Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on March 29, 2022

Congregation meeting in Magnolia, Texas

The vision began in 2021, as most start-ups do, to establish a havurah of like-minded Jews in The Woodlands area who assemble for Shabbat and holiday prayer services, and to share communal experiences, such as life-cycle events and Jewish learning.

In January 2022, 15 founding families inaugurated Shaarey Tzedek Synagogue, the only Conservative Jewish house of worship in Montgomery County.

Rabbi Deborah Schloss is Shaarey Tzedeks full-time rabbi. Ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1996, Rabbi Schloss has lived in Houston since 1998 and has served as a pulpit rabbi for 24 years.

The congregation houses a 100-year-old Torah, originally from Port Arthur, Texas. The synagogue is a member of United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. The shul currently holds Erev Shabbat services and holds the best onegs in town, according to synagogue president Miriam Leitko.

We read the Torah portion in advance and pick one of the themes in order to produce a culinary experience for our onegs, said Leitko. For example, we held an olive oil oneg, where everything was cooked or infused with olive oil. We held an acacia tree oneg and an oneg in which every food was red because one of the themes of the parashah was about blood.

Erev Shabbat services currently are being held in the Oklahoma Community Center at 27222 Hufsmith Conroe Rd., in Magnolia, Texas. Full Shabbat services are slated to begin on May 21.

This area is really starting to explode, said board secretary Sheryl Riffle. Jewishly, we have people coming here from all over the world, many who grew up as we did in a Conservative or traditional Jewish home. Most of us were raised in that kind of environment, and we want to pass it on to the next generation.

The Woodlands population grew from 102,911 in 2014 to 113,819 in 2019, an increase of more than 10%. It doesnt hurt that The Woodlands ranked first on the niche.com 2021 list of the best cities to live in the U.S.

There was a vacuum in this community. For many years, weve felt we needed more tradition, said synagogue vice president Danny Schmulson. Raised in Colombia on the Orthodox side of the Conservative movement, Schmulson felt the timing was right to establish a Conservative synagogue to serve Montgomery County.

Leitko concurred. We now have many families living here who were not born in the United States. Conservative (Masorti) Judaism is an umbrella throughout the world. It sustains the traditions of Judaism and it is inclusive of Jews in other parts of the world. I was raised in Mexico City. Coming from the Conservative movement is our commonality.

We wanted to make sure the traditions that are our legacy were not lost. From keeping the holidays to Torah study, all the religious pieces are maintained and are not watered down.

Shaarey Tzedek will celebrate Passover by holding a kosher Second Seder on April 16 at the Courtyard by Marriott Houston North/Shenandoah, at 19255 David Memorial Dr. in Shenandoah, Texas. Doors will open at 5 p.m.; Seder begins at 5:30 and dinner at 6:30.

Rabbi Schloss will lead the Haggadah reading. Houston cantorial student Neal Taibel will lead a Passover singalong. Reservations may be made at shaareytzedek.com.

Rabbi Schloss officially began serving at Shaarey Tzedek on Jan. 14. As a rabbi ordained in the Conservative movement, coming to serve a Conservative congregation for the first time since 2001, she told the JHV, I feel like Ive come home.

Ive been really impressed by the level of commitment, excitement and enthusiasm of the members, said Rabbi Schloss. They have ignited my excitement. It makes me want to step higher to serve them.

We found each other at a time both parties were looking. I feel G-ds hand in this.

Founding member Sol Sachs, who, along with Danny Schmulson, brought the Torah scroll from Beaumont to its new home, regularly used to make the 40-minute drive to Houston to attend services. He expressed his joy at the progress Shaarey Tzedek has made.

He told the JHV: Tell your friends that there is a Conservative synagogue in Montgomery County now. We have a wonderful rabbi. Our services are beautiful.

We already have someone who has been teaching Bar and Bat Mitzvah kids for many years.

Were just getting started but we know where were going.

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New Conservative synagogue formed in Montgomery County - Jewish Herald-Voice

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Posted By admin on March 28, 2022

Some Ukrainian refugees are returning home despite Russia's invasion

A growing number of Ukrainian refugees who fled to Moldova are deciding to go back to Ukraine despite attacks by Russia.This story was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center.

Trevor Hughes and Michelle Hanks, USA TODAY

This story was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center.

CHISINAU, Moldova Olena Khorenjenko rolled her eyes at the idea that Nazis control her homeland, the baseless assertion Russian President Vladimir Putin made to defend his deadly military assault on Ukraine.

An Orthodox Jew born in Kyiv, Khorenjenko said she has never faced any organized or even casual discrimination in daily life. And she has certainly never seen any evidence of Nazi activity.

There were boys who fought in school, but it was not because they were Jewish. They fought because they are boys, said Khorenjenko, 33, whose Jewish great-grandmother fled Poland before the German invasion during World War II.

Ive never seen anything like that," she said of Putin's claims.

In a speech announcing the attackon Ukraine, Putin said he wanted to de-Nazify the country, a statement that many found baffling and bizarre. Ukraine is a democratic country led by a Jewish president,Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose family was almost wiped out in the Holocaust.

Zelenskyy said three of his grandfather's brothers were victims of the Holocaust, executed by German occupiers. His grandfather fought in World War II as part of the Soviet army.

Putin's war has uprooted thousands of Ukrainian Jews, includingapproximately 5,000 refugees who flooded into neighboring Moldova. They've found safety and comfort in shelters that once served far different purposes, including a Soviet-era sanatorium and a wedding venue with crystal chandeliers and velvet-roped chairs.

We had a good life. We had jobs and houses. Nobody wanted to leave," saidViktoria Fikhman, 37, who escaped shelling in Odesa with her husband and two children, including a young daughter with chickenpox.

They stayat a shelter overseen in part by members of Moldovas Jewish community. They're not sure where they'll go next apartments in the capital of Chisinau are either unavailable or too expensive.

OnPolitics: Should Russia be kicked out of the G-20?

At another shelter, refugee Tatiana Larina, 73, from Mykolaiv, Ukraine, recalled how she saw antisemitism in her youthbut never since the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. Her father changed his name to be less Jewish, she said, and that helped reduce some of the hateful attention.

Nobody painted stars on doors or walls.It was more of a rotten attitude then, she said through an interpreter. But after Ukraine became an independent country, I havent seen anything like that. The attitude changed.

'Too tired to be nervous': Some Ukrainian refugees return home, despite escalating Russian attacks

Sitting on her narrow bed as anaging television played clips of reality TV shows, Larina said she was thankful to have left safely when the shelling began. She recalled packing her tan leather suitcase by candlelight when the power went outand how some journalists who saw her struggling to carry the bag helped load it onto a refugeebus. Her husband died of COVID-19 a year ago, and she hopes to migrate to Israel, at least temporarily.

Khorenjenko, Fikhman and Larina are among about 3.7 million Ukrainians who fled their countryafter Russia's invasion. Though most left via Poland, a growing number cross into neighboring Moldova, and those of the Jewish faith have found comfort within the open doors albeit guarded by a metal detector of the Chabad Synagogue of Chisinau.

There, faith leaders, including Rabbi Mandel Askerold serve hot kosher meals, minister to spiritual needs and arrangehousing. Within the compound's walls, workers boil eggs and bake challah.

For refugees, it's not just food that warms them it's the friendly faces and smiles, the familiar Hebrew letters on signs, the finger-sized mezuzah cases hungat the entrances to the buildings, which the faithful touch as a form of prayer as they pass.

In our tradition, all Jewish people around the world are one family. Even if we have never met before, its important to show that we are that united family," Askerold said. For these people, it means everything. Because this is their time of need.

Seeking safety, Ukrainian Jews haveput their lives on hold and left virtually everything they know.

Khorenjenko fled Kyiv threedays before she was supposed to get married. Her fianc lives in New York City, and theyput the wedding on hold until the fighting stops. She lives in a hotel with her mother and young daughter, translating for otherrefugees. Many Ukrainians speak Russian as their first language, and Moldovans primarily speak Romanian, although many also speak Russian or Ukrainian.

Its amazing how two weeks can change your entire life," Khorenjenko said. "This place is like an island of hope a place of stability. A place for food and to rest. Its both sad and amazing.

Contributing: Will Carless

More:

Biden arrives in Poland amid wars humanitarian crisis, will meet with Ukrainian refugees: Live Ukraine updates

'Our people are being killed': Ukrainians flee to tiny, poor Moldova as Russia escalates attacks

'Sirena, sirena, sirena!' Tense, fearful days in Odesa as Ukraine residents worry about Russian advances

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'We are that united family': Russia's war uproots Ukrainian Jews amid false Nazi claims - USA TODAY

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Posted By admin on March 28, 2022

BOCA RATON (VINnews) Antisemitism has become a crisis that is only increasing, and threatening our nation, the world, and universities. The question is how do the BDS activists on college campuses carry out antisemitism and get others to jump on their bandwagon? By creating a hostile climate. They accuse Jewish students of racism because they support a Jewish state. They declare Israel to be illegitimate while claiming that the Palestinians are merely seeking a homeland. It has gotten so bad that not only are Jewish students denied equal participation in student affairs, but the antisemitism has risen so brazenly that they chant genocidal slogans celebrating the forthcoming destruction of Israel.

With us today is Dr. Richard L. Cravatts, to discuss this issue at great length is. Dr. Cravatts has published over 550 articles and book chapters on campus anti-Semitism, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, and campus free speech. He recently authored Jew Hatred Rising that is available for free.

Dr. Cravatts explains how the anti-Israel group SJP, Students For Justice in Palestine operate, and also why intelligent students are buying into their propaganda while ignoring the reality of Arab aggression, murder, and suicide bombers, and also why there is no mention ever made of Arab terror, again and again.

He discusses the recent action by the Duke Student Government, DSG president Christina Wang to withhold recognition to a new pro-Israel student group, and that free speech, particularly on campus, academic speech is only free, depending on who is speaking, as well as the shocking behavior of the student government in Pomona College where they successfully pushed a resolution that would compel student clubs to participate in a boycott of specific companies that do business with Israel.

Dr. Cravatts goes into discussion about how the campuses in Europe compare to the universities in the US with regard to supporting terror and denouncing Israel.

As an important message for people to understand is he explains what being proPalestine really means, and how the perpetrators of antisemitism cry victim, as Crybully in campus Anti-Israel activism.

The Definitive Rap expresses deepest condolences to the families of the 4 Israeli victims, and gives tribute to Doris Yahbas, Laura Yitzchak, Rabbi Moshe Kravitzky, and Menachem Yecheskel, who were recently stabbed to death in Beersheba.

Baila Sebrow is an acclaimed journalist, inspirational international speaker, and 5TJT columnist who hosted numerous radio and Cable TV shows, including Insight/Israel. Baila is also an educator, and active on many human rights and political causes. Baila is the Founder and President of Neshoma Advocates, Inc., servicing children and families at-risk. She is also a world renowned matchmaker and relationship coach, and president of Baila Sebrow Events, LLC. She has been been featured in various publications, including The New York Times.

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THE DEFINITIVE RAP: Jew Hatred Rising Interview With Richard Cravatts, PhD - VINnews

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Posted By admin on March 28, 2022

I am looking ata leaflet in Russiandistributed by the Judea and SamariaCouncil, the representative body for Israels West Bank settlements.

It reads: "Dear friends arriving in Israel from Ukraine and the former Soviet Union! We are ready to host you in the towns and settlements of Judea and Samaria. We will help you to choose a destination, settle in, choose anulpan[Hebrew language course] for yourself and a school for your kids, and navigate the bureaucracy."

Not bad, but it lacks a creative spark. As a former copywriter, let me fix this for them. How about "Fleeing occupation? Let us helpyoubecome the occupier!" Now we nailed it!

The Council even launcheda mission to the Ukraine-Romania border to scoop up the Jews and send them straight to settlements that included the militant, ultranationalist settlement of Yitzhar.

First, these are not exactly the secure and peaceful sanctuaries the newcomers probably hoped for. Second, I seriously doubt they are being told the whole truth, so let me fill in the gap.

Dear Ukrainian Jews! The ongoing occupation of the Palestinian territories by Israel is illegal and immoral. It is not justified by Israels security needs, and it inflicts immense suffering on millions of people. There is a growing understanding in the world that what Israel has built on the occupied lands amounts to apartheid. At the very least, it is a military dictatorship.

You have been offered to become a peg in this system of oppression. I beg you to decline.

When you are told vile, toxic lies by your recruiters, see if you can spot the similarities between their narrative and the Russian propaganda that has embittered your lives.

They will tell you that Judea and Samaria are "historically our land." Thats what Putin says about Ukraine.

They will try to convince you that "theres no such thing as the Palestinian people." Thats what youve been hearing about the Ukrainian people.

They will portray Palestinians as bloodthirsty Jew-hating wild beasts you cannot reason with. That would be just as true as "Theres a Nazi regime in Kyiv.

They will insist that Israel is fighting for its very existence against the vast Muslim world, just like Russia supposedly wages war not against a smaller Ukraine but against the whole NATO bloc that wants to dismantle it.

Finally, your settler hosts might admit, with a sigh, that the whole world is at odds with Israel when it comes the occupation, but only because the whole world is deeply antisemitic. Compare that to "all the world is against Russia because they're deeply Russophobic." Trust me, nationalists and supremacists who want to conquer, dominate, and oppress use the same old but effective playbook every damn time.

When the world is shocked by the images of death and destruction from besieged Mariupol and Kharkiv, I implore you to look at the pictures of Gaza devastated by Israeli bombing raids. Yes, our situation is more complex. There is terrorism, there are rocket attacks, and Israel has the right to defend itself. But this endless cycle of violence is fueled first and foremost by occupation, dispossession, and dehumanization. It becomes clear as day when you take a closer look.

Today, many are wondering how tens of millions of Russians allowed state propaganda to invade their brains and totally zombify them. Is there something about Russians that makes them vulnerable to manipulation? Is this because they have never lived in a truly free country?

Unfortunately, this could easily happen to any people. Just look at Trumps Big Lie about the "stolen election" that is believed by about a third of the U.S. population no proof needed, no questions asked.

The Israeli Right runs a mighty propaganda machine peddling a finely tuned narrative that is so easy and tempting to embrace, especially when your hosts are caring and warm-hearted. I know that firsthand because this happened to me three decades ago when I arrived in Israel.

So, beware. Protect yourself. The good news is that Israel is still a democracy with mostly unrestricted access to information. This will allow you to form your own opinion once you arrive. To quote the famous signbrandished by the brave Marina Ovsyannikova on Russian TV, "Dont believe the propaganda, theyre lying to you here."

I am not telling you not to come to Israel. Please, come, its great that you can find a safe haven here. Just dont become occupiers and oppressors. If anything, after what youve gone through, maybe youd want to join the peace camp. Hopefully, we will meet there.

Arkadi Mazin is a contributor to Re:Levant Israeli website (in Russian) and a staff science journalist at Lifespan.io, and currently based in Seattle. He was previously a journalist atVesti,Israels leading Russian-languagepublication, and a freelancer for Yedioth Aharonoth, Haaretz, and YNET. Twitter:@ArkadyMazin

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Israeli settlers grim offer to Ukraine's Jewish refugees - Haaretz

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Posted By admin on March 28, 2022

Within less than a week, six Israelis have been murdered in two terror attacks in the heart of cities: the first four on Tuesday during a car-ramming and knifing attack in Be'er Sheva, and the following two on Sunday after being gunned down by two terrorists in Hadera. Right on cue for the 20-year anniversary of Operation Defensive Shield, TV newscasts are once again carrying images reminiscent of those horrific days. Even the targets have remained the same the downtowns of Israeli cities inside the Green Line.

The two terrorists in Hadera were killed during a firefight with police who arrived on location as soon as they heard the shots. According to preliminary police reports, the terrorists have been identified as Israeli Arabs, apparently residents of Umm al-Fahm. The Beer Sheva murderer was an Israeli Bedouin from the Negev who had done time in prison for being connected to ISIS. Currently, his action is being defined as a lone-wolf attack. The security footage from Hadera shows two bearded terrorists, with at least one of them having the appearance of an Islamist operative.

On Sunday night, security authorities were looking into the possibility that the Hadera murderers had a similar ideological background to that of the murderer who went on a killing spree in Beer Sheva. After the first attack a thesis was proposed in the security establishment that the incident is connected, in part, to the global resurgence of ISIS, whose followers around the Middle East have been active recently, in part due to Islamist triumphalism following the hurried and timid American withdrawal from Afghanistan.

From the long and relatively detailed dissemination on Sunday night, it is evident that both terrorists were relatively well-trained in firearm use, staying cool under fire. At first one of them seems to be firing a handgun. One or both of the M-16 rifles may have been taken from passengers who were shot upon exiting the bus. The video footage also shows a male and female soldier, both armed, fleeing the scene (these may be Border Police personnel). Later on, the male soldier is seen returning fire from the other end of the road and then other police join in the fire.

According to preliminary reports from the scene, these were members of the police special reconnaissance unit (YASAM) who happened to be eating in a nearby restaurant. The quick intervention of the police who joined in clearly stopped the killing spree. Like the attacks of the second intifada, and the brief lone-wolf intifada of 2015, this once again illustrates the need for the presence of skilled armed citizens police or civilians to stop such attacks. It usually takes time for the local police patrol to reach the scene. Ending the attack depends on a more immediate response.

A Shin Bet and police investigation will have to determine whether this was a copycat attack, inspired by the Beer Sheva murders, or a more concerted initiative by a terrorist organization. Concurrently, we will have to find out why, for the second time in a row, there was no prior warning for the intent to carry out a terror attack. This time it wasn't a single individuals initiative. And as the terrorists arrived armed with at least a handgun, there may have been someone who sold or provided it to them. This is a series of actions that typically leaves a trail, which the intelligence agency radars should be able to pick up.

After the attack in Beer Sheva, the political brass, on advice from the security establishment, made a deliberate distinction between the Palestinian arena and the terrorist, and therefore announced that no restrictions would be imposed on the territories. Despite the upcoming month of Ramadan, and the fear of religious radicalization that will encourage terror attacks, the government decided only yesterday to increase the number of work permits for laborers from Gaza from 12,000 to 20,000. It will be hard to maintain this forbearance for long, with the opposition jumping on the bandwagon and accusing the government of neglecting citizens security. At the same time, the maneuverability of the United Arab List within the coalition will be further hampered, should the terrorists indeed turn out to be Islamist operatives from within the Green Line.

As an aside and theres no choice but to call it that the attacks timing completely disrupted the positive momentum that the Negev summit, where Foreign Minister Yair Lapid hosted his counterparts from the United States and four Arab countries, sought to create. This was presumably deliberate.

The Americans had wanted to use the summit to assuage the concerns of its friends in the region, who are frustrated and worried by the Biden administrations focus on Russia and China and its intent to sign a new nuclear deal with Iran in the near future.

The summit was planned as a direct continuation of the breakthrough created by the Abraham Accords, which were signed about a year and a half ago. But its festive nature was clouded from the start by disagreements with the Americans over Israels refusal to include the Palestinian Authority in the event and Jordans decision not to participate.

And Sunday night, two terrorists went to Hadera and reminded everyone that with all due respect to all the talk about a new Middle East and courageous alliances, there are still violent forces that seek to disrupt these achievements and are willing to use guns to send the message.

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After terror attack, Israel needs to figure out if this is part of something bigger - Haaretz

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Posted By admin on March 28, 2022

Roughly 400 security personnel, including police, soldiers and officials from Israels Civil Administration in the West Bank, took part in demolishing buildings in two settlement outposts last week. Altogether, 20 buildings were razed, after roughly two years in which the outposts had been left alone. One can only imagine how much money this operation cost, given the large number of people involved and the heavy machinery mobilized for the task.

Nevertheless, the very next day, the so-called hilltop youth began rebuilding the outposts with no interference. By the end of last week, there were already three new buildings on the site. The settlers are financing the new construction through online crowdfunding. By Sunday, more than 300,000 shekels ($93,000) had been raised. One of the fundraisers is MK Bezalel Smotrich (Hagar Shezaf, Sundays Haaretz).

For whom was this grandiose, expensive eviction staged? Its a rerun of a well-known show. Every few months, the security services raid one of the hilltop youths outposts and demolish a few buildings. Knesset members from the radical right raise an outcry.

People throw stones at the security forces and a few teenagers are arrested but released the same day. And within hours, the fundraising begins, and the buildings are rebuilt.

In practice, these outposts exist for years on end. The right preaches about governability, but falls silent with regard to the clearest example of the lack of governability. The Palestinians, as usual, pay the price, as they are pushed off their land.

Why even bother spending taxpayer money on these demolitions, which are strictly for appearances sake? After all, even in the one case where the defense establishment decided to station a permanent force of Border Police around an outpost, near Yitzhar, it proved to be theater of the absurd. Some of the buildings at the site were never demolished, and a few families were permitted to stay there the entire time. After two years, following a lengthy campaign that termed the situation a siege, the Border Police left. Nothing stands in the settlers way.

When the defense establishment needs to erect a faade of the rule of law in the West Bank, it evacuates outposts, with a wink. Its clear to everyone concerned that they will soon be rebuilt. And when the outposts have some connection to or backing from the political establishment, the defense establishment doesnt raze them at all. After all, Interior Ministry director-general Yair Hirsh himself lives in an illegal outpost named Keidar an outpost that has been served with eviction orders.

The defense establishment and its bosses in the government dont lack the means to take action against illegal outposts, they simply lack the will. Its high time for Defense Minister Benny Gantz to put an end to this ridiculous Israeli ritual.

The above article is Haaretz's lead editorial, as published in the Hebrew and English newspapers in Israel.

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Israel must end its theatrics in the West Bank - Haaretz

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Posted By admin on March 28, 2022

The rate of coronavirus infection contracted for the third day in a row following a spike in the virus' spread across Israel that coincided with Purim weekend, Health Ministry data from Sunday shows.

The country's R number the average number of people each coronavirus carrier infects dropped to 1.35, the third consecutive day of decline following a month-long climb that alarmed health experts. Thenumberis calculated using data from the last10 days. The pandemic is contracting as long as the infection rate is less than 1.

The number of new infections also dropped for the third day in a row at 9,726 new patients diagnosed with COVID-19 on Saturday, down from Friday's report of 11,678 cases.

Despite the tailing off, the average daily infections currently stands 12,653, almost double the previous week.

As of Saturday, 296 coronavirus patients are in serious condition, down from 322 six days prior. Of the seriously ill patients, 117 are connected to respirators and 20 are on ECMO machines.

The spate of infections resurrected the dormant government coronavirus advisory panel, which met Tuesday for the first time since February 7, looking to devise new strategies to incentivize Israelis to get their fourth vaccine dose, even though vaccine requirements across public life have been scrapped.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz met with the heads of Israel's health maintenance organizations, providing them a 100-shekel ($31) incentive for each person they vaccinate with the fourth dose aged over 60 and maintaining the mask mandate in closed spaces until May 1.

Since March, the infectiousBA.2 varianthas replaced omicron as the dominant strain in the country andis estimated to account for 60 to 80 percent of new cases.

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Israel's COVID infection rate wanes for the third straight day after month-long surge - Haaretz

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Posted By admin on March 28, 2022

Russia plays a powerful role throughout the Middle East, particularly in Syria, and Israel is wary of crossing Moscow on critical security issues. In particular, Russia has generally allowed Israel to strike Iranian and Lebanese targets inside Syria raids the Israeli military sees as essential to stemming the flow of arms that Iran sends to proxy forces stationed close to Israels northern border.

Israels government has long seen Pegasus as a critical tool for its foreign policy. A New York Times Magazine article this year revealed how, for more than a decade, Israel has made strategic decisions about which countries it allows to obtain licenses for Pegasus, and which countries to withhold them from.

Israels government has authorized Pegasus to be purchased by authoritarian governments, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, that have used the weapon to spy on dissidents, human rights activists and journalists in those countries. Democratically elected leaders in India, Hungary, Mexico, Panama and other countries also abused Pegasus to spy on their political opponents.

Israel has used the tool as a bargaining chip in diplomatic negotiations, most notably in the secret talks that led to the so-called Abraham Accords that normalized relations between Israel and several of its historic Arab adversaries.

Policy decisions regarding export controls, take into account security and strategic considerations, which include adherence to international arrangements, the Israeli defense ministry said in a statement in response to questions from The Times. As a matter of policy, the State of Israel approves the export of cyber products exclusively to governmental entities, for lawful use, and only for the purpose of preventing and investigating crime and counter terrorism, under end use/end user declarations provided by the acquiring government.

Since NSO first sold Pegasus to the government of Mexico more than a decade ago, the spyware has been used by dozens of countries to track criminals, terrorists and drug traffickers. But the abuse of the tool has also been extensive, from Saudi Arabias use of Pegasus as part of a brutal crackdown on dissents inside the kingdom, to Prime Minister Viktor Orban of Hungary authorizing his intelligence and law enforcement services to deploy the spyware against his political opponents.

Last November, the Biden administration put NSO and another Israeli cyberfirm on a blacklist of firms that are barred from doing business with American companies. The Commerce Department said the companies tools have enabled foreign governments to conduct transnational repression, which is the practice of authoritarian governments targeting dissidents, journalists and activists outside of their sovereign borders to silence dissent.

Ronen Bergman reported from Kyiv, and Mark Mazzetti from Washington.

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Israel Blocked Sale of Pegasus Spyware to Ukraine and Estonia - The New York Times

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Posted By admin on March 27, 2022

Omer Bar-Lev was not confused. He is also not as disengaged as he is accused of being. On the contrary, hes proved that he is in touch with Israels political reality, reflecting it faithfully.

Obviously, he erred in an embarrassing way in saying that the terrorist who murdered four passersby in Beer Sheva last week would be imprisoned and brought to trial with a harsh sentence meted out, after he had already been shot dead at the scene, but his speech was remarkably similar to all official eulogies, resembling most statements made by Israeli politicians in their mixture of hollowness and mendacity.

Former AIPAC leader slams lobby's 'bullshit' political endorsements

Thus, it wasnt a slip of the tongue at the funeral, as he later said, but the usual batch of clichs spouted by an average blathering politician. But Bar-Lev got lost in the abundance of his clichs. He didnt hurt anyones feelings and was therefore not deserving of the uproar that ensued. But without meaning to, the public security minister held up a mirror: This is the face of Israels public discourse. See how easy it is for a politician to recite nonsense and platitudes. We wont let this rest, well pursue them until they are brought to justice, were ready for every scenario, Israel seeks peace.

When Foreign Minister Yair Lapid repeats his condemnations of the attack on Ukraine without mentioning the attacker, he evades the truth much more than Bar-Lev does. When Labor chairperson Merav Michaeli publishes condolences at this difficult moment following the death of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, she is off-key. When Likud MK Miri Regev bows her head, writing that Kanievsky was an exemplary role model whose wisdom and blessings accompanied nationalist leaders at many important junctures, she too is spouting empty words indiscriminately. And when Benjamin Netanyahu accuses the government of being responsible for the attack, he knows full well that this nonsense is greater than the embarrassment caused by Bar-Levs words.

Somehow, weve gotten used to the fact that politicians never speak the truth. They dont say what they think and dont think what they say. Its become the norm, something obvious theyre allowed to do. Its their only language and thats the level of their discourse, and thats as it should be. Its hard to think of one senior politician who only speaks the truth. Theres no such animal. Despite this, they are welcomed guests in all TV studios, making the media outlets full accomplices to this malpractice. They enable the fraudulence and never makes politicians lives difficult. Where is the journalist whod ask Regev in what manner did Kanievskys wisdom accompany leaders at different junctures? Where?

Bar-Lev stumbled over trivia, and hell pay for it. He should have paid for other things, items that dont interest the media, the public or him. They havent even heard about what Bar-Levs police officers did only a few days before his career threatened to implode because of a minor slip-up.

Border Police officers, who come under his responsibility, shot a 16-year-old youth for no reason near the Balata refugee camp. This is yawn-provoking routine, but this time they vent their fury on a young scooter driver who dared ride alongside their vehicle, firing 12 bullets at him.

Heroic Border Police officers at a shooting range. At first, they said that the youth fired at them, then they inexplicably changed their version, saying that hed only held a pistol. No such pistol was ever found. Only the bullet-riddled body of Nader Rayan, from a family of refugees from Nablus, was found. The horrific photos of his death, with his body torn, are kept by his father on his cellphone, hidden from his wife and other children. They are difficult to look at even for a stranger.

This is what should have caused a scandal police officers who so barbarically shoot youths, the fact that no one even thinks to question them, let alone punishing anyone. The scandal is that Bar-Lev, who is one of the leaders of Labor, a veteran of that special elite commando unit, a person considered to be decent and value-driven, doesnt shake up the police after such an insane shooting.

But all that is not important. He made a slip of the tongue at a funeral, and for that hell pay.

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Israel's police minister will pay for his gaffe, but what about the Palestinian teen killed by his officers? - Haaretz

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Posted By admin on March 27, 2022

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (WTHI) - Governor Eric Holcomb is traveling to Europe and the Middle East to work on important economic developments.

Beginning this weekend, Gov. Holcomb,Adjutant General R. Dale Lyles, and Secretary of Commerce Brad Chambersare traveling to Slovakia and later Israel. The goal is to increase Indiana's international engagement and cultivate new business relationshipsin central Europe and the Middle East.

"Secretary Chambers and I are energized to strengthen relationships with global leaders and job creators while forging new partnerships to advance economic growth and further diversify our dynamic economy," Governor Holcomb said.

Additionally, Holcomb is set to meet with non-governmental and civil society organizations. Here, the hope is to voice Indiana's full support of Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees.

"This visit also provides an opportunity to do what's right and offer Hoosier support through humanitarian efforts to the Ukrainians who have found refuge in Slovakia and the greater region," he said. "As Hoosiers, we continue to do our part from Indiana, but we have an opportunity to prove our support and commitment to Ukrainians whose lives are being directly impacted by the Russian invasion."

This trip comes weeks ahead of Indiana hosting the inaugural Global Economic Summit. The delegation will build on Indiana-Slovakia and Indiana-Israel ties and help inspire future economic partnerships, propel innovation and advance the global economy.

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Governor Eric Holcomb's economic development trip to Slovakia and Israel - WTHITV.com

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