International

First delegation of Israeli high-tech companies visits UAE to foster ties: reports

A delegation of leading Israeli high-tech companies are in the United Arab Emirates to establish a presence in the Gulf state, just weeks after the two countries formalised ties, according to Jewish Press.Representatives from more than a dozen tech companies are involved in the trip, including Secret Double Octopus, an Israeli software company specialising in […]

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Business & Finance, Middle East

Campa-Najjar tells stands on Mideast Peace, BDS

Congressional candidate Ammar Campa-Najjar, reacting to an unfavorable story carried about him by the Breitbard news organization, reiterated on Wednesday his support for a peaceful two-state solution for the Israelis and Palestinians, and his opposition to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Biden told of shameful U.S. relations with Nazis

Regardless of the outcome of next week’s election, former Vice President Joe Biden will have the distinction of being the first American presidential candidate to draw attention to the U.S. government’s shameful record of friendly relations with Nazi Germany in the 1930s. During the final presidential debate on October 22, President Donald Trump claimed that he has “a good relationship” with North Korea and argued that “having a good relationship with leaders of other countries is a good thing.” Former Vice President Biden retorted that “we had a good relationship with Hitler before he in fact invaded Europe.” [Rafael Medoff, Ph.D]

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International, Jewish History, USA

Erekat: a metaphor for the Palestinian Authority

Saeb Erekat has been the rumbustious voice of the Palestinian Authority for decades. While his people suffer, lingering in poverty under the misrule of the PLO-PA, Erekat lived the comfortable life, globetrotting around the world as the face of the Palestinian cause, narrated by him as a tale of victimhood and oppression. [Barry Shaw]

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Barry Shaw, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

The Election from Jewish Perspectives

Often politics is eschewed by rabbis because by its very nature it polarizes us. We often lose sight of the humanity of others, believing that “everyone’s entitled to MY opinion” or failing to believe that someone with diametrically opposed views is just as caring and compassionate a person as we are. Personally, I have experienced this on multiple fronts: in rabbinical school, where I was more conservative than the majority of my peers and in a previous synagogue where some felt I was a “bleeding heart liberal.” I take it in good stride, believing that if I displeasing people on multiple sides, I’m doing my job. [Rabbi Benjamin Herman]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA

WATCH: ‘Jews For Trump’ Rally In Manhattan Turns Violent During Clash With Anti-Trump Protestors

In New York City on Sunday, Jewish supporters of President Donald Trump got into physical fights during their rally, as they clashed violently with anti-Trump protestors. Eleven protestors were arrested by the police, but all but one have since been released from custody.Rudy Giuliani, the president’s lawyer and former mayor of New York City, was

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USA

Dianne Feinstein now in political hot water

Besides being angry at Republicans for pushing Barrett’s confirmation through — in contrast to the way they refused to act on former President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nomination of Merrick Garland — some left-wing Democrats are also angry at Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-California).  Like all other Democratic Senators, Feinstein was opposed to  Barrett, but unlike the rest of them, she congratulated Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) on the way he conducted hearings in the Senate Judiciary Committee.  Graham is in a tight reelection battle against Democrat Jaime Harrison, and some Democrats feel Feinstein’s friendliness toward Graham may hurt Harrison’s chances as well as those of Democrats hoping to flip the Senate from Republican to Democratic control.  [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Considering President Trump’s record …

The focus of Middle East peacemaking changed from requiring Israel to pay the Palestinians in the currency of statehood (“risks for peace”) to a request that the Arab States consider the economic and security needs of their own people in deciding whether and how to approach the State of Israel. The result is the Abraham Accords, broadly accepted by countries that have not signed; a new compact with Jordan; and feelers from other countries. The United States abandoned the untenable position of “neutral party” between Israel, which is our democratic ally, and the Palestinian Authority, which is not. The U.S. has moved to a position of honest broker, which is vastly more appropriate. U.S.-Israel security cooperation, grounded in our commonality, continues through the pandemic. [Shoshana Bryen]

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International, Middle East, Shoshana Bryen, USA

Jewish News from San Diego and Beyond

I’ve decided to change the name of my column from “Our Shtetl San Diego County” to “Jewish News from San Diego and Beyond.”  The reason probably is self-evident.  While much of the news that affects our readers occurs in San Diego, important stories with a bearing on our lives also come from other places as well, including Washington D.C., New York, Sacramento, Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv, to name just a few.  So the new column name allows me to be more inclusive in my coverage. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Trivia, Humor & Satire

Negligence of the Trump administration

When President Trump’s Chief of Staff Mark Meadows bluntly said “We’re not going to control the pandemic” it solidified the negligence of the Trump administration. There have been over 80,000 Americans infected and 1,000 deaths per day over the weekend from Covid and over 225,000 deaths since the pandemic began. We know Judaism’s primary value is pikuah nefesh, safeguarding life. To know measures which work to curb Covid, such as masking and social distancing, and deliberately not advocate, worse make fun of, people who wear them is negligence of the first degree. We know there are measures that can slow the spread yet the President’s chief of staff wants no part in them. [Rabbi Benjamin Herman]

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Jewish Religion, USA

Dutch Protestant Church ‘confesses’ antisemitism guilt

The Protestantse Kerk Nederland or PKN (Protestant Church in the Netherlands) announced that it will, for the first time, “confess” its guilt for contributing to a climate of anti-Semitism before, during, and after World War II. It will admit to falling short “in speaking and in silence, in acting and in not acting, in omitting, in attitude and in thoughts.” [Dorian de Wind]

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Dorian de Wind, International, Jewish History

Jewish trivia quiz: Rudy Giuliani

Rudy Giuliani, former New York City mayor and personal attorney to President Donald Trump, is in the news because of his controversial appearance in Sacha Baron Cohen’s new movie Borat Subsequent Moviefilm. In the film, Giuliani was being interviewed in a hotel room by Borat’s daughter, and at some point he put his hand in his pants (according to Giuliani he was tucking in his shirt). Rudy Giuliani once controversially said the following about someone who is Jewish: “I’m more of a Jew than [he/she] is.” Whom was he referring to? [Mark D. Zimmerman]

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Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

Satire: S.T.O.P.

Since Donald Trump has declared, “The only way we’re going to lose this election is if the election is rigged,” Given that he is infallible, Trump has stepped up efforts to thwart this rigging by creating a taskforce called STOP which is designed to prevent progressives from casting their ballots.  Though my connections within the deep state, I have obtained STOP’s plan for achieving its aim in the remaining days before the election. [Satire by Laurie Baron, Ph.D]

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Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

Good News from Israel (Oct. 25, 2020)

In the Oct. 25, 2020 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
–A hi-tech Israeli eye-test device could prevent millions from going blind.
–Seven of the top 25 women cybersecurity executives are Israeli.
–Sudan is to normalize ties with Israel.
–Israel is hosting the world’s largest desertification conference.
–An Israeli pipeline will bring oil from the UAE to Europe and Asia.
–An Israeli company is to build a huge on-land salmon farm in Nevada.
–A towering Israeli musical message of peace to Arab states.
–A coronavirus patient gets to see his son’s wedding, from his hospital window. [Michael Ordman]

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Michael Ordman, Middle East