Four Convicted for Terrorism in 2015 Charlie Hebdo,
Kosher Store Murders
A Paris court convicted one man on Dec. 16 of being an acces-
sory to murder in the 2015 jihadist terror attacks on the Charlie
Hebdo satirical magazine and the Hyper Cacher kosher store,
JTA reported.

Along with Ali Riza Polat, a 35-year-old French citizen of
Turkish descent, three others were convicted of the lesser offense
of being a part of a terrorist enterprise. Polat received a 30-year
prison sentence, Le Monde reported.

The men were among 14 on trial in connection with the
terrorist assaults in January 2015. The actual perpetrators were
killed after planning the attacks.

Brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi attacked Charlie Hebdo
and were killed there after murdering 12. Partner Amedy
Coulibaly killed four at the kosher store two days later before he
was shot dead by police. He also killed a police officer.

Polat and the others — Nezar Pastor Alwatik, Amar Ramdani
and Willy Prevost, who received sentences ranging from 13-20
years — were prosecuted for providing the killers with the
weapons, equipment or intelligence to carry out the attacks.

Six other defendants were convicted of belonging to a criminal
enterprise without the aggravated element of terrorism.

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Senate Passes Bill Elevating Anti-Semitism Monitor
THE SENATE PASSED A BILL that would elevate the anti-
Semitism monitor position to ambassador — adding weight
to the envoy’s mission of pushing governments elsewhere to
confront anti-Jewish bigotry, JTA reported.

“Anti-Semitism continues to rise at an alarming rate across
the globe,” Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., who led sponsorship of
the bipartisan bill, said in a statement Dec. 16 after the unani-
mous vote. “To equip the State Department to better address
rising anti-Semitism, it is critical that we elevate the role of
the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism to
Ambassador-at-Large.” The U.S. House of Representatives passed a similar bill,
making it likely to become law shortly.

A broad array of Jewish groups backed the measure.

The anti-Semitism monitor position was created by Congress
in 2004.

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EU Court Upholds Belgian Bans on Ritual Slaughter
The European Union’s highest court upheld Belgium’s bans on slaughtering animals
without first stunning them — confirming the prohibition on kosher and halal meat
product in parts of Belgium, while clearing the way for other bans across Europe, JTA
reported. The EU Court of Justice ruled Dec. 17 that bans on the slaughter of animals for
meat without stunning don’t violate EU principles on freedom of worship.

Israel’s ambassador to Belgium said the ruling was “a blow to Jewish life in Europe.”
Two of Belgium’s three states last year banned the slaughter of animals without
first stunning them. The laws were passed despite strong objections from Jewish
and Muslim community leaders. Several groups, including one that represents
French-speaking Jews in Belgium, filed a petition contending that the bans
illegally limit religious freedom.

The ruling is a major defeat for efforts underway to challenge similar bans in
EU countries including Sweden, Finland, Estonia, and Luxembourg.

Joe Biden to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, JTA reported.

Biden’s transition team said in at Dec. 7 statement that Walensky is a “leading
expert on virus testing, prevention, and treatment.”
Walensky told Boston’s Jewish Journal in April that she sought solace in her
Jewish community as she faced down the disease.

“I said to them, the last time I spoke with them, ‘I’m thinking I need you more
than you need me,’” Walensky said. “I have a sense it’s getting emotionally pretty
hard. I certainly have everybody’s cell phone number ... I may need to use it in
the weeks ahead.”
Coffee Table That Helped Stop Chanukah Attack in Monsey, New York,
Turned Into a Menorah Stand
A coffee table used to repel an attack last year at a Chanukah celebration in Monsey,
New York, was turned into a dreidel-shaped menorah stand, JTA reported.

A machete-wielding man, who was later ruled incompetent to stand trial,
entered the house of a Chasidic rabbi on Dec. 28, 2019 and began stabbing the
guests, one of whom later died. Party guest Joseph Gluck picked up the coffee
table and threw it at the man, who later fled.

Jewish Doctor to Head CDC Under Biden
The menorah stand has the Hebrew words “A big miracle happened here”
Rochelle Walensky, the chief of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General emblazoned on its sides. l
— Compiled by Andy Gotlieb
Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School, was selected by President-elect
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