20 | MARCH 18 • 2021 

U

.S. Rep. Brenda 
Lawrence (MI-14) was 
appointed March 4 by 
Speaker of the House Nancy 
Pelosi to serve on the U.S. 
Holocaust Memorial Council.
Lawrence, founder and 
co-chair of the Congressional 
Caucus on Black-Jewish 
Relations, will replace the 
council seat held by the late 
civil rights leader Rep. John 
Lewis. 
The council was established 
by Congress in 1980 to lead 
the nation in remembering the 
Holocaust and to raise private 
funds to construct the U.S. 

Holocaust Memorial Museum 
in Washington, D.C. 
Once the museum opened in 
1993, the council became the 
governing board of trustees of 
the museum, an independent 
establishment of the govern-
ment operating as a public-pri-
vate partnership that receives 
some federal funding to sup-
port operations of the museum 
building.
“Given that I represent 
the only Holocaust memo-
rial museum in the state of 
Michigan, this appointment 
to serve on the United States 
Holocaust Memorial Council 

is an honor and carries a lot of 
significance for me,” Lawrence 
told the Jewish News. “My dis-
trict is home to one of the larg-
est Jewish populations in the 
state, and I’m proud to fight for 
them in the halls of Congress 
every day.
“Remembering the lives 
lost during the Holocaust as 
well as the families that were 
torn apart is critical to ensur-
ing that such atrocities and 
evil never happen again,” she 
continued. “
As the co-chair of 

the Congressional Caucus on 
Black-Jewish Relations, and 
the second vice chair of the 
Congressional Black Caucus, I 
know that the Black and Jewish 
communities have a shared 
history. 
“In the face of bigotry and 
hate, our communities have 
always been champions for jus-
tice, truth and equality. I look 
forward to working with the 
council to support the mission 
and efforts of the United States 
Holocaust Memorial Museum.
”
The council meets twice 
a year and consists of 55 
members appointed by the 
president, five members each 
from the Senate and House of 
Representatives and three mem-
bers from the Departments of 
Education, Interior and State. 
Ron Weiser, University of 
Michigan Regent and former 
chairman of the Michigan 
Republican Party, is also a 
member of the council. 

OUR COMMUNITY

Rep. Brenda Lawrence is appointed 
to U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council.
Important Role

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

Rep. Brenda 
Lawrence

C

ustomers and staff of 
a kosher market in 
Southfield endured an 
attempt of anti-Israel intimida-
tion recently, but none of them 
gave in to the perpetrator.
A Yemeni content creator 
on YouTube, Instagram and 
TikTok known for skits and 
pranks went to the Grove 
Kosher Market, formerly 
known as One Stop Kosher, and 
harassed patrons by showing 
them a picture on his phone 
of a Palestinian flag with the 
words “Free Palestine.
” 
In the video, the man can be 
seen walking throughout and 

in front of the shop asking cus-
tomers to read the message on 
his phone out loud and record-
ing their reactions. None of the 
customers ended up reading the 
“Free Palestine” message, with 
most of them just walking away. 
One customer quickly real-
ized what the man was doing 
and confronted him outside 
of the store, saying, “There is 
no Palestine,
” and later asking, 
“You have nothing to do in 
your life?”
At one point in the video, a 
manager of the store confront-
ed the man, asking, “
Are you 
here to shop? What else do you 
need?”
The man posted the video on 
his Instagram account, and has 
received many negative reac-
tions from his own followers. 
One comment on the video 
read, “OK, but hear me out, 
what if we don’t go around 
harassing random people?”
“This is really wrong, and 

I’m embarrassed for you,
” said 
another commenter, a non-sup-
porter of Israel. “Of course, 
there’s going to be some Jewish 
people who do support Israel, 
but purposefully going into 
Jewish communities/shops and 
doing this is not pushing the 
movement to further progres-
sion, is it?” 
The video posted on his 
TikTok account has amassed 
5.6 million views, with mostly 
negative comments on there as 
well. 
“I’m Palestinian, but this is 
just wrong. Do better please,
” 
one commenter said. 
“What is the purpose of 
doing this? These are just peo-
ple trying to shop at a kosher 
market. Leave them alone,
” 
another commenter added. 
“Counterproductive, antise-
mitic, not activism, just wrong,
” 
yet another responded. 
No Grove spokesperson was 
available to comment. 

Anti-Israel provocateur wins 
no friends at kosher market.

Harassment 
Thwarted

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

A screenshot of a Grove shopper 
being harassed in a video of 
the incident uploaded by Rabbi 
Hoffman of Yeshiva World, 
available on thejewishnews.com.

