Dunkin’ Donuts snitching, Maryland primaries and Catholic weddings
No SHOUTING in another language
Management at a Dunkin’ Donuts in North Baltimore on June 18 took down a sign encouraging customers to report employees speaking any language other than English by offering them a free pastry and coffee, according to Baltimore Fishbowl. A photo posted by WBAL-TV news producer Gillian Morley showed a sign printed on red construction paper with the following note to customers: “If you hear any of our staff SHOUTING in a language other than ENGLISH Please call 443-415-7775 immediately with the name of the employee to receive a coupon for a FREE Coffee and a pastry. -General Manager.” Abhi Sheth, who identified himself as an assistant manager of the franchise at 1020 W. 41st St., declined to comment on the language or history of the sign, and did not say when it was taken down. A company spokeswoman sent along a statement on the afternoon of June 18 that indicated the franchise’s general manager had initially intended to address a “customer service and satisfaction issue” by putting up the sign, but then took it down.
Former CIA head compares US immigration policies to Nazi Germany
Former head of the Central Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency Michael Hayden compared the Trump administration’s immigration policies to Nazi Germany. In a tweet posted on June 16, Hayden wrote: “Other governments have separated mothers and children,” under a black and white photo of the front of Auschwitz as seen from the railroad tracks approaching the former Nazi camp. The tweet is a response to reports that under the U.S. government’s so-called zero tolerance policy against illegal migrants nearly 2,000 children have been separated from their parents or adult guardians after entering the United States.—JTA
On separating children from their parents…
Over a six-week period, roughly 2,000 children have been torn from their parents’ arms and placed in mass detention centers or foster care. More than a hundred are 4 years old or younger. In some cases, parents and children have gone weeks without being able to contact each other – or even knowing each other’s locations. Imagine the terror felt by these children. Imagine not only the fear of their parents but the shadow of guilt – that they couldn’t protect their own babies, a memory that will cling to them for a lifetime. This president blames it on the Democrats. This is known as a lie. Under previous administrations, those caught entering the United States illegally faced deportation but not criminal charges – and they were not separated from their children. This president’s attorney general offers passages from the Bible. This is known as blasphemy. This administration refers to its policy – prosecuting migrants, mainly from Central American countries — as “zero tolerance.” That phrase is now a euphemism for cruelty toward children. Even Republicans normally too frightened, or too politically calculating, to challenge President Donald Trump are expressing their revulsion at such action.
Read more from Michael Olesker: Lies and Blasphemy Prop Up America’s New Immigration Policies
More unnecessary Tweets
The son of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Yair, pressured his father to post a tweet in support of President Donald Trump’s plan to build a wall on the border with Mexico. The tweet, made in January 2017, led the Mexican government to summon the Israeli ambassador to Mexico for a reprimand. The Mexican government also demanded an apology from Israel. The tweet said: “President Trump is right. I built a wall along Israel’s southern border. It stopped all illegal immigration. Great success. Great idea.” Trump retweeted it less than a day later. The Israeli daily Yediot Acharonot on June 17 published a report which notes that the prime minister posted the tweet at his son’s urging, despite the opposition of several of the prime minister’s top advisors. “This was an unnecessary tweet, published against the recommendations of all professional advisers,” an inside source told Yediot. “Although it is not criminal, it adds up to yet another questionable decision by Netanyahu, some of which have been security related.” The information has come to light in witness reports describing Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision-making process during an investigation of the prime minister’s affairs, according to Yediot. Some decisions were made under pressure from family members, including Yair, according to the report. Nir Hefetz, a former Netanyahu communications director who turned state’s witness in one of the investigations against the prime minister, told police how Yair Netanyahu pressured his father to install metal detectors on The Temple Mount in the wake of the killing in July 2017 of two Israeli police officers at the site, which led to wide-spread protests. The metal detectors were removed less than a month later. –JTA
Tronc to change name … again
Newspaper publisher Tronc Inc., whose name was widely ridiculed after its debut two years ago, is considering abandoning the moniker, according to a person familiar with the matter. Executives have discussed the idea of a name change, but no decision has been made, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations are private, according to Bloomberg. In June 2016, while fighting a hostile takeover bid from Gannett Co., Tribune Publishing Co. announced it was renaming itself Tronc, which stands for Tribune Online Content, to reflect its new digital ambitions. The name sparked ridicule online, with the entertainment site Deadline asking, “Is ‘Tronc’ The Worst Corporate Brand Name Ever?”
Read more: Tronc Is Considering Changing Widely Mocked Corporate Name
A Maryland Primaries primer
On June 26, Marylanders will head to the polls to vote in the Democratic and Republican primaries. Among the most contested races of interest to the Jewish community will be for governor, Baltimore County Executive, the House of Delegates, and the Baltimore City and County Councils. With assistance from the Baltimore Jewish Council, Jmore identified and spoke with candidates in some of these races to help readers make informed choices when they vote in the primaries (as well as in the general election on Nov. 6). We asked candidates five primary questions, designed to get beyond the talking points by identifying some of their core values. We hope this insider’s guide offers readers some insight and illumination into the hearts and minds of these candidates.
Maryland Primaries: A Look at Political Races Around the State and Community
Catholics can get married outdoors
The code of canon law, straight from the Vatican, says that marriages performed by a priest are meant to be celebrated in the bride or groom’s parish church. But some U.S. dioceses are starting to test the boundaries of that law, which says that with permission of the proper Catholic authority, a priest can perform a marriage in “another suitable place.” The Archdiocese of Baltimore began testing a new policy in February that allows priests and deacons to request to marry a couple somewhere other than their parish church, according to The Washington Post. Archdiocese Chancellor Diane Barr said priests have asked to marry 50 couples in venues such as hotels and museums, and Barr’s office has approved all the requests. About a third of the requested venues are outdoors, she said. Priests came to the chancellor’s office saying more and more young people were skipping Catholic marriage ceremonies altogether because they wanted a personalized venue. So Baltimore decided to take a route that the Diocese of Helena, Mont., took two years ago — allowing priests to perform wedding ceremonies in an array of locations, including outdoors. The Baltimore Archdiocese officially changed the policy on Valentine’s Day this year but did not publicize it online until last week. Priests can make a request for a non-church wedding on behalf of any couple they wish to marry, provided that at least one member of the couple is Catholic and resides in the Archdiocese of Baltimore and that the couple agrees to go through the church’s preparation for marriage, Barr said. There are still some restrictions: No weddings in bars or clubs. Boats are out, too. “You actually have to list where the wedding takes place — the individual parish, in the parish territory,” Barr said. “It’s very difficult to say where exactly a wedding took place if it’s on a boat.”
Read more: Catholics can get married outdoors in two places: In Montana, and now in Baltimore
Tricks and treats at JMM
“Inescapable: The Life and Legacy of Harry Houdini” opens at the Jewish Museum of Maryland June 24 and runs through Jan. 21, 2019. At the exhibition, visitors will be encouraged to experiment with and perform some of Houdini’s most celebrated tricks and illusions, including “The Vanishing Elephant.” In its six sections, the JMM exhibition, includes photographs, magic tricks, escape artist paraphernalia — featuring Houdini’s handcuffs, picks, locks and even one of his straitjackets — and other artifacts, including a rare recording of the great illusionist’s voice. Also on display will be one of Houdini’s diaries, open to a page in which he chronicles an 1898 tour of Maryland. Houdini performed more than 100 times in the Old Line State, with his most famous appearance in 1916 when an estimated 50,000 people watched him escape from a straitjacket while hanging upside down at the old Sun Square in downtown Baltimore. As part of the exhibition’s June 24 opening, the city will close Lloyd Street in front of the museum for an afternoon of festivities. In addition, Baltimore-based escape artist Dai Andrews will perform at the “Magic of Jonestown Festival,” suspended upside down from a 50-foot crane, to re-create Houdini’s infamous 1916 Baltimore straitjacket escape.
Read more about the exhibit.
See images from the exhibit.
Here’s the pitch
Ariella Stein, who is battling Ewings Sarcoma and is being treated at Sinai Hospital, threw out the first pitch at the Bowie Baysox game on June 17, according to an announcement from Casey Cares. Ariella and her family belong to Oheb Shalom.
J-Word of the Day
Am horets (Hebrew)
Meaning: A vulgar, ill-mannered, uneducated man or woman
Usage: That Joseph is such an am horets it’s a wonder he’s still on the job.
JBiz
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Former Baltimorean Mindy Sager Dicker, who made aliyah in 2021, writes about the experience of living in Israel over the past week.
The city’s not a winner when little girls can’t walk through a shopping mall with their mothers without getting shot, writes Michael Olesker.
When interviewing for a job, focus on everything you have to offer a prospective employer, advises Karen Hammer of the Ignite Career Center.
Rabbi Dr. Eli Yoggev writes about leading Beth Tfiloh's recent mission to Israel and the resilience of the Jewish people during the most challenging of times.