By Gabe Friedman

(JTA) — The 2020 Oscar nominations are out, and unsurprisingly, they’re already causing a firestorm on social media.

The list, announced early Monday morning, didn’t do much to quell longstanding concerns that the awards have issues with race and gender equality. Only one actor of color was nominated — Cyntha Erivo, for her role in “Harriet” — and the best director category is once again all male, despite the fact that Greta Gerwig’s adaptation of “Little Women” was a massive critical and commercial success.

The Jewish snub of the year goes to “Uncut Gems” — the Diamond District thriller by the Jewish Safdie brothers, starring Adam Sandler, which earned rave reviews. The film, one of the most Jewish mainstream flicks in years, earned no nominations, not even for Sandler, who some critics had picked to win the best actor award.

The full nominations list does include other Jewish names who have a decent chance of bringing home some hardware. Scarlett Johansson is the first actress in over a decade to be nominated in two different categories, and only the 11th ever. Sam Mendes, who already won big at the Golden Globes, is a strong contender in the director category for “1917,” which garnered several other nominations as well.

Here are the rest of the Jewish nominees:

Sam Mendes

Best Director, “1917”

The renowned director’s latest is set in World War I and has been lauded for its cinematography.

Joaquin Phoenix

Best Actor, “Joker”

The acclaimed actor, born to a Jewish mother, is likely a favorite to win for his gritty, dark performance.

Scarlett Johansson

Best Actress, “Marriage Story”; Best Supporting Actress, “Jojo Rabbit”

In Taika Waititi’s anti-Nazi satire “Jojo Rabbit,” Johansson plays a German mother who hides a Jewish child in her home.

Taika Waititi

Best Adapted Screenplay, “Jojo Rabbit”

Waititi, a Maori Jew from New Zealand, said in the film’s production notes that he experienced prejudice growing up for his dual identity.

Noah Baumbach

Best Original Screenplay, “Marriage Story”

Baumbach partly based the film on his real-life divorce from Jewish actress Jennifer Jason Leigh.

By Deb Silverthorn
Mandy Patinkin, the multi-dimensional entertainer whose fan base and success spans a career of the theater, concert stages, films, television, and as a recording artist will sing out his soul beginning at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17, at the Charles Eisemann Center for Performing Arts.
As he brings his “Mandy Patinkin in Concert: Diaries” to the Richardson stage, accompanied by pianist Adam Ben-David, Patinkin’s recently released solo album, “Children and Art,” is at the core of his concert tour, which is taking him to 28 cities around the world.
“‘Children and Art’ is much of who I am. It’s to be experienced, different in its nature and tempo and I’m so happy to be immersed in it” said Patinkin. The album’s title is a song from “Sunday in the Park with George,” for which Patinkin was nominated for a Tony award.
Patinkin, who won a Tony award for his Broadway debut as Che in the 1980 production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Evita,” has been heralded for his roles in “Falsettos,” “Hamlet,” “Henry IV, Part I,” “Rebel Women Savage,” “The Secret Garden,” “The Tempest” and many other theater productions.
On CBS Records, the songbird released “Mandy Patinkin” and “Mandy Patinkin In Concert: Dress Casual.” On the Nonesuch label, he recorded three digital albums with pianist and producer Thomas Bartlett: “Diary January 2018,” “Diary April/May 2018” and “Diary December 2018” as well as “Experiment,” “Oscar & Steve,” “Kidults” and “Mandy Patinkin Sings Sondheim.” Patinkin’s most personal project, “Mamaloshen,” is a collection recorded in 1998 of traditional, classic and contemporary songs sung entirely in Yiddish. The recording won the Deutschen Schallplattenpreis (Germany’s equivalent of the Grammy Award).
The singer has shared his all-around talents to films including “Adventures of Elmo in Grouchland” and “Yentl,” “Dick Tracy” and “Princess Bride” and on the small screen as Dr. Jeffrey Geiger in “Chicago Hope,” for which he won an Emmy award, and Saul Berenson in “Homeland.” The singer, who treasured the latter role to its end, booked his current music tour to begin just eight days after production was completed — the day before Kol Nidre — on its eighth, and final, season. (The final season premieres on Showtime at 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 9.)
“Our world is in a perilous state and every one of us needs to do what we can to help each other. It is a profound moment in our lifetime when we must help humanity and realize that none of us are better than all of us.” Sixteen years after offering up those words, Patinkin now says, “We’ve all lived through the ‘then’ and while everything’s different, that is all still true and the same.”
Offscreen, offstage and when he is not recording, Patinkin’s education in the field of social activism is varied and ever evolving. He has raised funds for organizations including the ACLU, American Jewish World Service, Association to Benefit Children, Brady Campaign, Doctors Without Borders, National Dance Institute, PAX (a gun safety organization) and Search for Common Ground. He is a board member of the Arava Institute and works with International Rescue Committee, highlighting the plight of refugees worldwide.
“I’m a little quieter, a little slower and I sing a little lower,” said Patinkin. “I’m grateful for the differences and appreciative of every second of every day.
“Getting older is the greatest gift and music is my way of telling stories that resonate deeper every night,” said the singer. “The more life they have behind them, the more they echo the time I’ve spent on this earth.”

Bruchim ha’baim and welcome home, Rabbi Noah Zvi Farkas. Raised at Congregation Anshai Torah, and its predecessor Anshai Emet, Rabbi Farkas takes to Anshai Torah’s bimah, a special guest during Kabbalat Shabbat services at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17, and again at a dinner in his honor.
“A first-grade Noah would be surprised and not,” said Rabbi Farkas, who has served Valley Beth Shalom in Southern California’s San Fernando Valley, since the beginning of his career. “He’d be surprised that ‘he’ is a rabbi, but not that ‘he’ is a leader. He’d be surprised at the causes ‘he’ is dedicated to, but not that ‘he’ is living passionately, and I think, I know, ‘he’ would be proud of his family.”
Noah, the son of Andy and Dr. Ferne Farkas and brother of Daniel and Leah, attended Solomon Schechter Academy (now the Ann and Nate Levine Academy) and was a student of Wende Weinberg, of blessed memory.
“The Farkas family has always been warm and devoted. They care for each other, their community, their shul. They chose that devotion over everything and so too the next generation,” said VBS Senior Rabbi Ed Feinstein, one of Solomon Schechter Dallas’ earliest leaders. “Noah is a visionary, a true leader with tremendous spirit and energy. I’m honored for even a small part in mentoring him.”
A dedicated member of Rashi USY and a Plano Senior High graduate, Rabbi Farkas spent a semester at the Alexander Muss High School in Israel, which foreshadowed his career in the rabbinate.
“Twenty-five years ago being a ‘proud, Jewish teen’ wasn’t a thing in Dallas. There was lots of anti-Semitism,” said Rabbi Farkas. “I went to Israel and was touched and inspired in the deepest way. I found the rhythm of my life matched that of the world and I’ve never been the same — in the very best way.”
Rabbi Farkas earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Judaism (now American Jewish University) and was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. During a gap year, he met the former Sarah Robinson, the two both leaders at a USY convention. Married since 2005, they have four children: Asher, Meira, Naomi and Shaya.
As an intern, Rabbi Farkas served Congregation Beth Israel in Biloxi, Mississippi, helping to rebuild that Jewish community after Hurricane Katrina. As a commissioned ensign, a chaplain for the United States Navy Reserve during Operation Iraqi Freedom, he prepared military families, emotionally and spiritually, for deployment and upon return.
Rabbi Farkas’ parents instilled a commitment to social action in all of their children, a trait enhanced when the future rabbi spent time in Ghana, West Africa, with American Jewish World Service. “Reacting to the hunger and the poverty I experienced, it was the first time I felt purpose. I’ve been responding ever since,” he said. “I vowed to dedicate a portion of my life to making the world better than I found it.”
Rabbi Farkas is an appointed commissioner and immediate past-chair of the Los Angeles Homelessness Services Authority, overseeing strategies between public and private partnerships. He galvanized a coalition of synagogues, churches and other organizations to pass legislation to build housing and services for those in need.
Rabbi Farkas, who initiated his congregation’s VBSNextGen, offering innovative learning and social programs to those in their twenties and thirties, also launched the Seminary Leadership Project, training Jewish clergy nationwide to create social change through JOIN, the Jewish Organizing Institute & Network for Justice, for which he is a board member.
A regular contributor to the Jewish Journal, Rabbi Farkas, recognized as one of America’s most inspiring rabbis by The Forward, is published on topics of spirituality, social justice and millennial engagement.
“We’re proud of Noah, of all of our children, and we can’t wait,” said the rabbi’s mother, she and his father among Anshai Torah’s founding families, Andy its first president. “To have him speak in the congregation he was raised, on the anniversary of my bat mitzvah no less, is exciting.”
“It makes me feel good to hear the pride in Ferne and Andy’s voices when speaking of their son, ‘the rabbi!’ They should be proud,” said Rabbi Stefan Weinberg. “Rabbi Noah has established himself in many different areas of the rabbinate and we’re exceedingly proud to invite him to address our congregation, the place he was first nurtured, his first congregation.”
For more information call 972-473-7718, email receptionist@anshaitorah.org or visit anshaitorah.org.
Submitted by Deb Silverthorn on behalf of Anshai Torah.

TJP Staff Report
In response to recent violence in New York and New Jersey and a surge of anti-Semitism in the United States, the AJC coordinated #JewishandProud Day Monday, Jan. 6. This followed the solidarity march in New York the day before, when an estimated 25,000 people marched across the Brooklyn Bridge and held a rally Sunday to protest rising anti-Semitism in and around New York City.
“Enough is enough. We will not shy away from publicly displaying, celebrating our Jewish identity and faith,” said AJC CEO David Harris.
Dallas City Council Member Cara Mendelsohn, who represents District 12, and Mayor Eric Johnson issued a proclamation to make Jan 6, 2020 #JewishAndProudDay in the City of Dallas.
“We join communities across the world in rejecting Anti-Semitism and encouraging all people to live without hate or fear. Dallas is a welcoming and diverse community and we celebrate the different identities of all our residents,” wrote Mendelsohn on Facebook Sunday night.
About 30 folks gathered at City Hall Monday afternoon with #JewishAndProud signs to demonstrate their Jewish pride and support for the Jewish community and hear the proclamation read by AJC Dallas Regional Director Joel Schwitzer. Among those assembled were AJC leaders; high school students from AJC/Leaders For Tomorrow; professional and lay leaders from the ADL, the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas and its Jewish Community Relations Council, Shearith Israel and Temple Emanuel; and allies from the Latino community including Deputy Consul Edurne Pineda of Mexico and Latino Jewish Leadership Council member Luisa del Rosal.
Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas President and CEO Mariam Shpeen Feist said:
“It was moving and compelling to stand with AJC lay and professional leadership, along with so many members of our community — Jewish and non-Jewish — to celebrate #JewishandProud Day Jan. 6. We were pleased to support this AJC global initiative and we thank Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson, City Council Members Cara Mendelsohn, Lee Kleinman and the entire Dallas City Council for their support of the Jewish community.”
Rebecca Hoffman, a Hockaday sophomore and member of AJC’s Leaders for Tomorrow, attended the gathering with her mom, Jackie.
“The proclamation was really eye-opening for me because hearing those statistics and numbers out loud about what has happened to the Jewish people in — even the past few years — is really horrifying and frightening for anyone of any age. As I become a young adult in society, I think those numbers of deaths and attacks that were in the proclamation are exactly why my mom and I went to City Hall to stand up,” she said.
Schwitzer expressed his gratitude that Mendelsohn and Johnson issued the proclamation Monday.
“In the face of rising anti-Semitism, the #JewishandProud campaign was created as an opportunity to show Jewish pride and for our friends and coalition partners to declare themselves allies to the Jewish community. The support of our Mayor and City Council by making this proclamation makes a clear statement that Dallas stands with its Jewish community. We are grateful to Councilmember Cara Mendelsohn and Mayor Eric Johnson for making it clear that Dallas stands unequivocally against anti-Semitism.”

Hundreds of local communities across the world took part in Global Shabbat programs, a unique initiative in which Jewish teen leaders host simultaneous Friday night, Saturday morning or Havdalah services, Dec. 13-14. In Dallas, teens celebrated Global Shabbat through a program generously funded through the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas and the Jewish Community Relations Council. The event was hosted at the Aaron Family JCC.
This year’s Global Shabbat theme, “With All Our Might,” drew inspiration from a line from one of the most important Jewish prayers, the Shema. Teens explored this theme through a diverse array of programming designed to bring people together around the strength of Shabbat. The program led Saturday, Dec. 14, united teens for an elevated Havdalah experience enabling a feeling of empowerment and togetherness. Dallas teens engaged with a variety of influential guests and leaders. Teens were able to choose among three different breakout sessions:
•Eric Hunker, songleader, led a Nava Tehila experience, a Jerusalem-born, emerging prayer and study practice that combines Shabbat songs, niggunim and spiritual melodies.
•Nathan Altshuler and Kate Chavez from StandWithUs: Nathan shared his experience moving toIsrael, where he participated in the Olim L’Tavor Pilot Mechina, a pre-army preparatory program, before serving as a paratrooper in the 890th Brigade.
•Neil Schwartz from IsraAID taught a session on how Israel provides support for people impacted by humanitarian crises around the world.
For more information about Global Shabbat, please contact Lory Conte at LConte@bbyo.org.

Israel vets deal for 3rd squadron

By Yaakov Lappin
(JNS) The Israeli Air Force currently has 20 F-35 stealth fighter jets in its possession and is on the way to possessing 50 aircraft — two squadrons — a senior executive from Lockheed Martin, the defense corporation that manufactures the jet, has said.
On a recent visit to Israel, Gary North, vice president for customer requirements at Lockheed Martin, who in the past served in the U.S. Air Force as the former air-component commander for Central Command in the Middle East, spoke to Israeli journalists in recent days at Lockheed Martin offices in Tel Aviv.
North said Israel has submitted a request for information about the potential purchase of a third squadron of F-35 fifth-generation jets, adding that Lockheed Martin was delivering all of the relevant documentation in response to the request.
“In May 2018, the first declared use [by Israel] of the jet was made,” he noted, referring to a comment by IAF commander Maj. Gen. Amiram Norkin, who said that Israel had become the first country in the world to use the advanced jet during combat operations, likely against Iranian targets in Syria.
The jet heralds the arrival of a new age in air combat, according to North, due to its unprecedented capabilities, its ability to fuse and share real-time sensor data, and its long-range strike ability.
Although “no nation in the world has got more current air-to-air kills than Israel,” North said, “the dog fight in today’s world is really yesterday’s discussion. Because with this airplane and the capabilities of the missiles of the airplane, and the air superiority role, those in the Adir [the IAF’s name for the F-35, meaning ‘Mighty’ in Hebrew], will sweep the sky at a range where adversaries will not even know they’re there.”
Israeli defense industries are playing a key role in the manufacture of the aircraft. Elbit teamed up with U.S. company Rockwell Collins to produce the aircraft’s Helmet Mounted Display, allowing pilots to peer through their cockpits 360 degrees and receive an array of sensor data on the situation in the air and on the ground. Israel Aerospace Industries produces the F-35’s wings and wing skins — a special layer placed over the wings that provide them with stealth capability.
“The Israeli industry is absolutely phenomenal,” said North. “There’s Israeli content on every single F-35 built. We work very closely with your industry. We’re very proud of both the quality and the content that Israeli technology brings not only to the Adir in Israel, but to every F-35 built. There’s been over $1.74 billion, as of six months ago, generated in the Israeli economy. And over the life of the program, at the existing rate, we believe it will be over $5 billion into the Israeli economy,” he stated.
North addressed the F-35’s ability to fly in airspace contested by militaries that have advanced surface-to-air missile (SAM) batteries — a key requirement for Israel. Syria represents the most heavily contested air space in the world, with both the Syrian regime and Russia deploying advanced SAMs there.
“The militaries of the nations that are flying in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria, particularly in Syria, they understand the capabilities of the [advanced Russian-made SAM] S-400, the double-digit SAMs that are in place there. Clearly, the militaries here, as they take off either in training or combat, they understand that they are in the sector [of the SAM], if those radars are turned on,” he said.
Due to its stealth technology and electronic warfare abilities — described by North as being “nine times more powerful than any other electronic jamming platform” — the F-35 is well-equipped to operate in such dangerous airspace, he said.
“Here and around the world, the F-35 is being proven both in peacetime and combat. It is without a doubt — in the words of many of the chiefs of air forces who fly the airplane — the most lethal, the most survivable and the most adaptable airplane that has all the attributes that the forward-thinking technologists from years ago looked at,” stated North.
“Many of you have been to Fort Worth and seen, in our plant, the words on the wall underneath the F-35, which says ‘peace through strength.’ Lots of strength. And for those of us that were on the ramp at Nevatim [air base in southern Israel on the Dec. 12, 2016] when your prime minister made the proclamation of the arrival of the airplane, he said, ‘Let it be known that around the world that the State of Israel will use the Adir to ensure the freedom of Israel.’ ”
North touted the plane’s very low-observable stealth (VLO), which he described as critical to evade powerful radars and enemy firepower.
“Stealth really does matter. If you’ve ever been shot at, and you’ve ever been sectored going into combat operations and you realize that the adversary can see you and can target you, it’s not a good feeling.”
The ability not to be seen by the adversary but to see it is “absolutely the difference in success and in failure against the most advanced double-digit SAMS — not only in this region, but around the world,” argued North.
Lockheed Martin has delivered more than 475 F-35s worldwide so far, to nine countries. Three countries — the United States, the United Kingdom and Israel — have deployed it in combat operations to date.
“I can tell you as a former aviator, survivability is the No. 1 thing people need to think about in planning operations. Lethality is No. 2. And where you’re going and what you’re carrying is No, 3 and No. 4,” said North.
Platform will be used in multiple ways
The aircraft’s situational awareness means that “the pilots who fly it often say no one will ever sneak up on this airplane. Whether it’s being shot at with either triple A [anti-aircraft guns] or an air-to-air missile, the pilots will see this at great range and take great countermeasure capabilities to ensure the survivability of the airplane and mission success,” he added.
The aircraft is also integrating with ground forces and missile-defense systems, which North pointed out “are not foreign to anyone here in the State of Israel.
“So the platform,” he added, “will be able to be used in multiple ways to ensure awareness, targeting and operational preparation of the battlefield in a way that no other platform can.”
Older, fourth-generation planes like F-16s and F-15s are expected to work closely with fifth-generation jets, relying on them to continue to be survivable as air spaces become more contested with high-tech weaponry.
The older jets will have to stay away from the threat range or be used for very specific missions, said North, “whereas the F-35 can go anywhere operators want to go.”

At almost 92, Glauben touched by recognition

Staff Report
The Dallas Morning News named Holocaust survivor and human rights activist Max Glauben the 2019 Texan of the Year. The 91-year-old Dallas resident has become a source of hope and inspiration to people in North Texas and all over the world for his message of tolerance, fairness and forgiveness.
The News revealed the honor in its Sunday Opinion section with Glauben on its cover. Glauben’s profile spans five full pages.
On Monday, Glauben said he was on Cloud Nine and overwhelmed. He didn’t expect the extensive coverage when there was a photo shoot at his North Dallas home with his wife, Frieda. He thought that maybe it might be a page and he didn’t know exactly what it was for.
“At a time when hate crimes are rising, Max Glauben reminds us how hope can triumph over fear and kindness can overcome hatred when good people speak out,” said editorial page editor Brendan Miniter.
Glauben explained that many people have looked out for him over the years and doing good deeds is his way of paying it forward.
“I have been doing mitzvot to repay some of the goodness that I received from people, being orphaned and in orphanages. I never expected to [be recognized in such a large way] by it. Evidently, I did make a difference in the life of many, many people. Evidently people were watching,” Glauben said.
He was living in Warsaw with his family when the Nazis invaded in 1939. After spending several years in and out of hiding, they were discovered and deported to the Majdanek concentration camp where his parents and brother were killed. Over the next two years, he lived in four more camps, where he survived and helped his fellow prisoners with his cunning and courage. Glauben was liberated April 23, 1945, by the U.S. Army at the age of 17.
In 1947, he immigrated to the U.S. and joined the Army, serving in the Korean War. When he completed his active duty, he moved to Dallas, where he was a founder and loyal supporter of what was then the Dallas Memorial Center for Holocaust Studies. It is now the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum.
Thanks to efforts by Glauben and others like him, the museum expanded and moved to a new home in 2019 that reflects the dreams of Glauben and other Holocaust survivors to educate new generations about human rights.
“We are all so thrilled by this honor that has been bestowed on Max — for our Museum, of course, but more important for all of us who he has touched with his story of hopefulness,” said Frank Risch, Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum board chair. “An Upstander in every way, Max has made our world a better place.”
Glauben remains a prolific speaker in North Texas and for the past 14 years has led a group of youth on a tour of Holocaust sites called March of the Living.
When speaking about the Holocaust he explains that he is inspired by “the souls of the 6 million, including my parents, flying over me. Evidently Hashem and some of the people recognized me and realized that what I was doing was coming naturally without hesitation. I was doing all this not to expect to get what I got.
“I feel like I won the Humane Upstander lottery.”
Glauben and his wife, Frieda, have three children, seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
“Evidently what I do brings out the best in people. Sometimes, that’s a good guide that we must be doing the right thing. Evidently I made a difference. The angels upstairs and Hashem helped me.”

The Dallas Morning News named Holocaust survivor and human rights activist Max Glauben the 2019 Texan of the Year. The 91-year-old Dallas resident has become a source of hope and inspiration to people in North Texas and all over the world for his message of tolerance, fairness and forgiveness.
“At a time when hate crimes are rising, Max Glauben reminds us how hope can triumph over fear and kindness can overcome hatred when good people speak out,” said Dallas Morning News editorial page editor Brendan Miniter.
Glauben was living in Warsaw with his family when the Nazis invaded in 1939. After spending several years in and out of hiding, they were discovered and deported to the Majdanek concentration camp where his parents and brother were killed. Over the next two years, he lived in four more camps, where he survived and helped his fellow prisoners with his cunning and courage. Glauben was liberated on April 23, 1945 by the U.S. Army at the age of 17.
In 1947, he immigrated to the U.S. and joined the Army and served in the Korean War. When he completed his active duty, he moved to Dallas, where he was a founder and loyal supporter of the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum.
Thanks to efforts by Glauben and others like him, the museum expanded and moved to a new home in 2019 that reflects the dreams of Glauben and other Holocaust survivors to educate new generations about human rights. Glauben remains a prolific speaker in North Texas and for the past 14 years has led a group of youth on a tour of holocaust sites called March of the Living. Glauben and his wife, Frieda, have three children and seven grandchildren.
Texan of the Year is an award program to honor those who have made uncommon, inspirational impact on our world.
Finalists for 2019 Texan of the Year were Simone Biles, Botham Jean’s family, John Goodenough, Jody and Sheila Grant, Katherine Hayhoe, Vicki Hollub, Dan Huberty, Diana Natalicio, Dirk Nowitzki, sex trafficking warriors, school superintendents in Odessa and El Paso, Robert Smith, Tom Torkelson and Karen Uhlenbeck.
The Texan of the Year award was founded in 2003. Previous recipients include George W. Bush, Laura W. Bush, Janis Jack, Adm. Bill McCraven, Rick Perry and Craig Watkins.

(JTA) — Ian Kinsler, a four-time All-Star second baseman who played for several teams, is retiring after a 14-year career in Major League Baseball.
Kinsler, 37, the son of a Jewish father and Catholic mother, played last season with the San Diego Padres. He ends his career one hit away from 2,000, with 257 home runs, 909 RBIs and 243 stolen bases. He announced his retirement on Friday.
He told The Athletic sports news website that a herniated cervical disk that ended his 2019 season on Aug. 12 played a factor in his decision.
“My pride wouldn’t let me go halfway at something that I’ve been doing at 100 percent for my whole baseball life,” he told The Athletic.
Kinsler, a two-time Gold Glove winner, will stay with the Padres as an adviser to baseball operations.
He was a member of the 2018 World Series champion Boston Red Sox. He also played for the Rangers, Tigers and Angels.

–Marcy Oster

By Marcy Oster

(JTA) — A man who works as a software engineer broke into a Yeshiva University dormitory in Manhattan and set three separate fires using matches intended to light Hanukkah candles.
Students were asleep in the building when the incident occurred after 3 a.m. on Friday, New York City Fire Commissioner Daniel A. Nigro announced on Friday.
Peter Weyand, 33, was arrested on Friday for breaking into the Yeshiva University Schottenstein Residence, in an incident partially captured on security camera. He is charged with arson, burglary with criminal intent, reckless endangerment of property, criminal mischief, criminal trespass and aggravated harassment.
Weyand is believed to have been under the influence of drugs at the time of the incident, The New York Times reported, citing a law enforcement official familiar with the case who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is continuing. None of the charges raise the level of the incident to a hate crime, despite the fact that the university is a major Jewish institution in the city.
The fire department released surveillance video of a man kicking out the bottom of a glass door to the dormitory’s lobby and then crawling through it, finally continuing into the building. The video does not show the fires.
“Attacking any religious institution is a serious crime and we have zero tolerance for acts of arson in this city,” Nigro said. “Thanks to the thorough investigative work of our Fire Marshals, a dangerous individual has been quickly apprehended.”