Joanna Silver
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joannasilver73.bsky.social
Joanna Silver
@joannasilver73.bsky.social
Part-time federal public defender, part-time organizer, advocate, agitator. Autism mom, pit-bull mom. Still vegan, still late to all new tech platforms.
Thanks to everyone who has signed so far. Please keep signing, it's not too late!
Over‼️500‼️Jewish Marylanders have signed our letter of support for @vanhollen.senate.gov in just a few days.

Join the letter: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Read the letter: drive.google.com/file/d/1TRuG...
December 10, 2025 at 12:09 AM
He was charged with throwing objects at a moving vehicle www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Palestinian-American teenager held in Israeli prison freed after nine months
Israeli soldiers had taken Mohammed Ibrahim from his home in a night raid when he was only 15 years old
www.theguardian.com
November 27, 2025 at 8:11 PM
In case that ridiculous women-hating garbage they published this week wasn’t enough to get you off the times.
Maybe Don’t Talk to the New York Times About Zohran Mamdani
It’s remarkable, the people you’ll hear from. Teach for even a little while at an expensive institution—the term they tend to prefer is “elite”—and odds are that eventually someone who was a studen…
lithub.com
November 9, 2025 at 2:23 PM
In a time of ever-present bad news, it is delightful to have a several day run of good news: www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...
Jury finds D.C. ‘sandwich guy’ not guilty of assaulting officer
Sean C. Dunn admitted he flung the hoagie at a federal agent. His attorneys called it a “harmless gesture” of protest as Trump commandeered D.C. police.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 6, 2025 at 8:19 PM
Reposted by Joanna Silver
I can't get enough of this local legend.
“A lot of people are talking about how Jews in New York feel about @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social...

Well, I’m a Jew in New York!

And I’m out here canvassing with my community for Zohran!”

Watch Madeline’s story about why she’s a New York Jew for Zohran:
October 28, 2025 at 7:55 PM
"...in fact, despite their distinct views about Israel, the dynamics that made older Jewish Democrats initially skeptical of Obama are the same that make you and your congregants skeptical of Mamdani....
Jewish fears about Zohran Mamdani reveal more about us than about him — and it's a problem - Jewish Telegraphic Agency
The co-creator of the Great Schlep says a prominent rabbi got things wrong with his sermon on the NYC mayor's race.
www.jta.org
October 25, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Reposted by Joanna Silver
MCJC Member Adina Cohen has filed a civil rights complaint after Club Pilates North Bethesda banned her for wearing shirts with messages like “Jews Say Ceasefire Now.”

Read the press release from CAIR ⬇️

www.cair.com/press_releas...
CAIR Submits Civil Rights Complaint Against North Bethesda Pilates Studio for Discrimination Toward Md. Jewish Woman 
www.cair.com
October 17, 2025 at 2:05 AM
Please take a minute to check out what one of our state legislators is up to.....
Last week, hours before the start of Yom Kippur, Montgomery County State Senator Ben Kramer sent us a belittling diatribe, insulting his Jewish constituents and repeating debunked talking points from the Israeli government.

Read the letter and our response: docs.google.com/document/d/1...
October 10, 2025 at 12:32 PM
What the F basically sums up the entire state of affairs at the moment, this being the latest bit of icing on the authoritarian cake.
‘What the F**k?’ CBS News Insiders Prepare for Takeover by Self-Described ‘Zionist Fanatic’
Bari Weiss is expected to be announced as editor-in-chief of CBS News, as employees worry her new role will bring a pro-Israel bias, more censorship, and lower editorial standards.
zeteo.com
October 6, 2025 at 2:20 AM
Friends, as we approach Yom Kippur and you consider how you can make Teshuvah this year; in particular how you can take collective responsibility for our community's wrongdoings, I'd encourage you to consider this. givebutter.com/FoodAidTzeda...
High Holidays 5786 Tzedakah Campaign
Let’s keep Gaza Soup Kitchen running through the High Holidays
givebutter.com
September 30, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Grateful, once again, to @vanhollen.senate.gov for doing the right thing, even when (and especially when) the powers that be refuse to.
Van Hollen Criticizes Democratic Leaders for Delay in Endorsing Mamdani
www.nytimes.com
September 13, 2025 at 11:14 PM
Reposted by Joanna Silver
An update on this: the Maryland State Department of Education has reversed course and will not implement changes to remove mentions of Palestine in the state curriculum.

Read more in CAIR’s press release: www.cair.com/press_releas...
August 28, 2025 at 7:42 PM
"I would suggest that it is the Washington Jewish Week editorial board, not I, who has applied a double standard." Thank you @vanhollen.senate.gov for refusing to be bullied and for continuing to speak and vote with your conscience.
An Editorial Response From Maryland’s Senior Senator
I have long believed that the United States should pursue a values-based foreign policy that is grounded in clear standards that we apply uniformly across the globe.
www.washingtonjewishweek.com
August 20, 2025 at 7:31 PM
I have done a lot of pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protesting over the past two years and the only times I've ever felt threatened and unsafe was when doing it here in Montgomery County.
August 16, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Reposted by Joanna Silver
Can you send a letter to the State Superintendent and Maryland Board of Education asking them to reverse these revisions and include Arab and Muslim voices in the process?

Use this action alert from CAIR & the Imam Network:

actionnetwork.org/letters/act-...
ACT NOW: Demand Maryland Dept. of Education Restore Palestine Context, History in Statewide Curriculum
IMPORTANT: The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) has made sweeping and deeply troubling changes to the statewide social studies curriculum—completely removing references to Palestine and h...
actionnetwork.org
August 6, 2025 at 1:06 AM
@peterbeinart.bsky.social articulates and supports exactly what I've been thinking: it is politically and even morally wise to welcome those who come late to the game, but equally important is recognizing those who were there all along and who history has proven right, both morally and factually.
The Dam Breaks
US Discourse on Gaza Has Reached a Tipping Point. We Should Welcome Latecomers but Honor Those Who Were Right All Along
open.substack.com
August 5, 2025 at 3:34 PM
This is so completely fucked up. No DEI efforts except for Jewish students; blatant anti-trans discrimination required.
July 31, 2025 at 12:16 PM
This vote is tonight - please call your Senators now.
You will be added to Jewish Voice for Peace's email list and can unsubscribe at any time.
act.jewishvoiceforpeace.org
July 30, 2025 at 6:19 PM
Reposted by Joanna Silver
We hope other organizations will do
the same!
The largest union in America, the three million member-strong National Educators Association, has voted to *cut all ties* with the Anti-Defamation League, citing the ADL’s opposition to Palestinian rights and antiracism.

@labornotes.bsky.social has the story: www.labornotes.org/blogs/2025/0...
Educators Union Rejects Anti-Defamation League, Cuts Ties
The Anti-Defamation League has been a ubiquitous presence in U.S. schools for forty years, pushing curriculum, direct programming, and teacher training into K-12 schools and increasingly into universi...
www.labornotes.org
July 9, 2025 at 1:47 AM