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Monday, August 07, 2023

08/07 Links Pt2: Phyllis Chesler: Our eternal battle for Zion; ‘The Jews Are Guilty’: Reflections on Antisemitism Old and New; Glaring, blatant anti-Israel hate speech at EU

From Ian:

Prof. Phyllis Chesler: Our eternal battle for Zion
Like so many, I had assumed that hatred and persecution of Jews had been defeated, that the genocide of Jews would never repeat itself. I was wrong.

I first encountered antisemitism among American leftists, including feminists, in the early 1970s and it sent me straight to Israel for a long overdue visit. Yet it took me more than three decades to publicly break with leftists and feminists over their antisemitism/anti-Zionism.

During that time, the scope of my activism in fighting Jew-hatred and standing with Israel—both independently and in collaboration with other Jews and organizations—has been intensive and vast. The strategies included authoring books and thousands of articles; delivering speeches; soliciting signatures against anti-Israel resolutions; holding press conferences; being interviewed in films, the media, and on television; bringing journalists and iconic feminists to Israel; collaborating with Israeli feminists; organizing conferences; and battling for Israel at international conferences, including the UN Conference on Women held in Copenhagen, which was a pre-cursor to Durban.

In the early 1980s, while traveling on a European feminist lecture tour, I stood outside the great synagogues—the Rue Copernic Synagogue in Paris, the Stadttempel Synagogue in Vienna, and the Great Synagogue of Rome. Palestinian Arab terrorists had bombed them all and the synagogues subsequently needed permanent police guards outside.

In 1991, I stood on a corner in Crown Heights in Brooklyn and watched a Black pogrom against Orthodox Jews. It raged on. The mayor and the police did not stop it for days. I will never forget it. I knew then that the bloody beast was back.

However, on October 12, 2000, when Palestinian Arab barbarians in Ramallah lynched Vadim Norzhich and Yosef Avrahami, two Israeli Defense Forces reservists (may they rest in peace), the airwave’s many Talking Heads did not flinch as they played and replayed this ghoulish event.

Just thirteen days prior, on September 29th, Arafat unleashed his well-planned Second Intifada, which lasted until February 8, 2005. Over 1,000 Israelis were killed, and thousands were severely injured in these attacks. And so, it was on September 29, 2000, after thirty-two years of researching, speaking, marching, and publishing pioneering feminist works, I found myself drafted into a new kind of army. Suddenly, I was a full-time civilian fighting in the Cognitive War against the Jews.

And, when the planes of 9/11 crashed through history and into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, I understood: “Now we are all Israelis.” Airports everywhere would have to develop the kind of security procedures that only Israeli Embassies, consulates, airports, synagogues, and Jewish centers had tragically been forced to pioneer.

Meanwhile, over the last 40+ years, the Western academy, media, international organizations, and governments, which included liberal and leftist feminists—all became increasingly Stalinized and Palestinianized. Leftist feminists became more obsessed with the alleged “occupation” of a country that had never existed—Palestine—than they were with the real occupation of women’s bodies globally. They dared not focus on the occupation of women’s bodies in Muslim countries lest they be shunned as racists and Islamophobes. I learned that so-called “progressives” could also be racists.

Those in the West who benefited from free speech, women’s rights, human rights, gay rights, and religious freedom, refused to criticize the utter absence of such rights in the Muslim world—and in totalitarian countries such as China, Russia, and North Korea. Instead, the intelligentsia had decided that Israel was the worst possible nation on earth and that if Israel were boycotted, or abolished, that justice would prevail everywhere, and the world would be at peace.
‘The Jews Are Guilty’: Reflections on Antisemitism Old and New
By several metrics, hostility toward Jews appears to be on the rise, both in the U.S. and in the world at large. Alvin Rosenfeld considers the origins and nature of anti-Semitism with an eye toward better confronting its present manifestations:
There are two important sources of anti-Semitism. One, popularized in modern times by the malicious 1903 Russian hoax The Protocols of the Elders of Zion, is the figure of the conspiratorial Jew. The other is his figurative brother, the diabolical Jew. Bring the two together, and you have the delusional but abiding portrait of Jews as a community inherently hostile to non-Jews, intent on bringing endless suffering to mankind—a community that must be dealt with decisively before it is too late.

Hitler’s propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, . . . wrote. “All Jews by virtue of their birth and their race are part of an international conspiracy against National Socialist Germany. They want its defeat and annihilation and do all in their power to bring it about.” But if all Jews are guilty simply because they are Jewish, it does not take much analysis to see that the Jews are guilty not because they have done something wrong, but that they have done something wrong because they are guilty.

That key sources of anti-Semitism have remained constant over the centuries is not to downplay the seriousness of the situation today.

Rosenfeld makes several suggestions about how American Jews can confront the threats against them, the last of which applies to the “particularly virulent strain of anti-Semitism [that] holds not just the Jews but the Jewish state guilty.”
American Jews must recognize that the wellbeing of the state of Israel is fundamental to their own thriving. Many Jews now appear to feel embarrassed by Israel, particularly as the country seems to be going through a populist moment similar to those we have seen all across the world’s advanced economies. . . . We would do well to invest considerable resources in making an unapologetic case in our own communities and in non-Jewish communities for the proposition that Israel, for all its faults and all the difficulties in reaching a modus vivendi with the Palestinians, has fulfilled the long-held Jewish dream of national self-determination. No apology is needed for this extraordinary accomplishment. It’s one to be proud of.
David Harris [WaPo]: Israel's Larger Purpose
In his Aug. 1 column, Max Boot said his larger outlook toward Israel has been changed by the policies of Israel's current government. Yet Israel's larger purpose remains to allow Jews to live as a majority population in one country on Earth, continue the millennia-long connection between the ancient land and the Jewish people, and control their own destiny, including immigration.

Families like Mr. Boot's were able to leave the Soviet Union in the 1970s because they declared their intention to live in Israel. Without that declaration, their exit might well have been blocked. The same Israel that helped them leave, even though Mr. Boot's family ended up heading for the U.S. after arrival in the West, is the same Israel that today is providing a sanctuary to Jews fleeing tyranny in the Russian Federation, war against Ukraine, and rising antisemitism in Europe and elsewhere - while continuing to be the most progressive nation in the Middle East and a staunch U.S. ally.

The rebirth of a Jewish state in 1948, after 1,878 years of forced exile, was an extraordinary event in world history. 75 years later, it remains extraordinary.


Glaring, blatant anti-Israel hate speech at EU
After four years, Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff’s term as head of the European Union Delegation to the West Bank and Gaza is ending. His tenure was marked by the EU’s often apologetic approach to NGO incitement and extremism, and its embrace of Palestinian organizations that support violence or promote hate speech.

To be sure, the EU has an extensive arsenal of anti-hate speech policies, which has been augmented in recent years. In May 2023, the European Parliament adopted a budgetary resolution calling on the European Commission to create a “public blacklist of NGOs, excluded from access to EU funds and institutions” if they “engaged in activities such as hate speech, incitement to terrorism, religious extremism or misused EU funds.”

Earlier, in 2019, the European Commission introduced an additional anti-terror regulation in its contract with NGOs.

In the context of anti-Jewish hate, in January 2021, the EC published a Handbook for the practical use of the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism, urging institutions to “ensure that funding does not go to entities and projects that promote antisemitism or other forms of hate.”

However, a review of von Burgsdorff’s record reveals the extent to which he flaunted the EU’s numerous guidelines on marginalizing extremists.

In 2019, in the face of intense opposition from Palestinian NGOs to more stringent anti-terror regulations, von Burgsdorff assured the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network (PNGO) – an umbrella organization of over 135 Palestinian organizations – that Palestinians “affiliated to, sympathizing with, or supporting” EU-designated terrorist organizations, are “not excluded from benefiting from EU-funded activities, unless his or her exact name and surname,” appears on the EU’s list of terrorist operatives.

While this act elicited an Israeli demarche, it is unclear what steps, if any, Brussels took to ensure its anti-terror policies were being effectively implemented in the region.
Rob Rinder and JC Editor to discuss new concept of ‘Israelophobia’ at JW3 event
Broadcaster and JC columnist Rob Rinder and JC Editor Jake Wallis Simons will discuss the new concept of “Israelophobia” at a special event at JW3 in September.

Simons introduces the term and defines it in his new book, Israelophobia: The Newest Version of the Oldest Hatred and What To Do About It. It will be published on September 7 but can be pre-ordered on Amazon now.

It is intended to “prevent bigots from claiming they aren’t antisemitic because they have an eccentric Jewish friend, or hiding behind the term ‘anti-Zionist’,” Simons said.

“Jew-hatred has evolved beyond existing labels. Israelophobia is the newest form of antisemitism, and using that term pins it down.”

Described as “important and necessary” by Simon Sebag Montefiore and “excellent and fearless” by Howard Jacobson, Israelophobia traces how Jews — attacked in the Middle Ages for their religion, and in the 20th Century for their race — are now subjected to a political hatred, directed at their nation-state of Israel.

Published by Constable, the book charts the history of Israelophobia from Nazi Germany and the Soviet era to the modern day. Five signed copies are being given away free to JC readers (see details below).

Simon Sebag Montefiore said: “This is an important and necessary book by a superb and subtle writer. There’s no one more qualified to write it than Jake Wallis Simons.”

Jacobson hailed Israelophobia as a book “we all need”, saying it “does the heart good to see one of the greatest expressions of collective animus exposed for the sanctimonious posturing it is”. (h/t Victoria)


WATCH: Unraveling the origins: Examining Antisemitism within Palestinian society
Antisemitism is flourishing in the Palestinian Authority. Throughout Palestinian society, hatred of the Jewish people is communicated through media programming, school textbooks, and social media. Antisemitic themes permeate every aspect of classroom instruction.

What are the root causes of antisemitism in Palestinian society, and how does it impact prospects for Middle East peace and coexistence? Can antisemitism in the Palestinian Authority be reduced in the same way that it has been lowered in the UAE, Morocco, Egypt, and other Arab countries, or will the Palestinian Authority continue its tradition of educating children from a young age in Jew-hatred, thereby limiting the chance for peace?

Join Rebecca Rose, director of North American Affairs for the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), for “Unraveling the Origins: An Examination of Antisemitism within Palestinian Society,” on Monday, August 7, 2023, at 12 PM Eastern Time, and 7 PM Israel time.

CAM was established more than three years ago to fight antisemitism from the right, from the left, and from radical Islam, through a broad coalition of hundreds of organizations around the world. As part of the organization’s activities, this webinar casts a spotlight on antisemitism in the Palestinian Authority.

The program will feature Marcus Sheff, CEO of IMPACT-se, an organization that has driven the elimination of antisemitism and the inclusion of Jewish history in textbooks in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, and the UAE; Asaf Romirowsky Ph.D., the Executive Director of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME) and the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa (ASMEA), and Itamar Marcus, founder and director of Palestinian Media Watch, is one of the world’s foremost experts on the Palestinian Authority (PA).
Combat Antisemitism Movement: Unraveling the Origins: An Examination of Antisemitism Within Palestinian Society
On Monday, August 7, at 12 PM ET, join a distinguished panel of experts for a discussion — moderated by Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) Director of North American Affairs Rebecca Rose — on the history of antisemitic ideologies embedded in the Palestinian nationalist movement.

This broadcast will feature Marcus Sheff, CEO of IMPACT-se, Itamar Marcus, founder of Palestinian Media Watch, and Asaf Romirowsky, Executive Director of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East and the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa.

During this webinar, you will gain invaluable insights into history of Palestinian antisemitism, which manifests most clearly today in school textbooks and media programming.




CUNY probing Jewish professors for 'discrimination' against antisemites, BDS activists
An advocacy group said it was working with four pro-Israel Jewish professors in the City University of New York (CUNY) system who claimed they were being investigated by the university system for 'discrimination' against BDS and radical Islamist antisemitic activists on Sunday.

The group, called Students and Faculty for Equality at CUNY (SAFE CUNY), said it has “all the details,” but could not share said details as they were working “to help these [professors] get their ducks in a row in a few ways that could take weeks or more.”

The group added that it had already reported on the investigation into two of the professors earlier, but, since that report, an additional two professors were placed under investigation.

“For those asking, yes, I am one of the four,” tweeted Lax on Monday. “I said from the very beginning that I may have been the first one they did this to, but I would be FAR from the last. And, here we are. A 1930s Germany style purge of faculty in Academia.”

In February, JNS reported that two Jewish professors at Kingsborough Community College, part of the CUNY system, were being targeted by “retaliatory investigations” accusing them of “discrimination” and “harassment” after they complained of antisemitism on campus. The two were identified as Michael Goldstein - a business professor at the college - and Jeffrey Lax, chair of the school’s business department.
New York University Denounces Academic Boycott of Israel
New York University (NYU) on Friday denounced the American Anthropological Association’s (AAA) endorsement last month of a full academic boycott of Israeli academic institutions.

“It is regrettable that the AAA, a scholarly organization meant to promote the advancement of knowledge throughout the discipline, an organization that has reaffirmed its commitment to academic freedom, has taken a step seemingly at odds with those objectives,” said a statement issued by NYU president Linda G. Mills and interim provost Georgina Dopico. “We urge them to reconsider.”

This isn’t the first time that the school has disavowed academic boycotts of Israeli institutions of higher education. It did so in March 2022, when the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) passed a boycott resolution, and nearly ten years ago in Dec. 2013, when the American Studies Association did as well, an action against which NYU expressed its “disappointment, disagreement, and opposition.”

Just 37 percent of AAA’s approximately 10,000 members participated in the referendum on the resolution via electronic ballet, with 71 percent voting in favor and 29 percent voting against. In announcing the results the organization said Israeli institutions will be barred from being listed in the organizations “published materials,” advertising in its publications, attending the AAA graduate school fair, participating in AAA conferences, and republishing and reprinting AAA written works from its journals.

AAA’s decision was criticized across academia, with AMCHA Initiative executive director Tammi Rossman-Benjamin saying it represented “a dark day for higher education and, far worse even, a truly dangerous day for all students, especially Jews.”

Miriam Elman, executive director of Academic Engagement Network (AEN), said in a statement shared with The Algemeiner, “Throughout the voting period, supporters of the resolution continued to push the absurd claim that its application is limited to ‘institutions’ — as if it’s possible to boycott universities and colleges without harming the actual people who work and study in them. In fact, as we all know, there are many ways that individuals will be negatively impacted.”
Antisemitism on College Campuses — and a Call to Action
‘Robust debate’ or Jewish hate? An uproar at George Washington University puts Jewish and Israeli students on the defensive — and their advocate, a Syrian Jew, on offense.

In the 2022 Fall semester, Jewish and Israeli graduate students enrolled in the Professional Psychology Program at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., found themselves subjected to targeted and persistent antisemitism in the classroom — all led by their professor. Lara Sheehi, who teaches a mandatory course on diversity and identity awareness, repeatedly directed disparaging remarks toward Jewish and Israeli students in her class solely because of their identities.

On the first day of class, all students were invited to introduce themselves and share their background. When a Jewish student shared that she was born in Israel, Sheehi responded: “It’s not your fault you were born in Israel.”

In another instance, Professor Sheehi invited a guest lecturer who invoked age-old antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories, like accusing Israelis of testing weapon systems on Palestinian children, and claiming that Jews and Israelis do good deeds to distract from their sinister activity. The lecturer also expressed support for violence against Israeli civilians. One can only imagine the visceral reaction from those in the room who are Israeli, have family in Israel or identify their ancestral connection to Israel as a key part of who they are.

The speaker also continually referenced “white Israeli racism” in her presentation, ignoring that the majority of Israel’s population are Jews of North African or Middle Eastern descent and are not “white.”

The lecture triggered tremendous anxiety for Jewish and Israeli students in the class. They sought refuge in each other as they discussed the alienation they were experiencing and how to convey to the teacher and the class why they felt targeted, vulnerable and unsafe.

Upon sharing these heartfelt sentiments with their classmates, these brave students were dismissed by Professor Sheehi, who aggressively denied the antisemitic nature of the incidents and even distorted some of their comments to accuse the Jewish students of attacking other identity groups. A response from the university’s Arts and Sciences Office acknowledged the concerns surrounding the lecture but emphasized that as “an institution of higher learning, we encourage robust debate on issues that impact our global society.”

It seems the university administration totally missed the point.
Report: Quincy Institute Contributor's Racist Rantings Unmasked
A contributor to the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft's flagship publication, Responsible Statement, spent years penning racist screeds under a pseudonym, according to a HuffPost report.

Richard Hanania, a political scientist whose work was published by the isolationist think tank's magazine, used the pen name "Richard Hoste" in the early 2010s to advocate for the forced sterilization of black people and to rail against "race mixing," according to the report.

Responsible Statecraft scrubbed Hanania's work from the site, but it can still be accessed using an internet archive. There, Hanania urged the Biden administration to pull American forces from Iraq in order to help jumpstart diplomacy with Iran, and accused U.S. military leaders of maliciously pushing the theory that the coronavirus emerged from a lab leak in order to gin up anger towards China.

A spokesman for the Quincy Institute, which has been dogged by accusations of anti-Semitism, did not respond to a Free Beacon request for comment, but the Quincy Institute, in a statement on Twitter, disclaimed any affiliation with him.

Hanania, whose work has also been featured in the Washington Post and New York Times, used a pen name to publish "articles in America’s most vile publications," including the notoriously anti-Semitic Occidental Observer and far-right Counter-Currents, which pushes white supremacist ideologies, according to the HuffPost investigation.

The HuffPost said it discovered Hanania’s racist writings "by analyzing leaked data from an online comment-hosting service that showed him using three of his email addresses to create usernames on white supremacist sites." Additionally, "a racist blog maintained by [the pen name] Hoste was also registered to an address in Hanania’s hometown."

Under the Hoste pseudonym, Hanania was a contributor to sites like AlternativeRight.com, a racist outlet founded by outspoken neo-Nazi Richard Spencer. In one post on this site, Hanania allegedly ranked the races, putting "whites and Asians on the top and blacks at the bottom."


BBC Radio 4 recycles whitewash of Palestinian terrorism
In other words, the claim that the PLO had “stood against” hijackings before October 1973 is unevidenced and misleading to audiences. Hidalgo also fails to remind listeners that terrorists from a PLO member organisation – the PFLP – carried out the Entebbe hijacking in June 1976.

As for the claim that the PLO was supposedly opposed to “other terrorist acts” before October 1973, listeners hear nothing about the 1975 Savoy Hotel attack or the 1978 Coastal Road massacre – both of which were carried out by Arafat’s own faction, Fatah, and planned by one of the people Sha’ath claims helped write Arafat’s 1974 UN speech.

Later in the programme Hidalgo tells listeners that:
Hidalgo: “Just the year before Palestinian militants had killed eleven Israeli athletes at the Olympics in Munich. Although Arafat always insisted he’d had nothing to do with the killings, to the Israeli ambassador at the UN, he was a terrorist who had shot his way to a place at the podium.”

The Munich Olympics massacre took place in September 1972 – over two years before Arafat’s November 1974 UN speech. Apparently no-one at the BBC had noticed that error in the eleven years since the programme was first aired. Hidalgo’s uncritical portrayal of Arafat’s claims concerning that attack are not balanced by information concerning the PLO’s links to the perpetrators and Fatah’s glorification of that attack.

Towards the end of the programme, Hidalgo tells listeners that Arafat’s UN speech paved the way to “the resolution that supported the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to a state of their own”, later adding:
Hidalgo: “38 years on, there is no Palestinian state”.

Once again listeners are told nothing of Arafat’s ‘one-state’ intentions or of the multiple occasions on which the Palestinians refused peace offers which would have created a Palestinian state alongside the Jewish state.


CAA writes to General Medical Council over psychiatrist’s reported comparisons between Nazis to Israel
Following reports that a psychiatrist has posted numerous incendiary tweets about Zionists, Israel, and Nazis, Campaign Against Antisemitism will be writing to the General Medical Council (GMC).

According to GnasherJew, British-Libyan psychiatrist Dr. Ahmed Sewehli — a director and co-owner at Youmna Services Limited who may be treating NHS patients — has posted tweets in which he has compared the Nazis to Israel.

A screenshot appears to show a tweet from 26th Feb in which Dr Sewehli wrote: “Hitler also had a democratically elected government. So please don’t go there. Democracy does not stop fascism, apartheid and ethnic cleansing. All occurring in Israel.”

According to the International Definition of Antisemitism, “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis” is an example of antisemitism.

Dr Sewehli also made several other incendiary tweets relating to Israel.

Campaign Against Antisemitism shall be submitting a complaint about the doctor to the GMC, the regulator of the medical profession.


As it rebuilds Karabakh, Azerbaijan eyes Israeli investment
Israel is among Azerbaijan’s top 10 trading partners, with trade between the two countries reaching $1.7 billion last year, according to figures from the Azerbaijani Economy Ministry.

The ever-growing commercial ties come amid burgeoning relations between the Jewish state and the predominantly Shi’ite secular Muslim nation, that have developed from a centuries-long affinity into an unprecedented strategic partnership.

The trade figures for last year, the majority of which come from the oil sector, represent an 85% increase in trade turnover compared to 2021, according to ministry officials.

For Israel, ties with Azerbaijan—which shares a 428-mile border with Iran, a country home to tens of millions of Azerbaijanis—are of strategic importance, both as a conduit for reconnaissance and because it supplies an estimated 30% of the Jewish state’s oil. At the same time, Azerbaijan is a leading purchaser of Israeli military hardware, which helped Baku win its 2020 war with archrival Armenia.

More than 90 Israeli companies are currently operating in Azerbaijan, including in the agriculture and economic industries, with their investment totaling $30 million, according to the ministry.
Poland to Spend $100 Million on Israeli Long-Range Spike Antitank Missiles
Poland's Minister of Defense Mariusz Blaszczak announced Thursday that the country will acquire "several hundred" Spike LR (Long Range) antitank guided missiles (ATGM) to be produced by Mesko, part of the PGZ state armaments group.

The Spike family of anti-tank missiles were developed by Israel's Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. Rafael said the announcement is valued at $100 million.
Chinese restaurant in London offers kosher dishes with a side of history
The legendary relationship between the Jewish people and Chinese cuisine has reached new heights at a North London venue that offers both contemporary dishes and a taste of history.

The name “Kaifeng” originates from a group of Jews from Persia who followed the Silk Road to ultimately settle in Kaifeng, China. The community reached 2,500 and was renowned for a large synagogue with architecture inspired by Chinese temples. During Passover, according to reports, their custom was to eat Chinese (also known as moo shu) pancakes, which were technically unleavened.

The kosher restaurant named after these since-disappeared people, who assimilated into broader Chinese society, offers a variety of Cantonese-style meals, including crispy chili beef, honey chicken and hoisin duck. Dishes specifically inspired by the Jews of Kaifeng also appear on the menu, such as a Henan-style lamb and chicken marinated in cumin, hoisin and chilies.

Co-owner Philip Pell says the restaurant he runs with Norman Han “was opened at a time when limited kosher food was available, and even now, 38 years later, no one has rivaled Kaifeng.”

It has since welcomed everyone from locals to tourists to politicians worldwide.
Brewing the Zionist dream: Unique Israeli brewery opens for public tours
The Zionist dream comes in all shapes and sizes, and the one that Neil Wasserman fulfilled when he made Aliyah to Israel from New York can be found in Pardes Hannah-Karkur. There, he established the Shevet brewery, where he brews and distills craft beer.

The brewery is nestled between the town’s fields and orchards, where Wasserman’s beer is brewed under strict hygienic standards.

Before establishing his brewery, Wasserman recruited renowned beer brewing masters and imported advanced equipment from Germany that allowed him to brew his beer automatically and produce a variety of different beers - from red ales to light lagers, aged and spiced beers.

These days, the brewery is open for a tasting tours pilot, and the brewery’s beer garden will also be inaugurated with events including dancing and live performances.

Join the tour, learn about the beer production process and taste the range of chilled beers on site. The tour's duration (including tastings) is about an hour and a half and costs NIS 75 shekels per person.

The tour requires a minimum of 15 participants and prior notice. After the tour itself, you can enjoy the brewery's garden or other activities including music, dancing, food stalls and, of course, beer.
Israeli judokas win gold, silver at major international contest
Israeli judoka Inbar Lanir won a gold medal Sunday at the Hungarian Masters 2023 championship in Budapest, the top achievement for the national squad that will bring home three medals.

Lanir conquered the women’s up to 78-kilo category.

Shortly after her win, fellow Israeli Peter Paltchik took to the mat in the men’s up to 100-kilogram final, settling for the silver after losing to Tubrobyev Muzaffarbek of Uzbekistan.

The two medals add to a bronze won by Kerem Primo on Friday in the women’s up to 52-kilo event.

There were some 55 countries participating in the championship.

Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar tweeted, “A huge achievement! Proud of you Inbar.”

Lanir, 23, put on a dominating performance throughout the contest, quickly dispatching her adversaries on the path to the final. Her semifinal bout against Lee Jeongyun of South Korea lasted just seven seconds.
IDF Rescue Worker Shows the World What Zionism Really Means
This past May, I had the pleasure of interviewing IDF search and rescue officer Yuval Klein on Instagram as part of Camera on Campus’s #ThisisZionism Campaign. I believe that Yuval embodies the Zionist spirit.

Yuval served on numerous Israeli humanitarian aid missions to help communities in need impacted by natural disasters, structural failures, and other crises.

When asked why Israel sends rescue delegations in the first place, Yuval, without hesitation, explained that this is the only appropriate response in times of hardship. Yuval believes bringing healing and goodwill to people around the world — regardless of their faith or religion — is at the heart and soul of Zionism.

Zionism is the movement for the liberation of the Jewish people that gave birth to the State of Israel, forever freeing Jews from oppression and persecution. Now, as a thriving nation, Israel has the power to share its strength and resources with those in need.

The IDF Search and Rescue unit, which Yuval belongs to, recently responded to the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake. According to the Philanthropy Center for Disaster, the earthquake was ranked at a magnitude 7.8 on the Richter scale. It caused severe damage to villages, towns, and cities in Turkey and Syria.

Yuval was also one of 150 Israeli soldiers sent to Turkey after a devastating earthquake. Upon arriving there, Yuval and his team assessed the damage. “The scene was apocalyptic. We drove through piles of rubble. Without electricity or natural gas, we took scrap wood to light fires to stay warm.”

Yuval saw multiple search and rescue delegations from various countries on the ground. Yuval explained that while in Turkey, he was selected to join 24 other soldiers to go into another city (Antakya) on the border of Turkey and Syria. He described the population in that city as quite hostile, with supporters of the Iranian regime and ISIS affiliates mixed in with civilians.

Yuval’s team received orders to rescue the head of the Jewish community of Antakya and his wife, who were missing after the earthquake. The 25-person unit, half special forces, half rescue officers from other commando units, traveled anonymously throughout Turkey to reach Antakya.
Mark Twain and 'The Innocents Abroad': A tour of the 19th century Holy Land
Many travel books have been witten about the Holy Land, but none compares to Mark Twain's 'The Innocents Abroad'






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