Following are streaming Jewish programs of academic and general interest from Sunday, Dec. 6, through Friday, Dec. 11. All times are Pacific Standard Time. (Laurie Baron, Ph.D)
Streaming Jewish Programs (Dec. 6-12, 2020) Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lawrence Baron, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA
US President-elect Joe Biden slammed Donald Trump’s Iran strategy and reiterated his intention to prevent the Islamic Republic from developing nuclear weapons in a new televised interview. “The bottom line is that we can’t allow Iran to get nuclear weapons,” Biden told CNN’s Jake Tapper. “He has pulled out to get something tougher, and what
Biden says Trump policies allowed Iran to increase nuclear material Read More »
Middle East, USA
In “Isresilience,” we meet 15 Israelis who overcame difficult challenges in their lives and went on to praiseworthy accomplishments. The sketches are of Israeli sabras and olim, men and women, young and old. Through the entire narrative, authors Dickson, who is executive director of StandWithUs in Israel, and Baum, a PhD known for her studies of resilience, examine how these Israelis were able to overcome the obstacles that life put in their way. They suggest that there are three important ingredients to resilience: empathy, flexibility, and meaning making, which might be better understood as a sense of purpose. [Donald H. Harrison]
Authors Tell Stories of 15 Israelis’ Resilience Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Middle East
WASHINGTON – Jewish Democrats congratulated Gregory Meeks of New York on Thursday after being elected as the next chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Meeks will replace Eliot Engel, a staunch supporter of Israel, who lost his primary reelection bid and will not serve in the next Congress.“I congratulate my dear friend Greg Meeks
Jewish Democrats welcome Meeks’ appt. as chair of Foreign Affairs Cmte. Read More »
Middle East, USA
Goods coming to Bahrain from the Israeli-occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights will be labeled as “Made in Israel”, the country’s Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister Zayed bin Rashid Al-Zayani said on Thursday. “Without going into details and border lines, Israeli products or services… will be treated like Israeli,” Al-Zayani said according
Bahrain to allow occupied West Bank goods to be labeled as ‘Made in Israel’ Read More »
Middle East
The Israeli government on Thursday urged its citizens to avoid travel to the Gulf states of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, citing threats of Iranian attacks. The travel advisory comes as Iran is threatening to attack Israeli targets following the assassination of its top nuclear scientist last Friday. Iran accuses Israel of being behind
Israel urges citizens to avoid Gulf, cites Iran threat Read More »
Middle East
Three hundred sixteen olim (immigrants) arrived in Israel Thursday morning from Ethiopia, with another 100 landing tomorrow, as part one of “Operation Zur Israel.” The operation follows the Government of Israel’s decision in October of this year to approve the Aliyah (immigration) of 2,000 members of the Ethiopian community, many of whom have been waiting for decades to move to Israel and reunite with their families. Minister of Aliyah and Integration Pnina Tamano-Shata and Chairman of the Executive of The Jewish Agency for Israel Isaac Herzog, along with the Ministry of Interior, are overseeing the operation. [Jewish Agency for Israel]
316 Ethiopian Jews Arrive in Israel to Official Welcome Read More »
International, Middle East
The Czech Republic plans to boost the status of its mission in Jerusalem without moving its embassy, Prague announced on Wednesday.The Czech Foreign Ministry said the new office will be part of “efforts to further strengthen Czech-Israeli relations,” but emphasized that “this is not about opening a new embassy.”The diplomatic office is slated to be
Czech Republic to open ‘diplomatic office’ in Jerusalem Read More »
International, Middle East
Jews are now examining every Biden appointee with an eye towards rooting out anyone who is anti-Israel. The prickliest among us attack people if their views are simply different, as in those unhappy with the choice of Tony Blinken as Secretary of State because he supports a two-state solution (as does his boss), opposed sanctioning Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and spoke at the J Street conference. Of greater concern are appointees who appear genuinely anti-Israel. One who has already drawn attention is Reema Dodin, a Palestinian American appointed as Biden’s deputy director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs. In 2002, she said that Palestinian “suicide bombers were the last resort of a desperate people” and was involved in protests calling on the California University system to divest from Israel. She also complained that Palestinians were portrayed as “villains in the media” when they were “suffering” and “oppressed.” [Mitchell Bard]
Sometimes, we Jews can be oversensitive Read More »
Middle East, USA
President Obama viewed Israel as a colonial force, an outsider, occupying Arab-Muslim lands. And that perspective colored his foreign policy.That is not President-elect Biden’s perspective. He is not going to rush off to Cairo and make a big-splash speech. Israel and the Middle East will not be a top priority for action by a Biden
Why Joe Biden’s Middle East and Israel policy is not Obama’s Read More »
Middle East, USA
Lebanon’s president said Wednesday he wants maritime border talks with Israel to succeed and that disagreements during the last round of negotiations can be resolved based on international law.President Michel Aoun spoke during a meeting with John Desrocher, the US mediator for the negotiations, who was in Beirut for discussions with Lebanese leaders.The fourth round
Lebanon’s president expresses hope for Israel border talks Read More »
Middle East
Recently I had an opportunity to brief a group of European diplomats and journalists on a variety of conflicts, with a focus on the Middle East. During the Q&A I was asked which of the region’s conflicts Biden should tackle first. Without much hesitation I said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, not only because it is over seven decades old, but because it is an increasingly intractable, explosive, and destabilizing situation, which reverberates throughout the Mideast, and several regional powers are exploiting it to serve their own national interests, which sadly contributes to its endurance. [Alon Ben-Meir, Ph.D]
Biden Could End the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Read More »
Alon Ben-Meir, International, Middle East, USA
The Islamic Republic of Iran has freed imprisoned Iranian Jew Mashallah Pesar Kohan, who was detained in 2017 for visiting his family members in Israel.George Haroonian, a prominent Iranian Jewish American, announced Sunday on social media that “Mashallah Pesar Kohan, a Jewish citizen, was released from prison in greater Tehran.”Karmel Melamed, an Iranian-American journalist and
Iran releases Jewish prisoner imprisoned for visiting Israeli family Read More »
Middle East
Israel’s Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz said on Tuesday his party will vote for an opposition bill to dissolve parliament, a move that could force a fourth election in under two years.Gantz’s centrist Blue and White party is currently the key partner in a precarious coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud.That coalition,
Israel’s Gantz says will back bill to dissolve parliament Read More »
Middle East