Japan 🤝 New Jersey

Joe Biden has landed in Israel, the day after a bomb detonated at the Al-Alhi Al-Aribi hospital, reportedly killing over 500 civillians. 

Palestinian officials blamed Israel for the bombing, but Israeli media have responded with video, photo, and audio evidence claiming that the missile was a misfire from inside the Gaza strip.

Joe Biden has sided with Israel on the matter, but we will post an update on twitter if any more crucial information is released.

IN TODAYS NEWS:

• Japan🤝 New Jersey: How our officials made headway on the other side of the world

• Rutgers under fire: professors deemed his speech just not good enough

• Devils🤝 Kean: A new university partnership in the spotlight

• Breakfast meat: A new way to envision the future of porkroll

NEW JERSEY LINKS WITH OFFICIALS IN JAPAN🇯🇵

A New Jersey delegation, led by Governor Phil Murphy, embarked on an economic mission to Japan and South Korea to strengthen ties and promote New Jersey as an ideal place for business growth and expansion.

The delegation includes elected officials, industry and academic leaders, representatives from Choose New Jersey, and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (NJEDA), among others.

What did we get done?

During the Japan leg of the trip, notable developments occurred, including the signing of a historic Letter of Intent (LOI) between Rutgers University, RWJBarnabas Health, and Hiroshima University to advance cancer research and education.

The LOI paves the way for collaboration on digestive tract cancer clinical trials and facilitates student and researcher exchanges between the institutions, fostering academic, business, and research opportunities.

This deal comes not long after Rutgers and NYU partnered up to fund research on Alzheimers and dementia, further strengthening the idea that New Jersey is looking to become even more of a powerhouse in the medical research sector.

Governor Murphy commented on the partnership, emphasizing its potential for important breakthroughs in cancer patient care. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two universities was also signed.

The delegation laid a wreath at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, engaged with Japanese leaders and businesses, and reaffirmed a sister-state partnership between New Jersey and Fukui Prefecture. Wesley Mathews, President and CEO of Choose New Jersey, highlighted the significance of research in enhancing New Jersey's status as a global innovation hub.

The mission aims to strengthen economic ties and create new opportunities for collaboration, reinforcing the state's role in the industries of tomorrow.

🍦 Legendary NYC ice cream shop Van Leeuwen to open in Jersey City

🏑 NJ Devils and Kean University develop collegiate partnership for the next three years

🇮🇱 Packed flights from Israel land in Newark airport

⚽️ The first New Jerseyan to score at a mens world cup, Michael Bradley, retires

RUTGERS🔴 PRESIDENT UNDER FIRE FOR LACK OF PALESTINE SUPPORT

On Monday, October 9th, Rutgers President Jonathon Holloway released a public letter in regards to the war in Israel/Palestine. In this letter, Holloway showed support for Israel.

Two days later, he made a second statement, showing his concern for the relatives of his staff and student body who have family in Gaza.

This message was not enough however, for the 200 professors who produced the following public letter to the president.

“Dear President Holloway -

We, the undersigned, are faculty who teach and do research in a myriad of fields across all three Rutgers University campuses. One of the great privileges of our jobs here at Rutgers is the ability to work with our amazingly diverse student body, which includes over 7,000 Muslim and Arab students, in a state with some of the largest Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim communities in the country.

These students and communities are integral to our beloved community here at Rutgers. For their sake, we are compelled to express our shock, dismay, and disappointment at your October 11, 2023, message regarding the current situation in Israel and Palestine. Like you, we mourn the loss of all human lives, and we welcome efforts to invite empathy and denounce violence against all civilians. However, your deeply one-sided message was a gut punch to the many Rutgers students who have family and friends in Gaza and Palestine. It also failed to acknowledge the ongoing hate and racism directed at our Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students, who have never known a world where they are not vilified as terrorists for simply being brown, Muslim, or Arab.

As their teachers, we want you to know that your failure to express concern for our Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim student population–who are also suffering pain, anguish, and fear–made a large portion of our student body feel devalued and demoralized. It did not go unnoticed that you did not even name Palestinian students in your message. Your mention of the campus and NJ State Police–after not even acknowledging that our Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students are also vulnerable to violence during this time–conveyed to them that they would be the ones targeted, not protected. Many of these students have written to us saying they are frightened to come to campus and unable to complete their work due to their exhaustion and fear.

To be blunt: your message further inflamed campus tensions and exacerbated divisions in our RU community. While we cannot know your intentions, it conveyed to our students that you had clearly chosen a “side,” whereas, as educators, we must support all of our students.

We call upon you, President Holloway, in keeping with the ethical and moral values we seek collectively to uphold at Rutgers University, to make a statement of concern for Palestinian civilians under assault and the members of our community who have loved ones there and close ties to Palestine. We also call upon you to acknowledge that Palestinian, Arab, and Muslim students are vulnerable at this time and are terrified by the public support for unfolding crimes against humanity in Gaza. We call on you to pledge your support for their safety, protection, and overall well-being.”

The 200 professors can be found here.

Do you think that Holloway should have to make another statement, or has he done enough?

Happy humpday New Jersey

Give somebody a hug and compliment a stranger today, the little things can go a long way

"We are prepared for insults, but compliments leave us baffled."

-Mason Cooley

Keep em on their toes.

-The Daily Bagel😚