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Raz Segal, U of M Settle Out of Court
In 2024, the University of Minnesota enthusiastically selected Israeli historian Raz Segal as the new director of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. A few weeks later, two board members at the center quit in protest, upset that the Jewish-Israeli intellectual had penned an article, “A Textbook Case of Genocide,” for the progressive magazine Jewish Currents, where he deemed the current situation in Palestine as... well, just take a look at that title.
The job offer was rescinded. And a few months later the Stockton University professor penned another article, this one titled helpfully titled, “Accusing Israel of genocide cost me a job — just another example of a university failing Jews.”
Now, over two years later, Segal and the U have settled out of court. And while neither admit any wrongdoing, the school will be sending a fat check his way to the tune of $250K.
“We’re seeing an increase in this push and successful legal action against universities,” Segal tells Becky Z. Dernbach at Sahan Journal. “It’s possible to fight back and to be successful, and that shows many others that that’s a path that’s worth pursuing.”
Remembering Sue Zelickson, Local Food "Matriarch"
If there's one thing we've learned about Sue Zelickson from these remembrances in Minnesota Monthly and the Star Tribune (gift link), it's that this is a woman who could rock a pair of cool glasses.
And, perhaps more importantly, she was a "giant" in the Twin Cities food and philanthropy scene, "which is really saying something considering she was only 4’7″ tall," MM's Jason DeRusha writes. Zelickson, who died peacefully Friday at her Golden Valley home at age 91, grew up in south Minneapolis. She started exploring restaurants in between substitute teaching jobs in the city, the Strib's Sharyn Jackson writes, eventually turning that into a gig as the host of “Food for Thought” on WCCO Radio, which she'd helm for 25 years.
Zelickson also founded the Charlie Awards, which celebrate the Twin Cities restaurant community; edited 10 cookbooks; created the Kids Cafe program for the Boys and Girls Clubs; founded Women Who Really Cook; and won a James Beard Award, among many other achievements. RIP, SZ!
No One Was Safe
The U visa shows how the criminal justice system and the immigration system are supposed to interact. Crime victims who cooperate with local law enforcement may be eligible for this special visa, under the rationale that it’s in the public interest for all residents to not be afraid to work with the police.
But according to Madison McVan at the Minnesota Reformer, at least 75 people granted work permits and protection from deportation because of cooperation with the police were detained during Operation Metro Surge. Her story focuses on a few of these individuals, while documenting how the Trump regime’s disdain for the U visa process “undercuts a public safety tool created by Congress.”
And here’s some good news for those of us who’ve appreciated McVan’s work during and in the wake of Operation Metro Surge: She shared today that she’s at work on a book on that very topic.
First Kanopy, Now This?
Ideally, libraries should be open more, not less. But in 2027, that will not be the case in Hennepin County. In response to an instruction from the county to find “approximately $5 million in efficiencies” in its budget, the library board has submitted a proposal that cuts total hours by 7%, or about 140 hours per week.
To meet this goal, 15 libraries will close an additional day each week, while others will trim a few hours here and there. You can find a statement from the board, along with proposed new hours, here. The county still needs to approve this proposal for it to take effect. You don't have to ask us how we feel about libraries—we ran a whole damn love letter to them.
