Death toll now 96 in Surfside collapse. Some families still wait for news of missing

Published by Miami Herald SURFSIDE, Fla. – It’s been six days since authorities found the body of Maria Gabriela Camou in the rubble of the Surfside condo collapse, but her family says funeral plans must wait until the search crew finds her husband of 40 years, Miguel Kaufman. “We thought the next day they would […]

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USA

Whisky From the Land of Milk and Honey          

Israel’s first and only whisky distillery was established in 2015 by a group of ex high-tech Whisky fans. The main investor is Gal Kalkstein, currently the CEO. They rented an old building, formerly the famous “Eilat” bread bakery. Among the leaders are Tal Hotiner, also known as “The Grape Man,” who is an experienced alcohol expert, bar owner, alcohol blogger, and sales and export director;  Dana Baran, marketing director; Tomer Goren, a master distiller with experience in Scotland; and the late Dr James Swan- consultant, one of the world leading experts for warm climate distilling, who used to work with Chivas Regal, Jim Beam and other well-known distilleries. The staff includes more than 20 employees, and the visitor center hosts some 10,000 visitors a year, including workshops and lectures. The name comes from the “Land of Milk and Honey” and the logo is a combination of a dairy cow and honeybee. [Yoni Peres]

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Business & Finance, Middle East, Travel and Food, Yoni Peres

US court dimisses defamation suit by Roy Moore against Sacha Baron Cohen

Published by The Bangkok Post US court dimisses defamation suit by Roy Moore against Sacha Baron Cohenpublished : 14 Jul 2021 at 07:45 WASHINGTON – A US court on Tuesday dismissed a $95 million defamation lawsuit filed by Roy Moore, a former Alabama chief justice, against British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen for his depiction of

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USA

UAE opens embassy in Tel Aviv

Published by Reuters TEL AVIV (Reuters) – The United Arab Emirates opened its embassy in Israel on Wednesday, with Israel’s president attending the inaugural ceremony. The embassy is situated in the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange building and its opening followed the inauguration of Israel’s embassy in the UAE last month. (Reporting by Steven Scheer; Editing

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Middle East

Jewish Groups Seek Discipline of Johns Hopkins Teaching Assistant

After more than six months and no public action by Johns Hopkins University to address its teaching assistant’s overtly antisemitic posts, the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law (LDB) and StandWithUs demanded in a joint letter that the leadership of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, finally publicly affirm that any attempt by faculty or staff to harass, marginalize, or discriminate against Jewish students based on their Jewish identity will not be tolerated. [StandWithUs, Louis D. Brandeis Center]

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Travel and Food

Cornel West quits Harvard over tenure dispute, Palestine

Published by Al-Araby American political activist and public intellectual Cornel West published his written resignation from Harvard University on Tuesday over a tenure dispute and what he said was the institution’s rejection of his political views on Palestine. In his resignation letter which he published on Twitter, dated 30 June, West criticised Harvard’s alleged hostility

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Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Antisemitism and the Courts Probed in New Book

In Courtroom Trials in Jewish History, attorney and Jewish-community activist Esther Zaretsky offers an eclectic collection of stories about Jews who, in a broad sense, have had their day in court, courts representing justice at its worst, verdicts driven by antisemitism and anti-Israeli hatred. The title is somewhat of a misnomer, as there are no depositions or testimonies; no exhibits or closing arguments. Rather, Zaretsky provides the backstory leading up to the trial, the verdict, emphasizing how the “courts fail to affirm society’s most precious values of justice, equality, morality, and the preservation of human rights,” and its aftermath—we get to hear the rest of the story. [Fred Reiss, Ed.D]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA

Torah Reading for July 17, 2021

Let’s begin at the beginning of this week’s parasha, which we read on the Shabbos before Tisha B’Av every year, and look at the first words of the Torah reading, “These are the words which Moshe spoke unto all of Israel across the Jordan…” Yes, Moshe spoke his words to ALL Jews, not just those alive then, but to all, including us today. When we read this parasha, Moshe is speaking directly to me and you. This makes Devarim a particularly human parasha, one in which Moshe establishes a quite personal relationship with each of us. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]

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Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell

An American Jewish Memoir of Food and Travel

In her zany account of her travels out west from her home in Plantation, Florida, Shari Wallack never got to San Diego, so I didn’t get the chance to see how her impressions of my hometown might match up with my own experiences.  If the two jibed, then I’d probably put utmost faith into her accounts of other places.  As it was, I simply had to enjoy her impressions of diverse locales between New York and Utah. Also, I was astonished by her reliance on serendipity and good Jewish cooking to turn even prosaic locales into adventures. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Travel and Food, USA