Need to Know for May 31

May 31, 2018 JMORE Staff

Harvey Weinstein arriving for his arraignment at a New York City courthouse in handcuffs, May 25, 2018. (Steven Ferdman/Getty Images)

Ellicott City support, Roseanne Barr backlash and Harvey Weinstein indicted

Associated Ellicott City Relief Fund — The Associated’s Ellicott City Relief Fund — Go to associated.org/ellicottcityrelief (Screenshot)

Associated Initiates Emergency Campaign for Ellicott City Victims

The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore has created an emergency relief fund for victims of the catastrophic flash flooding in Ellicott City on May 27. According to the Associated’s website, “One hundred percent of the funds collected in Baltimore will be directed to assist the individuals impacted by the flash flood.” (To make a donation, click here.) The Memorial Day weekend flooding was the second time in two years that the historic Main Street district in Howard County was devastated by a flood. Although 96 percent of Ellicott City’s businesses rebuilt after the 2016 flooding, it remains unclear whether businesses and residents will take such a gamble again. This year’s flooding, which dumped almost 8 inches of rain on Main Street, is reported to exceed the 2016 disaster. “Our hearts go out to our neighbors in Ellicott City in the aftermath of the devastating floods,” said Associated President Marc B. Terrill. “The Associated mobilizes in times of crisis to give our constituents an outlet to respond in meaningful ways, particularly when it is so close to home. This is The Associated and our system in action — uniting our community during times of challenge to provide for critical needs.”

Also see: Benefits scheduled for Ellicott City after devastating flood

Roseanne Barr’s reboot of “Roseanne” was cancelled by ABC because of the star’s racist rants on Twitter (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for SiriusXM/Courtesy of JTA)

ABC cancels ‘Roseanne’

ABC has canceled the hit series “Roseanne” after its star posted racist comments on social media. The network announced the cancellation on May 29 after Roseanne Barr drew wide criticism for a tweet in which she mocked Valerie Jarrett, a former adviser to President Barack Obama. “Roseanne’s Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show,” Channing Dungey, ABC’s entertainment president, said in a statement. Barr’s tweet mocked Jarrett, who is African-American, saying that “muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj.” The 65-year-old actress later deleted the tweet and issued an apology, saying she had made “a bad joke about her politics and her looks.” This isn’t the first time that Barr — a Salt Lake City native whose family is Jewish but who also was raised in the Mormon church — has drawn criticism for her social media usage. She has used Twitter to promote conspiracy theories and post comments criticizing transgender people. Some have also taken issue with Barr for her vocal support for President Donald Trump. “Roseanne,” a show about a working-class American family, had achieved success in its return to network TV. The original show, which ran 10 seasons in the late 1980s and much of the 1990s, hit No. 1 in the ratings.

Also see:

Harvey Weinstein indicted

Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was indicted by a grand jury in New York on charges of rape and a criminal sexual act. Weinstein declined to testify before the grand jury on May 30 after a judge denied his attorney’s request to postpone the appearance in order to have time to prepare Weinstein. The grand jury announced its indictment later on May 30. Weinstein only learned of the specific charges after turning himself in on May 25. If convicted on the most serious charges, Weinstein could be sentenced to prison for between five and 25 years. The charges follow an avalanche of accusations against him that, following their publication in October, led women around the world to come forward with accounts of being sexually harassed and assaulted by powerful men. Weinstein has denied engaging in nonconsensual sex. Weinstein is suing to obtain documents and files belonging to The Weinstein Co. – a firm he helped establish but which dismissed him in October following the accounts of his alleged sexual exploitation of women. He said the information in the papers will help clear his name. Weinstein’s lawyer, Benjamin Brafman, has said that his client intends to plead innocent.–JTA

Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens resigns amid sex scandal

Eric Greitens, the Republican governor of Missouri who for months has faced the threat of impeachment in part because of charges stemming from a sex scandal, has quit. “Let’s walk off the battlefield with our heads held high,” Greitens, 44, said May 29 in a livestreamed announcement. He maintained his insistence that he was the victim of a vague conspiracy to oust him, although state Republicans have joined in calls for him to step down. “This ordeal has been designed to cause an incredible amount of strain on my family,” he said. “It is clear that for the forces who oppose us there is no end in sight.” Greitens, the state’s first Jewish governor, is a former Navy SEAL and had been considering a presidential run. Prosecutors earlier this month dropped a charge stemming from an extramarital affair that he photographed a partially nude woman without her consent, but he still faces charges that he illegally created a political donor list from a separate veteran’s charity that he founded.—JTA

Israel Approves Construction of Nearly 2,000 West Bank Homes

An Israeli Defense Ministry committee approved the construction of nearly 2,000 homes in the West Bank. Among the 1,957 homes approved May 30 by the Civil Administration’s high planning subcommittee, 696 gained final backing for construction and tenders will be issued. Some 300 of those are located in isolated settlements. The remaining homes received preliminary approval and will be considered again by the committee following public discussion. Most are in isolated settlements that Israel will likely have to evacuate within the framework of a two-state agreement, according to Peace Now. The plans include the authorization of two illegal outposts known as Zayit Raanan and Brosh. Among the plans that were approved is the construction of 92 residential units on about half a square mile of land less than a mile from the Palestinian village of Khan al-Ahmar, which the Supreme Court last week authorized the Israeli government to demolish due to lack of building permits. “The approval of the plan is the embodiment of exploitation and evil,” Peace Now said in a statement. “The government stubbornly refuses to grant building permits to 32 Palestinian families living on about 40 dunams in the area and intends to evict them, but at the same time approves construction on large areas for hundreds of Israeli families. “If there is anything that blackens Israel’s image in this world, it is the cruelty and discrimination that reeks to the heavens in this case. Neither is there any real Israeli national interest behind the destruction of the village.” —JTA

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