Sorrow and Hope

Dispatch from Jerusalem

Alarming Success of Extremist Parties in Europe

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has voiced concern at the growing success of extremist parties, including neo-Nazi parties, in the European Parliament elections. The “alarming” results came on the heels of the deadly attack at the Brussels Jewish Museum, in which four people were killed by an unidentified gunman in an attack authorities have described as

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Palestinian Militancy

www.wiipedia.org/ManaralZraiy Fatah Central Committee member Tawfiq Tirawi: “A national enterprise cannot succeed without the National Liberation Movement, Fatah. We in this movement have not cast down the rifle and have not let go of the rifle. The rifle is here! The method of struggle we are adopting now (i.e., negotiations) is [only] one of the

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Prime Minister Netanyahu Speaks

On Syria “…My friends, I’ve come here to draw a clear line. “You know that I like to draw lines, especially red ones. But the line I want to draw today is the line between life and death, between right and wrong, between the blessings of a brilliant future and the curses of a dark

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Virtual 3D Tour of the Knesset Launched

The Knesset, in cooperation with Google, launched a virtual, three-dimensional tour of the Israeli parliament building with Google’s “Street View” feature. The Knesset is now a part of a select group of parliaments and government buildings—including the White House, 10 Downing Street and the Canadian parliament—which people can visit with a click of the mouse.

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First Arab-Israeli Woman Wins Israel’s Master Chef

May 27, 2014

Nof Atamna-Ismaeel, an Arab woman with a PhD in marine microbiology, has won Israel’s highest honor for an amateur chef—the title of Master Chef. “The moment they announced it, I couldn’t contain my joy…it means I’ll be able to fulfill my dream.” That dream, says Atamna-Ismaeel, is to open an Arab-Jewish cooking school in her

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EU–Israel Ties Growing Despite Disputes

Mmax/Shutterstock.com “We have a very vibrant and extensive and mutually beneficial and productive relationship,” Ambassador Lars Faaborg-Andersen, the head of the delegation of the European Union [EU] to Israel told The Media Line. “We also have some areas in which we have disagreement. We have to keep things in perspective.” Despite tensions between Israel and

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Jews of Donetsk, Ukraine Targeted

Hanukkiah in Donetsk www.wikipedia.org/Andrew Butko The following letter was received by the Jewish Community of Donetsk, raising the ugly specter of anti-Semitism in ways chillingly similar to the Nazi actions during the Holocaust. While it is not clear who the leaflet originated with, it is clear that anti-Semitism is alive and kicking in the Ukraine.

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Milk and Honey for the Soul

In the pre-dawn darkness of Shavuot morning, thousands of people begin their annual pilgrimage through Jerusalem’s shadowy streets to the Western Wall (Kotel). Most of the people gathered at the Kotel have stayed up all night studying Torah (Gen.–Deut.) and reading the book of Ruth. Shavuot means “weeks.” Seven weeks (49 days) are counted from

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Living in a State of High Alert

Chris Parypa/Shutterstock.com Since its emergence as a nation in 1948, Israel has had to live in a state of perpetual high alert. With enemies threatening on her every border, this tiny nation realizes she has no choice but to maintain constant vigilance. There are a multitude of ways Israel is preparing for future conflict—this article

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Their Goal: the Destruction of Israel

arindambanerjee/Shutterstock.com In February of this year, Benjamin Netanyahu elicited strong reactions from world governments when he pointed his finger at the BDS movement. Pulling no punches, the Prime Minister told his audience that it is time for Israel to “delegitimize the delegitimizers.” Calling them classical anti-Semites, Netanyahu made it clear that the only goal of

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