Donald H. Harrison

Extended exchange program for Arab, Jewish elementary school pupils spurs mutual empathy

TEL AVIV (Press Release) —A new Tel Aviv University study published in the August 2016 issue of the Journal of School Psychology reports on a new system that creates sustainable tolerance while combating racism and prejudice. The Extended Class Exchange Program (ECEP) is geared to third- and fourth-grade Israeli Jewish and Israeli Palestinian students. The […]

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Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education

Fetuses whose parents were traumatized, malnourished may develop more severe form of schizophrenia

HAIFA, Israel (Press Release)– Results of a new study at the University of Haifa have found no difference in the risk of developing schizophrenia between second-generations Holocaust survivors and those whose parents were not exposed to the Holocaust.  However, an examination of various sub-groups showed that second-generation survivors whose parents were babies during the Holocaust are

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International, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education

Canada’s Female Athlete of the Half-Century is Jewish

By Joe Spier CALGARY, Alberta, Canada — Who was the only Jewish person featured on a Canadian postage stamp? Don’t know – here’s a hint. She was an Olympic Games multi-medal winner. Still don’t know – another hint. She was named Canada’s woman athlete of the half-century. Give up – then read on. Fanny “Bobbie”

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International, Jewish History, Sports & Competitions

Mideast political theater is a fig leaf for the status quo

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The status quo usually works. It derives from years of experience, and the learned accommodation of different interests to one another. Not all are happy. Those feeling deprived, and those feeling that features of the status quo are not appropriate demand change, but usually it’s not easy to change things

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

World’s oldest man plans to mark birthday in Israel with bar mitzvah

Tel Aviv (dpa) – The world’s oldest man, who turned 113th on Thursday, plans to mark his birthday by celebrating his bar mitzvah in the Israeli city of Haifa about a century later than most people, his daughter told dpa. About 100 family members are expected to attend his belated bar mitzvah, which is expected

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Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East

Michael A. Lindenberger: Trump campaign exposes media’s structural weaknesses

The longer this campaign lasts, the more I’m ready to believe Donald Trump is the Slim Shady of modern political journalism. He’s been sent here to destroy us. Either that, or he’s glommed onto the fatal weakness at its heart — and is doing whatever he can to let it destroy itself. Whatever the case,

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USA

Cautious optimism as Peres shows signs of improvement after stroke

Former president Shimon Peres likely suffered “serious damage” to his brain after being hit by a major stroke, but is stable and no longer appears to face an immediate threat to his life, his doctors said Wednesday morning. Prof. Rafi Walden, Peres’s son-in-law and personal physician, told reporters the statesman’s condition may have even improved

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Middle East

Turns out it was the bears, not the scientists, trapped on Russian island

BERLIN — Five Russian scientists trapped by more than a dozen polar bears for two weeks used a shipment of flares and air horns to free themselves this week, according to Russian and European news reports. Because of the endangered status of polar bears, the scientists were willing to use only non-lethal methods to scare

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International, The World We Share

US and Russia extend ceasefire in Syria, aid remains delayed

Washington/Beirut (dpa) – The United States and Russia have ageed to extend the current ceasefire in the Syria conflict by 48 hours, while much-needed aid continues to remain undistributed. US Secretary of State John Kerry Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed on the extension in a telephone call, Kerry’s spokesman Mark Toner said

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International, Middle East, USA

Poll: Most Texans oppose Donald Trump’s plan to build a border wall

AUSTIN, Texas — A majority of Texans oppose GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump’s signature idea to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, even as immigration is most often cited by Texans as the biggest issue facing the state. Those were among the top findings of a new survey released Wednesday by the Texas Lyceum,

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USA

American trust in news media falls to lowest level in history: Gallup poll

A major pollster has some stark news: “Americans’ trust and confidence in the mass media ‘to report the news fully, accurately and fairly’ has dropped to its lowest level in Gallup polling history, with 32 percent saying they have a great deal or fair amount of trust in the media. This is down eight percentage

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USA