6/25 Links Part 2: Pope Says Anti-Semites are not True Christians and Rihanna is Coming to Israel

From Ian:

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Barry Rubin: Unlike Madonna, the Middle East Isn’t a ‘Material Girl’

A reader pointed out that in the West, it is assumed to be obvious that Arabs understand that material advancement is necessary for progress and power. For example, Tom Friedman talked about the UN Arab Human development report written by Arab liberals. In other words, the Arabic-speaking world is shaped by the failure of leaders to understand that Western pundits know far more about their society than they do.
Understanding that Friedman doesn’t understand the Middle East, though he has persuaded a big audience otherwise, is the beginning of wisdom on the region.

French marines held over anti-terror probe

The men are accused stealing military-owned bullet-proof jackets and heavy-duty helmets.
They were arrested in connection with a probe into a terror cell implicated in an anti-Semitic bomb attack near Paris last September, it was revealed on Thursday.
A brother of one of the suspects is believed to be an Islamist extremist fighting with anti-Assad rebels in Syria.

Islamist Terror Cell Arrested in France

French police arrested six members of an Islamic terrorist cell early Monday suspected of planning attacks against well-known figures in France, sources close to the investigation told France 24.
The suspects are all in custody after coordinated raids across the Paris region, the news source said.

Who Firebombed Montreal's Kosher Restaurants?

Police have released surveillance video footage of perpetrators who firebombed two kosher restaurants in Montreal in the hopes that someone in the public might have seen the perpetrators and could offer investigators a tip on their identity.
Although no one was injured in the arson, both businesses were damaged.

‘Israel’ among keywords IRS used to target groups seeking tax-exemptions

The Internal Revenue Service’s screening of groups seeking tax-exempt status was broader and lasted longer than has been previously disclosed, the new head of the agency acknowledged Monday. Terms including “Israel,” ”Progressive” and “Occupy” were used by agency workers to help pick groups for closer examination, according to an internal IRS document obtained by The Associated Press.

Study: Almost half of Belgian, French, Hungarian Jews mull emigration

Despite the absence of state-sponsored anti-Semitism, and a renaissance of sorts in European Jewish life, Jews on the continent feel insecure about their future, two new studies show.
The studies show that almost half the Jews in Belgium, France and Hungary are considering emigrating, some to Israel, others to North America. For those who want to come to Israel, there is very little political will in Israel to help with immigrant absorption bureaucracy, and there is no effective European equivalent of the popular Nefesh B'Nefesh organization.

Anti-Semites are not true Christians, Pope says

Pope Francis condemned anti-Semitism during a meeting with representatives of the international Jewish community at the Vatican.
“Because of our commons roots, a true Christian cannot be anti-Semitic,” Francis said Monday at a meeting with a delegation of the International Jewish Committee on Interreligious Consultations, or IJCIC.
He added that the Catholic Church “firmly condemns hatred, persecution and all manifestations of anti-Semitism.”

Prince Charles warns of rising antisemitism

Prince Charles has warned that Britain was suffering from an "apparent rise in antisemitism, along with other poisonous and debilitating forms of intolerance", according to . He made the comments in a speech that praised the work of Lord Sacks, the outgoing chief rabbi, in promoting tolerance.
Charles said: "Running throughout your time as chief rabbi has been that all-important principle of which this country has long been an exponent – the principle of tolerance.

Israeli Tourists Shocked by Nazi Kitsch in Bulgarian Town

Perhaps even more startling was the response of one of the shop owners selling items such as Hitler mugs, wristwatches with swastikas, and an alarm clock with a picture of Hitler on its face: “There are people who want to buy the products, otherwise we would not sell them. We sell to those who want them, those who don’t, don’t have to buy them.”

Dutch to rule on Anne Frank letters amid archival spat

A Dutch court may rule this week whether some of the letters of Anne Frank, the Jewish girl whose posthumously published diary about her time in hiding from the Nazis made her a symbol of the Holocaust, should stay in Amsterdam or be sent to Switzerland.
The letters - together with about 10,000 photographs and other documents, but not the famous diary - are at the center of a long-running dispute between Anne Frank House, the Amsterdam museum dedicated to her memory, and Anne Frank Fonds, the Basel-based foundation set up by her father Otto.

Book reveals Wallenberg also helped armed resistance

Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who saved thousands of Jews from Nazi-occupied Hungary, may also have had a secret military mission during World War II, a new book claims.

IDF Blog Startup Soldiers: from the IDF to High-Tech Success

The Israeli military’s ranks have included future politicians, celebrities, journalists and many other success stories. Some of the high-tech geniuses who have changed the world also wore the IDF uniform.
Behind almost every Israeli startup is an accomplished innovator who calls Israel home. But before setting out on the road to success, most of these brilliant minds served as IDF soldiers. Here we remember their roles in the IDF – and the accomplishments that followed.

Chicago mayor comes to Israel for H2O solutions

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is planning to purify his city’s water using new technologies created by a collaboration between the University of Chicago and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
The two schools, which have been working together for the last 18 months, have come up with a series of proposals that would look at ways to purify water at the molecular level, making clean, fresh drinking-water more plentiful and less expensive by 2020.

SodaStream teaming up with Whirlpool’s Kitchen-Aid

Israel’s at-home carbonation specialist SodaStream has signed a deal with KitchenAid, a leading maker of premium kitchen appliances and culinary tools and a brand of Whirlpool Corporation, to launch a new at-home carbonation machine.
The new soda maker – that lets people make fizzy soda drinks at home — is expected to be available at retail in the fourth quarter of 2013. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Rihanna to shine bright like a diamond in Tel Aviv

International singing sensation Rihanna will bring her "Diamonds" world tour to Tel Aviv for an October 22 concert in Park Hayarkon, Bookmark Entertainment Agency announced Tuesday morning.
The six-time Grammy winner last performed in Israel at Tel Aviv's Bloomfield Stadium in 2010.