nation / world
Supreme Court Declines to Hear Attempts to Stop
Synagogue Protesters
The Supreme Court declined to hear two different requests to take up a suit
against a group of protesters who have gathered weekly outside an Ann Arbor,
Michigan, synagogue for nearly two decades holding anti-Israel and antisemitic
signs, JTA reported.

The court issued orders in March and May denying petitions brought by two
different congregants who argued that the protests targeted Jews at their place of
worship, violating their First Amendment right to freely exercise their religion.

The plaintiffs belong to two different congregations that meet in the same
building: Conservative Beth Israel Congregation and the Jewish Renewal-
affiliated Pardes Hannah Congregation. Neither congregation was involved.

The two congregants, one of whom is a Holocaust survivor, first brought a joint
lawsuit against the protesters, the city and Ann Arbor Mayor Christopher Taylor
in 2019. Lower courts dismissed it on First Amendment grounds, and a judge
ordered the plaintiffs to pay the protesters’ legal fees.

Following a dispute between a plaintiff and an attorney, the suit was broken up,
and two separate petitions were filed.

Moroccan Authorities Restore Ancient Jewish Cemetery
Authorities in Morocco completed a renovation of the historic Jewish cemetery
in the city of Meknes, part of a broader overhaul of Jewish heritage sites that
coincides with the country’s reestablishment of diplomatic ties with Israel, JTA
reported. The restoration was finished in May ahead of a visit by several dozen Jews,
many of them from Israel, on May 19. The 10-acre graveyard contains thousands
of bodies and is centuries old. Many of the graves are built atop older ones.

Jews from Israel and beyond have visited Meknes, where only a handful of Jews
live permanently, for decades.

The pilgrimages reflect the deep roots that Jews grew in this city in northern
Morocco, where thousands of refugees settled after fleeing the Inquisition in
Spain and Portugal in the 15th and 16th centuries.

But the community’s life in Meknes, and in Morocco generally, were far from
harmonious and today, only about 2,500 Jews live in Morocco on a permanent or
semi-permanent basis.

In 2010, King Mohammed VI of Morocco started a renovation program for
Jewish heritage sites, and in 2020, Morocco and Israel rekindled diplomatic rela-
tions as part of the Abraham Accords.

El Al to Move US HQ from New York to Miami
El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. announced in its first quarter financial statement that
it will move its United States headquarters from New York to Miami, Globes
reported. The company will move to a building owned by controlling shareholder Kenny
Rozenberg. El Al said the change would have minimal influence on the airline.

El Al said the move will save the company $500,000 annually.

The El Al headquarters has been in New York for decades, and the company’s
North American operations have traditionally emphasized that city.

Israel Works on Reducing Passport Backlog
Israel’s Population and Immigration authority Director Tomer Moskowitz said
new measures are being introduced to alleviate a backlog of 700,000 Israelis
seeking new passports, Globes reported.

Moskowitz said three measures were introduced, including a new office in Bnei
Brak where temporary passports are available. In addition, staffing and hours
were increased at the factory that produces the passports, and Israelis holding
dual citizenships may travel abroad on a foreign passport until Jan. 1.

“We are on the threshold of seeing an easing of the situation in the field in the
coming days,” Moskowitz said. “The big measures we have undertaken and their
realization and impact on the public are a matter of days.” JE
Honor those at rest by
cleaning up a historic
Jewish cemetery.

Volunteer Tasks:
• Raking
• Picking up trash
• Clipping overgrown vines
Cleanup Dates:
Sunday, June 26 | 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Har Nebo – 6061 Oxford Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19149
Sunday, July 24 | 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Har Jehuda – 8400 Lansdowne Ave, Upper Darby, PA 19082
Register: jewishphilly.org/cemeterycleanup
— Compiled by Andy Gotlieb
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM 15