Middle East

Sara Jacobs introduces House resolution to end the war in Iran

Rep. Sara Jacobs said: “Every day this unnecessary, reckless war continues is another day that my constituents who are deployed to Iran are in harm’s way and at risk of losing their lives. Our service members deserve better than to be treated as expendable – and so do the American people who are being forced to pay over $1 billion per day for this military adventurism. …” [Press Release]

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Middle East, Press Release, San Diego County, USA

Former Druze Israeli diplomat Reda Mansour tells Technion’s story

Fluent in five languages, he was both the youngest ambassador and the first non-Jewish individual appointed as an Israeli diplomat. His career included postings as Israel’s ambassador to Ecuador, Brazil, and Panama, and as consul general in San Francisco and Atlanta, among other roles. [Press Release]

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California, International, Israel, Jewish Religion, Judaism, Middle East, Press Release, Technology, USA

A Bezos-backed PAC and Irwin Jacobs are bankrolling Ammar Campa-Najjar

Irwin Jacobs dropped $500,000 to support Campa-Najjar, one of the leading Democratic candidates in a toss-up district that could determine control of Congress. The Bezos-backed group added another $250,000 on his behalf. [Tessa Balc, Times of San Diego]

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California, Israel, Middle East, San Diego County, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Current war, domestic politics dampen Israel’s celebration of Independence Day

In the past I would happily watch the broadcast of the official ceremony on television, enjoying the sense of unity and national pride. This year, however, like many other people, I preferred other fare and found a funny movie to watch instead. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Israel, Lifestyles, Middle East, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Just wars: Pope ignores Thomas Aquinas, Maimonides

When a religious leader pours the “milk” of unconditional pacifism into the “meat” of a life-and-death military struggle, the result is a curdled moral confusion. This mixture makes it impossible to digest the hard reality of defense, leading to a “forbidden” policy that benefits neither the state nor the soul. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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International, Israel, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

Satire: Divine Donald the Doctor

Trump plans to require this type of scrubs on all the doctors on the staff of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center after he renames it the Trump Panacea Hospital and Casino. I pity the hospital laundry tasked with getting the blood and bodily excretion stains out of that fabric. [Laurie Baron]

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Lawrence Baron, Middle East, Opinion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

AJC urges Trump to press for release of longstanding American captives held in Iran

The future of talks with the regime remains unclear, but when the United States gets back to the negotiating table with Iran, the organizations argue that “[t]he United States must send a clear message: the wrongful detention or hostage-taking of Americans will never be tolerated, forgotten, or deprioritized. Our adversaries must understand that harming or holding Americans carries sustained diplomatic consequences, and our citizens must know that their government will relentlessly pursue their return.” [Press Release]

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International, Middle East, Press Release, USA

Blame for civilian deaths shared by all belligerents in Middle East war

We have strong reason to be concerned about Israel’s military response to Oct. 7. Thousands of civilians were killed in bombing in large part because Hamas built its operations where the people of Gaza live, attend school and receive medical care, so civilian deaths were all but guaranteed. However, it very much appears that Israel went way too far with its attacks, and in the current war American planes killed an estimated 160 schoolgirls, presumably by mistake. [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Bruce Ticker, International, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East, News Media, Opinion, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

An excellent book about Maimonides

Maimonides composed his landmark philosophical work, The Guide for the Perplexed (Moreh Nevukhim in Hebrew), in Judeo-Arabic, written in Fustat (Old Cairo), Egypt. The treatise aimed to reconcile Jewish theology with Aristotelian philosophy and was addressed to his student, Rabbi Joseph ben Judah of Ceuta. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Israel, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors