup
Auschwitz artifacts to travel
The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum in Poland announced the first traveling exhibit about the Nazi concentration and extermination camp, featuring more than 600 original artifacts. It will visit 14 cities in Europe and North America, beginning with Madrid at the end of the year. The artifacts, most of them belonging to the Auschwitz Memorial Collections, will include an original barrack from Auschwitz III-Monowitz, the largest of the subcamps of Auschwitz. Objects shown on the website announcing the exhibit include a pair of eyeglasses that belonged to an Auschwitz victim, an SS soldier’s belt buckle and a carved wooden box made by a prisoner.
Read: Auschwitz Museum Announces 1st Traveling Exhibit of Artifacts
Worthy to serve
In a surprise announcement on July 26, President Donald Trump said the United States will no longer “accept or allow” transgender people in the U.S. military. The sweeping policy decision was met with surprise at the Pentagon, outrage from advocacy groups and praise from social conservatives, “The New York Times” reported. It reverses the gradual transformation of the military under President Barack Obama, whose administration announced that transgender people could serve openly in the military. The ACLU tweeted the following message: Important to note: There are currently more than 15,500 transgender people serving in the military today. #TransRightsAreHumanRights
Read: Trump Says Transgender People Will Not Be Allowed in the Military
More on same-sex adoption in Israel
Approximately 200 Jewish leaders and institutions from North America urged the Israeli government to end discrimination against same-sex couples who want to adopt children. The call came in a letter to the government coordinated by A Wider Bridge, a San Francisco-based organization that focuses on ties between U.S. and Israeli LGBTQ communities. Signatories included Hillel International, leaders of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the Union of Reform Judaism, prominent Jewish LGBT leaders and more than 60 U.S. rabbis. Last week, Israel notified the High Court of Justice that it would not lift discriminatory practices against same-sex couples, as they “load additional baggage” on their children. The executive director of A Wider Bridge, Arthur Slepian, said, “I think the letter reflects the extent to which LGBT equality has become a core issue for many [non-Orthodox] Jewish communities in America.” — JTA
Jewish athlete dies at 103
Margaret Bergmann Lambert, an outstanding high jumper who was barred from the 1936 Berlin Olympics because she was Jewish, died on July 25 in New York at 103. In June 1936, just a month before the Olympics, Bergmann Lambert, then a German citizen known as Gretel Bergmann, won a meet against some of the best German high jumpers with a leap of 5 feet 3 inches. That height tied a German record and would have been good enough to win the gold medal.
Read: Jewish athlete barred from 1936 Berlin Olympics dies at 103
Lots of little dreidels
A Guinness World Record for the most dreidels spinning at one time was set at the Boy Scouts of America’s 2017 National Jamboree. Some 820 dreidels spun simultaneously for 10 seconds on July 23 at the Summit Bechtel Family Scout Reserve in Glen Jean, West Virginia, breaking the mark of 754 set in Tel Aviv in 2014. The event was sponsored by the National Jewish Committee on Scouting, which provided the dreidels and cardboard spinning boards to participating scouts. – JTA
Larry David’s DNA
According to CNN, Larry David of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” will discover he has genealogical ties to Senator Bernie Sanders in an upcoming episode of PBS’ “Finding Your Roots.” David has frequently played Sanders on “Saturday Night Live.” “I thought there must be some connection,” he said. “I love Bernie.” David couldn’t remember the exact nature of their relation, but said Sanders was “like a third cousin or something.” A new season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” airs on HBO starting Oct. 1.
Read: Larry David will learn he’s related to Bernie Sanders on ‘Finding Your Roots’
Jon Stewart stands up
In other HBO news, former “Daily Show” host Jon Stewart is going to appear in his first stand-up comedy special in 21 years. According to CNN Money, Stewart will appear in two upcoming specials on HBO. The dates have not been announced.
Read: Jon Stewart to return to stand-up in upcoming HBO specials
Meet ‘Yitzy’
“Public safety is my top priority. In Judaism, there’s nothing more valuable than human life. I continue to advocate for more resources for the crime lab, increased police presence on the streets, and being able to treat every crime scene to catch repeat offenders.” City Council member Isaac “Yitzy” Schleifer (D 5th District) discuss his hands-on approach and what makes him tick with Jmore.
Go to facebook.com/JMORELiving every Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. to watch Need to Know with Editor-in-Chief Alan Feiler, sponsored by University of Maryland, Baltimore. Join the discussion on the week’s news and current events.
Top image: A wooden box made in Auschwitz by prisoner Bronisław Czech. (Pawel Sawicki)
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President Trump delivers arguably the most partisan State of the Union address in history.