International

2 Jewish terror attacks roil Israel, U.N.

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Israel has been wracked by violence, conscience, and not a little hypocrisy in recent days. Assailants, widely thought to be extremist Jews, firebombed a Palestinian home in a West Bank village, killing a year-old child and severely injuring other family members. An ultra-Orthodox Jew, recently released from prison for a similar

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Rivlin, in wake of deaths, urges soul- searching

By Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — I’d like to take back everything negative that I’ve written about President Reuven Rivlin. Though I had repeatedly expressed my admiration for his pronouncements since he became president on behalf of Israel’s Arab citizens, I was distressed by his seeming discrimination against exponents of non-Orthodox Judaism. He seems to

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Middle East

Weighing the morality of settlements, Pollard case

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Wisdom and justice are elusive topics, with numerous issues on their borders. Israel presents the topics of settlements and Jonathan Pollard. Settlement is either the curse of post-1967 Israel, the fulfillment of God’s promise, an appropriate response to Arab rejections, and/or a way to get more of contested real estate. Americans have

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International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USA

The story of the youngest of the Monuments Men

By Joe Spier CALGARY, Alberta, Canada — During the Second World War as the Nazis stormed across Europe, they systematically looted millions of priceless paintings, sculptures and other cultural artifacts from museums, including their own, churches, libraries and private collections, mostly Jewish. The monetary value ran into the billions, but the cultural loss was incalculable. It

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International, Jewish History

Is Iran building its bombs in North Korea?

By Shoshana Bryen and Stephen Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — Both Iran and North Korea were part of the A.Q. Kahn proliferation network, and bilateral trade in oil and weapons has continued despite UN resolutions designed to stop it. Ballistic missile cooperation is documented, and nuclear cooperation has been an unspoken theme in Washington. Pyongyang helped

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International, Middle East, Shoshana Bryen, Stephen D. Bryen, USA