ATLANTA — A day after America witnessed its worst day in coronavirus-related deaths, Jimmy Carter joined three other living former presidents Thursday in encouraging Americans to get a COVID-19 vaccination shot as soon as it becomes available. In a statement, Carter said that he and his wife, Rosalynn, “are in full support of COVID-19 vaccine
Jimmy Carter joins other ex-presidents encouraging COVID vaccine use Read More »
USA
Attention, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and all the Republican leaders who are your followers: You have maintained your craven silence as President Donald Trump has sabotaged our democracy and is now inciting his cult followers in ways that are endangering patriotic public officials and their families. So today we must ask you: What will
Martin Schram: GOP leaders — don’t wait ’til the morning after! Read More »
USA
Alejandro Mayorkas — President-elect Joe Biden’s nominee tapped to lead the Department of Homeland Security — gave the public a first glimpse Thursday of how he’ll approach his new post overseeing the country’s “broken immigration system.” His public comments via Zoom during a virtual bipartisan immigration summit held by the American Business Immigration Coalition, a
Biden’s DHS pick reveals immigration vision during virtual summit Read More »
International, USA
Goods coming to Bahrain from the Israeli-occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights will be labeled as “Made in Israel”, the country’s Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister Zayed bin Rashid Al-Zayani said on Thursday. “Without going into details and border lines, Israeli products or services… will be treated like Israeli,” Al-Zayani said according
Bahrain to allow occupied West Bank goods to be labeled as ‘Made in Israel’ Read More »
Middle East
Holocaust survivor Shalom Stamberg holds a book with a photo of himself in Auschwitz, alongside a copy of his concentration camp record. AP Photo/Ariel Schalit One in four American millennials believe the Holocaust was exaggerated or entirely made up, according to a recent national survey that sought to find out what young adults know about
The Israeli government on Thursday urged its citizens to avoid travel to the Gulf states of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, citing threats of Iranian attacks. The travel advisory comes as Iran is threatening to attack Israeli targets following the assassination of its top nuclear scientist last Friday. Iran accuses Israel of being behind
Israel urges citizens to avoid Gulf, cites Iran threat Read More »
Middle East
Washington (AFP) – US President-elect Joe Biden on Thursday said he had asked the government’s top infectious disease specialist Anthony Fauci to remain in his post and join his Covid-19 team after he takes office. “I asked him to stay on in the exact same role he’s had for the past several presidents,” Biden said
Biden says asked Fauci to join his Covid team Read More »
USA
San Francisco (AFP) – Facebook on Thursday said it is revising its systems to prioritize blocking slurs against Black people, gays and other groups historically targeted by vitriol, no longer automatically filtering out barbs aimed broadly at whites, men or Americans. The change in Facebook’s algorithm is a shift from the social network’s ethnicity and
Facebook changing ‘race-blind’ hate speech policy Read More »
USA
It all comes down to “promote the general welfare” vs. “the free exercise…of religion.”
On Nov. 8, Satmar Grand Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum more than freely exercised his religious traditions by hosting a family wedding in Brooklyn reportedly attended by 7,000 guests at a time when coronavirus cases persisted at high levels of infection. On Nov. 23. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio promoted the general welfare by socking the organizers with a laughable $15,000 fine. On Nov. 26, our dysfunctional Supreme Court stamped a final judgment on a synagogue attendance case – rooted in Brooklyn – prioritizing “the free exercise…of religion” over “the general welfare.” [Bruce S. Ticcker]
Free Exercise of Religion vs. Promoting the General Welfare Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Lifestyles, USA
Three hundred sixteen olim (immigrants) arrived in Israel Thursday morning from Ethiopia, with another 100 landing tomorrow, as part one of “Operation Zur Israel.” The operation follows the Government of Israel’s decision in October of this year to approve the Aliyah (immigration) of 2,000 members of the Ethiopian community, many of whom have been waiting for decades to move to Israel and reunite with their families. Minister of Aliyah and Integration Pnina Tamano-Shata and Chairman of the Executive of The Jewish Agency for Israel Isaac Herzog, along with the Ministry of Interior, are overseeing the operation. [Jewish Agency for Israel]
316 Ethiopian Jews Arrive in Israel to Official Welcome Read More »
International, Middle East
Washington (AFP) – Still irate and bitter one month after his election defeat to Joe Biden, Donald Trump is openly musing about a second run at the US presidency in 2024. Refusing to accept defeat, Trump’s lawyers and supporters continued Wednesday to file lawsuits and even call for extraordinary intervention, such as martial law, to
Trump floats idea of 2024 White House run Read More »
USA
France’s former president Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, who brought about rapid social change and was a leading force in founding the European Union, died Wednesday at the age of 94 from complications linked to Covid-19, his family said. Giscard d’Estaing “died on Wednesday 02/12/20 in his family home in the Loir-et-Cher”, his foundation said on Twitter.
Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, ‘modernist’ French president, dies at 94 Read More »
International
The Czech Republic plans to boost the status of its mission in Jerusalem without moving its embassy, Prague announced on Wednesday.The Czech Foreign Ministry said the new office will be part of “efforts to further strengthen Czech-Israeli relations,” but emphasized that “this is not about opening a new embassy.”The diplomatic office is slated to be
Czech Republic to open ‘diplomatic office’ in Jerusalem Read More »
International, Middle East
ATLANTA — Voting rights groups filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday claiming the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office improperly removed nearly 200,000 people from the state’s voter registration list last year. The lawsuit says the secretary removed tens of thousands of voters from the list because it believed they had moved away when, in fact, they
Groups sue Georgia over voter purges Read More »
USA