Mitch McConnell Acknowledges Biden’s Victory As President-Elect For The First Time

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell acknowledged Joe Biden‘s win on Tuesday morning for the first time, referring to him as the President-elect six weeks after Election Day. “The electoral college has spoken,” McConnell said. “Today I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden.” McConnell also noted Vice President-elect Kamala Harris for the first time, stating “all […]

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USA

Biden presses Georgia Democrats to ensure runoffs aren’t ‘even close’

ATLANTA — President-elect Joe Biden urged Georgia Democrats to “turn out the vote so it’s not even close” on Tuesday to boost Democratic Senate candidates Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock ahead of Jan. 5 runoffs that will decide control of the U.S. Senate. “I know what we can do. I know what this country is

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USA

Jewish History in China Stretches Back More Than A Millennium

Some letters written in Hebrew dating back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) were found in the province of Shinjiang on the ancient Silk Road. This was the route that Jewish merchants from the Middle East traveled to China. According to records, a large group of Jewish people traveled on Persian merchant ships and arrived in China in the year 998 (Northern Song Dynasty 960-1127). They then traveled through the city of Quanzhou and then Yangzhou and finally settled in the capital of Henan called Kaifeng.  In the city of Quanzhou (Fujian province), there are tombstones showing the Hebrew names supporting this record. In KaiFeng, they stayed in a district called Heshuen (Peace and Harmony) and the people at that time called the Jewish people “Blue Cap Hui Hui.”   [Li-Rong Cheng, Ph.D]

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International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, San Diego County, USA

Florida Celebrates Israel on a License Plate

Only yesterday I published a column about the joy of collecting photos of automobile license plates.  Today, to my pleasant surprise, I received a notice that the State of Florida has issued a specialty plate with the legend “Florida Stands With Israel.”   A sample of the plate may be seen above. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, USA

Houses of Worship Must Take Own Security Measures

On March 15, 2019, a terror attack at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand claimed 51 lives and wounded another 40 people. A NZ Royal Commission has now released a massive report on the attack, more than 800 pages, the most important point of which is that the terrorist was unknown to authorities until moments before he struck, but that somehow more and better intelligence would help prevent future attacks. In a striking omission, the report fails to consider the role of individual institutions in providing their own security measures—which, in this case, could have saved many lives, maybe all of them. [Shoshana Bryen and Stephen Bryen, The Epoch Times]

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International, Shoshana Bryen, Stephen D. Bryen

Gideon Sa’ar leaves the Knesset, begins forming new party

The big political event of the week was the announcement by Gideon Sa’ar that he was leaving Likud, and forming a new party,

Sa’ar has a long history in Israeli politics. He was in the Knesset from 2003, Minister of Education, then Minister of Interior. He left then returned to the Knesset, challenged Bibi in a Likud primary, and lost. Then Bibi kept him out of the government and any Knesset committee seats. Now he’s resigned again from the Knesset, and Likud, and hopes to be Prime Minister. Instead of Bibi. [Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D]

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Biden lashes out at Trump after election win confirmed

Washington (AFP) – Joe Biden said Monday that US democracy proved “resilient” against Donald Trump’s “abuse of power” after the Electoral College confirmed him as the next president, shutting the door further on unprecedented efforts to overturn the results. In his first extended attack on Trump since the election, Biden said in his hometown of

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USA

Torah for Children: Family Is Important

In Parshah Mitketz, the story of Josef continues. Pharaoh has two frightening dreams. In the first dream, there are seven healthy cows grazing in a lush field, followed by seven skinny, starving cows. The skinny cows eat the healthy ones. In his second dream, there are seven healthy stalks of grain followed by seven skinny ugly ones. The skinny grain eats the healthy ones. Pharaoh searches for someone to interpret his dreams. [Marcia Berneger]

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Jewish Religion, Marcia Berneger

Israel’s Netanyahu to enter precautionary virus quarantine

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will self-isolate on Monday after having come into contact with a coronavirus patient, his office said calling it a precautionary step. Netanyahu tested negative for the virus on Sunday and on Monday, but he will still “enter isolation until Friday following contact with a confirmed coronavirus patient”, the statement said.

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Middle East

US says Iran behind ‘probable death’ of ex-FBI agent

Washington (AFP) – The United States on Monday for the first time accused Iran of direct involvement in the “probable death” of former FBI agent Bob Levinson, who vanished 13 years ago. Releasing the finding a month before President-elect Joe Biden takes office, Donald Trump’s administration urged his successor to prioritize the release of at

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Middle East, USA