Middle East

Sustainable development requires community consensus

How can we achieve sustainable development, not just globally, but specifically in Morocco? We must first consider what the central features of this development are. We must incorporate many factors in creative and innovative design: education, gender, ethics, economics, politics, culture, history, geography, finance, and technical aspects in order for sustainable projects to have enduring success. We also need to employ a participatory approach. We have learned over time through trial and error and observation of how development assistance has been institutionalized in the past 70 years that participation and sustainability are inextricably linked. [Yossef Ben-Meir]

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Middle East, Yossef Ben-Meir

Beth Jacob to begin highly regulated prayer sessions

Beth Jacob Congregation will hold outdoor weekday prayer services by reservation only beginning on Sunday morning, its rabbis and lay leaders announced.  No decision has yet been reached on resuming Shabbat services, which normally attract far larger crowds than weekday services. [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, USA

Now boarding: JNF’s virtual tours of Israel

With the latest predictions suggesting Israel’s tourism industry could lose up to $1.16 billion due to the COVID-19 crisis, Jewish National Fund-USA (JNF-USA) is helping Israeli tour guides through an innovative new “virtual travel” initiative. A group of San Diegans embarked on this novel experience and returned with wide eyes and open hearts. Led by JNF-USA First Lady and San Diego Board Member Lauren Lizerbram, the group “traveled” from north to south and saw unique and captivating Israeli sites. [Press Release from Jewish National Fund]

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Middle East, San Diego County

Webcasts reinforce tikkun olam

I zoomed in on two local webcasts today and although they dealt with different topics, they both made me feel good about belonging to a strong, caring Jewish community.  I was particularly impressed that the presenters had compassion not only for their own immediate circles of family and friends, but also for society at large, and particularly for people who struggle to make ends meet.  {Our Shtetl San Diego County by Donald H. Harrison]

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Business & Finance, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Book review: Life of a Sar-El volunteer

Mark Werner is a retired corporate attorney from North Carolina, who at least once a year for the past 18 years has traveled to Israel at his own expense to sweat and grunt for three weeks as a manual laborer at various installations maintained by the Israel Defense Force.  The jobs varied from assignment to assignment, but they all involved hard work, typically in the hot sun of Israel and inside even hotter warehouses. [Book review by Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, USA

Pressing issues face Israel during Bibi’s trial

On his way to court to hear the charges against him and to confirm that he understood them, Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed the nation to “explain” what all that was really about: the Left could not defeat him at the ballot box. (In fact, Likud, the party he leads, got more and more votes in successive elections. No single political party in Israel has ever had greater support.) Therefore, his political opponents decided to unseat him by abusing the judiciary (encouraged by the attorney-general and former cabinet secretary), the police (including its former national chief) and, of course, the media. He reiterated the mantra that the charges are pure fiction, invented by forces of evil. [Rabbi Dow Marmur]

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Middle East

Zooming through Jerusalem’s religious sites

Traditionally, the Memorial Day weekend is one of the busiest of the year for travelers, but not so in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.  However, technology, in the form of a Zoom meeting, whisked me on Sunday, May 24, from my home in San Diego and on to a tri-religious journey to Jerusalem, under the auspices of the America Israel Friendship League (AIFL). [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Sports & Competitions, Travel and Food, USA

Anne Frank sculpture draws thanks from President Rivlin

Outside of the Jerusalem bedroom city of Ma’aleh Adumin, on the main road adjacent to a school, is a huge new bronze sculpture themed on Anne Frank. It was placed just last week.  The sculpture was funded by the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation. It is the artistic creation of Sam Philipe, the noted Israeli sculptor.  It is not interpretive; It is not abstract; That was a condition of funding.  It is real. [Jerry Klinger]

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International, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Middle East

A guide to the trials of Israel’s prime minister

The most serious case concerns Case 4000. This is the case in which Bibi is charged with a media bribery scheme with the owners of Bezek and Walla communications and media companies. In this case, the owners, Shaul Elovitch and his wife, Iris, are also co-defendants with a separate legal team. The charges claim that Walla gave Bibi favorable coverage in exchange for him making government policies favoring Elovitch’s Bezek company to the value of around 1.8 billion shekels. [Barry Shaw]

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Barry Shaw, Middle East

Israel scours globe for coronavirus protective equipment but P.A., Hamas reject such aid

As nations scrambled to obtain desperately needed medical equipment, Israel quietly coordinated a massive 150 medical cargo flights operation, involving El Al and Israel’s fabled Mossad intelligence agency, to scour the globe for much needed drugs, ventilators, protective clothing, and test kits. Huge El Al Dreamliners were converted into cargo planes as part of Israel’s emergency measures. Israir Airlines also sent planes to the Far East including to Shenzhen for medical supplies, and to bring stranded Israelis back from Vietnam. [Barry Shaw]

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Barry Shaw, International, Middle East

StandWithUs celebrates 19th anniversary of its founding

StandWithUs celebrated the 19th anniversary of its founding on Thursday with an international webcast that showcased its growth and successes helping students on college campuses, high schools and middle schools learn about Israel and defend against anti-Semitic attacks. The program was emceed by comedian Elon Gold and also featured the singing of “Hatikvah,” Israel’s National Anthem, by Rabbi/ Cantor Alison Wissot of Temple Judea of Tarzana, California, and a popular, optimistic Hebrew song by Israeli singer David Broza on the theme of “things will get better.” [Our Shtetl San Diego County column by Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Erdogan’s dictatorship endangers NATO, Middle East, and Balkans

Turkey is a country that has unlimited potential, vast human and natural resources, and cultural riches that could rival any developed country in just about every walk of life. But Turkey’s President Erdogan has squandered it all by putting his self-interest and blind ambition before the country. His legacy will be of one who lost his way and left a shattered country in his wake. If he examines his legacy, he will find nothing but a traumatized citizenry, international condemnation, and shame. He has committed gross human rights violations, betrayed Turkey’s friends and allies, sullied Islam to promote his wicked agenda, engaged in costly foreign adventures, expended a fortune to buy influence in foreign lands, befriended adversaries of NATO, and never ceased his incessant hunger for power. [Alon Ben-Meir]

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Alon Ben-Meir, International, Middle East