12/16 Links Pt2: Zionism, The Moral Struggle; Fmr AP Reporter: I Didn’t Leave Journalism, It Left Me

From Ian:

---

Ryan Bellerose: Zionism, The Moral Struggle

I find myself writing about things that I think are common sense. I wrote extensively about the indigenous status of the Jewish people, and in a bemused fashion, watched as people tried to deny something that is verified not just in religious texts of every major faith, but through genetics, history, archaeology, and anthropology. I never really concerned myself with the hurt feelings of people who had bought a false narrative, or the feelings of a people who went from being the dominant group who colonised and oppressed the entire region, to being stateless refugees used as pawns by their brethren.
It’s amusing to me that something I saw as common sense, was such a groundbreaking argument and is only now coming into the mainstream.
Now I am gonna blow some more minds with my next statement. I am taking back a word that has long been misused by ignorant people. I am proud to call myself a Zionist, and every Zionist should be.
ZIONISM IS AN INDIGENOUS RIGHTS MOVEMENT COMPLETELY BASED ON MORAL AND ETHICAL PRINCIPLES.

Former AP Reporter: I Didn’t Leave Journalism, It Left Me

More broadly and more deeply, Lavie is profoundly pessimistic about the quality of the work put out by AP and most sources of mainstream journalism today. Driven as they are by the Internet’s insatiable appetite for the latest flash, people who call themselves reporters are interested, he says, primarily if not exclusively in speed, not substance.
Perhaps even worse, Lavie provides direct testimony that journalists no longer even pretend that their job is to report facts. Instead, he’s been told by former colleagues, the job of the media is to advocate for those actors on the world stage that the journalists feel deserve support – to “speak truth to power.”
“But that isn’t the job journalists are supposed to do!” Lavie cries. “The job of journalists is to take a significant story and make it interesting, by explaining it and putting it in context.”
Lavie had a front row seat to the seismic changes in the Middle East, including every major outbreak of fighting, terrorist attack and peace negotiation efforts over the past nearly half a century. He also was ringside in Cairo when the “Arab Spring” was revealed to him as a “Broken Spring,” instead. That is also the name of his recently updated book and his blog.

NBC’s Richard Engel Says U.S. Support for Israel is Creating More Terrorists (VIDEO)

NBC’s chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel said on Sunday that U.S. support for Israel is a contributing factor to creating more terrorists.
“There’s a whole history of why people are getting radicalized. It goes back to U.S. support for Israel [and] what’s considered to be a war against Islam,” Engel, who is Jewish, said on Meet the Press with Chuck Todd. “But the drone war is certainly part of it. The torture program is certainly part of it. I don’t know if you can say one is more influential at creating more of a problem than the other.”
Engel’s reporting has been called out in the past for being sympathetic to the Hamas terrorist organization. During a July segment of NBC’s Today, the journalist expressed concern that the Palestinian terror group was not getting enough out of a temporary cease-fire with Israel during the summer’s Operation Protective Edge.
“What is Hamas getting in return? So far, nothing,” he said. “No deal, no immediate lifting of the closure of the Gaza Strip. Just a reprieve from Israel’s assault that has flattened entire Gaza neighborhoods and killed more than a thousand Palestinians, many of them civilians, many of them children.”
Engel then outlined Hamas’ demands, saying, “The war could easily escalate again. Hamas wants an agreement to end the fighting, not for Israel to unilaterally scale back the assault on its own terms.”
A few days later, in another report for Today, Engel brought attention to a Palestinian teenager who celebrated Hamas’ terror attacks. The teen gained a following online after live tweeting about the terror group’s activities. She was quoted saying, “When I see the rockets getting to Israel, I start loving them more and more and I pray for them.”

Netanyahu: 'International Islamic Terrorism Knows No Borders'

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu released a response to the resolution of the hostage crisis in Sydney on Monday night, after three people were killed and four injured in a police raid on a cafe held by an Islamist.
"I would like to send my condolences to Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and to the Australian people over the loss of innocent life," Netanyahu stated, speaking from Rome.
"International Islamic terrorism knows no borders; therefore, the struggle against it must be global," Netanyahu stressed.

Sydney siege victims lauded for courage, kindness

Katrina Dawson, a 38-year-old mother of three, and Tori Johnson, the 34-year-old manager of the Lindt Chocolat Cafe, where the 16-hour siege unfolded, were being lauded Tuesday for their courage after unconfirmed reports emerged that both had sacrificed themselves to save their fellow hostages.
Sydney’s Catholic Archbishop Anthony Fisher said at an emotional memorial service attended by hundreds at St. Mary’s Cathedral that Johnson had reportedly brought the siege to a head by grabbing the shotgun wielded by hostage-taker Man Haron Monis. Monis was killed as police stormed the cafe to end the siege.
“Apparently seeing an opportunity, Tori grabbed the gun. Tragically, it went off, killing him. But it triggered the response of police and eventual freedom for most of the hostages,” Fisher said. “Reports have also emerged that Katrina Dawson was shielding her pregnant friend from gunfire. These heroes were willing to lay down their lives so others might live.”

JPost Editorial: Terror in Sydney

In Australia, Aftab Malik, a scholar-in-residence at the Lebanese Muslim Association in Lakemba, Sydney, said in response to the siege on the café – during which the gunman forced hostages to hold up an Islamic flag similar to the Islamic State banner – that Muslim faith “has been dragged through the mud by a group of young individuals who represent no one but themselves.”
Malik’s comments were encouraging. But the sad fact is that in Muslim countries majorities of the population continue to hold abhorrent views. According to a Pew survey entitled “The World’s Muslims: Religion, Politics, and Society” majorities in the Middle East and South Asia believe that Sharia law, which punish apostates with death, should be enforced. The moderates, meanwhile, are a minority, on the defensive and intimidated.
It is safe to assume that Muslims who immigrate to places like Australia or the US tend to have more moderate attitudes. For instance, “only” two-in-10 American Muslims were willing to justify suicide bombings under certain circumstances, compared to three-in-10 of those living in Muslim countries.
It is no coincidence that people living in Muslim countries tend to have reactionary views on women’s rights or apostasy. Because Islam is taken very seriously by a lot of people, because it is a religion that calls for action, and because there are a number of countries that advocate implementing Sharia, these negative aspects of the religion are more likely to be given expression.

Islamist Behind Sydney Siege Abused Australian Jewish Soldier Killed in Afghanistan, Claimed Jews ‘No Better’ Than Hitler

Man Haron Monis, a 49 year-old self-styled Muslim Sheikh who received political asylum in Australia in 1996, faced multiple indictments in 2011 “of using a postal or similar service to menace, harass or cause offense.”
During Monis’ trial in New South Wales, prosecuting barrister John Agius SC quoted from a letter which the Iranian-born Islamist sent to the family of an Australian Jewish soldier who was killed in Afghanistan.
In the letter, Monis described the soldier as a “dirty animal.”
“Some Jews who blame Hitler for violations of human rights are not much better than him,” the letter continued. “When the body of a murderer of civilians is sent back to Australia, we must not respect the body, such a body does not deserve a respectful ceremony.”

CNN Asks 'Should Muslims Always Denounce Terror?'

During a segment Tuesday morning on public response to the Sydney hostage situation carried out by a Muslim gunmen, CNN asked, “Should Muslims always denounce terror?”
Host Carol Costello brought on Arsalan Iftikhar, Senior Editor of Islamic Monthly and founder of MuslimGuide.com, to talk about whether or not it’s fair to expect what she described as the “almost automatic” condemnation of acts of terrorism by Muslim leaders.
After discussing the outpouring of support for Muslims by Australians in the midst of the hostage situation, Costello asked Iftikhar to comment on the need for Muslim clerics to continue to condemn terrorism. Suggesting that racism is involved, Iftikhar argued that the call for condemnations is an unfair double standard levied against the community whenever a “brown Muslim man commits a criminal act”:

Iran condemns deadly Sydney cafe siege

Australian media called 50-year-old Monis a “self-styled sheikh” with a history of violent offenses and who was on bail on charges of being an accessory in his ex-wife’s murder.
Iranian media identified him a Mohamad Hassan Manteghi, a former Shiite cleric who changed his name when he moved to Australia.
A month ago, according to Iranian media, Monis declared on his official website allegiance to the leader of the jihadist Islamic State group, a Sunni-led organization that considers Shiites as heretics.

In Blithe Australia…

The whitewash has already begun, though. Monis is being portrayed in the news and social media as a ‘lone madman’ and ‘violent criminal’. These descriptions are not strictly untrue, but he was first and foremost a terrorist. He brought Sydney and most of the nation to a standstill. We seem to have already forgotten the city workers being evacuated through windows and down ladders; the closure of the Opera House, the Supreme Court, and many other public places; and the threat of four bombs in undisclosed locations. Australia has never seen anything like this before. If he’d wanted to go on a killing spree he could have, but he didn’t. Instead he demanded an Islamic State flag and to talk to the Prime Minister.
Even the hostages’ own statements are being swept under the carpet, such as Marcia Mikhael’s post on Facebook: “He is now threatening to start killing us. We need help right now. The man wants the world to know that Australia is under attack by the Islamic State.” Perhaps most disturbingly, no one’s making the link between the Minister for Foreign Affairs’ outrage at the radicalisation of children less than two months ago involving “four senior members of Hizb-ut-Tahrir and Sheikh Haron” and yesterday’s siege using the Hizb-ut-Tahrir flag. I truly cannot comprehend how any rational human being can conclude that this wasn’t a case of politically-motivated violence.
There has also been an unseemly haste in declaring our solidarity with the Muslim community. While it can be acknowledged that most Australian Muslims are as shocked as the rest of us at what has happened, I have to point out that they’re not the victims and shouldn’t be treated as such. I sincerely hope there will be no ‘backlash’ against those who have come to this country fleeing the extremism of their Muslim brethren – they have suffered enough – but all the same I also hope we can keep our focus on the actual victims and not create a self-fulfilling prophecy. The I’ll-ride-with-you campaign is a response to a figment of our imagination, caricaturing Australians as irrational bigots and Muslims as the persecuted. We may be irrational for believing in a backlash that doesn’t exist, but the rush to offer Muslims a friendly escort home proves we’re far from closed-minded.

#illRideWithYou

There have been over 24567 terrorist attacks since 911.
This attack wasn’t any different than any other hostage taking ,suicide attacks and murder and slaughter of Jewish or other people across the world over the past year.
However, what was unusual was the way that Twitter dealt with this a sudden tag trend #illridewithyou appeared and it became the top trending # yesterday.
But what was this all about?
The hostages were not even released!
My goodness, we hadn’t even heard the names of the victims yet and somehow this tag had been planned, it had been co-ordinated extremely well.
On Twitter it is pretty difficult to get a trending # to run but even before victims were even released this tag was number one on Twitter.
It was not about the condemnation of the terrorists, it was not about how wicked Islamic jihad is, it was not about how we can help the victims and the families.
This was selfish self opinionated # which claimed falsely that people want to ride on a bus with Muslim community members in order that they would not be “attacked” after this terror incident.
Excuse me?

David Horovitz: In eternally stained Berlin, worrying about Israel

At indescribable cost, and after indescribable loss, the Nazis were defeated. There’s a small, typed sign on the front door of the Wannsee Villa nowadays, telling you to push to open. Telling you in German. And in English. And in Hebrew. Seeing that thoroughly unremarkable sign was actually my happiest little moment in this hip, cosmopolitan, efficient and inexorably stained city. The aim of the gathering at Wannsee 73 years ago was to ensure that no Israelites would walk the planet. Now our remnants return to view the scene, received with a polite notice in our insistently living language.
But the Jews’ war of survival was not won when Hitler lost. It continues to this day, against enemies with more effective tools of mass murder at their disposal.
And we’re easy to find now: Jews constitute 0.5 percent or more of the populace in just six countries on earth: Uruguay (0.5%), France (0.8%), Canada (1.1%), Gibraltar (1.9%), the US (2.1%) … and Israel (75.4%).
A trip to Berlin reminds you that the Jewish nation-state dare not be complacent, weak, selfish, foolish, or short-sighted. And that when the silly political games are over in Israel, we need to be sure we have chosen leaders with the necessary wisdom, in this unforgiving region, to make the astute choices to keep us safe and help us thrive. If that sounds banal, reflect for a moment on the consequences of Jewish vulnerability. Looking out over Berlin, it’s impossible not to.

Jerusalem Professor Shocked By Visit To Seattle Synagogue

As a Jew and an Israeli, I not only tolerate dispute. I admire it as the essence of our culture. But tolerance reaches its limit in the presence of ignorance.
To describe Israel as divided about the Gaza operation is false, as shown by one survey after another. To worry primarily about shelters for the Bedouin is to overlook efforts–and frustration–to integrate the various tribes into locations that respect for the landscape and environment.
Blather is part of the Jewish condition. While enjoying our culture, and Israel’s democratic tolerance for dispute, we must pay the price of what seems to be some combination of intense ideology and ignorance of Middle Eastern realities. It is the work of innocents who look abroad, do not live abroad, and may not travel as widely as Mark Twain.

‘Nothing Has Changed’ at Irish Holocaust Educational Trust Declares Fired MC, as Organization Backtracks on Israel Ban

Fachler also pointed out that HETI had yet to apologize for the original announcement. HETI’s undated press release merely corrected the original announcement of a ban on mentioning Israel, before going on to briefly describe its work in Ireland delivering “educational programs through primary, post-primary and third level.”
Fachler said that he did not expect to be reinstated to his post as MC, adding that he was not seeking such an outcome. “In the unlikely event that I was to be asked, I would not be prepared to do it because I don’t think anything has changed at HETI,” he said.
Fachler, a well-known broadcaster and author in Ireland, said that there had long “been tension” with HETI’s Board, none of whom have resigned because of the scandal, over his forthrightly pro-Israel views.
In his own letter to Peter Cassells protesting the original decision, Fachler said that HETI was “creating the impression that it is more concerned with dead Jews than live ones.”

The Stubborn Antisemitism of Yahoo and The Christian Century

Yahoo, the well-known search engine company, has apparently decided that an antisemitic website, Veterans News Now [VNN], is a credible news source. People who rely on Yahoo's news aggregator to view information about the Middle East and the Arab-Israeli conflict will now find in their news feed links to articles published on this website, which traffics in Holocaust denial and displays articles that blame Israel for the attack against the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. This scandal was exposed last week by Gilead Ini, a colleague at the Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America [CAMERA].
Yahoo should not be mainstreaming a website that posts like this. Moreover, it is not the only entity helping to make VNN look like a respectable website.
James M. Wall, former editor of the The Christian Century, a magazine that caters to liberal (mainline) Protestants in the United States, is also helping to mainstream the website. He does this by having his articles published on the website and by agreeing to serve as an "associate editor" for the publication. During his decades-long career at The Christian Century, Wall was the standard-bearer for liberal Protestantism in the United States. As a result of his recent actions, Wall's name and writings will be forever linked with virulent antisemitism.

‘The best defense against Palestinian lawfare is offense’

A small legal team in the Israeli NGO Shurat HaDin — Israel Law Center has been busy compiling damning files against Palestinian Authority leaders, documenting their supposed involvement in terror activities in recent years.
The purpose of this endeavor, Israel Law Center chairwoman and founder Nitsana Darshan-Leitner told The Times of Israel this week, is to deter the Palestinian leadership from joining the International Criminal Court (ICC) and legally pursuing Israeli leaders at The Hague, as Palestinians have been threatening to do for months.
In September, Darshan-Leitner and her team launched this proactive approach by filing a lawsuit against Hamas political leader Khaled Mashaal at the ICC for Hamas’s execution of suspected collaborators with Israel during Operation Protective Edge. On November 10, they filed a second suit against PA President Mahmoud Abbas for attacks carried out by his Fatah movement from Gaza. Both leaders are Jordanian nationals, and therefore fall under the court’s jurisdiction.
“The crimes of the [Second] Intifada are crimes against humanity. Daily, systematic rocket fire directed at civilian populations is an international crime,” she said. “We’re preparing indictments against PA leaders for the day the PA applies for membership in the ICC. We’re essentially warning PA leaders that ‘the moment you become members, we’ll be waiting for you there with a handful of indictments on war crimes, directed at you personally.'”

The Reappearance Of Mohammad Zoabi

The last we heard from Arab-Israeli Zionist Mohammad Zoabi, he had left Israel, following threats to his life.
Now he has resurfaced…in a photo taken with his mother and Mordechai Kedar.
The Christmas trees in the background confirm he is no longer in Israel.
Here’s hoping he is able to return, enjoy the freedoms here, and became a future leader for Israel.
May G-d continue to bless and protect him.

Want to Know Who Funded the Artist That Defecated on the Israeli Flag? Ask European Governments, Says Israeli Watchdog

By November, that horror had turned to sheer nausea, when Cohen-Waxberg released a video of herself defecating on the Israeli flag – an artistic effort that this time landed her in court on charges of “desecrating a national symbol.”
But most shocking of all is the revelation that Cohen-Waxberg’s activities have been funded, in part, by foreign governments and agencies.
In her Holocaust video, Cohen-Waxberg is flanked by an actor playing the part of her bodyguard. In real life, the “actor” is Eitan Bronstein, the founder of Zochrot, a radical Israeli NGO which unconditionally promotes the notion that the creation of Israel was, for the Palestinians, a “Naqba” – Arabic for “catastrophe.”
As Israeli watchdog NGO Monitor has noted, in 2013, Zochrot, which vocally supports the BDS campaign against Israel, received a staggering $500,000 in grants from foreign donors, many of them church organizations who receive taxpayer funds from their national governments. Among the groups’ financiers are Oxfam in the UK, Trocaire in Ireland, the church-based ICCO from The Netherlands and Germany’s Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.

Wesleyan University Brings Back Sabra Hummus, Embarrassing Campus Pro-Palestinians, Yael Horowitz

The Wesleyan University chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine were certain in their victory over the Zionist Sabra Hummus—because the product had disappeared from the shelves of one of the campus’ dining halls, TruthRevolt.org reported. SJP had been promoting intensively the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.
Update (12/9/14 12:13PM): The WSA Dining Committee has released the following statement based on developments over the weekend:
As many people on and off campus are aware, Wesleyan recently switched from stocking Sabra hummus to a local brand, Cedar’s. Though we made this change in the interest of sustainability and reducing our carbon footprint, it unfortunately has been misinterpreted in the media and elsewhere as a political statement in support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. In order to clarify our continued political neutrality, and to give students a choice, we will be stocking both Sabra and Cedar’s hummus, starting in January.
Which was followed by this:
Update (12/9/14 7:08PM): A statement has been released by Yael Horowitz ’17, Students for Justice in Palestine, and “another group of concerned students”:
We are extremely disappointed in the University’s decision to put Sabra Hummus back on the shelves. It is not an ethical response, but is instead motivated by public relations and the opinions of President Michael Roth. Student opinion is against Israeli apartheid and occupation, and we will continue to make this known. This is not the end of the conversation.

Anti-Semitic Grafitti at Tufts University Investigated by Police

Police were called to a residential hall at the Tufts University campus near Somerville, MA. over the weekend after complaints that swastikas had been painted on its walls.
The graffiti was “very similar” to the anti-Semitic graffiti found on campus and in nearby Somerville in late November, according to Tufts Police, the Somerville Patch reported.
Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone released the following statement about the incident:
“There is no place in Somerville, a city that prides itself on diversity and inclusion, for cowardly acts of hatred such as this. I thank the Tufts University administration and their police for quickly responding to this despicable act. Somerville Police and our Human Rights Commission will provide any resources necessary for the investigation.”

Backdraft: Some Media Outlets Backtrack on Mosque 'Arson'

Weeks after many news media outlets attributed the Nov. 12 fire at a mosque in the West Bank village of Mughayer to Jewish arsonists, an Israeli firefighters' investigation concluded a few days ago reveals the cause was actually an electrical malfunction. CAMERA followed up with media outlets that had initially reported as fact that the mosque was attacked. Several media outlets took commendable steps to set the record straight and update news consumers with the new information, while others have done nothing to clarify their unfounded reports.

CTV Issues On-Air Clarification After HRC Complaint: Cause of Death of Palestinian Minister Disputed

The clarification stated:
“There is disagreement tonight on the cause of death of a member of the Palestinian cabinet. Israeli and Palestinian pathologists who performed an autopsy on Ziad Abu Ain have reached contradictory conclusions. He died Wednesday after confrontations between Palestinian protesters and Israel border police in the west bank. The Palestinian doctors say he died as a result of a blow to his body, not natural causes. Israeli doctors say he suffered from heart disease and his death was caused by a blockage in a coronary artery. We’d like to clarify an earlier report we broadcast that said he died solely as a result of tear gas exposure.”
HonestReporting Canada commends CTV News for its prompt and professional efforts to remedy the shortcomings of its original reporting of this incident.

Vienna Saudi school ordered closed over anti-Semitism charges

Vienna school officials have ordered the closure of a Saudi Arabian school accused of teaching anti-Semitism, after it refused to comply with a request to identify the institution’s director and teachers.
The board began investigating the school last month after media reports that a history book used there contained anti-Jewish material.
The book allegedly describes Freemasons as “a Jewish, secret, subversive organization focused on guaranteeing control of the world by Jews.”
The school refused to comment and that probe is continuing. But the Vienna school board said in a statement Monday the school’s “continued operation is prohibited after the end of the 2014/2015 school year” because of the refusal to provide the information on its staff.

Jobbik Leader Remains a Holocaust Denier, Says Jewish Journalist and Holocaust Survivor

A prominent Jewish journalist and Holocaust survivor has disputed an assurance by the leader of one of Europe’s most dangerous far right parties that he is no longer a Holocaust denier.
Gabor Vona, the leader of the Jobbik Party which secured over 20 percent of the vote in Hungary’s April 2014 elections, establishing them as the third-largest party in the Hungarian parliament, answered “I do” when asked by a Hungarian media outlet whether he thought the Holocaust had taken place.
But Karl Pfeifer, an expert on Hungarian politics who survived the Holocaust in Hungary as a young boy, pointed out in an email to The Algemeiner that Vona “says he’s not anti-Semitic or a Holocaust denier, but then ranks the Holocaust at ‘number 20′ in terms of its historical significance.”
Pfeifer was referring to Vona’s statement, which appeared in the Hungarian version of the interview, that “for me, the question of the Holocaust is of the 20th rank.”

Greek politician panned for saying Jews don’t pay taxes

Panos Kammenos, leader of the small right-wing Independent Greeks Party, made the comment Monday during an interview on the Antenna television channel.
The Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece issued a statement in response saying it “categorically refutes” Kammenos’ comments.
“It is a disgrace that a leader of a party in Parliament does not know that Greek Jews are equal citizens and subject to the all the rights and obligations of every citizen,” the statement added, noting that Jewish institutions were governed by the same tax obligations as the Church.
The Jewish community called on Kammenos to apologize for the “serious anti-Semitic act.”

Soccer boss accepts misconduct rap for Jewish money jab

The chairman of the Wigan Athletic soccer club accepted a Football Association misconduct charge Monday over racially insensitive remarks in a British newspaper interview.
Dave Whelan had made remarks against Chinese people and Jews in defending a manager’s own apparently anti-Semitic statements last month, drawing fire.
“We can confirm Mr. Whelan has accepted the charge and has requested a non-personal hearing but no date has been set for that,” the British FA said in a statement.

93-year-old former Auschwitz guard to be tried in Germany

The court of the German city of Lueneberg did not identify the man alleged to have been an SS guard for the Nazis, but said Monday that he will be tried on charges of being an accessory to the murder of 300,000 Jews, Reuters reported. The man is also believed to have been in charge of managing money seized from those deported to Auschwitz.
The charges relate to the man’s time as an SS guard at Auschwitz between September 1942 and October 1944. The specific allegations refer to the period between May and July 1944, when 300,000 Jews were murdered upon arrival at the camp.
“The accused knew that, as part of the selection process, those not chosen for work and told they were going to the showers were really going to the gas chambers where they would be put to death in an agonizing manner,” the court said in a statement in September.

Ahead of film, nephew recalls ‘uncle-priest’ at heart of 1858 scandal

In over 150 years, dozens of articles, books, pieces of arts and literature have been inspired by the story of the 6-year-old boy, who during a serious illness had been given an emergency baptism by his Catholic nurse. After his recovery, Mortara, one of eight children, was taken from his family on the legal grounds that the law forbade a Christian child to be brought up by Jews.
In December 2013, a painting, “The Kidapping of Mortara Child” by the leading Jewish artist Moritz Oppenheim, was auctioned at Sotheby’s in New York, after having being considered lost for a century. It was sold to a private American collector for over $400,000.
But the even more unexpected scoop broke last spring, when it was reported that Steven Spielberg was taking an interest in Edgardo’s vicissitudes.
The project, which would be produced by Spielberg’s DreamWorks and the Weinstein Co., is also bringing back together the renowned director with screenwriter Tony Kushner (the paired teamed up for blockbusters “Munich” and “Lincoln”).

Ancient rock adds evidence of King David’s existence

Dimly lit, the stone slab, or stele, doesn’t look particularly noteworthy, especially when compared to the more lavish sphinxes, jewelry and cauldrons one encounters en route to the room where it is installed.
Indeed, in a Twitter post this fall, art journalist Lee Rosenbaum described the nearly 13-by-16 inch c. 830 BCE rock, as “homely.”
What’s significant about this stone — on view at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of its “Assyria to Iberia at the Dawn of the Classical Age” exhibit running through January 4 — is its inscription: “the earliest extra-biblical reference to the House of David.”
“There is no doubt that the inscription is one of the most important artifacts ever found in relation to the Bible,” Eran Arie, curator of Israelite and Persian periods at the Israel Museum, wrote in the exhibit catalog.

Arab woman aims to blaze a trail in Israel's high-tech sector

Israel is proud to call itself a "startup nation," with more tech firms listed on Nasdaq than any other country outside the United States and China, but two elements are often missing from that success story: women and Arabs.
Dr. Amal Ayoub is hoping to change that.
An Israeli Arab from the town of Nazareth, Ayoub is the founder and chief executive of Metallo Therapy, a biomedical startup that has developed technology to better monitor the development of malignant tumors.
She has brought her company to the brink of commercial success -- pre-clinical safety studies and plans for regulatory approval are underway -- thanks to investments from the Office of the Chief Scientist at the Finance Ministry, health-technology investment fund Arkin Holdings, and Arab-focused incubator NGT3.

IDF gains two pioneers from Kaifeng

Israel attracts Jews from all over the world who want to connect to Judaism while in their historic homeland. Subsequently, many of them go on to join the IDF to help protect their beloved country.
On 10th of December, on Ammunition Hill – the site of a major historic battle during the Six Day War, two of the IDF’s most unique soldiers were present. The two soldiers-to-be came from the ancient Jewish community of Kaifeng, China. They made aliyah in 2009. I had a chance to speak with Gideon and Yonatan, the two soldiers, who were brimming with excitement and could not contain their enthusiasm for donning the IDF Olive green.
So what brings two young men of such a unique and seldom -heard of community to Israel, let alone the IDF – at the age of twenty six? It turns out that they both have a burning desire to reconnect with their Jewish roots and help their people. They started on this path over 5 years ago.

Happy Hanukkah from the IDF!