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Wednesday, August 04, 2021

08/04 Links Pt2: Rashida Tlaib Says Certain (((People))) Are Exploiting America; Top gallery accused of hosting ‘hate-filled’ exhibit; Why Does the Media Ignore the Only True Democracy in the Middle East?

From Ian:

Rashida Tlaib Says Certain (((People))) Are Exploiting America
In a recent video, Rashida Tlaib tells her audience that “behind the curtain,” the forces who stop a “free Palestine” are the “same people” who exploit “regular Americans” for “their profit.” Jonathan Greenblatt of the ADL, who’s done yeoman’s work wishing away the anti-Semitism being normalized on the progressive left, calls this a “dog whistle.”

It isn’t. This isn’t some subtle messaging aimed at other leftists or Hamas apologists; these are some of the oldest anti-Semitic tropes on the books. The claim that Jews are “exploiting” “regular” citizens is the basis for nearly every major anti-Semitic tract of the modern age — from The Protocols of the Elders of Zion to Mein Kampf to the Hamas charter. The notion that Jews operate behind curtains is another popular anti-Semitic image.

Tlaib knows exactly what she’s saying. She also knows that no one in her party — not the cowardly Chuck Schumer or Nancy Pelsoi or anyone else — is likely to call her out on any of it.


Top gallery accused of hosting ‘hate-filled’ exhibit
The Whitworth Art Gallery in Manchester has been accused of hosting a “hate-filled” art show on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The exhibition, titled Cloud Studies and created by Forensic Architecture, a research agency based at Goldsmiths, University of London, purports to detail the environmental effects of Israel’s military action in Gaza and the West Bank - as well as looking at "toxic clouds" in places such Indonesia, Argentina, Hong Kong, the UK, US, Mexico, Turkey, Lebanon.

Visitors are shown an opening statement headed “Forensic Architecture stands with Palestine”, and can then browse films and displays that show how “tear gas, bomb clouds, chemical weapons... suffocate entire neighbourhoods and air pollution targets the marginalised”.

Language used in the exhibition includes phrases such as the Palestinians’ “struggle against apartheid” and the problem of “settler colonial violence”.

One visitor to the Whitworth told the JC: “I don’t remember experiencing anything so hate-filled in an art gallery. The information is totally decontextualised and there is no mention of Hamas or the reasons for the conflicts”.

UK Lawyers for Israel have written to the vice-chancellor of Manchester University — to which the Whitworth belongs – reminding it that the gallery is “legally bound by the Public Sector Equality Duty”.

The lawyers said they were concerned about “the impact of the inflammatory language and representations contained in the exhibition on the Jewish people in Manchester”.






ADL CEO Condemns ‘Behind the Curtain’ Comments From US Rep. Tlaib as ‘Dog Whistle’
On Tuesday, Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt criticized as a “dog whistle” remarks from US Representative Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) alleging that unspecified individuals were profiting by opposing both the Palestinian cause and domestic US policies like health care reform.

Appearing during a virtual event on Monday as the opening speaker of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) 2021 National Convention, Rep. Tlaib connected issues in her home city of Detroit with her Palestinian background.

“As I think about my family in Palestine, that continue to live under military occupation and how that really interacts with this beautiful Black city I grew up in, you know I always tell people cutting people off from water is violence, and they do it from Gaza to Detroit,” she said. “And it’s a way to control people, to oppress people. And it’s those structures that we continue to fight against.”

Tlaib, a DSA member, continued, “I know you all understand the structure we’ve been living under right now is designed by those that exploit the rest of us, for their own profit … I don’t care if it’s the issue around global human rights and our fight to free Palestine, or to pushing back against those that don’t believe in the minimum wage or those that believe that people have a right to health care, and so much more.”

“And I tell people: those same people, if you open the curtain and look behind the curtain, it’s the same people that make money, and yes they do — off of racism, off of these broken policies, there is someone there making money,” Tlaib added. “And you saw it, it was so exposed during the pandemic, because all those structures, everything that was set up, they made record profit, when we were all having some of the most challenging, most difficult times in our lifetime.”

On Tuesday, Greenblatt commented on Twitter that Tlaib’s remarks were “stunning.”

“We’ve heard this kind of ugly antisemitic dog whistling before, but it’s appalling when it comes from a member of Congress,” Greenblatt said.


Ohio Dems Reject Bernie Acolyte in Heated Primary
Pro-Israel Democrat Shontel Brown defeated socialist would-be Squad member Nina Turner in a heated primary on Tuesday, dealing an electoral rebuke to the Bernie Sanders wing of the Democratic party.

Brown, a county councilwoman who ran as a less extreme alternative to the unabashedly progressive Turner, was up by 6 percentage points when the Associated Press called the race just before 11:00 p.m. In a victory speech delivered Tuesday night, Brown expressed strong support for the alliance between the United States and Israel, which played a large role in the Democratic primary election.

"When you see a person who has a firecracker that's been dropped by a drone near the Gaza Strip, and you are within a few feet of a bomb shelter, you can appreciate the vulnerability of a state," Brown said in a speech captured by Jewish Insider. "That has given me the understanding of the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship. So I thank my Jewish brothers and sisters."

The race reflected Democrats' fierce intraparty conflict regarding Israel. Turner has professed "solidarity" with the Palestinian people and endorsed conditioning aid to the Jewish state, which drew the attention of pro-Israel Democrats. Advocacy group Democratic Majority for Israel spent at least $714,000 backing Brown, who labeled the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement anti-Semitic and expressed support for Israel's "right to defend its citizens" from terrorist groups.

In her Tuesday night concession speech, Turner blamed the race on "evil money" spent in support of Brown.

"We didn't lose this race, evil money manipulated and maligned this election," Turner said, according to National Journal reporter Kirk Bado.


The legal pitfalls facing Ben & Jerry's and their parent company
Earlier this year, more than sixty groups from the US and Europe teamed up with Iran and Hamas to wage a BDS war against Israel [10]. The Gaza event was called ‘Year to Confront Normalization’ and the related Iranian event, broadcast simultaneously from Teheran, was called ‘Together Against Normalization’. In furtherance of the boycott of Israel by the terrorist Iranian and Hamas regimes, the more than sixty anti-Israel and pro-BDS organizations launched what was called ‘Peoples Against Normalization’ campaign [11]. The collaborative link to the Iranian regime is probative [12]. It establishes that at the very least Iran is fostering these BDS malevolent efforts in the US.

I can’t help but wonder about the ignorance or insensitivity of many of these dilettante boycotters, who have joined with abhorrent terrorists in boycotting Israel. Don’t they realize they have become the useful dupes of the terrorist Hamas and Iranian regimes in their efforts to delegitimize and destroy the State of Israel and ethnically cleanse it of Jews?

Unilever should compel Ben and Jerry’s to end the boycott on the grounds that it is illegal. Besides the criminal and civil remedies under the Anti-Boycott Law, there are also reporting requirements. This puts Unilever in the untenable position of likely having to report to the US government on its own reported intervention [13] with the board of its subsidiary, as well as, its own actions At the very least, the boycott could be held in abeyance, pending obtaining a ruling from both the US Departments of Commerce and the Treasury, which have jurisdiction over this kind of a violation.

In this regard, it should be noted that aside from governmental action, there might also be a private right of action under the Anti-Boycott Law, as discussed in the Abrams v. Baylor case [14]. This would permit the affected US citizens to seek to compel Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever to comply with the Law and also sue for damages.

BDS is antisemitic and foolish. Israel is not an apartheid state. It's a diverse society with freedom of speech, religion and press, as well as, equal protection under law. This is not the case in the areas controlled by Hamas and the PA [15].

Don’t be misled by the scurrilous claims generated by the propaganda organs of the Iranian Regime and Hamas and their local minions in the US and elsewhere. They are just projecting unto others their own sins. The Bible [16] declares, those who bless Israel are blessed. Israel does so much good; it’s a blessing to the world. It’s time to unite to defeat BDS.


DeSantis Gives Unilever 90 Days to Reverse Ben & Jerry’s West Bank Boycott Before Florida Ends Investments
Florida has taken action against Unilever, the parent of ice cream giant Ben & Jerry’s, that could lead to an investment prohibition and an end to state contracts with the company over the latter’s decision not to sell products in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem.

Governor Ron DeSantis’ office announced Tuesday that the Executive Director & Chief Investment Officer of the Florida State Board of Administration (SBA), Ash Williams, had informed the governor that Unilever has been added to Florida’s List of Scrutinized Companies that Boycott Israel.

Under Florida law, if a listed company does not cease boycotting Israel within 90 days, it will face an investment prohibition and the state of Florida will no longer contract with the company or any of its subsidiaries.

Florida’s SBA was in contact with Unilever’s investor relations team before the decision to list the company, and was told Unilever would take no action against Ben & Jerry’s boycott.

Unilever will receive a written notice from the SBA regarding the company’s placement on the list, after which the 90-day deadline will take effect.

Governor DeSantis stated, “As a matter of law and principle, the State of Florida will not tolerate discrimination against the State of Israel or the Israeli people.”

“By placing Ben & Jerry’s Fortune 500 parent company Unilever on our List of Scrutinized Companies that Boycott Israel, Florida is sending a message to corporate America that we will defend our strong relationship with the Jewish state. I will not stand idly by as woke corporate ideologues seek to boycott and divest from our ally, Israel,” he pledged.
Maryland joins list of states reviewing contracts with Ben & Jerry’s, Unilever
Maryland is joining a list of states examining its relationship with the ice-cream maker Ben & Jerry’s, as well as its parent company, Unilever, after the company announced last month that it will no longer sell its products in what the company deemed “Occupied Palestinian Territory,” which includes the West Bank and parts of Jerusalem.

Maryland Secretary of State John C. Wobensmith wrote in a letter on Monday that the state will abide by Gov. Larry Hogan’s 2017 anti-BDS executive order and review the state’s contracts with Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever.

“ … In October of 2017, Governor Hogan reaffirmed the State’s commitment through the issue of Executive Order 01.01.2017.25, which ‘prohibits all executive branch agencies controlled by the governor from entering into a procurement contract with a business entity unless it certifies that it will, for the duration of its contractual obligations, refrain from [a] boycott of Israel,’ ” stated Wobensmith’s letter. “The state will review state contracts to determine whether Ben & Jerry’s and its parent company, Unilever, have an existing contract with the state of Maryland and the state will respond accordingly.”


Charity boss who wrote that ‘terrorists founded Israel’ is reported to watchdog
An anti-racism group has reported a charity director to the Charity Commission after revealing posts in which he wrote that “terrorists founded Israel” and branded Zionism “evil”.

The GnasherJew Twitter account, a group of four anonymous racism hunters, said it was “astonished” that Hugh Jaeger was a director and trustee of a charity.

However Mr Jaeger, who sits on the board of Bus Users UK, a charity which aims to make transport more “accessible and inclusive”, accused the Twitter group of running a “smear” campaign against him.

The online row erupted after GnasherJew published a thread of tweets and cartoons posted by Mr Jaeger.

In one post Mr Jaeger condemns “racist Israel”.

He writes: “Palestinians strive for freedom. Terrorists founded Israel by massacres and ethnic cleansing to steal Palestine. State terrorists who massacre, steal land, apply apartheid, murder children and commit war crimes have ruled Israel ever since.”

In another he writes in defence of former Peterborough MP Lisa Forbes who was forced to apologise for liking an antisemitic post. In his post, Mr Jaeger brands Israel a “racist endeavour”.

In a third he compares Israel to the Nazis. Posting in 2019, he wrote: “In 1948 Zionists copied the Nazis to liquidate several villages.”
PreOccupiedTerritory: Anti-Zionists Petition College To Ban Jews: ‘Their Presence Oppresses’ (satire)
Student activists gearing up for the 2021-2022 academic year at Columbia University have begun preparations for a campaign to pressure the undergraduate administration into restricting admission to gentile applicants beginning next fall, because the presence of people of overlapping ethnic background with those responsible for Palestinian suffering rouses a feelings of persecution among other students, a representative of the activists group disclosed today.

The Columbia University chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine has launched collection of a signatures for a petition to the Dean of Admissions not to allow Jews to enter the undergraduate programs at Columbia College, Barnard College, the School of Engineering, or any other Bachelor’s Degree-granting programs at the institution, citing the sense of oppression and trauma that the presence of such people will generate on campus, given that Palestinian dispossession, statelessness, suffering, and political limbo stems in part from the actions of Jews.

“We intended to take this action this past year already,” explained SJP member Ayama Biggett, who will begin her sophomore year this fall. “But COVID happened and there wasn’t that much face-to-face encounter on campus, and it was hard to mobilize under the circumstances. Now we’re getting down to it, standing up for our Palestinian brothers, sisters, and allies, to proclaim to the Zionists, ‘Our existence does not oppress you!’ They’ve played victim effectively for too long, as if victims can’t turn around and become oppressors.”
Why Does the Media Ignore the Only True Democracy in the Middle East?
The 2020 Democracy Index Report states that this region “suffers from a concentration of absolute monarchies, authoritarian regimes and the prevalence of military conflicts, and it is the lowest ranked of all the regions covered. … The few bright spots included increased political participation in Israel, as shown by the high turnout in the election in 2020, despite it being the third one in two years.”

Israel’s 2020 score and ranking is far above any other country in the Middle East. Tunisia, ranked 54, just above India and Hungary, is the only other Middle Eastern country listed as a flawed democracy (and that might change); the rest are either hybrid regimes, or, even more likely, authoritarian ones. Turkey, which is listed with the Western Europe group, is described as a hybrid regime with a rank of 104.

In fact, the first Democracy Index (2006) listed Israel as a flawed democracy, ranked number 47 — while the US was listed as a full democracy at number 17. During the intervening 13 years the ranking for the US has gone down, but the ranking for Israel has improved considerably, in spite of persistent and frequent threats and attacks from terrorist group and hostile countries.

The most recent Israeli election, held in March 2021, resulted in the formation of a new coalition government, excluding Benjamin Netanyahu and the Likud Party.

For the first time in Israeli history, the coalition included an Israeli Arab (Palestinian) political party, the United Arab List (Ra’am). A thorough analysis of this development in a July 2021 article by Thomas Falk in Al Jazeera, describes the events that led up to a conservative Islamist party becoming a part of the governing coalition of the Jewish State. (Ironically, Al Jazeera is based in Qatar, a Gulf state with an authoritarian government that is ranked 126th on the 2020 democracy Index.)

Given this inclusion of an Arab party, as well as statements suggesting that non-Orthodox Jewish religious practices will be more accepted by the state, the next Democracy Index may result in a further improvement in the ranking for Israel.

And what about the “elephant in the room” question?

How does the Democracy Index deal with Gaza and the West Bank? Simple. Since its inception in 2006, the Index treats Palestine as a separate state, de jure (recognized as legitimate by other states). Its ranking in 2019? Number 117.
New York Times, Washington Post, CNN, Guardian Contributor: ‘Israel Has Been Beating Hitler At His Own Game’
Her work has been published in, among other outlets, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian and Newsweek. She has been interviewed by CNN and, seemingly, the BBC. She also appears to have been quoted in the LA Times, Huff Post, Business Insider and many other publications. She has been described by outlets variously as a Palestinian “journalist,” “writer,” “analyst” and “researcher.”

Mariam Barghouti is, then, a relatively well-known “go-to” voice on Israeli-Palestinian affairs. Hailing from Ramallah, her pieces have offered what one might consider an insider’s account of life in the West Bank that provide withering narratives about the “colonialist” project otherwise known as the State of Israel.

Barghouti is also an antisemite.
Using a ‘verified’ Twitter account with over 74,000 followers, she has spread vicious Jew-hatred on the social media platform, including describing Israel as “beating Hitler at his own game since 1948,” and calling the Jewish state “racist Zionist-Nazi’s [sic].”

In other comments she asserted that “Zionism did nothing but exploit the tragedy of the Holocaust,” and claimed that former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a “Nazi.” Perhaps Barghouti is unaware that Netanyahu’s wife Sara lost family members in Hitler’s WWII genocide against the Jewish people.

Even so, Barghouti has still appeared in the pages and on the websites of some of the most high-profile publications in the world. Her absurd pronouncements about how the Israeli army, police and settlers are “working together in tandem” to carry out “ethnic cleansing” against the Palestinians and her declaration that the Israeli city of Tel Aviv is a “settlement” have therefore likely been internalized by swaths of people.


Jewish Talk Show Host Claims Program Cancelled by Florida Radio Station Due to Antisemitism
The co-host of a cancelled talk show about Israel and Jewish current affairs accused a Florida-based radio station of antisemitism after the the program was taken off the air, the Tampa Bay Times reported on Monday, charges the station has denied.

Tampa’s community radio WMNF began airing the “Third Opinion” talk show in 2019, after local Jewish community leaders and the station’s then-general manager claimed that the radio station displayed an anti-Israel bias — most notably on the national show “Democracy Now!” and the local Middle Eastern affairs program “True Talk.”

“Third Option” — which was produced by Tampa’s Jewish Community Centers and Federation and aired Sunday afternoons — now runs only as a podcast, after the station declined to renew the show in May. It is hosted by investigative reporter Mike Deeson and Laureen Jaffee, a lawyer and member of the Centers’ board.

Deeson told the Tampa Bay Times, “The problem is the radio station [WMNF] broadcasts anti-Israeli, antisemitic tropes on the air on a regular basis. From day one they hated us, they absolutely hated us.”

He continued, “I have no heartburn about WMNF canceling the show because I want to be on the radio. What I do have problems with is them getting public money. Your tax dollars are going to help support WMNF, and they have taken away the voice of the Jewish community.”
‘A Jew Won’t Let Him Go for Nothing’: Fury Over Antisemitic Barb Against Jewish Chairman of English Premier League Soccer Club Tottenham Hotspur
Top English soccer club Tottenham Hotspur has declared itself “appalled” after its Jewish chairman was the subject of an antisemitic barb on a live radio show discussing the potential sale of its widely-admired striker, Harry Kane.

Soccer pundits have been occupied for most of the summer discussing whether Kane, who is valued at nearly $200 million, will be sold to another club, with current English Premier League champions Manchester City first in line for his signature.

On Tuesday night, a segment of “The Sports Bar” call-in show on the popular radio station talkSPORT was devoted to the price that Spurs’ chairman Daniel Levy should be demanding for Kane.

But when presenter Jarret Bryan asked one caller what he thought the price should be, he answered, “Levy, he’s a Jew. He’s not going to let him go for nothing, is he?”

In response, Bryan and fellow-presenter Groves immediately moved on, but without referencing the slur, or apologizing for it. It later emerged that the offensive remark was cut off before being transmitted on live radio, though it was heard on the channel’s YouTube feed.

On Wednesday, talkSPORT issued a statement unreservedly apologizing for the slur against Levy.

“We are deeply sorry to Tottenham and, especially, to chairman Daniel Levy, as well as their supporters and the Jewish community for the offense caused by this hateful comment, which should never have been broadcast,” talkSPORT head Lee Clayton said.
CAA writes to talkSPORT demanding live on-air apology after presenters allow “He’s a Jew, he’s not gonna let him go for nothing” comment about Daniel Levy to go unchallenged
This is not the first time talksSPORT has been involved in controversy relating to inflammatory comments. Phil Brown, the football player turned manager, issued a heartfelt apology in 2018 to Campaign Against Antisemitism after referring to Chelsea Football Club midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko as having had a “Holocaust of a game” on the radio show.

Last year on talkSPORT, Mr Groves made a nearly identical remark when he referred to goalkeeper Mat Ryan’s performance in the match, saying that the player “had a Holocaust of a game.”

Mr Levy has received antisemitic abuse in the past. One incident in April saw a tweet that was said to have contained several antisemitic tropes removed and reported to the police.

In a separate incident, a user wrote: “Them 3 fat AMERICAN C***S YOU F***ING BASTARDS. And as for that Jew levy your family should have been gassed. Inters owners also ruined the cal champions. Perez is in the f***ing mafia”.

A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism: “Perry Groves and Jordan Jarrett-Bryan must apologise live on air for their failure to call out a remark by a caller disparaging Daniel Levy because he is Jewish. Perry Groves has his own inflammatory record to redeem, while, for Jarrett-Bryan, whose pinned tweet is all about stamping racism out of football, it is particularly disappointing that he missed the opportunity to do his part in achieving that aim. TalkSPORT’s listeners deserve better.”
Journalist posts tweet suggesting witness against Roman Abramovich and other Jewish businessmen may have changed his story in return for “a few shekels”
A freelance journalist formerly employed by Bloomberg has posted a tweet claiming that a witness against Roman Abramovich and other prominent Jewish businessmen may have changed his story in exchange for “a few shekels”.

The tweet relates to a recent case in the High Court, in which three prominent Jewish businessmen – Roman Abramovich, Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven – have asserted that a book by author Catherine Belton makes defamatory claims about them.

Following last week’s hearing, one of the sources in the book, Sergei Pugachev, whose statements are central to Mr Abramovich’s High Court case, gave an interview about what he had and had not said to the author. In the interview, Mr Pugachev appeared to distance himself from some of the claims attributed to him in the book.

Responding to this interview, Jason Corcoran, a freelance journalist formerly at Bloomberg, tweeted: “Talk about throwing Belton under a trolleybus. What has Pugachev to gain? A few shekels from an oligarch or is he trying to curry favour with the Kremlin after burning his bridges years ago.”

The notion that someone takes ‘treacherous’ action in return for “shekels” is a classic trope going back millennia. It is particularly poignant, given that Mr Abramovich and his fellow claimants, to whom Mr Pugachev is supposedly endearing himself by allegedly backtracking, are Jewish. The Shekel is the currency of the State of Israel.




Germany announces $40 million investment in antisemitism research
The German government said Wednesday it will strengthen its battle against the quickly growing antisemitism in the country by investing 35 million euros ($41.5 million) into research and educational projects focused on understanding its causes and effectively fighting hatred of Jews.

Police registered 2,351 cases of antisemitism in Germany last year, which was an increase of 15% compared to the year before, officials reported.

“This is the highest number in the last couple of years,” said German Education and Research Minister Anja Karliczek. “There’s reason for worry that this is only the tip of the iceberg and that the unreported number of daily attacks on Jews is substantially higher.”

Karliczek said the government wants to invest millions into researching the causes of antisemitism “because we need deep knowledge in order to be able to efficiently fight” it.

She said millions would be given to universities to examine the different facets of hatred against Jews and to develop strategies on what to best do against it.

Various projects will focus on antisemitism in schools, in the German justice system or on the internet and social media.
‘Qui?’ Antisemitic Propaganda Floods Anti-Vaccination Movement in France as Jewish Doctors Report Harassment by Activists
The burgeoning political movement in France opposed to the COVID-19 vaccine is being flooded with antisemitic propaganda that is, according to one analyst, reminiscent of the campaign to drive Jews out of the medical profession during the Nazi era.

As more than 100,000 people took part in nationwide protests last Saturday denouncing the vaccine as an “act of violence,” several media outlets highlighted the presence of multiple signs displaying the word “Qui?” (“Who?”). The same word is used as the title of a far-right channel on YouTube that carried interviews with demonstrators in Paris last Saturday.

According to the newspaper Libération, the content on the channel is “overflowing with antisemitic cliches,” among them the medieval fabrication that Jews are “poisoning wells,” which dates back to the Black Death of the fourteenth century. The channel has racked up over 10,000 views since being uploaded on Sunday.

The rapid spread of the “Qui?” meme among anti-vaccination activists over the last six weeks followed a June 22 television interview with a retired French army general who embarked on an antisemitic rant that avoided using the word “Jew.”

Gen. Dominique Delawarde is now facing criminal charges for his comments in an exchange with the journalist Claude Posternak, in which he said, “You know who controls the media pack in the world and in France. Who controls the Washington Post, the New York Times, BFMTV and all the newspapers.”

Delawarde then added sarcastically: “Who are these people?”

Pressed by Posternak as to whom he was referring, Delawarde answered, “This is a community that you know very well.”

The adoption of Delawarde’s “Qui?” remarks about Jews as a campaigning theme by elements of the anti-vaccination movement has overlapped with an increasingly venomous and explicit antisemitism.
GW Becomes First American University to Offer Master’s Program in Israel Education
George Washington University’s ​​Graduate School of Education and Human Development is now offering a master’s degree program in Israel education.

The private university in Washington, DC, is the first major educational institution in the United States to offer the two-year, part-time master’s program that “brings together cohorts of Jewish educators, leaders and changemakers to learn new methods and techniques for Israel education,” according to a news release by the school.

The release also stated that “through vision-based learning and practical educational strategies, each cohort explores the historical and contemporary politics, culture and geography of Israel to develop educational experiences that emphasize the centrality of Israel to Jewish education, civilization and life.”

The Marcus Foundation donated $2.7 million to fund the program with additional support from the Center for Israel Education.

George Washington University has more than 4,500 undergraduate and graduate students who identify as Jewish, according to the school.
Israeli-made video game GRIME released on Steam, Epic Games, GOG
GRIME, a new video game released by Israeli game studio Clover Bite, has finally hit digital distribution services worldwide, and the reviews have so far been positive. Released on August 2, the game is a 2D Metroidvania, a subgenere focused on exploring, puzzles and multiple weapons. Pioneered by popular franchises Metroid and Castlevania, the subgenre is one of the most popular in gaming, particularly among indie games meant for the PC market like GRIME.

The game takes place in a surreal cavernous world, with the player controlling a humanoid statue dubbed by multiple in-game characters as the "chiseled one."

"An unusual material collapses in on itself, the world shudders and contracts, and suddenly you are squeezed into existence," the game's description reads.

"What awaits you is a world unknown, alien in its own familiarity, and you must survive what terrors you face. Explore your surreal surroundings, absorb the many enemies you encounter, and use their own traits against them as you let yourself become far more than you once were."

Overall, it bears its influences on its sleeve, taking keys from Metroidvania titles as well as RPG and stamina mechanics reminiscent of the popular Dark Souls franchise.

But GRIME also utilizes an absorption mechanic mentioned in its description that, while reminiscent of the classic Kirby games, seems fairly unique in its own right.
Evidence of 2,800-year-old biblical earthquake found in Jerusalem
Some 2,800 years ago, a powerful earthquake hit the Land of Israel. Now, for the first time, archaeologists found evidence of the event in Jerusalem, in the City of David National Park, the Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced Wednesday.

“The words of Amos, a sheep breeder from Tekoa, who prophesied concerning Israel in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, and Jeroboam son of Joash, king of Israel, two years before the earthquake,” reads the first verse of the Book of Amos.

“And the Valley in the Hills shall be stopped up, for the Valley of the Hills shall reach only to Azal; it shall be stopped up as it was stopped up as a result of the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. And the Lord my God, with all the holy beings, will come to you,” reads another passage in Zechariah, recalling the event some 200 years later, to suggest how strong of a collective memory it left.

While evidence of the earthquake had been found in the past at other sites in Israel, such as Hatzor and Tell es-Safi/Gath, archaeologists had never uncovered any indication of it in Jerusalem, until they were surprised to find broken vessels and other signs of destruction in some buildings in the City of David, dating back to a period when Jerusalem was not subjected to any conquest or other violent event.

“When we excavated the structure and uncovered an eighth-century BCE layer of destruction, we were very surprised, because we know that Jerusalem continued to exist in succession until the Babylonian destruction, which occurred about 200 years later,” IAA excavation directors Dr. Joe Uziel and Ortal Chalaf said.

“We asked ourselves what could have caused that dramatic layer of destruction we uncovered. Examining the excavation findings, we tried to check if there is a reference to it in the biblical text.


20 years later, Sbarro attack victims dedicate Shaare Zedek delivery room
To mark the 20th anniversary of one of Jerusalem's deadliest terror attacks, survivors dedicated a maternal delivery room this week at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in memory of their murdered family.

On August 9, 2001, a Palestinian suicide bomber detonated at the Sbarro Pizzeria in the city’s downtown, leaving 15 people dead including five members of the Schijveschuurder family; both parents and three children.

Meir Schijveschuurder, who experienced the attack as a 17 year old, expressed that the choice to dedicate a delivery room reflected the “circle of life,” the hospital stated.

Among the 130 people injured were Meir and his sister Chaya, then 8, who were evacuated in critical condition to Bikur Cholim Hospital, which in 2012 became part of Shaare Zedek.

Included in those who attended the emotional ceremony were medical personnel who triaged and treated the siblings, the hospital said. For the staff, including Chana Smadja, who was then working in the emergency room at Bikur Cholim and is today a senior nurse in Shaare Zedek’s infection control unit, the dedication was the first time reuniting with the family after they were released from the hospital.

“There was a smell of explosives in the air and the patients arrived on stretchers directly from the site, because it was too close to even put them in ambulances. The initial moments were chaotic, it took some time before we were able to realize the extent of the catastrophe and that we were treating multiple siblings whose parents had been killed,” Smadja recalled of the horrific day.

The hospital noted that both Meir and Chaya have close ties with its delivery room. The latter gave birth to her first child in the hospital last year.







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