Was U.S. Complicit in Development of COVID-19?

The Joe Biden administration closed the US State Department’s investigation into the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic. But as the pandemic recedes in the United States, there is renewed interest by the scientific and journalistic communities about the origins of the virus and whether it could have escaped from China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV). So, a day later, the president opened a new investigation. [Stephen D. Bryen and Shoshana Bryen]

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International, Science, Medicine, & Education, Shoshana Bryen, Stephen D. Bryen, USA

Biography of David Sealtiel Tells Struggles of Pre-State Israel

This small book, subtitled (in German) “I want to be a compatriot of the Jewish people,” describes the life of the man who rebelled against the bourgeois and orthodox way of life of his family in early twentieth-century Hamburg, and embarked on a life of almost unceasing adventures and escapades in Europe and the Middle East. Although the book is short, the content is amazingly dense and Sealtiel’s life was so eventful that this review will inevitably be long. What an astonishing life this man had! [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East

Arafat’s Refusal to Accept an Independent State Led to Subsequent Warfare

In the context of the 21 st century, Arafat’s rejection of a reasonable peace plan is the root cause of the May deaths of 12 Israelis and more than 230 Gazans, tit-for-tat bombardments, destruction of apartment buildings in Gaza, attempted evictions of Palestinians in east Jerusalem and police raids on the al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Bruce Ticker, Middle East

Haftorah Reading for May 29, 2021

This poetic prose extract from Zechariah, a minor prophet (one of 12 in the Tanakh) was composed circa 520-510 BCE in Judea. His total writings consist of only 14 chapters. He lived in Judea, following the release of the Judean exiles by the Persian Emperor Cyrus, who had conquered the Babylon Empire (539 BCE). The then ruling emperor of Persia was Darius I (522-486 BCE). [Irv Jacobs, M.D.]

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Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion

Federation’s Interim CEO Appeals for Help for Sha’ar Hanegev

Our staff is in regular contact with our partner region, Sha’ar HaNegev, whose residents are once again demonstrating their resilience. Your contribution to our annual campaign provides direct support for our friends in the region. We have identified three critical needs for residents of Sha’ar HaNegev where Federation support is urgently needed, and your contribution today will help to meet these needs in the weeks and months to come.  [Heidi Gantwerk]

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Middle East, San Diego County

Guatemalan Judge Erika Lorena Aifan – A Brave Voice

By Mimi Pollack and Marcela Roel LA MESA, California — Since March 2007, the U.S. Secretary of State has honored various women from around the world with the Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award (IWCA). This annual award honors women who have shown great courage, strength, and leadership to bring positive change to

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International, Mimi Pollack

Syria’s Assad votes in former rebel town, site of chemical attack

Published by Reuters By Suleiman Al-Khalidi and Maha El Dahan AMMAN (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad voted on Wednesday in an election certain to extend his rule over a country ruined by war, casting his ballot in the former rebel stronghold of Douma where a suspected chemical weapons attack in 2018 prompted Western air

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Middle East

Israel’s ‘government of change’ edges closer with coalition deal

Published by Al-Araby Israeli centrist party Yesh Atid has reached a coalition deal with the far-right Yisrael Beytenu, pushing the proposed ‘government of change’ one step closer to power. The Jerusalem Post reported that the agreement was made on Monday night. The Israeli paper said the deal would see Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman as

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Middle East

Jewish news is Jewish community

By Jacob Kamaras SAN DIEGO — How do you connect with Judaism? According to a comprehensive survey of Jewish Americans that the Pew Research Center released earlier in May, “Majorities of U.S. Jews engage in cultural activities like cooking Jewish food (72%), sharing holidays with non-Jewish friends (62%) and visiting historical Jewish sites (57%). Many

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Jacob Kamaras, USA