Category Archives: Authors A-H

Authors listed by last name A-H

Jewish Allies in African-American History – by Terry Howard

Dr. Martin L. King, Jr., Rosa Parks, Medgar Eversand Fannie Lou Hamer are some of the many leaders who paved the way through the rocky history of the Civil Rights movement in the United States. But the movement would not have succeeded without the contributions of people from all races, among them philanthropist Julius P. Rosenwald, whose name is associated with hundreds of schools for Black students throughout the south.

But first, we should remember the many largely unreported Black/Jewish American partnerships in that history. Case in point is the relationship between Dr. King and close friend and advisor Stanley Levinson, a Jewish American.

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DEI, Religion, and Hate Crimes – by Deborah Ashton, Ph.D.

Introduction

Deborah Levine requested that I join her group on Black and Jewish Dialogue in 2021. Given today’s atmosphere, dialogue is crucial. Levine is the editor-in-chief of the American Diversity Report (ADR). She is a Holocaust documentarian (Courter, 2023; Levine, Untold Stories of a World War II Liberator, 2023), whom I am sure when she launched ADR never anticipated that diversity and DEI would be equated with anti-Semitism. Yet the cry has been aimed at academia and business (Cohen, 2023; Notheis, 2024) I am baffled by the cry to silence and dismantle DEI. 

Through my DEI journey and practice since 1991 in corporate America, DEI has been inclusive and provides respect and dignity to all across religion, race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, physical and mental ability, and other demographics. I will provide some examples later in the article.

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The Power of Words: the “said” and the “unsaid” – by Terry Howard

I came across the following quote in the Writers & Poets magazine recently:
                               “Where words prevail not, violence prevails.”

Please pause and sit on that one momentarily. In case you’re wondering, it’s a phrase from Thomas Kyd, a playwright and contemporary of William Shakespeare.

I then squared that quote against another familiar one, “words have power,” meaning that words have energy and power with the ability to help, motivate, demotivate, heal, harm, humiliate and devastate.

With all that said, I also thought about the title of this narrative and its message about the undeniable power of words within the context of the dangers of silence and how silence is sometimes complicit in the spread of hate and violence.

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2024 Trends: Healthcare at Risk – by David Grinberg

Despite its overwhelming success, Obamacare remains the target of relentless partisan attacks. Donald Trump is again vowing to end the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare, during a potential second term as president.

“Obamacare is a catastrophe,” Trump recently said at a campaign event in Iowa. The twice impeached former president also wrote on his social media platform: “The cost of Obamacare is out of control, plus, it’s not good Healthcare.”

But terminating Obamacare, assuming Trump wins the presidency again, would decimate healthcare for about 40 million Americans for no good reason. These citizens in need of affordable healthcare had been locked out of the private insurance system for decades based on discriminatory reasons — including socioeconomic status and preexisting conditions, which disproportionately hurt minority groups the most.

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Honoring MLK Words of Wisdom – by David Grinberg

10 Quotes from Martin Luther King, Jr.
that Resonate Today

America again pauses to honor the monumental life and legacy of civil rights icon, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK). The annual MLK Day national holiday is an opportune time to ponder some of Dr. King’s timeless words of wisdom and their immense influence on the nation more than half a century later.

Like other giants of American history, MLK showed that great leadership begets great communication (among many other things). His powerful message about the critical importance of racial justice, equal opportunity and economic empowerment  connected with diverse demographics of every race, gender, age, color and creed across the country.

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Reimagining Indian Intervention in the Israel-Hamas Conflict – by Ainesh Dey and Diksha Gupta

India’s Non-Linear Engagement in the Region: 
Abstract

This article delves into the broader geo-strategic positioning of India against the backdrop of the brewing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

As the Israel-Hamas conflict rages on, India’s dehyphenation policy calls for valuing independent relationships with Israelis and Palestinians on their merit.

 As reflected in her latest statements in the UN Security Council, India unequivocally hit upon the need for the resumption of direct dialogue and the overall de-escalation of tensions.

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Diversity and Speech No. 42: Neuroscience of Team-Building – by Carlos Cortés, Angela Antenore

A Co-Authored Interview

Carlos:  Angela, what drives you as a national and international organizational development specialist, particularly where it comes to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging?

Angela: I’m excited about helping people lead, build effective teams, and create a sense of community.  One of my roles is to support the mission of organizations.  What drives me is to help people feel valued and recognized for their accomplishments.

Carlos: You’ve talked to me about how an understanding of neuroscience can help in reaching these goals.  Could you elaborate? 

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Proposal: Peace, Justice + Reconciliation – by Abraham Avrum Ber ‘Avi’ Hoffman

Disclaimer: I am not a politician or a diplomat and I am not yet involved in political activism. I am just trying to do what I can to offer some ‘context’ as an entertainer by profession and an activist for Jewish culture and Yiddish language. I grew up in, and love the concept and potential of the very young State of Israel.

Preamble:
According to Nobel Prize winning author Isaac Bashevis Singer, Yiddish is:

“a language of exile, without a land, without frontiers, not supported by any government, a language which possesses no words for weapons, ammunition, military exercises, war tactics.”

Reading this over and over made me wonder if perhaps there is a lesson to be learned from Yiddish history and ‘experience’ that might offer a clue to creating an environment for Peace, fulfilling the ‘Hope’ of the Jewish people for thousands of years, to be a free people in our own country. Free from hatred, free from violence and free to pursue Life, Liberty and Happiness in our own democratic home – with all the complications democracy brings – in peace and harmony with our neighbors and the world.

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“Race” Remains a Four-letter Word – by Terry Howard  

“Just as I thought Howard, you’re a racist,” was “Karen’s” message. My initial suspicion was that she fitted the description of the “Karen” caricature that’s become synonymous with white woman these days who call the cops on innocent Black folks who are caught walking in the “wrong” neighborhood, barbequing burgers in “our park,” or otherwise just being Black in the U.S.

As is the usual tactic with people like “Karen,” she slammed the door on an opportunity for me to respond with: “I have nothing else to say to you Howard, so goodbye.”

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Israeli-Palestinian Conflict – by David B. Grinberg

 Constructive Communication is Precursor for Peace 

As a Jewish American, I am an unwavering supporter of Israel’s unequivocal right to exist as the internationally recognized homeland for the Jewish people.

However, I also agree that the Palestinian people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip deserve their own internationally recognized sovereign state. This is also the position of President Biden and the U.S. government.

Therefore, rather than continuing heated and offensive back-and-forth arguments — which only seem to solidify opposing views — the two sides need to build a semblance of consensus as a precursor for any peace talks.

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