Ambassador Michael Oren on His New Book and the Presidential Election – Algemeiner

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Former Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Oren. Photo: The Israel Project.

Michael Oren is no longer Israels ambassador in Washington or a member of the Knesset.

But hes managing to keep busy, Oren assures me in a phone interview to promote The Night Archer, his new book of short stories.

He has a novel, To All Who Call in Truth, coming out in November. Hes working on another collection of short stories. Hes an informal foreign policy adviser to a number of political figures. Hes raising money to finish a nonfiction book called Creation, about Israels founding and 1948 War of Independence. Hes coordinating Israel 2048, a manifesto outlining a vision for what Israel should look like on its 100th birthday. Hes learning French, keeping up with the Daf Yomi program of a page a day of Talmud study and enjoying five grandchildren.

Theres no boredom here, Oren says.

September 2, 2020 2:08 pm

The Night Archeris full of things that might be a bit surprising coming from a diplomat. Theres a Passover afikomen hunt that includes a searcher stumbling on his fathers porn stash. Theres a Holocaust survivor-turned-commercially-successful-writer-and-frequent-honorary-doctorate-recipient, having an affair with an unpaid intern young enough to be his granddaughter.

Theres another story about a Philip-Roth-like character in paradise. Did I have fun writingthat, Oren says, acknowledging with a laugh that many stories in the book would seem undiplomatic. He emphasizes, in response to my question, that the Holocaust survivor character was not based on any one real individual but was rather a composite.

I had fun reading these stories.

In a brief, erudite introduction to the short stories, and in our phone call, Oren says that the short story, imagination constrained by the structure of brevity, is a characteristically Jewish combination of freedom and discipline.

The freedom-limit paradox can be confounding but also intoxicating, Oren writes in the introduction, telling the story of a friend who was born Jewish but hated his heritage.

The friend accompanied Oren to synagogue for Simchat Torah, the holiday when Jews dance and sing while embracing the scrolls.

The friend, Oren writes, was flummoxed. Theyre celebrating a book that tells them all these things they cant do?

Reports Oren, unable to grasp the contradiction, the friend finally, in desperationbegan to study the Bible and then the Talmud, and eventually became observant.

Before Oren rings off, I ask him, as the former ambassador and the author of Ally: My Journey Across the American-Israeli Divide, how he views the upcoming American election and its potential effects on USIsrael relations.

Both candidates running are very pro-Israel, Oren says. A Biden administration might bring policy differences over the Palestinian issue, West Bank settlements and the Iran nuclear deal, Oren points out. He notes, though, that Trump has also offered to negotiate a deal with Iran. Oren suggests that Israel could help by spelling out clearly what would be a good deal with Iran.

The bigger picture, he says, is that Israel depends on a strong and self-confident America.

It was concerning instead to see what appeared like a superpower that is not quite certain how to police itself, much less police the world, Oren adds.

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Ambassador Michael Oren on His New Book and the Presidential Election - Algemeiner

Our highest obligation: Strive to be a ‘mench’ – The Jewish Star

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By Rabbi Binny Freedman

Iremember the first Mishnah I ever learned, and it wasnt in a classroom.

The synagogue we attended when I was five years old had a strict decorum, and I recall the challenges this presented to my parents; vague images of my red-faced and embarrassed father carrying me out of synagogue kicking and screaming come to mind.

I had succeeded in escaping from the seat next to my father and ran up to the front of the synagogue. Rabbi Dr. Simon Greenberg, who was a talmid chacham, had an honored place in the front row, and I can still remember his piercing eyes and warm smile. He had the largest hands I had ever seen, and somehow, he succeeded in getting hold of me (I was not easy to catch) and hoisting me up to sit on his lap.

I can still remember the sefer he was holding, and his query as to whether I knew what it was. And I even remember the text of the Mishnah, which he proceeded to teach me in its entirety. Most people, catching hold of a rambunctious five-year-old shouting and yelling in synagogue, usually head for either their parents or the door. But he chose instead to teach me the entire first Mishnah of the Talmud in its entirety, right there on his knees.

Most of all, I still remember how important I felt as a five year old, to be sitting on this great rabbis lap, all the way in the front of the synagogue with, so it seemed to me, nothing more important to him than our conversation. Looking back, those few moments must have had a strong impact on me, as I still remember not only the text he taught me, but the entire conversation as well.

Mentsch is a hard word to translate. It refers not to a persons wisdom, or brilliance, but to the pure human decency such wisdom is meant to produce. It would be safe to say that my path to teaching began not from some brilliant insight full of wisdom but rather from a simple moment filled with a Torah scholars willingness to spend time on a text even with a noisy five year old boy.

We are in the midst of preparing for Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe. On Yom Kippur we will beat our breast and cry out our regrets over the missed opportunities and mistakes of the last year. Most people spend time considering the actions we regret, but very little focus on whether our character needs refining, as well. What of the less measurable challenge of being, generally, a fine human being? Is there a mitzvah to be a mentsch?

At the beginning of this weeks portion, Ki Tavoh, we read:

Yekimchah Hashem Lo leam kadosh, ki tishmor et mitzvoth Hashem Elokechah vehalachta beDeracahav (Hashem will raise you to Him as a holy nation when (because) you will fulfill the mitzvoth of Hashem your G-d, and walk in His ways) (Devarim 28:9).

All of the blessings we hope to receive as a people seem to be based on this clause, VeHalachta BeDeracahav (and walk in His ways). But what does this mean?

Maimonides lists this particular phrase as a separate mitzvah, in his Sefer HaMitzvoth (Positive Commandment 8), implying that there is a specific mitzvah we are expected to fulfill. Maimonides actually spells this out in his Hilchot Deot, the laws of character development. In his magnum opus, the Mishneh Torah, where the Rambam delineates and organizes the entirety of Jewish law, the second set of laws, right at the beginning of the first of his 14 books, concern the Jewish recipe for becoming a mentsch. Second only to the laws of the foundations of Torah (Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah, the basic principles of faith in Judaism), Maimonides believed Judaism begins with the challenge of becoming a mentsch.

And the basis for his insistence that adherence to a Torah lifestyle begins with the obligation to become a good person is our verse, VeHalachta BeDeracahav.

In other words, it is not just commendable when a person becomes a mentsch, it is an obligation, without which we are not fulfilling one of the basic ingredients of Judaism. A closer look at Maimonides Hilchot Deot reveals that a person who is too angry or too stingy, too greedy or too lazy, is transgressing (or at least not fulfilling) one of Judaisms basic mitzvoth. In fact, the context in which this mitzvah appears here in the Torah, suggests that it is a far more important mitzvah to develop ones character than putting on tefillin, or even refraining from eating pork!

Indeed, the Rambam points out that not only are we obligated to refine our character, but also indeed we have to do teshuvah for our lacking in these areas. The teshuvah process we seek to achieve in the days leading up to Rosh Hashanah is not just about our mistaken actions, but our incomplete character traits as well (Hilchot Teshuvah or Laws of Repentance 7:3). We have to repent, says the Rambam, for every moment of anger, jealousy, hatred, greed, arrogance and pride.

In fact, this is the true meaning of the verse in Isaiah read on the afternoon of community fast days: Yaazov rasha darko, veish aven machshevotav (Let the wicked leave his path, and the man of iniquity his thoughts) (Yishayahu 55:7).

Preparations for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur begin with our determination to make ourselves into better human beings.

Rav Kook (in his Arpelei Tohar) suggests that all of a persons problems and all the baggage we carry in life, stem from ones relationship with Hashem. If my relationship with and perception of G-d is skewered, then I will be skewered as well.

If my G-d is an angry G-d, then on a certain level, I will be an angry person, and if my G-d is only a G-d of judgment, then I will be a person filled with judgment. But even more, if I cannot see the piece of G-d inside every human being, beginning with myself, then I have an incomplete and skewered perception of G-d.

A version of this column appeared in 2012.

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Our highest obligation: Strive to be a 'mench' - The Jewish Star

Let’s marginalize the bigots | OP / ED | thesuburban.com – The Suburban Newspaper

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On September 11, 2006, the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, I addressed the Canadian Club of Montreal to recruit Quebeckers to fight antisemitism and all forms of hatred.

What inspired me to speak at that podium on that day was not some of the dangerously crazy conspiracy theories related to 9/11 although I tackled them; it was the major spike in antisemitic incidents in this country that took place in the Spring of 2004. Bnai Brith Canadas League for Human Rights catalogued 857 incidents that year, making 2004 the worst-ever year up to that point for antisemitic activity in Canada.

Early one Monday morning, while I was shaving before heading off to work at BMO, my wife Elizabeth expressed alarm at the cowardly hate-filled firebombing of the library at the United Talmud Torah school in Montreal and a weekend-long rampage of tombstone-toppling and swastika-painting in Toronto. She said, Tony, we need to do something about it. While she was right, at the time, we were not quite sure just what that something should be.

After speaking with friends in the Jewish community and giving it considerable thought, we concluded that this was not an issue for the Jewish community to solve. It was indeed an issue for all of us to solve. So, we assembled a coalition of leading Canadian business and community leaders who were pointedly not Jewish to stand up and speak out against antisemitism. This group included Laurent Beaudoin, Andr Desmarais, Claude Lessard, Ral Raymond, and Marc Tellier. We took out full page ads in newspapers across the country. We called this initiative FAST, which stands for Fighting Antisemitism Together.

Elizabeth, who had taught Grade Four at the Beth Rivkah Academy for Girls when we were first married and living in Montreal, knew that hate was all too often learned at the parental knee. She believed that the best way to reach and open up young hearts and minds was through education. With the help of leading educators in planning the curriculum and Montreal-born Ben Mulroney in providing an introduction that spoke to kids, we launched two curriculum-based programs to help teachers. Choose Your Voice is for children in grades 6, 7 and 8 and Voices into Action is for students in high school and CEGEP. Since their inception, more than 667,000 students at 4450 schools across Quebec have been through these programs.

Fifteen years ago, the founders of FAST declared that the time has long since passed for silence in the face of antisemitism and other forms of hatred, bigotry and racism. While there is no question that FASTs educational initiatives have had a positive impact, sadly, we cannot declare mission accomplished. Last year, there were 2,207 antisemitic incidents in Canada or an eye-popping average of 6 incidents per day, with online harassment up 11 per cent, according to BNai Brith.

Having turned 75 this year, in the middle of a pandemic, and wanting to ensure that FAST continues its unique and important mission, I transitioned the leadership of FAST to Dr. Catherine Chatterley, a brilliant University of Chicago-trained historian, who is a leading global expert in the study of antisemitism.

With COVID-19, the 2020-2021 school year is going to be a challenging one for teachers, students, and parents. As Quebec teachers prepare their lesson plans, I hope they will avail themselves of our free curriculum-based resources (chooseyourvoice.ca and voicesintoaction.ca), which have won the Canadian Race Relations Foundation Award of Excellence, and are available in both English and French.

As Canadians, we are long past the point where we should permit the bigots to spread their poison unscathed. Let us dedicate this school year to emboldening and encouraging those young and still open hearts and minds to stand up and speak out against discrimination, wherever and however it rears its ugly head. Lets marginalize the bullies and bigots, strip them of their influence, and take away their power to intimidate. Lets take direct aim at antisemitism, racism and all the other ugly isms that pollute our world. Canada is the greatest country on earth, and we all have a responsibility to ensuring that everyone feels safe, secure and free to be who they are.

Tony Comper is co-founder of FAST and was president and chief executive officer of BMO Financial Group

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Let's marginalize the bigots | OP / ED | thesuburban.com - The Suburban Newspaper

End this year, with its curses! | Yaakov Jaffe | The Blogs – The Times of Israel

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This Shabbat at Maimonides, we will have the unusual experience of reading 147 curses as part of our Shabbat morning Torah reading.

Ever since our shul reopened to read Parshat Bamidbar, following our shut-down in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have been reading two Torah readings each week, and this week we finally come full circle reading the regular weekly parsha, Ki Tavo, along with our final make-up parsha, Bechukotai.

Following the ruling of Rabbi Hershel Schachter and others, and in recognition of the teachings of our founder, the Rav zl (Sheiurei Ha-Rav Tefilah #38) and his teachers teacher the Vilna Gaon we have been careful to read every Parsha this Jewish calendar year proudly affirming that for whatever COVID has taken from us, it has not deprived us of the opportunity to read the entirety of Hashems Torah together as a community.

Were doing so on behalf of the entire greater New England community. Since its founding in 1937, Maimonides has always been the central, premier Torah institution in all of New England, and more Torah is studied daily in our Yeshivah than in any other building in Massachusetts. It is because of our intense passion for Torah study, that it is fitting that we have been making up each of the Parshiot that might have been lost.

And so, this week, our two Parsha readings both feature curses Ki Tavo features the 98 curses of Moses just prior to his passing, and Bechukotai the 49 curses given Har Sinai, for a total of 147 curses read in a marathon Torah reading this Shabbat. The two sets of curses are often juxtaposed and compared: narrative voice (Megillah 31b), severity (Bava Batra 88b, Rashi Devarim 28:23), and length (Midrash Tanchumah Nitzavim 1).

One of the oldest rules of setting the Torah reading schedule, appearing in the Talmud (Megilah 31b) and attributed to Ezra and the early second temple period, is that the curses are to be read in the penultimate week of the year, to convey a sense May the year end with its curses. We ironically read the harsh predictions of what might happen to the Jewish people not with a sense of anxiety or sadness, but with an optimistic view that perhaps all these curses are part of the destiny of last year, now beyond us. Perhaps for the upcoming year Begin the new year with its blessings!

5780 was a difficult people for all of us, in the Jewish people and in the entire world, and it is important to engage in a symbolic act to hope that the worst has passed us, so we can focus about renewed beginning and the blessings of a new year. We are hopeful that the year soon-to-begin will carry with it vaccines, cures, and health for all of humanity.

This week we will scream Chazak, Chazak, Ve-Nitchazek: Be strong! We have finally concluded are reading of Vayikra, we have finally complete this years Torah reading and may we be strong moving forward into next year!

In the merit of the sense of completion and finally closing the circle of Torah readings, may the curses of the past year end, and may the new year bring for us only blessings.

Rabbi Dr. Yaakov Jaffe is the Rabbi of the Maimonides Kehillah, and the Dean of Judaic Studies at the Maimonides School in Brookline, Mass.

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End this year, with its curses! | Yaakov Jaffe | The Blogs - The Times of Israel

From the Editor: Changing the status quo on crime reporting, introducing Right to Be Forgotten – Craig Daily Press

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Years ago, when print media was just that print news rarely lived on past a day or two.

In todays age, thats simply not the case. The Internet never forgets. That maxim is too often reinforced in our newsroom each time someone emails or calls with an appeal to have a name removed or a mug shot pulled from an old story that continues to follow them around as they try to move on with their lives.

For the past couple of months, a group of editors within Swift Communications have been having high-level discussions about The Right to be Forgotten a movement that started in Europe and has begun to gain traction in newsrooms across the United States.

The focus of our discussions has centered on this question: How long should you be penalized for minor crimes you committed years ago?

Basically, should you have the right to be forgotten by Google when those old stories are blocking you from landing jobs? How long should you have to pay for an old mistake?

For some, those who commit crimes should be punished forever, but thats on a broad spectrum. Were not talking murderers, rapists, major drug dealers or sex offenders having their names removed.

As an editor, I dont take it lightly that were potentially altering or rewriting a record. In journalism, were in the business of being fair, balanced and accurate and standing by the reporting we do. Reporting on crime, especially violent crimes and sexual assaults and rapes, is also an unfortunate daily reporting reality in most media markets.

With all that said, along with our duty to report the news to our readers, we cant ignore this truth: While we live in the day-to-day world of reporting on our communities, one story deemed worthy for that days paper lives on in perpetuity for the charged and/or convicted long after that person has paid their debt to society.

So, its time to launch a new process across every newsroom in our company by which people can request to have their names removed from old stories. To do that, were leaning on a model that has been established at other news organizations for making those decisions.

That process starts with the recognition that, as journalists, were not in the position to judge who gets clemency and who doesnt. We will rely on the courts and the legal process used to expunge or clear records.

People who have committed non-violent crimes and successfully petition the courts to permanently delete records of their criminal cases can submit a request for the removal of their name or photo from a specific story. By completing the form and providing proof of expungement, we will consider removal of a name and/or photo(s) from stories that appear on our websites.

Who doesnt get clemency? Elected officials and other notable community leaders or public figures. They are held to a higher standard and should remain accountable for their actions.

The emphasis with this policy is on victimless crimes. We wont be removing names from stories about violent crimes or sex crimes or major felony cases that drew community interest. Like most policies, this one is not absolute. As editor, I may decide to preserve a story, despite an appeal from someone whos had their record expunged. We at the Craig Press still reserve the right to publish or not publish.

As the Craig Press launches this initiative locally, Im certain that questions will arise that I simply wont have answers to right away. There will be cases that will certainly test the spirit of this new policy and will spark heated conversations.

The Craig Press is committed to changing the status quo and taking a more humane, logical approach to how we cover crime and how we assess requests to rewrite the record.

To submit a request to have your name and/or photo removed from a story, please go to https://www.craigdailypress.com/news/crime-courts/

jcarney@craigdailypress.com

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From the Editor: Changing the status quo on crime reporting, introducing Right to Be Forgotten - Craig Daily Press

Opinion | St. Catharines needs to stop trying to stop graffiti – Niagarathisweek.com

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Graffiti is art. The sooner we all get on the same page about that simple fact, the better.

Im sure the lawyers wont let me get any further into this column without first acknowledging that graffiti, as an act of vandalism, is a crime. Dont do crimes. All right, moving on.

For reasons that elude my understanding, St. Catharines has its granny-panties all in a bunch over some graffiti thats been popping up around the city lately. City hall got all grumpy about the graffiti, which sent the local police on an ill-advised witch hunt for the artists behind the graffiti.

In April, police arrested and charged three dudes with a litany of charges related to graffiti. Seems heavy handed to me, but I get it; some people dont have the same kind of refined artistic palate that I do, and thus, they are unable to appreciate graffiti for what it is.

If I were sitting down to make a list of things I wanted the police to focus on, top of the list would be to stop shooting unarmed Black men. Number two would probably be something about not wasting so much money on tanks and tear gas and assault rifles. As for arresting graffiti artists, that likely wouldnt crack the top 100 on my police priority list.

Not only does arresting graffiti artists feel like a waste of time and resources, its also targeting a victimless crime (like stealing music from the internet) and saddling poor kids with criminal records they dont need or deserve.

To my carefully trained artistic eye, graffiti is a form of artwork that highlights a citys true colours and adds character and style to otherwise dreary spaces. The underside of a train bridge could either be a drab, gray, forgettable concrete wasteland, or a place bursting with vibrant, colourful graffiti created by local artists. Given those two options, Ill take the latter.

Viewing graffiti as some kinda scourge to be wiped away is an outdated way of thinking. It also presupposes that the people who live in graffiti-filled neighbourhoods dont like the way it looks, which I think is probably inaccurate.

More often than not, the people complaining about graffiti are the rich old white folks who live in squeaky clean suburbia and only happened to see a graffiti tag when they were driving downtown to go to the bank or something. Why do we even care what those people think? Its not their neighbourhood.

We dont come to their affluent rich guy neighborhoods and complain about the ugly marble fountains they put in the middle of their driveway roundabouts that are basically shrines to income inequality. We dont come through their upscale gated communities and whine about the gaudy post-modern, sharp-angled glass architecture that makes all their houses look like ugly knockoff Apple retail stores.

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Opinion | St. Catharines needs to stop trying to stop graffiti - Niagarathisweek.com

Gyrolab AAVX Titer Kit Introduced to Support Cell and Gene Therapy Market – Technology Networks

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Gyros Protein Technologies AB has announced the introduction of Gyrolab AAVX Titer Kit for adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector titer determination in AAV vector manufacturing. The new Gyrolab AAVX Titer Kit for physical titer determination, one of the critical quality attributes (CQAs) of the FDA process validation guidelines, has a broad applicability across numerous AAV serotypes and adds to the Companys wide range of ready-to-use kits that are already used by scientists and bioengineers in the rapidly growing cell and gene therapy market, where AAV vectors are commonly used.

Gyrolab AAVX Titer Kit supports scientists in the development and production of cell and gene therapies to maximize performance and productivity, and reduces the time needed to produce patient treatments. With compressed development timelines for these therapies, the new kit generates results 4 times faster and requires 10 times less sample compared to traditional ELISA methods, accelerating AAV vector workflows and enabling high quality data to be produced from small sample volumes. Featuring an analytical range of >3 logs, Gyrolab AAVX Titer Kit also minimizes repeat testing compared to ELISA.

Gyrolab AAVX Titer Kit is based on a highly selective AAVX affinity ligand developed with the Thermo Scientific CaptureSelect technology by Thermo Fisher Scientific. These ligands are also the basis of POROS CaptureSelect AAVX Affinity Resin, which is frequently used to purify AAV viral vectors. The AAVX ligand binds with high affinity and selectivity to native and recombinant AAV particles of various serotypes (AAV1 to AAV8, AAVrh10).

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Gyrolab AAVX Titer Kit Introduced to Support Cell and Gene Therapy Market - Technology Networks

Taysha Gene Therapies Builds Experienced Executive Leadership Team to Advance Pipeline of Gene Therapies for Monogenic CNS Disease in Both Rare and…

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DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Taysha Gene Therapies, a patient-centric gene therapy company with a mission to eradicate monogenic CNS disease, today announced the appointment of its executive leadership team. This group has significant experience in gene therapy drug development and commercialization, and will enable Taysha to build the corporate culture and infrastructure necessary to advance its extensive pipeline of 18 gene therapy programs, with exclusive options to acquire four additional programs from UT Southwestern Gene Therapy Program. In addition, Sukumar Nagendran, M.D., former Chief Medical Officer of AveXis, and Phillip Donenberg, former Chief Financial Officer of AveXis, have joined the companys Board of Directors. Mr. Donenberg will also serve as the companys Audit Committee Chairman.

Joining the Taysha Board is a unique opportunity to contribute to scientific advancements in CNS gene therapy, said Sukumar Nagendran, M.D., Taysha Board of Directors. In partnership with UT Southwestern, Taysha has built an extensive pipeline of gene therapy candidates for life-threatening CNS diseases with significant unmet medical need.

It is a distinct pleasure to be reunited with many of my former AveXis colleagues that enabled the development and successful commercialization of Zolgensma, said Phillip Donenberg, Taysha Board of Directors. I am excited to contribute to Tayshas efforts to deliver therapies with the potential to improve the lives of patients with devastating CNS disease.

Each member of the Taysha leadership team has significant gene therapy expertise, with an unrelenting, patient-first focus guiding their individual areas of focus. Joining RA Session II, Founder, President and CEO of Taysha, on the management team are the following individuals:

From day one, we set out to build a team that has the passion, experience and talent to achieve our mission of eradicating monogenic CNS disease. Today, we are proud to announce a highly experienced team of CNS gene therapy experts, said Mr. Session. We are also pleased Dr. Nagendran and Mr. Donenberg have joined our Board and will contribute their several years of gene therapy expertise. Their experience in building AveXis will be invaluable as we continue to grow and advance several programs into the clinic.

About Taysha Gene Therapies

Taysha Gene Therapies is a patient-centric gene therapy company with a mission to eradicate monogenic CNS disease. We are focused on developing and commercializing AAV-based gene therapies for the treatment of monogenic diseases of the CNS in both rare and large patient populations. We were founded in partnership with The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, or UT Southwestern, to develop and commercialize transformative gene therapy treatments. Together with UT Southwestern, we are advancing a deep and sustainable product portfolio of 18 gene therapy product candidates, with exclusive options to acquire four additional development programs. By combining our management teams proven experience in gene therapy drug development and commercialization with UT Southwesterns world-class gene therapy research capabilities, we believe we have created a powerful engine to develop transformative therapies to dramatically improve patients lives. More information is available at http://www.tayshagtx.com.

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Taysha Gene Therapies Builds Experienced Executive Leadership Team to Advance Pipeline of Gene Therapies for Monogenic CNS Disease in Both Rare and...

First Gene Therapy Products Approved in Brazil – Lexology

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Brazil has become the first among the Latin American countries to approve the marketing of gene therapy products. Specifically, the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) recently granted marketing authorization for Novartis gene therapy products Luxturna and Zolgensma. As published in the Brazilian Federal Register, Luxturna received its marketing authorization on August 6th and a few days later, on August 17th, Zolgensma received its marketing authorization. Prior to ANVISAs final decision, both products had been approved by the Brazilian Technical Commission of Biosafety (CTNBio), which is responsible for evaluating biosafety of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) in Brazil.

Luxturna

Luxturna (voretigene neparvovec) is indicated for the treatment of adult and pediatric (children over 12 months) patients with vision loss caused by bi-allelic retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) mutation-associated hereditary retinal dystrophies. In Brazil, no other therapeutic option available for the treatment of this rare disease until approval of Novartis gene therapy.

It took 232 business days from the submission of the marketing authorization application for ANVISA to provide its decision. As part of the administrative approval procedure, ANVISA and Novartis signed a Term of Commitment to ensure that the company will conduct additional trials with Brazilian patients to continue to monitor the safety and effectiveness of Luxturna on a long-term basis.

Zolgensma

Zolgensma (onasemnogene abeparvovec) is indicated for the treatment of pediatric patients less than 2 years of age with type 1 spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) with bi-allelic mutations in the survival motor neuron (SMN1) gene and with bi-allelic mutations in the SMN1 gene and up to 3 copies of the SMN2 gene.

After 149 business days of analysis, ANVISA concluded that the products benefits surpassed its risks and granted the marketing authorization. However, because it is a new gene therapy, the authorization was granted on a exceptional basis, meaning that Novartis is required to send data on Zolgensmas ongoing trials as agreed to in the signed Term of Commitment.

Novartis also commited to conduct additional studies with Brazilian patients to enable the evaluation of whether Zolgensma maintains a positive benefit-risk balance. Additionally, Novartis also agreed to train (i) healthcare professionals who will perform infusions of the drug; and (ii) Brazilian hospitals in the appropriate storage and handling of Zolgensma.

Regulatory framework and next steps

The Brazilian regulatory framework on advanced therapeutic products is very new. At the end of 2018, ANVISAs Collegiate Board of Directors approved Rule #260/2018, which defines the technical standards for conducting clinical trials with experimental advanced therapy products. On February 26, 2020, ANVISAs Rule #338/2020 was published which provides the requirements for obtaining a marketing authorization for advanced therapy products. The regulation classifies advanced therapy products into three different categories: (i) advanced cell therapy; (ii) gene therapy; and (iii) tissue engineering. Both Luxturna and Zolgensma fall into the second category, gene therapy.

The next step for Novartis to introduce Luxturna and Zolgensma into the Brazilian market involves receiving price approval from the Brazilian Drugs Market Regulation Chamber (CMED). This approval is expected by the end of 2020. There is much anticipation regarding the pricing of these drugs, particularly since Zolgensma is currently considered to be the worlds most expensive drug (at USD $2.125 million).

The approval of the first gene therapy products in Brazil also brings up the issue of whether these drugs will become available in the Public Healthcare System (SUS). The analysis of whether a drug is incorporated into the SUS is conducted by the National Commission for Incorporation of Health Technologies (CONITEC), which issues a recommendation to the Ministry of Health. While Luxturna and Zolgensma are currently not in the SUS, the Brazilian population can obtain free access to these products through a court order.

Although there are still some a few steps to be taken until Luxturna and Zolgensma truly get into the hands of patients in Brazil, the approval itself and the consolidation of a regulatory framework on advanced therapeutic products is expected to promote the development of this pharmaceutical in Brazil.

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First Gene Therapy Products Approved in Brazil - Lexology

Gene Therapy Market is projected to be worth USD 10 Billion by 2030, growing at an annualized rate of over 40% – The News Brok

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The success of the approved gene therapies has led to an upward surge in the interest of biopharmaceutical developers in this field, resulting in a significant boost in clinical research initiatives and several high value acquisitions

Roots Analysis has announced the addition of Gene Therapy Market (3rd Edition), 2019-2030 report to its list of offerings.

Encouraging clinical results across various metabolic, hematological and ophthalmic disorders have inspired research groups across the world to focus their efforts on the development of novel gene editing therapies. In fact, the gene therapy pipeline has evolved significantly over the past few years, with three products being approved in 2019 alone; namely Beperminogene perplasmid (AnGes), ZOLGENSMA (AveXis) and ZYNTEGLO (bluebird bio). Further, there are multiple pipeline candidates in mid to late-stage (phase II and above) trials that are anticipated to enter the market over the next 5-10 years.

To order this 550+ page report, which features 190+ figures and 355+ tables, please visit this link

Around 470 gene therapies are currently under developmentNearly 45% of pipeline drugs are in the clinical phase, while rest are in the preclinical / discovery stage. Gene augmented therapies presently represent 66% of the total number of such interventions that are in the pipeline. It is worth mentioning that majority of such product candidates are being developed as in vivo gene therapies.

More than 30% of clinical stage pipeline therapies are being designed for treating oncological disordersConsidering the overall pipeline, over 20% of product candidates are being developed to treat various types of cancers, followed by those intended for the treatment of metabolic (15%) and ophthalmic disorders (12%). It is also worth highlighting that adenovirus vectors are presently the preferred vehicles used for the delivery of anticancer gene therapies.

Over 60% of gene therapy developers are based in North AmericaOf the 110 companies developing gene therapies in the abovementioned region, 64 are start-ups, 26 are mid-sized players, while 18 are large and very large companies. Further, within this region, most of the developers are based in the US, which has emerged as a key R&D hub for advanced therapeutic products.

More than 31,000 patents have been filed / published related to gene therapies, since 2016Of these, 17% of patent applications / patents were related to gene editing therapies, while the remaining were associated with gene therapies. Leading assignees, in terms of the size of intellectual property portfolio, include (industry players) Genentech, GSK, Sangamo Therapeutics, Bayer and Novartis, (non-industry players) University of California, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard College, Stanford University and University of Pennsylvania.

USD 16.5 billion has been invested by both private and public investors, since 2014Around USD 3.3 billion was raised through venture capital financing, representing 20% of the total capital raised by industry players till June 2019. Further, there have been 28 IPOs, accounting for more than USD 2.2 billion in financing of gene therapy related initiatives. These companies have also raised significant capital in secondary offerings.

30+ mergers / acquisitions have been established between 2014 and 2019Examples of high value acquisitions reported in recent past include the acquisition of AveXis by Novartis (2018, USD 8,700 million) and Bioverativ by Sanofi (2018, USD 11,600 million).

North America and Europe are anticipated to capture over 85% of market share by 2030With a promising development pipeline and encouraging clinical results, the market is anticipated to witness an annualized growth rate of over 40% during the next decade. In addition to North America and Europe, the market in China / broader Asia Pacific region is also anticipated to grow at a relatively faster rate.

To request a sample copy / brochure of this report, please visit this link

The USD 10 billion (by 2030) financial opportunity within the gene therapy market has been analyzed across the following segments:

The report features inputs from eminent industry stakeholders, according to whom gene therapies are likely to be the most promising treatment options for genetic disorders. The report includes detailed transcripts of discussions held with the following experts:

The research covers brief profiles, featuring an overview of the therapy, current development status and clinical results. Each profile includes information on therapeutic indication, targeted gene, route of administration, special designations, mechanism of action, dosage, patent portfolio, technology portfolio, clinical trials and recent developments (if available).

For additional details, please visit https://www.rootsanalysis.com/reports/view_document/gene-therapy-market-3rd-edition-2019-2030/268.html

or email [emailprotected]

You may also be interested in the following titles:

Contact:Gaurav Chaudhary+1 (415) 800 3415+44 (122) 391 1091[emailprotected]

Link:

Gene Therapy Market is projected to be worth USD 10 Billion by 2030, growing at an annualized rate of over 40% - The News Brok

Prevail Therapeutics to Present at Upcoming Investor Conferences – Yahoo Finance

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Citi 15th Annual BioPharma Conference, Morgan Stanley 18th Annual Global Healthcare Conference and Cantor Fitzgerald Global Healthcare Conference

NEW YORK, Sept. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Prevail Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: PRVL), a biotechnology company developing potentially disease-modifying AAV-based gene therapies for patients with neurodegenerative diseases, today announced that the Company will participate in the following upcoming virtual investor conferences in September:

Webcasts of the presentations will be available under "Events and Presentations" in the Investors and Media section of the Company's website at ir.prevailtherapeutics.com following the presentations.

About Prevail TherapeuticsPrevail is a gene therapy company leveraging breakthroughs in human genetics with the goal of developing and commercializing disease-modifying AAV-based gene therapies for patients with neurodegenerative diseases. The Company is developing PR001 for patients with Parkinsons disease with GBA1mutations (PD-GBA) and neuronopathic Gaucher disease; PR006 for patients with frontotemporal dementia withGRNmutations (FTD-GRN); and PR004 for patients with certain synucleinopathies.

Prevail was founded by Dr.Asa Abeliovichin 2017, through a collaborative effort withThe Silverstein Foundationfor Parkinsons with GBA and OrbiMed, and is headquartered inNewYork, NY.

Forward-Looking Statements Related to PrevailStatements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended. Examples of these forward-looking statements include statements concerning the potential for Prevails gene therapy candidates to transform the treatment of patients with, and slow or halt the progression of, FTD-GRN and other neurodegenerative diseases. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, among others: Prevails novel approach to gene therapy makes it difficult to predict the time, cost and potential success of product candidate development or regulatory approval; Prevails gene therapy programs may not meet safety and efficacy levels needed to support ongoing clinical development or regulatory approval; the regulatory landscape for gene therapy is rigorous, complex, uncertain and subject to change; the fact that gene therapies are novel, complex and difficult to manufacture; and risks relating to the impact on our business of the COVID-19 pandemic or similar public health crises. These and other risks are described more fully in Prevails filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including the Risk Factors section of the Companys Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the period ended June 30, 2020, filed with the SEC on August 11, 2020, and its other documents subsequently filed with or furnished to the SEC. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made. Except to the extent required by law, Prevail undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.

Media Contact:Mary CarmichaelTen Bridge Communications mary@tenbridgecommunications.com 617-413-3543

Investor Contact:investors@prevailtherapeutics.com

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Prevail Therapeutics to Present at Upcoming Investor Conferences - Yahoo Finance

Orchard Therapeutics Announces Additional Interim Results from Proof-of-Concept Study of OTL-203 for MPS-I – BioSpace

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Data on all eight patients demonstrate sustained engraftment and supranormal IDUA enzyme expression

Translation of metabolic correction to clinical outcomes in first two patients continues to support potential of hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy in a second neurometabolic disorder

Data support planned initiation of registrational trial in 2021

BOSTON and LONDON, Sept. 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orchard Therapeutics(Nasdaq: ORTX), a global gene therapy leader, today announced additional interim data from an ongoing proof-of-concept clinical trial evaluating the safety and efficacy of OTL-203, an investigationalex vivoautologous hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) gene therapy in development for the treatment of mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS-I) at theSan Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy(SR-Tiget) inMilan, Italy. The readout from the primary endpoint at one year of follow-up is expected in 2021. Today's results are being shared virtually in an invited oral presentation at the 46th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Blood and Bone Marrow Transplantation (EBMT).

We continue to see encouraging data from the ongoing clinical trial in MPS-I, including promising preliminary clinical effects on motor development, acquisition of cognitive skilIs and growth in the first two patients that were treated now 1.5 and 2 years ago, respectively. Additionally, new preliminary analyses of radiological outcome measures suggest that treatment with OTL-203 leads to stabilization or improvement in disease-related neurological abnormalities, as measured by brain and spine MRI, which we look to confirm with longer follow-up, saidMaria Ester Bernardo, M.D., Ph.D., principal investigator at SR-Tiget. "These data, taken together with those from clinical studies of HSC gene therapy for other metabolic disorders and leukodystrophies, support the potential for this therapeutic approach to correct a wide spectrum of multisystemic manifestations of the disease, bringing clinically meaningful benefits for patients.

Interim Study Results

Eight patients with the severe Hurler subtype of MPS-I had been treated with OTL-203 in the ongoing proof-of-concept study, which completed enrollment in December 2019. As of July 2020, all patients had been followed for a minimum of six months, with the longest follow-up extending out to 24 months. Treatment with OTL-203 was generally well-tolerated with a safety profile consistent with the selected conditioning regimen. Consistent with previous analyses, treatment across all eight patients continued to demonstrate:

We continue to see positive trends in all biomarker and clinical measures as we follow patients in the OTL-203 proof of concept study for longer periods of time, saidBobby Gaspar, M.D., Ph.D., chief executive officer of Orchard. With a growing amount of data to support advancing this program, we have recently convened a panel of disease experts to develop a design for a registrational trial that we intend to take to the regulators in advance of initiating the study in 2021 and ultimately progressing towards commercialization.

About OTL-203 and MPS-I

Mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS-I) is a rare, inherited neurometabolic disease caused by a deficiency of the alpha-L-iduronidase (IDUA) lysosomal enzyme, which is required to break down sugar molecules called glycosaminoglycans (also known as GAGs). The accumulation of GAGs across multiple organ systems results in symptoms including neurocognitive impairment, skeletal deformity, loss of vision and hearing, and cardiovascular and pulmonary complications. MPS-I occurs at an overall estimated frequency of one in every 100,000 live births. There are three subtypes of MPS-I; approximately 60 percent of children born with MPS-I have the most severe subtype, called Hurler syndrome, and rarely live past the age of 10 when untreated.

Treatment options for MPS-I include hematopoietic stem cell transplant and chronic enzyme replacement therapy, both of which have significant limitations. Though early intervention with enzyme replacement therapy has been shown to delay or prevent some clinical features of the condition, it has only limited efficacy on neurological symptoms. OTL-203 is an investigationalex vivoautologous hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy being studied for the treatment of MPS-I. Orchard was granted an exclusive worldwide license to intellectual property rights to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize the gene therapy program for the treatment of MPS-I developed by theSan Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene TherapyinMilan, Italy.

About Orchard

Orchard Therapeuticsis a global gene therapy leader dedicated to transforming the lives of people affected by rare diseases through the development of innovative, potentially curative gene therapies. Ourex vivoautologous gene therapy approach harnesses the power of genetically modified blood stem cells and seeks to correct the underlying cause of disease in a single administration. In 2018, Orchard acquired GSKs rare disease gene therapy portfolio, which originated from a pioneering collaboration between GSK and theSan Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy inMilan, Italy. Orchard now has one of the deepest and most advanced gene therapy product candidate pipelines in the industry spanning multiple therapeutic areas where the disease burden on children, families and caregivers is immense and current treatment options are limited or do not exist.

Orchard has its global headquarters inLondonandU.S.headquarters inBoston. For more information, please visitwww.orchard-tx.com, and follow us onTwitterandLinkedIn.

Availability of Other Information About Orchard

Investors and others should note that Orchard communicates with its investors and the public using the company website (www.orchard-tx.com), the investor relations website (ir.orchard-tx.com), and on social media (TwitterandLinkedIn), including but not limited to investor presentations and investor fact sheets,U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissionfilings, press releases, public conference calls and webcasts. The information that Orchard posts on these channels and websites could be deemed to be material information. As a result, Orchard encourages investors, the media, and others interested in Orchard to review the information that is posted on these channels, including the investor relations website, on a regular basis. This list of channels may be updated from time to time on Orchards investor relations website and may include additional social media channels. The contents of Orchards website or these channels, or any other website that may be accessed from its website or these channels, shall not be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements about Orchards strategy, future plans and prospects, which are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as anticipates, believes, expects, plans, intends, projects, and future or similar expressions that are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include express or implied statements relating to, among other things, Orchards business strategy and goals, the therapeutic potential of Orchards product candidates, including the product candidates referred to in this release, Orchards expectations regarding the timing of clinical trials for its product candidates, including the product candidates referred to in this release, the timing of interactions with regulators and regulatory submissions related to ongoing and new clinical trials for its product candidates, the timing of announcement of clinical data for its product candidates, and the likelihood that such data will be positive and support further clinical development and regulatory approval of these product candidates. These statements are neither promises nor guarantees and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Orchards control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in these forward-looking statements. In particular, these risks and uncertainties include, without limitation: the severity of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Orchards business, including on clinical development, its supply chain and commercial programs; the risk that Orchard will not realize the anticipated benefits of its new strategic plan or the expected cash savings associated with such plan; the risk that any one or more of Orchards product candidates, including the product candidates referred to in this release, will not be successfully developed, approved or commercialized; the risk of cessation or delay of any of Orchards ongoing or planned clinical trials; the risk that Orchard may not successfully recruit or enroll a sufficient number of patients for its clinical trials; the risk that prior results, such as signals of safety, activity or durability of effect, observed from preclinical studies or clinical trials will not be replicated or will not continue in ongoing or future studies or trials involving Orchards product candidates or that long-term adverse safety findings may be discovered; the delay of any of Orchards regulatory submissions; the failure to obtain marketing approval from the applicable regulatory authorities for any of Orchards product candidates or the receipt of restricted marketing approvals; and the risk of delays in Orchards ability to commercialize its product candidates, if approved. Given these uncertainties, the reader is advised not to place any undue reliance on such forward-looking statements.

Other risks and uncertainties faced by Orchard include those identified under the heading "Risk Factors" in Orchards quarterly report on Form 10-Q for the quarter endedJune 30, 2020, as filed with theU.S. Securities and Exchange Commission(SEC), as well as subsequent filings and reports filed with theSEC. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release reflect Orchards views as of the date hereof, and Orchard does not assume and specifically disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be required by law.

Contacts

InvestorsRenee LeckDirector, Investor Relations+1 862-242-0764Renee.Leck@orchard-tx.com

MediaMolly CameronManager, Corporate Communications+1 978-339-3378media@orchard-tx.com

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Orchard Therapeutics Announces Additional Interim Results from Proof-of-Concept Study of OTL-203 for MPS-I - BioSpace

AGTC to Host Management Update on September 9 at 8:00 am ET to Discuss Planned Phase 2/3 XLRP Trial, Share Additional XLRP Data and Report Fourth…

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Applied Genetic Technologies Corporation (Nasdaq: AGTC), a biotechnology company conducting human clinical trials of adeno-associated virus (AAV)-based gene therapies for the treatment of rare diseases, today announced that it will provide a management update on its planned Phase 2/3 X-Linked Retinitis Pigmentosa (XLRP) clinical trial design, a re-analysis of dose Groups 2 and 4 data, and new preliminary visual sensitivity data from Group 5; data from Group 5 is in advance of the full interim data analysis that the Company expects to provide in 4Q 2020 for both Groups 5 and 6. The Company will also report financial results for the fiscal quarter and year ended June 30, 2020 before the market opens on Wednesday, September 9, 2020. AGTC management will host a conference call and webcast with accompanying slides beginning at 8:00am Eastern Time on the same date.

To access the call, dial 877-407-6184 (US) or 201-389-0877 (outside of the US). A live webcast will be available in the Events and Presentations section of the Investor Relations page at http://ir.agtc.com/events-and-presentations. Please log in approximately 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. The archived webcast will be available in the Events and Presentations section of the company's website.

About AGTC

AGTC is a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing genetic therapies for people with rare and debilitating ophthalmic, otologic and central nervous system (CNS) diseases. AGTC is a leader in designing and constructing all critical gene therapy elements and bringing them together to develop customized therapies that address real patient needs. The Companys most advanced clinical programs leverage its best-in-class technology platform to potentially improve vision for patients with an inherited retinal disease. AGTC has active clinical trials in X-linked retinitis pigmentosa and achromatopsia (ACHM CNGB3 & ACHM CNGA3). Its pre-clinical programs build on the Companys industry leading AAV manufacturing technology and scientific expertise. AGTC is advancing multiple important pipeline candidates to address substantial unmet clinical need in larger ophthalmology indications, optogenetics, otology and CNS disorders.

About X-linked Retinitis Pigmentosa (XLRP)

XLRP is an inherited condition that causes progressive vision loss in boys and young men. Characteristics of the disease include night blindness in early childhood and progressive constriction of the visual field. In general, XLRP patients experience a gradual decline in visual acuity over the disease course, which results in legal blindness around the 4th decade of life. AGTC was granted U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) orphan drug designation in 2017, as well as European Commission orphan medicinal product designation in 2016, for its gene therapy product candidate to treat XLRP caused by mutations in the RPGR gene.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements that reflect AGTC's plans, estimates, assumptions and beliefs, including statements regarding the timing for and expected expansion of its XLRP clinical development program, the timing for reporting data in its XLRP and ACHM clinical programs, and its ability to enroll patients, effectively design and successfully complete its ongoing clinical trials. Forward-looking statements include information concerning possible or assumed preclinical and clinical product development and regulatory progress, future results of operations, financial guidance, business strategies and operations, potential growth opportunities, potential market opportunities, the effects of competition and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts and can be identified by terms such as "anticipates," "believes," "could," "seeks," "estimates," "expects," "intends," "may," "plans," "potential," "predicts," "projects," "should," "will," "would" or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. Actual results could differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements, due to a number of important factors. Risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially include, among others: gene therapy is still novel with only a few approved treatments so far; AGTC cannot predict when or if it will obtain regulatory approval to commercialize a product candidate or receive reasonable reimbursement; uncertainty inherent in clinical trials and the regulatory review process; risks and uncertainties associated with drug development and commercialization; the direct and indirect impacts of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on the Companys business, results of operations, and financial condition; factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements are set forth under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Companys most recent annual or quarterly report and in other reports AGTC has filed with the SEC. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Also, forward-looking statements represent management's plans, estimates, assumptions and beliefs only as of the date of this release. Except as required by law, AGTC assumes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

IR/PR CONTACTS:David Carey (IR) or Glenn Silver (PR)Lazar FINN PartnersT: (212) 867-1768 or (646) 871-8485david.carey@finnpartners.com or glenn.silver@finnpartners.com

Corporate Contact:Bill SullivanChief Financial OfficerApplied Genetic Technologies CorporationT: (617) 843-5728bsullivan@agtc.com

Stephen PotterChief Business OfficerApplied Genetic Technologies CorporationT: (617) 413-2754spotter@agtc.com

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AGTC to Host Management Update on September 9 at 8:00 am ET to Discuss Planned Phase 2/3 XLRP Trial, Share Additional XLRP Data and Report Fourth...

The Safety and Clinical Activity of Gene-engineered T-cell Therapy Targeting HPV-16 E7 in Epithelial Cancers – Pharmacy Times

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The Safety and Clinical Activity of Gene-engineered T-cell Therapy Targeting HPV-16 E7 in Epithelial Cancers

Investigators presented the study results during the 2020 American Society of Clinical Oncology Virtual Scientific Program.1

In prior research, genetically engineered T-cell therapy demonstrated significant clinical activity in hematologic malignancies. However, the investigators of this study noted that it is currently not known whether this treatment has efficacy when applied to epithelial cancers. This would be an important treatment application as epithelial cancers account for 80% to 90% of human malignancies, according to the presenters.

In order to investigate this treatment application further, the investigators conducted a phase 1 clinical trial with a 3+3 dose escalation.

In this trial, patients with metastatic HPV-16+ epithelial cancers received a single infusion of genetically engineered T cells expressing a T-cell receptor targeting an HLA-A*02:01-restricted epitope of HPV-16 E7 (E7 TCR-T cells). Before cell infusion, a lymphocyte-depleting conditioning regimen was administered, and following cell infusion, high-dose systemic aldesleukin was administered.

The study participants consisted of 12 patients who had received prior treatment with a median of 4 (range of 3 to 7) anticancer agents. The cell dose was not limited by toxicity.

Objective clinical responses were seen in 6 patients, with observed responses including regression of bulky tumors and complete elimination of some tumors. These responses were seen in patients with vulvar, anal, head and neck, and cervical cancer.Of those patients who previously received PD-1-based therapy, 4 responded, with the duration ranging from 3 to 9 months. The observed responses in these patients was a sustained, high-level engraftment of E7 TCR-T cells in peripheral blood. After approximately 6 weeks, the median response was observed to be approximately 66% of total T cells, ranging from 1% to 88%. This response was found to correlate with cell dose but not with clinical response, although infused T-cell characteristics did not correlate significantly with clinical response.

Three of 4 resistant tumors studied demonstrated genetic defects in HLA-A*02:01 or B2M, which are necessary components of the target complex. Of these 3, 1 demonstrated copy loss with decreased expression of antigen presentation and interferon response molecules, including TAP1, TAP2, IFNGR1, and IFNGR2 molecules. However, none of the 3 sensitive tumors studied showed genetic defects in any of these molecules.REFERENCENorberg S, Nagarsheth N, Sinkoe A, et al. Safety and clinical activity of gene-engineered T-cell therapy targeting HPV-16 E7 for epithelial cancers. J Clin Oncol. 2020;38(suppl 15):101. doi: 10.1200/JCO.2020.38.15_suppl.101

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The Safety and Clinical Activity of Gene-engineered T-cell Therapy Targeting HPV-16 E7 in Epithelial Cancers - Pharmacy Times

Qualitative Analysis and Competitive Industry, CCOVID-19 Scenario of Personalized Gene Therapy Treatment Market – The News Brok

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Prophecy Market Insights Personalized Gene Therapy Treatment market research report provides a comprehensive, 360-degree analysis of the targeted market which helps stakeholders to identify the opportunities as well as challenges. The research report study offers keen competitive landscape analysis including key development trends, accurate quantitative and in-depth commentary insights, market dynamics, and key regional development status forecast 2020-2029. It incorporates market evolution study, involving the current scenario, growth rate, and capacity inflation prospects, based on Porters Five Forces and DROT analyses.

Get Free Sample Copy of This Report @ https://www.prophecymarketinsights.com/market_insight/Insight/request-sample/61

An executive summary provides the markets definition, application, overview, classifications, product specifications, manufacturing processes; raw materials, and cost structures.

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Segment Level Analysis in terms of types, product, geography, demography, etc. along with market size forecast

Regional and Country- level Analysis different geographical areas are studied deeply and an economical scenario has been offered to support new entrants, leading market players, and investors to regulate emerging economies. The top producers and consumers focus on production, product capacity, value, consumption, growth opportunity, and market share in these key regions, covering

The comprehensive list of Key Market Players along with their market overview, product protocol, key highlights, key financial issues, SWOT analysis, and business strategies. The report dedicatedly offers helpful solutions for players to increase their clients on a global scale and expand their favour significantly over the forecast period. The report also serves strategic decision-making solutions for the clients.

Competitive landscape Analysis provides mergers and acquisitions, collaborations along with new product launches, heat map analysis, and market presence and specificity analysis.

Segmentation Overview:

Personalized Gene Therapy TreatmentMarket Key Companies:

Amgen, Inc., Chengdu Shi Endor Biological Engineering Technology Co., Ltd., SynerGene Therapeutics, Inc., Cold Genesys, Inc., Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Takara Bio, Inc.,Ziopharm Oncology, Inc., , Sevion Therapeutics, Inc., OncoSec Medical, Inc., and Burzynski Clinic.

The Personalized Gene Therapy Treatment research study comprises 100+ market data Tables, Graphs & Figures, Pie Chat to understand detailed analysis of the market. The predictions estimated in the market report have been resulted in using proven research techniques, methodologies, and assumptions. This Personalized Gene Therapy Treatment market report states the market overview, historical data along with size, growth, share, demand, and revenue of the global industry.

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The study analyses the manufacturing and processing requirements, project funding, project cost, project economics, profit margins, predicted returns on investment, etc. This report is a must-read for investors, entrepreneurs, consultants, researchers, business strategists, and all those who have any kind of stake or are planning to foray into the Personalized Gene Therapy Treatment industry in any manner.

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Prophecy Market Insights is specialized market research, analytics, marketing/business strategy, and solutions that offers strategic and tactical support to clients for making well-informed business decisions and to identify and achieve high-value opportunities in the target business area. We also help our clients to address business challenges and provide the best possible solutions to overcome them and transform their business.

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Qualitative Analysis and Competitive Industry, CCOVID-19 Scenario of Personalized Gene Therapy Treatment Market - The News Brok

Sorrento Announces the Closing of Its Acquisition of SmartPharm to Build Next Generation G-MAB-Encoded Plasmid DNA For Cost-Efficient and In Vivo…

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SAN DIEGO and BOSTON, Sept. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: SRNE, Sorrento) and SmartPharm Therapeutics, Inc. (SmartPharm) announced today that Sorrento has completed the acquisition of SmartPharm, a gene-encoded protein therapeutics company developing non-viral DNA and RNA gene delivery platforms for COVID-19 and rare diseases with broad potential application in enhancing any antibody-centric therapeutics.

The platform in synergy with Sorrentos industry-leading fully human G-MAB antibody library has the potential to be the engine for the next-generation, cost-effective in vivo production of antibody therapeutics in patients. By encoding the antibody sequence into a plasmid, a single injection into someones muscle could potentially lead the person to make their own antibodies in vivo for months, instead of relying on repeat administrations of an externally manufactured antibody.

We are very encouraged by the preclinical data generated thus far by our STI-2020dna plasmid candidate against COVID-19, said Henry Ji, Ph.D., CEO of Sorrento Therapeutics. But beyond STI-2020dna the integration of the plasmid DNA technology with our existing antibody products has the potential to make antibody therapy much more accessible and affordable for patients, and is applicable to a multitude of indications ranging from cancer to infectious diseases.

The current SmartPharm R&D and senior management team will remain in place and is expected to integrate into the Sorrento research, development, and corporate infrastructure.

The merger was completed on September 1, 2020 and at such time, SmartPharm became a wholly owned subsidiary of Sorrento. The total value of the consideration payable to the holders of capital stock of SmartPharm in the merger was $19.4 million, subject to certain adjustments for net working capital, indebtedness, transaction expenses and cash. Upon completion of the merger, SmartPharm stockholders became entitled to receive an aggregate of approximately 1.76 million shares of Sorrento common stock based on a price per share equal to $10.60.

About SmartPharm Therapeutics

SmartPharm Therapeutics, Inc. is a privately held, development stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing next-generation, non-viral gene therapies for the treatment of serious or rare diseases with the vision of creating Biologics from Within. SmartPharm is currently developing a novel pipeline of non-viral, gene-encoded proteins for the treatment of conditions that require biologic therapy such as enzyme replacement and tissue restoration. SmartPharm commenced operations in 2018 and is headquartered in Cambridge, MA, USA. For more information, please visit http://www.smartpharmtx.com.

About Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.

Sorrento is a clinical stage, antibody-centric, biopharmaceutical company developing new therapies to turn malignant cancers into manageable and possibly curable diseases. Sorrento's multimodal, multipronged approach to fighting cancer is made possible by its extensive immuno-oncology platforms, including key assets such as fully human antibodies ("G-MAB library"), clinical stage immuno-cellular therapies ("CAR-T", "DAR-T"), antibody-drug conjugates ("ADCs"), and clinical stage oncolytic virus ("Seprehvir"). Sorrento is also developing potential coronavirus antiviral therapies and vaccines, including COVIDTRAP, ACE-MAB, COVI-MAB, COVI-GUARD, COVI-SHIELD and T-VIVA-19; and diagnostic test solutions, including COVI-TRACK and COVI-TRACE. Sorrento's commitment to life-enhancing therapies for patients is also demonstrated by our effort to advance a first-in-class (TRPV1 agonist) non-opioid pain management small molecule, resiniferatoxin ("RTX"), and ZTlido (lidocaine topical system) 1.8% for the treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia. RTX is completing a phase IB trial for intractable pain associated with cancer and a phase 1B trial in osteoarthritis patients. ZTlido was approved by the FDA on February 28, 2018.

For more information, visit http://www.sorrentotherapeutics.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release and any statements made for and during any presentation or meeting contain forward-looking statements related toSorrento Therapeutics, Inc., under the safe harbor provisions of Section 21E of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the potential effects that the acquisition of SmartPharm may have on Sorrentos business and product candidate pipeline; the data read-outs related to ongoing studies for COVID-19 using antibodies and gene-encoded antibodies; the potency and potential therapeutic capabilities of gene-encoded antibodies and STI-2020dna, and their respective impact on SARS-CoV-2; the expected length of any therapeutic benefit or antiviral protection provided by gene-encoded antibodies and STI-2020dna; the potential administration and applications for a range of disease indications of gene-encoded antibodies and STI-2020dna, alone or in combination; the status of preclinical testing for STI-1499 and STI-2020dna; the therapeutic potential of gene-encoded antibodies, and STI-2020dna for SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19; the potential costs and cost-effectiveness associated with STI-2020dna and other DNA plasmids; Sorrentos ability to produce antibody candidates against pathogens and cancer cells; Sorrentos ability to transition from product development to full scale manufacturing and commercialization; Sorrentos ability to advance SmartPharms non-viral gene therapy technology and its gene-encoded platform technology; Sorrentos ability to combine SmartPharms technology with Sorrentos technology and manufacturing capabilities; and Sorrentos potential position in the biopharmaceutical industry. Risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially and adversely from those expressed in our forward-looking statements, include, but are not limited to: risks related to Sorrento's technologies and prospects with newly acquired technologies, including the acquisition of SmartPharm and the utilization of SmartPharms Gene-Encoded Therapeutics (GET) platforms for the treatment and prevention of coronavirus infections and other pathogens and cancer cells; risks related to seeking regulatory approvals and conducting clinical trials; the clinical and commercial success of the treatment and prevention of coronavirus infections using gene-encoded antibodies; the viability and success of using gene-encoded antibodies for treatments in anti-viral therapeutic areas, including coronavirus; clinical development risks, including risks in the progress, timing, cost and results of clinical trials and product development programs; risk of difficulties or delays in obtaining regulatory approvals; risks that prior study and trial results may not be replicated in future studies and trials; risks that clinical study results may not meet any or all endpoints of a clinical study and that any data generated from such studies may not support a regulatory submission or approval; risks related to seeking regulatory approvals and conducting clinical trials; risks of manufacturing drug product; risks related to leveraging the expertise of its employees, subsidiaries, affiliates and partners to assist the company in the execution of its strategies; risks related to the global impact of COVID-19 and other risks that are described in Sorrento's most recent periodic reports filed with theSecurities and Exchange Commission, including Sorrento's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year endedDecember 31, 2019, and subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with theSecurities and Exchange Commission, including the risk factors set forth in those filings. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this release and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement in this press release except as required by law.

Media and Investor Relations

Alexis Nahama, DVM (SVP Corporate Development)Telephone: 1.858.203.4120Email: mediarelations@sorrentotherapeutics.com

Sorrento and the Sorrento logo are registered trademarks of Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.G-MAB, COVI-GUARD, COVI-SHIELD, COVIDTRAP, T-VIVA-19, COVI-MAB, ACE-MAB, COVI-TRACK, and COVI-TRACE are trademarks of Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.

ZTlido is a trademark owned by Scilex Pharmaceuticals Inc.All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 2020 Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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Sorrento Announces the Closing of Its Acquisition of SmartPharm to Build Next Generation G-MAB-Encoded Plasmid DNA For Cost-Efficient and In Vivo...

Walnuts expect to hit 780000 tons – Foothills Sun Gazette

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The forecast is based on 380,000 bearing acres, up 4% from 2019s estimated bearing acreage of 365,000.

A warm and dry January and February meant growers started irrigating early. The 2020 chilling hours were low. Leaf-out was prolonged, which resulted in uneven canopy and nut development. April rains increased blight risk. Nut sets looked good, with reports of tree limbs heavy with nuts. Harvest is expected to begin in early September, ahead of last year.

Survey data indicated an average nut set per tree of 1,197, up 22% from 2019s average of 983. However, growers fear a larger crop will continue to bring prices down.

Lumber prices have surged to a fresh record high of $932 per 1000 board feet in August amid continuing high demand from the renovation and new home markets. Prices are triple what they were in May. Alongside the strong demand were a supply shortage as mills failed to anticipate the coronavirus pandemic setting off a building boom.

Sunshine Reality/Dimension Energy plans to erect a 4-megawatt solar farm at 7227 West Doe on 20 acres in the Visalia Industrial Park. The project is part of Southern California Edisons community solar program.

Californias Employment Development Department reports that agricultural employment in 2020 was 20% to 30% lower than in 2019, with the largest drop in June 2020.

The reductions in agricultural employment varied by county. Agricultural employment in Fresno County was down five percent in spring and summer 2020 compared the same period of 2019, down 25 to 35 percent in Kern County, and down 35 to 45 percent in Monterey County.

In Tulare County as of July there were 12,100 fewer farm jobs compared to July 2019, the height of the summer harvest season for many crops. There were 27,100 workers in the fields vs 39,2000 the year before. That is about a one third decline.

Kings County was hit less hard with farm jobs dropping 1,000 from 8,200 to 7,200 in July, year over year.

Observers say grocery store sales for many crops are higher but restaurant sales are way down.

Starbucks has opened a location in Goshen east of the new Betty Drive interchange. It the latest national retailer to see a future in this Hwy 99 community. In the works are two large fueling stations with more food choice including a new Burger King.

Rogers Jewelers may be gone from Caldwell Avenue in Visalia but a next door furniture store will expand into the 5,000-square foot space says property owner George Ouzounian. Mattress specialists Drop Box has leased the space and will expand their retail store in Visalia.

Homeless advocates Salt and Light, based in Tulare, are negotiating with Tulare County to site a micro-home village in Visalia. The potential site includes locations both north and south of the county owned Government Plaza complex on south Mooney on open land. The nonprofit plans to build intentional, master-planned communities designed to lift people experiencing chronic homelessness off the streets of Tulare County.

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Walnuts expect to hit 780000 tons - Foothills Sun Gazette

Washington University bolsters its promise to St. Louis community – Washington University in St. Louis Newsroom

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Webber

Washington University in St. Louis is taking a significant step toward fulfilling its promise to be in St. Louis and for St. Louis by reorienting its top administrative structure to create an executive leadership position for the universitys regional efforts.

Henry S. Webber, executive vice chancellor and chief administrative officer, will transition to the newly created role of executive vice chancellor for civic affairs and strategic planning, with a sharp focus on regional equitable economic development, community engagement and partnership with the universitys neighborhoods and civic and community leaders.

As an institution, we have made a commitment to the St. Louis region to double down on our role and impact in the community. It is now time to make good on that promise, and we are ready to move forward in a big way to strengthen our community partnerships and our desire to be Washington University not just in St. Louis, but for and with St. Louis, Chancellor Andrew D. Martin said. Hank Webber is an innovative leader, an accomplished scholar, and the absolute best person to lead us into this new phase. I am extraordinarily grateful to Hank for lending his talents to this incredibly important effort, and I know our communities both Washington University and the greater St. Louis region will be all the better as a result of his leadership.

St. Louis is our home and it is critically important to us both as an institution and as individual community members that it should succeed and thrive, Webber said. That means focusing on both the regions many strengths and also our deep challenges, including racial segregation and large income and health disparities. We know we can only achieve our goals through a true partnership, which means listening to one another and learning from our shared history as we build on the strong foundation. If we are to succeed in our goal to be for and with St. Louis, it must be a two-way street. We are committed to doing our part, and I am convinced that together we can make a great difference in economic opportunity in St. Louis in the years ahead.

In his new role, Webber will be responsible for developing and implementing the WashU Compact, a commitment between the university and the greater St. Louis region as the university looks to strengthen its community partnerships. He will have primary responsibility for university initiatives and units that are most directly focused on the St. Louis community and university planning, including the Office of the University Architect and Planner; the Academy for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Edison Theatre; the Institute for School Partnership; the university ombudsman; real estate operations and development; capital projects; sustainability; and the Washington University Police Department.

He will share responsibility for the Office of Community and Government Affairs with the chancellor, and hell share responsibility for the Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement and University College with the provost. Among his first priorities will be to initiate a universitywide planning process, to be informed by and closely coordinated with the universitys strategic plan, which will include a significant focus on engagement with the St. Louis community.

Since coming to Washington University in 2008, Webber has led the development of the universitys real estate master plan; administrative cost-efficiency strategy; long-term housing strategy; and sustainability master plans; and he leads, along with the provost and chief financial officer, the university budget process. He has played a leading role and serves as board chair of Cortex, a 200-acre urban technology redevelopment district that is home to 425 companies and 6,200 jobs, and the growth of the KIPP charter school network in St. Louis.

I have been encouraged and inspired by Washington Universitys aspiration to be not only in St. Louis, but for St. Louis. It has been clear from the start that there is great sincerity and conviction in that goal, said Sam Fiorello, president and chief executive officer of Cortex. The university is a tremendous asset in our region, and if we are to achieve our collective goal of making St. Louis a better place for all of our citizens, it is extremely important for us to work together to derive solutions and create opportunities.

On a personal note, I know Hank Webber to be a smart and passionate leader who understands the nuances of what we are trying to accomplish, such as strengthening and growing our workforce, training entrepreneurs and, importantly, being more intentional in our desire to become a more diverse and inclusive region. I am so pleased that he will be focusing more of his energy and talent to bring to bear Washington Universitys considerable resources and excellence for the betterment of our region.

Webber, who also is a professor of practice at the Brown School and the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, is a nationally recognized expert in community engagement and development. As a faculty member, he teaches courses on topics including urban development, health policy, strategic management and social welfare policy. His scholarly research has centered around community development, mixed-income housing, racial and income segregation and the role of anchor institutions in urban communities.

Prior to his appointment at Washington University in 2008, Webber spent 21 years at the University of Chicago, including as vice president for community and government affairs. Under his guidance, the University of Chicagos community affairs program was recognized in a national study as one of the dozen strongest programs in the United States.

Webber will continue to serve on several nonprofit boards in the St. Louis region, including as chair of the board of directors of Cortex. He also serves as chair of the board of the Washington University Medical Center Redevelopment Corp. and Invest STL, the St. Louis regional community-development initiative. He is on the boards of directors of Forest Park Forever, Downtown Partnership, Provident, RISE and the Jewish Federation of St. Louis. He previously served on the board of directors of Shorebank, the largest community development bank in the United States.

A graduate of Brown University, Webber earned a masters degree in public policy from Harvard Universitys John F. Kennedy School of Government.

A search committee will be formed to identify candidates to succeed Webber in his current role. In the meantime, he will continue to lead most of the key areas in his portfolio.

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Washington University bolsters its promise to St. Louis community - Washington University in St. Louis Newsroom

SIUE Receives 2020 Higher Education Excellence In Diversity Award – RiverBender.com

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EDWARDSVILLE Southern Illinois University Edwardsville has received the 2020 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. SIUE joins a select group of 33 institutions that have earned the distinction for seven consecutive years.As a recipient of the annual HEED Award, a national honor recognizing U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion, SIUE will be featured along with 90 other recipients in the November 2020 edition of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine.

The HEED Award process consists of a comprehensive and rigorous application that includes questions relating to the recruitment and retention of students and employees and best practices for both continued leadership support for diversity, and other aspects of campus diversity and inclusion, said Lenore Pearlstein, publisher of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. We take a detailed approach to reviewing each application in deciding who will be named a HEED Award recipient. Our standards are high, and we look for institutions where diversity and inclusion are woven into the work being accomplished every day across their campuses.

INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine selected SIUE based on its exemplary diversity and inclusion initiatives, and the ability to embrace a broad definition of diversity on campus, including gender, race, ethnicity, veterans, people with disabilities, members of the LGBTQIA+ community and others.

SIUEs strong commitment to diverse programming, equitable practices, and our diversity and inclusion online learning community position the University as a model for the region, said Venessa A. Brown, PhD, associate chancellor and chief diversity officer. SIUE values and appreciates a diverse and inclusive campus community. We are intentional about discussing various issues in our state, region, nation and world that impact our campus culture.

Brown said SIUEs annual Diversity Day on Thursday, Oct. 15 will be delivered in a virtual environment for the first time.

SIUEs diversity programming during the 2019-20 academic year included: DiversityEdu Learning Courses for campus community members, Hispanic Heritage Month, the newly formed Anti-Racism Task Force, the continuing Implicit Bias Series, National Coming Out Day, the Inaugural Ed Roberts Champions of Accessibility Celebration Dinner, National Disability Employment Awareness Month and World AIDS Day.

For more information about the magazine, visit insightintodiversity.com

About INSIGHT Into Diversity

INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine is the oldest and largest diversity publication in higher education today and is well-known for its annual Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award, the only award recognizing colleges and universities for outstanding diversity and inclusion efforts across their campuses. In addition to its online job board, INSIGHT Into Diversity presents timely, thought-provoking news and feature stories on matters of diversity and inclusion across higher education and beyond. Articles include interviews with innovators and experts, as well as profiles of best practices and exemplary programs. Readers will also discover career opportunities that connect job seekers with institutions and businesses that embrace a diverse and inclusive workforce. Current, archived, and digital issues of INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine are available online at insightintodiversity.com.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high quality, affordable education that prepares them for successful careers and lives of purpose to shape a changing world. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi Rivers rich bottomland and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis, the SIUE campus is home to a diverse student body of more than 13,000.

Photo: Venessa A. Brown, PhD, SIUE associate chancellor and chief diversity officer.

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SIUE Receives 2020 Higher Education Excellence In Diversity Award - RiverBender.com

Why Im leaving The Forward to become a rabbi – Forward

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My grandparents were concerned for my safety amidst a steady rise in attacks. My parents worried about long hours with little gratitude. My brother warned of trends indicating I was entering an unstable and shrinking job market.

I decided to become a journalist anyway.

Working at The Forward was the fulfillment of a childhood dream, ever since I did a fourth-grade book report on a collection of letters to A Bintel Brief. That book sat in a place of honor on my desk back when I still had a desk, when we still had an office, when we didnt fully understand how much our actions affect each other, and how much we need community.

Now, after three and a half years at The Forward and seven in the business, Im leaving journalism to go to rabbinical school. I start next week as one of 17 members of the Jewish Theological Seminary class of 2025.

I began exploring the idea of becoming a rabbi after two profound spiritual experiences I had on assignment: at morning minyan in Pittsburgh the day after the synagogue shooting that killed 11 in 2018, and during Kabbalat Shabbat at an Air Force base in Texas three months later. On both occasions, though I was there as an outside observer, I was struck by the power of intentional community, the invisible alchemy of holy togetherness that unites friends and strangers who feel an ancient, indescribable longing to connect to God and, even more importantly, to each other. As we know from the rules of a minyan, the quorum that Jewish law requires for certain prayers and as weve especially realized this year doing Jewish is incomplete if not done together.

Im embarking on this journey for the same reason I came to The Forward in the first place: I love Jews, I love learning, and I want to use what I learn to serve the community I love.

Being a Jewish journalist allowed me to learn from Jews every day. From college students and seasoned political insiders, from grassroots activists and nonprofit executives, from mavens and machers and moochers and meshuggeners, I learned how the world works for Jews and how the Jewish world works and often, how it doesnt. Id like to think Rabbi Ben Zoma was thinking of journalists when he asked, Who is wise? One who learns from everyone. (He was definitely thinking of journalists on Twitter when he asked, Who is strong? One who controls his impulses.)

I hope to take what I have learned, and what I will learn, and help build and grow the types of intentional Jewish communities like those I encountered in Pittsburgh and Texas, like those Ive reported about at universities, summer camps, protests and synagogues of every denomination and size.

Although Im committing to five years of classes, the stakes are anything but academic. As Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote, We are either the last, the dying, Jews or else we are those who will give new life to our tradition.

Image by Courtesy

The author, slightly younger

This has been true of every generation. But now, the chief challenge preventing new life from emerging is caused not by antisemitism or assimilation, but by the very Jews who claim to be acting in our interests and as our leaders.

I do not believe the tropes that Millennial and Gen Z Jews are not joiners, that they only care about universalist ideas, that Jewish concerns are of minor or no importance to them. Young Jews not only want to build Jewish communities, they are building Jewish communities.

Many of these communities are on social media, but thats reality for generations that never had life without the internet.

And such community-building is also taking place IRL. The growth of independent minyanim is the most obvious religious example, but what surprises everyone I talk to is that Jewish life is thriving on college campuses nationwide both through traditional avenues like Hillel and Greek houses, and in hundreds if not thousands of student-created endeavors. Take it from a creator of the countrys only independent Jewish college guide: The notion that theres a crisis of antisemitism on campus preventing Jews from feeling safe, let alone thriving, is a lie peddled by unscrupulous groups hustling for donations by telling scared bubbes and zaydes that only those organizations can protect their grandkids.

Why does this narrative persist? Because the American Jewish donor class is more focused on Israel than on American Jewry.

The most important article the Forward published this decade was by a colleague who found that the largest share of donations to American Jewish causes 38% of a $26 billion pie went to pro-Israel advocacy. Only 16%, less than half that, went to Jewish education.

There is no Jewish future without Jewish education, but donors have decided to instead spend our inheritance (you could call it a birthright) on defending Israel from the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement a campaign that even the Israeli government admits poses no threat to its economy rather than prioritizing the development of strong Jewish identities in the coming generations.

It brings to mind the story of Yiftach, the biblical judge who vowed that if God helped him save Israel from the Ammonites, he would sacrifice the first thing he saw when he returned home. Israel was indeed saved, but the sacrifice turned out to be his only child, who had run out to greet him.

Midrash Tanchuma says that Yiftach could have undone his vow if he had just gone to the High Priest for help but Yiftach thought the priest was an ignoramus, and the priest thought Yiftach was an idiot, so the worlds two most powerful Jewish leaders refused to cooperate with each other and the next generation was burned to ashes.

Studies have repeatedly shown that sending children to Jewish day schools and summer camps are the most effective ways of inculcating Jewish practices and identity, even when controlling for their parents involvement in Jewish life. Non-Orthodox day school graduates are twice as likely as public-school students to join a synagogue; summer camp kids are 21% more likely to feel that being Jewish is very important to them.

But these institutions are financially out of reach often unworthy of even consideration for all but the wealthiest Jews.

No way of life or world-outlook can long survive the stigma of being a class affair, Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan warned in 1934. Clearly, we havent listened.

If Jewish leaders want the coming generations to grow and thrive, they should underwrite Jewish day schools and summer camps to make them tuition-free. And since many parents will still prefer their children get a public-school experience, those leaders should also underwrite synagogues to make their Sunday schools tuition-free.

Ironically, the only prominent figures who appear to understand the importance of widely-available American Jewish education are Russian-Israeli leaders Avigdor Liberman and Natan Sharansky, who have repeatedly proposed that the Israeli government provide hundreds of millions of dollars in grants for U.S. day schools. You could read this cynically and see politicians concerned that the decline of American Judaism would mean a decline in American political and financial support for Israel. But it can just as easily be seen as Jews who fled countries with no Jewish future, alarmed by the prospect of American Jews choosing not to invest in their own future.

And even if some American Jewish megadonors truly only cared about defending Israel, the most effective way to do so would still be investing in Jewish education, rather than subsidizing campus BDS battles that are largely symbolic since, despite the outcomes of student votes, no university has yet actually divested.

Jewish students from Brown University

One of the countrys most prominent Jewish philanthropists recently tweeted, About 70% of Jews do not identify as Jewstheir new religion is Leftism. With that kind of attitude, its logical to single-mindedly support Israel as the eventual sole remnant of Judaism.

But that would mean missing not just the awe-inspiring determination of American Jews of all ages and incomes to maintain the established institutions they love despite unprecedented difficulties, but also the amazing new communities being built: on Jewbook and Jwitter, in independent minyanim and Jewish student networks, in non-traditional Daf Yomi study groups, through all sorts of experimental Zoom experiences, and most especially, in the incredible waves of social-justice activism that are proudly and consciously Jewish.

That includes perhaps especially includes IfNotNow.

Ive reported on this group and associated movements since they launched in 2014, and Im around the same age (and share the same day-school background) of many of their founders and leaders. Now that Im leaving journalism, I can openly say that I strongly disagree with most of IfNotNows statements and tactics.

But I also believe that IfNotNow, and the young Jews who have found a home in and around it, is a tremendous net positive for American Jewry. Because unlike past generations of Jewish leftists radicalized by Israeli depredations, this group refuses to check their Judaism at the door. They demand to be seen as proud Jews acting in the spirit of Jewish tradition and they are.

While some IfNotNow members are able to feel comfortable in established Jewish institutions that officially either despise or ignore them, many more feel alienated. Most are yearning to be accepted as they are by the broader Jewish community to be granted just enough tolerance to allow a sense of belonging from a family that they long to be part of even as they recoil from many of its mores (in other words, a family).

Jewish institutions that are interested in growing should do everything they can to make this generation of leftists feel welcome. This is not as difficult as it may seem. Chabad did not become the most successful Jewish movement of the last 50 years by telling Jews they disagree with to shove it. Instead, they say very clearly, This is what we believe, and we wont compromise on our values, but you are our family and are always welcome here.

Image by Photo: Gili Getz

IfNotNow Protests

I dont know if it will be possible to fully synthesize IfNotNow followers into broader institutions, to build not a big tent but a web that connects us all toward a common purpose even as we occupy different strands. And the tension goes both ways theres always been a bit of a disconnect on the Jewish left between those who merely want the establishment to respect their views and those who demand that the establishment adopt their views.

But if our institutions become more accessible not just financially, but also by being less machmir about who is and isnt kosher they will be opening the doors to thousands of young, creative, vibrant people who feel Jewish in their kishkes and want to build a brighter Jewish future for themselves and their future Jewish children.

Lots of people know the story of Honi the Circle-Maker, the Talmudic figure who once asked an old man why he was planting a tree he would never live to see blossom. Just as my ancestors planted for me, I too am planting for my descendants, the planter says. Honi then falls asleep for 70 years, and when he wakes up, he sees that the planters grandson is enjoying the fruits of that tree. Its a cute fable with an important message.

But most people dont know the rest of the story.

Honi then starts looking for his own grandson. He tells townspeople that he is Honi, but no one believes him. He goes to his beloved study hall, where he hears students praise him as a legendary scholar. But when he tries to explain that he is the famous Honi, hes jeered out of the building. Honi is so despondent that he dies.

This tale, a rabbi named Rava explains, is actually meant to explain the origin of a saying: Either friendship, or death.

The word for friendship in the saying, chevruta, is also the word for a study partner. So the phrase could just as easily be, Either education, or death.

Or, to read the story into the phrase in yet another way: Either community, or death.

Education and community-building: As a rabbi, this will be the work of my life. It will not be up to me alone to complete the tasks but neither am I free to abstain from them.

Aiden Pink is the deputy news editor of the Forward. Contact him at pink@forward.com or follow him on Twitter @aidenpink

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Why Im leaving The Forward to become a rabbi - Forward