Latest news with #Ginsberg
Chicago Tribune
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Evanston teacher preps discrimination complaint as advocates say appeals for Palestinian human rights are squelched
At an Evanston event Sunday, a teacher shared his experience of getting sanctioned by Evanston Township High School for displaying a poster that urges Jews to dissent when they feel it is morally necessary, and other speakers said they feel Evanston schools have censored their right to speak when they tried to advocate for human rights for Palestinians. Speakers with affiliations to Northwestern University and Evanston Township High School, community members and parents gathered at Lake Street Church to discuss several instances where they felt their voices had been suppressed when they spoke out advocating for Palestinian human rights. One of the speakers, Evanston Township High School history teacher Andrew Ginsburg, spoke about how ETHS has sanctioned him twice: once for displaying an image calling for Jewish people to dissent when necessary, and once again for displaying a letter explaining that the first image was removed at the behest of the school district. The letter called the removal of the poster an act of censorship. In response to the sanctions he has received, he said he plans to submit a federal civil rights complaint against the school. Ginsberg, who is Jewish and advocates for Palestinians' human rights, told Pioneer Press that he has done no wrong, despite his job at the high school hanging in the balance after receiving the two warnings. '[The district] has taught us to be relevant to the kids. They've taught us that you can't get the kids to share stuff about their lives if you don't share stuff about your life. I think I've been consistent with that, and I'm being punished for it,' Ginsberg said. The original poster Ginsburg displayed was a drawing of a shiviti amulet that Jewish artist Liora Ostroff created for the magazine Jewish Currents. The drawing was influenced by an essay titled 'Dissent' by Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who wrote, according to several sources, 'Dissent is indigenous to Judaism.' Ginsberg and his attorney, Rima Kapitan, plan to file a complaint to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, alleging that the school discriminated against him based on his religious identity. 'We feel that the school is violating his First Amendment right and also Title VII of the Civil Rights Act,' Kapitan said. Though his situation has received some attention from Evanstonians, Ginsburg said it is not unique, and that other people in Evanston, including Jews, have also felt backlash and repercussions for advocating for Palestinian human rights. 'This has happened to other teachers. This is happening at Northwestern [and] all over the place. This is happening in the city,' Ginsberg said. 'We like to talk about how progressive we are up here, but when it comes to Palestine… all the institutions in the city have gone out of their way to silence everybody (who) wants to talk about Palestine.' Speakers at the panel represented several Evanston institutions, including the Evanston Public Library, Northwestern University and Skokie/Evanston School District 65. 'You can't talk about Palestine in elementary school, you can't talk about Palestine in high school, and you can't talk about Palestine at college,' said co-host of the panel and former Evanston Librarian Lesley Williams. Last October a student group at Northwestern University, Jewish Voice for Peace Northwestern, celebrated the Jewish holiday of Sukkot at Deering Meadow. The group set up a structure with banners that read, 'Gaza Solidarity Sukkah' and 'Stop Arming Israel.' The group intended to celebrate the holiday for the entire week, but was ordered to leave after a few hours. Northwestern University's Vice President of Global Marketing and Communications Jon Yates told Pioneer Press then that Jewish Voice for Peace did not get its event application approved, and that the group's temporary structure did not follow the university's display policy. But the university's efforts to enforce its own code of conduct and display policy went further than that night, according to Isabelle Butera, a member of the Northwestern chapter of the Jewish Voice for Peace. 'We tried again to do this in compliance with these new restrictions, and we were told again that this was in violation, that we could all be facing expulsion, and that it was very clearly implied to us that the reason we were in violation is because our sukkah had a banner on it that said, 'Stop arming Israel' and 'Gaza Solidarity Sukkah,'' she said. 'Since then, a number of us have been placed on disciplinary probation. I graduated in June, and my probation is not up until September… Our club was put on probation,' Butera said. Shirin Vossoughi, a professor at the university, said Northwestern has a history of creating a 'repressive environment' when it comes to discussing Palestine, and it existed before Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack against Israel. The university's practice of doing so was exacerbated after the university updated its code of conduct, she said. 'I think the fundamental question for me as an educator is, 'What does it mean for our educational institutions to contradict the mission of the university to such a degree?'' she said. 'We want our students to interpret evidence. We want our students to stand up against moral injustices… They're [the students] punished, and I feel like what we've done essentially is sacrifice some of our education principles and mission in order to protect a state that is enacting genocide,' Vossoughi said. Northwestern University President Michael Schill is slated to appear for a second time before a congressional committee over alleged antisemitism on campus, according to a June 30 Chicago Tribune article. The committee chair, U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, a Michigan Republican, accused Northwestern of failing to fulfill its commitment to protect Jewish students. Reine Hanna, Evanston Township High School District 202's director of communications, told Pioneer Press the district does not comment on matters related to personnel. Yates, of Northwestern, did not respond to a request for comment after Sunday's event. As of last month, upwards of 55,000 Palestinians had been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, according to Chicago Tribune sources. The war began when Hamas-led fighters killed around 1,200 people, mostly Jewish civilians, in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack and abducted 251 hostages, according to sources. Israel says 58 hostages remain in captivity, with about 23 of them said to be alive, according to previously published reporting. The U.N. human rights office says it has recorded 613 Palestinians killed within a month in Gaza while trying to obtain food, according to Tribune sources. Previously, international humanitarian nonprofits oversaw food distribution, but the Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has taken over.
CNBC
27-06-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Look for S&P 500 rally to continue into mid-July, says chart analyst
The S & P 500 could continue to rally for the next few weeks, according to Wolfe Research. "We continue to get asked how much further this rally might run before consolidating. Our thinking has been mid to late July — right in time for the start of second-quarter earnings season and the typical seasonal peak," technical analyst Rob Ginsberg wrote Thursday. Stocks have been on a tear in recent weeks, with the S & P 500 surging more than 20% since reaching a low in April. Equities took a hit on fears that President Donald Trump's tariff policies would hurt corporate profits, slow the economy and maybe lift inflation. .SPX YTD bar SPX year to date Trade pressures have since eased, sending stocks to within a whisker of record levels. The S & P 500 entered Friday's session just 0.1% below its all-time intraday high set in February. S & P 500 futures were up around 0.2%, signaling a new record will be set at the open. Ginsberg also noted that the grind back to record highs comes as large speculators take out larger short positions, betting that prices will fall. The analyst said short positions on S & P 500 futures are at their highest levels since the first quarter of 2024. "If the VIX breaks support and large specs start covering, that could be the fuel for some near-term capitulation in the weeks ahead" and fuel more market gains, Ginsberg said, referring to the Volatility Index that's traded on the Chicago Board Options Exchange. The VIX, which briefly touched 60 in early April, has tumbled all the way back to 16.23 at Thursday's close. Elsewhere Friday morning on Wall Street, Citizens JMP Securities upgraded Google-parent Alphabet , calling for more than 20% upside on the stock citing benefits from artificial intelligence. "We believe AI is a net tailwind, with ChatGPT's impact too small today to move enough queries away from Google to materially impact results, while AI is expanding the search opportunity by answering a broader array of queries and extending monetization as AI better infers user intent," analyst Andrew Boone wrote in a note published Thursday.
Eater
11-06-2025
- Business
- Eater
One of New York's Most Acclaimed Restaurant Groups Nabs Longtime Soho Bistro
The fast-growing restaurant group, renamed for the late Jamal James Kent, has signed a lease in what had been SoHo's Bistro Les Amis for 28 years. The Substack newsletter Feed Me first reported the news on Jun 10. A source confirms to Eater that the project at 180 Spring Street, at Thompson Street, comes from Kent Hospitality's bar director, Harrison Ginsberg. It will steer toward a casual, neighborhood spot with a focus on drinks, a pivot from the corner bistro's French legacy. The group hasn't yet revealed a name. Bistro Les Amis, run by Roy Ibrahim, which closed at the end of May after nearly three decades in business, was a SoHo mainstay. It was known for its French onion soup, unfussy elegance, and late-night service. It opened in 1998, before the neighborhood was saturated with flagships and influencer-friendly cafes, and maintained a local following even as the surrounding retail landscape shifted. Over a decade after it opened, Time Out pointed to the 'worn cherry bar' as a perch for Spring Street locals in a place that was 'not exactly groundbreaking, but we'd happily linger on Les Amis' turf, however familiar.' Since Kent's death last year, the restaurants from Kent Hospitality group have shifted to reflect emerging leaders, with Michelin-starred Crown Shy overseen by Jassimran Singh, two-star Saga overseen by Charlie Mitchell, and World's 50 Best bar with a spectacular view, Overstory from Ginsberg. The group has continued to grow with Time and Tide in the Flatiron, with Top Chef winner Danny Garcia running the kitchen. The team's largest undertaking yet has been overseeing the operations for several hospitality projects inside the Financial District's glossy new department store, Printemps, including Maison Passerelle and Salon Vert — both overseen by James Beard winner Gregory Gourdet. They're also behind the newly opened Birdee, the Brooklyn bakery in the Domino development from Renata Ameni. Earlier this year, the Times reported that Billy Durney, of Hometown Bar-B-Que and Red Hook Tavern acclaim, has taken on investment from Kent Hospitality, and will open a restaurant with the group at 9 West 57th Street. It was formerly Cucina 8 ½ until it closed in January. Over in Soho, the as-yet-named project will lean on Ginsberg's professional cred, which gained momentum at Fidi's Irish-leaning cocktail destination, the Dead Rabbit. Before that, he helped open Crown Shy in 2019 and signed on to oversee cocktails for the restaurant group. He's now steering the Spring Street build-out, giving new life to one of SoHo's most enduring spaces. See More: Coming Attractions NYC Restaurant Openings
CNBC
04-06-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Financial stocks seem to be losing momentum and show signs of weakness
One sector that was seen as a potential winner of the Trump administration is starting to cool, even as some of the projected benefits seem to be materializing. Wolfe Research analyst Rob Ginsberg wrote in a note to clients that financials are showing signs of weakness. The group is still outperforming the S & P 500 year to date, but the gap has been closing in recent weeks. "The sector peaked on a relative basis in April and has been leaking lower since. The most concerning group in our view? Capital Market names," Ginsberg wrote, referring especially to financial exchanges and data companies. The analyst highlighted the SPDR S & P Capital Markets ETF (KCE) , which has fallen in five of the past six sessions and has triggered a sell signal in one of the technical analysis tools Wolfe tracks. KCE 1M mountain This ETF focused on capital markets stocks dipped since the middle of May. Curiously, the struggles for financial stocks come just as the IPO market is showing signs of life and merger activity has started to regain its footing despite tariff uncertainty. And, in addition to Wall Street power players, the KCE also includes brokerage stocks like Robinhood and Coinbase that should, in theory, see a boost from the deregulation of crypto. All those areas were seen as reasons to be bullish on the group after November's election. The recent struggles could be a sign that the upside has been priced in, with some investors now looking to sell in the event of positive news. Wells Fargo is a potential example of this. On Tuesday, the Federal Reserve made the long-awaited move to lift the asset cap on the bank, allowing Wells Fargo to push for growth. However, the stock gave back all of its morning gains to close lower on Wednesday and is well off its highs of the year, reached in February. WFC YTD mountain Wells Fargo is trading below its highs of the year even after the Federal Reserve lifted the bank's asset cap. "With the steady underperformance of Banks in mind as well, Financials just does not look like one of the more appealing sectors currently," Ginsberg wrote.
CNBC
04-06-2025
- Business
- CNBC
The setup is ‘compelling' for these two real estate stocks, Wolfe says – and they pay big dividend yields
The real estate sector has been a lackluster performer in recent weeks, but some dividend-paying stocks in the group could be showing signs of promise, according to Wolfe Research. While the S & P 500 was up more than 6% in May, the real estate sector only advanced about 0.9% in that time. Real estate's performance last month coincided with a volatile period for longer-dated Treasurys, including the 10-year note, as investors grappled with shakiness around tariff policy and deficit worries as the House of Representatives cleared a massive tax and spending bill . The 10-year Treasury is closely tied to the real estate sector, as a spike in yields raises borrowing costs and hurts returns on real estate investments. But even as the real estate sector has had a rough go, one corner of the market is standing out. "A more diluted group that intrigues us is Office [real estate investment trusts]," wrote Wolfe Research managing director and technical analyst Rob Ginsberg in a May 30 report. Indeed, the S & P 500's office REIT sub-industry group was up more than 5% in May – its first winning month in 2025. "[T]he group is starting to come around nicely following months of aggressive underperformance," Ginsberg added, noting that two names in particular are seeig "compelling setups." COPT Defense Properties Ginsberg called out COPT Defense Properties , noting that once the stock punches through its 200-day moving average of $29, its November high at $34 will be "the only thing left in its path." COPT Defense ended Tuesday's trading at $27.56. Shares are off more than 11% in 2025, and pay a current dividend yield of 4.4%. COPT Defense, based in Maryland, has a tenant base that includes U.S. government agencies and defense contractors. It also owns and operates more than 30 data centers. Earlier this year, the REIT lifted its quarterly dividend by 3.4%, a move that caught the attention of Wedbush analyst Richard Anderson. "The company confidently raised the dividend as results are beating essentially every guidance building block," he said in a May 12 report. Anderson rates COPT outperform. "Bigger picture, even though CDP appears protected from [Department of Government Efficiency] cuts and other military forced departures, we think the market [sees] the company as too close for comfort," he added. "Assuming CDP continues to perform, we expect it to shake that stigma." Wall Street also likes the name, with most analysts rating it a buy or strong buy, according to LSEG, and the consensus price target calling for 15% upside. Highwoods Properties Ginsberg also highlighted North Carolina-based Highwoods Properties , which owns and manages real estate in business districts in major Sunbelt cities, including Atlanta, Charlotte and Orlando. The key level for investors to watch is the $30.50 mark – Highwoods' 200-day moving average, Ginsberg said. Once the stock tops that, it would open a "sizable runway to the high $30s," he added. Shares ended Tuesday at $30.31. Highwoods' stock is off about 1% in 2025, and it pays a dividend yield of 6.6%. "We see the set-up into FY26-27 as promising but still see some execution risk and remain Neutral," Mizuho analyst Vikram Malhotra said in a report last week after meeting with Highwoods' CFO Brendan Maiorana. Malhotra noted that the South is still benefiting from migration trends, which is lifting office demand in Highwoods' markets. "Getting back to steady 'mid-single-digit' cash flow growth combined with a well-covered 7% dividend is the opportunity for investors," the analyst added. Analysts largely rate the company a hold, and the consensus price target sees just 1% upside from current levels, according to LSEG. —CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed reporting.
