Kyrie Irving Rebuked for Linking to Antisemitic Documentary “The History of the Jews Is the History of Us”
Kiki VanDyke | The Jewish Press
Show Caption Hide Caption Here’s what’s on the menu during Passover in the Jewish community Passover has been a big deal all month long in our community. As a result, we had an abundance of food and drink choices, some of which we won’t soon forget.
NEW YORK — Kiki Van Dyke, a columnist for The Jewish Press and the executive editor of the Jewish Daily Forward and Jewish News Syndicate, was on a plane Friday headed to New York for the annual Jewish Book Festival when she read the latest update in the fight between New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and the powerful Orthodox community over the name of a park.
“You are going to love this,” the author of “The Historical Origins of the Jewish People, The Jewish People, and Jewish Culture” posted on Facebook as the plane took off.
The next morning, the mayor released a statement saying that he was disappointed with VanDyke’s “irresponsible and offensive” comment, and told her that he hoped that she would be able to use the moment to “re-engage” with community leaders.
The author, who had posted on Facebook an earlier post to the Jewish Book Festival, is perhaps best known as a prominent columnist at The Jewish Daily Forward. The Forward is part of Forward Media Group, a division of The Jewish Week, which owns The Jewish Press.
VanDyke’s position as a member of the Jewish community — both as an editor and as a columnist — was on full display in the comments section of her latest tweet.
“As a Jewish woman, as an editor, as a journalist, as a publisher for a number of years, as a blogger, as an author and as a speaker, you would think I should be able to come to the decision and not be attacked by an organized religious community as well as the people and government who work in a way that benefits that religion,” she wrote.
VanDyke is not alone in expressing concern over the use of “Israel” as a community rallying point, or as a personal name used by activists and some politicians.
This year’s event, featuring Rabbi Michael Broyde and his daughter as speakers, is scheduled for Aug. 6 at the West Side YM
