ADL warns of gang’s growing influence
James Paul “Mylo” Allen, a swastika-tattooed white supremacist, was convicted last week by an Orange County jury of four counts of identity theft. And it appears he will have plenty of company behind bars — in the past five weeks alone, 67 other members of the Public Enemy Number 1 white supremacist gang have been arrested in California.
The Anti-Defamation League recently released a paper warning of the gang’s growing power; PENI has expanded exponentially in recent years, has a strong presence in the state’s prisons and is a major player in the illegal drug trade, particularly methamphetamines.
“Public Enemy Number 1 has positioned itself as a white power criminal organization capable of operating both on the streets and in the prison yards as foot soldiers for older, more established white supremacist prison gangs, such as the Aryan Brotherhood and Nazi Low Riders,” said Kevin O’Grady, Interim Director of ADL’s Orange County Regional Office.
“The group embraces a white supremacist ideology while engaging in a range of criminal activities commonly associated with street gangs.”
For more information, visit www.adl.org. — joe eskenazi
Holocaust resolution goes to U.N.
The United States presented a resolution condemning Holocaust denial to the United Nations General Assembly.
The text, introduced Tuesday, Jan. 23 in advance of the U.N.-designated International Day of Commemoration for victims of the Holocaust on Saturday, Jan. 27, urges member states ``to reject any denial of the Holocaust as a historical event” and ``condemns without reservation any denial of the Holocaust.”
Though it does not mention Iran, the measure is seen as a reaction to last month’s Holocaust denial conference hosted by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in Tehran.
The resolution, which has some 25 sponsors, is expected to go to a vote Friday, Jan. 26. — jta
Americans honored for Holocaust role
The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation honoring a couple who helped Jews escape the Nazis. The bill passed Monday, Jan. 22, 413-0.
A Unitarian minister from Massachusetts, Waitstill Sharp, and his wife, Martha, arrived in Czechoslovakia a month before the German occupation and helped secure food, shelter and visas for Jewish refugees, according to a Boston Globe article.
Rep. Tom Lantos (D-San Mateo), the only Holocaust survivor in Congress, supported the legislation on the House floor. — jta
Rap mogul addresses WJC
Rap mogul Russell Simmons called on the Beastie Boys and other Jewish entertainers to fight racism.
In a speech Monday, Jan. 22 to the World Jewish Congress titled “Unity: Fighting Our Fights Together,” Simmons spoke about his public service announcements against racism and anti-Semitism that will be aired in Europe later this month.
The ads, produced by Simmons, co-leader of The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, feature Simmons and rapper Jay-Z encouraging young people to fight racism and anti-Semitism in their communities.
He called on the Beastie Boys and other Jewish entertainers to create another public service announcement with him, this one focusing on Islamophobia. — jta
Poll: Americans want P.A. to recognize Israel
A majority of Americans think Palestinians must acknowledge Israel’s right to exist before they can have their own state, a recent poll found.
Though a large contingent believes in a two-state solution, 60 percent of those polled believe “there should not be a Palestinian state until Palestinian leaders end terror and recognize Israel’s right to exist.”
Fifty percent said they support Israel in the conflict, compared to 7 percent backing the Palestinian Authority.
Commissioned by the Israel Project and Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research, the survey interviewed 800 registered voters by telephone earlier this month. — jta
Yiddish center gets fellowship grant
The National Yiddish Book Center is to receive $750,000 for a Yiddish fellowship program for college students. Ruthe Cowl, 94, of Laredo, Texas, donated the funds, which will establish the Cowl Jewish Leadership Program.
The Amherst, Mass.-based center is a nonprofit dedicated to the rescue and distribution of Yiddish and other Jewish books. — jta
CopyrightJ, the Jewish news weekly of Northern California