Middle East

Bones of Theodor Herzl’s Grandparents Coming to Israel

(Israel Hayom via JNS) The president of the Republika Srpska of the Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina agreed on Monday to help exhume the bones of the grandfather and grandmother of Theodor Herzl, the father of modern political Zionism, and send them to Israel. President Željka Cvijanović visited Mount Herzl earlier this week. During […]

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International, Jewish History, Middle East

Jared Kushner Seeking Middle East Money To Fund Investment Firm

Published by uPolitics.com Former White House aide Jared Kushner has been soliciting billions of dollars in funding for his new investment firm from wealthy power brokers in and around the Persian Gulf, The New York Times reported on Friday. According to individuals familiar with Kushner’s dealings, has been trying to cash in on the relationships he cultivated

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Middle East

The Inside Story of Yom HaGirush (Expulsion Day)

Today, we speak of a largely forgotten ethnic cleansing largely unparalleled in the history of humanitarian abuses. Recall the coordinated international expulsion of some 850,000 Jews from Arab and Muslim lands, where they had lived peaceably for as long as 27 centuries. As some know, in 2014, the Israeli government set aside November 30 as a commemoration of this mass atrocity. It has had no real identity or name like “Kristallnacht.” But today, from this day forward, the day will be known as Yom HaGirush: “Expulsion Day.” [Edwin Black]

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Edwin Black, International, Middle East

Israel Authorizes More Immigration from Ethiopia

he Jewish Agency for Israel, The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and Keren Hayesod applaud the decision Monday by the Government of Israel, led by Minister of Aliyah and Integration Pnina Tamano-Shata, to approve the continuation of Aliyah (immigration to Israel) from Ethiopia. These olim (immigrants) are among the thousands in Ethiopia waiting, some for over a decade, to be reunited with their family in Israel. The Jewish Agency is immediately commencing implementation of the groundwork needed to facilitate the Aliyah of these new immigrants, including preparing the olim for their new lives in Israel. [Jewish Agency for Israel]

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International, Middle East, USA

Good News from Israel (November 28, 2021)

In the November 28, 2021 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
–Two Israeli breakthroughs in cancer research.
–Two Israeli women “break the glass ceiling” – in innovation and IDF leadership.
–Two historic events uniting Israel and the UAE.
–Two more cool Israeli energy-saving innovations.
–Boost in Israel’s economic ties with Serbia and Morocco.
–Four more billion-dollar Israeli companies.
–Israeli wins at the Emmy awards and in the World jiu-jitsu championships.
–Two major Temple-era archaeological discoveries in Jerusalem [Michael Ordman]

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Business & Finance, International, Jewish History, Michael Ordman, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, The World We Share, Travel and Food, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USA

Israeli Philharmonic String Quartet to Perform in La Jolla Dec. 8

– Celebrating the Israel Philharmonic’s 85th anniversary, the Israel Philharmonic String Quartet is touring the United States. Their San Diego stop will be Wednesday evening, December 8 in the Baker-Baum Concert Hall at the Conrad, 7600 Fay St. in La Jolla. The hour-long concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. and feature single movements from quartets by Mendelssohn, Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky, Ravel, and Haydn. There will be a Gala Reception prior to the concert, sponsored by Sharon and Richard Gabriel and a dessert following the concert. 

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Eileen Wingard, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, San Diego County, USA

Varied Lives of Israeli Expatriates in Southern California

Spending time in Orange County gives one a new perspective on life as it is lived by former Israelis in America. Like all other ethnic groups, they tend to gather together in groups, associate socially with one another, speak their own language and maintain their traditional habits. So, although it came as something of a surprise to find that our son and his partner seem to associate almost entirely with former Israelis, what was surprising was to discover how varied their lives are. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Lifestyles, Middle East, USA

3 Subjects Worthy of Deep Study: Torah, JCC’s, Mideast History

The great Jewish texts and sources are an enormous trove of knowledge, insights, traditions, and wisdom. His months at Pardes will barely scratch the surface and are tantamount to studying the initial pages of the first volume of a 32-volume encyclopedia—just enough to know that he’ll hardly know anything. But through these months, he will have evolved both respect and appreciation for the works’ scope and breadth. [Doron Krakow]

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Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

U.S. Overriding Israel’s Fears in Latest Deal Making Effort with Iran

The United States, France, Germany, the UK, the EU, Russia, and China are about to resume “negotiating” the JCPOA, better known as the “Iran Deal,” concerning Iran’s nuclear weapons capability.  Who’s missing from these meetings? Those countries most at risk from Iran’s warmongering: Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf states.  Not only is Israel not invited or even consulted, but the Biden Administration has given a clear warning to Israel to desist from taking any further actions against Iran which might exacerbate tensions, such as cyber warfare, assassinations, or “accidents” which occur in Iran. Evidently, the current US government doesn’t want any impediments to its “longer, stronger” deal with Iran – as if that were possible. [Steve Kramer]

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International, Middle East, Steve Kramer, USA

Wait! Are Those Turkeys Kosher?

Some of the rabbis of the previous centuries identified the turkey as the הוֹדוּ תַּרְנְגוֹל “Indian chicken,” and thought the bird originated in India. Jews were not the only ones who thought this way. The French referred to turkey as poulet d’Inde (“Chicken from India”), as did the Polish, Ukrainian and Russian countries. It was assumed that the rabbis in India permitted it. However, this was an assumption that could never be proven since it was based on a false assumption: Turkeys did not exist in India! [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Judaism, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle East, Travel and Food, USA

Comparisons Between Black Americans and Palestinians Are Inaccurate

By Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania — The Black community will protest police and vigilante-like killings of African-Americans; the ongoing violence within Black neighborhoods; criminal trials that resemble kangaroo courts; and over such issues as voter suppression, schools and housing. Rioting over metal-detectors, though, has not emerged in the Black community’s struggle for social justice. Yet

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Bruce Ticker, Middle East, USA

The Jewish Agency for Israel Names New Director of Educational Innovation

JERUSALEM (Press Release) — The Jewish Agency for Israel has named Rabbi Joe Schwartz as its new director of educational innovation and of Makom: The Israeli Education Lab, the organization’s central resource for educating and empowering professionals to change the conversation around Israel. Makom works to develop new models of Israel and Jewish peoplehood education,

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Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education