By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — One can guess that the Palestinians have gone the route of Mt McKinley. The time of both in the spotlight may have passed, but we’re not sure of either’s demise. Barack Obama’s move to bestow on what had been called Mt McKinley for more than a century the name given […]
Symbolism doesn’t solve real- world problems Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USA
By Donald H. Harrison FAIRFIELD, California – On a day that my son David and his wife Cathy had to go to their work, and our grandchildren were in schools, my wife Nancy and I arranged to meet former Escondido residents Gerry and Judy Burstain, and Judy’s mother, Eleanor Lieb, halfway between the
Renewing friendships amid kosher Jelly Belly candy Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USABy J. Zel Lurie DELRAY BEACH, Florida — Enough hot air has been expelled in the last few months, mostly by Republicans, to fill several dozen hot air balloons. As I wrote in my last column, the nuclear agreement with Iran, painfully and carefully negotiated, was a done deal the moment it was signed by
Israel, P.A. farther apart than ever Read More »
International, Middle East, USAIsraeli government gives Arab sector $230 million in aid (JNS.org) Israel’s Arab municipal councils will receive a one-time budgetary supplement of $230 million from the Israeli government before the end of the year. There are a number of predominantly Arab towns and local councils in Israel, most of which are characterized by poor populations. “The
Jewish news briefs: September 1, 2015 Read More »
Middle East, USABy Joe Spier CALGARY, Alberta, Canada — I have always had a peculiar fascination for Jewish gangsters. Over the years, I would read much written about the Jewish mob. How could I not be enthralled with guys who had nicknames like, “Little Farvel”, “Legs”, “Dopey”, “Waxey”, “Greenie”, “Who-Ha”, “Kid Twist”, “Dutch”, “Tick-Tock”, “The Bug”, “Dimples”?
Jewish mobsters fought Bund, helped Israel Read More »
Middle East, USABy Arkady Mamaysky TARRYTOWN, New York — Many provisions of the proposed nuclear agreement with Iran are not satisfactory, which leads to the conclusion that the agreement itself is unacceptable. The most important issue is totally intolerable – namely, the proposed 10- to 15-year duration of the agreement. For some reason, opponents of the
How about one small change for the Iran N- deal? Read More »
Arkady Mamaysky, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — It’s time for another round of that hoary folk song about disaster just about everywhere, i.e., “They’re rioting in Africa, they’re starving in Spain . . . ” The ugliest story concerns more than 70 bodies, decomposed to a smelly lump making counts difficult and identification impossible, found in a
Mass migration an unwelcome fact of life Read More »
International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USAReport: Hezbollah enlisting Palestinian operatives to carry out attacks (JNS.org) Hezbollah is working to enlist Palestinian operatives from Fatah’s Al Aksa Brigades to carry out attacks against Israeli targets in Judea and Samaria as well as inside of Israel proper, a Palestinian security source said. A Palestinian security source told the Saudi daily newspaper
Jewish news briefs: August 31, 2015 Read More »
Middle East, USA
By Donald H. Harrison MORAGA, California –Prof. Barbara McGraw of Saint Mary’s College of California likes to tell of an interfaith conference she attended at which delegates representing a wide spectrum of religious beliefs all were in attendance. As was the custom at such gatherings, people in the audience asking questions first would identify
Catholic college fosters religious pluralism Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Science, Medicine, & Education, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM –The proposal by Gilad Erdan, Minister of Internal Security to appoint Gal Hirsch to head the police provides us with some insight into the workings of Israeli society and politics, as well as some general lessons about difficult decisions. The appointment is one of the most important that can made in
Hirsch choice for police chief stirs emotions Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastIAEA says Iran may have expanded Parchin nuclear facility (JNS.org) The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations nuclear watchdog, said in a report that Iran may have built an extension to part of its Parchin nuclear site since May. “Since (our) previous report (in May), at a particular location at the Parchin site,
Jewish news briefs: August 28, 2015 Read More »
International, Middle EastWWII-era Jewish café reopens in Shanghai (JNS.org) A café that was a popular spot for Jewish refugees in Shanghai during World War II has been rebuilt and reopened in the city’s Hongkou district. The Zum Weissen Rossi’l café, better known as the White Horse Café, first opened in 1939. On hand for the reopening
Jewish news briefs: August 27, 2015 Read More »
International, Middle East, USA
By Dan Bloom CHIAYI CITY, Taiwan — If there’s a Jewish story everywhere, as the motto of this publication puts it, there are some good Jewish stories in Taiwan, too, as I’ve reported over the past few years, from Professor Chiang, the Yiddish specialist at Wenzao University, to an annual Passover seder held in a small hotel dining room
Jewish Fulbright scholar teaches English in Taiwan Read More »
International, Science, Medicine, & EducationBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — If there was a measure that compared a place’s contribution to the noise of the world to its size, Israel would be somewhere close to the top . Over the years we’ve seen claims that Israel leads in the number of foreign correspondents per capita, the media space and time
Wags say Israel is a city disguised as a country Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East