#public square

[eretzyisrael]

by Seth Mandel

ITEM: In Oakland, California, a Jewish woman walks into her son’s seventh-grade classroom on back-to-school night to see a poster that says, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

ITEM: In New York City, on the anniversary of Kristallnacht, angry pro-Palestinian crowds surround a Jewish man and bloody his head with a chair.

ITEM: In Philadelphia, hundreds mob a Jewish-owned restaurant, chanting, “Goldie, Goldie, you can’t hide; we charge you with genocide.” The restaurant is named Goldie.

ITEM: In Berkeley, California, the only Jewish teacher at an elementary school returns to find her door covered in Post-it notes that say, “Stop bombing babies!”

ITEM: In Chicago, home to the third-largest Jewish population in America, unions organize a high- school walkout in which students call for the destruction of Israel. “I’m incredibly proud of our students for exercising their constitutional rights to be able to speak out and speak up for righteousness,” said Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.

ITEM: In Washington, D.C., attendees arriving at a concert by the American-Jewish singer Matisyahu are greeted by a pro-Hamas demonstration.

At school, at work, and at play, American Jews find themselves increasingly ostracized by their peers. On college campuses, the quiet reestablishment of unofficial quotas has, over the course of a generation or two, halved the Jewish enrollment at a selection of elite universities. These days, stories of higher education’s turn against the Jews are ubiquitous. But as the above examples demonstrate, the attempt to cast Jews and Judaism out from the public square—or make Jews extremely uncomfortable inside the public square—has spread far beyond the college quad. And the statistics unambiguously say the same.

In the American Jewish Committee’s comprehensive survey of anti-Semitism in 2023, respondents were asked: “In the past 12 months, have you avoided certain places, events, or situations out of concern for your safety or comfort as a Jew out of fear of antisemitism?” Twenty-six percent—a quarter of U.S. Jews—responded in the affirmative. That is a 10-point increase over last year. In the poll, the number of those who admitted to avoiding “wearing, carrying, or displaying things that might help people identify you as a Jew,” as well as those who said they “avoided posting content online that would identify you as a Jew or reveal your views on Jewish issues,” increased as well.

All of this reflects the modern reality across the country. FBI reports show Jews are the target of more than half of all religiously motivated crimes. According to the Anti-Defamation League, over the course of the three months after October 7, there were more than 600 reported anti-Semitic incidents against Jewish institutions. And the ADL found a nearly 50 percent increase in security costs for Jewish schools in New York, New Jersey, and Florida.

[arc-hus]

Metropol Parasol, Seville - J. Mayer. H

[cnu-newurbanism]

The 15-minute city, why does it matter?

A theoretical framework based on walking and bicycling sheds makes the 15-minute city more useful to cities and planners.

Thank you for following our article series on the #15MinuteCity!

9 of 9

https://www.cnu.org/publicsquare/2023/01/31/15-minute-city-why-does-it-matter

[potato-guerillas-fpv]

[charlesreeza]

Piazza Stesicoro, Catania, Sicily with the statue of the 18th century Catanian opera composer Vincenzo Bellini

Photos by Charles Reeza

[thegreatsurvey]

The Grand Deck.

A recent trend that has taken developing areas of the capitol by storm is the grand deck, the bigger, the more prestigious. Intended to host parties, political ceremonies, community events and more, many simply represent the size of the owners wallet, seldom being used to their full potential. One of the most popular uses of grand decks are hosting public days where members of the public can pay to be part of a lottery, eventually choosing a certain number to gain access to the decks. Since the vast majority of buildings in the area are private, access is largely restricted to private events requiring a certain status, and these occasional lotteries.

[thewondermentofillustration]

La Place de la Concorde s'affaisse - Evidemment, avec ses sacrés glissements, il baisse le nez... - Ca n'est pas trop tôt, il vous avait un air Louqsorieux offensant pour les honnêtes gens !

Place de la Concorde collapses - Obviously, with his sacred slips, he lowers his nose... - It's not too early, you had an offensive look Louqsorieux for honest people!     -- Lucien Métivet (1863-1932), Le Rire (The Laugh; French comic)

[cathnews]

Political leaders: Does faith matter?

Political leaders: Does faith matter?

Today Australia is awash with politicians who identify or are identified as Catholic. Anthony Albanese is a Catholic. Down the Eastern seaboard, the three state premiers, Dominic Perrottet (NSW), Daniel Andrews (Victoria) and Peter Malinauskas (SA) are Catholics. There are many other high-profile Catholics at ministerial level and as opposition leaders. Others, like Queensland Premier, Anastacia…

[arc-hus]

Museum of Fine Arts, Chur, Switzerland - Barozzi Veiga

https://barozziveiga.com/

[cnu-newurbanism]

From slogan to substance, planning the 15-minute city

Too often the “15-minute city” is just a slogan. A better understanding of its walking & bicycling sheds is critical to achieving the benefits of placing human access at the heart of community planning.

Follow along with our article series on the #15MinuteCity

7 of 9

https://www.cnu.org/publicsquare/2022/12/13/slogan-substance-planning-15-minute-city

[paulpingminho]

[mondaydeadlines]

Muscle car

[charlesreeza]

Piazza Dante, Naples

The large statue of Dante Alighieri is the work of sculptors Tito Angelini and Tommaso Solari, Jr.  It was dedicated in July of 1871 when the square was renamed after the great poet.  The curved building was completed in 1765 as a palace called the "Foro Carolino."  One of the newer stations on the Naples Metro line 1 is below this square.

[timelessarchitecture]

COLECTIVO C733 - TAPACHULA STATION

[boerum-dodge]

high voltage // hudson day trip 2017

2017-08-30

The oddest thing I saw that day—a fountain with a high voltage warning, surrounded by two fences.