Iran’s Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, on Saturday dismissed the possibility of war erupting in the Middle East despite an escalating confrontation with the United States, as was reported by Reuters. “There will be no war because neither do we want a war, nor has anyone the idea or illusion it can confront Iran in the region,” Zarif said at the conclusion of a visit to Beijing.
Edited by: JV Staff
Tensions between the two countries has increased in recent days after the US military deployed an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Middle East in a move meant to counter “clear indications” of threats from Iran to American forces in the region.
Earlier this week the United States pulled some diplomatic staff from its embassy in neighboring Iraq following attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf.
The tensions began after President Trump pulled out of the 2015 deal last May later imposed two rounds of sanctions against Iran.
Earlier this month, Zarif announced that that Iran will reduce some “voluntary” commitments within its nuclear deal with world powers but will not withdraw from it.
Following Zarif’s announcement, the US imposed new sanctions on Iran’s iron, steel, aluminum, and copper sectors.
“The fact is that Trump has officially said and reiterated again that he does not want a war, but people around him are pushing for war on the pretext that they want to make America stronger against Iran,” Zarif said on Saturday, according to Reuters.
On Tuesday, President Trump described as “fake news” a New York Times report saying acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan had presented his national security team with a plan that “envisions sending as many as 120,000 troops to the Middle East should Iran attack American forces or accelerate work on nuclear weapons.”
The NYT reported that during a Wednesday morning meeting in the Situation Room, President Trump sent a message to his hawkish aides that he does not want the intensifying American pressure campaign against the Iranians to explode into open conflict.
For now, an administration that had appeared to be girding for conflict seems more determined to find a diplomatic off-ramp.
Asked on Thursday whether the United States was going to war with Iran, Trump replied, “I hope not.”
According to the NYT report, State Department officials, speaking to reporters, set a red line that they warned Iran would cross at its peril: It could not ramp up its nuclear fuel production to the point where it could produce a nuclear weapon in less than one year.
Embattled congresswoman Ilhan Omar wrote an article with a Jewish colleague condemning Jew-hatred and Islamaphobia, without mentioning the persistent accusations of anti-Semitism she has faced.
By: WIN Staff
Freshman Democratic lawmaker Ilhan Omar co-authored an op-ed published by CNN this week condemning hatred of Jews and Muslims.
Omar, who is Muslim, wrote the piece with Democratic congresswoman Jan Schakowsky, who is Jewish.
In the article, Omar and Schakowsky explain, “As a Muslim American and a Jewish American elected to the United States Congress, we can no longer sit silently as terror strikes our communities,” referring explicitly to the recent deadly shooting at a California synagogue in April and the mosque massacre in New Zealand in March.
Omar and Schakowsky continue, “We cannot allow those who seek to divide and intimidate us to succeed. Whatever our differences, our two communities, Muslim and Jewish, must come together to confront the twin evils of anti-Semitic and Islamophobic violence.”
While the article notes that Jews “for centuries have faced discrimination, dehumanization, scapegoating and even genocide,” Omar opted not to address the persistent accusations of anti-Semitism she has faced over the past several years.
These accusations followed posts on social medial in which Omar claimed that Israel “hypnotiz[es] the world,” practices “apartheid,” commits “evil doings,” and relies on lobbyists in the U.S. to bribe elected officials in order to ensure support.
In the run-up to her election to the House of Representatives, Omar also told a 1,000-strong crowd at a Minneapolis area synagogue that she deems the anti-Israel BDS boycott movement“unhelpful.” One week after winning the election, she admitted to the MuslimGirl.com website that she has always supported BDS.
Omar has also invoked the notion that support for Israel represents a “push for allegiance to a foreign country,” which many have identified as an extension of the anti-Semitic dual loyalty trope foisted on Jewish communities in nations throughout the world.
In addition to their discussion of anti-Semitism and Islamaphobia in the CNN piece, Omar and Schakowsky also accuse President Donald Trump of “normaliz[ing] white nationalism.” (World Israel News)
The ill-fated Israeli Beresheet spacecraft attempted to land on the moon but it crashed instead during the landing sequence on April 11th. Now, NASA has released images that helped researchers discover the crash site, according to a CNN report.
Edited by: JV Staff
Israel was the smallest country to try a moon landing in a $100 million privately funded project. Beresheet was privately funded by nonprofit SpaceIL. Its name was a reference to the first words of the Bible in Hebrew, which translates to “In the beginning.”
Things went well during the descent, but then officials on Earth lost contact with the spacecraft. SpaceIL said its engineers believe that a technical glitch caused the main engine to shut down and later “made it impossible to slow the spacecraft’s descent.” Engineers were able to restart communications with the spacecraft, but officials said it was too late; it was moving too fast to land properly.
Other countries that have made it to the moon have been all superpowers; the United States, Russia and China. Suffice it to say, that the funding for space programs of these countries far exceeded that of Israel’s. Subsequent to the crash, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed that Israel would make another attempt in the future to reach the moon successfully.
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has been orbiting for a decade, passed over the landing site April 22 and took images.
CNN reported that the photos, taken from 56 miles above the surface, feature a telling smudge 32.8 feet wide. There’s a halo of lighter, more reflective material around the dark smudge, suggesting that the soil around the landing site smoothed out as it was blown away, the agency said.
It’s not known whether the impact created a crater on the lunar surface. If there is one, it isn’t visible in the photos, but that could be due to the distance. It’s also possible that the impact formed only an indent, rather than a crater, because the spacecraft was lightweight and had a low velocity and a low approach angle, compared with a dense meteoroid of similar size, according to the CNN report.
The moon is impacted by material from space all the time, leaving craters behind.
The spacecraft was launched in February and went on a seven-week journey to reach the moon. It circled the Earth multiple times before being “slingshotted” to the moon, traveling about 4 million miles in the process.
If the Israeli team had been successful, it would have been the first private enterprise to make a controlled moon landing, with the smallest spacecraft and the smallest budget.
The Netherlands won the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv on Saturday night, with Duncan Laurence’s doleful piano ballad “Arcade” crowned champion of Europe’s annual music extravaganza, according to an AP report.
Edited by: JV Staff
The 25-year-old was tapped as an early front-runner before the Grand Final but was only ranked third after the vote of professional juries from the 41 participating countries, trailing Sweden and North Macedonia, according to the AP report. He surged ahead thanks to the fan vote, securing The Netherlands its fifth win ever in the competition. Italy finished second, followed by Russia, Switzerland and Norway.
“This is to dreaming big. This is to music first, always,” Laurence said, as he was handed the trophy from last year’s winner, Israel’s Netta Barzilai.
About 200 million people around the world were believed to have watched the annual campy contest with 26 nations battling in the Grand Final of the 64th Eurovision Song Contest, according to the AP.
Madonna was the star attraction, performing her 1989 hit “Like a Prayer”, accompanied by a 35-strong choir, and she officially introduced to the world the song “Future” from her forthcoming album called Madame X. At one point during her performance, a pair of her dancers – one wearing a costume emblazoned with the Palestinian flag, another with the Israeli flag – embraced as they ascended a set of stairs.
The European Broadcasting Union rebuked the pop superstar for injecting politics in this “non-political” event.
“This part of the performance was not part of the rehearsals which had been approved by the EBU and the host broadcaster, Kan,” the broadcasting union said in a statement. “The Eurovision Song Contest is a non-political event and Madonna has been made aware of it.”
But as per usual, the outspoken and no-holes barred “Material Girl” had her say in the geopolitical arena, despite the warning not to raise political issues.
Madonna’s very participation has brought protests from the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which has for years been pushing for investors and artists to shun Israel over its decades-long military presence in the Palestinian territories, and led calls for a boycott of this year’s Eurovision.
In a statement carried by the media earlier this week, Madonna said: “I’ll never stop playing music to suit someone’s political agenda nor will I stop speaking out against violations of human rights wherever in the world they may be.”
According to a Jerusalem Post report, Madonna told Eurovision co-host Assi Azar in the early hours of Sunday morning that she was thrilled to be in Israel. Azar introduced the superstar at the Eurovision grand finale, saying it was a “very emotional night” to talk to “the biggest pop star in the world.”
“Everyone here is from all over the world,” Madonna said, according to a JPost report. “So many countries that I have been privileged enough to visit, and experience, and the one thing that brings me to those countries, and the thing that brings all of us here tonight, is music, and the power of music to bring people together.”
Turning to the 26 gathered delegations seated behind her in the green room, Madonna said that everyone competing were “all winners no matter what happens.” The singer said she knows that in order “to get here, where you are right now, was not easy.”
Israeli-Canadian businessman Sylvan Adams who claims to be a self appointed ambassador for Israel at large paid Madonna $1 million to perform at Eurovision.
According to a report in the Jerusalem Post, Adams made his fortune in real estate in his native Quebec as president and CEO of Iberville Developments, one of Canada’s largest real-estate development companies, founded by his father, Marcel, one of Canada’s most successful real estate developers.
The report indicated that Adams and his wife Margaret made aliyah to Israel in 2015. He asserts that that his “big” approach to putting the spotlight on his adopted country is the most effective way to win it new friends.
Madonna took the elaborate stage after participants wrapped up their performances shortly after midnight when the elaborate voting process got underway across Europe, according to the AP report.
Later, Icelandic entrants Hatari displayed scarfs with Palestinian flags as their points scores were read out, incurring boos from the Tel Aviv audience.
Israel’s entry into the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest said Saturday night that he was happy with his performance and proud to represent Israel, despite his disappointing finish, according to a Times of Israel report. Kobi Marimi ended up in 23rd place with the slow, operatic ballad “Home.” He broke down in tears at the conclusion of his emotional performance.
“I’m very happy and grateful to the audience for the applause, and for the flags they brought to the venue. This is a moment I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” Marimi said.
Marimi cried as he ended the song, barely managing to thank the crowd in Hebrew, according to a TOI report.
“Wow” is all the local announcer could manage. “It was a lot of fun for me. There were rehearsals with an audience, but it was never like that before. The number of Israeli flags that were there. It was crazy,” an upbeat Marimi told the Kan public broadcaster.
“I kept crying after I came down from the stage. The whole delegation, we were all crying,” he said, calling the performance an emotional “roller coaster.”
According to a JPost report, the Shalva Band, comprised mostly of young adults with various disabilities, performed at the semi-finals of the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv Thursday. They quickly conquered viewers’ hearts. The eight-piece band, which includes Israelis with blindness, Down syndrome and other physical and developmental disabilities, called on spectators to never stop dreaming. The band performed a rendition of A Million Dreams from the film The Greatest Showman.
Israel earned the right to host the show after Barzilai won last year’s competition with her catchy pop anthem “Toy.”
For Israel, the mega event offered a much-anticipated opportunity to put its good face forward. Israel-themed promotional clips featuring each of the participants dancing in various scenic locations across the country streamed before each performance to a TV audience expected to be larger than that of the Super Bowl.
According to the AP report, the Eurovision contest itself was being hosted by a quartet of Israeli celebrities, including top model Bar Refaeli. Israel’s own Wonder Woman Gal Gadot also made a cameo video appearance. The Tel Aviv hall was packed with thousands of screaming fans, while tens of thousands gathered to watch the final at the city-sponsored Eurovision village in Tel Aviv and at public screenings elsewhere.
Sweden’s soulful “Too Late for Love,” sung by John Lundvik, topped the professional jury vote and seemed to be on its way to carrying forward Sweden’s successful Eurovision track record 45 years after Swedish icons ABBA won with “Waterloo.”
Israel has won the Eurovision four previous times and it has provided the country with some of its cultural touchstones. “Hallelujah” became the country’s unofficial national song after Milk and Honey won the contest for Israel when it hosted the event in the late 1970s, and Dana International became a national hero and global transgender icon when she won with “Diva” in 1998. Barzilai became a role model for plus-size women after her win last year. She has been unapologetic about her weight, the loud colors she wears, and the funky chicken moves and sounds that have become her trademark, according to the AP report.
Eric D. Fingerhut is leaving his position as president and CEO of Hillel International to become president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America.
By: Ed Carroll
“I grew up in Cleveland,” said Fingerhut in a statement provided by JFNA. “My mother was a receptionist at the … Cleveland Jewish News for 30 years. My father sold insurance. I didn’t realize it at the time, but my early life was shaped by Federation. I went to preschool at the JCC. I vividly remember carrying signs in the walkathons standing up for Israel during the 1967 and 1973 wars. Never did I imagine that nearly a half century later, I would have the opportunity to lead a movement that has impacted my life and so many others. It has a rich history, and I believe it can have an even more impactful future. I am excited to take on that challenge.”
Fingerhut will replace Jerry Silverman at JFNA. The Times of Israel reported in April 2018 that Silverman planned to step down from his position after his contract ends in September 2019.
“For more than half a decade, the Jewish world has watched as Eric spearheaded transformational change at Hillel,” said Mark Wilf, chair of the JFNA board of trustees, said in a statement. “With a clear vision for the future of Jewish life on college campuses and universities, he took a 90-year-old organization and made it new again. We believe he can bring the same energy and imagination to Federation. He’s the right leader at the right time.”
“We were certain that someone with the intellect and stamina to serve in the Ohio state legislature, in the U.S. Congress, as chancellor of Ohio’s preeminent higher educational system and as president and CEO of our community’s most important campus organization is well positioned to lead JFNA,” said Richard Sandler, chair of the JFNA CEO search committee and immediate past board chair of JFNA, in a statement.
Jared Isaacson, executive director of the Cleveland Hillel Foundation, confirmed Fingerhut was leaving Hillel for JFNA.
“As Eric prepares to move on to his new professional challenge, I am reminded how much of a positive impact he has made in supporting and advancing Jewish campus life around the world,” said Isaacson via email from Israel.
“He has significantly helped raise the profile of Hillel, making it possible for so many campuses and individual and local Hillel organizations to increase Jewish education, leadership and engagement opportunities for so many students and professionals. We will miss Eric in the Hillel world, but i am pleased that he will still be a very active member of the North American Jewish community, ensuring that JFNA continues to see the important position Hillel has in our larger Jewish community. All of us at Cleveland Hillel wish him much success in his new role at JFNA.”
“We are proud of Eric’s accomplishments and believe his appointment to lead JFNA is a testament to his success over the last five years at Hillel,” said Tina Price, chair of the Hillel International Board of Directors, in a statement posted to the organization’s Facebook account. “During his time with Hillel, Eric guided us through an ambitious strategic plan, focused on building the best talent in the Jewish world, and measuring our engagement to ensure excellence on every campus. We are excited to continue partnering with him in his new role.” (Cleveland Jewish News)
Rivka Kidron; Executive Director of Migdal Ohr, Atara Solow; Deputy Head of Mission, Benjamin Krasna; Dean & Founder of Migdal Ohr, Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman; Pulitzer Prize Winning NYT Journalist, Bret Stephens. Photo Credit: Migdal Ohr
New York Times columnist and Pulitzer Prize winner Bret Stephens spoke about the history and politics of nations whose interests are guided by their values as opposed to nations whose values are guided by their interests, in a wide-ranging presentation he gave at the annual American Friends of Migdal Ohr (AFMO) Gala last night.
Edited by: JV Staff
“The West is in crisis because it is following policies that are not in keeping with its values and deep traditions, especially with the rise of antisemitism which is usually the harbinger of national decline,” Stephens said. “It is happening in Europe with the rise of fascist parties and it is happening in the U.S., when a member of Congress can explain the hold Israel has on the American imagination, as ‘about the benjamins,’ and still be held as anything other than the stain on the party she represents.”
“So, I worry about what is happening in Europe and the U.S. a great deal, but I do not worry about what is happening in Israel, because it puts its values first. When you have the IDF which is prepared to show its strength and restraint in the face of enemies who call for its destruction, it is doing well.”
“When you have a country that is passionately concerned with taking care of its weakest and most vulnerable and that they are nourished and cultivated, it is doing pretty well,” Stephens continued, referring to Migdal Ohr, which provides essential educational and life-changing programs and services to thousands of under-privileged and at-risk children across Israel.
At the Gala Dinner, American Friends of Migdal Ohr (AFMO) surpassed their fundraising goals and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for their transformative Mishpachtonim program which created a new model of care for Israeli children from underprivileged and at-risk homes. Mishpachtonim is a children’s residence framework headed by a married couple who live there with their own children. There is also a social worker on each floor who stays in close contact with the students’ biological parents; a psychologist who ensures various therapies are made available as needed, and a teacher who makes sure each child is prepared for school.
“Mishpachtonim is a special framework which provides an opportunity for our students to be a part of a nurturing and wholesome environment in a family setting, which helps them integrate into mainstream society and prepares them to build a solid family home in the future,” Founder and Dean of Migdal Ohr Educational Institutions and Israel Prize Laureate Rabbi Dovid Grossman said. “It is our moral, ethical and religious obligation, not just to help these children get back on their feet after such a challenging start to their lives but provide them with all the tools throughout their lifecycle to become good and productive citizens of Israel and the world.”
Benjamin Krasna, Deputy Head of Mission at Israel’s Embassy in Washington, spoke about the importance of Migdal Ohr to Israel’s future. “While our remarkable country marches forward with extraordinary achievements, we must never allow ourselves to leave one child behind,” Krasna explained. “Migdal Ohr is providing a beacon of light to direct us in the proper direction of morality, compassion and responsibility.”
Incoming Executive Director of AFMO Atara Solow spoke about the importance of the organization and its contribution to society. “A flourishing Migdal Ohr means a positive and constructive Israeli future as the boys and girls who pass through Migdal Ohr, with whatever challenges they arrive with, leave with a sense of purpose and the tools to succeed,” Solow said. “As an American, an Israeli, a passionate Zionist, and above all, a Jew, I can think of no better mission than to try and help this wonderful organization, led by Rabbi Dovid Grossman, continue to thrive and flourish.”
AFMO Consultant and former advisor to Israel’s Prime Minister Rivka Kidron said: “Migdal Ohr can be seen as an excellent analogy for Israel. It started with very little and with a focus on the values of development, kindness and compassion, it has become synonymous with providing those who arrived from broken homes a shelter, a place to be nurtured to grow towards a brighter future.”
For travelers who will be frequenting New York City’s JFK airport, your trip accommodations options have now been given a shot in the arm through a most spectacular addition. On Wednesday, May 15th, the brand new TWA Hotel saw its grand opening among much fanfare. Photo Credit: twahotel.com
For travelers who will be frequenting New York City’s JFK airport, your trip accommodations options have now been given a shot in the arm through a most spectacular addition. On Wednesday, May 15th, the brand new TWA Hotel saw its grand opening among much fanfare.
By: James Shillinglaw
The 512-room hotel is opening what effectively will be the only rooftop infinity pool and observation deck at the airport, both of which will remain open 365 days a year.
The water in the 63-by-20-foot infinity edge pool will cool guests in the sweltering summers, but in winter it turns into a pool-cuzzi and can be heated up to 100 degrees. Whatever the weather, the highly filtered water is purified every 30 minutes (a standard pool recirculates every six hours). Lounge chairs and TWA towels will be available at The Pool Bar & Observation Deck.
Inspired by the infinity edge pool at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d’Antibes, France, the new swimming spot has a beach entry and underwater seating, as well as a TWA logo mosaic in the signature colors of gold and red. The infinity pool and its 10,000-square-foot observation deck overlooks JFK’s bustling Runway 4 Left/22 Right, with views all the way to Jamaica Bay.
At 12,079 feet long, 4L/22R is one of the biggest runways at JFK, the fifth-busiest airport in the United States. Jets bearing the livery of American Airlines, JetBlue, Lufthansa, Delta and 70 other carriers take off and land on the stretches of concrete just beyond the TWA Hotel.
The observation deck also provides a view of the famous Bay Runway, measuring 14,511 feet long (almost three miles), runway 13 Right/31 Left is the second-longest commercial runway in North America. Indeed, the Bay Runway served as the backup landing strip for NASA’s Space Shuttle. Despite the heavy runway traffic at JFK’s 128 gates, the deck is surprisingly quiet.
Gerber Group, owner-operator of 12 innovative cocktail lounges, including Mr. Purple and The Campbell at Grand Central Terminal, will operate The Pool Bar & Observation Deck. In addition to a variety of cocktails, Gerber will serve food from a full rooftop kitchen. Guests of the TWA Hotel are welcome to use the pool as part of their stay; non-hotel guests can make reservations at twahotel.com/the poolbar. The Pool Bar & Observation Deck also can host private events for up to 300 people.
“Our rooftop pool provides a JFK runway view that rivals an air traffic controller’s vantage point,” says Tyler Morse, CEO and managing partner of MCR and Morse Development. “There’s simply no better place for plane-spotting—and enjoying a cocktail—in the world.”
The TWA Hotel, JFK Airport’s only on-airport hotel, will also feature: six restaurants, including the Paris Café, and eight bars, including The Sunken Lounge; an Intelligentsia coffee bar and coffee carts throughout the hotel grounds; 50,000 square feet of event space, including a 15,000-square-foot ballroom; the world’s biggest hotel gym: a 10,000-square-foot fitness center; high-end retail outlets, including a Shinola custom watch bar and leather goods store; a Lockheed Constellation “Connie” L-1649A transformed into a cocktail lounge; museum exhibitions on TWA, the Jet Age and midcentury modern design curated by the New-York Historical Society. (NYJTG)
Anthony Weiner and ex-wife Huma Abedin at 2016 Met Gala. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Disgraced Democrat Anthony Weiner’s 18-month prison sentence for sexting an underage girl is over.
The former Democratic congressman, whose political career, such as it was, went up in flames as a result of his conviction, told the media gathered outside the Bronx halfway house that had become his home, “I hope to be able to live a life of integrity and service. I am glad to be getting back to my family. I’m glad this chapter of my life is behind me.”
In April, “as his sentence neared its end, Mr. Weiner was designated a Level 1 sex offender by a judge in the Bronx,” the New York Times reported. “The designation, one of three given to offenders in New York State, marked Mr. Weiner as posing a low risk of repeating his offense. Under the designation, Mr. Weiner must register as a sex offender for 20 years. He will be required to verify his address every year, and he must report to the police to have a picture taken every three years, according to state regulations.”
Weiner started serving his 21-month prison sentence in November 2017 after pleading guilty to sexting with a 15-year-old girl in North Carolina. He was originally scheduled to walk out in August 2019, but due to good behavior his sentence was cut by 12 weeks.
“Weiner resigned from Congress after his sexting scandal in 2011. His NYC mayoral run fell short in 2013 after it was uncovered he was sexting Sydney Leathers under the infamous alias, “Carlos Danger,” reported TMZ. “The convicted sex offender saw his marriage fall apart after his latest sexting scandal. Huma Abedin filed for divorce just hours after Weiner struck a plea deal for sexting the teenage girl.”
Weiner’s life crashed in 2017 after prosecutors say he sent a series of sexually explicit messages to a North Carolina high school student. Weiner pleaded guilty to transferring obscene material to a minor, according to nbcphiladelphia.com. “At his sentencing, he said he’d been a “very sick man for a very long time” because of his sex addiction. Weiner’s attorney said the ex-lawmaker likely exchanged thousands of messages with hundreds of women over the years and was communicating with up to 19 women when he encountered the teenager.
Abedin filed for divorce from Weiner in 2017, NBC added. “But the two, who have a young son together, later agreed to discontinue the case in order to negotiate their separation privately.”
Despite her flurry of anti-Semitic statements and bizarre views on the Holocaust that were completely dismissive of the horrors that were inflicted on the Jews by the Nazi barbarians, it appears that that leadership of the Democratic party has seen fit to bestow the honor of presiding of the House floor to freshman Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI). Thusly, Tlaib made history on Wednesday afternoon, becoming the first Muslim woman to take this kind of leadership in the House chamber.
Edited by: JV Staff
Her turn in taking the reins of leadership in the proceedings came months after she, along with Minnesota Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar, became the first Muslim women to join the US Congress. Omar has distinguished herself for her own vile and putrid manifestations of anti-Semitism as she has referred to Jews are money grubbers, (It’s all about the Benjamins!) and influence buyers. She has also unloaded her own vitriolic rhetoric against Israel and called for funding to the Jewish State from the US to cease, among other related matters.
Tlaib told CNN ahead of the moment that her family would be tuning into C-SPAN to watch from home.
“I’m excited, my family’s excited,” Tlaib said.
CNN reported that proceedings on the House floor are led by the speaker of the House or people presiding in her sted from the speaker’s party. House freshmen, like Tlaib, have been worked slowly into the rotation recently of learning how to preside over the floor.
Last Friday, Tlaib’s fellow freshman Democrat, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, presided for the first time, becoming the youngest woman ever to do so.
“Today I presided over the House floor for the first time. Every day here is a sacred privilege + responsibility entrusted to me by my community. I never forget that, and moments like these drive it home. Thank you to the people of NY14 + beyond. This House belongs to all of us,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted after she was through.
CNN reported that Iowa Democratic Rep. Abby Finkenauer also presided over the House for her first time last week, and afterward, she tweeted that when she texted her parents about watching, she found out they record C-SPAN “all day, every single day we are in session.”
“Today, I learned that my parents record CSPAN, all day, every single day we are in session. So, that’s adorable,” Finkenauer tweeted.
Tlaib has made waves since joining Congress, and has recently found herself in the center of a growing controversy from prominent Republican leaders and Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations (Danny Danon) for hate filled comments about Israel and the Holocaust that she and top Democrats said were misconstrued for political ends.
“Policing my words, twisting & turning them to ignite vile attacks on me will not work. All of you who are trying to silence me will fail miserably. I will never allow you to take my words out of context to push your racist and hateful agenda. The truth will always win,” Tlaib said in response to the backlash.
In her comments, Tlaib did indeed make ahistorical claims about Palestinians providing a “safe haven” for Jews fleeing Europe ahead of the establishment of the modern state of Israel, despite deep-seated opposition at the time to Jewish settlement there and the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at an event marking one year since the transfer of the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and announcing the moving of the Ambassador's official residence to Jerusalem, on May 14, 2019. Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.
Speaking to evangelical leaders in Jerusalem, U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman says the paper should “spend a little less time defending terrorists and more time defending the truth.”
By: Alex Traiman
U.S. Ambassador to Israel David M. Friedman fired back at The New York Times on Wednesday over an article castigating him for claiming that Israel was “on the side of God” while speaking about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the upcoming U.S. peace proposal.
Speaking to a group of evangelical faith leaders at the Aish Hatorah World Center, overlooking the Western Wall plaza and the Temple Mount, Friedman said that, “apparently, there was nothing more offensive I could have said to The New York Times.”
The event, organized by the Latin Coalition for Israel, led by Pastor Mario Bramnick, was also attended by First Lady of Guatemala Patricia Marroquín, Guatemalan Ambassador to Israel Mario Búcaro Flores and former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Danny Ayalon.
The Times called Friedman’s comments “the latest sign of an anything but evenhanded approach to the conflict by the Trump administration,” and noted that Palestinians were “slack-jawed” at Friedman’s remarks. The article claimed that the “Palestinians [were] complaining that Mr. Friedman was representing the interests of Israel’s right-wing government more than those of the United States.”
The article quoted critics of Friedman’s statements, including former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer, and Palestinian negotiators Saeb Erakat and Hanan Ashwari, the latter of whom was recently denied an entry visa to the United States.
Friedman defended his remarks, saying that “billions of people around the world accept the Old Testament as part of their faith.” He explained that the Old Testament chronicles the Jewish people’s initial arrival and subsequent exiles from the land of Israel.
“Most of the prophecies are about the return of the nation of Israel to their land. And it is happening in our lifetime,” Friedman said, adding that “just being in this room is evidence that the prophecy of Ezekiel and others have come true.”
“So where am I off in saying that God is on the side of Israel?” Friedman asked. “The fact that God has fulfilled his prophecies and delivered the people of Israel to their land is demonstrably true.”
Following the lead of President Donald Trump, who has continuously criticized mainstream media outlets, and Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer, who recently called the Times a “cesspool of hostility” to Israel, Friedman fired back sharply at the paper, stating, “If anyone speaks to the editors of the Times, they should tell the Times to spend a little less time to defending terrorists and spend a little more time defending the truth.” (JNS.org)
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, in remarks over the weekend, told a crowd of supporters that Poland would never compensate Holocaust survivors for their losses, a political rallying cry that has garnered him support of hardliners. "We'll never pay WWII property compensation as we were main victims," the prime minister was quoted as saying. Photo Credit: Poland.pl
Congress pressures admin to make Poland resolve Holocaust-era claims as talk over ‘Fort Trump’ continue
By: Adam Kredo
A coalition of lawmakers in Congress are considering a range of initiatives that would force the Trump administration to demand Poland resolve Holocaust-era claims before the United States agrees to host a permanent military base in the country that has come to be known as Fort Trump, according to multiple U.S. officials and other sources working on the matter.
The Trump administration and Polish officials have been in talks for some time to establish a new permanent U.S. military base in the country to counter threats posed by Russia and Iranian regime assets known to have plotted terror attacks in the region.
However, many members of Congress and top Jewish communal officials behind the scenes have been lobbying the Trump administration and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to amplify the matter.
Poland remains the only country in the European Union to not have instituted laws mandating restitution to aging Holocaust survivors and their families who had their property and other assets confiscated during World War II. Poland—which is experiencing a resurgence in anti-Semitism—has balked on these demands, arguing that it was just as much a victim of the Nazis as the millions of Polish Jews who were sent to death camps.
With negotiations over Fort Trump ongoing, lawmakers see an opportunity to use U.S. leverage to force Poland to finally confront the restitution issue. Pompeo has raised it several times in talks with Polish officials, winning plaudits from Jewish groups. Sources at the State Department say the conversations are ongoing.
It could fall to Congress, however, to issue legislation that would withhold funding for Fort Trump until the restitution issue is resolved, according to multiple congressional and Jewish community officials who spoke to the Washington Free Beacon about the matter.
“On Holocaust assurance, [the Poles] are using restitution as a game and bringing more anti-Semitism to a country with a heavy history,” said one congressional source familiar with efforts to push the restitution issue. “Basically, there is no way they should get the benefit of a fort without resolving these issues.”
The issue of Polish restitution comes at a tense time in Europe, as anti-Semitism surges across the continent, particularly in Poland, where scores of nationalist protestors took to the streets last week to advocate against Holocaust restitution. Many of the protesters used anti-Semitic images and rhetoric as they attacked President Donald Trump, pro-Israel members of Congress, and Jewish groups who support restitution.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, in remarks over the weekend, told a crowd of supporters that Poland would never compensate Holocaust survivors for their losses, a political rallying cry that has garnered him support of hardliners.
“We’ll never pay WWII property compensation as we were main victims,” the prime minister was quoted as saying.
These latest developments have fueled calls by advocates to link Fort Trump to the restitution issue in a bid to exert pressure on Poland to resolve the matter.
A congressional letter circulating on Capitol Hill urges Secretary of State Pompeo and the White House to pressure their Polish counterparts over the restitution issue, according to a copy of that draft letter viewed by the Free Beacon.
“Now is the time, while the last Holocaust survivors are still alive, to back up our words with meaningful action,” the letter states. “We encourage you to pursue bold initiatives to help Poland to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.”
Poland has not yet fulfilled its promises to Holocaust survivors and others from whom property was confiscated and time is running out,” the letter warns. “As staunch supporters of the U.S.-Poland relationship, we are writing to urge you to act boldly and with urgency to help Poland resolve this issue comprehensively, and in the context of strengthening the bilateral relationship between our countries.”
Poland remains an outlier when it comes to Holocaust restitution, having refused multiple bids by Jewish groups and others to pressure the government into acting.
“After the war, the Communist regime in Poland nationalized property owned by Jews and non-Jews,” it continues. “In the decades since the fall of the Iron Curtain, Jewish Holocaust survivors of Polish origin and their families as well as others have found it nearly impossible to reclaim or seek compensation for the property that was nationalized by the Polish Communist regime. In fact, Poland is the only country in the European Union that has not passed a comprehensive law for the restitution of private property, despite pledging to do so in 2009 when it endorsed the Terezin Declaration on Holocaust Era Assets along with the United States and 45 other nations.”
As the last remaining Holocaust survivors grow older, U.S. lawmakers say it is finally time to acknowledge their claims and provide relief.
“Seventy-four years after the end of the Second World War, the remaining Holocaust survivors are aging and cannot wait any longer for justice,” the letter states. “That is why 59 U.S. senators wrote to the Prime Minister of Poland in March 2018 urging the passage of legislation that would meet the Terezin Declaration’s standards by creating a claims process conducted ‘in a fair, comprehensive and non-discriminatory manor.'”
In May 2018, Congress unanimously passed the Justice for Uncompensated Survivors Today, known as the JUST Act, to help hold nations such as Poland responsible for their commitments to help these Holocaust survivors.
The State Department under Pompeo has raised the issue multiple times and U.S. officials say the Trump administration will continue to do so.
“As the secretary stated, we appreciate the importance of resolving outstanding issues of the past, and we urge our Polish colleagues to move forward with comprehensive private property restitution legislation for those who lost property during the Holocaust era,” a State Department official told the Free Beacon.
“The Department will continue to engage officials in Poland, as well as others in the region, to discuss restitution of Holocaust-era property, compensation, Holocaust education, and how best to preserve and protect important Jewish heritage sites,” the official said.
Eric Gallagher, Washington representative for the World Jewish Restitution Organization, told the Free Beacon that Pompeo’s efforts to raise the issue have helped place it in the public forefront.
“It was highly significant that Pompeo raised the issue and we appreciate the secretary’s leadership on this,” Gallagher said.
One veteran Jewish communal official who has worked on the matter told the Free Beacon that Congress is frustrated over Poland’s intransigence. Top Polish officials, sources said, failed to respond to the 2018 letter sent by nearly 60 senators urging the Polish government to finally resolve the matter.
“Poland should not test their relationship with the Jewish community, or Israel for that matter, by their continuing intransigence in refusing to include restitution,” said the source, who requested anonymity to discuss the issue frankly. “But more than that, by not stepping up to do the right thing, Poland is threatening its national interests by putting its most important diplomatic relationship at dire risk—the United States is America. If they’re not going to listen to us, as Jews, they’ll need to listen to us, as Americans.”
A second Jewish communal insider also familiar with the matter said that Poland is unwisely jeopardizing its relationship with the United States.
“I think Congress is getting frustrated because Poland has been insisting that it intended to resolve the issue of private property restitution, and then after Pompeo visited Warsaw it reneged on that promise, and publicly,” said the source, who would only speak on background to discuss private meetings. (Washington Free Beacon)
On Tuesday, Christians United for Israel (CUFI), the nation’s largest pro-Israel organization, announced that it had surpassed the six million member mark. The announcement comes less than six months after the organization reached 5 million members, and one year after CUFI founder and Chairman Pastor John Hagee delivered the benediction at the ceremony formally opening the U.S. Embassy to Israel in Jerusalem.
“When we set out to create a national grassroots Christian Zionist organization in 2006 we could not have fathomed it would grow to become six million plus nor could we have conceived of how vital CUFI would be at this moment in history. Anti-Semitism has slipped away from the fringes of our nation and is now increasingly rearing its ugly head in the mainstream of American discourse. The members of CUFI shine six million lights on this dark abomination that hides in plain sight. Christians United for Israel will stand with the Jewish people and the state of Israel whatever comes our way,” Hagee said.
“I never thought I would see a day when rank anti-Semitism was commonplace on the American college campus and Congressional leaders equivocated in their condemnation of those who traffic in anti-Jewish tropes. Yet that day is upon us. I thank God that Pastor Hagee had the courage and foresight to create CUFI. For the first time in history, the Jewish community – in Israel, here at home, and elsewhere in the world – is not alone,” noted CUFI co-executive director Shari Dollinger.
In recent years, as the organization has grown faster and larger than ever before, CUFI has seen significant successes advancing its policy agenda, including:
March 2018: After a 15 month lobbying campaign, including more than one million emails sent to elected officials by CUFI members, the Taylor Force Act becomes law.
May 2018: The US formally opens its Embassy in Jerusalem after more than 135,000 CUFI members emailed the White House asking the President to keep his pledge.
June 2018: With CUFI’s support, Kenneth Marcus is confirmed as the Department of Education’s Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights.
August 2018: Shortly after CUFI engaged an in an effort to work with elected officials in Washington to introduce legislation aimed at ending UNRWA’s malevolent influence in the Middle East, President Donald Trump cuts off all U.S. funding to the U.N. agency.
October 2018: After a month’s long, behind the scenes lobbying effort, including an op-ed announcing the group’s intention to address the problems with the 1992 Anti-Terrorism Act, the Anti-Terrorism Clarification Act of 2018 passes both houses of Congress and is signed into law by the President.
December 2018: The Stop Using Human Shields Act, renamed the Sanctioning of the Use of Civilians as Defenseless Shields Act, which was introduced during the 2018 CUFI Washington Summit, is signed into law.
March 2019: One week after CUFI released a statement backing associated legislation and after a month long lobbying campaign, the U.S. recognizes Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.
As a result of CUFI’s efforts, leaders in Washington and Jerusalem have acknowledged the organization’s central role in strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship:
“In Jerusalem, our President said that the bond between America and Israel in his words “is woven together in the hearts of our people” — and Christians United for Israel proves this statement true every single day all across this country.”
– Vice President Mike Pence
“I consider CUFI a vital part of Israel’s national security.”
– Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
“Standing up against this global pressure campaign on Israel and the Jewish people goes to the heart of our friendship and the heart of America. And the tip of the spear is Christians United for Israel.”
– Ambassador Nikki Haley
“For decades, America has been the backbone of Israel’s support in the world. Well, the backbone of that backbone is the support of millions of devout Christians across this great country. More than any other Christian organization, CUFI works year after year to make that backbone stronger and straighter than ever.”
– Ambassador Ron Dermer
In less than two months, CUFI will be holding its 14th annual Washington Summit. Confirmed speakers include, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, Senators John Cornyn, Roy Blunt, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio, Representative Dan Crenshaw, and thirteen-time Major League Baseball All-Star Pastor Mariano Rivera.
Christians United for Israel is the largest pro-Israel organization in the United States and one of the leading Christian grassroots movements in the world. CUFI spans all fifty states and reaches millions with its message. Each year CUFI holds hundreds of pro-Israel events in cities around the country. And each July, thousands of pro-Israel Christians gather in Washington, D.C. to participate in the CUFI Washington Summit and make their voices heard in support of Israel and the Jewish People.
After Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s remarks on how she felt “comforted” about her Palestinian ancestors’ role during and after the Holocaust set off a firestorm (as expected), I put out a video yesterday to correct her distortions, and without warning prior, or notice thereafter, I woke up today to discover that Facebook had removed my video (see it on Twitter).
It’s outrageous to think that for a video that did nothing but directly quote Rashida Tlaib along with the famous video of Hitler meeting with the Palestinian Mufti as they discussed their ‘shared problem of the Jews’, Facebook censored me and shut down my free speech.
As we’ve seen social media platforms de-platform voices that don’t jive with their far-Left outlook and agenda, it should come as no surprise that they’ve made me a target. But it should be unacceptable, particularly as there was no mention of it. It simply disappeared. The interesting thing is that others posted my video directly from their accounts and the video was not removed.
Please join my call for Facebook to reinstate my video post at once!
(P.S. I’ve included screenshots of the following: a Whatsapp message showing that the post was live on Facebook with a live link, and the message you get from Facebook when you follow that original link, so you can see it was all actually posted and removed.)
Superstar pop icon Madonna was scheduled to perform at the conclusion of the Eurovision contest, despite pressure from anti-Israel forces to cancel her appearance. According to a Reuters report, the “Material Girl” said, “I’ll never stop playing music to suit someone’s political agenda nor will I stop speaking out against violations of human rights wherever in the world they may be.” Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Contestants from 41 countries walked an orange carpet in Tel Aviv’s “Culture Square” on Sunday for the opening ceremony of Eurovision 2019, brushing aside security concerns and calls for a Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) boycott.
Controversy, however, continues to swirl around the 64th Eurovision Song Contest where the semi-finals were held on Tuesday evening and will be held again on Thursday ahead of the grand final on Saturday. Tel Aviv was chosen as the locale as it is Israel’s hub of entertainment and business enterprises of all stripes.
According to a Haaretz report, the winning 10 acts will qualify for Saturday’s Grand Final.
The 17 competing Tuesday are representatives from Cyprus, Montenegro, Finland, Poland, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Belarus, Serbia, Belgium, Georgia, Australia, Iceland, Estonia, Portugal, Greece and San Marino, according to the Haaretz report.
Last year’s winner, Israel’s Netta Barzilai, opened the show on Tuesday night with a special version of her song “Toy” which catapulted her to fame this time last year in Lisbon. The winning country customarily hosts the following year. Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Last year’s winner, Israel’s Netta Barzilai, opened the show on Tuesday night with a special version of her song “Toy” which catapulted her to fame this time last year in Lisbon. The winning country customarily hosts the following year.
Eurovision fans at home may vote if they are from one of the 17 countries participating in the semi-final, as was reported by Haaretz.
The so-called “Big Five”–Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Spain–automatically get into the Grand Final as they make the biggest financial contributions to the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which produces the competition. In addition Israel, as the host country, pre-qualifies, according to the Haaretz report.
Viewers from Israel, France and Spain are eligible to vote in the first semi-final while people from Britain, Germany and Italy may vote in the second one.
Superstar pop icon Madonna was scheduled to perform at the conclusion of the Eurovision contest, despite pressure from anti-Israel forces to cancel her appearance. According to a Reuters report, the “Material Girl” said, “I’ll never stop playing music to suit someone’s political agenda nor will I stop speaking out against violations of human rights wherever in the world they may be.” Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Superstar pop icon Madonna was scheduled to perform at the conclusion of the Eurovision contest, despite pressure from anti-Israel forces to cancel her appearance. According to a Reuters report, the “Material Girl” said, “I’ll never stop playing music to suit someone’s political agenda nor will I stop speaking out against violations of human rights wherever in the world they may be.”
“My heart breaks every time I hear about the innocent lives that are lost in this region and the violence that is so often perpetuated to suit the political goals of people who benefit from this ancient conflict. I hope and pray that we will soon break free from this terrible cycle of destruction and create a new path towards peace,” she added.
Reuters reported that Madonna, 60, is expected to perform two songs in Tel Aviv, one from her upcoming “Madame X” album to be released in June. In recent interviews, Madonna had said that she had chosen the name of her upcoming album from the nickname that she was dubbed by her first dance instructor when she arrived in New York City in the late 1970s from her native Michigan.
She had taken her world tours to Israel in 2009 and 2012 and is a follower of the mystical form of Judaism known as Kabbalah. Reports circulated in recent years that Madonna had considered purchasing property in or near the ancient Kabbalistic city of Tzfat in northern Israel.
Reuters also reported that the singer’s Ray of Light foundation, which promotes social justice and women’s empowerment worldwide, supports a number of Palestinian projects.
They include funding teachers’ salaries at schools in the Gaza Strip through the United Nations Palestinian Refugee Agency UNRWA and micro loans to female farmers through the Palestine Fair Trade Association. The foundation also supports Americans for Peace Now, which campaigns for a diplomatic solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Israel has launched a PR campaign to counter calls for a boycott of the Eurovision contest by the international boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. Security has been tight in Tel Aviv amid fears that activists may seek to disrupt the competition.
Haaretz reported that last Wednesday, the Gaza-based Palestinian Artists Association called for a boycott of Eurovision, saying that Israel was using the event to “perpetuate oppression, promote injustice or whitewash a brutal apartheid regime.”
As the Eurovision ceremony began, more than a dozen local and international BDS activists held a solidarity protest with Palestinian prisoners, briefly blocking one of the main entrances to the opening ceremony for 20 minutes, according to a Haaretz report. They were removed by 20-30 police and border police, who relocated the protestors to a different section, where the protest was allowed to continue, as was reported by Haaretz.
One protester, Sophia Ton, a musician from Russia, told Haaretz: “I am against cultural washing and the withdrawing of the world community’s attention from the Israeli-Palestinian crisis. You cannot host a cultural, music event in a place with a racist, apartheid regime. Art and culture should be a messenger for change, not for hiding the truth.”
Haaretz reported that BDS activists have called on artists and broadcasters to withdraw, saying that holding it in Tel Aviv amounted to “artwashing–whitewashing through arts” Israel’s policies toward Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.
According to the Independent of the UK, the rock band ‘Alice Wolf’ have joined the boycott of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
The Mercury Prize-winning band spoke to Sky News, where they accused Israel of “weaponizing culture” and of being “serial human rights abusers”.
Wolf Alice guitarist Joff Oddie claimed that the country was using Eurovision and wider culture to “whitewash over their human rights abuses”, and said the boycott was a response to “a call from Palestinian civil society”.
“If you say you’re not gonna go to Israel, then lots of people ask you why you’re going to other countries where you don’t believe in their government’s actions,” frontwoman Ellie Rowsell added. ”People ask, ‘Why do you go to America? Does that mean you support Trump?’
“And I can see why [they] think that’s hypocritical, but you won’t do anything if you think like that. Everywhere’s f****d, and in terms of the cultural boycott of Israel, that’s what the Palestinian people have asked for.”
Meanwhile, the Times of Israel has reported that the Israeli government had taken steps to set up a public relations campaign aiming to counter calls to boycott the Eurovision Song Contest, according to a report on Friday.
The initiative posts advertisements on Google which appear to be in support of the boycott movement, but which actually link to a pro-Israel website, as was reported by Reuters. The campaign’s website describes Israel as “Beautiful, Diverse, Sensational,” a play on the initials of the movement.
The website, boycotteurovision.net, highlights Israel’s attributes with videos featuring footage of Eurovision contestants, Tel Aviv’s gay pride week and tourist sites around the country, alongside photo montages and talking points playing up Israel’s diversity, landscapes and culture, according to a Times of Israel report.
The Israeli counter-campaign, according to a Haaretz report, confronts and formidably challenges incessant BDS attacks and accuses some BDS supporters of being anti-Semitic or having ties to militant groups such as Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs and Public Diplomacy confirmed that it was running the campaign.
In a report that appeared last Thursday in the Guardian of London, the Israeli foreign ministry said that they intended to bar entry to people known to be planning to disrupt the contest.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Emmanuel Nahshon told the British newspaper that Israel would only ban those who broke Israeli law, which includes a prohibition on support for boycotts of the Jewish state, according to a Haaretz report.
“This is going to be a huge party in which thousands of people will participate but we will remain extremely vigilant in order to make sure that no one comes here in order to disturb and destroy,” Nahshon said, according to The Guardian.
Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan, whose office is in charge of battling BDS, reacted on Twitter to a report about Israel attempting to prevent BDS activists from arriving in Israel for the Eurovision competition. He said that the report that was originally in the Guardian of the UK was “another lie” put forth by the paper. Photo Credit: Wikipedia
However, Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan, whose office is in charge of battling BDS, reacted to the report on Twitter, saying it was “another lie by The Guardian.”
Haaretz reported that concerns had been raised that the contest could be disrupted by a surge in cross-border violence between Israel and Hamas terrorists in Gaza, who are being supported by the Iranian regime. A cease-fire that went into effect a week ago has been holding thus far.
The Presenting Partner of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest is a group known as MyHeritage. As part of their One Big Family project, they have extensively researched the background of several of Eurovision’s contestants based on their DNA profile.
The first semi-final was opened by last year’s winner, Netta Barzilai. Netta’s MyHeritage DNA results showed the different journeys her ancestors took before her grandparents met, and even gave her a few surprises. She is 51.4% Sephardic Jewish from North Africa, 45.4% Ashkenazi Jewish, 1.7% Baltic, and 1.5% Irish, Scottish, and Welsh. Netta was thrilled to discover that she has some Irish DNA and shared her lifelong affinity for the Irish people.
Netta’s great-grandfather, Natan Barzilai, was from the town of Tomashov Lubelski in Poland. His original family name was Szpisajzen, and he changed it to Barzilai, both of which mean blacksmith.
It was reported that one of the DNA researchers also has family origins in Tomashov Lubelski, and he has a map of the town from the late 1930’s that lists the names of the residents. The family name Szpisajzen appears in several places.
The same researcher traveled to Poland and tirelessly searched for clues that would help him find out where Natan lived. He sifted through documents at the local and state archives, and with the help of some local residents, was able to finally locate Netta’s great-grandfather’s home.
As he added new details to Netta’s family tree, he discovered that he and Netta are in fact related by marriage!
Netta’s great-grandfather lived there until he moved to Israel in 1934. In addition to the home, MyHeritage uncovered his birth record and marriage certificate, as well as the marriage certificate of Netta’s great-great grandparents.
Netta’s grandfather married Netta’s grandmother Ilana. Ilana’s close resemblance to Netta is quite striking! Netta was very moved by the image of her grandmother and spoke about the profound impact she had on her life.
President Trump has rejected a report that he is considering sending 120,000 troops to counter Iran, but didn’t rule out deploying “a lot more” soldiers in the future.
“I think it’s fake news,” Trump said of a New York Times report that the White House is considering a plan to send 120,000 troops to the region.
“Now, would I do that? Absolutely. But we have not planned for that,” Trump said Tuesday.
The Pentagon has dispatched an aircraft carrier and nuclear-capable bomber planes to the region in the last few days, with a Patriot missile battery and a landing platform dock ship on the way. The Patriot system offers protection from aircraft and missiles, while the LPD carries Marines and the aircraft, hovercraft, or boats needed to put them ashore to fight in distant places.
According to the Times report, the 120,0000 troops under consideration would not be used to invade Iran, something that planners say would require much bigger numbers.
Meanwhile, a senior officer in the U.S.-led military coalition combating Islamic State said Tuesday he had seen no greater recent threat to its troops in Iraq or Syria from forces backed by Iran.
“There’s been no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria,” British Maj. Gen. Chris Ghika told reporters at the Pentagon in a video conference from coalition headquarters in Baghdad. “We’re aware of their presence, clearly, and we monitor them, along with a whole range of others because that’s the environment we’re in.”
The statement was in contrast to comments from the Trump administration and the Pentagon, both have asserted for more than a week that they have detected potential threats against American forces in the Middle East from Iran or Iranian-backed proxies.
Capt. Bill Urban, lead spokesman U.S. Central Command, said the recent comment from Ghika runs counter to the U.S.’s perceived threat from Iranian-backed forces.
“U.S. Central Command, in coordination with Operation Inherent Resolve, has increased the force posture level for all service members assigned to OIR in Iraq and Syria. As a result, OIR is now at a high level of alert as we continue to closely monitor credible and possibly imminent threats to U.S. forces in Iraq,” Urban said in a statement.
Senate Democrat Chris Coons said it is hard to determine whether a significant, new U.S. troop deployment to the Middle East is justified. Answering a VOA Persian question at a Council on Foreign Relations event in Washington on Tuesday, Coons said there has been no articulated strategy or briefing by the Trump administration to lawmakers on committees other than intelligence, regarding threats from Iran.
Coons called for continued U.S. dialogue with Washington’s European allies on Iran. “I would urge the Trump administration to work as hard diplomatically as they seem to be from the defense perspective, in terms of planning and developing a strategy and communicating it to Congress and the world.”
A senior military official told reporters Friday at the Pentagon that the Iranian threat was both “on land and sea” and included commercial dhows (small ships) that the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, a branch of Iran’s armed forces, loaded with “potential military hardware to include missiles.”
The attack is being investigated as a hate crime. Security has been increased around Jewish institutions.
The wife of the secretary of the Jewish community in Helsingborg, Sweden, was stabbed several times on Tuesday morning, reports TPS. The woman is reported in serious condition.
The stabber fled the scene, said the news agency, adding that the attack is being investigated as a hate crime.
The woman was identified as in her 60s. The identity of the assailant was not clear.
Security has been increased around Jewish institutions in the city, according to Arutz Sheva.
A member of the Jewish community said that they live in such a hostile environment that they are afraid to identify themselves as Jews.
‘Not safe to be a Jew in Sweden’
Talia, a young Jewish woman who lives in Stockholm, told World Israel News, “I’m not shocked. It’s not safe to be a Jew in Sweden.”
Even the Orthodox rabbi wears a hat rather than a kippah, fearing for his safety, she said.
She declined to give her surname, saying that when she looks for work, a potential employer could find the article. “It’s not good for one’s career here to be pro-Israel,” she explained.
“Once again, Jews in Europe are in danger,” Israeli President Reuven Rivlin stated. “Today’s brutal stabbing of a member of the Jewish community in Helsingborg, Sweden is yet another reminder that we cannot rely on fading memories of the Holocaust to keep today’s Jewish communities safe, as our schools, synagogues and community centers are turning into fortresses.
“We will fight anti-Semitism with all our might, and will speak out against these dreadful incidents. Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured, her family and community.”
In a somewhat related development, it was reported on Monday that Poland’s Foreign Ministry announced that it was cancelling the visit of a senior Israeli delegation to Warsaw to discuss Holocaust reparations.
The ministry said that it had made the decision after “Israel made last-minute changes in the composition of the delegation, indicating that the talks will focus mainly on issues related to the return of Jewish property during the Holocaust.”
The issue of returning property to Jews who suffered during the Holocaust has become a bone of contention between Israel and Poland recently. The issue has led to a wave of protests in Poland.
On Saturday, thousands of Polish nationalists marched to the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, protesting that the U.S. is putting pressure on Poland to compensate Jews whose families lost property during the Holocaust.
