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Outrage spread rapidly via Twitter earlier this week based on the spurious claim that President Trump intended to label Jews a separate nationalitya move denounced as encouraging anti-Semitism or as itself anti-Semitic. Although correct information about the executive order that sparked the controversy is now widely available, one need not look far to find essays and editorials condemning it in heated terms. Liel Leibovitz notes that just as our bien pensants were whipping everyone into a wild frenzy over this imagined act of anti-Semitism, an armed couple attacked a kosher grocery store in a asidic enclave in Jersey City, killing two Jews, one Gentile, and a police officer. The couple had brought with them multiple pipe bombs, and could easily have achieved far bloodier results. Leibovitz writes:

The shooting, we now know, was a premeditated attack, and one of the suspects was a black nationalist [a member of an anti-Semitic group styling themselves Black Hebrew Israelites] who had a long and proven track record of posting anti-Semitic screeds online.

Jews make up about 2 percent of the American population, yet were the victims of a whopping 57.8 percent of all religious-bias crimes last year, according to the FBI. Rather than vocally and unequivocally demanding that their Jewish constituents be protected, the politicians representing those targetedfrom New York Citys Mayor Bill de Blasio to Senator Chuck Schumerhave been largely silent on this issue, while at the same time loudly and vigorously accusing the right of racism. Videos like [the] one shot at the scene shortly after the Jersey City attack and featuring local neighbors blaming the Jews for Jews being murdered are not likely to make any politician on the left take action, especially not someone like de Blasio, who has for years been kissing the ring of Al Sharpton, an anti-Semite best remembered for inciting an actual pogrom against the Jews of Brooklyn.

Read more at Tablet

More about: Al Sharpton, Anti-Semitism, Bill de Blasio, U.S. Politics

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From Jersey City, a Bloody Lesson on the Real, and the Imagined, Dangers Facing American Jews - Mosaic

By California Black Media Staff

Keeping up with the high cost of pensions in California is hurting public sector employers, city budgets and leading to the firing of some minority money managers at CalPERS, the California Public Employee Retirement System, which is valued at $387 billion, according to Bloomberg News.

In its annual report, released in November, CalPERS confirmed that it risks falling into low funding levels. If this happens, the agency responsible for managing the health and pension benefits of more than a million public employees in California may not able to pay its bills or pay out its commitments.

The League of California Cities, which represents more than 400 municipalities across the state, is alarmed by the growing mandatory payments they have to cough up to CalPERS for employee pensions and benefits, too, according to CalMatters. Between fiscal years 2016 and 2017, that number skyrocketed by more 8 billion.

In an effort to streamline its own costs, CalPERS announced last week that it is scaling back on its Emerging equity fund program. Launched in 1991 to increase diversity among its portfolio managers, the program contracts external money mangers, mostly women and minority-owned firms managing assets worth less than $2 billion who are charged with investing on behalf of the largest public pension system in the United States.

The returns those emerging managers were bringing in fell below the agencys targets by 126 basis points, according to an agency spokesperson.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, President and Founder of the National Action Network, said CalPERS decision to cut the minority money mangers is unacceptable and comes as a surprise to him.

Last year, the National Action Network and I met with Marci Frost and Ted Eliopoulis from CalPERS in Sacramento, both of whom committed to increasing the utilization of diverse asset managers across all asset classes by creating a level playing field, Sharpton told California Black Media. It is clear that Ted is gone and the board has inoculated the new CIO, Ben Meng, from finding and utilizing high performing talented diverse managers that reflect the diversity of the pensioners.

In an October memo, CalPERS CEO Marcie Frost said the agency is restructuring its emerging manager program, reducing the number of managers, and cutting the assets those investors manage from $3.6 billion to $500 million.

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The Soaring Cost of California Pensions Is Hurting Employers and Taking Away Minority Contracts - San Diego Voice and Viewpoint

On Wednesdays broadcast of the Tom Joyner Morning Show, MSNBC weekend host Al Sharpton said President Donald Trump was attempting to disassemble America by attacking the Federal Bureau of Investigation for investigating him.

Discussing a Senate impeachment trial, Sharpton said, If the citizens start emailing and putting pressure on their senators to go by the evidence and not the party, we dont know what could happen. We dont know what may come out of the trial.

He continued, When you have a president who last night went to Pennsylvania and called the FBI scum for investigating him and Russia when there was a clear report by the inspector general that there was a basis for investigation, were looking at the total upheaval of government. Who would have ever thought that a president of the United States would undermine and use such language against their own FBI agents?

He added, We are looking at someone who wants to totally disassemble the way this country has been built and established and establish it on a premise that is not fair and equal for all.

Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN

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Al Sharpton: Trump Is Attempting to Totally Disassemble America - Breitbart

Anna Deavere Smiths brilliance, love for her fellowman and her portrayal of the racial tensions that arose in 1991when 7-year old Gavin Cato died under the wheel of a car in the Grand Rebbes motorcade in Crown Heightsare so richly demonstrated and profoundly felt by the audience during Fires In The Mirror, playing at the Signature Theatre. Smiths intensely conceived and written work is one of the most beautiful examples of journalism come to life. She personally interviewed dozens of people after Cato was killed, from both sides of the divide: the West Indian community, which lost this young life, and the Jewish community, which as a consequence of Catos death, lost the life of Yankel Rosenbaum.

Through Smith's candid, vivid, enthralling capturing of the heart, emotions and trauma that had been suffered by everyone due to the child's death, the audience is able to see this tragedy from many perspectives. Smith also interviewed community activists including Rev. Al Sharpton, Angela Davis and Sonnie Carson, people who wanted to stand for the family and this travesty that had occurred in the Black community of Crown Heights. It is riveting to hear from the 24 characters depicted here.

When Fires In The Mirror was originally performed I was fortunate enough to see Smith perform it herself, but I must say she has passed the torch on to an actor who plays her baby to perfection. Michael Benjamin Washington is a theatrical tour-de-force as he effortless transitions from character to character. He has the audience from the moment the play opens, when he plays an anonymous Lubavitcher Woman and shares her concerns for what this event meant to her and her community. Washingtons performance helped the audience not to see a Black man standing there, but to see a young Black Haitian girl, George C. Wolfe, Minister Conrad Mohammed, Letty Cottin Pogrebin, Rabbi Joseph Spielman; Richard Green, Norman Rosenbaum, Henry Rice and several others. Some of these names may not sound familiar to you, but they were all affected by that faithful day in August 1991. Catos killing sparked confrontations with police, rioting, and looting of Jewish businesses, and the audience gets to look at these scenarios from all sides. Washington navigated through Smith's complex, human-nature and character defining words with grace and ease. And it was so justified to let Catos father, Carmel Cato, have the final word. I have never been so moved to hear a father speak of the senseless devastation that has befallen him and his family. For this tragedy to happen to his baby boy was never something he could have been prepared for and it just broke his heart, and the hearts of those of us who heard this father's words; a flood of tears spilled down Washingtons cheeks and chin, it seemed to be a never-ending flow.

This play is heart-wrenching, powerful, thought-provoking and moving to experience. It will leave you stunned after you sit for 1 hour and 45 minutes straight. I must say I was so touched by this production and the passionate performance of Washington, as others around me shouted BRAVO, I simply couldnt speak, all I could do was stand and clap as loudly as I could.

But, I can speak now, BRAVO, BRAVO! Job Well DONE! This magnificent piece of theatrical genius is only playing through Dec. 22 at the Romulus Linney Courtyard Theatre at The Pershing Square Signature Center located at 480 West 42nd Street between 9th and 10th Avenues. Please make plans to visit the Signature Theatre and experience Smiths powerful work, which has fantastic direction by Saheem Ali, marvelous scenic design by Arnulfo Maldonado; wonderful costume design by Dede M. Ayite, interesting lighting design by Alan C. Edwards and delightful sound design by Mikaal Sulaiman.

for more info, visit http://www.signaturetheatre.org.

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Anna Deavere Smith's genius at play in Signature Theatre's 'Fires In the Mirror' - Amsterdam News

Some of the biggest names in film, television and music gathered for the annualUrban One Honorsawards show at MGM National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on December 5.Hosted by Urban One Founder and ChairwomanCathy Hughesand actorChris Tucker, the prestigious event celebrated the 40-year legacy of Radio One and will premiere onJan. 20, 2020, the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

Among this years honorees were veteran music executiveSylvia Rhone(Lifetime Achievement Honor); Grammy Award-winning recording artist and producerMissy Elliott(Music Innovation Honor); Academy Award-winning actorJamie Foxx(Entertainment Icon Honor); Grammy Award-winning artistChance the Rapper(Represent Change Honor); and, actor/dancer and star of Pose Ryan Jamaal Swain(Represent Pride Honor). Special recognition went to music executive legendClarence The Black Godfather Avant(Represent Opportunity); civil rights activist the Rev. Al Sharpton(Represent Leadership); and Emmy Award-winning actorBilly Porter(Represent Excellence).

Highlights from the evening included:

Dont miss the exciting Urban One Honors show, airing on TV One on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 20, 2020, at 8 p.m. Eastern/7 p.m. Central.

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Star-Studded Annual Urban One Honors Show to Air in January on Martin Luther King Jr. Day - EBONY