Jewish news briefs: September 1, 2015

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Israeli government gives Arab sector $230 million in aid

(JNS.org) Israel’s Arab municipal councils will receive a one-time budgetary supplement of $230 million from the Israeli government before the end of the year.

There are a number of predominantly Arab towns and local councils in Israel, most of which are characterized by poor populations.

“The aid plan is a significant rectification and yet another step designed to integrate Israel’s Arab citizens into Israeli society as equals among equals,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday, Israel Hayom reported.

Israeli government support for Arab sector councils will increase by $38 million, with another $13 million allocated for the councils’ “development budgets.” Additionally, $89 million will be awarded to “outstanding local councils,” $34 million will be invested in “advancing plans for informal education in Arab councils,” and $38 million will be devoted to “strengthening personal security in Arab communities by means of police installations, city-without-violence programs, and assigning police personnel,” according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

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Two Israelis make MITs prestigious 35 Innovators Under 35 list

(JNS.org) Two Israelis made the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) prestigious “35 Innovators Under 35” list for 2015, which was published Monday.

Cigall Kadoch, 30, holds a doctorate from Stanford University and specializes in cancer research, with a focus on breast cancer. Gilad Evrony, 33, is a Harvard Medical School researcher who helped discover that brain cells sitting next to each other don’t always have the same genetic codes.

According to the MIT Technology Review, Evrony’s discovery “could provide insight into age-related cognitive decline and brain disorders such as epilepsy and schizophrenia.”
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Obama admits Iran sanctions relief danger in first interview with Jewish paper

(JNS.org) In the first exclusive interview President Barack Obama has granted to a Jewish news outlet since he took office, Obama acknowledged that some of the estimated financial relief Iran will gain from the removal of international sanctions as part of an implementation of the nuclear deal would likely “go into building up their military capability.”

But Obama told the Forward, “Iran’s annual defense budget is about $15 billion. The Gulf States, combined, spend about eight times that amount. Israel’s conventional military capacity far exceeds any Iranian capability, and you can’t compare the U.S. military to Iran. So the goal of this deal is to make sure that the one real game changer—nuclear weapons—is taken off the table.” Obama added that a future U.S. president would have “greater international legitimacy” if a decision is made to launch a military strike against Iran.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his view on the nuclear deal in a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, saying, “Iran will get hundreds of billions of dollars of sanctions relief and investments to fuel its aggression and terrorism in the Middle East, in North Africa and beyond that.”

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Second Temple-era stairs discovered in Jerusalem

(JNS.org) Archaeologists discovered a flight of stairs in the shape of a pyramid that is 2,000 years old in Jerusalem’s City of David National Park. The stairs were likely used by Jewish pilgrims traveling to the Second Temple.

The Israeli Antiquities Authority, the Nature and Parks Authority and the City of David Foundation discovered the stairs on the side of an ancient road from the same period. The stairs were also found to lead to an unusual podium.

“The structure exposed is unique,” said archaeologists Nahshon Szanton and Dr. Joe Uziel, the directors of the dig.

“We believe the structure was a kind of monumental podium that attracted the public’s attention when walking on the city’s main street,” they said.

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