Thursday, December 22, 2022

12/22 Links Pt2: Challenging the false anti-Israel narrative with facts; Jordanian anti-Israel film no longer Oscar contender; In WW2, German Generals Knew about the Annihilation of Jews

From Ian:

‘A Brief And Visual History Of Antisemitism’ Is An Important Resource In Today’s Climate
Israel B. Bitton’s new book, “A Brief and Visual History of Antisemitism,” shouldn’t be needed — but sadly, it is.

A substantial work two years in the making, the visually rich effort features a foreword by Israeli President Isaac Herzog. It’s aimed at all people, but it is particularly designed for seniors in high school as some of the images and discussion could be too intense for younger readers.

Former longtime Democratic New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind, founder of Americans Against Antisemitism, was intimately involved in the creation of the book. He told me, “Knowledge is power. We wanted the book to be easy to read and follow.” And it is — even coming with “augmented reality bonus content” aimed at a generation that might not be as familiar as they should be with the long and sordid history of hate and violence directed against the Jewish people.

Hikind went on to note that in November alone, there were 45 hate crimes committed against Jews in New York City — almost three times as many as those committed against all other groups combined. Hikind also cited FBI Director Christopher Wray’s Nov. 17 testimony before Congress that “Antisemitism and violence that comes out of it is a persistent and present fact,” with the Jewish community “getting hit from all sides.” Wray then said 63 percent of religious hate crimes were motivated by antisemitism — a remarkable fact when considering that only 2.4 percent of Americans are Jewish.

The book runs 549 pages before hitting its densely packed endnotes, serving both as a well-documented resource book and a useful tool for the classroom. It’s divided into nine discrete units: Defining Antisemitism; Beginnings of Antisemitism; Proliferation of Antisemitism; Secularization of Antisemitism; Apex of Antisemitism; Easternization of Antisemitism; Politicization of Antisemitism; The Current Landscape; and Combating Antisemitism.

I queried Hikind about how antisemitism might be different today than it was when the infamous “Protocols of the Elders of Zion” was published in Russia in 1903. “There is no difference,” Hikind said, “The same thing Jews were accused of in the past are the same things they are accused of today.”


David Collier: Challenging the false anti-Israel narrative with facts
“Not all opinions are equal. And some things happened just like they say they did. Slavery happened, the Black Death happened, the earth is round, the ice caps are melting, and Elvis is not alive” -Rachel Weisz (playing Deborah Lipstadt) from the movie ‘Denial’.

Jews are facing Orwellian inversions of history. We are witnessing an increase in Holocaust denialism, that can even perversely attempt to make Jews responsible for the events in Nazi Germany. And we are seeing a rewrite of the story of Zionism, which results in Jews being portrayed as powerful, sadistic monsters.

Thankfully, Holocaust denialism is mostly in the shadows. Every decent person will have nothing to do with it. Unfortunately, the rewrite of the Israel story has been far more successful. Media, politicians, and even many Jews on the left, have lost sight of what is true. It is this history – the real history – that I highlight here.

Anti-Israel activism is based on two key falsehoods.

The first is that the Arabs welcomed the Jews (and were then betrayed by them).
The second is that the Jews controlled the events, eventually going on a deliberate rampage, slaughtering or expelling innocent and passive Arabs.

I have no intention of making this a wordy piece, but rather to go on a brief journey through time. Using news reports to highlight the truth upon which the conflict is built.

Acceptance and populations
Let me begin with the idea that the Arabs accepted the Jews – or lived with them in peace before the Zionists came. Until the latter part of the 19th century, pogroms could occur in places such as Tzfat or Hebron (1834) and the world remained oblivious. If news did break out, it often came through published letters of notable travellers that witnessed events. This distressing eye-witness account of a brutal attack on Jews in Jerusalem, was written in July 1834 and published four months after the event occurred:

That attack was not conducted by the Egyptians or the Turks – but by local Arab Muslims. This was the life of Jews in Jerusalem under Ottoman Islamic rule: 3rd class citizens, vulnerable to the violent whims of the Islamic rulers and local Muslim populations. Below are three more extracts from newspapers in the 19th Century, One details the ‘indignity’ with which Jews of Jerusalem were treated. The two others refer to Ottoman laws restricting Jewish free movement (one even mentions the ‘enmity’ towards them):

All reports from the area of the time speak of squalor, empty lands, decay, and neglect. Laws were set in place restricting Jewish land purchase and movement. This blatantly anti-Jewish decree did not just affect Jews from Europe – but even Jews inside the Ottoman empire:
American Israelite, 25 July 1884

At differing levels anti-Jewish activity continued until the British arrived. Between 1914 and 1917, the Turks expelled all the Jews in Tel Aviv and Yaffo:
Daily Phoenix and Times-Democrat Oklahoma,19 Jan 1915

There was an unmentioned driver to the Turkish oppression of Jews in the late 19th Century. The Islamic rulers were worried about Jews entering a land with a low population. So *Muslim only* immigration was encouraged. This can be seen in reports from the time, such as this one that details the Bosnian Muslim immigration and the barriers placed on others:


Alan M. Dershowitz: Democracy in Israel
Israel's democratic system is based on a unicameral parliament, the Knesset, the members of which are chosen in an election based on nationwide proportional representation. Because no one single political party has ever in the country's history won a majority of 61 out of 120 Knesset seats, multiple parties -- including small ones -- need to group together in a coalition to form the government.

It is often necessary to make significant compromises among the parties in order to make up a governing coalition. That is what is happening now with Likud Party leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who .... promises to continue to oppose [bigotries] in the new government he is working to form under himself as Prime Minister.

Israel, however, presents a very different face through the persona of its President Isaac Herzog. In Israel, the presidency is a non-partisan ceremonial role, without executive powers. Herzog... in 2015 ran unsuccessfully for prime minister as leader of the left-wing Labor Party. Today, as president, he represents all the citizens of Israel. His face is that of a centrist patriot with a long history of supporting human rights for all....

Herzog can remind the world that no country in history has contributed more to the world -- medically, scientifically, technologically, agriculturally, culturally, in human rights and in other ways -- during its first 75 years of existence than Israel. This, despite having to devote so much of its resources to defending itself against genocidal threats from Iran and other nations and terror groups committed to its destruction. Israel has signed peace treaties with Egypt, Jordan and other Arab nations, and is seeking peace and normalization with still others.

Netanyahu, who was Israel's longest-serving prime minister, has played an extremely positive role in many of these developments, as well as in creating a peace that few thought possible with four Arab countries -- the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco -- after decades of hostility – all while countering deadly threats from Iran and leading Israel's economy away from socialism into the high-tech wonder that it is.

There is much for Israel to be proud of, even as it faces challenges both from without and within. No nation is subjected to more unfounded and disproportionate condemnation -- from the United Nations, from international tribunals, from NGOs, from campus radicals, from many in the media -- than the nation-state of the Jewish people.


DEBATE: Does the Supreme Court have too much power? | Caroline Glick Show #supremecourt #democracy
In the new “Caroline Glick Show,” Caroline Glick hosts a debate between jurists Alan Dershowitz and Avi Bell about why the Israeli Supreme Court needs reforms.

While the two law professors disagree about the scope of the reforms required, they both agree that the power of the Court should be limited.


Jordanian anti-Israel film no longer Oscar contender
A Jordanian film portraying Israeli soldiers as merciless killers is no longer an Oscar contender, Israel Hayom learned Wednesday.

"Farha," a debut by Jordanian director Darin Sallam, came under fire in Israel as it alleges Zionist atrocities against Palestinians during Israel's independence war. Israeli officials accused Sallam of "creating a false narrative" as the film includes a shocking 15-minute scene during which Israeli soldiers massacre a family of Palestinian refugees, including a baby.

It first premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and after receiving critical acclaim was picked to represent Jordan in the Best Foreign Film category at the 2023 Academy Awards

When "Farha" hit Netflix, hundreds of Israelis canceled their subscriptions to the streaming service and demonstrated outside the company's headquarters in London, saying the film put Jews, Israelis, and Israeli soldiers in particular, in danger.

Israeli film "Cinema Sabaya" will not vie for Best Foreign Film of the upcoming Oscars either. Directed by Orit Fouks Rotem, it tells the story of Arab and Jewish female municipal workers who participate in a video workshop documenting their own lives and viewing each others' – challenging their beliefs in order to get to know one another.

It previously won Best Picture winner in the Ophir Awards, Israel's version of the Oscars.
How Hanukkah & Christmas Affirm the Jewish People’s Connection to the Land of Israel
The December holiday season is in full swing, as Jews around the world celebrate Hanukkah and Christians gear up for Christmas festivities.

Although these holidays are observed by two separate religions, are celebrated according to two different calendars (Hanukkah is celebrated according to the Jewish calendar while Christmas is celebrated according to the Gregorian / Julian calendars), and commemorate two different religious events, both Hanukkah and Christmas have one thing in common: They highlight the Jewish people’s ancient connection to the Land of Israel.

Hanukkah & the Land of Israel
In the week prior to the beginning of Hanukkah 2022, the Israeli Antiquities Authority announced that a recent dig in the Judean Desert had unearthed a trove of ancient coins dating back to the tumultuous period just prior to the Maccabean Revolt in 167 BCE.

According to archaeology experts, this discovery is concrete evidence for the story told in the Book of Maccabees, of pious Jews fleeing to the desert to escape the persecution of the Seleucid Empire under Antiochus IV.

However, this cache of silver coins not only corroborates the Hanukkah story but, like the Hanukkah story itself, is further proof of the ancient ties of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel.

The Hanukkah story is essentially a traveling map of the Land of Israel. The story opens as Mattathias and his sons begin their revolt against the Seleucids and their Hellenist allies in the town of Modi’in (located near the central Israeli city that bears the same name).

After the revolt was declared, the band of Jewish rebels (known as the Maccabees) fled to the Gofna hills (near the modern-day Jewish community of Beit El) in order to set up a paramilitary camp to be used as a base for their fight against the Seleucids.

From this camp, the Maccabees engaged in a number of battles from which they emerged victorious. These battles took place at Maaleh Levona (near the modern-day Israeli city of Ariel), Bet Horon (located between Modi’in and Jerusalem), and Beit Tzur (located in the hills surrounding Hebron).

Following these victories, the Maccabees successfully liberated the city of Jerusalem and re-sanctified the Holy Temple. This liberation and re-sanctification are the key events of the Hanukkah story.

Thus, when Jews celebrate Hanukkah by lighting candles, playing dreidel and eating our favorite oily foods, they are not only commemorating the miracle of the jug of oil or a remarkable military victory. They are also affirming the ancient ties that bind the Jewish people to the Land of Israel, a connection that continues all the way through Jewish history to the modern day.
The Hijacking of Christmas in the Holy Land: Inside the Infamous Palestinian Santa Stunts
His image is based on Saint Nicholas, the 4th Century Christian who devoted his life to giving generously to the poor. Therefore, Santa Claus — or Father Christmas — is perhaps one of the most recognizable symbols of Christianity and Christmas.

Yet, in the West Bank where the number of Christians has precipitously declined in recent years following a campaign waged against them by Palestinian Muslims, the iconic representation of Santa Claus with his white beard and red suit is being expropriated for another purpose.

While most dress as Santa to delight children who believe he sneaks into their homes and delivers presents on Christmas Eve, Palestinians have been known to imitate the iconic figure to wage a propaganda battle against Israel.

Nearly every year in December, Palestinians dressed as Santa Claus join clashes with the Israeli military in violent organized demonstrations that are virtually guaranteed to garner international media coverage.

In 2015, for example, the Santas were present when border officers were attacked near the West Bank town of Bethlehem, which is believed to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, as rocks and other projectiles were thrown before the riot was dispersed using tear gas.

The following year there were similar scenes as more than 100 Palestinians fought with Israeli riot police.

While the media has invariably characterized the Santa protests as against the “Israeli occupation” and spearheaded by Palestinian Christians, this could not be further from the truth.

Less circulated images tell a different story.
In these pictures, Palestinian Santas can be seen crouched alongside young men wearing red keffiyehs to hide their identities and helping them load bags of rocks onto slingshots to fire at security forces.

Such photographs reveal the demonstrations for what they are: the hijacking of a Christian symbol to garner headlines that baselessly suggest the Jewish state is targeting Christians.
Wall Street Journal Article Rehabilitates Antisemites
In September of 2020, a video circulated online of a CUNY student threatening to set another individual’s IDF sweatshirt on fire – while he was wearing it. The CUNY student making the threat, while moving the flame from a lighter close to the sweatshirt, was Nerdeen Kiswani. For this reason and others, one Jewish group named her its 2020 “Antisemite of the Year.” Then in March of this year, Kiswani led protesters in chants calling to “Globalize the Intifada,” in front of the New York office of the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces. Despite her incitement to kill Jews wherever they may be found, Kiswani was chosen by her peers to speak at CUNY Law school’s commencement address two months later. She used this opportunity to promote the antisemitic BDS movement.

Yet, somehow, the Wall Street Journal’s Douglas Belkin decided that Kiswani was an appropriate spokesperson about college antisemitism. (“Antisemitism Is Rising at Colleges, and Jewish Students Are Facing Growing Hostility,” December 14, 2022.)

Nerdeen Kiswani, who graduated from the City University of New York Law School this year and has been advocating for Palestinians since she was an undergraduate at several CUNY schools, said antisemitism is harmful not only to Jews but to the Palestinian cause because it detracts from grievances about Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.

“There’s nothing that undermines the Palestinians’ struggle more than antisemitism,” she said.

In many respects, Belkin’s article was extremely informative. Casting Kiswani as an opponent of antisemitism, however, is simply perverse. There’s no indication that Belkin asked her about any of her alleged actions – including threatening to set another person on fire. Nor are any of those actions mentioned in his article.
New York Magazine’s Vulture ‘Jokes’ That Jesus Was a Palestinian
A story in Vulture, the entertainment and culture outlet of New York Magazine, takes a long look at what it calls “Nepo Babies” — the children of famous people. It includes the following sentence:
The Hadid sisters are a tricky case: As with that other famous Palestinian, Jesus Christ, the benefits of the filial relationship clearly flowed both ways.”

Clearly, as HonestReporting has previously explained, Jesus was most definitely not a Palestinian. Rather, he was born in Judea, a client kingdom of the Roman Empire, and identified as a Jew.

We contacted the author of Vulture’s article to explain this and to request a correction. His response?

I appreciate the request, but this was a joke. We are aware Jesus was actually Jewish.”

Granted, the article was undoubtedly light-hearted. However, while it may very well be that Vulture was kidding around, satire is meant to ridicule and expose other people’s stupidity or vices.

Where Jews are concerned, however, there are far too many people out there who will believe anything, thus rendering satire ineffectual and potentially dangerous. As we approach Christmas, it’s once again that time of year when Jesus’s identity becomes politicized in an attempt by some Palestinian activists and antisemites to claim him for themselves.
Canadian Journal Of Communication, Recipient Of Federal Taxpayer Dollars, Publishes Commentary From Laith Marouf’s Organization, The Community Media Advocacy Centre
In August, Laith Marouf became infamous for spreading vile comments about Jews.

That month, Marouf, a Beirut-based consultant and founder of the Community Media Advocacy Centre, whose mission is described on its website as being “To disrupt settler colonialism and oppression in the media,” was revealed to have written comments online widely seen as being antisemitic in nature.

Marouf had posted comments on Twitter referring to “Jewish White Supremacists” as “loud mouthed bags of human feces,” and that “life is too short…for entertaining Jewish White Supremacists with anything but a bullet to the head.”

After his posts became publicized widely, Marouf was also suspended from Twitter, a decision which he blamed on the “Zionist lobby” pressuring the social media company.

But Marouf was not a garden variety anti-Israel propagandist; more troublingly, his dissemination of disinformation was also facilitated by taxpayer dollars he received from the federal government.

Marouf’s organization had received more than $130,000 in federal taxpayer funds from the Department of Heritage to run “anti-racism” workshops, in addition to more than $500,000 through the Broadcast Participation Fund, a body set up by the Canadian Radio-Television and Communications Commission (CRTC) to groups who participated in public broadcast hearings.

After Marouf’s comments became public, thanks to the research of media consultant Mark Goldberg and journalist Jonathan Kay, the federal government apologized, condemned Marouf’s words, committed to not hiring his organization again, as well as conducting reviews and audits of the decisions which led to the Community Media Advocacy Centre being given funds.

But it seems that wasn’t the entirety of tax dollars helping to prop up the work of Laith Marouf and his organization.
Unrelated ‘related reading’ shoehorned into BBC report on Palestinian affairs
On December 15th a report by David Gritten headlined ‘Nizar Banat: Palestinian activist’s family asks ICC to probe death’ was published on the BBC News website’s ‘Middle East’ page.

“The family of a Palestinian activist who died in the custody of Palestinian security forces has submitted a case to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Nizar Banat, an outspoken critic of the Palestinian Authority (PA), was beaten on the head and body during a raid in June 2021 in the occupied West Bank.

His family urged the ICC to prosecute those responsible, saying they had lost confidence in the PA’s judiciary.

It is the first time a Palestinian has referred their leadership to the court.”

Despite the fact that the report clearly pertains to Palestinian affairs, it is nevertheless tagged ‘Israel and the Palestinians’, with the sole possible explanation for that being found in the 508-word report’s final paragraph:
“The ICC prosecutor opened a formal investigation into alleged war crimes in the occupied territories last year, following a request from the Palestinians. Israel, which rejects the ICC’s jurisdiction, said it would not co-operate.”

While links to two related previous BBC reports from July and September 2021 are offered in the body of the article, below it – under the heading ‘More on this story’ – readers find links to three BBC reports (discussed here, here and here) which are not directly related to the story of Nizar Banat’s death.

Between June and September 2021 the BBC News website published six items relating to Banat’s death and the subsequent protests. The story was also covered on BBC radio stations, including in a 50-minute edition of the BBC World Service radio programme ‘The Real Story’ aired in early July 2021.


Ha'aretz: In World War II, German Generals Knew about the Annihilation of Jews
Avner Gershony is a doctoral student at the University of Haifa. His dissertation deals with the stories of nine top Wehrmacht generals during the last year and a half of World War II. British intelligence recorded conversations of German officers who were taken prisoner and brought to an estate in London, which was completely wired with eavesdropping devices. The transcripts were inaccessible until 1996.

These generals are veteran army personnel who were already officers during World War I. They are not a product of Nazi education. Yet there is really not a great difference between the ambitions of the kaiser or of the Second Reich (1871-1919), and those of the Third Reich. The worldview of these generals is imperialistic. Hitler's ambitions suit them: to expand to the east, to raise Germany to the status of a superpower. As long as Hitler was winning, they had no problem with him.

They were all antisemites in their worldview. They simply believed totally in the anti-Jewish propaganda. We can glean from their conversations that they were fully aware of what was happening on the ground. They speak openly about the annihilation of Jews, about the murder of local populations in the East. They knew everything. Some of them were even responsible for it.

There's a conversation in which one of them, an amateur photographer, recalls having been invited by his comrade to view executions of Jews. He tells him with the height of nonchalance: Listen, we usually shoot them in the morning, but if you come, we'll do it around noon. There's another general, who oversaw the murders, and he actually describes how children are taken and shot in the back of the neck.
"WJRO Applauds Lithuania’s Holocaust Era Property Restitution Law"
The World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO) on Thursday applauded the passage of legislation by the Lithuanian Parliament addressing restitution claims of Holocaust victims. The legislation, introduced in November by Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė, will provide €37 million as symbolic compensation to private claimants and the Lithuanian Good Will Foundation concerning heirless Jewish property. The legislation passed in the third reading today by a vote of 74 in favor, 6 against, and 2 abstentions.

“We welcome the passage of this new bill and applaud Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė and the Lithuanian government,” said Gideon Taylor, Chair of Operations, World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO). “The legislation adopted by the Lithuanian government is a very important step to provide symbolic justice to Lithuanian Holocaust survivors and their families and to support Jewish life in Lithuania.”

“These positive results come after lengthy discussions we had with Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė and Faina Kukliansky, Chairwoman of the Lithuanian Jewish Community,” said Rabbi Andrew Baker, Director of International Jewish Affairs at American Jewish Committee. “This new legislation will continue to help the preservation of Jewish heritage in Lithuanian, further revitalize the community, help elderly Lithuanian Holocaust survivors and provide compensation for those who had their property wrongfully taken from them.”

“The legislation adopted today is a meaningful acknowledgment of the tragedy that befell Lithuanian Jewry, and we hope it will lead to the continued recognition of historical dimensions of its tragedy. We hope other countries which have not yet acknowledged the loss of heirless property might learn from this example,” said Mark Weitzman, Chief Operating Officer, World Jewish Restitution Organization (WJRO).

“We welcome the vote by the Lithuanian government to provide restitution to the Lithuanian Jewish community and Lithuanian Holocaust survivors,” said Mark B. Levin, Executive Vice Chairman and CEO of NCSEJ, (National Coalition Supporting Eurasian Jewry). “I want to thank everyone associated with the passage of this law for their continued support to provide a measure of justice to Lithuanian Holocaust survivors and their families for the horrors they suffered during World War II and its aftermath.” Over a decade ago following intensive negotiations with the Lithuanian Jewish Community and WJRO, the Lithuanian Parliament (Seimas) passed legislation to pay €37 million in compensation for former Jewish communal property. This payment represented only partial value of the properties; however, it provided much-needed funds to support Jewish communal life in Lithuania, restored several Jewish heritage sites, and offered modest payments to needy survivors.
Jewish Women and Children Targeted in Latest London Antisemitic Hate Crime Spree
A man verbally abused a 13 year old Jewish girl on a Transport for London (TFL) bus, Shomrim Stamford Hill, a local Jewish community watch group, reported on Tuesday.

“I’m Adolf Hitler and I will kill the Jews,” the man, who has not yet been identified, said while using an umbrella, pointed in the girl’s direction, to pantomime shooting a gun.

The incident follows a wave antisemitic hate crimes in London, which Shomrim has described as a “hate crimes pandemic.”

On Monday, the group reported that a man verbally abused a Jewish mother, her 14 year old daughter, and baby, shouting, “Go back to Stamford Hill troublemakers,” before sexually assaulting one of the children.

London law enforcement authorities have not announced any suspects or leads in either case.

“It’s a terrible state of affairs,” Shomrim London tweeted.

In another incident revealed by the group this week, a Jewish man walking home from synagogue on the Sabbath was accosted by a strange man wielding “a large chain” and forced to walk with him.

The Metropolitan Police Service has so far recorded 534 antisemitic hate crimes this year. There were 45 in the month of November, according to the department’s latest data.
‘Lack of Leads’: University of Michigan Closes Case on Alleged Antisemitic Assault
The University of Michigan Police Department has closed its investigation of an antisemitic assault that occurred on campus in November.

On the afternoon of Nov. 12, an unidentified male assaulted a student, who is a young woman, by the arm while crossing paths with her on campus and made antisemitic statements.

“After a thorough investigation this case was closed with a lack of leads,” Deputy Chief of Police Melissa Overton told The Algemeiner on Thursday.

According to the university, the assailant was a brown-haired, 5’10’ white male who wore a university baseball cap, red and black shirt, blue jeans, and gray shoes during the incident. At the time, a university spokesperson told Jewish Journal that “these types of attacks are in direct with conflict with our deeply held values as a university.”


Romania to Buy Israeli-British Watchkeeper Drones for $410 Million
Romania has signed a framework agreement with Israel's Elbit Systems to buy up to seven Watchkeeper X drones for up to $410 million, as numerous Eastern European countries are accelerating their acquisitions of unmanned aircraft in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

As part of the agreement, the Romanian defense industry will secure domestic manufacturing and servicing capacities for the drones.

Watchkeeper, based on the Elbit Hermes 450 drone, is manufactured by U-TacS, a joint venture of Elbit Systems and Thales UK
. Israel's Rafael to Supply Anti-Drone System to Asian Navy
Israeli defense giant Rafael Advanced Defense Systems has signed a multi-million dollar, five-year contract to supply its Typhoon Mk30-C naval defense system to an undisclosed Asian country.

The contract includes an option for the purchase of additional systems, according to the company.

The Typhoon, a stabilized naval Remote Control Weapon System, is equipped with a Mk44 Bushmaster II 30mm chain gun, which is compatible with both high-explosive and Air Burst Ammunition, and is capable of shooting down Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, according to the Rafael.

The company has installed more than 750 naval remote control weapons systems to date.
120,000 Pilgrims Expected in Israel Over Christmas Week
Some 120,000 Christian pilgrims are expected to visit Israel over Christmas week, the country’s Ministry of Tourism announced Tuesday.

While pilgrims typically constitute 20 percent of tourists to Israel, that number is expected to increase to 40 percent during the Christmas period, according to the ministry.

Free roundtrip transportation will be offered between Jerusalem and Bethlehem for those interested in participating in celebrations on Christmas eve and the afternoon of Christmas day.

While the figure represents a dip from the number of pilgrims visiting Israel during Christmas week before the Covid-19 pandemic — about 135,000 in 2018 and about 150,000 in 2019 — the ministry has been expressing optimism over the recovery of incoming tourism.

Israel was among the first countries to shut its borders in response to the 2020 outbreak, stunting its tourism sector just after it welcomed an all-time high number of visitors in 2019.

Jerusalem has since lifted pandemic-related entry restrictions, no longer requiring foreigners to receive a Covid-19 vaccine or to test for the virus before or after arrival.
World’s Largest Lego Hanukkah Menorah Assembled in Tel Aviv
It is the work of dozens of volunteers who assembled together more than 130,000 bricks

A Hanukkah menorah in Israel's coastal city of Tel Aviv is claiming the title of the world's largest hanukkiah made from Lego bricks.

The candelabra, located in the new Lego store in central Tel Aviv is the work of dozens of volunteers who assembled more than 130,000 bricks.

Real estate magnate and engineer Amnon Marc Applbaum, who oversaw the measurements for the project, said the hanukkiah broke the world record, despite the lack of official confirmation. "It was built from over 130,000 bricks, with no adhesive or structural support other than the magical power of the Lego bricks themselves," he added.

Lego Israel CEO Yoav Gaon said the company's "values ​​of creativity, imagination, learning, fun, and quality were brought to life through this incredible event, as hundreds of children, parents, and grandparents tried to break the Guinness World Record."

"I am happy to share that the Lego Store Israel has built the world's largest Lego brick hanukkiah, measuring over 4.5 meters (14 feet) in height and [14 feet] in width," Gaon continued. “The sculpture is made exclusively of individual bricks and was assembled by children and families as part of a Lego Hanukkah festival,” he added.
Hanukkah Is a Time to Celebrate the Power of Jewish Self-Determination
Hanukkah is really a celebration of military victory. Two thousand years ago, Seleucid Greek invaders banned Jewish education and ritual, and massacred countless innocent Jews for attempting to resist. In response, Jewish priest Judah Maccabee inspired and led a grassroots revolt, expelling the invaders, rededicating the temple in Jerusalem and renewing traditional Jewish ways of life.

For over two millennia, Jews have come together during the year's darkest nights to commemorate this restoration of Jewish sovereignty in the holy land. We celebrate the right to live as proud individual Jews, and our right to do so as a people in our national historic homeland.

People who attack Jews attack Israel, and people who attack Israel attack Jews. Every time Israel is dragged through the mud in the media, attacks on Jews in New York and London spike to record levels. Those who really want to stand with Jews must stand with Israel, and those who want to stand with Israel must stand with Jews.
Site of 12th century massacre of UK Jews hosts Hanukkah event
A tower in England where the deadliest massacre of Jews in British history took place hosted a Hanukkah lighting for the first time.

York’s Clifford’s Tower was the site of a deadly 12th century mass killing in which 150 Jews were murdered.

But this week it was illuminated for Hanukkah in a unique ceremony, the UK Jewish News reported.

The massacre took place on March 16, 1190 when multiple antisemitic riots culminated in the murder of the whole Jewish community of York. The community had taken shelter in the castle, the area where Clifford’s Tower currently sits. It was the worst massacre of Jews in British history.

The menorah lighting 832 years after the massacre was described by the local Jewish community as “a symbol of unity and healing and a light of peace in our world.”




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