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For those who don’t want to be accused of outright hatred of Jews, the more clever and subtle way to attack them is by going after those who lobby on their behalf.

That is why a coordinated effort is being made by haters of the Jewish state. The massive campaign is designed to destroy only one specific lobby – the one advocating for Israel.

By their reckoning, successfully putting an end to it will kill several birds with one stone. It will close the financial spigot, prevent further military defense assistance, put the brakes on legislation that helps Israel, and freely allow for an unending stream of anti-Jewish criticism, especially coming from the UN.

The pro-Israel lobby is composed of many groups, the most popular being the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). Others include the UK’s Conservative Friends of Israel, Christians United for Israel, the Republican Jewish Coalition, and the Zionist Organization of America.

Although having been in existence throughout the tenure of decades of US presidents, these Israel lobbying groups have never been more reviled and scrutinized than in the last three years, as blatant antisemitism began to make a comeback with a deep fervor.

Consequently, Israel’s detractors figured out that the best way to injure the Jewish state is to bludgeon these supportive organizations, accounting for their latest crusade, aimed at annihilating any groups who do the bidding for the only democracy in the Middle East.

Predictably, their first course of action has been the highly effective “name smear.” By slapping the “Zionist” label on these lobbying groups, they can make the causal link between a term now synonymous with bigotry, strengthening the bogus and defamatory claim that Israel is an oppressor state.

Libel is always the best starting point, since it serves to advance an unsavory view of the people they are attempting to hang in the town square. And that is exactly what is happening. Make no mistake about it! Israel supporters, in the political arena (aka the Israel lobby), are being readied for their public execution.

The passage of 80 years has greatly altered the way Jews are perceived, especially in light of a new generation, which has decided to designate the chosen people as the harsh persecutors of the Middle East’s victim class. And, as long as they are doling out blame, why not throw a few more accusations on those evil Zionists?

In this case, the charge is that the influence of the Israel lobby is disproportionate to that of all others. The belief that Trump has been the puppet of a sustained campaign by Israel, and other prominent Jews in the media or other high places, has been constantly touted.

Humiliating caricatures and insulting memes of prominent Jews pulling the strings attached to Trump are legion, depicting the well-known antisemitic trope that Jews control politics, banks, media, and just about everything else of consequence.

How to save the friendship

For the anti-Israel mob, history may forgive Harry Truman for making the mistake of being “personally and deeply moved by the suffering of Jewish survivors of the Nazi ‘Final Solution,’ culminating in the recognition of a Jewish state in Palestine,” according to a damning Guardian article.

Titled “The pro-Israel lobby has swayed US presidents since Truman. It must end with Trump” and co-authored by Ian Lustick, a Jewish writer known for his antagonism toward Israel, the article claims that “most American presidents have caved to the demands of Israel and its advocates.

“Driven by the fear of domestic political defeats, presidents have regularly rejected or abandoned foreign policies that both they and their most senior advisers believed were in the best interests of the US and at the expense of making meaningful progress in bringing a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.” 

Rather than subscribe to the conviction that a safe and flourishing Israel bodes well for the US superpower, the viewpoint is inverted to espouse that these Israel lobbyists “explicitly favor the interests of Israel,” as their requests are “encouraged and guided – by Israeli governments, resulting in the exploitation of most voters.”

That is why Lustick invokes what he refers to as a warning given by the first American president, George Washington, who, in his Farewell Address, said that “The American system of government could all too easily be exploited by a group with a ‘passionate attachment’ to a foreign country.”

There are only a few problems with the application of those words as they relate to this issue. Modern-day Israel did not exist during the time of Washington, and Israel is not just any foreign country.

Connected to the biblically guided principles, America shares the roots of the Judeo-Christian faith, which bestows a blessing upon all those who love Israel and extend their friendship to them. By supporting the land, which God bequeathed to the Jewish people, a nation ensures its own well-being and divine approval. Regrettably, the opposite is also true for those who don’t.

But none of this seems to be factored into Lustick’s thinking, who, on the one hand, believes that each person “has the right to express their opinions and work to shape public policy,” except for Trump, whom he characterizes as “incompetent and gullible, yielding to Israeli pressure and dragging the US into the latest war.”

That’s what it comes down to – the assertion that were it not for Israel, the US would be unencumbered by the Jewish state that has foisted its burdens upon America.

Sadly, it is that twisted, myopic thinking that has been used as a convenient pretext for America’s need to extricate itself from the millstone around its neck.

While Israel is on the front lines, fighting an existential war that threatens all of humanity, the world, an ocean away, is lulled into believing that they won’t be affected by a radical religious ideology that seeks to dominate and place every living being into subservience.

A public execution must precede the abandonment of Israel to convince Americans that this will serve their best interest, and that is exactly what is being promoted as the call for the dissolution of this friendship is resounded.

The writer, a former principal of Jerusalem elementary and middle schools, was a member of Kibbutz Re’im from 1994 to 1999. She is the author of Mistake-Proof Parenting, based on the time-tested wisdom found in the Book of Proverbs, available on Amazon.

This post was originally published on here. 

As an Iranian journalist in close contact with people across Iran, I have witnessed a reality often overlooked by outside observers.

Through conversations with Iranians from different regions and backgrounds, people who do not know one another, I have repeatedly encountered a growing trust in Israel. This sentiment is shaped not by external campaigns, but by years of experience with the Islamic Republic’s repression, regional aggression, and the consequences of its policies.

Many Iranians view Israel as the only actor with the determination and strategic clarity to confront the core of the regime’s power, targeting not only military capabilities and nuclear ambitions but also the leadership and networks behind them.

They see Israel’s approach as fundamentally different from powers that can leave the region: a strategy focused on confronting threats at their source.

This deep trust is a strategic asset for the Jewish state that must be continuously protected, defended, and nurtured against deliberate campaigns of subversion.

Today, this priceless capital of mutual trust faces a sophisticated threat – not just from the overt propaganda machines in Tehran, but from reckless media narratives that inadvertently serve the Islamic Republic’s strategic goals.

A recent, highly controversial narrative advanced by reports in The New York Times and Haaretz claims that Israeli intelligence once contemplated or actively maneuvered to bring Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power as an alternative to the current setup of the Islamic Republic. This dangerous scenario is fundamentally flawed. 

More importantly, it acts as a devastating psychological operation that directly targets the trust ordinary Iranians place in the State of Israel.

To suggest that Jerusalem would favor elevating one of Iran’s most brutal oppressors as a viable alternative is an insult to the Iranian people. It is a narrative that risks fracturing a strategic friendship that has survived decades of clerical dictatorship.

To understand why this narrative is so damaging, one must look at who Mahmoud Ahmadinejad truly is to the Iranian nation. He is not a standard political figure; he is a symbol of domestic terror and democratic betrayal.

In 2009, Ahmadinejad “won” re-election through a blatantly rigged and fraudulent vote. This political farce was orchestrated by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) mafia with the absolute backing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

When millions of ordinary Iranians poured into the streets during the Green Movement, demanding “Where is my vote?” the regime responded with savage, bloody suppression. Thousands of peaceful protesters were beaten, imprisoned, tortured, and killed. Ahmadinejad was the smiling face of that murderous crackdown. 

He is a deeply despised figure among the vast majority of Iranians, who view his tenure as the dark era when the IRGC completely hijacked the state’s economy, politics, and social fabric. Furthermore, Ahmadinejad’s global infamy rests heavily on his grotesque denial of the Holocaust. 

By hosting international conferences of Holocaust deniers and spewing vile antisemitic rhetoric, he sought to isolate Iran and position the country as the vanguard of global antisemitism. This behavior added immense fuel to the rage of the Iranian people.

The citizens of Iran, who view themselves as proud inheritors of a culture defined by tolerance, were deeply ashamed of this state-sponsored bigotry. Iranians are friends of the Jewish people. They saw Ahmadinejad’s antics for what they were: a desperate attempt by an illegitimate regime to legitimize itself by weaponizing hatred.

Therefore, when reports surface suggesting Israel wanted to bring this tyrant to power as an alternative, the Iranian public is left asking a painful question: How could Israel, the nation built as a sanctuary for Holocaust survivors, ever wish to empower a Holocaust denier? 

How could Jerusalem wish to elevate a man under whose watch the IRGC solidified its total iron grip over Iran?

The answer is simple: Israel would not. The narrative is a toxic distortion. However, the mere existence of these media reports plays directly into the hands of the Islamic Republic’s hard core.

The ruling clerics in Tehran are terrified of the profound affection and trust that exists between the Iranians and Israel. They recognize that this grassroots friendship represents a massive existential threat to their ideological legitimacy. If the Iranian people view Israel not as an enemy, but as a historic ally, the regime’s foundational pillar of “Death to Israel” completely crumbles.

Consequently, the Islamic Republic’s overt and covert agents are working overtime to damage this trust by manufacturing elaborate conspiracy theories.

Keeping the trust between ordinary Iranians and Israel

In recent regional conflicts, the regime’s propaganda machine aggressively weaponized a highly sensitive historical trauma. They spread systematic rumors claiming that Israel planned to use Kurdish separatist forces from outside the borders to invade western Iran.

This line of propaganda is a calculated psychological trap designed to trigger memories of the painful period immediately following the 1979 revolution, when armed separatist Kurdish factions occupied and besieged cities in Western Iran, pushing the nation to the brink of balkanization.

Crucially, this psychological warfare causes the greatest outrage among Iran’s patriotic Kurdish majority. These patriotic Kurds fought against the separatists after 1979, sacrificing their lives to keep Iran whole. 

Historically, Iran’s Kurdish population has been a bedrock of Iranian national identity and cultural heritage, consistently rejecting the regime’s attempts to question their loyalty to Iran’s territorial integrity.

By manufacturing accusations of territorial division, spreading rumors about a Kurdish-led invasion, and validating absurd theories about Israel trying to bring Ahmadinejad back to power as an alternative, the regime is directing a multi-part psychological script.

These are not separate events; they are coordinated scenes of a singular narrative born entirely out of the Islamic Republic’s absolute terror of the deep trust between ordinary Iranians and Israel.

This systemic irresponsibility is precisely why Haaretz has completely lost its credibility among the Iranian public. The paper has built a dangerous track record of publishing politically motivated theories that actively harm the Iranian opposition while providing propaganda victories to the regime in Tehran.

A glaring example occurred when Haaretz ran a so-called “investigation” claiming that the massive online support for Iran’s Crown Prince, Reza Pahlavi, was merely an artificial network of Israeli-funded bots. The reality on the ground shattered this media narrative.

On January 8 and 9, 2026, following a direct call to action by Pahlavi, millions of brave Iranians defied the regime and flooded the streets across Iran. The historic scale of those protests proved that the Iranian people’s desire for a secular, democratic future is a powerful, organic grassroots reality, not a digital illusion created by computers.

By dismissing millions of real, living freedom fighters as mere “bots,” Haaretz did not just exhibit terrible journalism; it actively endangered dissidents. The Islamic Republic eagerly seized on the Haaretz report, broadcasting it on state television and using it as a pretext to arrest, torture, and extract forced confessions from pro-democracy activists on charges of foreign espionage.

This is the very same Haaretz whose reckless reporting during domestic political disputes, such as its sensationalized and irrepressible coverage of Israeli military pilots refusing to serve in March 2023, sent dangerous signals of weakness to Jerusalem’s adversaries.

Given the extensive gleeful coverage of Haaretz reports on regime media, many Iranians believe these irresponsible actions directly emboldened the Islamic Republic and its proxies, leading them to believe that Israel was fractured from within, which ultimately helped incite the horrors of the October 7 attacks.

When media outlets play domestic politics with national security and international alliances, the consequences are measured in human lives.

The path to a peaceful Middle East relies entirely on the inevitable collapse of the Islamic Republic and the rebirth of a free, democratic Iran. Israeli media and strategic analysts must remain fiercely vigilant against narratives that alienate their greatest geopolitical asset. 

They must write and analyze with a clear, unwavering understanding: the Iranian nation and the Israeli nation have no better, truer friends in the region than each other.

The friendship between our peoples is biblical, tracing its roots back to Cyrus the Great. It is a timeless alliance that no modern media distortion can erase. 

Free Iranians and Israelis must stand together, ensuring that the cornerstone of tomorrow’s peace is never sacrificed for sensationalist headlines.

The writer is communications director to Prince Reza Pahlavi, and an Iranian journalist who previously served as editor-in-chief of news at Manoto TV, a UK-based Persian-language television network.

This post was originally published on here. 

Iran Human Rights (IHR) recently reported that they believe that the Iranian regime is ramping up executions in the wake of the US strikes on the Islamic Republic of Iran. According to a CNN report, the Iranian regime has executed at least 47 political prisoners so far this year, a massive increase from 16 around the same time last year.

Each of these victims sitting on death row in Iran has a family that is suffering as they await the unjustified execution of their loved one. CNN recently interviewed Niki Nikbakht, who has two brothers, Hadi and Fazlollah, who are sitting on death row in Iran for politically related crimes. 

According to information obtained by IHR, political prisoners Hadi and Fazlollah Nikbakht were sentenced to death on charges of efsad-fil-arz (corruption on earth) by the Golpayegan Revolutionary Court. The two brothers were arrested at their homes in Golpayegan on October 24, 2025, after they attempted to stop authorities from seizing their farmland.

According to the report, the defendants were accused of mobilizing youth to protest against the authorities.

Hadi has two sons and a five-month-old daughter, who never met her father because he was imprisoned by the Iranian regime when her mother was still pregnant.

According to CNN, Hadi, 45, and Fazlollah, 50, are just two out of dozens of Iranians sitting on death row in the Islamic Republic right now for politically related crimes that would never land one in prison, much less receive the death penalty, in any Western country.

Ahwaz dissident Hamid Mutashar, who heads the Ahwaz Liberal Party, stressed in a recent interview: “The Iranian regime’s accelerated execution spree in the aftermath of the recent US strikes is a desperate, criminal response, a clear admission of its fear and impending collapse. This is not just a crackdown. It is a violent attempt by a failing regime to silence the voices of liberty through terror.”

He continued: “The recent surge in executions carried out by the Iranian regime – particularly against our youth in Ahwaz, Kurdistan, and Azerbaijan – is not merely an act of domestic repression; it is a desperate, sociopathic reaction by a collapsing Nazi-style regime.

“By labeling innocent activists and freedom fighters as ‘agents of Israel,’ the regime attempts to mask its deep-seated paranoia and its fear of the growing unity among the non-Persian nations. These youth are not criminals; they are the conscience of our nations, executed simply because they dare to dream of a future free from Tehran’s tyranny.”

According to Mutashar, “The regime’s attempt to link our struggle for self-determination to external actors is a tired tactic to justify state-sanctioned murder. We call upon the international community – and specifically the human rights organizations in Israel and across the globe – to treat this for what it is: a crime against humanity. 

“We demand immediate, tangible intervention to save the lives of those currently on death row. Silence is complicity. We urge the world to stand on the side of justice and to recognize that the collapse of this regime is not only a necessity for our survival but a prerequisite for regional and global peace.”

Iranian dissident Shabnam Assadollahi added, “The regime is once again using fear as a weapon to preserve its grip on power, sending a chilling message to every Iranian who dares to dream of freedom. [US] President [Donald] Trump and Prime Minister [Benjamin] Netanyahu must finish the job. 

“If the Islamic Republic survives, it will continue what it has done for more than four decades: crushing its own people through terror while exporting violence, extremism, and instability beyond Iran’s borders. A regime that has built its power on repression and intimidation cannot be allowed to continue spreading the same ideology that has brought suffering to millions.”

Assadollahi claimed that she has received information from various sources inside Iran who claim that “the scale of the killings during the January 8-9 crackdown was far greater than publicly acknowledged. These sources allege that the number of those killed reached as high as 100,000 people. 

“They further report that the bodies of many victims were transported to undisclosed facilities – what Persians refer to as human crematoriums – while countless families were denied the ability to recover or even identify the remains of their loved ones. These accounts require urgent international attention and a credible investigation. 

“Since the 12-day conflict that began in February, the regime has intensified its machinery of repression, with hundreds reportedly executed by hanging. Every day of silence gives this regime more time to imprison, torture, and execute those who refuse to surrender their hope for freedom.”

Assadollahi stressed that she has sympathy for every Iranian imprisoned in the Islamic Republic because she has gone through what they went through: “I was only 16 years old when I was imprisoned in Evin and Ghezel Hesar prisons in the early 1980s. Terror had no timetable. It came in the middle of the night, in the early morning hours, and even in the middle of the day. 

“Every opening of a prison door carried the question every prisoner feared: Who would not return? I learned to associate the amplified call to prayer echoing through the prison loudspeakers with fear and death. Instead of being a sound of comfort, it became a reminder of what was happening behind those walls. It was the sound that accompanied the execution of political prisoners and the destruction of families. 

“As a teenager, I lived with the knowledge that I could be next. I was one of those young prisoners. I was 16 years old. More than four decades later, that memory has not faded. The same regime that imprisoned us, executed us, and tried to silence an entire generation continues its repression today.”

The Iranian people are still waiting

South Azerbaijani dissident journalist Ahmad Obali added, “When President Trump asked the protesters to go out and take over the government, and said that help was on the way, people really believed what he had to say and that the US would really come to help them. 

“When Trump told the regime to stop the executions, or they would intervene, people really believed that the US would follow through. And now some people in Iran think that they have been deceived and left without all the help that the president promised. Therefore, Trump has a responsibility to actually help the people this time around to save his credibility.”

He added: “By now, the world must have realized that this regime in Iran is not capable of being reformed. The Iranian regime will continue on a killing spree of the prisoners to scare others from protesting. This regime will continue to train, fund, and arm its proxies from Lebanon to Iraq to Yemen and beyond to terrorize the region and to continue attacking shipping lanes in the Red Sea. 

“This regime will continue attacking tankers in the Gulf and Sea of Oman to put pressure on oil prices and hijack the world economy. They think they have found a great tool to survive and put pressure on the US to back down by mining the Strait of Hormuz. It is time for the world and the US to wake up and realize that the only path to sustainable peace in the region is for this regime to go.”

Obali concluded: “As an Azerbaijani, I feel for the families of those executed and those who are going to be executed, many of whom are ethnic Azerbaijanis. When I was 17 years old, I was arrested and put in a detention center with 24 other detainees in one room. There was not enough room for people to lie down and sleep on the bare concrete floor. 

“So we had to take turns to get some rest, and even then they would turn verses from the Quran on loudspeakers to deprive us of sleep. They would not let us go to the bathroom for over a day, so some detainees had to pee in plastic bags in order to prevent damage to their bladder. This does not include the physical or psychological torture I went through. 

“I did not know if I would be executed the next day until I escaped from the prison. So I feel for the prisoners regardless of whether they are to be executed or not. It seems like this regime is going back to the 1980s-style of torture and executions.” 

The Iranian regime also attacks dissidents who flee abroad, as Obali was physically assaulted outside Iran by agents of the regime.

Assadollahi concluded: “Every day this regime survives is another day it has to imprison, execute, and silence the Iranian people –and another day it has to strengthen the networks of terror it exports beyond Iran’s borders. This regime is not seeking peace. It is seeking time. Time to rebuild, time to deceive the world, and time to wait for international resolve to weaken. 

“The Iranian people cannot afford another delay. Their lives cannot be placed on the calendar of elections or political calculations. Trump and Netanyahu, finish the job before it is too late. Do not allow this regime to buy another opportunity to continue its reign of terror. 

“History will judge not only the brutality of the Islamic Republic, but also the choices made by those who had the power to stop it. The people of Iran have been waiting for freedom for over four decades. They are still waiting.”

The writer is the CEO of the Dona Gracia Center for Diplomacy and an Israel-based journalist. She is the author of Women and Jihad: Debating Palestinian Female Suicide Bombings in the American, Israeli and Arab Media.

This post was originally published on here. 

 A 50-year-old sports instructor accused of committing indecent acts against several female minors with cognitive disabilities appeared before the Petah Tikva Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, where police requested an extension of his detention.

Police allege that security camera footage from a residential facility for children with disabilities shows Gilboa Dahan, 50, of Netanya, touching intimate areas of several female residents while working as a sports instructor at the facility.

Police said the alleged victims have cognitive disabilities that prevent them from filing complaints or recounting what allegedly happened to them. Dahan denies the allegations.

Investigators from the Kfar Saba Police Station had been monitoring activity inside the facility for an extended period.

The investigation was not prompted by testimony from one of the residents, but by footage collected during a covert investigation.

During Thursday’s hearing, police representative Sgt.-Maj. Ariel Amsalem presented the court with what police described as troubling evidence and requested additional time to continue the investigation.

According to Amsalem, the footage shows the suspect touching intimate areas of several residents. She emphasized that the girls have cognitive disabilities that prevent them from filing complaints or recounting what happened to them.

Investigation continues as suspect denies sexual offense allegations

Police also said Dahan had worked as a sports instructor at other facilities. Investigators are continuing to examine whether there may have been additional cases.

Dahan denies the allegations. During questioning, he said he had not committed any sexual offenses and maintained that any physical contact he had with the residents occurred while he was assisting them.

The court granted the police request and extended Dahan’s detention by four days, until Sunday, to allow investigators to complete additional investigative steps.

Attorneys Amir Kimhi and Yehudit Ella Shaked, who represent Dahan, said in response: “Our client denies the aforementioned allegations. The investigation is ongoing, and its conclusion should be awaited.”

This post was originally published on here. 

A well-known singer was arrested on Saturday afternoon on suspicion of domestic violence after his partner filed a complaint against him.

The singer, who has become a prominent public figure in recent years, was taken to the Rishon Lezion police station for questioning under caution and is expected to give his account of the allegations.

According to police suspicions, the incident occurred in the context of the couple’s relationship. In her complaint, the singer’s partner alleged that he had been violent toward her, threatened her, and broken windows.

A source familiar with the details told Walla that the investigation is currently focused on suspected domestic violence. “His partner said that he was violent toward her, threatened her and broke the windows,” the source said.

“After he gives his version of the incident, they will examine whether to release him already at the station or whether he will be brought to court tomorrow for an extension of his detention,” the source added.

The singer was questioned under caution. Based on the account he provides and any developments in the investigation, police will decide whether to release him under conditions following the questioning or ask the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court on Sunday to extend his detention.

Rapper tied to Ben-Gvir suspended from rapid response unit

The arrest follows another singer-related legal incident on August 2, when Israel Police Commissioner Inspector-General Danny Levy suspended right-wing activist and musician Yoav Eliasi from his position as commander of a Tel Aviv District rapid response squad.

Eliasi, known as “The Shadow,” is considered an associate and ally of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

He is suspected of exploiting his law enforcement connections to avoid the closure of an entertainment venue he is involved in, which was ordered closed by police following a violent incident.

This post was originally published on here. 

An IDF soldier was filmed hitting a Palestinian in the West Bank village of Idna in the Hebron Hills on Saturday, according to Army Radio.

Two Israeli civilians are seen joining the soldier in the footage, which followed a violent incident between Israelis and Palestinians in the area, with the IDF having arrived to separate the parties.

An IDF spokesperson said that the incident is under investigation.

This is a developing story.

This post was originally published on here. 

International Cat Day, celebrated every year on August 8, was created by The International Fund for Animal Welfare in 2002 to help boost adoption globally, share tips and tricks for caring for cats, and overall to celebrate our adorable little friends.

As cat owners and enthusiasts around the world celebrate International Cat Day, The Jerusalem Post would like to spotlight the fabulous felines that are an integral part of our family.

Aaron Reich: Medici and Judy

Aaron Reich and his partner are the loving parents of Medici – full name HaRav Medici di Cuddlebutt Reich – and Judy, short for Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi.

“Working from home with them is always fun. Medici is very cuddly and can spend hours curled up on someone’s lap, or climbing on them to snuggle their face. Or he can just sit on the desk or couch, sometimes cuddling up to my computer,” Reich said.

“Judy, however, is more content to hide behind my computer, flop in the sunlight on the floor, or climb up and down my chair and sit behind my head.”

Sam Halpern: Syl

Syl, who was originally named Fievel before the vet learned that he was a she, is just a few months old, with a personality ten times the size of her tiny body.

The little tabby can often be found chewing on cables, attempting to steal her dad’s popcorn, and generally being a menace to society.

“This a****** likes to headbutt me,” Halpern said fondly, joking that he would “make Gaza look like suburban Massachusetts compared to what I would do to the person who hurt her.”

Audrey Leinoff: Cookie and Coco

Though the two may look similar, Audrey Leinoff told the Post she believed she may have opened her home to an Iranian and Mossad spy, given how the two are constantly butting heads.

Cookie, Leinoff explained, appears to have “Persian blood flowing through her veins, and is remarkably calm when faced with threats of missile fire.”

Coco, by contrast, adores basking in the sun at 40 degrees heat. 

The result, Leinhoff said, is “a household full of peace, joy, and menace that keeps all dwellers on their claws – or toes.”

Maya Zanger-Shamir: Penelope and Tasha

Maya Zanger-Shamir has often described Penelope as the cat she wanted, while Tasha was the cat she needed.

“After I made aliyah, I felt a distinct, pet-shaped gap in my life,” she said.

“ I was immediately drawn to Penelope when I found her on Facebook because she has a missing paw and I grew up with a wonderful three-legged dog. Tasha ended up tagging along, and she’s become my little shadow.”

The cats stayed by Zanger-Shamir’s side through several careers and multiple partners, and have found their loving father in Omer, Maya’s husband.

“The emotional support I get from them has been critical to the success of my aliyah. I love them both so much, and they show – and tell – me every day how much they love me too.”

Chava Greymen-Kennard: Charlie

Charlie was one of the Post’s beloved cats, until she unfortunately passed away earlier this year, after being loved and doted on for several years by Chava Greymen-Kennard. 

“There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about Charlie. She was with me through the darkest times. She curled up beside me in shelters, stayed by my side when I was sick, and gave me comfort when I needed it most,” Greymen-Kennard shared.

“When life became difficult, I stayed in Israel because she couldn’t travel. She is the reason I’m an Israeli, and I owe more to her than I could ever put into words. Anyone who believes cats are cold or unloving could never have known my Charlie. She was the warmest, most intelligent and compassionate creature I’ve ever known.”

In addition to being Charlie’s loving mom, Greymen-Kennard also works closely with the Rosh Ha’Ayin Animal Lobby, where several Post members – including this author – got their beloved furry friends.

Rosh Ha’Ayin Animal Lobby is an association of local residents who volunteer in a range of activities on behalf of the city’s animals, with an emphasis on wildlife and the community.

While the shelter does rely on the municipal veterinary service, medical treatment and financial support from the authority are almost nonexistent, and the volunteers invest both in fundraising and in staffing operational shifts to look after the cats there.

Shir Perets: Bear

Of course, the best must be saved for last.

This author’s very own cat, Bear, is a long-haired-something-probably-Maine Coon who will be turning two in just a few weeks.

The light of my life, my Bear was adopted just a few weeks after signing on my first apartment, and has been my loyal companion through reserve duty, several Iran wars, overnight shifts, and more.

For the past year and a half, Bear has greeted me when I get home with a purr and a cuddle, putting anyone who thinks cats can’t show affection to shame.

Bear is exceptionally bright. He comforts me when I’m sad, bringing me toys in an attempt to brighten my day, and has learned a few basic commands, such as ‘sit,’ ‘leave it,’ or ‘scratch my back.’

For all of us here at the Post, our cats make our lives that much better, providing love and meaning in a way nobody else can.

This post was originally published on here. 

A fire broke out Saturday in an underground parking garage at the construction site of the future BIG shopping complex in Petah Tikva, sending thick smoke across the surrounding area, with Walla reporting later on Saturday that firefighting efforts are expected to continue into the night.

Heavy smoke rose near the intersection of Jabotinsky and Moshe Dayan streets and spread across a wide area, including toward residential towers in the nearby Neve Gan neighborhood. As of Saturday evening, it is still not under control, according to an update by the Israel Fire and Rescue Authority, which ordered Jabotinsky and Moshe Dayan streets to be closed to traffic.

Fire and rescue crews from the Petah Tikva station were dispatched to the scene following reports of the blaze and large amounts of smoke. Police officers also arrived at the scene. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, with N12 News noting that investigators have not ruled out arson.

The Israel Fire and Rescue Authority said the fire originated in the underground parking garage at the construction site of the future BIG complex. Plastic materials and pipes were stored in the area where the fire broke out, producing large amounts of smoke that spread from the construction site into the surrounding area.

Firefighters are working to extinguish the flames while also locating the source of the blaze and ventilating the underground parking garage. Nearby residents were asked to keep their windows closed, N12 reported.

The thick smoke could be seen from a considerable distance and covered a large area earlier on Saturday, with some of it drifting toward nearby residential towers in Neveh Gan.

The Israel Fire and Rescue Authority said operations at the scene were continuing and that further updates would be provided as the situation develops.

Highway 7 reopens to traffic following bus fire

Also on Saturday, a bus caught fire on Highway 7 near the Beit Raban Interchange, closing the road to eastbound traffic.

The highway was later reopened after firefighters gained control of the blaze following extensive efforts, according to the Israel Fire and Rescue Authority’s Southern District.

This post was originally published on here. 

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) is criticizing Mayor Zohran Mamdani for creating what officials describe as a security nightmare ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu‘s visit to New York in September, according to a report by The New York Post.

Netanyahu is expected to arrive in the city next month for the United Nations General Assembly and is scheduled to address the assembly on September 26. 

NYPD sources told the NYP that Netanyahu’s visit will require substantial, presidential-level security. They specifically pointed to Mamdani’s recent public statements against the prime minister, which include calls for his arrest and encouragement for the public to protest Netanyahu’s presence as sources of their security concerns.

“Basically, he’s turning what would be considered a Category 1 hurricane that we deal with every year into a Category 5 because of his words,” a NYPD source told the NYP.

“We have to protect hotels; we have to protect wherever dignitaries go out to eat; we have to protect everything,” the source added. “Having the mayor say, ‘Go ahead and protest, and he should be arrested’ is unfair to your own officers.” 

Netanyahu’s complete schedule for his visit to New York is not yet known, so the final number of police officers required for his security detail is still uncertain.

However, up to 60 or more officers could end up being a part of his security detail, including both direct and peripheral personnel, according to another NYPD source.

Police express concern over Netanyahu’s safety

“What’s going to stop one of the protesters from becoming a vigilante and trying to hurt or, God forbid, kill him?” the source questioned.

Officers are also reportedly worried that protesters who believe they are acting on the mayor’s behalf “could cause an officer to get hurt or even killed,” the source stated to the NYP.

Another NYPD source reminded the NYP about the bomb that was discovered outside Gracie Mansion in March. Two men from Pennsylvania, reportedly inspired by ISIS, allegedly attempted to detonate bombs in a crowd during the “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City” protest.

The source expressed concern about the possibility of a similar attempted terrorist attack during Netanyahu’s visit. “His rhetoric is reckless,” the official stated. “It emboldens radical and unstable agitators who could endanger both New Yorkers and law enforcement officers.”

A New York City government source also shared concerns about the recent increase in antisemitism with the NYP, linking it to Mamdani’s stance on Israel.

“It’s very concerning,” said the insider. “I mean, [Mamdani’s] rhetoric has clearly caused this uptick in antisemitism all across our city, and now telling people to go out and protest is going to create a powder keg situation.”

“It’s not the mayor’s job to tell people to protest and to urge them to do so,” the city government source concluded. “It’s likely to be very violent. And I mean, what on Earth is this accomplishing?”

Mamdani’s history of anti-Netanyahu rhetoric

Mamdani’s anti-Netanyahu rhetoric has been a consistent theme throughout both his campaign and his tenure in political office. During his 2025 New York City mayoral campaign, the Mayor pledged to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and stated that he would seek to enforce International Criminal Court (ICC) warrants if elected.

He reiterated this pledge in a recent interview with The New York Times in July.

“I believe that Prime Minister Netanyahu belongs in The Hague. Whatever the law allows me to do in New York City, that’s what we will do, but we won’t be writing our own laws to that end,” Mamdani said.

However, later that week, Mamdani was compelled to admit that his administration lacks the authority to execute the ICC’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu, as stated in a video released by the mayor’s office.

Despite this, he continued to accuse Netanyahu of being responsible for an alleged “genocide against the Palestinian people” and for blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza, adding that Netanyahu “is not welcome in New York City.”

This post was originally published on here. 

Several haredi (ultra-Orthodox) protesters blocked a road in the area of Meron on Saturday due to buses operating prior to the end of Shabbat, N12 News reported.

Footage published by N12 showed multiple nearby civilians dragging the protesters out of the way and attempting to escort a bus through the demonstration.

Walla noted that the incident marks the sixth consecutive week in which haredi demonstrators blocked traffic to protest public transportation operating on Shabbat.

The Israel Police attempted to disperse the protest, added Walla, with secular counterprotesters arriving on scene as well.

Anti-government protests planned for Saturday night across northern Israel

Further protests in northern Israel are scheduled for Saturday night, Maariv reported, though these are intended as demonstrations against the government.

According to Maariv, the areas expected to face protesters include Guma Junction, Kibbutz Eilon, Afula, Kabri, Nahariya, Tzemach, Rosh Pina, and Karmiel.

Additional anti-government protests are expected throughout the country. 

This post was originally published on here. 

Iran executed at least 71 people in July, including six protesters, according to Iran Human Rights (IHR), a Norway-based monitoring group, which said it documented at least 444 executions from January 1 through July 31, while only 67 of those cases were announced by Iranian authorities. 

This information emerges as international attention has focused on Iran’s military confrontation with the United States and Israel, leaving arrests, death sentences and alleged abuses inside the country less visible, rights advocates say. The organization said another 377 cases were independently verified through two sources, while reports of more than 400 additional executions have not been included because they could not yet be verified. 

The figures present a parallel picture of Iran at a moment when international attention has overwhelmingly centered on military operations, the confrontation with the United States and Israel, the Strait of Hormuz, and the economic consequences of the conflict. 

Inside the country, however, the machinery of capital punishment has continued. 

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the director of Iran Human Rights, said executions have returned to an almost daily pace. “So, it seems that we are going back to the way it used to be, that we have daily executions. Most of them are for charges such as drug trafficking or murder. But the execution of protesters also continues,” he told The Media Line. 

“Last month, we had six protesters who were executed. We know that there are many more on death row now. In one of the prisons in Isfahan, we have identified at least 70 people who are going to be executed,” he added.  

Iran executions span murder, drugs, and security-related offenses

Of the 71 executions recorded in July, the organization said 36 concerned murder charges, 26 drug-related offenses, eight security-related charges and one rape charge. During the first seven months of 2026, IHR documented the executions of 28 protesters—26 connected to the January 2026 protests and two to the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement. It also recorded the executions of 13 political prisoners affiliated with banned opposition groups, and 12 people accused of espionage. 

In total, 63 of the executions documented during the period involved national-security charges. 

Iranian authorities describe such executions as lawful punishment for security-related crimes and have said swift enforcement of sentences is necessary to deter unrest. 

The death penalty extends far beyond political cases. According to IHR, 227 people were executed after receiving qisas, or retribution-in-kind, sentences for murder, while 143 were executed for drug-related offenses. Twelve women, 17 foreign nationals, and at least 80 members of ethnic minorities were among those executed. 

Only two of the 444 documented executions were carried out publicly. 

For an anonymous source currently inside Iran, the continuation of executions itself is not regarded as something new. The deeper frustration, the source said, comes from the perception that what is happening inside the country is widely known but increasingly absent from the international conversation. 

“Unjust executions without a fair trial have always been happening here. That’s not the shocking part to us. What we hate the most is that now almost everybody knows what’s going on in Iran—the crimes committed by the Islamic Republic. Every politician and news outlet is well aware [of] this, but they pretend it doesn’t exist because it doesn’t align with their interests. We don’t expect much from these people—the least is transparency,” the source told The Media Line.  

“The silence of the media is nothing new to us, but it’s definitely heartbreaking,” the source added. 

That loss of attention is also central to Amiry-Moghaddam’s assessment of the current moment. “So, of course the media, they go for the hottest news, and right now it’s war. This is one of the reasons why the Islamic Republic actually prefers the current situation, because everything else comes under the shadow of the war,” he noted. 

He argues that international priorities have moved toward containing the conflict and preserving regional economic stability. “They prefer to have at least some level of tension with the United States because that takes all the attention. For Western countries, the highest priority is not the human rights situation of Iranian people. Right now, it is that the Strait of Hormuz is open, that the oil prices and gas prices are not increased anymore, that there is stability,” he said. 

The effect of the war inside Iran is more complicated than a simple weakening of the state. 

According to Amiry-Moghaddam, the authorities have been able to mobilize supporters during the conflict, while the structural problems that have repeatedly fueled discontent—inflation, shortages and economic mismanagement—remain unresolved. 

“I would say that compared to the time before the war, probably the regime is in a better shape. However, they are not capable of solving people’s daily problems. There is still mismanagement in the whole country,” he said, highlighting electricity and water shortages alongside inflation. “Sooner or later, there will be new protests.” 

At the same time, the conflict appears to have changed the immediate priorities of some Iranians. “Maybe seven months ago, they had much more hope of regime change. Now, it seems that because of the war, they are much more preoccupied with their life situation not getting any worse. But it is getting worse, unfortunately,” Amiry-Moghaddam said. 

The anonymous source inside Iran described the continuing uncertainty in more restrained terms. “The weight of the ongoing uncertainty over the conflict, well it’s the same as before. Nothing has changed,” he said. 

But executions are only one component of the domestic picture. 

Widespread arrests accompany Iran’s expanding security crackdown

Amiry-Moghaddam also described widespread arrests since the beginning of the conflict and warned that national-security legislation has expanded the authorities’ ability to impose severe sentences over alleged cooperation with organizations or media outside Iran. 

“There are always arrests, but there is a new law that was passed last year during the fall, after the 12-day war last summer. It gives the authorities much more opportunity to give harsh sentences to people. For example, if someone has a video or messages sending to Farsi media outside the country, they can even be sentenced to death,” he said. 

According to Amiry-Moghaddam, the scale extends well beyond individual cases. “Inside the prisons there are thousands who have been arrested since the war began. And as I mentioned, we think hundreds are sentenced to death. Many of them are subjected to torture.” 

“What I’m concerned about is that as these military operations continue, the regime will use it even more to justify more arrests, more harsh sentences, more executions under the pretext of national security,” he said. 

Those estimates of arrests, death sentences and alleged torture come from Amiry-Moghaddam’s own account and are distinct from IHR’s independently documented execution statistics. 

For him, the significance of capital punishment also goes beyond the individual prisoners who ultimately face execution. He argues that repeated executions create a broader climate of intimidation capable of affecting political activity and freedom of expression even among people who have never been detained. “I think we should not underestimate the importance of the executions for the regime. … Just seven months ago, people used to post on their social media channels; they were not so afraid,” he said. 

“Now, I think, especially because of all these executions that they hear about every single day, we see the impact of the death penalty on the freedom of speech, on basically everything people do,” he asserted. 

Iran executions receive less global attention than 2022 protests

The contrast with previous waves of international attention is particularly significant. 

The death of Mahsa Amini in custody in 2022 and the subsequent “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests generated demonstrations and widespread solidarity internationally. Amiry-Moghaddam says that level of public attention has not been replicated during the current period. “When we compare a situation with the time after the Women. Life. Freedom. Movement, we see that also the public opinion and the solidarity that the Iranian people used to have during that movement is not there anymore.” 

He does not attribute the shift exclusively to Western governments or media. Part of the problem, he argues, stems from within the Iranian opposition, which is increasingly divided over the war and how foreign military intervention should be viewed. “And you probably have seen Iranians going out with the American flag, Israeli flag, and I don’t think it has a positive impact on the public opinion in Europe,” he said. 

Amiry-Moghaddam was also explicit in separating opposition to the Islamic Republic from support for bombing Iran. “I don’t think it is morally right either. Although I understand it’s because of desperation, we cannot express happiness because Iran is being bombed. These past few months have been very strange.” 

That distinction sits at the center of the human rights dilemma created by the current conflict. Military pressure on Tehran has not stopped executions or arrests. According to Amiry-Moghaddam, it may instead give authorities another justification for repression while shifting international scrutiny toward military and economic priorities. 

His argument is therefore that human rights must return to the diplomatic agenda independently of how the military confrontation develops. He sees Europe’s potential role not as determining Iran’s political future but as increasing the external consequences of domestic repression. 

“The change in the system, that must come from inside by the Iranian people, but what Europe can do is to raise the political cost of the repression, the executions, and that’s what we are hoping. The rest, I think, Iranian people will do,” he noted. 

For now, however, the contrast is growing sharper. 

Iran’s military confrontation has become an international security story. Inside the country, according to IHR and the accounts provided for this article, executions and arrests have continued alongside it—while receiving considerably less attention than the conflict surrounding them. 

For Amiry-Moghaddam, that also explains why war should not automatically be interpreted as a pathway to change inside Iran. “We really should hope that the war ends, because this is an asymmetric war, and this is the expertise of the Iranian regime. That’s what they are good at. They do whatever it takes to hold on to power,” he said. 

“The regime must answer to people why their daily issues are not solved, why do they have a shortage of everything, basically. I haven’t given up the hope for a change, but I think that the war is not helping it,” he concluded. 

This post was originally published on here. 

A significant development emerged on Thursday in the investigation into the murder of Eldar Dayan, whose remains were discovered that morning in an open area near Yarkon Junction in Petah Tikva, approximately 50 meters from the gas station where he was last seen on July 18.

The two suspects arrested in connection with the case had their detention extended by seven days on Thursday. 

After several days of exercising their right to remain silent, they began to communicate with investigators. 

The formal murder investigation commenced on Thursday at the Sharon District Central Unit, where the two suspects were questioned separately. During this questioning, one of the suspects started to provide information that investigators believe could clarify the circumstances surrounding Dayan’s death. 

Police officials informed Maariv: “In the coming days, we will know exactly what happened in the final moments of the late Eldar Dayan.”

Dayan’s remains discovered by police last week

Dayan, a resident of Dimona, was last seen on Saturday, July 18, at a gas station in Petah Tikva. His remains were found on Thursday in an open area near Yarkon Junction, roughly 50 meters from the gas station. 

A police dog involved in the search led officers to the location. Items of clothing were found near the remains, and investigators are awaiting results from the National Center of Forensic Medicine to determine the cause and time of death, as well as to identify evidence that could clarify the circumstances surrounding his demise.

The investigation is currently focused on two of Dayan’s friends, who were arrested after his disappearance.

Investigators are also examining two motorcycle helmets found in the area, along with the vehicle the three men had traveled in. The vehicle was discovered abandoned near the gas station, with its license plates removed. 

Investigators are still working to reconstruct the timeline of events from the moment the three men arrived in the area until Dayan’s disappearance.

This post was originally published on here. 

A bumper crop of new kids’ books about the High Holidays is hitting shelves in 2026, surprising close observers of Jewish children’s literature.

“It is unusual for multiple Sukkot books to be published in the same year, especially of consistently high quality. It’s very exciting,” said Heidi Rabinowitz,  a Jewish librarian and host of the Book of Life podcast, which describes itself as “a podcast about Jewish kidlit (mostly).”

Rabinowitz noted with appreciation that one of the books was coming from a mainstream secular press, rather than from the smaller boutique presses that tend to release books about Jewish holidays.

She offered a possible explanation for the surging interest in the harvest holiday in particular: “Sukkot is family- and environmentally friendly, and I think that is a big part of its appeal.”

But the new books showcase a wide range of Jewish traditions and values, from apologizing for Yom Kippur to engaging with tashlich on Rosh Hashanah. They also feature communal celebrations, festive foods and, well, fake burps. Here’s what new on shelves for the season:

Twelve Jewish children’s book titles released for the High Holidays in 2026 

Rosh Hashanah: Square-Circle-Star!: A First Shapes Book

Joy Nelkin Wieder; pictures by Aura Lewis

Abrams Appleseed; ages birth to 3

Preschoolers will enjoy finding shapes in their favorite Rosh Hashanah traditions with this large-format board book – square bites of honey cake, a round swirl of challah, the curves of the shofar and even apple slice semicircles.

The Sweetest Rosh Hashanah: Festivals of the World

Mara Bergman; illustrated by Aura Lewis

Candlewick Press; ages 4-8

As Rosh Hashanah approaches, Ellie looks forward to a visit from her relatives and her favorite cousin, Lara. But last year, Lara was bossy and borrowed Ellie’s cherished paint set and didn’t return it. This year, Ellie decides to hide all of her favorite toys. When Lara arrives with a hand made Rosh Hashanah card, the cousins apologize for their misdeeds and embrace. Mara Bergman’s sweet story is accompanied by Aura Lewis’s large, bright illustrations that include a multiracial family.

Stella’s Special Recipe: A Rosh Hashanah Story

Melissa Stoller; illustrated by Valerya Milovanova

Kar-Ben Publishing; ages 2-8

Stella is eager to help her mother prepare her family’s special stuffed cabbage for Rosh Hashanah — a well-worn recipe that includes extra touches from both her grandmothers and her mother. She and her mom gather the fresh veggies from their garden — cabbage and tomatoes and eggs from their chickens. What can Stella add? Her creative idea is perfect for a sweet new year.

Diving Deep on Rosh Hashanah: Reverse Tashlich for a Better World

Rachelle Burk; illustrated by Craig Orback

Intergalactic Afikomen; ages 4-10

This children’s book illustrates a relatively new Jewish tradition that has gained wide traction in recent years: the reverse tashlich. It recounts the story of Ed Rosenthal, who — years after watching “The Underworld of Jacques Cousteau” and dreaming of one day seeing the wonders beneath the sea — snorkeled in the Red Sea after hiking in Israel. As a rabbi at a college in Florida, he created the “Scubi Jew Club” for his students to share his passion. At a service for tashlich, the Rosh Hashanah tradition in which Jews cast symbols of their sins into bodies of water, a student suggested instead clearing the water of trash to make a cleaner, better world for the start of the Jewish year. Now, synagogues across the country and world include a reverse tashlich in their High Holiday plans. The title comes from the team behind “The Space Torah,” an award-winning depiction of a Jewish astronaut’s journey with a miniature Torah.

Awe! It’s Everywhere

Chana Stiefel; illustrated by Susan Gal

Scholastic; ages 4-8

In Chana Stiefel’s simply worded, lavishly illustrated book, young readers can experience awe, in perfect time for the Days of Awe — another term for the period from the start of Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur. Awe can be small or miraculous, according to the book, which features mesmerizing illustrations including a double-page spread that unfolds to reveal the waterfalls of Yosemite National Park.

I’m Sorry for the Bagel Burps: A Yom Kippur Apology

Jacob Sager Weinstein; illustrated by Jason Kirschner

Rocky Pond Books; ages 5-8

In this story optimized for children with a penchant for the gross, a young boy and his older brother have a spat when the older one calls him a baby because he’s not old enough to fast on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. In turn, during synagogue services, the young boy teases back. By story’s end, they apologized for their hurtful words and are back to their playful ribbing — all involving fake burps. Jason Kirschner’s cartoon-style illustrations match the levity of the moment.

The Sukkah Hop

Barbara Lerman-Golomb; illustrated by Talia Drigues

Green Bean Books; birth to 4

Kids will have a hoot bopping along with a multi-generational procession of families and friends as they visit each others’ sukkahs in this book that illustrates the popular community tradition of the sukkah hop. Barbara Lerman-Golomb’s simple, rhyming verse comes alive in Talia Drigues’ colorful illustrations.

A Purr-Fect Sukkot

Jenna Waldman; illustrated by Erica J. Chen

Apples & Honey Press; ages 3-7

The youngest kids will have fun along with a family of kittens who gather branches for the hut’s open roof, decorate their sukkah with paper chains, shake the lulav and enjoy a festive holiday meal.

Build a Sukkah With Me

Katie Moss; illustrated by Orit Magia

Green Bean Books; ages 4-8

Katie Moss creates a delightful sukkah-building story around a catchy, simple rhyming verse, using only three words that are easy for kids to repeat. Orit Magia’s cartoonish illustrations bring the pages to life.

A House With No Door: A Sukkot Story

Amy Fellner Dominy; illustrated by Rotem Teplow

Kar-Ben Publishing; ages 2-8

Join a young boy and his kitty as he explores the simple outdoor hut his family is building for Sukkot. In a stunning pairing of Amy Fellner Dominy’s sparsely worded verse and Rotem Teplow’s beautiful illustrations, young children join in the boy’s wondrous observations of his sukkah. A lovely connection with the meaning of the holiday.

Our Spectacular Sukkah

Sidura Ludwig; illustrated by Sophia Vincent Guy

Candlewick Press; ages 4-8

In Sidura Ludwig’s heartwarming story, illuminated by Sophia Vincent Guy’s sparkling illustrations, a young girl and her family build a seasonally decorated sukkah. Drama builds when a storm knocks down their beloved structure. Neighbors of all backgrounds come to the rescue and return the scattered sukkah parts in parade-like fashion. They all pitch in to rebuild the sukkah, which becomes a truly welcoming space for all.

The Art of Jewish Joy: Crafts and Activities for Celebration and Connection

Amanda Kingloff and Suzy Ultman

Chronicle Books; ages 3 and up

Children of all ages and their grown-ups can kick off the Jewish New Year with a creative spark with this engaging collection of activities for Jewish celebrations. This 224-page, how-to compendium is chock full of brightly-colored illustrations and easy-to-follow instructions. More than 50 pages are devoted to the Jewish High Holidays, with ideas for New Year’s greetings cards, hand-held silhouettes and dipped apple slices.

This post was originally published on here. 

On a recent morning, seven friends from Sydney stood alongside their fellow soldiers and received their light-green berets, the color of the IDF’s Nahal Brigade. 

They had all spent a year in Israel, either at yeshiva or on an experiential program. While most returned to their home country, these boys decided to leave their families and friends in Australia and enlist as lone soldiers in the IDF. 

The Masa Kumta is a march after which the beret is awarded to the soldiers. It marks the end of months of basic and advanced combat training. However, it was not only the physical test that made these soldiers so impressive, but the sacrifice that comes with being a lone soldier while your family is almost 14,000 kilometers away. 

The friends had arrived in the IDF via slightly different routes. One told me about the influence of Bnei Akiva, another of family history and friends who had already served. October 7, however, was central for all seven. 

“I hated the idea that Israel was fighting while I felt helpless in Sydney. It was around the time of my end-of-year exams, but I just wanted to start my year in Israel.” 

Fighting a sense of helplessness

But on December 14, 2025, that sense of helplessness was flipped on its head. Two terrorists attacked a public Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach. Fifteen people were killed, and another 40 were wounded in the deadliest terrorist attack on Australian soil.

One of the soldiers learned of the attack while in training, when his commander pulled him aside to tell him. 

“He said there had been an attack at Bondi, and my first thought was ‘Who was there?’” he recalled. “Then I was trying to get names and work out whether everyone was safe while we were still in the middle of training. I had a gun on me, which was incredibly strange. I could protect Jews in Israel but not my own family in Sydney.”

The attack brought another strange phenomenon for the soldiers, which they shared with me: they suddenly worried more for their family in Sydney than for themselves, despite being in the army. 

“My parents are normally the ones asking if I’m okay and whether the army is looking after me,” one soldier said. “After Bondi, I was the one calling them. I worry more about them now than they worry about me.”

The Bondi shooting did not happen in isolation. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry recorded 1,654 anti-Jewish incidents in the 12 months leading up to September 2025, almost five times the annual average of 342 recorded during the decade before Oct. 7.

Australian Jews have seen the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne set alight, a kosher business in Bondi destroyed by arson, cars and buildings in the heavily Jewish suburb of Woollahra vandalized, and a childcare center in Sydney firebombed. Bondi was the culmination of the atmosphere of intimidation and violence towards Jewish people that was created after Oct. 7. 

The Australian government has since established a Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion in January, after sustained pressure from Jewish organizations. Its interim report, published in April, made 14 recommendations and identified serious shortcomings in counterterrorism coordination, information-sharing and security planning. Its final report is due in December.

Most see little point in returning to an increasingly antisemitic Australia

One parent of the seven gave me his feelings on the inquiry. While it was necessary, he suggested that its creation would do little to help the Jewish community in Australia feel safer: “I struggle to be grateful for a royal commission that was only created when 15 Jews were killed, not when our shuls were being attacked for two years.”

Most of the soldiers see little point in returning to Australia. “My family will be coming over the next few years, and there is nothing for me in Sydney. Antisemitism feels too far gone. Here we are not at the whim of a government; we can protect ourselves.”

The decision to move has come with sacrifices. One told me that he missed his best friend’s wedding. Another sees his girlfriend every six weeks. One pointed out that this has been the experience of much of Israeli society, particularly since Oct. 7. 

But Israelis can at least return home to parents who understand the bureaucracy of the army, and can do washing and provide a home-cooked meal. For these boys, they figure most of it out on their own. 

I asked their parents how hard it is to be 20 hours away from their sons in the army. While they said it was hard and that there are sleepless nights, one of them shared a powerful perspective. He said he had never felt more connected to Am Yisrael (the Jewish people) than he did now, sharing the burden carried by so many Israeli parents whose children serve in the army.

At the end of the ceremony, the commanders counted down, and the soldiers threw their new berets into the air. It was impossible, in the sea of green, to distinguish the Israeli natives from the seven who had arrived from Sydney.

But while they earned the same beret, their circumstances remained different. Their families are still across the world, and they have less of a support system than Israeli soldiers. But within Nahal, they were all simply soldiers. 

I congratulated one of the soldiers, and he reminded me that the “real army starts now.”

This post was originally published on here. 

An Israeli man and an American man engaged in a physical confrontation at a Manila airport in the Philippines on Saturday after the American allegedly hurled antisemitic insults at the Israeli, according to footage of the incident published on X/Twitter.

The footage, released by Israeli writer and activist Hen Mazzig, shows the men fighting on the ground before a passerby and airport staff manage to break it up.

An Israeli man and an American man got into a fight at an airport in Manila 🇵🇭.

The Israeli man alleges that the American man called him a baby killer and said: “Too bad Hitler didn’t finish the job.”

As long as antisemitism continues to be accepted under the false label of… pic.twitter.com/l2wpibMcXg

— Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) August 8, 2026

The Israeli alleged that the American had called him a “baby killer” and said it was “too bad Hitler didn’t finish the job,” causing him to act out.

Following the fight, the American can be seen in the footage saying: “You proved my point; you’re going to jail; you attacked me,” before he called the Israeli man a “piece of s***.”

IDF reservist attacked by antisemitic Spanish tourist in Philippines

The incident follows an antisemitic attack against an IDF reservist at a cafe on Siargao Island in the Philippines at the start of the month, according to the Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism Ministry.

That incident also involved the term “baby killer.” The Spanish tourist further accused the Israeli of “genocide” before threatening to kill him.

According to the ministry, the tourist began the physical fight after the Israeli attempted to de-escalate the situation, asking the Spanish man to step away. 

Alex Carson contributed to this report.

This post was originally published on here. 

Several Israelis enter the West Bank for hikes each week without military approval, a senior IDF Central Command officer said on Friday.

“Some [hikes] are not approved and not coordinated,” the officer said. “We only learn about some of them after the fact.”

The officer noted that despite the issue, dozens of hikes are conducted with IDF authorization and coordination.

His comments came amid heightened tensions in the West Bank, concerns over a potential series of terrorist attacks, and increasing friction between Palestinians and Israelis in the area.

The senior officer said the IDF permits hikes throughout areas under Israeli security and civilian control as long as they undergo the required coordination process.

“The IDF today allows any hike to take place anywhere [in areas under Israeli security and civilian control], through coordination and a very orderly process, which is an operational process, full coordination of the hiking route and procedures with the regional brigade in the Judea and Samaria Division, carried out under the hike approval procedure,” the officer added.

He also addressed the July 24 terrorist attack on the outskirts of the Palestinian village of Tal, in the Samaria Brigade sector. Maj. Yuval Ezra, commander of a battery in the 411th Battalion, and Capt. Binyahu Malat, a reservist in the regional defense force, were killed in the attack.

Soldiers killed after arriving to assist, others injured in attack

The Havat Gilad community’s security coordinator and additional civilians were also injured by stone throwing. The soldiers and the security coordinator had rushed to the scene after hikers who entered the area of Tal came under attack.

Describing what the IDF knew before the hike took place, the officer said that “according to the operations branch, there was some awareness that a hike was planned in the area, and I emphasize some, because it was nothing beyond that, during the late night hours.”

The brigade subsequently attempted to obtain more information about the planned hike, according to the officer.

“There was an attempt by the brigade to clarify what was involved, which encountered a lack of cooperation in obtaining details about the organizers and the hiking route,” he said. “We obviously had difficulty understanding what was being planned.”

The IDF received information that same night about a separate hike planned for the southern Itamar area, the officer said.

“That hike did receive a response after we contacted the hike organizers on our own initiative, understood its route, set clear guidelines, and deployed a security force there,” he noted.

Following an investigation into the terrorist attack, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir determined that the hike near Tell had not been coordinated with or approved by the IDF.

“The IDF today requires settlers and anyone who comes to hike in Judea and Samaria to go through an orderly process with the regional brigades and the division, in order to allow anyone who wants to hike anywhere to do so,” the officer emphasized, addressing the coordination requirements.

He further pointed to the extensive security arrangements the IDF provides for coordinated prayers at Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus, Solomon’s Pools, and other sensitive locations throughout Judea and Samaria.

Approval process includes elements to ensure safety of hikers

Explaining the approval process, he said that “the approval includes an organized security framework, with clear definitions of what is permitted and what is prohibited, and there are dozens of these each month, both in the summer and throughout the entire year.”

The senior officer then described the sequence of events leading up to the July 24 attack.

“From the moment during the night when we received the indication that a hike was supposed to take place, we were unable to close the loop on it, and it set out in the morning at around 5:30 from the community of Bracha,” the officer said.

“The hike passed through Area C, entered B and A, and moved into Area B,” he continued, noting that the group consisted of “a very long line of dozens of hikers, from young children to older adults.”

The officer said the hike continued for nearly two hours without the IDF soldiers operating in the area being aware of it.

“Until 7:27 a.m., the hike proceeded without unusual or exceptional incidents and without the IDF soldiers operating here in the area being aware of it or being able to provide a response, but at that time an indication was received from an observation soldier in the direction of Yitzhar who identified the hike and understood that there was something unusual in the area, similar to many incidents that happen to us here on a day to day basis,” he said.

The observation soldier then issued a report over the radio, the officer said, “and from that stage, the company and platoon stationed here in the area at the Sela outpost were alerted.”

Following the terrorist attack, the IDF also carried out a series of arrests in the area and transferred dozens of suspects for questioning by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency).

This post was originally published on here. 

For many American victims of Iranian terrorism, surviving the attack was only the beginning of their ordeal. Decades later, some are still waiting for the compensation they were awarded in court, while others have died without ever seeing justice. 

The trauma continues through the long psychological and physical recovery, the financial burden of lost income, the costs of families traveling to care for loved ones, and the weight of mounting medical expenses. Everyday financial obligations do not disappear. Mortgage payments, rent, utility bills, and other household expenses continue to accumulate, even as victims and their families struggle to rebuild their lives.

The US Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund (USVSST Fund) was established by Congress in December 2015 under the Justice for United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Act. It compensates American survivors and their families who have obtained a final judgment in a US district court against a designated state sponsor of terrorism. The fund, initially capitalized with $1.025 billion, is funded by forfeited assets, civil and criminal penalties, and settlements with banks and companies that violated US sanctions laws.

Although the fund has distributed more than $10 billion to eligible victims, that amount is little more than a drop in the ocean compared with the tens of billions of dollars awarded in court judgments. Many families are still waiting to receive the full compensation they were awarded, even after more than 40 years. Some bereaved family members have died before ever seeing a single payment.

With the number of victims only growing as the Islamic Republic’s proxies continue to escalate attacks, Rep. Laura Gillen (D-NY) and Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) introduced a bill in late July seeking a loan from the Treasury for $3 billion to ensure payouts are guaranteed for victims over the next three years. The loan would be repaid when the American government collects penalties from those breaching sanctions laws.

“American victims of Iran’s state-sponsored terrorism have waited far too long for the justice and restitution they are legally owed,” said Gillen. “This bipartisan legislation ensures that our promises to victims are backed by real action, delivering the long-overdue compensation they deserve while holding Iran accountable for decades of horrific violence against Americans.”

‘Never having the chance to see justice served’

Aryeh Portnoy, a lawyer from Crowell & Moring representing American victims against the Islamic regime for its role in the Hamas-led massacres of October 7, 2023, told The Jerusalem Post, “Victims of Iranian and other state-sponsored terrorism have been seeking justice for decades, and tragically the community of victims has only continued to grow. 

“Victims die every month, sometimes more frequently than that, never having the chance to see justice served. And as new victims see the painful journey of those who came before them, and are afraid that they will also still be fighting 10, 20, 30, 40 years down the road.

“The victims have come to the US government with the plea not to let another victim die without seeing justice.”

“The victims have come to the US government with the plea not to let another victim die without seeing justice. Congress and the president can make sure that doesn’t happen by prioritizing and supporting the victims. They can make a difference right now and fulfill the promises the United States made to the American victims of state-sponsored terrorism never to forget and to afford them the relief they desperately need,” Portnoy continued.

New victims see the painful journey of those who came before them, and are afraid that they will also still be fighting 10, 20, 30, 40 years down the road’

Estera Votaw was among the many bereaved family members who died without ever receiving a payment. A Hungarian Jewish Holocaust survivor who endured both Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen, Estera had already experienced unimaginable suffering. Decades after surviving the Holocaust, she faced another devastating loss when her husband, Albert Nicholson Votaw, was killed in the bombing of the US Embassy in Beirut by Iran-backed Hezbollah.

Albert, a civilian employee with USAID, was helping Lebanese civilians find housing during the civil war when he was killed in the April 18, 1983, suicide truck bombing. He was one of 63 people killed in the attack, including 17 American citizens.

“He was always extremely funny, very bright, loved to poke fun at what you just said or how you said it or make puns, and he was generally the life of the party when he was in a group,” she shared.

A Quaker from Philadelphia, Albert was guided by strong values and devoted much of his career to public service. After joining USAID in 1966, he traveled the world with his wife and their four daughters, “doing good work.”

Only weeks before leaving his post in Bangkok for Beirut, Albert had reassured his family that “they wouldn’t send me somewhere dangerous,” recalled his daughter Cathy, who was 27 at the time of her father’s death. She said she remains angry that her civilian father was sent into what she believes was an active war zone.

“I have no idea what they were doing, sending civilians into what was basically a war zone…It’s like bombing Iran. You can’t make people do what you want them to do, just because you decide that it’s peaceful,” she said.

Albert had arrived in Lebanon just 10 days before the attack. Estera remained in Bangkok, packing up their belongings and preparing to join him.

It took 24 hours to recover Albert’s body. His remains were cremated in Beirut, and a young Quaker associated with the embassy scattered his ashes in the Mediterranean Sea in accordance with his and Estera’s wishes.

Though the entire family was devastated, Estera was particularly lost, Cathy said. Having spent years moving around the world for her husband’s work and having already lost her home in Eastern Europe during the Holocaust, Estera had no property or roots to return to. Eventually, she settled in Arlington, Virginia, where she lived until 2012, once again having to “remake her life.”

“After the war, after she survived Auschwitz and was liberated from Bergen-Belsen, she had to reinvent herself. She went home to northern Yugoslavia. Her father was still alive, although he didn’t last too long, and she and her brother had survived, and pretty much everyone in the parent generation had been killed, and so she reinvented herself, and eventually went to school in Paris, and then came to the United States, and then at the age of you know 53, she had to do a complete reinvention,” Cathy voiced. “Every single thing has to be reinvented, and it was kind of the same thing when my father was killed.”

Cathy’s own reaction was a slow dribble that eventually amounted to a “nervous breakdown” in the 1990s. “I couldn’t keep it together. I was crying at work. I was trying mainly to hold it together at home, but I couldn’t concentrate. I realized at one point that I was thinking about killing myself,” she said.

“I was thinking about how many of my kids had to die before I would give myself permission to jump out a window,” she recalled. “When I realized that’s what I was thinking, I was sort of fixated on: What if it was just two of them, or did it have to be all three?”

“And what about my husband? I was having these ridiculous thoughts, but when I realized what it was, which was that I was trying to give myself permission to kill myself, I sought professional help and went to a psychiatrist. She basically said, ‘You have something that is called a delayed grief reaction, that your feelings are so strong but so suppressed because you continue to carry on that they’re now sort of popping out here.’ And that made a lot of sense to me,” Cathy said.

Every attack, from the September 11 attacks to the bombing of the American embassies in Nairobi, “jolted all of us back to those raw feelings,” she shared, reflecting on how many grieving families experienced the same.

After years of silent memory, Cathy’s pain became more bearable, and she was finally able to say her father’s name again. Her first son was named Nicholas, after her father’s middle name, and her second son was named Albert. Naming her second son required a warning to family members who were still overwhelmed at the name. Eventually, however, the family was able to share stories about Albert, and how he would take his daughters sledding down hills and over frozen lakes.

Dammarell vs Islamic Republic of Iran

With traditional avenues of justice inaccessible for Iran’s American victims, Cathy said she viewed a lawsuit as the only avenue available to see some accountability. In 2001, a survivor of the attack and the families of victims initiated a lawsuit against Iran, Dammarell vs Islamic Republic of Iran, seeking $5 billion in damages.

Two of Cathy’s sisters immediately joined the lawsuit, though her third sister and her mother needed more convincing.

“My mom said, ‘I didn’t let the Nazis, the Germans, pay me for killing my parents. I’m not going to let Iran pay me for killing my husband,’” Cathy recollected, explaining that she persuaded her mother to join the action on the condition that the money would never be placed directly in her hands.

In 2003, Iran was found liable for orchestrating and funding the attack, and in 2005, 29 plaintiffs were awarded $126,061,657. In 2006, the court entered its final judgment order, consolidating the calculated compensatory damages for the victims and their families at $316,919,657. According to publicly available court documents, the estate of Albert Votaw was awarded $30 million.

‘The victims of terrorism should be in line for that money before the Iranian government gets it’

Cathy estimated that there was only a 10% chance that her family would ever see even 10% of the money that they were awarded. Now 70, she is afraid that she will never be given what she is entitled to, and that the American government will destroy the mechanisms needed to collect the judgment “in order to be friendly to Iran.”

Under the Memorandum of Understanding signed by Washington and Tehran, which has since failed, the United States committed to ending sanctions against Iran. The lifting of such sanctions would mean an end to the fines and seizures that finance the USVSST Fund.

“The victims of terrorism should be in line for that money before the Iranian government gets it,” Cathy stressed.

“The memorandum of understanding indicated that the president was going to direct that sanctions be lifted, that Iran was going to be back in the fold of nations, and I had a very strong emotional and intellectual reaction to that, which was: no effing way,” Cathy said.

“The victims of terrorism should be in line for that money before the Iranian government gets it. But I think just sort of turning them loose, the way President Trump seems to want to do it, just like, ‘Okay, we’re done, we won, we’re leaving,’ is totally the wrong thing.”

She noted that Libya had been forced to pay compensation to its American victims before being allowed to escape sanctions and the label of a state sponsor of terrorism, and was critical of the fact that Iran nearly had that same opportunity without any conditions of ending its support for terrorism and without compensating those harmed over the past few decades.

In 2008, Libya paid $1.5 billion into a fund for victims of terrorism, including the families of the 270 people killed in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103, and the American families of those wounded and killed in the 1986 attack on a West Berlin disco.

Portnoy, the lawyer representing the plaintiffs, noted that “it is essential that the government not provide relief to terrorist regimes without first providing relief to the Americans and their families whose lives those terrorist regimes destroyed.

“Iran, in particular, has been sponsoring terrorism and destroying lives for more than four decades – targeting Americans and its allies around the world. It has left a trail of heartbreak and devastation,” he said. 

“The victims are imploring their government to ensure accountability and justice for those who have suffered so grievously simply because they were Americans.”

The latest generation of Iran’s victims

While some victims have spent more than a decade waiting for justice, receiving only small, partial payments, new victims have continued to join their ranks. The latest are survivors and families of those killed on October 7, who are still waiting for their day in court.

E. and A., who are suing Iran over the trauma inflicted on their daughter, a survivor of the Supernova music festival, spoke with the Post on condition of anonymity, fearing that public attention surrounding their case could jeopardize their daughter’s slow progress in coming to terms with what she endured.

Both were careful to avoid words such as “recovery,” describing the concept as “obscure” in light of their daughter’s condition. “The idea is to teach her how to live with what she saw and how to handle it. I don’t think she can recover,” E. said.

The couple moved to the United States from Israel, becoming citizens in 2002 after years of bureaucratic wrangling. Their three children were born in New York, and the couple believed that they were giving their children a better, more secure future.

Despite being born in the United States, T., their middle child, decided to enlist in the IDF after high school. At 21, her military service was nearing its end, and she planned to attend college and begin the next chapter of her life. She had tickets to the desert rave that would become one of the deadliest targets of the Hamas-led October 7 attack on Israel. Over 1,200 people were killed that day throughout southern Israel, including more than 800 civilians; Hamas and affiliated Palestinians terror groups abducted 251 people to Gaza.

“She gave us a call, and then she said, ‘Dad, don’t panic. They are shooting all over. I just want to let you know that I love you guys.’ I didn’t understand the magnitude of what was going on over there because she woke me up in the middle of the night. I knew she was at a music festival, but I didn’t expect to have anything like that,” E. shared, explaining how he had told his daughter to find security or call the police. “She said, ‘Daddy, you don’t understand. There are so many bodies around me.’ I definitely didn’t understand.”

After telling her parents she loved them one final time, the phone dropped the call as her battery died. T. had already been running and hiding for two hours, and her family didn’t hear from her until she was rescued nine hours later.

“She was running for a life for about 11 hours until she was rescued,” E. recalled.

T.’s parents later learned that T. was in her boyfriend’s car shortly after the sirens started, planning to leave the festival to find shelter. The alarms had led to queues to leave the site. T. received a call from a friend a few cars ahead of her and told her to run, that the terrorists were shooting at those ahead of them. T. and her boyfriend were able to flee the car, but two of their friends in the backseat were shot dead.

For hours the pair hid together, running to new hiding spots when too many people accumulated where they were. At one point, the pair found themselves hiding in a ditch, T.’s boyfriend laying on top of her to try to make themselves as small as possible.

“Two terrorists came over, they thought he was raping her, and they asked T’s boyfriend if she was a Jew” E. continued, explaining how they initially mistook the boyfriend for one of the invading Palestinians. The boyfriend knocked one of the terrorists out, before he could get near T., though the other was able to stab the boyfriend and shock him with an electric rod during the scuffle. He yelled at T. to run, and by the thinnest stroke of luck he was able to escape and rejoin her.

The trauma of that day hasn’t left T. She struggles with severe depression, is unable to get out of bed on most days, and continues to deal with the guilt of surviving when so many did not.

“She saw a lot of girls being raped and killed and being shot. Friends, they were dead, and still being raped. Her friends there were killed, and whatever you see, it’s tough to get out of your mind,” A. explained. “She has survivor guilt. She feels that she doesn’t deserve to live. Everything that starts with depression, not being able to get out of bed, not brushing her teeth, not taking care of herself.”

Even on the days she can almost function, E. said T. described herself as “rotting from the inside.”

“She told me that waking up every day is more painful than dying. Our fear – that she commits suicide, or hurts herself, or something like that – is big,” he continued. “My wife spends a lot of time overseas to help her. I go when I can.” T.’s parents, who pay for their daughter’s living expenses, have spent around $15,000 a year on flights since the attack, at times leaving their work behind for months to support their daughter.

‘She just turned life off … The only thing that I need at this point is to give her a reason to live’

While A. and E. are willing and able to fly to Israel and help their daughter, they acknowledge that many families in their position do not have the same financial capability, and have been forced to make difficult decisions. Yet Iran is still able to fund the terrorist groups that scarred their loved ones.

E. noted that the need to beg US congressmen is a new trauma for the families, who are dealing with the frustration of empty promises and feeling that they are not being heard.

‘She just turned life off’

A. admitted that it would have been easier for the family if T. could return to America, but such a move would never work for her. In New York, T. would encounter marches where people openly scream in support of the group that traumatized her, and deny what she experienced and witnessed firsthand. In the US, she would constantly have to explain what happened to her. People would not understand why she might suddenly park her car in the middle of the street and run.

Israel, on the other hand, has a community of survivors for T. to lean on, as well as services with professionals trained to address this type of trauma. A. said nothing close to this exists for them in New York.

Still, the sound of sirens and news of terror attacks across Israel continue to re-trigger their daughter, forcing her mind back to the festival.

More recently, T. has found a group for survivors with PTSD. Her family said she is slowly beginning to function again, while her boyfriend and his family have continued to care for her. Still, she is not the same happy-go-lucky girl who flew to serve her country.

Her family is “treading on eggshells” and trying to figure things out as they go, but the very idea of accepting or needing help remains difficult for T.

“I walk on eggshells when I talk to her because I don’t want to say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing. She’ll be all over me. I don’t mind being her punching bag. I told her I’m her father. She can punch me as many times as she wants. I’ll still be her father at the end of the day, and I have to take it.

“I’ll be with her no matter what, no matter what comes out of her mouth, but she really rejects every offer of help,” E. said. “If I say, ‘I want to help you,’ just the word ‘help’ triggers her. [She says], ‘I don’t need any help. No one can help me. No one can.’ It’s tough to understand… The thing is that she lost all hope. She has no plans. She doesn’t see the future.

“My job as a parent is to show her how much I love her, how much we care for her, and if something will happen to her, God forbid, that my life will be destroyed. I don’t want to make her live a life of guilt, but I don’t mind if guilt will make her live,” E. shared.

A. said it was like “it’s like a switch with the lights. You turn it on, and you turn it off. She just turned life off.”

“How do you get out of this darkness, or how do you show the light? Because she did survive, and it’s just we don’t know what her future is going to be. Of course, nobody knows,” she continued. “But for now, I don’t care about the future at this point. I don’t care if she goes to college. I don’t care if she has a decent job or not decent job. If she progresses in life, she establishes a nice career or not. 

“The only thing that I need at this point is to give her a reason to live.”

On October 6, everything in T.’s world made sense. After October 7, nothing did, A. observed. When the most fundamental rules of life change, it no longer makes sense for her daughter to brush her teeth, shower, eat, or maintain daily routines.

The hardest trigger is when people tell T. she should live life for the friends who could not, because it adds to the guilt she already carries over not being able to live normally on their behalf, A. explained. 

Even small talk and everyday questions can leave her feeling low. When people ask what she does for a living, she feels the weight and judgment of saying that she is not employed, is not in school, is not traveling, and is not following what is typically expected of a woman in her early 20s.

Whether T. will ever be able to work or study again, become a wife or mother, remains unknown to her family. While E. is more than willing to support his daughter for as long as she needs him, the USVSST Fund would help safeguard her future and provide the financial security she may need.

This post was originally published on here. 

Walking into Hotel La Perla in Corvara, in the heart of the Dolomites, you feel as if you are in someone’s stately home, albeit a beautiful one with four excellent restaurants, a large wine cellar, and a newly renovated spa.

The Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage site, have become a popular destination for Israelis, offering amazing views and world-class hiking. We flew into and out of Milan, rented a car, and made the challenging five-hour drive.

It’s a shorter drive from Venice, but I wanted a chance to visit Milan, where I had never been.

La Perla was established in 1956, when Ernesto and Anni Costa opened a small guesthouse in this well-known ski area just opposite the family’s traditional home.

Ernesto was a ski instructor as well as a plumber and built the first ski lift in the area, which you can still see out the hotel’s windows. Today the hotel is owned by Ernesto’s sons – Michil and Mattias. It is a member of the Leading Hotels of the World.

The area of Corvara and the Dolomites is called South Tyrol and is an interesting blend of Italy and Austria. In fact, it was originally part of Austria and annexed to Italy only after World War II.

Much of the hotel is made of wood, but many of the objects in the room are antiques belonging to the family. The family is also committed to upholding the Ladin culture, a unique Alpine heritage from this area.

Mathias invites all guests for an aperitivo (a wonderful Italian tradition of pre-dinner drinks and snacks) at his family’s original Ladin home just a few steps from the hotel.

The home dates back hundreds of years, and it was a chance to see what life in this area was like.

“We want our guests to feel at home,” Mathias told The Jerusalem Post.

We didn’t realize how chilly the area would still be in June, and my husband did not bring a jacket. Within minutes, the front desk found one he could borrow during our stay – a jacket I may also have borrowed a few times.

La Perla puts food and wine at heart of the experience

La Perla combines tradition and luxury. There are four restaurants on the property, and the food was excellent in both that we tried, as well as the breakfast.

“The Costa family feels passionately about their food and about their wine, and a lot of the experience our guests have is around the table,” Marianne Jensen, the director of sales and marketing, told the Post.

For those who keep kosher, many dishes can be made vegan, and there are plenty of vegetarian options. Breakfast is included in every stay, and the buffet breakfast was elegant and had my favorite fruits – pineapple and raspberries.

Alongside the buffet, you can order eggs or crepes from the kitchen, and I indulged in a delicious chocolate crepe several mornings.

I was there when the hotel had just opened for the summer season, and the Michelin-starred restaurant La Stua de Michil had not yet opened.

So we ate our dinners in the lovely Les Stues, a group of six different rooms that felt more like home kitchens than restaurants. The four-course meals were excellent, with relatively small portions that left me full but not stuffed.

There were plenty of vegetarian and vegan dishes available.

La Perla combines outdoor adventure with relaxation

LA PERLA offers a “hiking guide” – a lovely young woman named Stefka. The hotel offers hikes that she guides several times a week, or guests who prefer to hike independently can consult with her on routes.

The hike scheduled for the day we planned was considered “moderate,” but after chatting with us for a few minutes, Stefka decided we needed an easier hike, and since nobody else showed up, we had a private hiking guide.

The four-hour hike was still challenging enough, but the views of the Dolomites were outstanding. It was not a well-known route and would have been difficult to do alone.

I was also treated to a wine tasting and a glimpse of La Perla’s wine collection with some 35,000 bottles, making it one of the largest and most important collections in the area. We tasted several local varieties that I had not tried before with the hotel’s sommelier.

I was also treated to an excellent massage at the newly renovated spa, where I spent a few relaxing hours in the indoor pool and sauna. In the winter, the resort is “ski-in, ski-out,” meaning you can go directly from the hotel to the ski slope behind.

I highly recommend a trip to the Dolomites and La Perla.

La Perla Corvara

www.laperlacorvara.it/en

The writer was a guest of the hotel.

This post was originally published on here. 

The Uber ride to Smíchov, one of Prague’s trendiest neighborhoods on the west bank of the Vltava River, was quick.

My destination was the Musoleum, the private museum of Czech sculptor David Cerný, one of the country’s most famous and controversial contemporary artists.

The Musoleum showcases his life’s work, including original sculptures, models, drawings, architectural projects, and several iconic pieces that have transformed the capital’s urban landscape.

Cerný was waiting for me in the lobby, portraying a surprising resemblance to rock icon Mick Jagger. I wanted to hear first-hand about his monumental Head of Franz Kafka, a 10.6-meter-high, 39-ton sculpture composed of 42 rotating stainless-steel layers.

Since 2014, it has become one of Prague’s most recognizable modern landmarks and one of the city’s most photographed public artworks.

 Why Kafka’s rotating head has become a Prague icon

I was intrigued by one major question: Has the image of Franz Kafka – the German-speaking Jewish writer born in the Bohemia region, widely regarded as one of the most influential literary figures of the 20th century – changed in recent years?

“What does Kafka mean to you, and why did you choose him for the rotating sculpture that has become a symbol of Prague’s renewal?” I asked Cerný.

“During the communist era, Kafka was a symbol of resistance,” he said. “I was born in 1967, and when I was young, Kafka seemed more German than Czech to me.

“But I clearly remember that the Soviets regarded Kafka as something gray, somewhere between forbidden and tolerated. Czech intellectuals, however, always embraced him as one of their own.”

“When I was commissioned at the beginning of the millennium to create a major artwork for Prague,” Cerný continued, “Kafka immediately came to mind, as did the location. He worked as an insurance clerk very close to where the sculpture stands today.

“The area was once home to a Jewish cemetery, and it is also next to Národní metro station, whose name means ‘national’ or ‘independence.’

“This triple connection – Kafka being a little German, a little Jewish, and a little Czech – seemed perfect for a rotating sculpture in that particular place.”

“I drew inspiration from an earlier work I exhibited in Charlotte, North Carolina, called Metamorphosis, which was made from similar materials and featured an anonymous portrait,” he said.

“To me, Kafka is the Marilyn Monroe of the 21st century, and that is why I chose him as the subject of the piece,” Cerný revealed.

Once overlooked, Kafka becomes a defining symbol of Prague

Kafka’s place in Czech heritage has changed dramatically in recent decades. A writer once largely overlooked in his hometown has become one of Prague’s greatest cultural ambassadors and an essential part of the city’s tourism narrative.

The transformation began after the fall of communism in 1989, when Czechia started reconnecting with the multicultural roots of old Bohemia, where Czech, German, and Jewish communities lived side by side.

Yet the real momentum has come in recent years, driven by two major factors: the centenary of Kafka’s death in 2024, and a conscious effort by Czech tourism authorities to promote Prague through the story of its world-famous literary son.

Today, Kafka is no longer viewed simply as a German-language writer of Jewish origin. He is presented as a Prague-born global icon whose life and work are inseparable from the city’s identity.

Dedicated walking tours, exhibitions, public art, and cultural events have turned “Kafka’s Prague” into a tourism brand of its own.

Franz Kafka was born in Prague in 1883, and besides writing, he spent most of his life wandering its streets, drawing inspiration from the city’s unique atmosphere.

Besides creating iconic works such as The Metamorphosis, The Trial, and The Castle, Kafka was known for his long walks through the Old Town and the Jewish Quarter.

The Little White Horse building, which once housed the offices and warehouses of a trading company operating throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire, was among the buildings he passed during these walks.

Today, it is home to The Julius Prague, a luxury hotel that offers visitors a contemporary interpretation of that era. Its elegant design and spacious suites stand at the heart of a city increasingly embracing Kafka as one of its greatest cultural ambassadors.

The hotel lies within walking distance of many sites connected to the writer’s life, allowing guests to experience both modern Prague and the timeless atmosphere that inspired his work.

Must-see Kafka sites across Prague

For visitors wishing to step into Kafka’s world, Prague offers countless opportunities. Among the must-see sites, beyond Cerný’s rotating head, are:

The Franz Kafka Museum, located on the banks of the Vltava in Malá Strana, features manuscripts, letters, photographs, and multimedia exhibits exploring the writer’s life and imagination.

Kafka’s Birthplace, near Old Town Square, where a memorial marks the house in which Kafka was born.

Golden Lane No. 22, within Prague Castle, where Kafka lived for several months in a room rented by his sister Ottla and wrote some of his short stories.

Jaroslav Róna’s Kafka Statue, in the Jewish Quarter, inspired by one of Kafka’s early works and a highlight of literary walking tours.

Josefov, the Jewish Quarter, whose narrow streets, synagogues, and historic atmosphere preserve much of the world that shaped Kafka’s childhood.

The Old-New Synagogue, Europe’s oldest active synagogue and an important part of Kafka’s cultural environment.

Café Louvre, one of Prague’s grand historic cafés, frequented by intellectuals and artists during Kafka’s era.

Café Slavia, overlooking the Vltava and the National Theatre, and long associated with Prague’s literary traditions.

Wenceslas Square and the former Workers’ Accident Insurance Institute, where Kafka worked as a legal officer for many years, an experience that scholars believe influenced the bureaucratic worlds depicted in his novels.

The New Jewish Cemetery, where Kafka’s grave has become a pilgrimage site for admirers from around the world.

But there is another region to add to the story.

After being diagnosed with tuberculosis at the age of 34, Kafka embarked on a long search for healing through fresh air, nature, and spa treatments.

Like many intellectuals of his era, he visited the famous Bohemian spa region, including Mariánské Lázne and Karlovy Vary, hoping the thermal waters and restorative atmosphere would ease his suffering.

Although he never believed in miraculous cures, Kafka appreciated the calming rhythm of spa life and the sense of renewal offered by the mineral springs and elegant surroundings.

I followed his footsteps to better understand his desire to leave Prague for such retreats, secretly hoping for long life.

Staying at the refined Olympic Palace Spa Hotel, with its grand architecture and long wellness traditions, one can easily imagine the atmosphere of serenity and healing that once attracted Kafka and countless others to this timeless Bohemian destination.

The building itself stands on the site of the historic Germania House, where Karl Marx – the German philosopher, best known for developing the ideas of Marxism – constantly stayed, adding another layer to the city’s remarkable heritage.

While Kafka’s illness ultimately prevailed, his visits remain part of Central Europe’s enduring wellness tradition and its promise of renewal through nature.

As I observed guests supervised by the hotel medical team, I constantly wondered why they were really here, connecting to their positive hopes.

The controversial artist whose works shape modern Prague

Back in Prague, at Cerný’s Musoleum, I am reminded that his contemporary works continue to dominate the capital’s urban landscape.

From the Spitfire Butterflies adorning the façade of the historic Máj department store, to the giant Babies climbing the Zizkov Television Tower and the provocative Piss installation near the Kafka Museum. His artistic fingerprints are everywhere.

I asked Cerný how people in the Czech Republic react to his rotating Kafka work that has attracted so much attention.
He responded with a somewhat bitter smile: “No one thanks me for turning Kafka into a symbol of Prague.

“On the contrary, some people claim that I damaged the city’s uniqueness, and they haven’t really liked me since the sculpture was unveiled 12 years ago. To be honest, I’m generally not proud of my work. I’m fine with the sculpture, but nothing more than that.”

I could not help noticing the resemblance between the two artists. The comparison is difficult to ignore. Kafka was deeply self-critical and famously wanted his unpublished manuscripts destroyed after his death.

Cerný’s reluctance to celebrate his own achievements feels strikingly similar. Both men helped shape Prague’s identity while remaining uneasy about their own legacy.

Ironically, regardless of being the darling of capital society, Cerný himself seems to have fallen into a Kafkaesque predicament: his creation has taken on a life of its own, leaving the creator feeling misunderstood and unappreciated.

Yet perhaps this is precisely what makes Prague today a city experiencing a revival of Kafka’s Bohemian rhapsody – where the spirit of its most enigmatic writer continues to inspire new generations of artists, even those who, like Kafka himself, remain ambivalent about their own place in history.

The writer is the publisher of Travel Flash Tips.

This post was originally published on here. 

More than 1,000 pro-Israel students, professors and young professionals gathered in Washington this week for the Israel on Campus Coalition’s (ICC) annual National Leadership Summit, amid what ICC CEO Jacob Baime described as an increasingly difficult environment for Jewish and pro-Israel students on American college campuses.

“Even though the challenges are rising very quickly, we’re seeing unprecedented interest among Jewish and pro-Israel students,” Baime told The Jerusalem Post.

The level of interest was so high that the conference had a waiting list, he said, adding that ICC could have doubled its attendance if it had the capacity.

“It was the most inspiring three days that we’ve had in a year,” Baime said.

The three-day gathering at Washington’s Grand Hyatt brought together more than 1,200 people when staff, speakers and other participants were included, according to Baime. More than 800 of the participants were undergraduate students, while roughly 75 were pro-Israel faculty members from campuses across the United States.

Another 75 to 100 philanthropists and other stakeholders also attended, while a significant number of recent graduates and young professionals participated through ICC’s Geller International Fellowship.

ICC aims to help students confront antisemitism, develop the next generation of pro-Israel leaders

Baime said the summit had two central goals: helping students confront antisemitism on their campuses and developing the next generation of bipartisan pro-Israel leaders in the United States.

The summit was deliberately organized around the theme “American Zionist Proud,” a message Baime said was intended to counter the growing hostility toward Israel and Zionism on American campuses.

“The problems are rising very significantly. The trajectory is difficult,” Baime said. “But even though the problems are rising, the right place to start is to say, ‘This is who we are, this is what we believe, and we’re not going anywhere.’”

The gathering was designed to bring together what Baime described as the core leaders of the pro-Israel campus movement, while providing them with training, community, and the tools needed to organize on their campuses.

Participants were trained to organize events highlighting shared US-Israel values and interests, build coalitions beyond the Jewish and traditional pro-Israel communities, and work to elect pro-Israel student leaders.

About 15% of the summit’s participants came from outside the Jewish community, Baime said, underscoring what he described as the diverse nature of the campus pro-Israel movement.

“We’re seeing unprecedented interest among Jewish and pro-Israel students,” he said. “And the other thing that I will add is that they are fighting back and standing up for what they believe in.”

Challenges facing Jewish, pro-Israel students still persist

Despite the disappearance of the highly visible anti-Israel encampments that dominated many US campuses during the previous academic year, Baime said the challenges facing Jewish and pro-Israel students have not subsided.

In some respects, he argued, they have become more difficult.

“Even though we’re not seeing encampments on the campuses right now, the situation remains very challenging,” Baime said. “I think actually the challenges are increasing.”

The difference, he said, is that the hostility is now less visible.

“It’s not so in your face as it was when the encampments were active,” he said. “But people on the left and on the right are coming out against Israel and are railing against Israel.”

Baime also pointed to the growing connection between the campus environment and social media, arguing that the online information war has become a central driver of how students experience the Israel debate.

“The campus conversation is completely integrated with the online conversation,” he said. “The online information war is the critical piece that is driving this entire conversation today.”

According to Baime, major political figures and influencers across the political spectrum are increasingly shaping the debate over Israel, Jews and the US-Israel relationship, with their messages ultimately affecting the atmosphere on college campuses.

“You have major national figures and influencers across the political spectrum who are beating up on Jews and on Israel and on the US-Israel relationship day in and day out,” he said. “And so that strongly impacts the day-to-day experience that these future leaders are having on their campuses.”

For Baime, one of the most striking aspects of the summit was not a particular speech or panel, but the reaction of the students themselves.

“Every few minutes another student came up to me and said, ‘Thank you. It’s meaningful that we know we’re not alone,’” he said.

Pro-Israel students experience feelings of isolation on campus

That sense of isolation, Baime explained, has become an important part of the experience of pro-Israel students on many campuses.

“If you’re on a college campus and you’re a pro-Israel activist, it can feel isolating sometimes in the current environment,” he said.

The summit was therefore intended not only to provide students with information and practical skills, but also to create a sense of community.

“The number one sentiment that I heard from the students I spoke with was just, ‘Thank you. Just thank you for having us. Thank you for caring. Thank you for supporting us,’” Baime said.

Despite his warning that the campus environment could continue to deteriorate, Baime said he remains optimistic about the future of the pro-Israel movement among young Americans.

“As I said at the summit, even though the challenges are rising very quickly, and I believe that the challenges are going to continue to escalate, I am actually optimistic,” he said.

His optimism, he explained, is rooted in the ability of students and pro-Israel organizations to actively shape the debate rather than simply respond to attacks.

“You can change minds. You can win hearts,” he added. “And we have the truth and morality on our side.”

This post was originally published on here. 

Lebanon’s Shi’ite population should carry out an “intifada” against Hezbollah, Kataeb leader Sami Gemayel told a delegation from Lebanese Press Editors’ Syndicate, according to Lebanese media reports.

Gemayel told the delegation that there was no solution to the conflict that Lebanon could alone solve.  His comments were made only days before it was reported that mutually agreed-upon third nations would monitor and verify the disarmament of Hezbollah.

Though a supporter of the US-backed peace framework for Beirut and Jerusalem, he acknowledged that the situation was also dependent on wider regional developments, namely Iran.

Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and holds loyalty to the ayatollah as a central pillar of its ideology under Wilayat al-Faqih (Guardianship of the Islamic Jurist), will continue to act on Tehran’s instructions, he said, making Lebanon’s situation dependent on wider regional developments.

Gemayel made clear that he viewed the Shi’ite community as victims of Hezbollah and said he had approached Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to discuss how to engage with the community about creating a separation between it and Hezbollah, a discussion that Berri was quick to shut down.

Shi’ite population ‘held hostage’ by Hezbollah

Berri, though the leader of the Amal Movement, is closely allied with Hezbollah, and a number of researchers, including Lebanese researcher Hanin Ghaddar, have written extensively about how Hezbollah has bolstered his political position.

L’Orient Today reported that Gemayel suggested the Shi’ite population was being held hostage to Hezbollah and there should, therefore, be an “intifada” (uprising) against the group.

This post was originally published on here. 

The United Arab Emirates on Saturday condemned what it said was an Iranian attack on a carrier linked to its state oil company as it passed through the Strait of Hormuz, accusing Tehran of “acts of piracy.”

State news agency WAM initially reported ADNOC as saying one of its vessels had been targeted by a missile early on Saturday and that the situation was under control.

The UAE Foreign Ministry later condemned what it called “the hostile Iranian attack” on an ADNOC vessel.

Neither statement gave details on the tanker, its cargo or possible damage. No injuries were reported.

About a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed through the narrow waterway between Oman and Iran prior to the conflict. Since the US-Israeli war on Iran broke out on February 28, shipping has been repeatedly disrupted, raising freight rates and creating security concerns.

IRGC accused of ‘acts of piracy’

The ministry said the attack violated a UN Security Council resolution on freedom of navigation and accused Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) of “acts of piracy” by targeting commercial shipping and using the waterway as a tool of economic pressure.

It called on Iran to halt the attacks and reopen the strait fully and unconditionally.

Iran’s Guards have previously threatened action against any vessels transiting the strait if they are linked to Tehran’s adversaries, or if they fail to comply with Iranian directives.

ADNOC said on Friday that it had been significantly affected by what it described as unprovoked attacks on its personnel and assets, while continuing to meet customer requirements in an “exceptionally challenging environment.”

The company said 15 of its vessels had been attacked by missiles and drones while transiting the strait since the start of the conflict, including three this week, killing one crew member and injuring 20 others.

ADNOC did not identify those responsible for the attacks in its statement on Friday.

ADNOC, the Abu Dhabi state oil company, is one of the world’s largest energy producers and exports crude oil, natural gas and refined products to customers worldwide.

This post was originally published on here. 

The State of Israel rescued Olga Deutsch twice in her first two decades of life. It seems only fitting that Deutsch, in turn, has spent the last decade helping to rescue the State of Israel.

Deutsch is vice president of NGO Monitor, founded in 2002 by Prof. Gerald Steinberg in response to the increasingly weaponized political influence of foreign human rights groups antagonistic to Israel. In January, she will succeed Steinberg as president and CEO, following his retirement.

Many of the NGOs whose funding sources and anti-Israel activities get exposed by NGO Monitor are based in Europe, where Deutsch lived and worked since her birth in 1979. She was raised in Belgrade, in what was then Yugoslavia and is now Serbia. 

In 1992, the Yugoslavian republics of Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence, sparking a long, bloody regional war. Deutsch was among many Jewish children evacuated from Yugoslavia to Israel by the Jewish Agency. 

“My parents asked me if I wanted to go, and I said yes – though I’d never been there before,” she recalls. “I didn’t speak the language and didn’t have relatives here.”

Aliyah after evacuating from Serbia during bombing

She was placed for a year at a WIZO agricultural boarding school in Rishon Lezion. “I was a city girl who played piano. But from the moment I stepped foot there, I loved the energy, the people, and even the school’s cows and chickens. According to my parents, I wanted to stay. But I was only 13, and I had to go back. Since then, my goal was to move to Israel,” she says.

“In 1999, when NATO bombed Kosovo and Serbia, I was part of a big group from Serbia that was evacuated, and a lot of us ended up making aliyah. I spent a year here as a new immigrant, living in Jerusalem and working in the Jewish Agency. 

“But because I was still in the middle of my studies in Serbia, I decided to go back and finish. And then my career took me elsewhere. But I always knew I was coming back to Israel. Sixteen years ago, it came full circle.”

In those intervening years, Deutsch earned degrees from the University of Belgrade and the University of Munich in banking, insurance, and finance, and did a six-month fellowship at the School of International and Public Affairs of Columbia University in New York.

From 2003 to 2006, she worked at a consulting company in Germany until her involvement in Jewish communal work led her to her next job.

“I had created the Serbian Union of Jewish Students after my year in Israel. In 2006, when the opportunity emerged to become chairwoman of the European Union of Jewish Students, an umbrella organization of 34 national student bodies, I moved from Germany to Brussels. 

“This job was the winning combination that allowed me to work at something I truly believed in, and to build on my business skills. I think a lot of pro-Israel organizations and charities could do a much better job if they had an actual businessperson running their operations. After completing my two-year term there, I decided to move back to Israel.”

By that time, she’d accumulated valuable expertise in international politics and Europe-Israel relations, and was fluent in English, Hebrew, and German. She also understands Russian.

“I enjoyed and learned so much everywhere I lived. All that experience of being a new immigrant made the absorption in Israel softer and easier. It’s not an easy country, and the better equipped you come with skills and education and experience, the better the chances you will succeed here.”

In 2011, she married Menachem Deutsch. She notes that his surname means “German.” 

“The joke is that my maiden name is Israel, so I was Olga Israel when I lived in Germany. And then I moved to Israel and became Olga Deutsch,” she says with a laugh.

During her first seven years in Israel, she worked in hi-tech and international sales. “But I was missing that sense of meaning and purpose in my work,” she recalls. 

“It took a while to articulate what was missing, but eventually it became clear that I really wanted to put my skills into what I hold dearest, and that is the fact that we have a Jewish state and there is still a need to defend it and fight for its legitimacy,” she notes. “That was how, 10 and a half years ago, I came to meet Gerald Steinberg at NGO Monitor.”

She was hired as head of the watchdog organization’s Europe department, and seven years ago was promoted to vice president. She has written and spoken extensively about the dark underbelly of human rights organizations uncovered by NGO Monitor’s 18 researchers.

“Our work can be very depressing because the types of things we monitor are the worst examples of terror affiliation, antisemitism, anti-Israel bias, discrimination, and incitement – all disguised as defending human rights. 

“But I don’t think we are in a battle where one side will lose or win in a knockout boxing match. Antisemitism is always going to be there. It is only going to change its manifestations. We are in a game of exhaustion and permanent survival,” she says. 

‘In my opinion, we already have won because we have a state’

“In my opinion, we already have won because we have a state. But we have to keep fighting an ongoing battle to make sure that the big win that happened on the day we declared our independence does not fade away,” she notes. 

“I celebrate incremental successes because I understand – and this is something that I try to instill within our entire team – that you don’t build a building overnight. You build it brick by brick, and you have to start with incremental successes that set a precedent and tell a broader story. That’s what NGO Monitor, and a lot of our partner organizations in the same field, are fighting for day in and day out.”

NGO Monitor’s research has convinced multiple countries to slash governmental funding to NGOs revealed as terror-affiliated or that glorified terror, promoted BDS and anti-Israel agendas, or promoted antisemitic narratives. The amount of taxpayer money saved adds up to more than $200 million, Deutsch says.

The organization’s research had a significant impact on the US State Department’s imposition of sanctions against five Palestinian NGOs affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine for their lawfare against Israel, especially at the International Criminal Court in the Hague; and the European Union’s post-Oct. 7 decision to add an anti-incitement clause in contracts with Palestinian NGOs alone.

“We were among the first to issue reports on these NGOs and flag them for their activities, and we shared the reports with officials around the world,” says Deutsch. 

She emphasizes that all NGO Monitor research is available online as open-source information that can be verified independently. “In today’s discourse, people need a qualified place to vet the news. You can read The New York Times and The Jerusalem Post and get diametrically opposite reporting over the same issue.”

Regarding the infamous Times op-ed by Nicholas Kristof accusing Israel of sexually abusing Palestinian prisoners, NGO Monitor “debunked and provided information on the organizations that he based these horrific claims on. We have reports on our website on each of these groups. Euromed, one of the main ones, is a known Hamas front in Europe.”

After the Hamas-led massacres in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, she continues, “a lot of people felt powerless and helpless, but all of us at NGO Monitor felt we were on the frontline of the battlefield, that this was our moment. We received hundreds of phone calls and emails from elected officials around the world asking us for exactly the type of information that we uniquely provide. 

“It is a privilege and a tremendous responsibility to be soldiers on the political warfare front – in social media, in media, in international courts, on campuses, and in the business arena. I feel empowered by what we do.”

Deutch lives in Petah Tikva with her husband and their “two beautiful, mischievous boys.” David just turned 13, and Aaron is nine. “My dream was not only to make aliyah; my dream was to raise sabras. For my kids to be born here, I think that is my biggest achievement.”

Balancing career and motherhood has been challenging in a job that demands frequent travel and a lot of after-work hours appearing at conferences, panels, and events. 

“It’s easier now that they’re older. When they were younger, there were times when I would take the boys with me. My younger son was a month and a half when I took him with me to testify before a Knesset committee. And they didn’t necessarily know what to do with a stroller in the Knesset.”

What aspect of Israel does she appreciate most? For Deutsch, it’s a simple answer: the people. “Israelis are the warmest people that you will find anywhere. The way Israelis marry the North American entrepreneurial spirit and drive for success with Middle Eastern chaos and laissez-faire is something unique. I come from the Balkans, where people love to party and love life. But it’s not coupled with this entrepreneurial spirit.”

Although Israel “is incredibly intense,” she continues, “there’s no place like Israel. Even on the toughest days – and we have had so many in nearly three years – I have never, not once, had a moment where I questioned whether I should be here. There’s no other place. This is home.”

This post was originally published on here. 

Boarding the Gordon river cruise ship in the pastoral town of Cochem, Germany, with my 24-year-old daughter, I had a slight hesitation: Would this kind of vacation appeal to her? River cruises are often associated with older travelers looking for a slower pace, and I was not sure it would suit someone in search of new experiences.

Within the first few days, I realized I was wrong. A floating hotel that moves you daily to a new destination, gourmet dining, ever-changing views from your bedroom window, and well-organized excursions proved far more appealing to younger travelers than commonly thought.

The travel industry is taking note of this shift. “People are no longer just looking for a new destination, but for an experience tailored to their interests,” says Shiri Gordon, CEO of Gordon Travel Group. Reflecting that trend, the company has expanded its river cruise portfolio beyond classic itineraries.

It offers themed cruises including family-focused itineraries, cycling routes, wellness sailings with yoga, journeys incorporating scenic train rides, and cruises for international audiences in different languages, including Russian.

The river cruise offered by Gordon Travel Group is an all-inclusive organized package that includes flights, transfers, accommodation aboard a river ship, meals, snacks, drinks (including alcohol), lectures, onboard entertainment, and guided shore excursions with transportation. In practice, nearly every aspect of the journey is arranged in advance, leaving few unexpected expenses during the trip.

Life on board: A boutique hotel on the river

We sailed aboard the A-ROSA ALEA, freshly renovated in early 2026. With just 69 cabins accommodating up to 138 guests, it feels more like a boutique hotel with an intimate atmosphere and personal service.

The air-conditioned cabins are comfortable and stocked with bathrobes and L’Occitane en Provence toiletries, with most featuring French windows opening to the river. The ship also offers a sun deck with a hot tub and two lounges, including one open 24/7 for hot drinks and light refreshments.

Meals are served in the ship’s restaurant at tables dressed with white tablecloths, creating an elegant atmosphere. Breakfast combines a generous buffet with table service, while both lunch and dinner are served as five-course meals.

Lunch begins with a buffet featuring fresh salads, sandwiches, and a live pasta station, followed by table service, while dinner is fully served at the table, with a choice of two soups, meat, fish, or vegetarian main courses, followed by desserts, fruit, and cheese. The kitchen is not kosher, but it does cater to various dietary requirements.

The chef brought remarkable creativity to the menus, with a different menu every day. One evening, I chose a leek cream soup with caramelized pear and chili oil, followed by lamb rump with wild garlic and shallots, while my daughter opted for barramundi with tomato salsa and tabbouleh. When we could not decide between two options, the staff happily allowed us to order both.

Vegetarian guests were also well catered for, with options such as sesame cauliflower with barbecue sauce. The meal ended with a choice of desserts, including creations such as strawberry tiramisu. This attention to detail made each meal feel like dining in a fine restaurant.

After dinner, the main lounge offered live music, performances, dancing, and board games, while the open deck provided a quieter spot to enjoy drinks and the passing scenery.

While we relaxed and soaked in the views, our “hotel” was sailing to the next destination. Without the hassle of switching hotels or spending hours on the road, it is the ultimate hub-and-spoke travel experience: enjoying the changing scenery and waking up somewhere new in the morning, often right in the heart of town.

From wine towns to vibrant cities

Our original itinerary was set for the Rhine and Moselle, including Heidelberg and Strasbourg, but low water levels on the Rhine forced a change to the cruise plan, an occurrence that is not uncommon in river cruising. While such unexpected shifts can easily disrupt a vacation, in this case, they actually highlighted the benefits of an organized package.

The Gordon Travel team prepared alternative routes in advance, offered passengers several options, and adjusted all transportation and excursion logistics seamlessly. What began as an operational constraint turned into a revised route that proved just as rewarding as the original plan, taking us to places we had not initially anticipated, including Düsseldorf, which turned out to be one of the trip’s delightful surprises.

Cochem was our starting point and one of the highlights of the journey. Timber-framed houses from the 16th to 18th centuries, a charming town square, narrow lanes lined with cafes and souvenir shops, a riverside promenade, and Reichsburg Castle perched above all combine to create a fairytale setting. Between tasting local mustard, riding the chairlift, and discovering its Jewish heritage through Stolpersteine and the former synagogue site, we quickly found how easily a small town could fill an entire day.

In Bernkastel-Kues, we immersed ourselves further in the vineyard atmosphere of the Moselle Valley. A town tour and a tasting at a local winery made it clear why this region is considered one of Germany’s premier wine destinations, with Riesling as its undisputed star.

We also came across traces of local Jewish heritage, including a memorial plaque for the former synagogue and additional Stolpersteine. During our free time, we walked up the trail to the castle viewpoint overlooking the town and managed some shopping before returning to the ship on schedule – a key advantage of docking directly in town.

Koblenz provided a truly special moment. We first took the cable car up to Ehrenbreitstein Fortress for spectacular views of where the Rhine and Moselle rivers meet, and a few hours later, our ship sailed right past the German Corner (Deutsches Eck), giving us the chance to admire this landmark both from above and from the water.

From there, we sailed downstream along the Rhine into the urban chapter of our trip. In the morning, I managed to squeeze in a yoga session on the deck as the cool river air welcomed us, and by the afternoon, we were already exploring Bonn.

From Bonn, we continued to Cologne, a destination included in our original plan. After a morning tour of the famous, towering cathedral, we walked over to the padlock bridge, next to which stands a memorial by the Israeli artist Dani Karavan, and strolled along the promenade and central squares. In the afternoon, we were given three options to choose from: the Motor Museum, the Chocolate Museum, or the Kolumba Museum, which proved to be a true highlight.

Kolumba is extraordinary for its architecture – built over the ruins of a destroyed Gothic church; it allows visitors to walk above the remains on raised footbridges while natural light filters through the walls. The result is striking, and modern art lovers will also appreciate the exhibition itself. Later on, we squeezed in some shopping around town.

Düsseldorf was not on our initial itinerary. I had anticipated a rural getaway rather than an urban escape, but the city experience proved just as enjoyable. Two spots not to miss include the view from the park overlooking Frank Gehry’s architectural complex, and the vibrant apartment block on Kiefernstraße. Instead of demolishing these older residential buildings, artists transformed them with massive, colorful murals covering entire facades rather than simple graffiti, making it a unique sight to see.

Rhythm of the river: Along the waterway

Surprisingly, the hours spent sailing, initially dismissed as lost transit time, became one of the highlights of the trip. Cruising along the Moselle offers breathtaking views of vineyards clinging to steep slopes, with small towns and historic houses passing so close you feel you could reach out and touch them.

The sailing itself features fascinating operational mechanics: passing through locks where the ship enters narrow chambers as the water rises or falls, or gliding under exceptionally low bridges. This requires the crew to fold down the safety rails, lower the sunroofs, and even drop the captain’s bridge.

Even ordinary moments take on a new essence on the water. My morning yoga practice on the top deck, surrounded by an open 360-degree panorama, was a truly wonderful experience. The cruise transforms the route from a mere passage between destinations into a remarkable experience in its own right.

Gordon Travel’s: Strategic move

Gordon Travel Group is a second-generation family business led by siblings Shiri and Guy Gordon. The company has begun operating long-term chartered ships under the Gordon brand, investing approximately €500,000 per vessel in refurbishment, interior design, and rebranding. It is also investing in a new fleet of river ships for the US market as it expands its operations across the world’s major rivers and develops itineraries for a wider range of travelers.

Gordon Travel, 03-7659000, www.gordontravel.co.il

The writer was a guest of Gordon Travel Group.

This post was originally published on here. 

When a shot rang out at the Debsirin Nonthaburi School on the outskirts of Bangkok on Friday morning, 14-year-old Khim and her classmates peered over a balcony to see if the noise had come from a construction site.

But more loud bangs followed, until a teacher ushered them all into a classroom, checked a messaging group and confirmed to the now terrified students: there was an active shooter in their building.

“I heard multiple gunshots and felt like we weren’t going to survive,” Khim, who asked to be only identified by her nickname, told Reuters on Saturday, describing how her classmates moved desks to block a door, turned off the lights and huddled together near the classroom windows.

Over the next 40 minutes or so, the alleged gunman – another 14-year-old student – ran amok, killing three teachers and two school officials, before turning the gun on himself.

In all, nine people have been killed and another 23 wounded, in Thailand‘s worst mass shooting since 2022, which has reignited debate over firearms control in Southeast Asia’s largest gun-owning nation.

The tragedy had actually begun hours earlier, when the alleged gunman shot dead his grandparents at their home at dawn. He then took a bus to the school, 18 km (11 miles) away, where he pulled out a gun and started shooting just before 10 a.m. (0300 GMT), police said.

Gunman two doors down

Trapped inside their classroom in Building 5, Khim started checking messages on her tablet.

Her elder sister wrote to say she was inside a classroom in Building 4 next door, just as their mother messaged to warn about the shooter.

“I said I knew, and I told her, ‘Mom, don’t call me, because the ringtone might go off,'” said Khim.

On student chat groups, some photographs of the alleged shooter started circulating as he stalked through the school, which has more than 3,000 students and nearly 150 teachers, according to data from last year.

“Then, I heard a bang that was extremely loud. It felt like it was right next to my ear,” said Khim, describing the absolute terror that descended on the classroom as she realized that the gunman was only a few doors down the corridor.

“I didn’t know if the shooter was shooting selectively. I didn’t know if he wanted to shoot the whole school.”

Not long after, Khim said the teacher issued instructions to evacuate the classroom, as police secured parts of the school – but by then, the shooter had moved to Building 4, where her sibling was still hiding.

Mother asks her daughter to ‘count the shots’

In the middle of her shift at a public hospital on Friday morning, 52-year-old nurse Kwan said she received a panicked call from her older daughter – Khim’s sibling – to tell her of a shooting at their school.

Based on conversations on a student chat group that her elder daughter told her about, Kwan – who also asked to be identified by a nickname – said she assessed that the shooter was likely using a handgun.

Still on the phone, she asked her elder daughter to count the shots, estimating that a handgun magazine wouldn’t hold more than 15 to 20 rounds: “Count the shots to see if he’s out.”

Police said the alleged shooter had used at least 26 bullets. Another 34 rounds were found in his possession.

“But it turned out the sound kept getting closer and closer, eventually reaching Building 4, the building my daughter was in,” Kwan told Reuters on Saturday.

From another phone, she called an emergency hotline, on which the operator told her that police, including a specialized unit, had arrived at the school.

“I told them, ‘Right now, I am on speakerphone with my child. He is on the second floor, clearing rooms one by one from the right side,'” Kwan said.

Without warning, the call with her daughter cut off.

Kwan said she started praying, until her daughter called her back after a few minutes. She was unharmed.

Some hours later, the family were reunited at their home in suburban Bangkok, not far from the school.

“When we are together, we fight all the time,” Khim said of her elder sibling. “But seeing her this time, I’ve never loved her this much before.”

This post was originally published on here. 

The IDF said there is no threat to the public following the discovery of a cut in the fence surrounding Kibbutz Zikim near the Gaza border, Israeli media reported on Saturday morning.

Earlier on Saturday, Army Radio cited security sources as saying that there was no indication of an infiltration from Gaza.

The community’s security chief alerted the IDF to the cut in the fence, with the military then conducting searches for suspects.

At this point, it is not possible to determine when the cut was made, according to Army Radio.

Later on Saturday, investigations determined the likely culprit to be copper thieves, according ot a Maariv report. 

The report noted that the thieves targeted a copper drum at an electric work site, which they attached to a vehicle and attempted to drag it out of the kibbutz before being stopped by security forces. The thieves fled the scene.

‘Mom, I don’t want to die’

Residents of the kibbutz entered the protected areas following the incident, with one resident telling Walla: “The children were shaking and crying. At one point, the nightmare of the October 7 attacks returned. One of my children said, ‘Mom, I don’t want to die. Make sure they don’t come again.'”

Following the cut’s discovery, Kibbutz Zikim informed residents that military forces and security teams would conduct searches through the streets, according to Walla.

“All residents are asked to continue to stay indoors,” Kibbutz Zikim said at the time. “It should be noted that at this stage, no hostile elements have been located throughout the settlement, and the circumstances of the breach are being investigated.”

This post was originally published on here. 

Iran’s claim that it prepared, but ultimately canceled, strikes against three targets in Ukraine has brought renewed attention to the increasingly interconnected nature of Russia’s war against Kyiv and the continuing confrontation between Tehran and Washington. 

Mohsen Rezaee, a former commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and a senior military adviser to the Iranian leadership, said Tehran had been ready to attack three unspecified locations in Ukraine in retaliation for a Ukrainian strike on an Iranian vessel in the Caspian Sea. According to Rezaee, the operation was canceled after what Tehran described as an apology from Kyiv. Iran did not identify the alleged targets or provide evidence showing that the attacks had reached an operational stage. 

Ukraine has not publicly confirmed that it issued a formal apology. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha instead told his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi, that the damage to the civilian vessel and its crew was unintentional. Sybiha also urged Tehran to avoid escalation and end its support for Russia’s war, while Araghchi demanded compensation for the incident. 

The dispute began on July 25, when Ukrainian forces conducted strikes in the Caspian Sea. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the targets included a Russian warship and vessels used to transport military cargo connected to Iran. Iran said one of its commercial vessels was hit, killing one sailor and injuring another, and summoned Ukraine’s chargé d’affaires over what it described as a hostile and criminal act. 

Tehran accused Kyiv of attempting to expand the Russia–Ukraine war, while Ukraine maintained that its actions were directed against infrastructure sustaining Russian military operations and were not intended to harm civilian vessels or crews. 

Iran is already involved in Ukraine war through Iranian-Shahed drones supplied to Russia

The incident may appear to mark a new convergence between two geographically separate wars. In reality, Iran’s involvement in Russia’s military campaign began years before the Caspian strike. 

Since 2022, Russia has deployed Iranian-designed Shahed drones against Ukraine. Iran acknowledged in November 2022 that it had supplied drones to Russia, although Tehran maintained that the transfers occurred before Moscow launched its full-scale invasion. Kyiv disputed that timeline. 

The European Union established a dedicated sanctions framework in July 2023, targeting Iran’s military support for Russia, and has since imposed measures on individuals and companies involved in developing, manufacturing and transferring unmanned aerial vehicles. In late January 2026, the EU imposed further sanctions targeting Iran’s state-backed drone and missile programs, describing the continued military support as a direct threat to European security. 

For Jason Jay Smart, a geopolitical strategist and national security expert based between Kyiv and Washington, the current attention surrounding the Caspian Sea incident risks obscuring the duration of Iran’s role. 

“I think that Iran has been helping fight the war against Ukraine for four years now. That’s not new. That’s a continuation of what they were doing,” Smart told The Media Line. 

“Unfortunately, I think people didn’t realize that Iran was fighting a war with Ukraine. They think of it in the context of the Middle East. But no, it’s North Korea and Iran are the only two countries actively working to support Russia in its war.” 

Smart framed the overlap as part of a wider security confrontation involving states that he accused of using terrorism as an instrument of foreign policy. 

“I’d say that they’re intertwined. The root of the same issue, yes. Because Iran and Russia executed foreign policy of exporting terrorism globally,” he said. 

From Kyiv’s perspective, a nominally commercial vessel can become part of the conflict when it is used to transport components, equipment, or ammunition that support Russia’s military campaign. Smart therefore rejected the argument that Ukraine had carried out the attack primarily to assist Washington in its confrontation with Tehran. 

“Well, it’s not the first time they’ve struck an Iranian-linked target. If you’re carrying something that’s part of a war, it makes a legitimate target,” he said. 

Asked whether the strike had been conducted as a favor to the United States, Smart added: “No, it’s not related. Why are they related? There’s been lots of attacks by Ukraine on Iranian targets. Why is this special?” 

Russia-Ukraine, US-Iran wars separate but increasingly intertwined

Mohammed Ali Ghanamizadeh Fallahi, a Middle East analyst based in Iran, offered a more cautious interpretation. He argued that the wars have not formally merged but can no longer be understood as fully separate. 

“The two wars have not yet become one single war. However, they have moved beyond simple political overlap and are becoming what can be called an interconnected conflict system. The actors, military commands, and final goals are different, but their weapons networks, intelligence systems, maritime routes, energy interests, and air-defense needs are increasingly connected,” Fallahi told The Media Line. 

The Caspian attack was significant, he argued, because it showed that Ukraine was no longer limiting its response to destroying Iranian-designed weapons once they reached Ukrainian territory. Kyiv had demonstrated a willingness to strike what it regarded as a direct component of the Iran–Russia logistical relationship. 

Fallahi nevertheless cautioned against treating Rezaee’s statement as proof that an Iranian attack was imminent. 

“The claim that Iran was ready to carry out three attacks may have been partly a form of deterrence through public messaging. Iran showed that it had the ability and intention to respond, while Ukraine provided an explanation that allowed Tehran to step back without appearing weak. Both sides were therefore able to avoid escalation without testing whether Iran’s threat was real,” he said. 

The military relationship is also no longer limited to Iran supplying complete drones. Russia has modified Iranian designs and developed domestic production capacity, while technical and operational lessons from Ukraine may potentially flow back to Iran. The relationship has therefore evolved from a simple buyer-supplier model into broader industrial and technological cooperation, according to Fallahi. 

Another emerging issue is intelligence. Zelenskyy has alleged that Russia conducted satellite surveillance of US and Gulf military facilities and that the resulting images subsequently became available to Iran. He said Russian observation of installations in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait appeared to correlate with Iranian attacks. The Ukrainian allegations have not been publicly and independently substantiated. 

Fallahi said this dimension could eventually prove more consequential than the weapons transfers themselves. “This development is very important because wars can become connected without a formal military alliance. One country may discover and monitor a target, while another country attacks it. When this happens, the difference between military support and direct participation becomes less clear,” he said. 

Ukraine has meanwhile attempted to reverse the direction of this military exchange by offering the United States and Gulf countries its experience in intercepting Iranian-designed drones. Kyiv has presented its operational experience against Shahed attacks as relevant to protecting military facilities, infrastructure and civilian populations in the Middle East. 

Two conflicts compete for critical military resources

The two fronts are also connected through competition for a limited supply of interceptor missiles, radar systems and air-defense platforms. Intensified Russian attacks on Ukraine and simultaneous Iranian pressure against American forces and US partners in the Middle East can force Washington to divide high-value defensive resources between the two theatres. Reuters reported in late July that interceptor missiles previously earmarked for Ukraine had been redirected to US forces and allies in the Gulf amid the Iran conflict. 

“The most important connection may not be direct military cooperation. It may instead be competition over a limited number of interceptor missiles, radar systems, and American military resources,” Fallahi said. 

“This is an area where Iran and Russia can produce the effects of coordination even without formal planning. Iranian pressure in the Middle East can indirectly create more operational 

space for Russia in Ukraine,” he added.

Despite Rezaee’s threat, both analysts questioned the strategic logic of Iran launching an acknowledged direct attack from its own territory against Ukraine. 

Smart said simply: “I don’t think they have the capacity to do that.” 

Fallahi argued that an Iranian strike would face obstacles involving distance, missile range, foreign airspace, and the risk of forcing Russia into a more direct role. A more plausible form of retaliation, he said, would be for Tehran to identify preferred targets and allow Russia to incorporate them into its continuing attacks against Ukraine. 

“This could be described as reverse proxy warfare. Instead of using a non-state armed group, Iran could use the military capacity of a partner state that was already at war,” he said, stressing that there was no evidence such an operation had taken place following the ship incident. 

This would reflect a broader division of pressure rather than a unified military command. Russia could intensify attacks against Ukraine as Iran increased pressure on American bases, shipping routes and regional infrastructure. The resulting strain on Western air defense, intelligence and ammunition stocks could benefit both governments even without an openly coordinated strategy. 

Smart argued that Ukraine’s immediate priority should remain Russia, rather than entering a separate confrontation with Tehran. 

“I think that strategically it’s wisest for Ukraine to focus on Russia. The Iranians are busy fighting with the Americans and the Israelis. You let them to do that and they can focus on Russia. And so it’s a division of labor,” he said. 

For Smart, the value of the wider Iran-Russia relationship also lies in demonstrating that Moscow and its partners can withstand or constrain Western power, regardless of whether Iran or North Korea has a direct territorial interest in Ukraine. “There’s a gain that globally it shows that the alliance that they have with Iran, with Russia, with North Korea is successful. And able to stop the European and North American powers,” he said. 

The Iran–Russia relationship remains short of a conventional military alliance. Their strategic partnership does not contain an automatic mutual-defense commitment, and both governments retain separate regional priorities. Moscow benefits when Washington is distracted in the Middle East but has reasons to avoid direct war with the United States on Iran’s behalf. Tehran benefits from Russian pressure against the West but has traditionally resisted placing its military decision-making under another power. 

“Both countries want cooperation, but both also want to avoid becoming trapped in the other country’s war,” Fallahi said. 

The Caspian Sea strike did not create the connection between the wars; it made that connection more visible. Whether Iran’s claimed three-target operation was a genuine military plan or an exercise in deterrent messaging cannot be established from publicly available information. The more consequential development may be less dramatic. As Fallahi put it, “The main danger is therefore not necessarily a large and visible joint attack,” but the “slow and less visible integration of intelligence networks, military industries, cyber capabilities, and target-selection systems.” 

This post was originally published on here. 

Judea and Samaria are rich with Jewish national heritage sites. It is the biblical heartland.

The physical record of the biblical narrative lies in the ground with thousands of known archaeological sites (and perhaps thousands more undocumented sites), providing incontrovertible evidence that connects the Jewish people to the Land of Israel.

This is precisely why ever since the start of the Oslo process, the Palestinian Authority has acted to destroy archaeological sites in Judea and Samaria – purposefully plundering Jewish antiquities, razing historical Jewish sites, and working in international institutions to erase the Jewish/Israeli identity of such places.

This year, the PA submitted a long list of obviously and undeniably Jewish historical sites to the World Heritage List at UNESCO, rebranding the sites as “Palestinian” or “Islamic” heritage locations while expunging any Jewish association with them. 

UNESCO appears to be slap-happily going along with this political looting of Jewish/Israeli history.

Indeed, the bludgeon that the PA and its backers at UNESCO have taken to Jewish heritage sites in Israel is like the sledgehammer that ISIS took to world heritage sites such as Mosul and Nimrud in Iraq and Palmyra in Syria.

UNESCO essentially has become an agency of annihilation, a willing partner in a campaign of systematic Jewish identity erasure. This amounts to cultural genocide.

Remember that, according to UNESCO, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem is not really the Temple Mount. 

Back in 2018, that morally bankrupt international organization passed a series of nonsensical resolutions (proposed by PA dictator Mahmoud Abbas) declaring Jerusalem an exclusively Muslim heritage city and criminalizing Israel’s custodianship of the city.

The major vote was taken specifically on Hanukkah, a Jewish holiday that marks the liberation and rededication of the Temple by the Maccabees in the second century BCE. 

Most European nations, those great paragons of “peace” and “love” for Jews, went along with that affront – either voting for or abstaining on the denialist resolutions.

Then they doubled down on the perfidy by adopting a similar resolution in the UN General Assembly in 2021, which disavowed Jewish ties to the Temple Mount and called it solely by its Muslim name, al-Haram al-Sharif.

At Palestinian urging, UNESCO also has disgracefully declared Hebron and its Cave of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, and Tel Jericho, as “State of Palestine” heritage sites.

Last month, at the cultural-genocide behest of that same so-called “state,” UNESCO declared Sebastia/Samaria – the capital of the biblical kingdom of Israel – as a Palestinian-associated World Heritage site. 

This, despite ongoing PA looting of the site (which falls partially in Area A of Judea and Samaria) and its building of homes over the ancient Israelite, Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine relics.

Fortunately, Israel very recently began to assert its rights at Sebastia by driving off the Palestinian marauders, resuming professional archaeological digs there, and beginning to invest in touristic development of the site.

Now, UNESCO is considering the declaration of 22 additional properties in Judea and Samaria as Palestinian cultural assets under the World Heritage Convention.

This outrageously includes sites of core Jewish patrimony like Qumran and its Dead Sea Scrolls, Herodian, Solomon’s Pools and the aqueducts leading to King Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem, Mount Gerizim, the Cave of Chariton, Tel Rumeida in Hebron, and the Hasmonean aqueducts in Wadi Kelt (Nahal Prat) with the Hasmonean palaces at the lower end of the wadi.

All these sites are in Israeli-controlled territory, and none bear a historical or cultural connection under any plausible claim to “Palestinian heritage.” 

The PA list also includes ancient Christian sites, such as the Saint Hilarion Monastery in Gaza, now politically and ridiculously repackaged as a “Palestinian heritage” site.

And of course, note this: according to the PA and its UNESCO submissions, none of these sites are in the “Judean” desert or mountains because using the true historical name of Judea would be an implicit acknowledgment of the Jewish people’s connection to the land.

To wipe away Jewish history, the PA has instead invented new terminology for the territory. Thus, Judea disappears from the narrative, replaced by fabricated labels such as “Al Bariyah – Desert and Monasteries.”

A shift in policy

This Jewish identity erasure campaign extends from historical denial to physical destruction. The PA owns a clear pattern of archaeological persecution and demolition.

According to the valiant Israeli NGO Preserving the Eternal, 80% of the 400 or so most significant heritage sites in Judea and Samaria have been damaged by “industrial-scale” Palestinian looting and the use of heavy machinery to bulldoze archeological sites for roads, factories, and “agricultural projects.”

In other words, purposeful bowdlerization of anything Jewish. (The numbers are from a five-year-old report and probably much worse today.)

Three shocking examples pertain to the Temple Mount, Joshua’s Altar on Mount Ebal, and Solomon’s Pools.

In 1999, the PA-led Wakf conducted vast, illegal construction projects on the Temple Mount and beneath it, willfully destroying centuries of Jewish archaeological treasures. 

The Wakf unceremoniously dumped 400 trucks full of archaeologically rich soil into the Kidron Valley. Thousands of artifacts from the Temple periods have since been found through careful sifting of the debris by Israeli archaeologists.

On Mount Ebal near Nablus, a large archaeological site identified by the late Prof. Adam Zartal as the altar of Joshua has been imperiled.

The PA drew up plans to pave over the site with roads and 24 high-rise housing units, and in 2001, Palestinian contractors ground part of the ancient stone fencing at the site to make gravel for roads.

Recently, Israel halted renewed Palestinian attempts to vandalize the spot, and has approved the establishment of a yeshiva and a settlement nearby that will also protect the archaeological site.

Another infuriating episode relates to the incredible aqueduct identified as King Solomon’s magnificent water system for Jerusalem. This runs from Hebron through Bethlehem to Jerusalem, including what is today termed Solomon’s Pools southwest of Bethlehem.

This marvel of ancient engineering, 40 km. long, is described in detail in the Bible, and the description matches the archaeological findings precisely. 

The pools and aqueducts survived 2,000 years of summers, winters, and many invaders and predators – until the arrival of the PA.

In 2022, the PA dug an enormous 1,500 dunam quarry pit at Beit Fajar right through a section of the aqueduct. The quarrying caused irreversible damage to the aqueducts, with some 100 meters of tunnel and approximately 2,000 meters of the aqueduct on either side of the tunnel reduced to rubble.

Only recently has the government of Israel (finally!) stepped in to prevent further damage to the relics and to develop the site for organized biblical tourism.

The Israeli cabinet has just approved NIS 113 million in government funding for protection and development of 70 Judea and Samaria heritage sites. 

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu advanced this budget allocation.

While insufficient given the scale of the challenge, this funding signals a shift in policy. Enforcement has increased, site development and public access have begun, and after decades of neglect and looting, long-buried historical treasures are being uncovered. 

The discoveries are significant, with the potential to reshape global scholarship on entire historical periods of importance to world heritage.

Some examples: at Hyrcania, near the Jerusalem-Dead Sea highway, a fortress marking the fall of the Hasmonean Kingdom is being revealed as a “mini-Masada,” complete with siege systems, underground chambers, inscriptions, and ritual baths.

At the Alexandrian fortress on Mount Sartaba, mentioned in the mishna in connection with signal fires that inspired today’s Independence Day torch-lighting ceremony, excavations are producing dramatic new findings too.

Every such archaeological excavation is a victory over Palestinian denialism and UNESCO’s ISIS-like efforts at Jewish erasure.

The writer is managing senior fellow at the Jerusalem-based Misgav Institute for National Security & Zionist Strategy. The views expressed here are his own. His diplomatic, defense, political, and Jewish world columns over the past 30 years are at davidmweinberg.com

This post was originally published on here. 

The controversial new head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), David Zini, has warned about foreign interference in Israel’s upcoming election, suggesting the usual suspects: Russia, China, and Iran. Since Zini is considered a political appointee of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, everyone’s wondering what the angle may be – and they may be missing the obvious.

With nearly every poll showing the governing coalition headed toward defeat, it is difficult to avoid the suspicion that it is laying the groundwork to challenge the legitimacy of the outcome.

As I have written before, Netanyahu may well attempt some version of US President Donald Trump’s post-defeat 2020 strategy: flooding the public sphere with false claims of irregularities in the hope of undermining confidence in the electoral process.

In Israel’s parliamentary system, with all the complexities of coalition-building, the goal would not necessarily be to overturn the vote itself but to create enough political turmoil to deter the opposition bloc from forming a government that depends on an Arab party. That might somehow enable Netanyahu to stay a factor.

None of this means the threat of foreign interference is imaginary. Liberal democracies around the world have become prime targets for sophisticated electoral influence operations conducted through social media, artificial intelligence, coordinated networks of fake accounts, deep-fakes, and the systematic amplification of existing political divisions.

Israel’s paper-ballot system makes direct manipulation of vote counting extremely difficult, but manipulating public opinion is another matter entirely.

The real question is not whether hostile foreign powers will try to interfere in Israel’s election. They almost certainly will. The more interesting question is whose interests they are likely to serve. And here the answer is clearer – and more surprising – than might appear.

Any significant interference from Russia, Iran, China, and perhaps Qatar would almost certainly follow a by now well-established pattern of influence operations as central instruments of foreign policy. Such campaigns exploit grievance and resentment, reward the most inflammatory voices, deepen mistrust, and intensify polarization.

Their broader objective is to make democratic societies more divided, harder to govern, and less capable of pursuing coherent policy. Strategically, the goal is to weaken target countries and separate them from their allies, leaving them isolated and vulnerable. For the autocracies of the world, this is far preferable to a strong, stable, united democratic bloc.

In Israel’s case, that logic points in only one direction. And this is where things become interesting.

One might naturally assume that Israel’s enemies would want to weaken the current government – after all, it is genuinely despised across much of the world – and therefore help its opponents. That assumption is understandable, but ultimately superficial and mistaken.

Russia’s track record demonstrates exactly why.

Across Europe and North America, Moscow has repeatedly backed populist right-wing movements – the champions of “the people” against “the elites.”

Its bots, algorithms, and influence networks have consistently been deployed on behalf of political forces that weaken democratic institutions, undermine confidence in elections, challenge traditional alliances, attack independent media, and deepen domestic polarization.

Israel’s interests and enemies

In the United States, intelligence agencies concluded that Russian interference in the 2016 election overwhelmingly benefited Trump. Viktor Orban’s Hungary has become Russia’s closest ally within the European Union. In Romania, Eurosceptic right-wing candidates received an enormous boost from Russian influence operations a couple of years ago. 

Moldova has repeatedly confronted Russian attempts to weaken President Maia Sandu’s pro-Western government. This year, Russia also supported forces in Armenia seeking to reverse Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s pro-Western orientation.

The individual cases differ, but the strategic pattern is remarkably consistent. Russia strengthens right-wing governments that weaken their own countries.

Viewed through that lens, Israel presents an especially straightforward case. From the perspective of Moscow – or its ally in Tehran – the current Israeli government bears responsibility for Israel’s deepest diplomatic isolation in generations. If it remains in power, Israel will face a genuine national emergency while its enemies rejoice.

Why? The answer is simple: Israel’s relations with its allies have deteriorated dramatically. Across Western Europe, public opinion has turned sharply against Israel, especially among younger generations. 

In the United States – without whose support Israel would face existential danger – roughly 60% of Americans now hold an unfavorable view of Israel, compared with the broad support that existed only a few years ago. Israel also faces unprecedented legal and diplomatic pressure in international institutions.

Nor does the damage stop with foreign policy. Hostile states understand Israel’s internal fault lines as well. They recognize the intensity of disputes surrounding Netanyahu’s authoritarian “reforms,” military service, religion and state, West Bank settlements, and relations between Jews and Arabs. 

They also understand that the government has blocked necessary reforms concerning the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community in ways that pose an existential long-term threat to Israel. Net emigration is accelerating. One more Netanyahu term, and it could become a flood.

None of these developments serves Israel’s national interest. Together they constitute an enormous gift to Israel’s enemies. Even if one accepts the argument that this government’s policies weakened Hezbollah or Hamas, there is little doubt that Israel’s overall strategic position has deteriorated badly.

Israel’s enemies have no reason to hope for a moderate government that rebuilds international alliances, restores domestic political stability, addresses the ultra-Orthodox challenge, combats organized crime, strengthens democratic institutions, and restores Israel’s international legitimacy. They want it even weaker, more divided, and increasingly isolated.

What about the Palestinians, you ask? Don’t Israel’s enemies worry that the Israeli Right will seize more land and build more settlements? Not especially. They can do math, and so understand that continued settlement expansion brings Israel closer to an irreversible bi-national reality that ultimately destroys the Zionist project. 

True, the Kahanist far Right – which is somewhat more intelligent than the Likud – dreams of mass expulsion. But that, too, would be welcome news for Israel’s enemies: such a move would complete Israel’s international isolation, including from the United States.

In short, Netanyahu has friends.

How would such interference work? By now, the playbook is rather scientific.

Target populations are bombarded with false social media content that appears entirely authentic. Anonymous accounts, coordinated amplification, AI-generated images, emotionally manipulative videos, and precisely targeted algorithms create an online environment in which outrage spreads effortlessly.

The objective is to intensify polarization through relentless repetition, ensuring that every potential right-wing voter arrives at the polls angry, convinced they are fighting evil incarnate, and highly motivated to vote.

If Israel were still a country where the Shin Bet operated independently of politics, Zini’s warning would deserve to be taken entirely seriously, and one would expect decisive action. There are ways to counter this threat. Just ask the Romanians, who eventually uncovered what was happening, annulled the 2024 election, and held a repeat vote.

The Shin Bet should expose and thwart foreign influence operations regardless of whom they benefit politically. Even if foreign interference were helping parties aligned with the governing coalition, Israel’s security establishment should pursue it with the same determination it would show if the beneficiary were a far-left or Arab party.

What are the chances of that? Few Israelis today would consider them high. This too is part of the mutation that has afflicted the Jewish State.

The writer is the former Cairo-based Middle East editor and London-based Europe/Africa editor of the Associated Press, the former chairman of the Foreign Press Association in Jerusalem, and publisher of danperry.substack.com

This post was originally published on here. 

A drone entered Bulgarian airspace from Romania’s airspace on Saturday and exploded near the village of Kardam, Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev said in a statement, adding that there were no casualties or infrastructure damage.

The drone entered Bulgarian airspace at 0810 a.m. local time and went off in a sunflower field near the border with Romania, he said.

The explosion site is 1,000 meters (3,281 ft) from Bulgaria‘s compressor station of the Trans-Balkan gas pipeline, which stretches from Turkey to Ukraine, and 200 meters from Romania’s compressor station.

Drone incursions that western governments have linked to the Russia-Ukraine war have increased in frequency and raised anxiety that members of the NATO alliance need to bolster their defenses against security threats.

Increased surveillance along Bulgaria-Romania border

Radev said the security of strategic sites in the country and surveillance along the Bulgaria-Romania border would be increased.

He also said the area of the explosion had been cordoned off and the exact type of drone would be determined after the site and the drone’s remains are examined.

The unmanned aerial vehicle was not detected earlier in Bulgarian or in Romanian airspace, which confirms that the detection and identification of drones remains a challenge, Radev said. He also noted a delay in the delivery of high-precision radars to the Bulgarian army and promised action.

This post was originally published on here. 

US House Democrats preparing for a possible return to power are developing a broad investigative strategy targeting companies and financial firms surrounding President Donald Trump, instead of trying to impeach him immediately, according to four people familiar with the discussions.

Senior Democrats in the US House of Representatives and committee aides have discussed using hearings, subpoenas and document requests to obtain records from entities tied to Trump’s political and business orbit, the sources said. It is a bet that investigating private companies and outside financial players will prove more fruitful than directly confronting a White House they expect to resist oversight, they said.

The approach reflects both Democratic caution and a lesson many in the party say they learned during Trump’s first term: that impeachment proceedings can consume Congress while allowing Trump to cast himself as the victim of a partisan campaign.

Instead, Democrats involved in the planning envision using House investigative powers after November’s midterm elections to scrutinize the administration’s decision-making and examine whether Trump used his power to benefit himself, allies or donors.

“We’re not going into this to impeach,” said a senior Democratic aide, describing the thinking among party leaders and committee staff. “No one wants a failed vote on day one. The focus is on building a body of evidence through investigations that can hold Trump accountable.”

Republicans hold a narrow House majority, and polls favor Democrats regaining the majority in November. Winning control would give Democrats the power to issue subpoenas, compel testimony and documents, hold public hearings and pursue contempt proceedings.

Democrats expect the White House to fight or ignore requests aimed at the executive branch, making companies, contractors and financial firms working with the administration an important route for obtaining information, the sources said.

The White House said in a statement that Trump has worked to thwart the “radical left’s agenda” and remains committed to preserving Republican majorities in Congress. A White House official said the administration is “prepared to respond to oversight requests, no matter who is in the House or Senate.”

Three sources said Apple, Alphabet, Palantir, Blackstone, BlackRock and companies owned by Elon Musk, such as Tesla, have surfaced in discussions because of their contracts, regulatory exposure or administration dealings. The sources said no final target list has been established and no formal investigations have begun.

The sources provided no further details about the investigations. Reuters could not determine if they face any accusations of wrongdoing.

Alphabet, Palantir, Blackstone and BlackRock declined comment. Apple and Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.

Democrats are expected to examine Department of Homeland Security contracts, financing for Trump’s planned White House ballroom, corporate donors and alleged pay-to-play arrangements, two sources said. They also plan a probe of Trump-linked financial vehicles including 1789 Capital – a venture capital firm where his son Donald Trump Jr. is a partner – and foreign sovereign wealth funds whose investments in Trump family-linked entities could raise questions about administration influence, the sources said.

1789 Capital did not respond to a request for comment.

Because foreign funds may be harder for congressional committees to reach, Democrats are discussing seeking records from US-based firms and funds tied to Trump’s family and other intermediaries, the two sources said.

Laying the groundwork

Democrats have already begun laying the groundwork for investigations, two of the sources said.

Party leaders are sending letters to companies, contractors and other organizations connected to potential investigations, they said. The requests seek records and pave the way for subpoenas if Democrats win the House, the two sources said.

Representatives Robert Garcia from California and Jamie Raskin from Maryland, the top Democrats on the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees, respectively, said existing investigations would expand if Democrats win the House.

“From sketchy Pentagon contracts lining the pockets of the president’s sons, Trump’s crypto billions, and the shady backroom deals for Trump donors, we will ensure we combat corruption when Democrats take back the House in November,” Garcia said in a statement.

The letters include requests for information from media company Paramount Skydance over its dealings with the Trump administration and the proposed Warner Bros. Discovery deal as well as video platform YouTube and parent company Alphabet over the company’s $24.5 million settlement with Trump in September. Letters have also been sent to private prison operator GEO Group and security firm Salus Worldwide Solutions for their contracts with the DHS as well as commodity traders Vitol and Trafigura over the administration’s sale of Venezuelan oil, the two sources said.

Alphabet and Trafigura declined comment. The others did not respond to requests for comment.

The companies can ignore the requests while Democrats are in the minority. But the letters put potential targets on notice and signal records Democrats could subpoena, the two sources said.

Impeachment not first move

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said in June on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Democrats haven’t ruled out impeaching Trump if they win back the House but that the party’s focus would be on pocketbook issues.

Democrats involved in the planning say impeachment remains an option if investigations uncover evidence of an impeachable offense, but not as a first move.

The calculation reflects the party’s experience during Trump’s first term, when he became the first US president to be impeached twice by the House before being acquitted by the Senate each time.

“If investigations uncover evidence that we believe meets the threshold, we will not hesitate to move forward,” said the senior Democratic aide.

This post was originally published on here. 

Dozens of police officers were deployed as, for the sixth consecutive Saturday, haredi (ultra-Orthodox) demonstrators gathered to protest Jerusalem’s Basimta Cafe.

In recent weeks, the cafe has become a focal point of a struggle surrounding the operation of businesses on Shabbat in Jerusalem.

Every weekend for the past six weeks, those who disapprove of the café being open on Shabbat have protested at the location, while supporters of the business held counterprotests, seeking to support the business owners and support its continued operation.

Politicians show support for Batisma Cafe counterprotest

During this Saturday’s protest, Democrats Party chairman Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yair Golan, Democrats Party CEO Omer Lubaton-Granot, and MK Meirav Cohen joined the counterprotest.

Cohen, in a post on X/Twitter, addressed the ongoing struggle surrounding the café and discussed having met with the owner.

יואל הוא הבעלים של בית קפה ״בסמטה״ בירושלים.
כשהוא פתח את המקום בשבת הגיעו אליו שליחים שהציעו לו כסף כדי שהוא יסגור. הוא אמר לא תודה ומרגע זה סופג מדי שבת הפגנות מחוץ לבית הקפה שלו.
באנו לחזק ולהודות לו על עמידתו האיתנה בשם ערכי החופש והליברליות.
ירושלים היא של כולם,
ישראל היא של… pic.twitter.com/nk279u7Ka1

— מירב כהן – Meirav Cohen (@cohen_meirav) August 8, 2026

“When he opened the place on Shabbat, emissaries came to him and offered him money so that he would close,” Cohen wrote about Yoel Ben David, the owner of Basimta Cafe. “He said no thank you, and from that moment he has been subjected to demonstrations outside his café every Shabbat.”

“We came to strengthen him and thank him for his steadfastness in the name of the values of freedom and liberalism,” she continued. “Jerusalem belongs to everyone, Israel belongs to everyone, and besides that, the coffee is really good.”

According to a report from i24NEWS regarding last week’s protest, Haredi protestors banged on the cafe’s windows. Cafe patrons reportedly shouted “enlist, enlist” at the protesters.

Yisrael Beiteinu chairman MK Avigdor Liberman attended last week’s protest in support of the cafe.

Cafe owner hopes for harmony between religious, secular communities

In a conversation with Maariv, the café’s owner stated that his attitude towards the protests is simple. 

“I love and respect the religious community and absolutely do not hate Haredim. I want them to be able to pray in peace, for us to be able to drink our coffee in peace, and for all of us to be able to live here together in harmony,” Ben David told Maariv. “If this can happen in Tel Aviv or Haifa, then why not in Jerusalem?”

When asked how he feels about being at the heart of public controversy, Ben David stated that, while he sometimes feels exhausted, he overall is doing well.

“I’m very encouraged by all the support we’re receiving,” he continued. “This support, and all the people who want to make sure that our right to open on Shabbat is preserved – it’s simply moving and warms the heart.”

Ben David also described receiving support from the religious community as well.

“Throughout the week, many religious people have come here to show their support, and one of them even approached me and apologized on behalf of the Haredi community,” he recounted. “They are joined, of course, by the entire secular-liberal community in the city, which is fighting for our right to run the business as we see fit, without pressure and without anxiety.”

This post was originally published on here. 

A new study of an Israeli hospital’s response to the October 7 attacks shows that while years of disaster training made it possible for staff to continue treating patients under rocket fire, real wartime conditions exposed critical gaps in communication, logistics, staffing, and distribution of casualties. 

The findings offer practical lessons that could help hospitals worldwide prepare for prolonged armed conflicts and other large-scale emergencies.

When the first rockets began falling over southern Israel on the morning of Oct. 7, 2023, staff at the Samson Assuta Ashdod University Medical Center activated a plan they had rehearsed for years. 

Within hours, the emergency department was treating waves of patients suffering from gunshot wounds, blast injuries, and burns while the hospital itself was under rocket fire.

The new study was published in the journal Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness under the title “Wartime mass casualty incident plan operation: Staff experiences from a civilian hospital in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.” 

It was led by Maximilian Nerlander, a doctoral candidate at Linköping University in Sweden and a visiting scholar at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine.

It offers one of the most detailed accounts yet of how a modern civilian hospital functioned during an unprecedented wartime emergency.

He conducted it together with Prof. Adam Rose of the Braun School and Dr. Debra West of the emergency medicine department at the Ashdod hospital.

Based on in-depth interviews with 19 staff members from the emergency department and the head of trauma and disaster management who worked during the Hamas attacks, the study offers practical lessons for hospitals around the world as many countries strengthen their preparedness for large-scale armed conflict.

Unlike previous terrorist attacks in cities like London, Paris, or Boston, the Oct. 7 assault unfolded over many hours, across multiple communities, while large parts of the surrounding region remained under active attack. 

Ambulances struggled to reach casualties, communications broke down, and hospital staff often had little awareness of the rapidly evolving situation beyond what they could piece together from patients, soldiers, and social media. 

Yet despite the chaos, the hospital continued to function.

The research team found that one of the greatest strengths was not sophisticated technology but preparation. Years of frequent mass casualty drills meant doctors, nurses, and support staff instinctively understood their roles, allowing them to focus on solving unexpected problems. 

The hospital’s reinforced, missile-protected emergency department also enabled teams to continue caring for patients without needing to seek shelter, preserving both workflow and morale.

The interviews also revealed weaknesses that became apparent only under real wartime conditions. Many staffers faced an impossible choice after being called by both the military reserve system and the hospital. 

Others hesitated to leave home because their own families were in danger. Administrative personnel responsible for registering patients were unable to report to work, creating unexpected bottlenecks. 

Plans to relocate less critical patients out of the emergency department proved impossible because other hospital areas were not protected against incoming rockets.

The researchers found that perhaps most striking was the lack of reliable information.

Emergency department staff often knew little about the broader situation outside the hospital, forcing them to rely on fragmented updates from military personnel, emergency responders, patients, and even social media videos to anticipate what might arrive next.

The study also uncovered an unexpected consequence of the day’s events. While some hospitals were overwhelmed with casualties, the emergency department staff thought they could have safely treated many more patients. 

The finding suggests that future emergency planning should put more stress on apportioning patients efficiently among hospitals during large-scale crises rather than allowing some facilities to become overloaded while others retain available capacity.

What can be improved upon

Rose told The Jerusalem Post that he felt it was important to document the hospital staff’s experiences scientifically rather than simply as eyewitness accounts by using qualitative research to understand what went well, what went less well, and what could be improved in the future.

“While many of the world’s hospitals conduct disaster drills, our simulation revealed something that the others didn’t: Israeli planners hadn’t ever considered the possibility that our country would not control part of its own territory for a period of time,” he said.

If he could rewrite the hospital’s emergency plan today, the first changes Rose said he would make would be to “have an organized central body controlling which casualties are sent where and when, to reduce the likelihood of one hospital being overwhelmed while others are underutilized. 

“And making sure that if there was a plan to move less-sick patients to a second area, that area would also be missile-proof; and for people who could be called to work in the hospital or to be in the army, there would have to be a way to decide where they would go and to call them to only one.”

Relying on social media to understand what was happening “was the best they could do, but there needs to be a more organized and proactive way to share information. Many communication strategies failed that day,” Rose noted. 

“Hospitals, ambulance services, the military, and government agencies should be part of a dedicated mechanism for sharing such information and make it part of the emergency drills.”

Having a missile-protected emergency department at Assuta was very important, he continued. 

“I think that’s one of the two central things that went so right, the other being the monthly emergency drills. This was largely an example of two big things that went extremely right accompanied by many medium-to-small things that went wrong. 

“The overall effect was a big success, and this is one of the two reasons why. Any hospital without such a protected area must make it happen as soon as possible.”

So far, none of the team’s recommendations have been adopted by other Israeli hospitals or the Health Ministry, but “clearly they should be.”

The findings arrive at a time when governments across Europe and North America are reevaluating civilian preparedness amid rising geopolitical tensions. 

Hospitals have traditionally planned for isolated mass casualty incidents such as terrorist attacks or natural disasters. 

The experience of Oct. 7 proved that prolonged warfare presents a different challenge altogether – one in which hospitals must continue operating while transportation, communications, and emergency response systems are simultaneously under strain.

“The lessons from Oct. 7 extend well beyond Israel,” said Rose. 

“Our findings show that hospitals preparing for future conflicts need plans that account not only for treating casualties, but also for protecting staff, maintaining communication in rapidly changing situations, and adapting operational plans when reality departs from even the best rehearsed scenarios.”

Looking back to look forward

West, who ran Assuta’s emergency department on that terrible day almost three years ago, said that “unlike a conventional mass casualty event, one under fire disrupts every aspect of hospital operations – from patient flow and emergency department evacuation to staffing and the ability of personnel to work while their families are under threat. 

“These experiences offer lessons beyond clinical care for hospitals preparing for disasters in which the healthcare system itself becomes part of the crisis.”

Asked if there was one patient or moment from that day that has stayed with her, she recalled: “It was a woman in the final stages of labor, brought in by Magen David Adom paramedics wearing full body armor. 

“As her stretcher came through the fortified entrance to the protected emergency department, one child, not yet three years old, was clinging to the side of the stretcher while her other young child was being carried by a paramedic. 

“What I remember most was the overwhelming look of fear and despair on the mother’s face, and in the eyes of her two young children. That image has never left me. It captured the emotional trauma of that day in a way that no words can fully describe.”

What still keeps her awake at night “are the voices. I can still hear the casualties who arrived that day, almost like an echo in the background, pleading, ‘Let me go. My whole family has been killed. My whole team is dead. Just let me go back.’ 

“Those voices have never really left me.”

The first thing West remembered was “preparing the emergency department for what we believed would be a mass casualty event caused by missile attacks. 

“During the handover, one of the physicians showed me videos and photographs that were already circulating on Telegram. 

“There were images of three people lying dead at a bus stop, a young man in running clothes shot dead in the street, and then a short video that I will never forget – a soldier, his face covered in blood, being dragged by his feet from his car by armed Hamas terrorists. 

“Until that moment, I thought we were dealing with another large-scale missile attack. Seeing that video in real time changed everything. That was the moment I realized this was not another escalation. This was an invasion. This was war.”

She didn’t have to keep the staff calm. 

“They already were,” she said. “Everyone immediately went into professional mode and focused on their job. At the same time, there was a sense of shock that kept us all functioning almost automatically. 

“My role was to give clear instructions, keep everyone updated, and remind the team that alongside treating physical injuries, we also needed to care for our patients emotionally.”

“The Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Oct. 7 were historical inflection points,” noted Nerlander. “It’s becoming increasingly evident that at some point in the future, other parts of the world will face the same type of high-intensity asymmetric warfare as Israel did on Oct. 7. 

“My hope with this study is that the tragedy of that day can be converted into knowledge that can save lives and avert suffering in the future, wherever it occurs.”

Although born out of one of Israel’s darkest days, the study offers a practical blueprint for strengthening hospital preparedness in an increasingly uncertain world, the team concluded. 

“As conflicts become more complex and civilian infrastructure is drawn into modern warfare, the experiences of front-line healthcare workers at our hospital could help hospitals elsewhere prepare for crises they hope never to face.”

Before Oct. 7, they had trained for war and for mass casualty events under fire, “but training is not the same as living through it.”

“The biggest lesson we learned was that there is a profound difference between responding to a mass casualty event when the hospital is functioning normally and responding while the entire healthcare system is under attack. 

“We learned that you have to plan for the whole disrupted ecosystem. Staff may not be able to reach the hospital; they will be worried about their own families, communication may fail, and every part of the system is affected. 

“Those lessons have fundamentally changed how we prepare, train, and build our emergency response plans today.”

This post was originally published on here. 

Father Antoine Lévy and Dr. André Villeneuve recently shared background regarding a new initiative to engage Catholic support for Israel, “For Zion’s Sake: A Catholic Appeal in Support of Israel.”

The initiative was discussed on the Inspiration from Zion podcast, along with details of the initiative, whose goal is to challenge growing anti-Israel sentiment within Catholic circles.

“For Zion’s Sake: A Catholic Appeal in Support of Israel” is a coordinated Catholic response to what the authors describe as a disturbing post-October 7 trend: the delegitimization of Israel framed in both political and theological terms. The trend is not uniquely Catholic; however, it cannot be ignored in the Church and among some prominent adherents. 

Villeneuve, a biblical scholar and founder of Catholics for Israel, and Lévy, a Dominican theologian and author, explain that the appeal emerged from frustration with Catholic voices portraying opposition to Israel as a moral and even doctrinal imperative. 

This narrative combines political accusations (apartheid, colonialism, genocide) with a revived supersessionism that denies any theological significance to the Jewish people or the Land of Israel.

The conversation between Herzl and Pope Pius X started badly

The document rejects the notion that the Church has “replaced” Israel. Drawing heavily on biblical verses ranging from the Tanach to the New Testament, Lévy and Villeneuve affirm God’s irrevocable covenant with the Jewish people and highlight the biblical foundation of that, as well as the enduring biblical connection between the people and the land. 

For instance, citing Romans 11, the document rejects “every posture of arrogance or condescension toward the Jewish people – the ‘natural branches’ whom St. Paul calls beloved and whose calling he declares irrevocable.” 

Referring to the January 1904 meeting between Theodor Herzl and Pope Pius X seeking Catholic support for a Jewish homeland in what was then Ottoman-controlled Palestine, Lévy noted that “the conversation between Theodor Herzl and Pope Pius X… started very, very badly.” 

As recorded in Herzl’s diary, the pope said, “We cannot prevent the Jews from going to Jerusalem, but we could never sanction it…. The Jews have not recognized our Lord; therefore we cannot recognize the Jewish people.”

Villeneuve added, “You… constantly find memes online from the anti-Israel activists who constantly bring this up… present[ing] this as the timeless Catholic doctrine, forgetting or omitting that… [the statement attributed to the] pope [comes] from Theodor Herzl’s diary. So, it carries zero authority in Catholic tradition.”

Therefore, even presuming the meeting and conversation took place exactly as Herzl depicted, that the Catholic Church never commented on, much less affirmed, it means such views cannot be ascribed as Church doctrine. Nevertheless, both Catholics and Jews have used this as a cornerstone to highlight division.

Since then, Lévy suggested, there has been a trend that fluctuates like a pendulum. “There has been a succession of popes who have been much more sensitive to the history of Jews and what they have been try[ing] to achieve… until the… the recognition of the State of Israel, etc. And now we’re in another phase… where [the position] of the church regarding Jews is being questioned in the light of what is happening in Israel and in the Middle East.”

Sometimes, silence can work in a positive way, in this case with the Church never publicly affirming as doctrine the comments attributed to Pope Pius X, even if that silence is misinterpreted. 

Silence has a damaging effect

However, sometimes silence has a very damaging effect. Specifically in this regard, in the wake of the war against Hamas, the Vatican has been criticized for statements seen as imbalanced at best and overtly critical of Israel, while remaining largely silent on the threats Israel faces, the atrocities it has suffered, and the proliferation of antisemitism. 

Today’s silence conjures memories of past pontifical silence during the Holocaust. For Jews and Christian Zionists, the silence of Pope Pius XII during the Holocaust remains a harrowing memory and even an indictment.

A central section of the document addresses the pivotal question: Can a faithful Catholic be a Zionist? The authors define Zionism as the Jewish people’s right to self-determination in its ancestral homeland. 

Catholic Zionism, they explain, recognizes God’s faithfulness in the return of the Jewish people, while acknowledging Israel as a human, fallible state subject to moral scrutiny, just like any other state. 

They explicitly reject caricatures of Christian Zionism as end times-motivated, ethnic supremacism, or an unconditional political endorsement of any Israeli government or policy.

Instead, they call for a balanced approach: supporting Israel’s right to exist as the Jewish state, to defend itself against existential threats while upholding justice for all inhabitants. The document condemns violence by all extremists, and expresses concern for Palestinian Arab suffering without equating it with delegitimizing Israel’s existence.

Both Lévy and Villeneuve emphasized that anti-Zionism functions as a contemporary form of antisemitism, and that is also part of their motivation.

Villeneuve noted the theological inconsistency in affirming God’s irrevocable gifts to Israel while denying any significance to the Jewish return to the land.

Lévy highlighted how the existence of the State of Israel forces the Church to confront its own identity and mission. 

As much as neither Lévy nor Villeneuve claims to speak for the Church, there is a troubling trend of leading detractors of Israel speaking out as Catholics as though their views represent Catholic doctrine. Not only do they not do so, but it’s offensive for them to make these claims. 

Candace Owens is a chief offender. Since converting to Catholicism, she has become one of the most hostile media figures criticizing Israel, Zionism, pro-Israel advocacy organizations, and Jews – invoking a wide range of antisemitic tropes. 

Carrie Prejean Boller is a model, former Miss California, and a recent Catholic convert. She has become a media personality who became known after declaring that Catholics should not embrace Zionism. She has criticized “Zionist” influence in America. 

While these pundits most certainly do not represent the Church, the Vatican’s overall silence on such things allows these voices to fill the void. 

It’s one of the main reasons that “For Zion’s Sake: A Catholic Appeal in Support of Israel” is so important and timely, and that voices like those of Lévy and Villeneuve should be amplified.

The document has garnered numerous signatures, including those of theologians, priests, and other prominent figures. There is also a “Friends of” section for non-Catholics to lend their support. 

The authors expressed encouragement at the positive response from many who felt isolated in supporting Israel. They view this as contributing to necessary theological development and dialogue. At one point, a parallel was made to traditional Jewish Talmudic debate. 

Lévy and Villeneuve acknowledged that genuine solidarity with Palestinian Arabs need not negate recognition of Israel’s covenantal significance. They hope the document will encourage open discussion rather than polarized condemnation.

At one point, the issue of the delegitimization of Israel as being rejected by God and His “punishing” the Jews by sending them into perpetual exile came up.

Lévy referred to this as “the deepest theological core of this whole issue.” Because if the delegitimization of Israel is centered on the Jewish people’s exile, that alone emphasizes the truth that undermines the very delegitimization of Israel to begin with: that the Jewish people are indeed indigenous in the land.

Villeneuve emphasized that the document quoted the Jewish prayer for the State of Israel, referring to Israel “as the first fruits of Israel’s redemption, which I think is a beautiful expression.” To that we can all say amen. 

The full document and signatory information are available through Catholics for Israel. Lévy and Villeneuve expressed hope that this initiative represents a turning point, not just in Catholic-Jewish relations but in the Church’s deeper engagement with the mystery of Israel as rooted in God’s faithful promises.

Follow the entire conversation on the Genesis 123 Foundation YouTube channel, or the Inspiration from Zion podcast. 

This post was originally published on here. 

As the Hebrew month of Elul begins, the Jewish calendar asks something difficult of us.

Long before we gather for Rosh Hashanah or stand in judgment on Yom Kippur, we are called to begin a cheshbon hanefesh, an accounting of the soul. We take stock of what we have done, whom we have hurt, and where we have fallen short.

The daily blast of the shofar is an alarm for the conscience. It reminds us that renewal is not automatic. Repentance begins with honesty, and forgiveness with humility. Neither is possible without the willingness to change.

Soon, Jews around the world will pray to be inscribed and ultimately sealed in the Book of Life. The image has endured because a book records more than our intentions. It records what we have written through our actions: how we have lived, how we have treated others, and what we have contributed to the world around us.

Before we ask the Almighty to write our names in that book, we should ask what kind of chapter we have written together.
This has been no ordinary year.

The Jewish people continue to confront enemies who seek our isolation, delegitimization, and destruction. Israel faces continuing threats from Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and the regime in Tehran. Across the world, antisemitism has moved from the margins into schools, synagogues, campuses, streets, and public institutions.

Jews were murdered while celebrating Hanukkah at Bondi Beach and while worshiping on Yom Kippur at Manchester’s Heaton Park Synagogue. In the United States, the ADL recorded 203 antisemitic assaults in 2025, the highest number in the history of its annual audit. Thirty-two involved deadly weapons, and three people were killed in antisemitic attacks.

We have every reason to look outward with concern.

Elul requires us to look inward as well.

For all the threats directed against us, we must also ask whether anger, suspicion, and contempt have weakened the bonds that have sustained Jewish life for generations.

Elul asks us to account for the enemies we have confronted and the relationships we have damaged.

The Jewish people have never been strangers to disagreement. Our tradition does not demand uniformity, and our history has never produced it. The pages of the Talmud preserve vigorous arguments, competing interpretations, and minority opinions. The sages Hillel and Shammai disagreed over questions that touched nearly every aspect of Jewish life.
Jewish civilization flourished not because Jews always agreed, but because disagreement took place within a shared covenant.

The test of Jewish unity is not whether we disagree. We always have. It is whether, in the heat of disagreement, we still recognize one another as family.

Too often today, disagreement becomes estrangement. Political differences become grounds for moral excommunication. Motives are condemned before arguments are considered. Social media rewards the harshest judgment and the quickest denunciation. We speak about one another more readily than we speak with one another.

Elul: A time of reckoning 

Too many of us have become certain not only that we are right, but that those who disagree with us must be wicked, ignorant, or beyond redemption.

That is no longer principled disagreement. It is a refusal to remain in community with one another.

None of this requires us to surrender our convictions. Judaism does not ask us to care less about the questions that matter. It asks us to argue with humility, to listen with patience, and to remember that no political disagreement erases the divine image in another person.

A people facing enemies from without cannot afford to treat every disagreement within as a civil war.

Repentance rarely begins with a grand gesture. More often, it begins with a conversation we have avoided, an apology we have resisted, or a willingness to hear someone we had already dismissed.
It can mean listening before condemning, assuming good faith before assigning malice, and choosing dialogue without pretending that our differences are insignificant.

That responsibility does not belong only to individuals. Institutions, synagogues, schools, organizations, and communal leaders help set the tone of Jewish life. Every public statement, sermon, social media post, and communal decision helps set that tone.

Leadership does not require avoiding difficult disputes. It requires ensuring that those disputes do not consume the community they are meant to strengthen.

Judaism understands repentance as both individual and collective. We worship together. Some prayers cannot be recited without a minyan (prayer quorum). On Yom Kippur, we do not stand before the Almighty and confess only, “I have sinned.”

We say, “We have sinned.” Ashamnu. Bagadnu.

We confess in the plural because we bear responsibility for our own conduct and for the community we have helped create.

The Book of Life is therefore more than a personal metaphor. It is a reminder that our destinies are intertwined. We are one people, bound to those who came before us, those who stand beside us, and those who will follow.

Dor l’dor.

None of us will enter the Days of Awe without shortcomings. That is why the season exists. Judaism rests on the conviction that people can change, relationships can be repaired, and communities can renew themselves.
As Elul begins, we should do more than make plans for the holidays. We should begin the harder preparation.

Let us examine what we have done to one another, seek forgiveness where we have caused hurt, and extend it where repentance is sincere. Let us recover the humility to learn from one another, and the wisdom to recognize that what binds us is deeper than what divides us.

And when we ask to be inscribed in the Book of Life, let us do so as one people, responsible for one another and standing together before our Creator.

The writer is CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

This post was originally published on here. 

The unlikeliest person has become one of Israel’s most unlikely allies.

Boy George, the flamboyant pop icon of the 1980s, has released the song “We Will Dance Again,” a moving tribute to those murdered at the Supernova music festival on October 7, 2023. In today’s entertainment industry, where public support for Israel often carries professional and personal consequences, it was an act of genuine courage.

Predictably, the reaction was immediate.

Many praised him for standing up for what he believed in despite knowing he would face criticism. Others mocked him. One social media user sneered that it merely proved Israel’s only remaining supporters were “an aging 80s pop weirdo and Tommy Robinson.”

Sadly, that no longer surprises me.

What stopped me in my tracks was another comment beneath the article. Written by someone hiding behind an anonymous username, it confidently asserted that the young people murdered at the Supernova festival had in fact been killed by Israeli helicopters, and that Hamas had merely come to take hostages.

I read it twice.

Not because I thought it might be true.

But because I found myself asking a question that has troubled me ever since October 7: How do you have a conversation with someone who believes that?

When I first qualified as a GP, my senior partner and trainer was a wise, experienced doctor of Irish stock and of immense wisdom. She taught me countless lessons about medicine, but one in particular has remained with me for more than four decades.

“Jonathan,” she said, “you can’t reason with unreasonable people – so don’t try.”

At the time, I thought she was talking about the occasional difficult patient. The man demanding antibiotics for a virus, the woman convinced every symptom was caused by a mysterious allergy despite every test being normal, the patient who arrived not seeking advice but demanding confirmation of a conclusion already reached.

With experience, I realized she was teaching me something much broader – about life itself.

Reason only works when both people are prepared to reason.

Evidence only matters when both sides are willing to change their minds.

If someone has emotionally invested themselves in a belief, facts often become irrelevant. Every new piece of evidence is simply reinterpreted to support the conclusion they reached long ago.

That lesson, learned in a Manchester consulting room over 40 years ago, has become painfully relevant to the world we live in. 

October 7 did not simply become a military battlefield. It became a battlefield over truth itself. Within hours, photographs, videos, eyewitness testimony, and forensic evidence were no longer enough. Every fact became negotiable. Every atrocity acquired an alternative explanation. Every piece of evidence became another opportunity for conspiracy.

It is exhausting.

And I suspect many Jews around the world are asking themselves the same question: How are we supposed to respond?

Response options

There seem to be three options.

The first is to retreat. I understand that instinct.

My wife has, in many ways, reached that conclusion. She has little interest in persuading people who have already decided what they wish to believe. Her attitude is simple: I know where I stand. I know where my home is. I’m not leaving the country. Let the rest of the world think what it wants.

There is something healthy about refusing to live your life according to the opinions of strangers.

The second option is the exact opposite. Fight every battle. Respond to every post. Correct every lie. Answer every accusation.

Many people do exactly that, and I admire their stamina. But it’s exhausting, and I wonder how sustainable it is.

Social media algorithms reward outrage, not understanding. The louder the argument becomes, the less likely anyone is to change their mind. Hours disappear arguing with anonymous accounts whose goal is not dialogue but provocation.

Which leaves a third possibility: Perhaps we need to choose our battles more carefully. Not because truth no longer matters. It matters enormously. But because our lives matter too.

There is a danger that we become so consumed with answering every distortion that we slowly surrender the joy, purpose, and community that those lies are trying to destroy.

Perhaps our greatest response is not simply to defend Israel with words, but to continue building Israel with our lives.

To raise families. To teach our children. To volunteer. To create. To make music. To laugh. To argue with people who genuinely want to understand. And to quietly walk away from those who have already decided that reality itself is optional.

I wish I had a better answer. I don’t. Perhaps there isn’t one.

But I know this much: If those who hate Israel succeed in making us permanently angry, permanently suspicious, and permanently consumed by the arguments of the Internet, then they have achieved something far more significant than winning a debate.

They have changed us.

My old Irish boss was right: you cannot reason with unreasonable people. But experience has taught me a second lesson: you do not have to become unreasonable yourself.

There is an old Jewish instinct that has sustained our people for centuries. When the world becomes darker, we do not merely curse the darkness; we light the lights. We continue to build homes, schools, synagogues, hospitals, businesses, and families. We insist on living fully, even when others seem intent on dragging us into an endless cycle of outrage and despair.

Perhaps that is the answer I have been searching for. Not silence. Not surrender. Not endless argument. Simply the quiet determination to keep living truthfully in a world where truth itself increasingly seems up for negotiation.

Perhaps that’s all we can do right now, but maybe that is the greatest act of defiance of all.

The writer is a rabbi and physician. He writes and teaches on Jewish ethics, leadership, and resilience. His work appears on rabbidrjonathanlieberman.substack.com and youtube.com. @rabbidrjonathanlieberman.

This post was originally published on here. 

The next time you are tempted to diss social media, consider that it can have wonderful benefits. Here’s an example.

Temple Beth Tefilah in East Hartford, Connecticut, was closing. The Jewish population of Hartford had largely moved to West Hartford and Bloomfield. Sadly, the congregation had dwindled to under 25 families and decided to disband.

Among its Torah scrolls was one written in memory of a four-year-old boy, Avi Seth, the son of the congregation’s former rabbi.

The Torah belonged to Rabbi Michael Laxmeter, but the congregants could not find him, although his last name was unusual, perhaps even unique.

Jenny Markiewicz Rabinowitz, an active synagogue member, decided to search for Rabbi Laxmeter. She tried her luck on Facebook. Sure enough, he was there. She didn’t have his address, but she recognized the name of one of his Facebook friends.

My name.

An unexpected connection

As it happens, Jenny and I both grew up in Colchester, Connecticut, then a town of 5,000 residents. Its Jewish community had been strengthened by Baron Maurice de Hirsch, the 19th-century financier who helped persecuted Eastern European and Russian Jews settle as farmers in places such as Colchester.

My father’s family moved to the small New England town before 1920, seeking fresh air and renewed health after their immigration to the Lower East Side of New York.

Jenny’s parents survived the Holocaust and arrived in the early 1950’s. They bought an old farm with a pond and blueberry bushes. They invested in a batch of chicks and started their poultry business, eventually building the brick house where Jenny grew up. Her mother, Henny Rosenbaum Markiewicz Simon, was a well-known Holocaust educator.

Jenny messaged me on Facebook. Could this possibly be the same Rabbi Laxmeter who had led the congregation before her time at the synagogue? How did I know him?

I assured her that it was the same Rabbi Laxmeter. The synagogue had an old address for him, but it was incorrect.

I put them in touch.

By then, Rabbi Michael Laxmeter was widowed and retired. He had left the East Coast for warmer Las Vegas in 2011. In Las Vegas, Rabbi Laxmeter joined the same synagogue as our only friend in that city, Jeralyn “Jeri” Goldman. My husband and I had met her while speaking at the Young Israel Aish synagogue. Like Jenny, Jeri was an active member of her congregation. When we first met, we were both saying Kaddish for our mothers.

I rejoiced when, eight years later, she wrote to tell me that she was getting married. I was even more delighted when we met her charming and erudite Talmud teacher and husband, Rabbi Michael Laxmeter.

Over the years, we happily got together numerous times, both in Las Vegas and in Israel.

According to Beth Tefila records, there were fewer than a dozen Jewish families in East Hartford before the mid 1940’s. The city experienced a growth spurt, related to the expansion of Pratt and Whitney’s aircraft-engine plant.

During and after World War II, as new families, houses, and neighborhoods grew up around the factory. Among them were more Jewish families. In 1948, the Jewish families held their first High Holiday services and celebrated the first Bar Mitzvah the following year.

In 1970, in its period of growth, Rabbi Laxmeter assumed the congregation’s leadership. It was his first pulpit, and he would remain there for six years. The congregation was joyfully constructing its own first synagogue building.

A personal tragedy

Then personal tragedy struck.

In 1974, Rabbi Laxmeter and his wife, Judith, lost their four-year-old son, Avi Seth, to a rare complication of croup.

Even as a three-year-old, Avi Seth loved Torah scrolls. While the synagogue building was under construction, the Torah scrolls were kept in his father’s home office. Avi Seth was particularly enthralled by a miniature Torah kept behind a tiny door in the breastplate of one of the scrolls.

The congregation perpetuated the memory of its rabbi and rebbetzin’s son by donating a Torah scroll in his Hebrew name, Avraham Shalom.

Half a century later, times had changed in East Hartford. What had once been a young and thriving congregation was about to close its synagogue doors. What should be done with the Torah scroll dedicated in Avi Seth’s memory?

Jenny passed Rabbi Laxmeter’s information to fellow congregant Helene Shapiro, at whose bat mitzvah the young rabbi had officiated.

Jeri and Rabbi Laxmeter funded the Torah’s transfer to Las Vegas. An expert Torah scribe checked the entire scroll to make certain that it remained kosher and fully legible. They ordered a new mantle and added the names of their beloved late spouses, Judith Friedlander Laxmeter and Herbert Marshall Goldman.

The Torah was dedicated at a celebration marking Rabbi Laxmeter’s 80th birthday in Las Vegas, in the hope that the synagogue would flourish and grow to need an additional Torah scroll. The congregation, however, was undergoing a difficult transition and eventually divided into separate groups.

By then, Jeralyn and Rabbi Laxmeter had moved to Jerusalem, settling at Mediterranean Towers in Talpiot. The senior independent living residence has its own synagogue, where Rabbi Laxmeter sometimes chants the weekly Torah portion.

They decided that the Torah should move once again.

This time, they sent it east to Philadelphia, where Jeri’s son Amir and daughter- in -law, the well-known Torah scholar Stacey Fruen Goldman, would accompany it to Israel.

“We were excited and honored to bring the Torah to Jerusalem,” said Torah-teacher Stacey Fruen Goldman. “Our Rabbi lent us a specially outfitted padded case. Our travel agent notified El Al in Newark, and they were prepared.

“The El Al staff very respectfully escorted us through security, where the Torah needed to go through the machine for oversized items. When we told people in line with us at security ‘who’ would be on the same flight, they said they had goosebumps. The Torah was too big for a premium seat, so the staff emptied the special closet between premium and coach and placed the Torah there.”

Rabbi Laxmeter said, “Our Israeli airline El Al knows how to treat a Torah properly.”

That’s how my husband and I had the privilege of being present as the Connecticut-born Torah scroll completed its journey.

Sheltered beneath a tallit held aloft like a huppah, the Torah was serenaded by a Russian immigrant clarinetist. Residents of Mediterranean Towers, together with friends and family, including at least one of Jeri’s grandsons serving in Israel as a lone soldier, lined the way as it was carried into the synagogue and placed in the ark. Rabbi Laxmeter led the blessings and singing.

It is a tree of life for those who hold fast to it and happy are those who uphold it. Its ways are ways of pleasantness and all its paths are peace.”

On the women’s side of the synagogue, Jeri said, “The Torah took a journey similar to our own. Like us, it was first in a Conservative synagogue. Then we moved to Orthodoxy. Finally, it made its way to Jerusalem, making aliyah, just as we did. We couldn’t be happier.”

So this is how my husband and I, now longtime friends of Jeri and Rabbi Laxmeter, got to sing along and celebrate. I was glad to have played a tiny part in the aliyah journey of this Torah scroll.

My thanks also to Mark Zuckerberg.

The writer is the Israel director of public relations at Hadassah, the Women’s Zionist Organization of America. Her latest book is A Daughter of Many Mothers, co-written with Holocaust survivor and premier English-language witness Rena Quint. 

This post was originally published on here. 

A Wizz Air flight from Rome to Tel Aviv was delayed on Friday after a passenger asked to leave the aircraft shortly before takeoff, prompting local police to board the plane.

Flight 6043 had been scheduled to land at Ben Gurion Airport at 6:45 p.m.

Footage posted on social media showed Israeli passengers standing inside the aircraft as police officers climbed the stairs toward the entrance. The incident took place after boarding had been completed and passengers were already seated ahead of departure.

According to accounts published online, the passenger had drawn the attention of some travelers during check-in, before boarding the aircraft. After boarding was completed, he suddenly asked to leave the flight, causing concern among passengers and prompting police intervention.

Initial reports said the captain had announced that the flight was canceled and that passengers were removed from the aircraft. It was later clarified that the flight would continue, although its arrival was significantly delayed.

The aircraft ultimately landed at Ben Gurion Airport at 10 p.m.

Concerns over flying on Shabbat may be behind incident

Several claims about the reason for the incident circulated on social media. One passenger claimed that the man had recently become religious and asked to leave the aircraft after realizing that the flight was expected to land in Israel after the start of Shabbat. The claim has not been independently verified.

Descriptions of the passenger’s appearance and the languages he spoke also circulated online. Those details do not in themselves indicate why he asked to leave the flight, and it remains unclear what prompted his request.

The incident caused a significant delay as passengers waited for local authorities to complete their checks and address the situation.

This post was originally published on here. 

Radiating a Jerusalem vibe, Rachel Kainy was born in 1981 in Kibbutz Nahshon. An artist and art teacher, this recipient of a 2024 Plumas Art Foundation grant is best known for her aquarelles and watercolor paintings.

Since graduating with honors from Hamidrasha School of Art with a Bachelor of Education in Fine Arts in 2008, her work can be found in private and public collections and has been featured in numerous exhibitions, including at The Israel Museum, The Jerusalem Artists House, Tel Aviv’s Rosenfeld Gallery, and The Artists Studio in Tel Aviv. 

Her recent works are on view in a group exhibition, Drift, at the Art Cube Artists’ Studios in Jerusalem, until August 21.

Kainy has been living and working in Jerusalem for the last 11 years, and incorporates the Holy City in her art.

Although she is known for her watercolor works, she also drew throughout her life. And drawing, her newest project, is the direct reason why we sat and talked. 

Urban walking drawing made with custom-made device, portable drawing harness

Kainy created her urban walking drawings, Road Sketch scrolls, using a custom-made device by artist Itamar Mendes-Flohr (Kainy called it a portable drawing harness). It enables her to draw with both hands simultaneously, while walking. She was inspired to draw with two hands at the same time by her studies of the book of Zohar.

Speaking with In Jerusalem, Kainy shared that she has always carried a sketchbook with her, like an extension of the drawing table, her only private space in early childhood, in the kibbutz’s “children’s home” where she shared a room and lived with other children until the age of 10. 

In her new artistic drawing-while-walking project, the symbolic table accompanies her in walks on the streets of Jerusalem. Kainy draws what she observes, especially in her beloved neighborhood of Ein Kerem.

The artist documents the capital of Israel, with all its social and cultural shades and contrasts, creating the story of the city on paper scrolls – in a way, a megillah of Jerusalem.

We met briefly in September, almost three years ago, at the opening of the group watercolor show ‘STILL WATERS into Living Colors’ at the Center for Near Eastern Studies at Brigham Young University in Jerusalem.

In my article about the exhibition, I wrote, “Rachel Kainy focuses on the conflict between nature and culture; she constructs a unique symbolic language. Her enigmatic landscapes and compositions in watercolor and ink embody personal, ecological, and historical themes, woven into a rich tapestry of cultural myths, global concerns, and personal associations.” 

All correct. [Kainy smiles]

I am glad to hear. Much has happened in Israel during these past three years… Despite the war, also in art. Recently, visiting Jerusalem, I rediscovered you as a very different artist. Still a watercolorist, but also a drawing artist who walks and draws on the streets of Jerusalem. What prompted this change?

I have never exhibited my drawings before, but I’ve always walked with my sketchbook and pencil. I’ve always been drawing while walking… I grew up on a kibbutz. From the age of three months, we all used to sleep [live] in a “children’s house” without our parents. I had only four hours a day at my parents’ house, from four to eight o’clock. 

Until what age? 

Until the kibbutz stopped this practice, I moved to my parents’ home when I was 10. Until then, I lived with other children. I didn’t have my own room, my space. There was a drawing table in the house, and that became my place, my [private] space. When I take the sketchbook everywhere, it’s like I take my space with me. 

Your kibbutz life calls for a separate article, but the story of the table and the sketchbook is beautiful! I appreciate you sharing it. So, all your life, you’ve been going with your sketchbook? 

Yes. I never really stopped drawing and painting. All children paint, but most adults stop at some point. I continued.

Do you come from an artistic family?

My mother is an art curator, and my father is an architect. 

Therefore, was it clear to you that you would become an artist?

No, not exactly… I decided to study art when I was 19. At the end of my army service, in some course, someone asked me: “What’s the thing that frightens you the most?” I answered, “To be an artist.” 

I realized that I was afraid of this because it was what I wanted most. And I studied art for four years at Hamidrasha [at Beit Berl College]; it was a very good school, with excellent teachers.

Before we return to your drawing practice, why did you focus on watercolors at first?

It’s also an interesting story. When I was in the second year of my studies, I felt like I didn’t know anything about painting. I had an acrylic course, a great class, but I felt like I couldn’t see anything. I went once for an oil [painting] class, but I felt like I couldn’t even smell it; I couldn’t touch it. It was also not for me. I took another course. 

That whole year I felt like I was in this swamp. So I decided maybe I was not a painter. I would draw and make sculptures instead… I told Tsibi Geva, the head teacher of painting, that I wanted to leave painting. He looked at my works for a while, and he saw one place, one painting, which was very fluid. He told me, “Look, in the watering places, that’s where you live.”

Insightful!

Yes. Great teacher! He told me to work with watercolors for two weeks, and come back to him. No one taught watercolor in contemporary art schools – not in Bezalel, not in Hamidrasha. In Israel, they didn’t teach it. They didn’t respect it. 

Then I opened a box of watercolors that my kibbutz art teacher had given me for my bat mitzvah, and I started to paint. It was like discovering the world. It was amazing! I fell in love completely.

And aquarelles became your artistic language. But also, you just told me you were always drawing. 

Yes. From the table of the children’s house, I carry it in my bag as a sketchbook. And I have always been drawing, but I didn’t exhibit it.

It was my space. During the COVID times, I started to draw with both hands. 

Simultaneously? 

Yes. Shortly before the pandemic, encouraged by my friend, I started studying the Zohar according to Baal HaSulam, and we learned that the correct spiritual path in this world is to work with “two lines.” This means left and right – judgment and mercy, boundaries and expansion. 

We also learned a core axiom in the Zohar: “the root is reflected in its branches,” which illustrates the connection between the upper and lower worlds, where this world acts as an inverted mirror. I decided to translate this Kabbalistic concept into a drawing technique: sketching with both my left and right hands. 

The results have been truly amazing and deeply multi-layered. It transformed the drawing itself – making the entire space between the two lines vibrate, while profoundly impacting the mind, creating a highly focused sense of presence.

Are you right-handed? Was your right hand much more skilled?

Yes, and the left hand was very sensitive. The space between the right and left hand was like a poem, like a life. 

A technical question: How could you walk and draw with both hands, holding a sketchbook?

I used an old baby carrier; I put it on me with a sketchbook on top. This way I could walk and draw with both hands. Then my friend, artist Itamar Mendes-Flohr, built me a special tool. I call it a portable drawing harness. 

How does it work? 

It’s like a board that I can roll the paper on, and I can carry it with me. It’s still new to me. For example, after an hour and a half of walking, I drew a seven-meter scroll. 

Do you feel more connected to Jerusalem by walking and drawing what you see and experience? 

Yes, and also I want even more now. With the scroll, many new possibilities opened up, because it’s long – unlike pages in a sketchbook. I can think ahead and choose very special paths with events, like historical landmarks and current events. I can also go back and forth; I can look at movements, and I can really connect West to East in Jerusalem – the past and present. 

Now I am going to connect to Jerusalem even more, and I am going to study where I am walking.

Do you mean to research beforehand?

Yes, because when I had a sketchbook, I drew everywhere I walked; now I walk to places that I want to go. 

Walking, intentionally. You are wearing the Star of David on your neck. Do you feel safe wearing it in the Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem?

It depends where… 

With your drawings on scrolls, you are documenting the life of the city and the lives of its various social and ethnic groups. In Hebrew, a scroll is a megillah; we have Megillat Esther and Megillat Ruth. Are you creating Megillat Rachel? 

It’s Megillat Jerusalem. I think it’s always about connecting to the world and to myself. And maybe to other people. It’s a matter of connection. To touch things. To touch existence through art.

Also with the watercolor. It comes only if it’s very sincere, and the water brings it to life. I like to lose control. That’s why I also work with both hands. This way, I have a discovery through art. 

I love this explanation! And as you like working simultaneously, in the ongoing exhibition, ‘Drift,’ next to ‘Road Sketch,’ you show your aquarelles inspired by illustrations in the book ‘The Art of the Ancient World,’ and the love letters you found in that book. Please, tell me more about it.

Last September, when I came to the workshops at the Art Cube Artists’ Studios in Jerusalem, I had ideas about what I was going to do. But when I entered this studio, I just pulled this book from the shelves, and inside it, there were dry flowers and love letters from 1976, in Hebrew and English. I was very much moved by it.

It was like a love letter for me, about life. I found this during the war, when I didn’t know how to do art and how to live. 

And you incorporated the findings into your watercolor paintings.

Yes. I looked at them and started to paint them. At first I painted the sculptures from the images in the book, then the letters were like a message to me. 

Is there a name for the series? 

Not yet; it’s just a new project that I began. I don’t know where it’s going to take me. But it’s about love.

Rachel Kainy does not have a social media account. More about the artist can be found on the Rosenfeld Gallery website: rg.co.il/artist/rachel-kainy/

This post was originally published on here. 

Inundated, nay bombarded, with information as we are in this day and age, to have an opportunity for some more considered listening is a rare boon. Much of the data that cascades over us via our cellphones and computers is of a sonic ilk. 

And as we muddle our way through the morass of auditory overflow – consciously or subconsciously taking parts on board in betwixt attempting to weed out the predominantly irrelevant stuff – whether we like it or not, we take on some emotional fatigue. That can lead to shrinking attention spans and a diminishing ability to discern the proverbial wheat from the chaff.

Given that deplorable, increasingly challenging state of affairs, a visit to the Overtones: Sound and Art exhibition, curated by Talia Amar, currently on display at the Israel Museum, makes solid remedial sense. The show features an eclectic spread of works that take in bona fide recognizable musical instruments, albeit implemented in very offbeat ways, and all sorts of wild, wacky, charming, and totally unexpected means of producing sound.

The explorative scene is set with the introductory wall text, which opens with an insightful quote from John Cage, the innovative 20th-century composer, artist, and music theorist: “Not one sound fears the silence that extinguishes it. And no silence exists that is not pregnant with sound.”

Walking the art garden

That yin-yang reciprocity dynamic was palpable as I took a walk through the recently refashioned Billy Rose Art Garden, speckled with its beguiling variegated array of sculptures and other aesthetic items. It wasn’t just a matter of deciding to take a stroll around the pebbled expanse with its motley crafted figures and forms. This was a premeditated, crafted tour of a sector of the museum’s outdoor domain, indeed a guided tour, courtesy of currently US-based Jerusalemite interdisciplinary artist Meital Covo.

And it wasn’t just any old information-laden lap around an eminently attractive location created 60 years ago by Japanese-American artist Isamu Noguchi. “This is an audio walk,” Covo enlightens me before we step out of the air-conditioned museum, into the sun-drenched late morning. “This is a work that you go out, to perform it. More than anything I have created until now, it very much depends on the individual who is experiencing it at the moment,” she posits. 

“That’s why it is important to me that as many people as possible, of different ages, with different degrees of patience, coming from varying contexts, come and experience this. For me, the work does not exist by its own right. It needs to encounter a person.”

That is surely true, but isn’t that the case with every work of art? Once the artist puts something out in the public domain, he or she subjects the fruit of their labors to third-party scrutiny and response thereof. The difference here, Covo explains, lies also in the intent behind the creative process. 

“A lot of artists have no interest in that, and that’s fine too. They want to engage in their art, and they don’t care what happens afterward. I can’t operate like that.”

Indeed, Covo has a history of interaction with people and their deepest emotions. During a residency in Paris just over a decade ago, she invited visitors to step out onto a small balcony and shout their heads off, regardless of how that seemingly non-PC conduct may impact unsuspecting passersby in the street below.

The 40 or so minutes I spent with Covo’s velvety-voiced narration, as I took the audio walk around the garden, was a delightful, calming, and immersive timeout. 

For starters, I suddenly paid close attention to the creations that dot the sequestered al fresco spot, which for the majority of museum patrons is a little off their beaten track. Most of us head straight for some exhibition or other set inside the labyrinthine building without giving the outdoor offerings too much thought. After taking the audio walk, I can appreciate how much I have been missing all these years by circumnavigating the Billy Rose Art Garden.

Archive of the soul

Then there is the crux of Covo’s endeavor, her Hebrew commentary built around snippets of her Archive of the Soul. The latter references a project she began in 2024, on the first anniversary of the murderous Hamas attack in the South, when she turned to members of the public and offered them an opportunity to offload some of their pent-up angst accrued since that fateful day, by vocally recording their thoughts and feelings.

The street-level goal was to simply allow people a sorely needed outlet for their emotions – “a personal commemorative act” as Covo puts it – as the war raged on in Gaza and our hostages continued to languish there. Participants were allowed to keep their recording to themselves, or to entrust it to Covo, to be used anonymously as she built up an online repository of emotional outpourings.

Early in the audio proceedings, we hear a young child from Shlomi who was about to return home, up North, with his family, after spending 18 months in a Jerusalem hotel as an evacuee. The innocent goodwill that exudes from the youngster’s dulcet tones, as he expresses an insouciant wish for better things to come, points us in a suitably introspective and amenable direction.

“You can take a breath now,” Covo advises us via our headphones before we move away from Anish Kapoor’s iconic Turning the World Upside Down reflective stainless steel sculpture, where we capture our own distorted fun image and some of the landscape around us. The audio walk – the original Hebrew name translates directly, and delectably, as Sonorous Odyssey – now begins in earnest as we get into the thick of the artistic and soulful mix. Hearing water trickling from the Water Source mound is a wonderful balm to an already overheated body and spirit.

The narration continues betwixt palpable inhaling and exhaling, which helps keep us on the right psychological track. Breathing is key to the participatory exercise, and as we not only get a closer look at Noguchi’s deftly arranged maze of artistic creation, we begin to take in – with Covo’s guidance – the panoramic view of Jerusalem that is unique to the eerie hilltop where our foremost cultural institution sits.

Staying in the healing moment

Like the rest of us, Covo is all too aware of our country’s blood-soaked past and what the future may hold for us. She says her quotidian multitasking conversely helps to keep her grounded. “I live in the world of today. I am a mother, and also an artist and a teacher, and I try to function in those roles in a manner that benefits myself and people who meet me.”

That is a highly commendable and society-friendly line to take, although it comes at a price. “I try to do all those things while staying in the moment. We are always thinking back and forward. I’m not good at that, and I don’t like it.”

Cue the audio walk. “That’s why I was drawn to the garden, because it invites us to roam and lose ourselves in it. And that’s why I was drawn to work with the voice, because it is a medium that demands total dedication, to be in the moment.”

“And breathing,” I interject. The basic physiological fact of the matter is you can’t talk if you don’t breathe.

The audio walk is not – pardon the pun – merely a blissful palliative bed of roses. There are some visceral slots in there that come straight out of Covo’s peripatetic Archive of the Soul recording venture. The artist set up shop at myriad spots up and down the country, including at Mount Herzl. There, an initially hesitant woman eventually entered the tent-like apparatus that Covo had set up to allow participants some privacy as they discharged their innermost anguish. 

“Suddenly, there was a deafening shriek,” Covo recalls. “The guard from the cemetery ran over to see what was going on. But the woman just came out, gave me the recording and told me to do whatever I want with it. She rejected my offer to send her the result.” Duly relieved, the woman just wanted to go on her way. That astringent outburst is audibly and emotively present in the audio walk guide.

There are all sorts of philosophical, artistic, and emotional insight to be had as you follow Covo’s directions around the expanse, drawing you physically and cerebrally into the creative progression, and also enhancing your bond with the one-of-a-kind locale. I can honestly say that, after hundreds of visits to the Israel Museum over the years, the next time I make my way up to the museum buildings will be a different, more personal experience. I may even breathe a little more easily.

Sounds across the spheres

Meanwhile, inside the museum, curator Amar has laid out an expansive and diverse range of items for our visual and aural appreciation and enjoyment. “The reference point for all the artists in the exhibition is the point of view of listening, breathing, the human voice and the non-human voice. There are a variety of works that engage in different aspects of sound, noise, and so on,” Amar explains.

The eclectic selection of offerings is also a result of the source disciplines. “Not all the artists work in the plastic sphere,” Amar continues. “Some are musicians.”

The latter is pretty clear from some of the exhibits. That includes Peter Coffin’s Free Jazz Mobile, which comprises a bunch of instruments tantalizingly suspended from the ceiling, just waiting for someone to pluck, bash, blow into or pass a bow across them. 

The “incomplete” ethos also pops up strikingly in Samson Young’s Muted Situation 22: Muted Tchaikovsky’s Fifth, created in 2018. As the numeral suggests, Young has made a whole series of videos of ensembles playing classical works without emitting a sound from their instruments, which have been mechanically muted. 

You are left with the corporeal dynamics of the players and conductor, their breathing and any other peripheral sound that would normally be smothered by the music. That naturally puts one in mind of Cage’s seminal avant-garde composition 4’33”, which addresses silence not as a sonic vacuum but as a domain that is full of sonic textures that are usually ignored.

Sixties vibes filter through in the form of a Moog synthesizer that somehow found its way over here, in 1969, and ended up in the Electronic Music Laboratory opened by Josef Tal, a pioneer in the electronic music field. We get a good look at the workings of the instrument, with cables distended every which way out of something that looks like a back-to-the-future telephone operator switchboard. 

Before Robert Moog came up with his baby, electronic music had been the sole domain of classical music innovators. The new synthesizer was swiftly embraced by the psychedelic and other rock and pop crowd, such as The Doors and The Grateful Dead, particularly after the introduction of the portable mini-Moog.

That revolutionary passage of Western culture is also represented in the exhibition by a cluster of posters advertising rock concerts of the day, with acts the likes of Jefferson Airplane, Cream, and Jimi Hendrix.

We head back to this part of the world with Dor Zlekha Levy’s Manana Manana projection and sound installation, inspired by the heady mix of church organ music and the acoustics of a mosque he encountered in Cordoba. The city was established as the regional capital by the Muslim rulers of the Al-Andalus part of southern Spain in the eighth century. Five centuries later, King Ferdinand III wrested control of the area back to the Christians and had the Cordoba mosque reconsecrated as a Catholic church. Hence, Levy’s fusion of sonic elements of both religions becomes a natural musical synergy.

There are other disciplinary leapfrogging items in the exhibition, with Christian Marclay stretching – literally – instrumental bounds with his Virtuoso, an altered accordion he created in 2000.

The 71-year-old American artist has been bridging various musical domains for some years now. He was a pioneer of record scratching back in the day, relating to discs as physical-sculptural entities in addition to their musical content. He has also produced a hefty body of work in the areas of performance, collage, sculpture, video, and photography.

Reprising the theme championed by Young and Cage, Marclay’s impossibly long – all seven meters of it – snaking accordion winds its way from end to end as a clearly unplayable instrument. The intentionally impractical manifestation harks back to the idea of paying attention to silence and, thus, prompting us to use our own powers of imagination to complete the sonic picture.

“Overtones: Sound and Art” closes on December 31. For more information: imj.org.il/en and meitalcovo.com

This post was originally published on here. 

The south of France invokes visions of lavender fields, enchanting villages and the glamorous towns of the French Riviera, also known as la Côte d’Azur. It’s all true (although the lavender does not bloom until July), but there is also a great deal of Jewish history and life in this region. 

The expression Hachmei Provence (the Sages of Provence) is familiar to students of rabbinic literature. These rabbis were spiritual leaders and scholars in the period of the Tosophists (12th-15th century) and connected the Torah learning of France and Germany with that of Spain and Catalonia. The Jews of Provence had their own unique language and prayer rite, although both are nearly extinct today. 

We flew into Marseille by direct flight, and out of Nice (direct flight as well), traveling from one side of Provence to the other. This could be a leisurely road trip over several weeks – but we decided to limit it to five days. We got a taste of this amazing region, one that whetted the appetite for more. 

Marseille is a vibrant and bustling city, the second largest in France. Its vibe is very different from Paris – less refined and elegant, very much a port city. We stayed near the Vieux Port (Old Port) and Le Panier area, which is considered very touristic and arty. 

The street art was amazing: bright, bold, and often very stylized. The local graffiti is characterized by literary quotes and serious thoughts, rather than the rude scrawls one often sees elsewhere. 

Many examples of modern and ancient architecture

A centerpiece of the regenerated Old Port is a vast mirrored canopy that reflects the sea as well as the people walking or milling around under it. It’s a modern architectural gem, drawing visitors and their cameras to the water’s edge. 

There are many other examples of modern architecture in the city; one of the best is Mucem, the museum of European and Mediterranean civilization. This imposing structure features metal fretwork that recalls the Arab contribution to the city’s past. 

Although Marseille has a reputation for being crime-ridden and dangerous, other cities in France are statistically riskier, and Marseille doesn’t compete with most American cities of a similar size in that aspect. We didn’t hang out in the northern districts, known for drug trafficking and gang violence. Crime is localized in Marseille, and only a reasonable amount of vigilance is needed in areas where tourists would visit. 

For a panoramic view of the city, take “Le Petit Train” – a tourist shuttle or a public bus to the Basilica of Notre-Dame-of-la-Garde. This is considered the best vantage point for seeing the entire city, including Château d’If, the island fortress where the Count of Monte Cristo was imprisoned in Alexandre Dumas’s famous novel.

Another well-known writer in Provence is Marcel Pagnol, who wrote evocatively of this region and subsequently made films based on his books. They are very well known in France, and several are available in English translation. 

The British travel writer Peter Mayle describes his experiences in Provence as well, offering both background and vicarious experience in this enchanting part of the country. I once read that reading about a place before visiting it is what differentiates a traveler from a tourist. 

Marseille is also home to 80,000 Jews and is graced by a monumental 19th-century synagogue (Rue Breteuil in the sixth arrondissement), as well as scores of other Jewish houses of worship. There are many kosher restaurants; we chose a delicatessen called Katzav that offered formidable sandwiches. They were so good that we purchased deli meat (pastrami, roast beef, corned beef, and turkey) to take along with us for the next night’s dinner. 

The elephant in the room (France) is antisemitism. We did not experience any in our short visit, but we heard about it from some of the French Jews whom we met. We saw a few identifiably observant Jews going about their business, and we visited kosher restaurants (the signs indicating that they were kosher tended to be discreet) and synagogues without incident. 

When identifying ourselves, we did not hide the fact that we are Israeli, and reactions were polite. I consider visiting places of Jewish interest a way of supporting the local community and showing solidarity. 

The route of our second day included the four towns where Jews were allowed to live in the Middle Ages: Avignon, Carpentras, Cavaillon, and L’Isle sur la Sorgue. These towns were part of the Papal State, and Jews, expelled from the Kingdom of France by Philip the Fair in 1306, were known as Les Juifs des Papes (the Popes’ Jews). 

Pope Clement V relocated to Avignon in 1309, and that city became the home of the papacy for the following 67 years. Jews were confined to ghettos and suffered varying degrees of discrimination, but they lived under the protection of the papacy. 

Avignon was the birthplace of several important figures in Jewish thought and literature; among them are Kalonymous ben Kalonymous, an original writer, translator, and satirist; and Gersonides (Levi ben Gershon or Ralbag), a noted biblical commentator and philosopher. 

The Avignon synagogue (2 Place de Jerusalem) is relatively modern, dating from the middle of the 19th century, but stands on the site of a medieval house of prayer. 

Its architecture is neoclassical and is most likely the only round synagogue in France. We were welcomed by a member of the community who opened the synagogue for us and spoke to us about the community, numbering several hundred families from the surrounding area. 

We met the rabbi, Chanan Levin, a Chabad emissary who spoke to us (in excellent Hebrew) about the synagogue’s activities and outreach programs. He showed us where the pictures of the hostages in Gaza had been hung in the vestibule, and told us how their return last year on Hoshana Rabba, the final day of Sukkot, was celebrated. 

My wife noticed the yellow ribbons that still adorn the eternal lights hanging in front of the Holy Ark, and asked the rabbi why they were still there. “Some things we are not permitted to forget,” he answered.

Levin walked with us for a few minutes toward the Papal Palace, an imposing Gothic edifice overlooking the river, and several people, obviously non-Jews, stopped to greet him. He told us that he often appears in the local electronic media and is active in interfaith affairs. 

On the way to the Palace gardens, we saw a large memorial plaque dedicated to the local victims of the deportations and the Holocaust. From the appealing garden, we viewed the famous Bridge of Saint-Bénézet (if you ever took piano lessons as a child, you probably learned to play Sur le Pont d’Avignon). Remarkably, the bridge doesn’t reach the other side of the Rhône River; half of it was washed out in flooding in the 1600s. Evidently, repairs were not feasible. 

Carpentras, site of a still-active synagogue from 1367

Our next stop was Carpentras, site of a still-active synagogue dating from 1367, later renovated in the Baroque style during the 18th century. 

The synagogue is lovely and impressive, and the large building houses a historic mikveh, as well as matzah and bread bakeries that were once used by the community. It is necessary to reserve a tour in advance. A member of the congregation spoke to a group of about 30 visitors about the history of the community and the synagogue, as well as providing a general introduction to Jewish life.

Most of the visitors were French-speaking non-Jews; an English-speaking tour was not available. We were particularly enchanted by a miniature Elijah’s Chair (used in the circumcision ceremony) perched in a niche on the wall, and a lovely brass Hanukkah oil menorah.

The mikveh’s water came from an underground spring and was clear and fresh. The matzah oven, we were told, was used this year for a hands-on activity for young people.
  
From there, we drove to Cavaillon, the site of a small but arrestingly charming synagogue. The Jewish community has been defunct for about a century; the synagogue, located in the former ghetto, is a museum. 

The Torah ark stands empty. The colors are Barbie pink and baby blue, and there is a significant amount of gilded wood. The women’s section was in the basement; we were told they could hear the prayers through the wooden floor! There is a mikveh in the adjoining building that is not open to the public except on rare occasions. If you are fascinated by medieval mikvaot, you can find a beautifully preserved one on Place de la Juiverie in Pernes-les-Fontaines.

Our last stop that day was L’Isle sur la Sorgue, a delightful little town built on a river (la Sorgue) and canals. It was once a center of textile manufacture, powered by water wheels. The Jewish community and manufacturing have long since gone, but the canals, water wheels, and the Beaucaire building and the Carcassonne building, which served the synagogue, are still there. 

There is a Jewish cemetery outside of town as well. The location of the synagogue, destroyed in the 19th century, is known, and there is a sign marking “la Juiverie,” the former Jewish neighborhood. 

We stayed in Aix-en-Provence, a city known for its many fountains, fed by natural springs. We stopped for a moment by the statue of Cezanne, known as the father of Impressionist art, who was born and lived most of his life in Aix.

The morning was spent exploring the markets on and around Cours Mirabeau: clothing, local produce, and crafts. The fruits and vegetables were exquisite, and the honey and lavender were the quintessence of Provence. 

On our way to the markets, we passed by Monument Joseph Sec, an 18th-century memorial decorated by statues and bas-reliefs of figures from the Hebrew Bible: Noah, Moses, Aaron, David, Yael, and others. 

Surprisingly, this memorial was not vandalized during the French Revolution – although many religious structures were – perhaps because its themes are justice and freedom, ideals respected by the revolutionaries. 

It’s hard to escape the legacy of the Holocaust in Europe, and Provence is no exception. The Camp des Mille memorial site was used as a detention camp for Jews in Aix-en-Provence prior to their deportation to Auschwitz. 

We then proceeded to explore a few of the picturesque villages of the Luberon Valley. This area is known for its photogenic towns and hamlets, one more lovely than the next. 

One could easily spend several days driving from one to another, going in and out of cute shops, taking pictures of the amazing views, and overdosing on charm. Several of these villages were nearly abandoned in the post-war period, only to reinvent themselves as tourism magnets. 

Roussillon is particularly striking due to the large ochre quarry, which provided raw materials for paint in shades of orange, saffron, salmon, and tan before chemical-based paints became cheaper to produce. 

The houses are colored in all the possible hues of ochre, and it is possible to take a pleasant walk through the former quarry and see the same colors in their natural state. We made stops in Lourmarin, Bonnieux, and Gordes as well – each one a delight. 

Our last day of travel was dedicated to the Cote d’Azur, often known as the French Riviera – a region that merits a more extended stay. Nevertheless, we were able to get a taste of this destination known for wealth and exclusivity.

While walking around the old port and market of Antibes, we heard a discordant sound of home: an air-raid siren. Eyes darting around seeking shelter, we discovered that this was a test that took place the first Wednesday of every month at noon. 

We found a pleasant spot for a picnic by the bay where small boats were docked – in marked contrast to the yachts we saw moored in the port.

On our way, we passed walled gardens that surrounded stately homes, but aside from the sign that indicated that the tables and chairs were for the use of the residents’ club members (they were actually socializing there), the small beach was open to all. 

From there, we continued on toward Nice, where we spent a pleasant hour in the Chagall Museum dedicated to biblical themes. Marc Chagall, originally from Vitebsk, was inspired by his roots in the shtetl and his cheder education, and derived many of his themes from the Hebrew Bible. 

We marveled at works depicting Creation, Noah’s Ark, the binding of Isaac, the giving of the Torah, Elijah’s ascent to heaven in a fiery chariot, and other biblical imagery. 

Nice is visually different from most French cities. Ruled by Italy until the 1860s, when a referendum made it part of the French Republic, it has a unique aesthetic: a good number of pink brick monumental buildings and several wide, open piazzas. 

We joined a walking tour that pointed out some of the highlights of the city, including the elegant 19th-century opera house, the citadel and its adjacent waterfall, and Promenade des Anglais (named for British visitors who funded it in the 19th century), targeted by a terrorist in 2016 on Bastille Day, leaving over 80 dead. 

We heard about the luxurious Belle Epoque Hotel Le Negresco, popular among Russian aristocratic expats in the 1920s and ’30s, and jetsetters in the 1960s and ’70s. 

We strolled through the Old Town, the site of the ghetto set up in the 1400s. We learned that the last restrictions on Jews were only lifted in 1848. 

Our guide pointed out a bar that he claimed was a synagogue in medieval times; it was, indeed, within the confines of the former ghetto. Nice’s Jewish cemetery, near the citadel, is the burial place of René Goscinny, the creator of the Asterix comics series, and Alfred Van Cleef, the famous jeweler. 

In the first years of World War II, Nice was under Vichy (Nazi-allied unoccupied France), and perhaps 100,000 Jews fled there to escape deportation. Nice was occupied by Germany in 1942, and roundups began, but when the city came under the jurisdiction of the Italians, they refused to deport Jews. But when the Germans took over in 1943, the masses of Jewish refugees were an easy target.

There are memorials to the Jewish victims as well as to les Justes parmi les Nations, the Righteous among the Nations, who attempted to save them. 

The Great Synagogue of Nice is a lovely 19th-century edifice designated as a national monument. The city has an active Jewish community and several kosher restaurants. 

We chose to eat dinner in Cannes, known as the venue of the famous film festival and the place where the wealthy go to play. We saw good reviews for Dolce Farniente (“the sweetness of doing nothing,” in Italian), a kosher Italian dairy restaurant. 

The prices were similar to what you would pay in Israel, and the food was very tasty – and included truffles! There was a kosher sushi restaurant next door. We were surprised that there were four kosher restaurants in this resort town that caters to international celebrities and affluent travelers. 

We ended our evening with a stroll along Promenade de la Croisette, the boardwalk that stretches along the Mediterranean Sea, listening to music, animated conversations in several languages, and the clinking of glasses drifting out of seaside clubs as we shared the pavement with elegant partygoers from all over the world. The next morning, we flew home from the Nice airport.

Provence, once a crossroads of Jewish scholarship linking Sepharad and Ashkenaz, still sustains vibrant centers of Jewish life. The French Riviera continues to draw visitors from across the globe. 

Our short trip could easily have stretched into several weeks, and we still wouldn’t have exhausted the region’s wealth of places that deserve to be explored.

This post was originally published on here. 

A terrorist infiltration warning was lifted in Ofarim in the West Bank shortly after sirens sounded on Sunday morning, following the arrest of a suspected car thief who breached a checkpoint at the entrance to the settlement.

According to the IDF, a suspected car thief broke through the checkpoint while attempting to flee security forces. Once entering the settlement, the suspect exited the vehicle and tried to escape but was apprehended by security forces dispatched to the scene.

According to a KAN News report, the suspect was shot in the lower body by security forces during the chase.

After being apprehended and arrested, the suspect was transferred to Israel Police for further investigation into the incident, the military stated.

This is a developing story. 

This post was originally published on here. 

US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, has been privately looking for an off-ramp in the Iran war, according to a Saturday CNN report citing three sources familiar with the matter. 

According to the report, over the past few weeks, Caine has been making it clear to other Trump administration advisors that available military options may not be enough to achieve US President Donald Trump’s stated war objectives.

“Caine is looking for an off-ramp,” one of the sources told CNN.

Caine is reportedly not the only official who shares concerns regarding the potential escalation of military operations. He raised the idea of finding an off-ramp from the conflict with other officials, such as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Vice President JD Vance, and CIA Director John Ratcliffe, according to two of CNN’s sources.

Like-minded administration officials have allegedly been engaged in discussions with Caine regarding interagency coordination regarding the matter, aiming to make clear to Trump in future meetings the limitations of available military options.

One source told CNN that they believe Caine’s attempts to get on the same page with other officials are his “way of protecting the military.”

Renewed airstrikes may not be enough to force deal with Iran

The US has refrained from deploying ground troops in Iran, with Trump signaling that airstrikes alone would be enough to force Tehran into an agreement on Washington’s terms. 

For Caine and other officials, according to CNN sources, dwindling US stockpiles of key munitions are a key concern because the shortage could impact the military’s ability to combat Iranian retaliation if renewed airstrikes led to escalation in the conflict.

Trump has repeatedly denied reports regarding the alleged shortage of US munitions. 

According to CNN, multiple sources familiar with recent discussions stated that Caine and other officials privately view Trump’s claims as unlikely and are seeking other options that may still achieve Trump’s goals.

During a public hearing on the war last month, Caine told lawmakers that “airpower has its limits,” bolstering suspicion that top security officials believe that the conflict has reached a crossroads.

In late July, when Trump raised the possibility of launching renewed, increasingly aggressive strikes, Caine and other officials were reportedly wary of the potential fallout from such an operation.

One source told CNN that elements within US Central Command (CENTCOM) were the only ones in favor of the proposed strikes.

Caine remains careful in broaching concerns with Trump

However, while Caine has privately shared his worries with other officials, he has reportedly remained careful in how he conveys his misgivings to Trump, the sources claimed.

Two sources told CNN that Caine was “doing his job” by delicately raising concerns and offering alternatives during a recent meeting with Trump and other White House officials.

In that discussion, Caine reportedly balanced his critiques of Trump’s strategy with making it clear that if further military operations were to proceed, stating that “we could absolutely wreck them,” one of the sources said. 

This post was originally published on here. 

The US Senate easily passed sweeping Russia sanctions legislation on Friday, advancing a long-delayed measure backed by late Senator Lindsey Graham and setting the stage for consideration by the House of Representatives within weeks.

Graham, a South Carolina Republican who died last month, was among Kyiv’s most outspoken allies in Congress in its four-year-long war with Russia, and the bill aims to increase economic pressure on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

It also includes expanded sanctions on Iran, sought by US President Donald Trump, as lawmakers pushed for a vote on the measure well over a year after it was introduced in 2025.

The Senate’s Republican leaders had not brought the bill up because of resistance from Trump, who had kept decisions on sanctions at the White House, not Congress, since starting his second term in January 2025.

The Senate voted 86-11 to pass the “Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026,” to sanction Russian officials and authorize stiff tariffs on China, India and other countries to reduce their dependence on Russian oil and gas.

In a statement, the Ukrainian embassy in Washington welcomed passage, calling it “a timely and significant step that strengthens pressure on Russia.”

However, broad support may not be enough to secure House passage, with some lawmakers and industries wary that new tariff powers for Trump could raise costs for US importers and consumers while exposing Republicans to political blowback.

 Skepticism in the House

Representatives Gregory Meeks of New York and Don Beyer of Virginia said in a statement they still had “fundamental concerns” about the tariff powers for Trump, who has made them a central piece of his “America First” approach to foreign policy.

“What the bill does grant … are sweeping new tariff authorities that the president could weaponize with abandon, as he has repeatedly done in the past,” said Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and Beyer, the senior Democrat on the Joint Economic Committee.

Trump’s fellow Republicans control only slim majorities in both the House and Senate.

Only one Senate Republican, Rand Paul of Kentucky, voted against the bill, likening tariffs to taxes on American consumers.

The chamber erupted into applause after Graham’s sister, Darline Graham, who was appointed to fill his seat, read out the final tally.

The Senate rejected an amendment sponsored by Paul and Democratic Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon that would have removed the tariff powers.

Democratic Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia, who also sought to change the tariff language, said he had received a written commitment from Trump’s US trade representative, Jamieson Greer, to put guardrails on the tariff authorities.

If it is approved by the House and signed into law by Trump, the measure would allow the president to impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries that are major consumers of Russian energy, including India, Japan and some countries in the European Union, and leave it to his discretion to lift them.

The legislation’s backers insist that the tariffs are narrow enough that they would do their intended job of reducing Russian energy revenue that funds its war on Ukraine without negative consequences.

Supporters called the legislation the best opportunity to support Ukraine, and the strong bipartisan Senate vote provided momentum for it to pass the House after it returns from its summer recess on August 31.

Trump agrees to move forward with legislation after Graham’s death

Graham had announced shortly before his sudden death on July 11 that he and Trump agreed finally to move forward with the legislation.

The legislation lets the president impose targeted tariffs on imported goods from countries that buy the vast majority of Russian oil or gas and enable Russia’s evasion of sanctions.

The bill limits these tariffs to the five largest importers of Russian crude oil or gas and the top five countries that aid Russia’s energy sanctions evasion. The measure includes a provision to prevent a lapse in sanctions authority that restricts funding for Iranian energy and weapons.

This post was originally published on here. 

The air in Jerusalem transitions without warning. One moment you are negotiating the dense, limestone-packed rhythms of the city center; the next, you drop into a valley where the scent of wild sage, ancient olive groves, and mountain pine takes over.

My wife, Adi, and I came down the winding slopes into Ein Kerem on a warm weekend afternoon, seeking something beyond mere leisure.

In our work documenting wellness travel and regenerative tourism, we have found that true healing lives where the earth is allowed to speak through its layers, and where a community builds spaces designed to contain, restore, and elevate the human spirit.

What we found is a village that functions as an absolute anomaly within the Israeli landscape, an intact historical capsule closer to an ancient Italian or Greek mountainside than to the city above it, a capsule where every house absorbs the holy air of nearby Jerusalem while preserving a pocket of absolute peace.

A profound thread revealed itself throughout: Ein Kerem is structurally and spiritually built, preserved, and energized by women. From its ancient scriptural origins to its modern social enterprises, this valley’s blueprint is one of female empowerment, maternal sanctuary, and radical hospitality.

The threshold of silence: The Khan Ein Karem Boutique Hotel

Our anchor and home base was the Khan Ein Karem Boutique Hotel, a sanctuary hidden among the village’s upper terraces, from which every adventure, historical dive, and restorative encounter we experienced branched outward and returned.

The building is a traditional rural Arab stone house dating to the 1880s, constructed directly into the hillside to use the earth’s natural insulation, a passive therapeutic architecture that predates every modern wellness concept by a century.

What gives its story a particular intimacy is that Tomer, who runs the hotel alongside our host Roy, actually grew up within these very walls until the age of seven.

After the property stood abandoned for many years, they spent two years on a meticulous renovation before opening their five-room boutique hotel in 2021, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, an act of faith in the enduring restorative pull of this valley.

The Khan Ein Karem runs as a family business in the fullest sense, offering the kind of personal attention that no chain hotel can manufacture. Roy and Tomer are present hosts who know their guests by name and by nature.

The hotel’s massage therapists extend this philosophy directly into the body.

Rona, a therapeutic massage practitioner with four decades of experience, offers treatments through the hotel that carry the quiet authority of someone who has spent a lifetime in the craft.

Victoria Kortsenshteyn, a certified medical massage practitioner and student of Tuina, welcomes guests to her quiet studio at Beit Hagat, nestled among the greenery of Ein Kerem, where she practices manual therapy with thoughtful care to help release muscular tension, restore ease of movement, and support the body’s remarkable capacity to adapt and heal.

Mornings unfold in the hotel’s dining room over a full prepared spread: eggs, fresh salads, warm breads, local cheeses. The public rooftop terrace opens onto the village’s stone rooftops and the surrounding Jerusalem hills in one unbroken panorama, the kind that makes conversation stop.

“We wanted to reveal the natural dialogue between the new and the old stone,” Roy told us, “showing exactly what is historical and what is contemporary.”

This principle, honoring what exists while breathing new life into it, is itself a healing philosophy, and one that pervades every corner of Ein Kerem.

Ein Kerem draws roughly three million visitors a year. Before October 7, over 70% of the Khan Ein Karem’s guests were international travelers. After the war, foreign tourism dropped to zero overnight, and yet the hotel’s occupancy doubled.

“As the general security situation in Israel gets worse, there is more work here,” Roy told us. “People drive 10 minutes from their home in Geula, and they are in another world.”

He captures the singular spirit of the place in one image: “The mess, the colorfulness, this multiculturalism: the priests walking in the alleys alongside an anthroposophical family where the father walks barefoot with a flute and seven kids behind him, and the Jerusalem tourists. It’s wonderful.”

When coexistence is allowed to function naturally, it becomes its own form of restoration.

Living water: Springs, sanctuaries, and sacred ground

To understand Ein Kerem’s therapeutic energy, one must trace its water. For over three millennia, this valley has been shaped by settlement centered on its natural springs, an ancient infrastructure of physical and spiritual cleansing that every culture here has inherited and added to.

We walked down ancient stone steps toward Mary’s Spring, where Christian tradition places the sacred meeting of Mary and her relative Elizabeth. Upon their embrace near the rushing spring waters, the unborn John the Baptist leaped in the womb with prophetic joy, an event commemorated by the elegant Church of the Visitation on the hillside above.

This scriptural foundation roots the entire village in a narrative of maternal connection, fertility, and the healing power of encounter.

The valley holds ancient mikvaot, Jewish ritual baths dating to the First and Second Temple periods, many of them beneath the floors of modern private residences, their therapeutic function embedded literally within the domestic life of the village.

According to Christian tradition, John the Baptist operated within these same waters to introduce a new model: a lifelong spiritual baptism meant to permanently purify the human soul.

Adventurous travelers can still crawl through a rock-cut tunnel to reach a mikveh at the very source of the local spring, a full-body encounter with the valley’s oldest healing system.

The historical record amplifies what the earth holds. The valley is identified as the biblical Beit Hakerem, mentioned in Jeremiah and Nehemiah, its springs appearing in the Copper Scroll among the Dead Sea Scrolls. Israeli geographer Yehoshua Ben-Arieh called it “the most important village west of Jerusalem.”

When war came in 1948, the Arab residents fled, leaving their stone houses almost entirely intact; into them came Mizrahi Jewish families from Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, and Egypt.

Our host and guide Yuval Zohar holds a further perspective: that Ein Kerem’s original Jewish inhabitants from the Second Temple period never truly left, but converted across the centuries as rulers changed, their descendants building the very terraces we now walk.

Yuval led us through the narrow valley paths to a viewpoint behind the Russian Orthodox Church compound, where a boardwalk runs parallel to the light rail toward Hadassah-University Medical Center. As the sun descended, the brilliant yellow onion domes of the Russian church pierced the golden sky, ancient monastic silence meeting the gentle movement of the city’s modern veins.

“The topography of Ein Kerem forces a gentler flow,” Yuval noted. “The architecture follows the water, creating an environment of inclusive coexistence and mutual respect.”

At the Greek Orthodox Church of St. John, our host Father Khariton embodied that same spirit: while his church holds its own tradition regarding John’s birthplace, they fully recognize and respect the nearby Catholic site.

This modeled coexistence is itself a form of communal wellness, a demonstration that different truths can share the same landscape without competing for oxygen.

Found fabrics and stone stories: The Ancient House and the founding women

A short walk from the springs brought us to The Ancient House, Habayit Ha’atik, tucked in the village’s historic core.

Our host Shoshana, a local poet and former Arabic and Middle East studies teacher, left teaching after a vivid dream in which she found herself weeping in school hallways, and has since devoted her life to oral storytelling, historical preservation, and female-led cultural tourism.

The home is a physical timeline, five separate stone structures connected in one architectural puzzle. Ottoman design gives way in the lower levels to massive Crusader-era vaulted chambers once used as livestock pens.

The home’s greatest discovery came by chance 16 years ago, when the clearing of a concealed pit revealed a beautifully preserved Second Temple-period winepress with an extraordinary floor: a delicate white mosaic, a luxury detail almost entirely unseen in ancient agricultural presses across Israel.

Because wine for the Holy Temple demanded strict ritual purity, treaders first immersed in adjacent mikvaot before stepping onto that floor. Healing through purification has always been this valley’s primary language.

Today, Shoshana operates as a dedicated historical researcher, hosting a storytelling performance called “Sultana’s Love Party” that honors the forgotten Moroccan immigration to Israel.

Cross-referencing and verifying multiple historical resources, she has documented how nearly 10,000 religious Moroccan Jews made the hazardous journey over a 40-year period up until 1842 – long before the secular “First Aliyah” appears in conventional textbooks.

The mosaic floor may be viewed from the stone ledge, but stepping onto it is strictly forbidden.

Walking deeper into the village center, we encountered the “Founding Women of Ein Kerem” murals, vivid paintings dedicated to the Moroccan, Yemenite, Kurdish, and European pioneers who built the modern village in the late 1940s and 1950s.

Kurdish women restored the ancient stone terraces; Moroccan and Yemenite matriarchs established home craft industries preserving traditional textile arts and silverwork.

Shoshana confirmed what the murals make plain: the majority of modern hospitality, agricultural preservation, and tourism initiatives in the village are conceived, owned, and operated by local women. A village built and sustained by maternal energy carries a particular quality of care in everything it offers. That, too, is healing.

Ein Kerem does not announce itself as a wellness destination. It simply is one, the way a spring is simply water. The stone holds the history, the water holds the memory, and the women who built this village hold both.

For the traveler arriving from the noise of the city above, the valley does something no retreat center can engineer: it slows you down through sheer depth.

In Part II will appear the people who live and work inside this place, and the remarkable healing philosophies they practice.

The writer was a guest of the hotel.

This post was originally published on here. 

Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis launched ballistic missiles and drones at displacement camps and residential neighborhoods in the city of Marib on Friday, killing two people and wounding 14, state news agency SABA reported, citing local authorities.

Yemen’s army said early on Saturday it had responded against Houthi forces on several fronts along the lines of contact. The army did not give details of the operations or say when they took place, but said it would respond to any further targeting of its units with what it called necessary military measures.

The exchanges mark a sharp escalation between the Houthis and forces of Yemen’s internationally recognized government after years in which large-scale fighting between the two sides had largely subsided, raising fears of a return to a broader conflict.

With the US-Israeli war on Iran expanding to much of the region, a senior Saudi official said on Thursday that Riyadh expected imminent ​coordinated attacks from Yemen’s Houthis as well as Iraqi militias under ‌the supervision of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Iran and its allies in Yemen and Iraq have not responded to the Saudi claim.

Houthis claim they targeted Sahn al-Jinn camp

The Houthis said on Friday they had targeted Saudi-backed forces, depots, vehicles and military equipment at Yemen’s Sahn al-Jinn camp in Marib with missiles and drones. Reuters could not independently verify the claims by either side.

The attacks came a day after at least 30 Yemeni government troops were killed in strikes on military camps in Marib and Hadramawt provinces, according to government sources, in one of the deadliest escalations in months.

The Houthis also claimed responsibility for Thursday’s attacks, saying they struck Saudi military deployments in the two provinces after detecting what they described as a large Saudi military buildup ahead of an escalation against areas under their control.

UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg said on Friday that the latest attacks in Marib and Hadramawt, together with renewed attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, had left Yemen at its greatest risk of renewed large-scale conflict since the UN-brokered truce in April 2022.

He urged all sides to exercise maximum restraint and engage in UN-led negotiations, warning that the violence risked drawing Yemen deeper into a wider regional confrontation.

The UN Security Council also expressed concern on Friday at the heightened tensions in Yemen, saying recent actions threatened regional security and navigational rights and freedoms, risked further escalation and undermined efforts to secure peace. It urged the Houthis to refrain from escalation and encouraged the “use of existing channels of dialogue” to reduce tensions. 

Houthis declared naval blockade on Saudi Arabia

The Houthis declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in the Red Sea last month in response to what they described as a Saudi siege of Yemen, an allegation Riyadh denies.

Saudi Arabia has led a military coalition backing Yemen’s internationally recognized government since 2015, after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, in 2014. The war has devastated Yemen and triggered one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

The 2022 truce had halted offensive military operations inside Yemen and across its borders and led to a sharp reduction in fighting. The truce was twice extended before formally expiring in October that year, but large-scale hostilities did not immediately resume, and Yemen entered a period of relative calm. 

This post was originally published on here. 

As my medical maladies started mounting up, I did something I never do. I turned to alternative medicine.

Chinese herbs in particular.

I’ve had a love/hate relationship with complementary medicine. I’ve never gotten much out of acupuncture in the past. Massage feels good but doesn’t last. Homeopathy seems more Western than complementary but was devised before scientists understood germ theory, which makes me wary.

When I was in my 20s, I was more of a traditional medicine contrarian. I would readily turn to integrative specialists as my first stop. A well-known practitioner in Jerusalem, Dr. Buena de Mesquita, got me off the steroids I was taking for Crohn’s disease through slow weaning and changes in diet.

Later, while traveling in Japan, I visited an Israeli Chinese herbalist in the foothills of Mount Fuji. I dutifully brewed up his witch’s concoction every night – that is, until I flew to Hong Kong, where the names and measurements of the herbs I needed were so different, I couldn’t figure out the sourcing, and gave up.

A long period of skepticism towards alternative medicine

I then went through a long period where I didn’t want to have anything to do with alternatives. That continued through my cancer years when, other than medical cannabis, for which I had an Israeli license, I stuck with treatments that had peer-reviewed clinical results: chemo and immunotherapy.

But now, with my body rebelling from post-CAR-T side effects, I thought, why not try again? If nothing else, I’d have an hour with a “big picture” doctor who would take in my whole story.

I found a specialist in Tel Aviv that I’d read good things about. While not a licensed medical doctor, he tests all his tonics in the oncology department at Sheba Medical Center, Israel’s largest. That was enough science to persuade me.

He prescribed two concoctions made up mostly of mushrooms and berries I’d never heard of: Astragalus, cordyceps, reishi, ligustrum,  andgoji (lycium).

One was heavily alcoholic; both tasted foul.

I took the tonics diligently three times a day as he prescribed. I didn’t notice any vicissitudes in my body’s “qi” – life force.  But when I went to Hadassah for my monthly blood work, my liver enzymes were off the charts.

Stop the tonics immediately!

“Have you started any new medications since your last blood draw?” my hematologist asked.

“I’m taking a couple of Chinese herbal tonics,” I replied.

“Stop the tonics immediately!” the herbalist responded urgently to my WhatsApp. “They can affect the liver!”

I had specifically asked the herbal specialist whether what he’d given me would interact with any of my meds or ailments. He reassured me they wouldn’t. 

“Your blood work levels should come back down to normal in two to three days,” the Chinese doctor continued. He was right this time, although as of this writing, my liver enzymes remain slightly elevated. I’m grateful that, at the very least, he took responsibility for his prescribing error.

The blood work opened an investigation that led to a brand-new ailment: gallstones. An ultrasound revealed that one small stone had left my gallbladder and was lodged in my common bile duct, resulting in infection and fever. If it remained there too long, it could be fatal for an immunocompromised person like me.

The gallstone was removed swiftly via an ERCP, an endoscopic procedure where they send a tube with a camera and tiny scissors down your throat. Fortunately, I was sedated and asleep. Snip, snip, and my gallstone was gone.

Over the ensuing 10 days at Hadassah-University Medical Center, in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem, I was given three different IV antibiotics three times a day.

Unlike a year ago, when I had no choice but to be in an isolation ward while getting my immune-depleting CAR-T, my hospital experience this time involved lots of moving around until I got to where I’d eventually end up. 

I was first placed in general medicine in a renovated shared suite with a view but a roommate who snored like a smokestack. I was then transferred to the hematology ward, which had been temporarily moved to the Davidson Tower, since their regular home in the Sharett Building was undergoing renovations. 

Unbeknownst to me, there was no room in the main ward, so I found myself in an overflow space with 10 beds, one bathroom and curtains – not walls or doors – separating me from my neighbors. 

When a room opened up the next day in the main part of the hematology ward, I took it; my new roommate didn’t snore, but he left the TV on all day and night. He preferred Channel 14 (Israel’s equivalent of Fox News).

Since this was the same department where I started my CAR-T journey in 2025, I’d befriended some of the nurses and was in possession of that most valuable Israeli Vitamin P – “protekzia” (Hebrew slang for “connections”). So, when nurse Hiba whispered to me that a patient in a single room was checking out and I could have it, we quickly moved my bed, chargers, and suitcase.

Only then was I able to sit down calmly to eat Shabbat dinner with my son, Amir, and my daughter, Merav, in the observation space behind elevators with a commanding view of the Jerusalem Hills.

The saga wasn’t over yet. I was released, then a month later, re-hospitalized for a small bowel obstruction. Another 10 days of antibiotics (which turned out to be the same as I’d gotten for the gallstone) and discussion of surgery.

The serendipitous discovery of the errant gallstone reminds me of how my cancer was found back in 2018. I was having terrible stomach aches and finally had a CT scan done. We never found out what was causing the pain, but we did uncover the cancer. 

Whether my uber-high liver enzymes were from the gallstones or the herbs, I learned one more thing: I’m never returning to that Chinese medicine doctor. It’s Western medicine all the way forward now, baby.

The writer’s book, TOTALED: The Billion-Dollar Crash of the Startup that Took on Big Auto, Big Oil and the World, was published earlier this year as an audiobook. It is available on Amazon and other online booksellers in print, eBook, and Audible formats.

brianblum.com

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Parents of children in kindergartens and nursery schools where there are youngsters with food allergies (FA) are often forbidden to send their kids to class with a large variety of allergenic foods, from dairy to peanuts, thus limiting what they can take with them to class.

Mothers and fathers of children with such allergies often fear that just accidental skin contact with allergenic foods – and not only eating them by mistake – can trigger a severe systemic allergic reaction.

However, findings from a recent study by experts at Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa offer reassuring, evidence-based guidance that can help ease unnecessary anxiety.

The large multicenter Israeli study led by Dr. Idit Lachover-Roth, director of the hospital’s allergy and clinical immunology unit, aimed to evaluate the risk of systemic allergic reactions following controlled skin exposure to common food allergens in children with confirmed FA.

According to Lachover-Roth, the study was motivated by a desire to better understand what actually triggers significant allergic reactions in children with FA. 

The study is one of the largest prospective studies of its kind to evaluate a broad range of allergenic foods under controlled conditions.

The study was conducted at Meir Medical Center in Kfar Saba and Schneider Children’s Medical Center in Petah Tikva, which are both operated by Clalit Health Services. 

A total of 293 children and youths aged one to 18 were recruited from the allergy clinics at the two hospitals: 192 (65.5%) with confirmed FA comprised the study group, while 101 (34.5%) served as the control group.

Participants underwent patch testing in which the allergenic foods milk, peanuts, eggs, sesame, or tree nuts were applied to the forearm for 15 minutes. A total of 465 patch tests were performed: 263 in the FA group and 202 in the control group.

The study is about skin contact, not eating the food, and not necessarily about food residues ending up on hands, toys, or tables and then being transferred to the mouth.

Many kindergarten restrictions are intended to prevent accidental ingestion, which remains the major risk for anaphylaxis – a sudden, severe, and life-threatening allergic reaction characterized by breathing trouble, a drop in blood pressure, and swelling that demands immediate emergency care.

The findings, recently published in the international journal Acta Paediatrica under the title “Accidental skin contact with food allergens does not trigger anaphylaxis in children: A prospective multicenter study,” were both consistent and reassuring. 

In 83.7% of exposures, no reaction occurred – not even at the site of contact. 

Just 15% of children developed only a mild localized skin reaction, such as redness or slight swelling at the contact site, and only three children had a somewhat more extensive skin reaction limited to the tested arm that cleared up after treatment with an antihistamine.

Most importantly, not a single child experienced anaphylaxis or any systemic allergic reaction.

Younger age was the strongest predictor of skin reactivity, with younger children more likely to develop a mild localized skin reaction. Children with milk allergies also had a slightly higher rate of localized reactions.

Even in these cases, however, no episodes of anaphylaxis were observed.

“Many families live in a constant state of vigilance because they fear that even accidental skin contact with an allergenic food could lead to anaphylaxis,” Lachover-Roth told The Jerusalem Post.

“Although a few previous studies have examined the effects of skin exposure, the question has never been investigated on this scale,” she continued. 

“Our findings, the result of three years of work, show that when allergenic food comes into contact with intact skin – even in children with confirmed food allergies – the risk of a serious reaction is extremely low, approaching zero. 

“These results allow us to provide families with evidence-based guidance and help reduce fears that are not supported by scientific data.”

Reducing unnecessary anxiety

The single most important message that parents should take away from the study, Lachover-Roth added, “is that kids have to be kids. Touching allergenic foods is unpleasant for the children and their parents, but it’s not dangerous if the skin is normal. 

“If it happens, they just have to wash it with water. Some parents go to extremes, not allowing their children to go to friends’ birthday parties, social activities, or restaurants because of their fears. Some don’t even bring any allergenic food into their homes.”

The researchers couldn’t explain why younger children were more likely to develop mild skin reactions, said the BGU researcher. “We will study this in the future.” 

Milk apparently produces more local skin reactions than other allergens because it’s a liquid, and so the molecules penetrate the skin more easily, she suggested.

“School policy is problematic,” said Lachover-Roth. “They set down unreasonable limitations. There are almost no cases of severe allergic reactions in Israeli kindergartens and nurseries. Most are in restaurants and at home. 

“We have tried to persuade the Health and Education Ministries on this, but they have not changed policies.”

The researchers emphasize that the study does not change current medical recommendations. 

Children with FA should continue to avoid eating foods to which they are allergic, carry an epinephrine auto-injector (EpiPen) when prescribed, and prevent oral exposure. 

Furthermore, the study did not examine contact with broken skin or mucous membranes, where the risk may be different.

“Many teachers don’t know what to do with an EpiPen, or they refuse to take the responsibility for injection. Their assistants are supposed to do it, but many of them are reluctant as well,” Lachover-Roth said. 

“Parents are supposed to inform the teachers at the beginning of the school year if their child is allergic to any kind of food.”

The average rate of food allergies in children in Western countries is 5-10%. Fortunately, it’s only two or three percent in Israel, thanks to the fact that children here are given Bamba peanut butter snacks even before their first birthday, Lachover-Roth noted.

“The fear of accidental contact with allergenic foods often leads to persistent anxiety and significantly affects the quality of life of both children and their families,” she concluded. 

“Our findings demonstrate that accidental exposure of intact skin to allergenic foods carries a very low risk of a clinically significant reaction. 

“As long as standard safety precautions are followed, families can reduce unnecessary anxiety about accidental skin contact with allergenic foods.”

This post was originally published on here. 

Ancient olive trees severely damaged in last year’s wildfires at the Olive Tree Recreation Area in Ayalon Canada Park have survived and are now being rehabilitated into bonsai trees, according to an announcement this week by Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF). 

Despite the extent of the damage, KKL-JNF experts believed some of the trees could survive after discovering that their root collars remained alive. The burned stumps were subsequently transferred to a nursery for rehabilitation.

“The trees were severely damaged, but we discovered that life still remained within the stumps,” Rotem Attias, manager of KKL-JNF’s Eshtaol Nursery, said.

KKL-JNF experts have used specialized bonsai-based techniques to rehabilitate the trees, including carefully selected growing media, controlled moisture and oxygen levels, climate-controlled conditions, and precise pruning.

“The precise treatment and the greenhouse conditions make it possible to develop a new root system and transform trees once considered lost into trees with a unique character and story,” Attias said.

The stumps are being kept in a greenhouse under warm conditions and at 70% humidity to encourage and control root development. To reduce the risk of rot, they were placed in pumice, a growing medium that maintains appropriate moisture levels while allowing oxygen to reach the root zone.

Experts also removed most of the leaves to limit water loss and prevent the stumps from drying out before new root systems could develop.

Trees to be displayed at Jerusalem Botanical Gardens, KKL-JNF nursery

Once the rooting process is complete, the stumps will undergo specialized bonsai shaping. The rehabilitated trees will eventually be displayed to the public at the Jerusalem Botanical Gardens in Givat Ram and at KKL-JNF’s Eshtaol Nursery.

Shai Cohen, a bonsai artist at the Givat Ram Jerusalem Botanical Gardens, collaborated with KKL-JNF’s Central Region on the rehabilitation project.

“The renewed sprouting of these ancient olive stumps reminds us of the vitality, remarkable regenerative power, and resilience of trees, living beings that outlive us and produce far more offspring than we do,” said Dr. Ori Fragman-Sapir, scientific director of the Givat Ram Jerusalem Botanical Gardens.

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Archaeologists unearthed the first complete bathing facilities to be found at the Tell Nasser archaeological site in Port Said, Egypt’s Tourism and Antiquities announced in a statement late last week.

The complex was found during the first excavation season in the area, which sits roughly 40 km south of Port Said and 1.5 km north of the Suez Canal.

Preliminary study of the site’s archaeological layers revealed a clear succession of settlement, beginning in the late fourth and early third centuries BCE, said Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Dr. Hisham El-Leithy.

Leithy added that the layer is marked by remnants of ancient Cypriot pottery and Greek amphorae, confirming that settlement of the site began before the construction of the bathing complex.

The layers above it, he explained, point to a Ptolemaic settlement phase during the second and first centuries BCE, represented by a collection of Rhodian amphora stamps found alongside other local and imported pottery.

Ancient hydraulic system unearthed at site

Further, he said that the discovery is significant for two reasons: the first being the documentation of the first complete bathing complex to be unearthed at Tell Nasser, and the second being confirming that the site was settled prior to Ptolemaic period while showing that it was in use throughout the Roman period as well.

Beyond that, Leithy said that the discovery offers a full picture of ancient hydraulic engineering in the eastern Delta region and bears similarities to known Hellenistic baths found elsewhere in Egypt, including the recently discovered bath at Tell el-Herr in northern Sinai. 

What sets the Tell Nasser complex apart from other bathing complexes found in Egypt, Leithy explained, is that it combines a private bathing unit with the public bath, together with a complete water supply and drainage system.

The private bathing unit is centered on a circular basin that measures at around 2.5 meters across, made of red brick and lined with moisture-resistant pink mortar.

Nearby is a low structure believed to have been used for heating water, according to Head of the Egyptian Antiquities Sector at the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mohamed Abdel Badi.

Evidence of continued use of complex through Roman period

Badi added that the complex was likely built in the late first century BCE and remained in use through the Roman period, with architectural evidence pointing to a series of modifications over time.

Later though, during the late Roman period, parts of the complex appear to have been repurposed for storage, as suggested by Gaza amphorae recovered from the site.

He also described the public baths as consisting of two circular rooms, or tholoi, each measuring about five meters in diameter.

The first room held five footbaths, three of which have survived in good condition, explained Badi. 

Each of the five features a backrest, side armrests, and a rounded recess for the feet, along with three rectangular basins and a quarter-circular basin used to collect and distribute water. 

The floor was finished in slip-resistant hydraulic mortar, with a drainage opening linked to the site’s internal drainage network.

Khaled Farid, director of the Port Said Antiquities Zone and head of the archaeological mission, said the a complete hydraulic system had been uncovered during excavations. 

Farid noted that the find included a six-meter-long water supply channel made of red brick, with part of the channel covered by a vaulted red-brick roof, and a complete drainage network.

An older channel was found beneath it, and remnants of residential walls were unearthed during excavations of the area, giving archaeologists evidence that the site went through even earlier phases of construction.

Tourism and Antiquities Minister Sherif Fathy praised the archaeological and scientific results the mission has produced, noting that the discovery adds “new insight into the history of settlement and the development of architecture and public services in the eastern Delta during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods.”

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The remains of what is believed to be an ancient mammoth, as well as Nazi-era relics have been revealed along the Danube River as water levels have fallen in recent weeks following the summer’s prolonged heatwaves and drought. 

Near the Serbian port of Prahovo, the Danube’s receding water levels have revealed dozens of German battleships sunken during World War II.

At least 20 warships can be seen emerging from the Danube, according to CBS News, adding that they are believed to have  belonged to Nazi Germany’s Black Sea fleet, sunken by the German’s during their retreat from Romania near the end of the war.

Several of the warships had been removed from the river in the years after the war, but many had been left underwater, according to BTA, some of which still contain mines, shells and other unexploded ordnances.

CBS noted that other warships have previously emerged from the Danube during times of extreme heat.

In 2022 and 2024, several sunken Nazi warships emerged from the Danube following hot summers and droughts that have had the river’s water levels dropping low.

Krsta Brandic, a Prahovo resident, told the Associated Press that the low water levels have almost stopped ship traffic, and “as you can see, the [big] ships can’t pass anymore.”

Near Opatovac, Croatia,receding water levels have also begun to reveal a shows the wreckage of the Hungarian cargo ship Fulton which sunk in the Danube in 1937 while transporting coal.

Remains of two Nazi soldiers found in Budapest 

Additionally, the German War Graves Commission (Volksbund) announced on Wednesday that the remains of two Nazi soldiers had been found along the banks of the now-receded Danube in Budapest alongside a World War II motorcycle.

The dog tags of both soldiers are complete, Volksbund noted, explaining that this likely meant the two soldiers had been declared missing as no offical notice of their deaths had been recorded at the time.

The two are expected to be buried in the Budaörs German Soldiers Cemetery outside of Budapest.

The motorcycle, believed to be a DKW NZ 350-1, was discovered near Batthyány Square.

Several German Tellermine 35 anti-tank mines were also found, Volksbund said in its statement, as well as a Kuban Shield, a Nazi military decoration awarded to Wehrmacht forces who fought at the Kuban bridgehead in 1943.

Volksbund further stated that should any of the sunken warships now being revealed in the Danube be found to hold the remains of any more German soldiers, it will be notified by the authorities. 

Ice Age mammoth remains unearthed as Danube levels recede

Last week, the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) reported that the remains of the ancient mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) were found in northern Bulgaria, after Danube River water levels receded to a record low level.

The animal’s remains were found by a local resident of the Ryahovo village, who noticed the unusual find on the river bed. Villagers then alerted specialists in the Regional History Museum in the nearby town of Ruse.

Ryahovo Mayor Hristina Ivanova shared with BTA that the area was particularly interesting from a historical perspective, and that over the years, “various finds have been discovered here, including animal remains, vessels and other objects.”

“The news spread very quickly,” she explained to BTA, referencing the mammoth bones. “At first, we did not want to raise unnecessary expectations before we were certain about what exactly had been found.”

“After the specialists carried out their initial inspection, the information quickly reached the media. Now the entire village knows about it, and, in this case, so does all of Bulgaria.”.

Regional History Museum Director Nikolay Nenov told BTA that experts who were sent to the site recognized a lower jaw, two tusks and possibly a mammoth rib, and that the bones will be removed for further examination to establish with accuracy the origin and age of the find.

“I would not call it a sensation, but any discovery of such ancient remains is very important for science,” Nenov said, adding it has been long believed that the site was a swamp where the animal probably died thousands of years ago.

Krasimir Kirov, who serves as a curator in the Nature Department of the Regional History Museum, explained to BTA that the bones may not have originated where they were found, but could have been carried there by the Danube.

“The area near Ryahovo probably represents a kind of deposit where the flow of the Danube carried and accumulated the remains of various animals, not only mammoths,” Kirov said. “The characteristics of the terrain probably led to their accumulation here, creating sort of a ‘storage bank’.”

Kirov told BTA that per preliminary assessments, the mammoth had stood at nearly five meters tall and weighed more than seven tonnes, a size similar to the mammoth model on display at the Ruse museum.

“Dating the animal is difficult, but the species we believe this to be existed until around 7,000 to 10,000 years ago and appeared approximately 500,000 to 800,000 years ago,” he added. “It was a widespread species that lived in a climate radically different from today’s, significantly colder.”

According to Kirov, the mammoth’s bones are not in good condition due to their extended exposure to oxygen after being in the water for so long.

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If you would like to spend some time this summer watching classic Israeli movies, visit the Israel Film Archive, where many beloved films are available to rent. 

IFA has just added Operation Thunderbolt (1977), the Oscar-nominated dramatization of the Entebbe hijacking and rescue, which took place 50 years ago.

Directed by Menahem Golan, the movie stars Yehoram Gaon as the late Special Forces commander, Yoni Netanyahu. The cast is a virtual who’s who of big Israeli stars of that era, including Assi Dayan, Gila Almagor, and Shaike Ophir, the actor for whom the Ophir Awards were named. Klaus Kinski plays one of the bad guys. 

Speaking of the Ophir Awards, Avi Nesher’s latest movie, Our Loves, received 12 nods this week and was accepted into the Toronto International Film Festival. You can watch one of his earlier classic films, Turn Left at the End of the World, on IFA. 

The story of two teen girls, one an Indian immigrant and one from a Moroccan family, in a Negev town in the 1960s, is as fresh as it was when it was released in 2004.

Anne Hathaway is having a moment. She is one of the stars of three big movies this spring/summer: The Devil Wears Prada 2, which is now streaming on Disney+ and Apple TV+ and which will be fun for fans of the original; the major Oscar-bait film, The Odyssey, in which she plays Penelope; and The End of Oak Street, which opens next week and is about dinosaurs that come alive and rampage through a suburban neighborhood. 

August is the month when the shlocky movies like The End of Oak Street open, because all the important, Oscar-voter types are presumed to be on vacation, and because it’s hot as hell, and people stuck home with their kids are starting to go nuts. 

However, that doesn’t mean that movies like this new dinosaur flick aren’t fun.

Even if you are not up for a trip to the multiplex, you can find a lot of dinosaur movies to watch at home. 

Netflix offers a wide range of summer viewing

Netflix has an especially good selection, including the two best Jurassic movies: the original Jurassic Park (1993), with the nail-biting kitchen scene and special effects that still look pretty good, a testament to director Steven Spielberg’s skill (he released Schindler’s List the same year); and Jurassic World (2015), an amped-up version of the original premise. 

Prime Video also offers Jurassic World, as does Apple TV+, which features most of the Jurassic movies.

Speaking of keeping kids entertained, you should think hard about whether you let your children watch the reboot of the Little House on the Prairie series, now streaming on Netflix. 

Based on the beloved books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, who was born just after the Civil War and wrote about her rural childhood, the new series is a sharp departure from the homespun schmaltz of the 1970s-80s TV show. 

That show was all about a family overcoming mild adversity through love. It is remembered for its plucky heroine played by Melissa Gilbert and her hunky father, portrayed by Michael Landon. 

It was part of a nostalgia boom for what people saw as a simpler time, before Watergate and the Vietnam War, along with series such as The Waltons, which made prairie-inspired fashion trendy again.

The new series presents a more realistic picture of life for those pioneers, and successfully depicts many of the hardships and obstacles they faced, although it also sentimentalizes and softens some aspects of their lives. 

In the first five minutes, as the family journeys from Wisconsin to stake a claim on land in the Kansas prairie, Laura (Alice Halsey, recently seen in Lessons in Chemistry), kills a rabbit with a slingshot so they can have something to eat for dinner, the two young heroines and their mother almost drown as their father leads their horse-drawn carriage across a river, and they lose their beloved dog. 

When they arrive in the town of Independence, it turns out that everything is more complicated than they were led to believe. The land still belongs to the Osage nation, but they stake their claim anyway. 

The process of building a home and working the land is complicated by the fact that Ma (Crosby Fitzgerald) is pregnant again, and Pa (Luke Bracey) must find a laborer and is uncertain whether to trust a lonely, sometimes drunken Civil War veteran who lives nearby. 

They also develop an unrealistically warm friendship with an English-speaking Osage family who also lives in the area.

As I watched Laura shooting at rabbits and running around grassy fields, I couldn’t help thinking about how much freer she was than most American children seem to be today. I think that has always been a big part of the Little House series’ allure. 

These kids have huge amounts of unstructured, unsupervised time in nature, which they use to explore their environment. If you feel your kids will not be too upset by the hunting scenes, you might find that watching this well-acted, well-made series could inspire some conversations about what has changed over the last century or so.

Many high schools used to stage the musical Bye Bye Birdie for their annual play, because lots of the leading roles are for teenagers, and now Netflix has brought back the original 1963 movie. 

Fondly remembering the songs from my high school’s production, I tuned in to the movie, which is mainly remembered today for turning its star, Ann-Margaret, into a sex symbol. 

But while many of the songs are still fun if you like classic musicals, the plot is so dated that the movie could be a Stone Age relic.

‘Bye Bye Birdie’ satirizes Elvis-era celebrity worship

Bye Bye Birdie is a parody of celebrity worship in the Elvis era. The plot gets going when a loutish Elvis-clone star, Conrad Birdie (Jesse Pearson), is drafted. 

A struggling New York songwriter, Albert (Dick Van Dyke), and his loyal secretary who hopes to marry him, Rosie (Janet Leigh in a black wig, a nod to the fact that the original Broadway character was a Latina), come up with a plot to make money: they convince legendary variety-show Ed Sullivan to feature Birdie’s “last kiss” before he joins the military on the show. 

The lucky young lady he will kiss is chosen at random: Kim (Ann-Margaret), a high school student in the Sweet Apple, Ohio chapter of Birdie’s fan club. Albert has written a song, “One Last Kiss,” that Birdie will sing to Kim.

But there are a few problems; mainly that Kim has just gotten “pinned” to her sweetheart, Hugo (Bobby Rydell), meaning they are somewhere between going steady and getting engaged, and he isn’t too fond of the idea of Kim kissing another guy. 

There are subplots galore, including one about how Albert’s meddling mother (Maureen Stapleton) doesn’t like Rosie, and another concerned with a Russian ballet company that reflects Cold War humor, and none of it makes any sense. 

But Van Dyke, now 101 years old, is as charming as he was in Mary Poppins, and you can fast-forward to the “Put on a Happy Face” number, which shows off his dancing.

This post was originally published on here. 

Three Israelis were arrested on suspicion of transporting Palestinians accused of entering the country illegally in separate incidents over the past week, along with the 24 accused Palestinians.

In the first incident, officers from the Binyamin police station stopped an Israeli minibus on Highway 1 as it was traveling toward central Israel. A search of the vehicle found 16 Palestinians from Tulkarm who allegedly did not have permits to enter Israel.

The driver, a Kafr Aqab resident in his 40s, was arrested along with the passengers. Police seized the minibus, which was allegedly used to commit the offense, for possible administrative proceedings.

In a separate operation on Highway 443, officers from the Modi’in Illit police station arrested a Beersheba woman in her 40s on suspicion of transporting Palestinians who were allegedly in Israel illegally. Police found four people hiding inside her vehicle as she was allegedly attempting to bring them into Israel in violation of the law.

Additional Beersheba woman arrested

The following morning, police arrested another Beersheba woman, this time in her 30s, after finding four additional Palestinians concealed inside her vehicle on Highway 443.

In both Highway 443 incidents, police seized the vehicles allegedly used to transport the Palestinians. The two women were arrested and brought before a court, which extended their detention.

This post was originally published on here. 

Two lion cubs, Ben Tzur and Uri, who were rescued last year after being illegally trafficked into Israel, were transferred to a big-cat sanctuary in South Africa on Tuesday, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA) announced on Thursday.

The two lions arrived at the Animal Defenders International (ADI) sanctuary in South Africa after a 30-hour journey that included a stopover in Germany. They were released into their new enclosure on Wednesday.

Ben Tzur and Uri are two of six lion cubs rescued in 2025 after being illegally smuggled into Israel and later found in areas under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority.

Ben Tzur, the largest of the rescued cubs, was found tied to a tree, while Uri, the youngest, was discovered by Kafr Qassem police in poor health. Both were transferred to Hai Park in Kiryat Motzkin, which served as their temporary home until their relocation.

The INPA welcomed its cooperation with ADI, which it said would provide a suitable home for the lions, while warning that the case highlights the broader problem of illegal wildlife trafficking.

Wildlife trafficking remains an ongoing problem

“The captured lion cubs have indeed captured public attention due to their unusualness, but they are only the tip of the iceberg of the disturbing criminal phenomenon,” Ben Rosenberg, director of the Wildlife Protection Division at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, said.

“In 2025 alone, more than 560 wild animals were captured that were illegally traded, and some of them were illegally smuggled, among them many reptiles, monkeys, birds, marine wildlife and more,” Rosenberg continued.

Shai Peretz, chief prosecutor at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, also addressed what she described as a “cruel criminal phenomenon,” emphasizing that enforcement efforts must extend beyond protecting the animals themselves to targeting the criminal networks and financial interests behind the trade.

Peretz: Enforcement must go beyond protecting trafficked wildlife

“The illegal trade in protected wildlife and protected natural values does not amount to harming the animals – it constitutes an economic engine for criminal elements, including criminal organizations and crime families, who derive enormous profits from this depraved trade,” she said.

Peretz pointed to the Money Laundering Prohibition Law, which recognizes wildlife trafficking offenses and certain violations of the Wildlife Protection Law and the National Parks, Nature Reserves, National Sites and Memorial Sites Law.

She said the legal framework gives enforcement authorities additional tools to disrupt the financial infrastructure supporting the illegal wildlife trade.

“This is a real change in the perception of the fight against environmental crime, which will allow us to reach the perpetrators of crime themselves and more effectively combat the criminal organizations and families involved in the cruel trade in lion cubs, monkeys and other protected wild animals,” she said.

This post was originally published on here. 

At the entrance to Nikšić, Montenegro’s second-largest city, a vintage fighter jet painted in the colors of the Israeli Air Force perches atop a giant concrete pedestal, as if about to take flight.

The monument, unveiled in 2024, commemorates “Operation Velvetta,” a top-secret plan that ferried 17 Supermarine Spitfire aircraft from Czechoslovakia, via what was then Yugoslavia, to Israel in 1948. The brazen scheme, carried out under the noses of British and Soviet spies, helped ensure the fledgling Jewish state’s military superiority during its War of Independence.

At the monument’s base, a bronze plaque in Serbian, English and Hebrew calls it “a permanent reminder of the unbreakable friendship of Montenegro and Israel.”

Yet lately, that friendship is being tested in ways not seen since Montenegro, the smallest of the six republics that once comprised Yugoslavia, declared its independence in 2006.

“Yes, there’s antisemitism here. It’s much better than some other places, but the situation has changed,” said Rabbi Ari Edelkopf, who heads the Religious Jewish Community of Montenegro in Podgorica, the capital. “When I came here, I never believed we’d need 24-hour security. But since Oct. 7, we’ve had Free Gaza marches in all the major cities. My office is following every antisemitic portal here in Montenegro,” he said, referring to websites that report local news. “We’re paying a lawyer to monitor all this.”

Several recent incidents involving Israeli visitors to this Connecticut-sized country of 625,000 have unnerved the local Jewish community, which numbers fewer than 1,000, even as the capital is on the verge of getting a major new Jewish cultural center set for completion this fall.

In the Adriatic beach resort of Budva, a recent violent brawl between local Montenegrins and some 20 Israeli tourists has triggered alarm among both local Jews and Israeli tourists.

It’s still unclear who or what provoked the incident, which took place after midnight July 12 at a beach bar where the Israelis — 12 men and eight women — had been drinking. Edelkopf said he believed the incident had begun with a personal altercation but escalated when the locals realized the tourists they were sparring with were Israeli.

According to an Israeli government alert about the incident, the locals “shouted ‘Free Palestine’ and ‘F*** Israel’” after learning about the origins of the tourists, who the alert said were not wearing indicators of their national or religious identity.

“Then they came back with a few friends and really beat the hell out of them,” said Edelkopf, a Chabad rabbi who’s originally from Los Angeles and who’s lived in Montenegro for nine years.

“They put out cigarettes on their faces, and threw metal chairs and tables at them. It was horrible and very aggressive,” he said. “Most of the Israelis were injured; one of them had a broken jaw.”

The Israeli government assisted in helping the Israeli tourists expedite their flights out of Montenegro, though one member of the group remained in the country while hospitalized, according to Israel’s National Center for Combating Antisemitism, an initiative of the Diaspora ministry. The ministry’s alert said that police failed to intervene.

“I am waiting for the Montenegrin government to take action,” Edelkopf told JTA from his Podgorica synagogue, which was previously a private house. “Until now, they have not offered any official response.”

Montenegro has long welcomed Israeli tourists, rabbi says

Despite the recent hostilities, the rabbi said, Montenegro has long welcomed Israeli tourists as well as residents. And Jews have been living here for millennia before Yugoslavia existed.

Ruins dating from the 4th century C.E. indicate a flourishing Jewish community in Kotor, not far from Budva along the Adriatic. In fact, one of the country’s most important religious sites is the presumed tomb of Shabbatai Zvi, located in nearby Ulcinj. The 17th-century Jewish false messiah died shortly after his exile there in 1673 by the Ottoman Empire, which ruled much of the present-day Balkans.

While most Montenegrins are Eastern Orthodox Christians, about 20% are Muslims of either Bosnian or Albanian origin. In 1992, after communism collapsed and Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Macedonia broke away from the former Yugoslavia, the remaining two republics — Serbia and Montenegro — created the new Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

In 2006, Montenegro declared independence following a referendum on the issue, and six years later, then-Prime Minister Igor Lukšić granted Judaism recognition as the country’s fourth official religion, alongside the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church and Islam.

“The Jews are very well accepted here,” said Nikolla Camaj, vice-president of Montenegro’s parliament and one of five ethnic Albanians in the 81-member body. “Officially we have very good relations with Israel, and people support the idea that Israel must be protected. But there’s a problem because in Montenegro we have a lot of Muslims — Albanians and Bosniaks — and they don’t like what’s happening in Palestine.”

In Podgorica, a huge mural painted on an apartment building two blocks from the municipal bus terminal depicts Gazan refugee children, a slice of watermelon symbolizing the Palestinian resistance, and the declaration “Montenegro Stands With Palestine.”

In early July, Israeli tourists visiting Plav — a resort town near Montenegro’s borders with Kosovo and Albania — were harassed by a local couple, who called the visitors “baby killers.”

That doesn’t surprise Edelkopf at all.

“Local people are being fed articles translated from very strong anti-Israel news outlets,” the rabbi said. “The main TV channels and online portals here are filled with lies and garbage against Israel, and the people have started to believe that Israel is committing genocide.”

Even so, Israeli tourists keep coming. In 2025, according to official figures, 110,249 of them visited Montenegro — up from 73,513 the year before — most of them via direct flights from Tel Aviv. A Facebook group for Israelis planning trips to Montenegro has more than 80,000 members, who swap advice and share photos and tips from their trips.

Israel has no embassy in this country; instead, it’s represented by Avivit Bar-Ilan, Israel’s resident ambassador in Serbia, who could not be reached for comment.

Montenegro’s few Jews are split between Edelkopf’s traditional Orthodox Jewish synagogue and the local progressive Jewish congregation led by its president, Nina Ofner Bokan.

A computer science engineer, Ofner Bokan, 41, has represented her community since 2020. Last September, she was reelected unanimously for a five-year term. She’s also senior advisor to the president of the Montenegrin parliament, and a vice-president of the World Jewish Congress.

‘We feel very protected here’

“We feel very protected here, and we have an amazing relationship with all the other religious communities,” Ofner Bokan said. “Over the years, we’ve made strong connections. … Jews can walk with a kippah or a Star of David without any problem.”

Last October, the community held its 12th annual Mahar conference in Budva, which featured speeches by several dignitaries including Deputy Prime Minister Budimir Aleksić.

“Montenegro is recognized as a country that cherishes diversity, fosters dialogue, and stands as a nation where the Holocaust did not occur and where antisemitism has never had — and will never have — any foundation,” Aleksić assured his audience. “We are proud of that fact.”

Ofner Bokan’s Jewish congregation was founded in 2011, and she is its third president. In November 2024, she and other local Jews held a ceremony to mark the groundbreaking of the first purpose-built synagogue in Montenegrin history. Ar Ashem is slowly taking shape on a donated plot of land fronting Radosava Burića Street, she said, and will be finished in February.

With around 150 active members, the congregation’s spiritual leader is Luciano Moše Prelevic, who, like Edelkopf, claims to be Montenegro’s chief rabbi. The two communities have nothing to do with each other — and that hasn’t changed even with a recent influx of Jews from warring Russia and Ukraine.

“Ours is the one that signed the contract in 2012 with the government recognizing the Jewish community,” said Ofner Bokan, whose parents were from the Serbian city of Novi Sad. “But in public, Jews are not going to talk badly about each other. If we do, then what will other people think?”

Edelkopf, who with his wife Chana has eight children, spent 17 years in Russia running the Chabad outpost in Sochi. But he was deported in March 2017 after a Russian court determined that he was a “threat to national security” and came directly to Montenegro.

“We are officially the Religious Jewish Community of Montenegro,” he said, while acknowledging deep divisions among the Jews of this relatively tiny country. “We do have things we need to improve, and we are not proud of that.”

One relative newcomer is Tatiana Nirman, who is originally from St. Petersburg, Russia. Soon after the war with Ukraine broke out in February 2022, she moved to Montenegro and now directs cultural programming for the 150 or so Jews she estimates now live in Budva, the resort town where the brawl took place.

“We’re here in Montenegro because it’s a beautiful, comfortable country, and one of the few places we could come on a Russian passport,” said Nirman, 40, who lives in the coastal town with her husband and two children. She adds that about 80% of her programs on art, music, Jewish history and cooking are in the Russian language.

Also living in Budva is Anna Davidi, 51, an Armenian-born Jew whose ancestors were from Iran. During the Nagorno-Karabakh War of the 1990s, Davidi’s family moved to Ukraine, where she studied music in Khmelnytskyi.

She married a Jewish man from Breslov with whom she had a son and daughter, but later divorced and relocated to Montenegro after realizing there was little to keep her in Ukraine.

“What attracted me was Montenegro’s exceptionally clean and beautiful nature, and the high level of tolerance among its people,” said Davidi, who moved here in 2012. “My brother, his wife and I came to Montenegro simply to explore it as a possible place to live. And almost from the moment we arrived, we fell in love.”

A former fashion designer and restaurant owner with a degree in psychology, Davidi landed a job in real estate upon moving to Montenegro, and now represents an Israeli company involved in land sales. She said she sees both Montenegro and Israel, where she travels regularly to see her children and grandchildren, as important stops on her Jewish journey.

“When I look back, I see that my long road toward Israel has passed through several countries and generations: my ancestors came from Iran; I was born in Armenia; from there I moved to Ukraine; from there I moved to Montenegro,” Davidi recalled. “I hope that my next destination — perhaps the final station on this long journey — will be Jerusalem.”

This post was originally published on here. 

The degradation of the word “antisemitism” – its conversion from the name of hatred into an accusation of bad faith – is not an accident of polarized discourse. It is a funded project with measurable returns, and the institutions responsible for fighting antisemitism should treat it as adversary infrastructure rather than as noise surrounding their work.

There is a precedent for what is being attempted, and it succeeded. Before 1978, “Orientalist” was a profession. The word described the scholars who cataloged Arabic manuscripts and compiled the grammars and dictionaries on which the study of the Middle East still depends. Then Edward Said published Orientalism, and within a generation the word was an accusation. 

Whatever the merits of Said’s argument – historians have contested them for nearly 50 years – the operational result is not contested. No scholar today will accept the label.

The term carries its own verdict; the verdict arrives before any evidence, and entire lines of inquiry become professionally hazardous not because they are refuted but because their name has been made toxic.

Said did not win every argument. He won the word.

The word, now under attack, has its own biography, and it clarifies what is being unbuilt. 

“Antisemitism” entered political life in 1879 with Wilhelm Marr, the German agitator who founded the League of Antisemites and wanted a term his movement could wear in public – scientific-sounding, an upgrade on vulgar Jew-hatred. For two generations, parties campaigned under it; Karl Lueger won Vienna’s city hall with it. 

What made the word unwearable was not an argument. It was Auschwitz. The cost attached to “antisemite” is not a natural property of language; it is a postwar settlement, purchased at a price everyone knows. 

The current campaign is an attempt to reopen that settlement – to return the word to what it was for Marr’s generation: a position that could be held in public without consequence.

The actors are ideologically incompatible – white nationalists, Islamist propagandists, engagement-driven media personalities, parts of the activist Left – and they do not coordinate. They converge because they share a problem: Jew-hatred loses in the open. Holocaust denial loses in the open. The Protocols lose in the open. 

So the campaign does not defend the hatred. It attacks the name. Antisemitism is recast as a smear, an industry, a career-ending weapon deployed by the powerful against the honest. Under this framing, every use of the word becomes evidence of bad faith. The person who names the hatred becomes the aggressor. The person who spreads it becomes the censored truth-teller. 

When the House introduced a bipartisan resolution this spring condemning antisemitic content from two of America’s most-watched online personalities – one far-left, one far-right – the first-named streamer answered on script: the resolution itself, he said, was what was worsening antisemitism. The conduct was not defended. The naming was indicted.

The mechanism was visible in unusually clean form last autumn. In October 2025, Tucker Carlson gave a largely unchallenged two-hour platform to Nick Fuentes, a Holocaust denier and open admirer of Hitler. 

When criticism came – much of it from conservatives – the president of the Heritage Foundation, Kevin Roberts, released a video defending Carlson and describing the critics as a “venomous coalition” of globalists. At least five members of the think tank’s own antisemitism task force resigned in protest; three trustees followed. 

The structure of the response is the point: the institution’s reflex located the offense not in the platforming of a Holocaust denier but in the naming of it. That reflex is the campaign’s product, and it now operates inside the movement’s flagship institutions.

The campaign is an investment because degradation pays twice. It pays directly. A joint study by the Center for Countering Digital Hate and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs analyzed 679,000 antisemitic posts on X/Twitter over a single year and found 10 accounts drove roughly a third of total engagement, six carried paid verification, and three sold subscriptions. 

When Ye released a song titled “Heil Hitler” on the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat, the major platforms removed it, and it drew some 10 million views on X within days; each removal was converted into new content about persecution. 

Reporting this summer describes individual hate streamers earning six figures a month. And it pays indirectly: every point subtracted from the credibility of the word “antisemitism” is a point added to the operating freedom of the people the word describes. The claim of being silenced by the charge is not a defense of the business model. It is the business model.

The historical front is load-bearing. The audiences now reachable by revisionism are larger than at any point since 1945: Churchill recast as the true villain of World War II before millions, the Holocaust reframed as leverage rather than fact, the war relitigated by podcast. 

The method is familiar to any historian. It is not necessary to forge an archive if the archivists can be discredited, and it is not necessary to refute a record if the people who keep it can be made suspect by category.

The maneuver also has a theory behind it, and the theory has a supply chain. Said built Orientalism on Michel Foucault’s claim that categories of knowledge are instruments of power, and on Antonio Gramsci’s account of hegemony – political victory prepared in culture and vocabulary before it is won in institutions. 

The European New Right read the same texts and drew the operational conclusion: Alain de Benoist’s school named the method metapolitics and described itself, without embarrassment, as Gramscian. From the seminars the strategy descended to the streamers, who do not footnote Gramsci and do not need to.

The logic is complete on its own terms: if naming is a form of power, then breaking the name is a seizure of power – cheaper than defending the hatred, and more durable than winning any single argument.

The maneuver works because it begins from partly true material. The charge of antisemitism has at times been used carelessly and instrumentally; language about the “weaponizing” of antisemitism accusations now appears in the findings of proposed federal legislation, and the academic literature argues that overuse has debased the term. 

Said, too, had genuine chauvinists to point to.

The abuse of the word

There is an American precedent for where this goes. The promiscuous use of the communist charge in the 1950s did not only injure the innocent; by degrading the category, it granted cover to the guilty, and espionage that the Venona decrypts would later confirm had become impolite to allege. 

The abuse of an accusation does not retire the conduct it names. It manufactures immunity for it. A delegitimization campaign does not require its target to be guilty in general. It requires a true exception, repeated until the exception is the category – until the word means nothing but the abuse of the word.

Victor Klemperer, the Jewish philologist who survived the Third Reich in Dresden, kept a secret notebook on the regime’s language and concluded that Nazism installed itself in speech before it installed itself in law. He compared its words to “tiny doses of arsenic,” swallowed unnoticed until the toxin works.

The observation transfers. There is a control case, and I lived inside it. In Mosul under Islamic State rule, I kept a record of the caliphate anonymously, because the penalty for documentation was death. A regime of eliminationist hatred did not fear the vocabulary deployed against it; no label carried a cost the caliphate recognized. 

What it policed was the record – names, dates, graves, what was done to whom. Hatred in power is indifferent to accusation and allergic to evidence. The campaign now underway in the West proceeds from the same understanding in reverse: where the label still carries a cost, the label itself becomes the target.

The costs of its progress are not rhetorical. Last week, the J7 task force – the major Jewish organizations of the seven largest diaspora communities – reported that 2025 was the deadliest year for antisemitic violence outside Israel since the 1994 AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires. 

Twenty people were murdered – 15 at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach, two at a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur, Israeli Embassy staffers Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, and one woman at a Run for Their Lives hostage-awareness walk in Boulder, Colorado.

Said’s victory had a limit worth stating precisely. He could make “Orientalist” unusable. He could not make the manuscripts disappear, and the scholarship survived wherever it rested on the archive rather than on the label.

The equivalent limit applies here, and the campaign’s architects appear to understand it: the pressure is already moving from the word to the record-keepers – the task forces, the researchers, the databases, the programs that document the networks, and the money. 

Whether the institutions fighting antisemitism treat the defense of that record as core infrastructure, funded and staffed as such, or continue to spend themselves defending the word alone, will determine what remains usable when this campaign has run its course. The word can be degraded. The record can only be abandoned.

Dr. Omar Mohammed, the historian known as “Mosul Eye,” is director of the Antisemitism Research Initiative and a Senior Research Fellow at the Program on Extremism at George Washington University, and teaches at Sciences Po. A former UNESCO senior consultant, he holds a Ph.D. from EHESS in Paris, France. His book, Mosul Eye: A Scholar’s Clandestine War Against ISIS, was published in July.

This post was originally published on here. 

Every generation eventually asks the same haunting question.

After Pearl Harbor, Americans asked how so many warning signs had been missed.

After September 11, the question was repeated.

After October 7, Israelis again wondered how years of accumulating warnings failed to produce action before catastrophe struck.

I am not suggesting that New York City is about to experience another Pearl Harbor or another October 7.
I am suggesting something equally important.

History teaches that democracies rarely fail because warning signs are absent. They fail because too many people convince themselves that someone else will act.

As I write these words from Jerusalem, I find myself thinking of my parents. In many ways, I am grateful they are no longer here to witness what has become of the New York they loved.

I am a fourth-generation New Yorker on my father’s side, and like millions of American Jews, I grew up believing New York represented something extraordinary: a city where freedom, pluralism, and the rule of law protected everyone.

That belief shaped my life.

In 1980, while studying at Brooklyn College, I had the privilege of serving as a research assistant to Dr. Hillel Seidman, a Holocaust survivor, distinguished scholar, and journalist.

He was a prominent Orthodox journalist, author, historian, and activist for Agudath Israel, who later wrote critical analyses of international diplomacy and the United Nations (such as his 1982 book United Nations: Perfidy and Perversion).

He taught me that the UN was never merely a diplomatic institution. It was often the stage upon which tomorrow’s political realities first appeared.

Dr. Seidman followed the tenure of UN secretary-general Kurt Waldheim. He and prime minister Menachem Begin shared a deep friendship and commitment to Holocaust remembrance and to the principle that powerful public officials should never be beyond scrutiny.

Following Yasser Arafat’s 1974 address to the General Assembly, when Arafat famously appeared with both an olive branch and a gun, Dr. Seidman and Begin believed the greater danger was not the gun. It was the olive branch, because it carried legitimacy while concealing a more dangerous reality.

That conviction eventually led to the investigation into Waldheim’s wartime record. I was privileged to assist in portions of that research before the effort was later expanded by the World Jewish Congress, sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and others. The lesson has remained with me throughout my career.

No public official is above the law.

No public official is above scrutiny.

Today, history feels as though it is echoing.

History repeats itself

Within weeks, the opening of the 81st United Nations General Assembly will once again place New York at the center of global attention. But this year’s gathering threatens to become something far more consequential than an annual diplomatic event.

It risks becoming one of the largest internationally televised anti-Israel demonstrations ever staged on American soil.
Reports already point to extraordinarily large demonstrations surrounding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s expected visit. Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s public statements suggesting that Netanyahu should be arrested if circumstances permitted have added fuel to an already volatile atmosphere.

Chances for violent outbreaks are serious, given the intense polarization surrounding Netanyahu’s presence, the deep entrenchment of activist networks, and the physical constraints of narrow Manhattan side streets.

The likelihood of severe, localized structural breaches, violent skirmishes with police lines, and destructive clashes between rival demonstrators shifts from “low” to “moderate-to-high.”

Whether Mandani’s public statements about Netanyahu’s guilt of war crimes carry legal significance or political symbolism is ultimately for others to debate. Their cumulative effect, however, is impossible to ignore.

The irony should trouble every American.

Earlier this year, the mayor declined to participate in New York’s Israel Day Parade. Yet New York now appears poised to become the backdrop for what may become the most significant anti-Israel spectacle ever broadcast globally from the US.

This matters because New York is no ordinary city.

It is America’s financial capital. It is one of the world’s media capitals. It is home to the UN.

What happens there rarely stays there.

At precisely the same time, antisemitic incidents account for more than half of all reported hate crimes in New York City. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch has described antisemitism as part of a broader and persistent assault on Jewish life requiring extraordinary security measures.

Warning signs are accumulating.

The question is whether anyone intends to act before history asks why no one did.

This is no longer simply a political disagreement.

It is a constitutional question.

America’s founders never expected citizens to rely solely upon elections to restrain public officials. They created independent courts, civil rights statutes, public-records laws, and constitutional safeguards so executive conduct could be tested peacefully under the rule of law.

That is exactly what should happen now.

If executive actions raise legitimate constitutional questions, they should be challenged.

If public records deserve examination, they should be sought.

If civil rights laws may have been violated, those claims should be tested.

If ethics rules have been breached, appropriate authorities should investigate.

If statutory mechanisms exist to review official conduct, they should be examined.

None of these actions presumes guilt. They presume accountability.

Our constitutional system is strongest when courts, not commentators, determine whether public officials have remained within the limits of the law. My own research identified multiple legal avenues through which executive actions and official conduct may be reviewed under federal, state, and municipal law.

Mamdani’s mother’s ties to Qatar

There is another issue that deserves transparent public discussion.

Public reporting has documented longstanding institutional and financial relationships between Mamdani’s mother, filmmaker Mira Nair, and Qatari state-backed cultural institutions. Public reporting has also described her as one of the mayor’s closest advisers.

Those facts do not establish foreign influence over municipal policy, and no one should claim otherwise without evidence.
They do, however, raise legitimate questions deserving public scrutiny, particularly given Qatar’s well-documented role in regional diplomacy and its prominence in debates surrounding Israel. Questions are not accusations. They are invitations to transparency.

Finally, I find myself asking another question: Where are America’s constitutional lawyers?

New York is home to one of the largest concentrations of lawyers anywhere in the world, including a remarkable number from the Jewish community. Where are the attorneys-general, former judges, law school deans, civil rights advocates, pastors, rabbis, and civic leaders who have devoted their lives to defending the Constitution?

If they believe the mayor has acted lawfully, the courts will confirm it.

If they believe he has crossed legal boundaries, they should test those questions through every lawful mechanism available: Freedom of Information litigation, civil rights actions where appropriate, administrative complaints, ethics investigations, and judicial review.

The objective is not to silence a political opponent. It is to insist that no elected official is beyond legal accountability. The rule of law cannot defend itself.

It depends on citizens’ willingness to use it.

This is not only about New York.

It is not only about Israel.

It is not only about the Jewish people.

It is about whether the United States still possesses the confidence to defend its constitutional order before, not after, it is forced to explain why obvious warning signs were ignored.

History rarely judges free societies because they failed to recognize danger after it arrived.
It judges them because they refused to confront it while they still could, lawfully, peacefully, and in time.

The writer is a global strategist and a strategic adviser at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs. He can be reached at globalstrategist2020@gmail.com

This post was originally published on here. 

The murder of Maltese journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia may be related to her investigation of the country’s government for suspected corruption, her son, Matthew Caruana Galizia, told a jury as he took the stand in court on Monday.

According to a report by The Guardian on Tuesday, Matthew, a software engineer, told the jury that his mother was murdered while her investigation into a company partially owned by the defendant, businessman Yorgen Fenech, was still ongoing.

Fenech, who is heir to one of the largest fortunes in Malta, is accused of ordering Daphne’s assassination in a 2017 car bombing, according to the Guardian.

“I was working on some software, and I heard an explosion,” Matthew said, describing the day of the murder. “I opened the door, I felt the blood drain away… I started walking faster and faster towards the tower of smoke.”

“First I saw fire on the road,” he continued. “I saw pieces of metal and flesh. My eyes followed the smoke, and I saw a huge ball of fire. I ran towards it. The horn was going off; it wouldn’t stop. I saw a shadow in the car, and I remember saying, ‘That’s my mom.'”

The company in question, “Electogas,” was being investigated by Daphne after her son discovered thousands of emails on its servers, including apparent evidence of Fenech intending to bribe the Maltese government to secure a project contract, the report said, with Fenech rejecting the allegations.

Matthew discovers corruption evidence, shares with Daphne

The Guardian noted that Matthew had previously worked on the Panama Papers leak before discovering the “Electogas” files, which he shared with his mother.

“I had to share what I was seeing with my mother,” Matthew said. “I believed it was too important.”

When asked by the prosecution, Matthew described the government’s tendering process for the project as “corrupt,” with the report noting that the judge interjected to insist that the description was only Matthew’s opinion and not a statement of fact.

Matthew begins project to bring killers to justice

Matthew had contacted the Guardian prior to his mother’s murder to begin collaboration on the investigation, but instead began a project to bring to justice those responsible for her killing.

“We never got to do it,” said Matthew, referring to the initial investigation. “In fact, when I see these emails, my heart beats fast because I’m taken back to that time when I was with my mother planning on what to do.”

The report emphasized Matthew’s commitment to his “mission,” having left his software engineering career to return to Malta and pursue justice for his mother.

“We had to make it our mission, which we did,” he told the court. “It came at enormous personal cost.”

Fenech denies the murder charges, the Guardian reported, with the trial still ongoing.

This post was originally published on here. 

Spain’s government said on Friday it would establish border controls for flights and ships from Italy from midnight on Saturday until September 7 in a dispute with the neighboring country over irregular migration.

Passport, nationality and visa checks would be conducted for Italian passengers and visitors from other countries arriving from Italy “amid the persistent irregular migratory pressure” from the country.

Spain said the measures would apply while Italy applied its own measures, which it said were motivated by the mass migration rush by 72,000 people on Spain’s African enclave of Ceuta on July 30.

Earlier on Friday, Italy said it would not bow to “ultimatums or impositions” from Spain and would maintain border controls on arrivals from the country until at least August 15.

Spain, Italy introduce reciprocal border controls on nations’ travelers

Spain threatened earlier on Friday to impose reciprocal measures on travelers from Italy unless Rome lifted by Sunday the border controls it imposed last week, following a mass influx of migrants from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta.

In a statement, the Italian government said it would only reconsider its decision once it was certain there were no security or terrorism risks, no new migration wave and no irregular migrants heading towards European territory.

This post was originally published on here. 

Israeli Consul General in New York Ofir Akunis instructed his staff to cancel their New York Times subscriptions in response to what he described as a series of “false blood libels” published by the newspaper, according to a statement released on Friday.

“I have ordered the Israeli Consulate in New York to cancel its subscription to The New York Times, a newspaper that consistently demonizes and delegitimizes the Jewish State,” Akunis said. 

“The New York Times is a newspaper that consistently publishes false blood libels against the State of Israel, often based on ‘anonymous’ sources. When citing named sources, the paper conveniently turns to anti-Israel activists, and even Hamas terrorists who seek Israel’s destruction, to reinforce the narrative they want to promote,” Akunis added.

While Akunis didn’t name a specific article, the Times published a piece Friday morning in which Gaza flotilla activists claimed to have been abused at the hands of Israeli authorities following their latest attempt to breach Israel’s blockade of Gaza. In it, activists described being beaten, shot at with rubber bullets, and being verbally abused by Israeli soldiers and guards.

New York Times has been in spotlight before over perceived anti-Israel bias

The article is the latest in a series of reports on Israel that have fueled accusations from critics that the newspaper displays an anti-Israel bias. Most notably, a May opinion piece by contributor Nick Kristof accused Israel of using dogs to rape Palestinian detainees, citing anonymous witnesses.

Kristof’s piece was published a day before the Civil Commission’s nearly 300-page report on sexual violence during the October 7 massacres was due to be released, prompting accusations that the NYT had sought to blunt the report’s impact.

“This is false,” wrote the Times in a statement that same day, further claiming that it wasn’t informed in advance of the report’s completion or time of release. 

Israel condemned the piece, dubbing it a “blood libel.” Soon after, the Times issued another statement of support for Kristof’s work. 

In response to rumors that the NYT was readying to retract the piece, the newspaper defended Kristof as one of the world’s “best on-the-ground reporters documenting and bearing witness to sexual abuse” in combat zones.

Within days of its publication, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel was considering legal action against The New York Times over the accusations in the article. The newspaper said in response that any lawsuit aiming to “undermine independent reporting” would be “without merit.”

This post was originally published on here. 

Iran’s Supreme National Security Council is expected to approve a deal shortly with the US and Oman to open and oversee the Strait of Hormuz together with Oman, Axios reported Friday evening, citing a diplomat from a mediating country.

On Friday evening, a US official corroborated that report, telling Reuters that there has been progress in the negotiations.

“There is progress between Oman and Iran on the Strait, and we expect a deal soon,” the official said. “Once the deal is announced to restore commercial shipping without impediments, the United States will lift the blockade of Iranian ports.”

“As always, US actions will continue to be performance-based and tied to Iran’s implementation of its commitments,” the official said.

On Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that progress had been made in talks and that the US was “hoping” for an agreement, after which Axios reported that the White House wanted a deal announced as early as Wednesday, citing a US official.

This is a developing story.

This post was originally published on here. 

The United States on Friday sanctioned an unlicensed multi-state cryptocurrency exchange, alleging it processed millions of dollars of crypto for Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and other groups linked to the Iranian state.

The designation follows a Reuters investigation published on July 31 that identified the Dubai-based exchange, Shelbit, as the hub of a $4 billion Iranian sanctions evasion scheme. The investigation found that Shelbit moved crypto on behalf of Iran’s central bank, one of the world’s largest illegal online gambling networks, and to addresses linked by the Israeli government to the IRGC.

The US Treasury also sanctioned the expatriate Iranian who founded Shelbit and a network of other companies, Siavash Kayvanpour, for providing material support to the IRGC and Nobitex, Iran’s biggest cryptocurrency exchange. The US sanctioned Nobitex on June 2 for enabling the Iranian government to circumvent Western sanctions, also after a Reuters investigation.

“Treasury will hunt down and dismantle the illicit financial networks that keep the regime afloat,” Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent said in a statement.

Iranian bitcoin mining op. seemingly funded operations

Shelbit’s website had been down for months, with no way for customers to carry out transactions, but the exchange continued to process money, even during the US and Israeli war against Iran. The site reactivated the day after the Reuters investigation was published.

“Shelbit LLC categorically rejects any suggestion that the company knowingly participated in money laundering, terrorist financing, illegal gambling activity, sanctions evasion, or activity on behalf of any sanctioned, military, or governmental organization,” Shelbit said in a statement on its reactivated website on August 1. Shelbit also said it had ceased operations in January 2026.

Shelbit and Kayvanpour did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tens of millions of dollars of the crypto that passed through Shelbit came from a suspected Iranian bitcoin mining operation, which mints new digital coins. Many millions of dollars more was linked to the illegal gambling network operated by two high-profile Iranian social media influencers, Reuters reported.

“The Iranian regime’s willingness to allow this gambling network to operate highlights its hypocrisy and corruption,” Treasury said in the statement published on its website.

The OFAC designation comes soon after Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, or VARA, issued a notice saying Shelbit was in violation of money-laundering and terrorism financing laws.

“The exposure identified by VARA extends beyond consumer protection to more egregious cross-border transactions with the propension to impact the integrity of the UAE financial system,” VARA said in a notice on its website on July 24, shortly after Reuters approached the authority for comment.

VARA did not respond to a request for comment.

This post was originally published on here. 

Hezbollah’s attacks on the IDF and Lebanese Armed Forces have not derailed talks between Beirut and Jerusalem, even amid Israel’s recent strikes on the group, two experts told The Jerusalem Post.

Beirut and Jerusalem held talks in Rome last week, with some sessions ending early in response to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon. The talks followed a US-brokered agreement reached in June under which Hezbollah would no longer pose a threat to Israel from southern Lebanon and Israeli forces would completely withdraw.

Hezbollah has repeatedly condemned the talks, threatening civil war and urging Lebanese officials to allow the Islamic Republic and its axis to pressure the United States to force Israel to end the war, which was launched by the terrorist organization in response to the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Only two days before the talks began, five members of the Lebanese military were wounded by a Lebanese explosive that Israel attributed to Hezbollah. On Wednesday, Maj. (res.) Harel Birenstock and M.-Sgt. (res.) Tamir Vaknin were killed in a similar explosive incident, and Israel responded to the ceasefire violation with renewed strikes.

The situation has undoubtedly created complicated ground for Beirut, Colonel (res.) Dr. Eran Lerman, a lecturer at Shalem College in the Department of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies and the Vice President of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, told the Post on Thursday.

Difficult to negotiate while Lebanon under strikes

“I think we are facing a paradoxical situation here because, on the one hand, clearly when violence erupts, it’s more difficult for the Lebanese government to carry on a conversation, given that we have wreaked quite a lot of havoc in southern Lebanon, with very good reason. But it’s not easy for the Lebanese government to carry on negotiations under these circumstances,” he explained. “On the other hand, it’s very clear that unless we demonstrate in a very clear and unambiguous way that we are capable of reducing Hezbollah further, then they cannot ultimately stand in the way of a Lebanese government that wants a better future for the Lebanese.”

Caught between demonstrating to Hezbollah that Israel will “not tolerate its provocations,” and needing Beirut to have the support to engage with Jerusalem, Lerman said it was a delicate “balancing act” between diplomacy and military strength that would ultimately give Lebanon the chance to rid itself of Hezbollah.

Managing those in Israel who “see everything entirely through the prism of military power” and addressing “internal Lebanese rifts” are also part of the challenge in determining whether what could eventually become a peace treaty can materialize, he said. Those difficulties are being managed through the pilot zones, where the Lebanese can demonstrate whether they are capable of handling Hezbollah without Israel having to gamble away the progress it has made in the buffer zone without concrete evidence on Beirut’s will and capability to see its promises through.

Lebanon committed to moving forward despite Hezbollah ‘background noise’

David Schenker, a Taube Senior Fellow at The Washington Institute and former US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, told the Post that Hezbollah’s actions amounted to “a lot of background noise,” but said he believed Beirut remained committed to moving forward regardless.

“Putting aside whether the Lebanese Armed Forces will actually fulfill their obligations, I think the government is committed to moving forward, but it complicates the situation for the Lebanese government, which is already being heavily criticized by its opponents,” he said.

While Lerman said the pace of the pilot withdrawals is beneficial for Israel, Schenker said Beirut was under pressure to show quick results, with critics viewing the situation as Lebanon making concessions in exchange for little immediate gain.

Despite the push to see an Israeli withdrawal happen as quickly as possible, Beirut still faces several domestic challenges before it can demonstrate its capabilities. The issue of private property, for example, has been widely discussed by Lebanese analysts, some of whom argue that the nature of Lebanon’s crisis means Shiite homes should be searched by the military without judicial warrants.

“The Lebanese Armed Forces are no doubt, I think, hesitant to be kicking down the doors of private Shiite homes in Lebanon,” Schenker said. “And yet, we all know that weapons caches are in these homes or underneath these homes, though not all of them.”

If Beirut cannot find a solution to the issue, he warned, the pilot zones would ultimately fail to keep the Hezbollah threat at bay. Such a failure would not only be a problem for Beirut, but also for Jerusalem.

“I think it would be really regrettable if, once again, Israel were unable to translate military battlefield successes into political and strategic gains,” he explained. “The prospect of having not only a renewed armistice but also the beginning of more normal relations with a country where the vast majority of people, unlike in the countries with which Israel currently has peace treaties, seem to say in polls that they want peace with Israel, would be a real loss, first and foremost for Israel.”

If Israel can achieve a lasting peace with its neighbor, it could also change the trajectory of what appears to be Iranian gains, Schenker suggested. He noted that Tehran had secured a number of significant concessions from the United States when it signed the Memorandum of Understanding and may now potentially be allowed some level of control over the Strait of Hormuz. Given that Tehran pushed for an end to Israeli attacks on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon as part of the MOU, achieving such an outcome outside Iran’s control would weaken Tehran’s influence.

Schenker suggested that the majority of Lebanese Shiites have lost faith in Hezbollah after years of war and destruction, while other sects were already “sick and tired of it” and had not forgotten the dozens of Lebanese Christian and political officials and journalists murdered by the group over the past few decades.

What may deliver the final blow, though it would be difficult to achieve given Lebanon’s financial state, would be replacing the civil infrastructure Hezbollah provides. The Iranian-backed group has its own schools, medical clinics, summer camps and an entire economy dependent on it per their own design, he said.

“Real peace is going to be elusive unless the government actually starts establishing a presence. But there is a chicken-and-egg question,” he explained. “This is a government that is still in the midst of an economic crisis and will not likely emerge from this crisis until Hezbollah is disarmed.” 

This post was originally published on here. 

Lebanon and Israel have agreed a shortlist of countries that could send troops to verify the disarmament of Hezbollah under a US-brokered agreement, a Lebanese official said on Friday, with the United States due to pick countries from the list.

The official declined to identify any of the countries on the shortlist or say how many there were. Another Lebanese official and two foreign diplomats have previously told Reuters that Israel and the United States had vetoed France.

The list was produced during meetings between Lebanon and Israel at the US embassy in Rome this week, the latest round of talks on how to implement a June 26 deal that links Israel’s progressive withdrawal of troops from Lebanon to the disarmament of ​Hezbollah, which would be “verified” by a third party.

Hezbollah is not a party to the agreement and has refused to give up its arsenal.

“We have reached a short list of countries. We decided which parties were impossible for each and set the potential actors,” the Lebanese official said. “The Americans will now decide, and could pick more than one country.”

Lebanon rejects private security concerns

There was no immediate response from Israel’s foreign ministry to Reuters questions on the shortlist. When asked about the shortlist, a State Department spokesperson said the talks were “productive on the technical and expert levels” but did not provide further details.

The United States has been trying to broker an end to fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, which has raged since March in parallel with the wider US-Israeli war against Iran.

Two days after the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, Hezbollah fired at Israel in solidarity with Tehran. Israeli forces responded with aerial bombardments and a ground assault, seizing a strip of land extending about 10 km (6 miles) deep into southern Lebanon. More than a million Lebanese civilians were forced to flee their homes.

The Lebanese official said Beirut had rejected an earlier proposal for private security companies to play the role of third-party verifier of Hezbollah’s disarmament.

“All of the actors proposed are countries. We still need to discuss exactly how this would work, how many forces would be deployed and how they would work with the Lebanese army,” the official said.

A framework for the presence of foreign troops in Lebanon would also need to be agreed, possibly by housing them under a UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, whose mandate is due to expire at the end of this year.

The Lebanese official said that would require a new UN Security Council resolution, which the US and Israel were now willing to consider in what he called a breakthrough. Other possibilities include housing the troops under a separate UN agency or through a memorandum of understanding with Lebanon.

The talks did not, however, produce an agreement on the next area from which Israeli troops would withdraw so that Lebanese troops could take control. Beirut had proposed Bint Jbeil and Khiam, two large towns that have been hit hard by air strikes and where Israeli troops have razed entire neighborhoods.

The next round of talks is set for early September, the official said.

This post was originally published on here. 

Colombia and Israel are restoring ties ahead of Friday’s inauguration ceremony of new Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella, with senior Colombian officials expressing strong support for Israel and intent to expand cooperation. 

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar arrived in Colombia for the inaugural ceremony and met with Colombian Vice President José Manuel Restrepo, Foreign Minister Omar Bula Escobar, and other senior ministers from the newly appointed government. 

The officials in attendance included the new foreign minister, as well as ministers of defense, finance, justice, trade and industry, and environment. 

Practical opportunities to deepen cooperation across a range of fields were discussed with the intent to translate the renewed diplomatic relationship into concrete partnerships.

Former president severed ties after accusing Israel of genocide

Ties between the two countries had been severed by former Colombian President Gustavo Petro in 2024 after he accused Israel of “genocide” during its military campaign against Hamas in Gaza. 

During his tenure, Petro also linked Israel to “Nazi” tactics in Latin America, restricted previously robust defense partnerships, and imposed a complete ban on Colombian coal exports to Israel.

Sa’ar thanked his hosts for their warm welcome and friendship, saying, “Not only will we rebuild our ties, but we will take them to new heights.” 

“You designated 2026 as a year for expanding its ties with Latin America,” Restrepo said. “You have reinstated the free trade agreement, strengthened diplomatic relations, made the decision to move the embassy to Jerusalem, and from this point forward, we are committed to maximizing the benefits of this relationship.”

“For Colombia, 2026 will be marked by the deepening and strengthening of its relationship with the State of Israel,” Restrepo concluded.

This post was originally published on here. 

Imagine Armenian youths walking daily past the Western Wall and routinely spitting on rabbis entering or leaving the site, desecrating Jewish holy places, or throwing stones at homes in the Jewish Quarter. How would the Israeli government, police, and public opinion react? Obviously, there would likely be swift arrests, prosecution, and strong condemnation.

That is precisely the double standard Jerusalem’s Armenians say they have lived with for years. The Wall Street Journal’s recent investigation into rising anti-Christian hostility in Jerusalem has now brought a sense of justified urgency and unprecedented international attention to what the Armenian community has long experienced firsthand.

The latest disturbing incident – in which six ultra-nationalist religious Jews spat on the sacred entrance of the Cathedral of St. James in the Armenian Quarter and threw stones at Armenian homes – once again highlights what many members of the Armenian community perceive as a climate of impunity in which such offenders operate.

For decades, the Armenian community of East Jerusalem has endured harassment, intimidation, and discrimination by extremist haredi (ultra-Orthodox) and nationalist Jewish youths. These incidents have included spitting on clergy, desecrating religious sites, verbal abuse, physical assaults, and other forms of intimidation. 

Owing to the Armenian Quarter’s location adjacent to the Jewish Quarter, Armenians have become one of the most vulnerable Christian communities in Jerusalem’s Old City. The persecution they face includes repeated harassment, attacks on Armenian youths, desecration of churches and religious property, and other forms of religiously motivated hostility.

We should not generalize: these actions do not reflect the views of all Israelis. After several widely publicized incidents, many secular Israelis and civil society groups have shown solidarity with the Armenian community, condemned the attacks, and made clear that they disapprove of the attitudes and actions of the extremist individuals responsible.

Israel possesses legal protections for religious minorities through its Basic Laws, judicial decisions, and ordinary legislation. But none of these Basic Laws explicitly guarantees minority rights. Protection for minorities exists primarily through the Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty (1992), Supreme Court jurisprudence, and ordinary legislation.

The question is how effectively even this level of protection is implemented in practice.

For decades, following incidents in the Armenian Quarter, Israeli police have arrested suspects and taken them to the police station near the Armenian Quarter. Since much of the area is covered by surveillance cameras, the authorities are generally able to determine what occurred. But those responsible are usually released shortly afterward.

In many cases, they reportedly receive only warnings or temporary restrictions preventing them from entering the Old City or Jerusalem for a limited period. Following the most recent incident, the suspects were reportedly barred from entering Jerusalem for only 15 days.

It is becoming increasingly clear that this approach has failed to deter repeat offenses. Many perpetrators appear to believe that they face few meaningful consequences for their actions.

Adding to the concerns, Israel’s current political climate, characterized by the strong influence of nationalist and right-wing parties, has led many observers to worry that extremist settlers and ultra-nationalist groups feel increasingly emboldened.

Indeed, these are not merely isolated incidents involving a handful of individuals but rather part of a recurring pattern involving extremist religious and settler activists whose actions make life increasingly difficult for Jerusalem’s Armenian community.

Israel’s test

The Israeli government’s failure to adequately remedy this situation has understandably raised concerns within the Armenian community about its commitment to protecting vulnerable minorities, and the persistence of these attacks raises serious concerns about the adequacy of law enforcement and deterrence of what has become a sustained pattern of harassment, intimidation, dehumanization, and attacks against a historic religious minority.

When perpetrators consistently avoid accountability, the likelihood of repeated violence increases as the perception of impunity encourages further incidents.

Moreover, this is about more than the Armenian community. Even some of Israel’s closest friends – including prominent evangelical Christians in the United States – have begun questioning whether the country is doing enough to protect its Christian communities.

Israel prides itself on being the Middle East’s only liberal democracy and on safeguarding the holy places of the three great monotheistic faiths. That claim is weakened every time clergy are spat upon, churches vandalized, or worshipers intimidated with little consequence for the perpetrators.

So what should practically be done?

The Israeli government, and the police in particular, should adopt more effective measures to eliminate this phenomenon. Existing laws protecting public order, religious freedom, and against hate crimes should be enforced consistently and vigorously. 

Where current penalties prove insufficient to deter repeat offenders, policymakers should consider strengthening legal sanctions. Meaningful criminal penalties – including imprisonment in serious cases – as well as financial compensation for victims where appropriate, would send a clear message that religiously motivated harassment will not be tolerated.

I also call upon the United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR), Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, B’Tselem, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, and other human rights organizations to investigate these recurring incidents, monitor developments closely, and advocate for stronger protection of Jerusalem’s Armenian community.

There is a responsibility on the part of the world’s media as well. If similar incidents occurred in cities such as Los Angeles, Toronto, or New York, they would likely receive extensive national and international media attention. Yet comparable incidents in Jerusalem’s Old City often receive relatively limited coverage.

Amid the war in Gaza, increasing settler violence in the West Bank, and broader regional tensions, the ongoing harassment of Jerusalem’s Armenian community has largely remained outside international public attention.

Israel has both a legal and moral responsibility to protect all communities under its jurisdiction, including religious and ethnic minorities. The current situation raises serious questions about whether sufficient protection is being provided to vulnerable groups in East Jerusalem. The answer is a resounding no.

Jerusalem remains one of the world’s most contested cities. The Armenian community in it faces a genuine existential challenge. Its population has steadily declined over the past several decades, raising concerns about its long-term future in the city.

Preserving this ancient community is essential not only for the Armenians but also for safeguarding Jerusalem’s unique religious, cultural, and historical diversity for future generations.

This is a test of whether Israel intends to uphold the principles of religious freedom and equal protection that it rightly says distinguish it from its neighbors.

The writer was born and raised in the Old City of Jerusalem. A Guggenheim Fellow, he is professor of Modern Middle East history and Hymen Rosenberg Professor in Judaic Studies at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. He is also the Director of Genocide Research at the Zoryan Institute.

This post was originally published on here. 

When the Israeli cabinet unanimously approved a measure to formally recognize the Armenian Genocide in late June, it seemed, for a moment, that a long-overdue moral threshold had finally been crossed.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar framed the move as a matter of historical justice and a moral duty by claiming that “It’s never too late to do the right thing.” In many ways, it was a sentiment that resonates deeply for a nation founded in the wake of the Holocaust.

Yet, just weeks later, as parliament prepared for its summer recess ahead of national elections, the planned Knesset vote was abruptly suspended and shelved.

Officially, the delay was chalked up to a “sensitive diplomatic climate” and regional turbulence. Unofficially, it followed immediate and intense pushback from Azerbaijan, an energy and security partner, and a desire to avoid completely severing communication channels with Turkey.

To anyone tracking the history of Israeli-Armenian relations, this sudden retreat was thoroughly predictable. The postponement was not a routine procedural pause but rather a decades-long pattern in which genocide recognition advances when politically convenient and retreats the moment competing diplomatic interests reassert themselves.

A history of leverage, not conviction

For over 30 years, official recognition of the 1915 Ottoman campaign that claimed 1.5 million Armenian lives had been treated by successive Israeli administrations not as an immutable historical truth, but as a strategic bargaining chip.

Whenever relations with Ankara soured, whether over military actions in Gaza, naval blockades, or inflammatory rhetoric from Turkish leadership, proposals to recognize the genocide suddenly gained momentum in the Knesset. Recognition was wielded as a diplomatic stick to signal displeasure to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Conversely, whenever regional security priorities shifted, or when Baku expressed “deep disappointment” over the threat to its strategic alliance with Tel Aviv, the bills were quietly buried in committee or removed from the calendar altogether.

This transactional approach has drawn criticism from all sides, including from Armenia itself. When the cabinet initially green-lit the measure, Armenian leadership publicly declined to celebrate, noting with skepticism that historical memory was once again being weaponized for immediate geopolitical posturing rather than genuine moral reckoning.

Realpolitik vs moral consistency

The strategic calculus behind Israel’s hesitation is well understood in foreign policy circles. Azerbaijan supplies a significant portion of Israel’s oil imports and serves as a vital strategic partner on Iran’s northern border. Turkey remains a formidable regional power whose airspace, trade routes, and diplomatic channels cannot be easily written off permanently.

However, subjecting historical truth to realpolitik creates a profound moral hazard.

When state recognition of a mass atrocity hinges on real-time alliance management, it inadvertently validates the logic of denialism. It sends a message that the facts of 1915 are negotiable and subject to market conditions, military intelligence sharing, and pipeline agreements.

More than a century after the events of 1915, the historical consensus surrounding the Armenian Genocide is clear, documented by extensive archival evidence and survivor testimony. Over 30 nations, along with the United States Congress and the executive branch, have formally recognized it. 

For a state forged from the memory of genocide, treating historical truth as a cyclical bargaining chip erodes the very moral authority it relies upon.

The gap between symbolism and commitment

Recognition of the Armenian Genocide should not be viewed as a political issue or as taking sides in a regional dispute between neighbors. It is fundamentally a human rights issue and a question of historical truth. 

The systematic murder and deportation of 1.5 million Armenians is a historical fact, and acknowledging it is about honoring the victims and survivors and reaffirming the principle that genocide should never be ignored or denied for political convenience.

If anything, the fact that recognition can be delayed or blocked because of diplomatic pressure demonstrates why this is a human rights issue. Human rights and historical truth should not be contingent on the strategic interests of the day or on the preferences of another government.

And ultimately, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cannot simply point to political opposition or diplomatic pressure as the reason for inaction. As prime minister, he has the authority to officially and unequivocally recognize the Armenian Genocide himself.

If he truly believes recognition is the right thing to do, he does not need to wait for a Knesset vote. The fact that he has chosen not to do so suggests that the political and strategic considerations are not merely an obstacle, but rather are part of the reason for his reluctance.

The latest suspension in the Knesset reinforces a sobering reality in that symbolic gestures from executive bodies mean little if leadership lacks the political will to carry them through legislative ratification when pressure mounts.

If recognition only occurs as an act of retaliation against adversaries, it ceases to be an act of justice. True moral leadership requires affirming historical facts precisely when it is inconvenient and not merely when it scores points in a news cycle.

Until the vote is brought to the Knesset floor without qualification or strategic hesitation, the message to the world remains unchanged in that historical truth and justice will remain on hold until the next geopolitical window opens.

The writer is a communications strategist living in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is a first-generation Armenian American and grandson of survivors of the Armenian genocide. You can follow him on X at @spechdimaldji.

This post was originally published on here. 

She is amazing. She listens and empathizes and is always available for me. She doesn’t talk about herself but offers wise advice, always with a positive spin and a compliment that feels personal and right on point. She never gets annoyed and, when I ask a question, she follows up and follows through. I really couldn’t ask for more in a partner, except her name is ChatGPT.

As a relationship therapist, I am increasingly asked whether artificial intelligence affects relationships. In short, the answer is yes, but the ways AI impacts our relationships are more complex than might first appear.

In a world saturated with information, where we can ask ChatGPT almost anything from what to make for dinner to why bad things happen to good people, it makes sense that we would also turn to AI for relationship advice. What should I buy my husband for our anniversary? Why is my girlfriend annoyed with me?

AI can walk users through a series of questions that often lead to a reasoned answer, functioning as a kind of immediate agony aunt column. The potential benefits of an assistant relationship coach are considerable.

The more insidious side emerges when people begin forming intimate relationships with AI itself. There are companion apps that offer such a service. For many, it is difficult to understand how such relationships develop. Yet the explanations are all around us.

Loneliness across all age groups is on the rise

We live in an era in which loneliness across all age groups is rising, shaped in part by the isolation experienced during COVID, and then entrenched by increased working from home models and communication online rather than in person.

We also exist in a new age of dating, in which connecting through apps and online platforms has become the norm. Today, many people would not dream of meeting someone without first communicating online. With Internet-based communication now standard, forming a relationship with AI may not be as far-fetched as it first seems.

Most social interaction through screens differs fundamentally from in-person encounters. Filters curate appearances, while texting allows time to analyze and carefully craft responses. Face-to-face interaction with all its possibilities for embarrassment, misunderstanding, and rejection is tempered online. Here lies the appeal of AI interaction: constant validation, no risk of meanness or misunderstanding, and no competing emotional needs. The perfect partner.

Gen Z, raised on avatars and gaming environments, often enters this virtual world with little trepidation. Frequently, the relationship begins with individuals turning to AI for emotional support during difficult periods. In one study of online daters, 78% of respondents said they would trust an AI relationship coach more than a friend or family member for relationship advice. Ask anyone under 25, and they are likely to know someone who uses AI as an informal therapist or companion.

The transition from friend to romantic partner is not such a large step. As AI responds with emotional and empathetic validation, users may develop genuine feelings of attachment and connection that can become romantic. While understandable, such relationships raise significant concerns about how individuals relate to real people.

Eugenia Kuyda, founder and CEO of Replika – one of the most downloaded AI companion apps – has warned: “In my view, AI companions are potentially one of the most dangerous technologies we’ve ever created.”

Replika drew global attention when Jaswant Singh Chail was charged with treason in the UK after attempting to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II in 2021. Among the reasons he cited was encouragement from Sarai, his AI companion, who reportedly affirmed that his decision was wise and that he “could do it.”

Although many AI platforms have since introduced safeguards against promoting violence or self-harm, other psychological risks remain – particularly the distortion of expectations about real relationships.

One consequence, even for those of us not romantically involved with AI, is the development of unrealistic expectations of human relationships. Increasingly, people grow accustomed to AI’s personalized and flattering feedback. Researchers have described this as “sycophantic feedback”: responses designed to satisfy the user and sustain engagement.

No human being can consistently provide such affirmation. The joy of human relationships is that we take a risk in being vulnerable and growing through the relationship. Without challenge and risk, there is no growth.

AI tells us what we want to hear

This mirroring dynamic where AI tells us what we want to hear has significant implications for real-world relationships, where misunderstanding and mistakes are inevitable. The self becomes increasingly central, while resilience in navigating interpersonal challenges may diminish.

As expectations shift, disappointment becomes more likely when real partners fail to provide perfectly attuned responses. Individuals may become less practiced at attending to others’ emotional experiences.

In AI relationships, there is no need for adaptation, compromise, or acceptance of another person’s flaws. Such interactions risk becoming a kind of narcissistic training ground, in which the individual is never meaningfully challenged.

What this phenomenon ultimately reveals is something that we know and is simple. In all relationships, we ultimately seek to be seen, heard, acknowledged, and validated. It is this that AI is exploiting – our innate need to be understood fully and without judgment of any kind – and it is this type of acceptance that makes people stay and connect with the AI. AI succeeds precisely because it appears to meet this fundamental human need, offering understanding without judgment.

If there is one positive lesson to draw from the rise of AI relationships, it is not fear of technology but a reminder to bring more listening, empathy, and validation into our real-life connections, which will create healthier relationships that are meaningful and fulfilling.■

The writer is a licensed social worker and psychotherapist specializing in couples therapy in her Jerusalem practice. www.hadassahfidler.com

This post was originally published on here. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin may launch a limited assault on a NATO country in order to test the alliance’s resolve in the next few years, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing new US intelligence reports. 

While the US previously assessed that Putin wouldn’t attack a NATO country while at war with Ukraine, a new assessment earlier this year found that pressure within Russia to secure a victory may change Putin’s plans, US officials told WSJ. 

Ukraine‘s drones have inflicted growing damage on Russia’s army and oil industry while Russian forces continue to sustain heavy casualties. 

Russia has also appeared to be conducting probing attacks to test NATO’s resolve, WSJ wrote, pointing towards drones flown into Romania and a Russian cruise missile that landed in Poland.

Putin may see the possibility of fracturing the NATO alliance as his chance for a victory. 

Russia wants to reduce NATO’s credibility, says a foreign policy expert

“The question mark is how the United States would respond in that case,” Heather Conley, senior fellow with the American Enterprise Institute, told WSJ while speaking on a possible Russian incursion. 

“It has always been a goal [of Russia’s] to challenge the credibility of NATO and to separate the United States from its allies,” Conley added.

A limited land incursion is the most extreme scenario, with reports rating its likelihood extremely low, at least initially. Such an action would trigger NATO’s Article Five, committing its members to collective defense. 

However, Article Five is unclear about a mandated response to other threats Russia may employ, such as cyber or hybrid threats. 

“This has always been NATO’s challenge to respond to a sub-Article Five attack, and it’s been very true that to this point, NATO allies have preferred not to escalate,” Conley told WSJ. 

This comes as reports emerge over the US’s diminishing stockpile of weapons due to transfers to Ukraine and use in the war with Iran.

Long-range Precision Strike Missiles and Army Tactical Missile Systems, and short-range Stinger surface-to-air missiles, are included in the US’s at-risk stockpiles, WSJ cited US officials as saying.

In a potential conflict with Russia, these systems would be crucial to repel a land invasion, according to Tom Karako of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

US President Donald Trump has pushed back on reports of diminished stockpiles in a post on Truth Social on Wednesday, writing that the US has “massive amounts of ‘munitions,'” and that additional munitions were being manufactured and shipped to the US as needed.

This post was originally published on here. 

Early summer in Israel’s northern Western Negev announces itself through watermelon fields. Long, low rows of deep green stretch across the flatlands where I live, reliable and unhurried as the heat itself. 

On a blazing July noon, I was standing a few kilometers from those fields, inside a different kind of green – the labs and corridors of SouthUp, watching a delegation of senior African diplomats move between start-ups whose founders, less than three years ago, had fled this very ground for their lives.

On July 29, 2026, a high-level strategic delegation from the Democratic Republic of the Congo arrived at SouthUp, the non-profit technology incubator rooted in the Shaar Hanegev region. Leading the delegation was Her Excellency Madame Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, DRC Foreign Minister. 

The visit was organized through the bridge-building of Ambassador Leo Vinovezky, Israel’s envoy to Angola, the DRC, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe – and I am grateful to the Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry for entrusting a delegation of this caliber to our corner of the Negev. They could not have sent it to a more instructive place.

Vinovezky was quick to point out that the connection is anything but coincidental. The Foreign Ministry’s Economics Division has maintained a long-standing partnership with Israel’s kibbutz industry – a sector that has contributed to Israeli exports from the periphery for decades, long before “start-up nation” entered the vocabulary.

Bringing an African delegation to the Western Negev was, in that sense, a return to Israel’s diplomatic roots.

Shahar Belkin, one of the driving forces behind SouthUp, did not open with a pitch deck. He told Kayikwamba Wagner plainly what happened here. “We had 23 companies,” he said, “and 21 of them came back after we could reopen. Now we have 27.” 

A major new facility is already rising beside Sderot’s train station. They are calling it OfirTech – named after Ofir Lybshtein, the city’s former mayor, who was among the first victims announced on October 7. It will house 60 more companies.

None of that came from a government rescue package or an outside investor deciding the region was worth saving. It came from founders choosing to return to the same ground they had fled in the dark, and choosing to build something larger than what they had left behind.

Belkin put it in terms that cut through any polished pitch: “Although they’re called hi-tech, we seem to think they are spoiled kids playing with their computers. But they are the same spirit – second generation of the kibbutz founders.”

He was right. The founders who drained swamps and coaxed crops from sand were not driven by ideal conditions. Neither are the entrepreneurs here. In Israel, a start-up that fails is not a scandal – it is data, a credential rather than a disqualification. Vinovezky put it plainly: success rarely arrives before the fifth or 10th attempt.

Kayikwamba Wagner understood immediately why that distinction matters. “If you have to make it right the first time,” she said, “you are too afraid to take the risk of jumping into the water. You can get something good, but maybe nothing extraordinary. You get improvement – you don’t get breakthroughs.”

She said it over a lunch of hummus and falafel prepared for the delegation – a deliberately Israeli welcome, warm and unassuming. I found myself in a seat I will not forget: directly between Vinovezky and the minister herself.

This was not her first visit to Israel. She mentioned it was her third time in the country – but this time she had arrived as a minister, and the difference showed in how she listened. She was not here to absorb a tourism itinerary. She was taking notes.

That exchange, more than any product demonstration, captured why this visit felt significant. Two nations separated by thousands of kilometers found themselves describing the same problem: the gap between potential and delivery, and what it takes to close it.

Relations taking shape

The DRC sits on some of the most fertile land on earth. It has abundant water, a generous tropical climate, and the agricultural capacity to feed a significant portion of the African continent. Yet the country currently cultivates less than 1% of that potential, and the reason is brutally logistical.

Without post-harvest storage infrastructure, produce spoils before it reaches Kinshasa’s 12 million residents. In the absence of cold chain solutions, the country resorts to flying fresh food by air cargo – one of the most expensive supply chains imaginable. The problem is not the land. The problem is everything between the land and the plate.

Three start-ups inside SouthUp are working precisely on those gaps. Led by CEO Pninit Gilboa Tal, CTO Yossi Cohen, and CSO Dr. Yulimar Castro Molina, Biotization uses breakthrough 100% biological technology to protect crops from field to storage.

By combating systemic diseases, the company reduces post-harvest waste from over 30% to under 1%, extending shelf life and improving supply chain profitability. 

Fungit BioSolutions has isolated over 100 fungal strains from the high-salinity soils near the Dead Sea, organisms engineered by nature to survive extremes of heat, drought, and disease; reintroduced through standard drip irrigation, they give domestic crops the same resilience. 

A third company, BioTip, has built smart sensors and digital traceability tools that monitor perishable products in real time across the full cold chain, preventing spoilage before goods ever reach a shelf. None of these are theoretical. All three are operating commercially, and all three address, with surgical precision, the exact infrastructure gaps the minister described.

Before she left, Kayikwamba Wagner turned to Vinovezky with a candor that stopped the room: “This was really excellent, Ambassador. Congratulations. The program was just amazing.” 

Then: “Ambassador, I will come here for a whole week immersion. I don’t want to go. This is wonderful.” He smiled and told her a whole week would not be enough – but they would make it work.

What followed was the visit’s most consequential moment. Leaning toward Vinovezky, she said: “It’s giving me a lot of ideas for the president’s visit. We have to think about how we want to organize it.” She intended to call the president’s chief of staff that week to begin planning. 

SouthUp will deliver technical portfolios directly to Congolese investment and diplomatic agencies to establish commercial matching tracks. A presidential visit to the Western Negev – eagerly anticipated by both sides, and awaiting official confirmation – is already taking shape on the horizon.

What Israel has to offer Africa is not charity. It is a method: take the hardest conditions you have, and make them the source of your most useful ideas. The Western Negev has been doing exactly that for generations – and if all goes as both sides intend, the president of the Democratic Republic of the Congo will soon see it for himself.

The writer is the director of Innovation Diplomacy and Strategic Partnerships for Hamitba – The Western Negev Innovation Authority.

This post was originally published on here.