By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–It is not yet clear what caused the destruction of the Russian airliner as it flew from the Egyptian resort of Sharm el Sheikh over the Sinai toward Saint Petersburg. However, the betting is an explosive device. Maybe slipped on the plane by a Bedouin baggage handler doing the work of Allah […]
Aircraft explosion another sign of Mideast turmoil Read More »
International, Ira SharkanskyBy Barry Shaw NETANYA, Israel — We are angry. We are angry at the incitement and the violence perpetrated by all factions of the Palestinians against us. We are angry at the lies that we are destroying their mosque while they are burning down our Jewish holy shrines. We are angry at the international condemnation
Why Israelis are fed up and angry Read More »
Barry Shaw, Middle East
By Julie Schlosser SEATTLE, Washington — Like most Jewish people, each year at the High Holidays, I pause to look inward. It’s such a powerful window to stop, reflect and refocus. About six years ago, I remember sitting uncomfortably during Rosh Hashanah services. I was restless. I had a good job as a journalist at
The charming side of Jewish giving Read More »
USASen. Schumer: U.S. to help compensate French rail’s Holocaust deportees WASHINGTON, D.C. (JNS.org)– The U.S. State Department will accept applications for restitution from Holocaust victims (and their family members) who were transported to concentration camps by the French rail company Societé Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais (SNCF), according to an announcement made last week
Never Again: Holocaust news for November 3, 2015 Read More »
International, Jewish HistoryKnesset approves minimum jail sentences for rock-throwing (JNS.org) In a vote of 51-17, the Israeli Knesset on Monday approved a bill designed to toughen penalties for rock-throwing. The bill, designed as a temporary provision in its current format, passed its second and third reading on Monday, finalizing it into law. Its temporary nature, however, will
Middle East Roundup: November 3, 2015 Read More »
Middle EastBy Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s visit to Moscow last month appears born of the confidence that no one would depose him in his absence. It completes Vladimir Putin’s cycle of Middle Eastern visitors: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, plus Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey, a NATO partner; Deputy Crown Prince
Decoding Russia’s end game in Syria Read More »
International, Middle East, Shoshana BryenBy Lloyd Levy LONDON, England — Having just returned from a few weeks in Eilat, I have to say that the town’s distance from the rest of Israel does tend to give a sense of security from the current terror wave. It is an appalling situation when a random person can just stab you in the
Separation of Jews and Arabs not possible nor desirable Read More »
Lloyd Levy, Middle EastProposed Israeli bill requires NGOs to disclose foreign funding sources (JNS.org) Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked is sponsoring a new bill that would force nongovernmental organizations to disclose foreign funding sources if they make up more than half their budgets. Shaked said Sunday that the proposed bill “follows publications and data indicating that a
Middle East Roundup: November 2, 2015 Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — While there is seldom a let-up in calls from the State Department, White House, or the New York Times that Israel must do more to solve the problem of the Palestinians, there is much less noise about the mess just over the US border with Mexico. There is considerable argument
Mexico, Palestine provide challenges for U.S., Israel Read More »
International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Joe Spier CALGARY, Alberta, Canada — Naomi Segal Bronstein died on December 23, 2010 at the age of 65 in her sleep at the orphanage she founded in Guatemala, a country of poverty and calamity. Her heart had given out. At the end, plagued by ill health, her body and mind weary, almost broke, only
Naomi Segal Bronstein saved thousands of orphans Read More »
International, Jewish HistoryBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Recent headlines have featured calls by an IDF General and the US Secretary of State, saying that Israel and Palestine must begin a political process in order to deal with a cycle of violence otherwise likely to get worse and last for a long time. Some in their chorus express a
Are agreements possible with fantasy world residents? Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Toby Klein Greenwald EFRAT, Israel — A bi-partisan group of congressmen recently (the week of Oct. 11-18) had the opportunity to go places and meet people that are not usually on the agenda of American diplomats or politicians who come to Israel. Scott Garrett R-NJ, Jim Jordan R-OH, Raoul Labrador R-ID, Alan Lowenthal D-CA, and
What five U.S. Congress members saw in Israel Read More »
Middle East, Toby Klein Greenwald, USABy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — A brief trip to nearby Greece, or more specifically Athens, yielded a plethora of impressions, experiences and delights that could provide material for a dozen posts like this. Of course, setting foot on the very ground which was once the home of gods and goddesses, heroes, mythical
Awe- struck in Greece Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, International, Travel and FoodMost Israelis miss Yitzhak Rabin but can’t justify Oslo Accords, poll says (JNS.org) While most Israelis miss former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, who was assassinated 20 years ago for political reasons, an even larger proportion do not believe the 1993 Oslo Accords—for which Rabin was the foremost champion—were justified. A new Israel Hayom poll on
Middle East Roundup: October 30, 2015 Read More »
Middle East