Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on August 28, 2021

A few months ago, a young Jewish-American woman was invited to dinner in a trendy Brooklyn neighborhood. During the meal, the conversation turned to Israel. Almost all of the participants half of them Jewish expressed blunt anti-Israel sentiment. Because the young woman did not voice support for these views, she was asked if she considered herself a Zionist. At first she answered, no. But a few moments later, she reconsidered. On second thought, she told her friends, I support Israels right to exist so I suppose I am a Zionist. A heavy silence fell upon the room, and finally the woman was asked to leave. She was told that identifying herself as a Zionist was a hurtful act, and therefore she was no longer welcome.

This Brooklynite anecdote is actually a very big story. It is one of thousands of episodes which attest to the growing animosity among progressive Jewish Americans toward Israel. In a survey of Jewish voters conducted by the Jewish Electorate Institute, following the recent hostilities between Israel and Hamas, 34 per cent agreed that Israels treatment of Palestinians is similar to racism in the United States; and 25 per cent agreed that Israel is an Apartheid state. At the same time, 20 per cent of those under 40 agreed with the statement that Israel does not have the right to exist. This means that between a quarter and a third of Jewish Americans see Israel as an entity without genuine legitimacy. They are not only anti-Occupation and anti-settlements, they are anti-Israel.

But the problem is much broader. The vast majority of Jews in the diaspora are non-Orthodox. Many of them believe that Israel disregards their beliefs, values and way of life. Throughout the world, numerous young Jews feel they cannot identify with Israel because of its continued occupation of the West Bank and because of its religious bias. Israel, for its part, is ignoring this crucial issue. During the long years of Benjamin Netanyahus premiership, Israels Foreign Office was dysfunctional. No minister was appointed, and hardly anyone on staff recognized the changes occurring in the United States and in the Jewish world. Under Netanyahu, Israel abandoned the liberal world and turned its back on the Jewish diaspora.

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The gravity of these developments should serve as an urgent wake-up call for Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. Both are Jewish patriots, who do not want to lose the Jewish world. Both are young and promising leaders. Both are fluent English speakers, who know the United States well and are acutely aware of the crucial importance of the American-Israeli alliance. Therefore, I must urge them to recognize the fact that what is happening today at American universities, on American social networks and in Jewish communities around the world is threatening the Zionist enterprise. It is no longer simply a PR problem. It is a danger to Israels national security. It is a new and grave existential threat.

How did we get here? A noxious combination of three destructive processes.

In the United States, the new radical-progressive camp has greatly distanced itself from the values that have characterized the Democratic Party for over a century. As a result, its attitude toward the Jewish people and the Jewish state has changed. It no longer sees Jews as part of a coalition-of-minorities, but as part of the privileged white establishment. Absurdly, it no longer sees Israel as an oasis of liberty but as a violent, racist and colonialist entity.

At the same time, world Jewry has also experienced profound change. For my parents generation, Israel was sacrosanct. They were willing to do almost anything to guarantee its survival and success. My generation, too, is, for the most part, deeply committed to the Jewish-democratic state. But for my childrens and grandchildrens generations, the situation is quite different. The weakening of Jewish education, the fading memory of the Holocaust and the disappointment in Israels policies toward non-Orthodox Jews have led to a growing rift.

In Israel, the Conservative Right has moved far away from the common values which served as the basis for the profound cooperation between the great America democracy and the frontier Israeli democracy. Concurrently, the capitulation to ultra-Orthodox parties and the indifference among the wider Israeli public severely undermined the commitment to non-Orthodox Jews around the world. By its own hand, Israel eroded its longstanding alliance with America and its cherished covenant with the Jewish diaspora. By continuing to insist upon ruling the Palestinian people, building more settlements and promoting a nationalist-religious agenda thereby alienating Conservative and Reform Jews Israel has played into the hands of its enemies in the United States and Europe. An inadvertent, perverse unity of purpose between BDS activists in America and Europe, extremist settlers and some anti-Zionist Haredim has created a new and combustible reality. The unholy alliance between Israeli Right-wing extremists and American and European Left-wing radicals represents the most dangerous attack on Israel I have witnessed in my lifetime. Simultaneously, we are losing our young Jews and failing in the struggle against our anti-Semitic adversaries.

I call upon Prime Minister Bennett and Foreign Minister Minister Lapid to take action. Put right what went wrong during the Netanyahu era. As the precedent-setting decision by Ben&Jerrys to stop selling its ice cream in the Jewish settlements of the West Bank reveals, the danger is close at hand. As the dinner party in Brooklyn shows, the situation has become toxic. Prime Ministers Bennett visit to the White House this week and the appointment of a new Israeli ambassador to Washington should be used to launch a Jewish, Israeli, Zionist counter-offensive. Israel must place public diplomacy at the top of its agenda. This requires marshaling prodigious resources, recruiting uniquely talented individuals and devising a comprehensive and creative strategy. Israels Foreign Ministry must conceive and implement a cogent multi-pronged hasbara campaign the likes of which was never pursued in the past.

But first and foremost, Israel must embrace world Jewry and renew its alliance with the Jewish people. And Israel must resume the peace process with the Palestinians and work earnestly, diligently and bravely to bring about a two-state solution. Only thus will it be able to prevent the anti-Israel pandemic we are seeing today from escalating and spiraling out of control.

If Israel does not find its way into the hearts and minds of millennials, Americans and Jews, the crucial American-Israeli alliance will be severely damaged. And if this alliance is thus damaged, Israel will grow weaker and suffer. Messrs. Bennett and Lapid must do everything within their power to turn this around: rebuild the American-Israeli alliance and the Israeli-Jewish alliance here and now.

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A call to action - The Jerusalem Post

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Posted By admin on August 28, 2021

A man is buried up to his neck with only a geometrical desert around him sand dunes made up of boxes and a disc of sun scorching his skin. It looks like a twist on Happy Days, all the more absurdist when the buried man begs his captor to urinate on his face so he can slake his thirst.

The opening scene sets a tragicomic tone, but this is not Becketts wilderness. Instead, it is from a moment during the second world war when the Vichy regime extended governance to Tunisia, then living under a French protectorate. The Nazis invaded the country in 1942. The buried man, Victor, is a Jewish prisoner in a labour camp and Youssef, an Arab, is his guard, reluctantly carrying out orders while sympathetic to Victors suffering.

The Nazis, or blonds as they were locally known, brought terror upon the Jewish population and dangled the promise of self-governance over Muslim Arabs, some of whom were wooed by the dream of independence to become allies.

Playwright Josh Azouz views the alliances and betrayals between the Jews and Muslims of Tunis though the prism of one friendship circle. Victor (Pierro Niel-Mee) and Youssef (Ethan Kai) are childhood friends, and Azouz deftly captures Youssefs overarching loyalty while also showing us his slide into collaboration, along with his wife, Faiza (Laura Hanna). There is also Victors wife, Loys (Yasmin Paige), whose steely confrontation with a predatory Nazi commander forms the plays central intrigue.

Directed by Eleanor Rhode, the show has a quirky comedy which is artfully combined with the deadly serious drama of Jewish persecution, so that we feel both the storys humour and tragedy. The Nazi occupiers give themselves comic monikers Grandma, Little Fella and when a fight breaks out between Victor and Youssef, they pull each others ears and it never feels entirely serious. But there are moments of reported violence that leave us frozen: Grandmas love of torturing his captors; Victors story of a friend at the camp who was condemned to sleep in a hole and turned to a block of ice by morning. Victor emanates shame as he describes sucking on the ice to relief his thirst.

The quartet of actors playing the friends are compelling and Azouzs script lays bare the finer tensions between them, as well as arguments about Zionism and the paradox of finding a home in Palestine an unknown territory to Victor and Loys. We moved out of the [Jewish] quarter because we didnt like Jews, says Loys bathetically to Victors suggestion they go there.

Adrian Edmondsons Grandma is the most cartoonishly drawn character. Hobbling on a walking stick because of a knee injury, the actor has more than a touch of Ken Dodd in his bug-eyed and perennially smiling portrayal of an eccentric psychopath. As unsavoury as he seems, Grandma lacks enough threat and fearful power in his exchanges with Loys.

Max Johnss nifty set is almost entirely constructed of boxes that variously open up and conceal secrets. There are times when the pace flags and the plots plausibility feels over-stretched at times, but this is a lesser known side of Nazi history, delivered with nuance, and it is an achievement that the play keeps both its strains of humour and horror running side by side until the end.

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Once Upon a Time in Nazi Occupied Tunisia review horror, humour and forgotten history - The Guardian

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Posted By admin on August 28, 2021

Kabul has fallen, Afghanistan is lost, but jihadism is far from finished with us. As the late scholar Bernard Lewis noted in 1990, the roots of Muslim rage run deep. Groups like the Taliban, al Qaeda, ISIS and now ISIS-K measure their grievance with the West in millennia, not decades. Our long war may be over. To them it was only a battle.

Bloodthirsty madmen dont hate America because Americans were in Afghanistanor Saudi Arabia or Lebanon. Fanatics never need an excuse. The U.S. militarys presence in the greater Middle East was merely a pretense. They hated us before all that, because we are allied to the Zionists, because in their eyes we are decadent and irreligious, and, above all, because our culture has left theirs in the dust. They hate us because of their failure to keep up. Our successes embarrass them.

Leaving Afghanistan hasnt made us safer. Ten U.S. Marines, two soldiers, a sailor and nearly 200 desperate Afghans were killed outside Kabuls airport on Wednesday by men motivated by the same evil that animated Mohamed Atta, the snake-eyed ringleader of 9/11. The troops who died were in Kabul on a humanitarian mission, to protect, to help our friends escape Taliban reprisals. They were murdered in cold blood, like the 193 slaughtered on Madrid commuter trains in 2004, the 165 murdered across four days in Mumbai in 2008, the 52 slain in London on July 7, 2005, the 89 concertgoers mowed down at the Bataclan Theater and the 12 cartoonists butchered at the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris in 2015.

Thats leaving aside the beheadings, the stabbings and the cars plowed into crowds during the past 30 years. Islamisms butchers bill is long and bloody. They were trying to kill us before 9/11; they wont give up now.

It may take months or even years, but al Qaeda, ISIS and all the others will figure out how to hit us again. They will kill and maim scores of ordinary blameless people in offices, schools, airports, train stations, restaurants, night clubs, theaters, homes. All that matters to the jihadists is that the bodies will be Americanor British, French, Dutch, Indian. All that matters is that their victims are outside the house of Islam. Death will come suddenly and violently for no reason other than the apocalyptic nihilism of jihadism.

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Our War Is the Enemys Battle - The Wall Street Journal

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Posted By admin on August 28, 2021

The map of Palestine was an amendment of a map originated during the latter years of Ottoman rule, After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the same map was used by the political bureaucrats working on the Sykes Picot Agreement 1916 to divide the geography and to agree the spheres of influence of the victors.

In a previous article of mine in Weekly Blitz, I verified that those who today identify as Palestinians with historical, religious and legal land claimsare in fact third and fourth generation immigrants from surrounding countries attracted to the area as a direct consequence of the economic benefits that Zionism created. The article can be found on Blitz titled The Immigrants Who Now Identify As Palestinians.

The article attracted exceptional feedback and many pro-Palestinian supporters found it both unpalatable and simultaneously fascinating simply because of the truthfulness and painstaking disciplined research necessary for such a controversial Op Ed.

Following that article, I then posted an addendum on social media now included within this article , quoting Winston Churchill for reference. Incredibly I had more comments, shares and reposting than on anything I have ever penned about the Israeli Palestinian subject and the feedback was quite remarkable as so many had no previous knowledge of the facts, first published in Weekly Blitz.

The courage of the editorial team galvanized new readers to contact me and a map sent which reinforced the facts posted in the first article that The mini skirt and the Barbie Doll were inventions of the 1960s, as were the Palestinians.

The map of Palestine was an amendment of a map originated during the latter years of Ottoman rule, After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the same map was used by the political bureaucrats working on the Sykes Picot Agreement 1916 to divide the geography and to agree the spheres of influence of the victors.

The original printedmap appears in the American Geographical Society of New York Atlas and the amended version with the list of inhabitant peoplesappeared inLibrary of Congress Washington DC in a 2018 Middle East Exhibition.

The map confirms the indisputable historical fact that no people, race, tribe nor culture identifying as Palestinians ever existed and are simply amyth, an anthropological miracle and a lie. As numerous scholars, politicians and indeed Palestinianmilitants have exposed, the Palestinians were created as a political weapon to assist in the annihilation of Israel as per their Charters, the Palestinian National Council Charter of 1968 and the Hamas Palestinian Charter of 1988. Both are still current and children at UN Schools are fed on a daily diet ofPalestinian Nazi propaganda funded by Western donor nations.

The statement of Zuhair Moshin former commander of the military wing of the PLO in an interview with the Dutch journal Trouvwin 1977 was damning. He stated:

It is for political reasons we underline our Palestinian identity the existence of a separate Palestinian identity serves only tactical purposes , and is a new tool in the battle against Israel.

Auni Bey Abdul, Syrian Arab delegate to the Peel Commission 1937:

There is no such land as Palestine. It is a term invented by the Zionists. There is no Palestine in the Bible.

This politician did indeed have a point as the term Palestine was associated with Jews and paradoxically not at all withPalestinians or Arabs. The Palestine Post was a Jewish paper; the Anglo Palestine Bank was a Jewish Bank; the Palestine Wine Company was a Jewish company etc etc. Indeed, there is no sound for the letter P in Arabic so the Palestinians call themselves Filastinianswhich is Arabic for Philistinian. The Philistines came from Greece and became extinct circa 500 bc . Or maybe the Palestinians prefer the modern definition of Philistine, being uncouth, uncultured heathens. Why would any group want to be associated with extinct Greek invaders oruncivilized humans? Only the mythical Palestinians can answer that one.

The map identifies all peoples who inhabited the area and Palestinians do not appear simply because they had not yet been invented and thus any historical or legal claims to the area are based on mythology. If the Palestinians now claim they are all Muslims then as neither Palestine norJerusalemappear in the Koran and Allah bequeaths, bestows and promises the land to the the Jewish people in numerous Suras, (5.21 and 17.104 as just two examples) any religious claims are also false.

The people who inhabited the land area are listed thus:

Left column: Greeks, Turks, Armenians, Circassians, Tatars, Karapapaks, Lazis, Tahtaji, Kizilbash, Baliki, Avshars, Aptals, Kurds, Syrians. Right column: Metauileh, Ismailyehs, Ansazariyehs, Druzes, Maronites, Arameans, Yezidis, Nestorians, Chaldeans, Jacobites, Sabaeans, Arabs, Samaritans, Persians, Jews.

These denominations match Churchills various statements and also the sourced references established in my original article.

The Arabs or todays Palestinians were colonizers, settlers and immigrants.

Churchill recognized these undisputable facts.

1922 A Peace To End All Peace:

The Arabs would have sat in the dark forever had not the Zionists engineers harnessed the Jordan river for electrification. Now they swarm into Palestine in seeking the light.

In the House of Commons May 1939, he stated:

So far from being persecuted. the Arabs have crowded into Palestine and multiplied until their population has increased more than even all world Jewry.

The Peel Commission Report of 1937 stated:

This illegal Arab immigration was not only going on from the Sinai, but also from Transjordan and Syria

This same report cited the Nazi collaborator, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haj Amin al-Husseini admitting to Sir Laurie Hammond that all land had been legally purchased by the Zionists or individual philanthropists and absolutely no land had been stolen.

In conclusion, this and my previous article supported by referenced sources prove beyond doubt that the Palestinians who identify themselves under that banner are grandchildren and great grandchildren of immigrants from surrounding countries with no historical, religious or legal claims on any of the land they have settled.

Their Charters are so morally indecent that any political claim on the land they exert should be subject to the destruction, desertion and global apology for introducing such volumes of written excrement they continue to promote among their children.

Dear readers,Blitzis neither an IsraeliState nor Jewish owned or sponsored publication. It is an independent journalwhich has been publishing the truth under extreme adversities since 2003.

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The map of Palestine doesnt show the existence of any Palestinians - Weekly Blitz

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Posted By admin on August 28, 2021

JNS.org An organization representing more than 10,000 alumni around the United States has denounced a recent antisemitic and anti-Israel statement by Rutgers Universitys Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) and the group Rutgers Mutual Aid, a group of Rutgers students and alumni.

Alums for Campus Fairness (ACF) sent aletter to Rutgers University President Jonathan Holloway via email on Tuesday denouncing the statement and SJPs history of making Jewish and pro-Israel students feel unsafe through intimidation, violence and veiled antisemitism.

We see the purpose of this recent statement is to isolate Rutgers Hillel for embracing Zionism as a central part of Jewish identity, ACF wrote in the letter. While SJP brands itself as a progressive human-rights organization, its actual impact is to undermine any hope for peace, justice and human rights in the Middle East by delegitimizing, demonizing and applying double standards to Israel.

SJP and Rutgers Mutual Aid released astatementon July 26 that called Zionism one of the real threats to Jewish safety today, attacked Rutgers support of apartheid Israel and criticized Hillels support of Israel. The statement also argued that Zionism purposely ties all Jews to the Israeli regime and, by extension, its crimes.

The groups concluded their statement by calling on the university to condemn all attempts to falsely conflate anti-Zionism with antisemitism.

ACF has now asked Rutgers to investigate and recognize SJPs growing culture of intimidation and discrimination; adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA)working definition of antisemitism; and meet with Jewish and pro-Israel community members to understand challenges and discuss ways to improve the campus climate for the betterment of Jewish students.

To date, the letter has been signed by more than 400 alumni and community members.

ACF said that SJPs history of activism often goes far beyond legitimate criticism of Israel, descending into outright antisemitism.

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Alumni Group Condemns Anti-Israel Comments by Activist Groups Linked to Rutgers University - Algemeiner

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Posted By admin on August 28, 2021

Hundreds flocked to the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron Thursday night to say the Slichot prayers, thanks to the initiative of the World Zionist Organization (WZO).

The trip to Hebron could be seen by many as controversial, as the city is located in the West Bank and has a large number of Palestinian residents. In particular, the Cave of the Patriarchs has been an issue of some contention recently, notably with Israel's plans to add an elevator and make it wheelchair accessible.

"The return of the Jewish people to Hebron is a miracle that happened thanks to the power of those Jews who did not give up on Hebron as well as the national spirit that the Zionist movement instilled in them," WZO Department of Hebrew and Culture head Ifat Ovadia-Luski said in a statement.

"Those who are voicing opposition to the event in Hebron should read the history's pages and learn about the roots of the connection between the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish community in Hebron."

The Slichot prayers are said every year ahead of the High Holy Days and are important prayers asking for forgiveness.

Worshipers visit the Western Wall for Slichot, on August 26, 2021. (Video credit: Western Wall Heritage Foundation)

Also Thursday, many flocked to the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City for Slichot, though the worshipers abided by government COVID-19 regulations.

Worshipers were guided by police and the Western Wall Heritage Foundation on routes to and from the Western Wall to avoid overcrowding.

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Hundreds of Israelis go to Cave of the Patriarchs with WZO for Slichot - The Jerusalem Post

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Posted By admin on August 28, 2021

Forest industry numbers stand up to scrutiny

Re: Move B.C.s forestry jobs into other sectors, commentary, Aug. 25.

As a 40-year veteran of journalism and public policy in British Columbia, I must take issue with Anthony Britneffs claim that the organization I head, Resource Works, has become increasingly creative in overstating the contribution of the forest sector to the provincial economy.

Forest jobs pay the highest, $41 an hour, of any industry in B.C.

The province of British Columbias own information shows that 18 per cent of our base economy is drawn from the forest sector. One-third of B.C.s goods exports consist of forest products. The figure of about 100,000 forestry jobs stands up to scrutiny.

These are easily authenticated facts, so we dont need to argue about them. Ido agree with Britneff that an informed public policy discussion is needed on how to transition forest management, particularly with regards to old growth.

By recognizing forestry science, cultural and environmental values, economic realities and the urgency of First Nations reconciliation, it should be possible for the current Intentions process on old-growth forestry to bring about win-win solutions.

Stewart Muir, executive directorResource Works Society

An elderly woman was knocked down on Friday by someone who asked her for money but she didnt give him any. This occurred on Douglas Street, in downtown Victoria, in broad daylight. Now you know why so many seniors dont want to go downtown because they are afraid.

This man was apprehended on assault charges but is free until his next court date. What is to stop him from doing it again?

Why arent people like that put in jail so we all feel more safe? There is something terribly wrong with our justice system. If the culprit has mental or drug issues, he should be incarcerated.

Linda RomainSaanich

We owe the success of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout to Dr. Bonnie Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix. They have done it with respect for all and in the kindest possible way.

The methods used have resulted in more than 75 per cent of British Columbians getting the vaccine but what about the rest?

Everyone has had more than adequate time and information to make the decision to do the right thing, but how do we now get the 25 per cent that are putting us all at risk to follow in our footsteps?

Lets give them all the opportunity to get their first shot by Oct. 31 and their second shot by the end of November. If they dont get the vaccine then they pay for health care, if they get sick due to COVID-19, at the full rate just like an uninsured visitor would have to pay.

Why, when you have had the opportunity to be safe at no cost to you, would anyone feel they have the right to make others sick, create major problems for our health-care system and the poor staff who must deal with this every day.

People might feel this is against their Charter rights, but we are not denying them health care, we are just making sure that due to their negligence, they pay the price for it, not the rest of us.

William WebsterNorth Saanich

What is wrong with the population, do they really have a death wish?

I was in a grocery store in Parksville, Icould have probably counted the number of masks I saw on both hands.

I went for my vaccinations as soon as Ireceived the information about where to go and when.

Nobody knows when this will end. Do your part in trying to stay safe, not just for yourself but the whole population.

Vivien SansomQualicum Beach

I know this wont be published: However, if you are so darn scared that you think nothing of taking away peoples right to do what they wish with their own bodies, then maybe the government has done their job of scaring the majority of people.

If you are that scared, stay home and let the rest of the people go in peace!

Donald WestonVictoria

The statistics for COVID-19 in B.C. appear quite revealing. What caught my attention, as a 75-year-old double vaccinated man, that of the 4,156 new cases reported August 10-17, 13 per cent, or 540, of those new cases were people that had been double vaccinated.

I think that my wife and I might re-evaluate our vulnerability and maintain very tight COVID protocol. In light of this statistical information, perhaps this is not the time to have double-vaccination parties.

Roger PinfieldVictoria

Its become apparent federal politicians have lost our attention. Campaign promises of how to allocate future dollars that may or may not be there are ringing hollow.

Politicians cannot seem to think outside the box theyve grown up in. The box is torn open and on fire, and we need a lot better from our leaders. By the time younger, progressive ideas are holding enough power to overcome the established pattern of thinking, it will be too late.

Canada can be a world leader in steering us to a better place, but seems happy enough to keep pumping oil and ignoring a responsibility to reconcile its past.

Climate refugees will be coming here, soon enough but well outside the coming election cycle. I would like to know what the plan is to integrate them.

Steve IrelandDenman Island

It doesnt take too much effort to set up a big barrel beside your washing machine and dump its waste water into that barrel.

If you need a hand with that call the plumber. So now you got a barrel full of non-potable, but certainly useful water. Wash your vehicles, wash your windows, water the lawn, scrub your deck, and so on.

This isnt a bad thing to do any year, not just the drier ones.

Mark HenryVictoria

Recently I wrote a short letter in which Iused the phrase: Annamie Paul, who supports the Zionist view of the supremacy of the Jews over the Palestinians.

In response, another reader wrote that Zionism is simply the movement for a Jewish state and its ongoing existence, and claimed my letter was borderline anti-Semitic and slanderous.

In September I will be 96 years old. Iam one of the few surviving veterans of the Second World War, in which I lost a lower leg fighting in Germany.

I am certainly not anti-Semitic and my criticism of Zionism is accurate.

Since 1948 the Zionists, not supported by all Jews, have colonized Palestine, and established a state that oppresses the indigenous people of Palestine.

The Zionist state carries out a steady policy of taking Palestinian lands and resources, while covering up their achievement of apartheid by pretending to support a Two State Solution, in which there would be a Zionist state and a Palestinian state, living side by side.

This story is now revealed to be false since the land of Palestine is now fully occupied except for a shrinking area of unoccupied West Bank plus a shred along the Jordan River and Dead Sea.

Further, Israel has passed a law that defines it as the State of the Jews. Currently about 20 per cent of the citizens of Israel are Palestinians and the vast majority of Palestinians are not citizens and have no rights in Israel. Inote that the total populations of Jews and Palestinians in the land called Israel is about the same.

Please point out and correct which aspects of my description of the situation are incorrect or incomplete.

Edwin Embrey DanielVictoria

I have a simple way of approaching the concept of anti-Semitism and the logic of this method is foolproof.

By this simple logical thought process I arrive at the fact that the Green Party, or at least much of it, is anti-Semitic, and as such I could never vote for one of its candidates. Here is my thought process:

If a person, party, or group criticizing Israel does not give equal time and concern in their debates, pronouncements, and opinions about human rights, to China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Cuba, the Southern U.S., Central American dictatorships (of the left and right), North Korea, Syria, now the Taliban, not to mention Hamas in Gaza, and the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, then they are clearly anti-Semitic and biased against Israel the state, whether out of hatred, ignorance or naivete, which makes no _difference.

The Green Partys endless targeting of Israel and the time they spend on the issue is a clear indication of their anti-Semitism, intended or not.

Richard Volet|Victoria

A letter-writer puts forward a distorted notion of Zionism, claiming that it is simply the movement for establishment of a Jewish state and its ongoing existence.

This overlooks the fact that Zionism has created a state whose Basic Law (effectively, its constitution) gives the right to self-determination exclusively to Jewish people.

The 20 per cent of Israels population who are Palestinians the indigenous people of the region with an ancestry going back many centuries have entirely secondary status and live under a form of apartheid.

The more than three million Palestinians in the West Bank who are subject to Israeli military occupation are controlled by martial law, and the two million who exist in the Israeli-imposed prison of Gaza have no rights whatsoever.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bluntly declared in 2019 that Israel is not a state of all its citizens. To criticize Israels discriminatory nature is not anti-Semitism, it is respect for human rights.

Larry HannantVictoria

With a Green supporter making an anti-Zionist point in the letters section, the issue of anti-Semitism was bound to arise in response.

Of course it will be claimed that a person can oppose Zionism without being an anti-Semite. While that sounds like a logical conclusion, in practice separating the two is not that simple.

Have no doubt there are significant forces in which anti-Zionism equates to the destruction of Israel and forms a key element in a global anti-Semitic objective. The Greens must disavow connection to such currents, no matter how tenuous.

With this issue now arising in the Green camp, we need Green candidates to answer one question: Do they support the right to the existence of the state of Israel?

The lack of an affirmative answer by Green candidates points in only one direction. Without acknowledging Israels right to exist, there can be no peace in the Middle East.

Paul WaltonNanaimo

A friend complained the other day about trying to contact someone in a business enterprise on the phone and getting caught in an endless litany of instructions, and was finally instructed to either go to a website or leave a message which could take some time to return.

No doubt we have all had a similar experience.

I was reminded of an incident at the age of three, when my grandmother was away for a while and left the maid to keep an eye on me.

She refused to let me go out to play. Upset, I climbed up on a chair, standing on tiptoe to reach the telephone, and cranked the handle. The operator came on the line and I said: I want to talk to my Grandpa.

Without hesitation, the operator said: Just a moment, dear and put me through to his place of business.

It causes one to wonder if we have really made progress when it has become nearly impossible to talk to a human being.

Shirley McBrideVictoria

Canadas universal health-care system has finally been placed under scrutiny.

Tim Houston, Nova Scotias newly elected premier, campaigned on his partys commitment to fix an ailing health-care system and won.

A recent report by the Commonwealth Fund ranked Canadas health-care system as 10th out of 11 high income countries.

Canadians love our health-care system and often say that it is superior to Americas. Well, America was ranked 11th. Are we going to boast that we are 10th?

We need to address the elephant in the political room: Our universal health-care system is failing, and we are falling flat on important health care issues.

Chrystia Freeland, the finance minister, tweeted a video, flagged by Twitter as manipulated media, touting Canadas health-care system. Canadas public, universal health-care system is one of our greatest strengths, she asserted.

Has she even read the Commonwealth Fund report? Canadas universal health care has had problems before, but this pandemic has laid bare a system that is now incapable of delivering its health-care outcomes.

Houston was listening when Nova Scotians complained, but apparently Freeland is not.

Universal health care should be one of the top three concerns in this election, and Canadians need to make their voices heard.

Jacqueline FosterDuncan

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Letters Aug. 26: The reality of forest-industry jobs; safety in downtown Victoria - Times Colonist

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Posted By admin on August 28, 2021

A UK-based American pharmaceutical firm has had positive results so far in the late-stage trials for its treatment of Tay-Sachs disease, in what could be a major breakthrough for a condition disproportionately affecting Ashkenazi Jews.

So far, the drug, which is taken orally dissolved in water, was tolerated by the child and adult patients, and no serious drug-related side effects were observed.

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Tay-Sachs is a rare inherited condition that impacts an estimated one out of every 200,000-320,000 live births. This is caused by the mutations in the HEXA gene that, ultimately, allows GM2 gangliosides to accumulate to the point of toxicity.

Those who suffer from the disease usually first show symptoms within six months after birth. This infantile form usually results in reduced vision before progressing to seizures and gradual loss of mobility. Typically, the patient will die by the age of four or five. Other, rarer forms exist as well, with the juvenile form developing after the age of five and typically resulting in death at around age 15.

Another, even rarer form is the late-onset adult form. Occurring later in life, the symptoms can theoretically manifest at any time. It progresses at a slower pace than the other forms, and is usually not fatal, though it will cause cognitive and physical deterioration.

Other demographics are affected by Tay-Sachs, too, such as among some French Canadians and Cajuns.

With the exception of the rare late-onset form, there is no real treatment for Tay-Sachs, and is always fatal.

Free screening is also available in the United Kingdom through the National Health Services (NHS).

But IntraBio's trials could be a massive gamechanger for those carrying the Tay-Sachs gene or even suffering from the condition itself, as it is the first drug to show significant potential for application as a treatment.

"This is the first drug to offer hope to the patients and families affected by these devastating diseases," Cure Tay-Sachs Foundation president Rick Karl and Cure Action CEO Dan Lewi said in a joint statement. "There is an urgent need for this effective treatment to be approved and made available for patients in our community before the window of therapeutic opportunity is lost."

The company's findings are set to be published in full next month in a peer-reviewed academic journal. In addition, further trials are also underway.

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Breakthrough treatment for Tay-Sachs shows positive results, study finds - The Jerusalem Post

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Posted By admin on August 28, 2021

With everything going on in the world this summer, from COVID-19 to climate crises, the idea of starting fresh with a new year in September is exceptionally appealing. Luckily for your Jewish friends, they get that chance for an early start every year with the holiday of Rosh Hashana. The Jewish calendar works a little differently than your standard Jan. 1 beginning. So this year, starting the evening of Sept. 6 and ending the evening of Sept. 8, were going to party like its 5782 (based on a different interpretation of when modern history began and a lunar calendar). And luckily, like most things related to Jewish festivities, the main celebration centers around food.

Related: Looking for delicious and easy recipes for the High Holidays? We've got you covered.

Traditions differ across different branches of Judaism, from the European Ashkenazi Jews to the Middle Eastern and African Sephardic Jews. But two themes exist across all Rosh Hashana food, and they are meant to symbolize ushering in a sweet and abundant new year. So, for sweetness, that typically includes an array of desserts (something we can all get behind) and for the cycle and continuity of the new year, there are always round foods. While there are a lot of different regional traditions, often the most symbolic food is centered around baking.

Honey and Apple Cake by Jamie Geller

As Beth Lee, author of "The Essential Jewish Baking Cookbook" puts it, Baked goods represent the sweet aspect of our hopes for the new year. Even challah, the traditional egg bread eaten on Shabbat every week and in the round on Rosh Hashana, has sugar or honey in it. Baked goods also give us a chance to incorporate other sweet symbolic foods like apples, honey, dates, and pomegranates."

So, start with baked goods and then decide what other traditions you want to incorporate: Rosh Hashana is a time for celebration, so there is never a right or wrong way to feed people. But here a few of the most common items:

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No matter what else shows up on a Rosh Hashana table, you will always find some interaction between apples and honey. The most basic symbolism is in its sweetness, and this combination has been mentioned for Rosh Hashana in ancient Jewish texts for hundreds of years. In the Bible, the Promised Land is described as "a land flowing with milk and honey." So, the sweetness of honey is especially symbolic. Apples are also viewed as hardy, like the Jewish people.

Apple Cider Roasted Chicken with Apple Chutney by Jamie Geller

As for how to include it in your festivities: Most commonly, it is served simply as apple slices with some honey to dip it in about as easy a combination as you could find. But it is often used thematically throughout the evening, ending with apple or honey cake a round one, to indicate the continuity of the new year. There also are often desserts with dates, because most biblical scholars agree that the honey referenced in the Bible was made from dates. Lee suggests going all out on the baked goods with an array of desserts, like honey cookies, baklava, date and walnut thumbprints or baked apples.

Ina Garten's Bourbon Honey Cake by Ina Garten

Challah is the traditional bread typically seen on Shabbat (or the Jewish Sabbath) that is usually long, but on Rosh Hashana is most often circular again for the symbolism of continuity. Challah is made with more eggs than most breads so it was always viewed as being a bit more special than other breads. It can be topped with sesame or poppy seeds or really any array of toppings to give it an extra celebratory element.

One Bowl No-Knead Challah by Jamie Geller

Pomegranates, like dates, are part of the Seven Species mentioned in the Bible as growing plentifully in Israel (the others are wheat, barley, grapes, figs and olives all ingredients that also carry symbolism for Jewish events). But they are particularly important to Rosh Hashana for a number of reasons: Their 613 seeds (yes, every one has the same number of seeds) are said to represent the 613 commandments of the Torah and also indicate bounty and fruitfulness. But mostly, once again, it is a sweet food that has biblical roots.

Roast Sweet Potatoes with Feta, Almonds & Pomegranate by Geoffrey Zakarian

Pomegranates or pomegranate syrup can be used across traditional foods for both Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews in meats like briskets or as additions to vegetable side dishes. And because of their color and decorative symbolism, they are often even just placed on top of the table.

Braised Short Ribs with Vegetables and Golden Raisins by Alon Shaya

The phrase Rosh Hashana literally means "head of the year," so a head is often symbolic at the table. It could be as elaborate as the head of a sheep or chicken, but it is most often from a fish. A whole fish with the head attached is often served to symbolize moving forward and making progress in the year to come.

Whole Steamed Fish with Ginger and Scallion by Joanne Chang

There is always an abundance of greens and vegetables on the Rosh Hashana table sometimes just to make a full meal, but other times, to demonstrate the many symbolic ways different Yiddish and Hebrew words can start the new year on the right foot. Leeks is the most common: The Hebrew word for leek is related to the word meaning "to cut," and its symbolism is to cut off anyone who wishes to hurt Jews. Similarly, the Hebrew word for beets is similar to the word "remove," so they are served in the same vein to remove anyone who wishes us harm.

Beet Salad with Tahini by Michael Solomonov

The word for carrots in Yiddish is similar to "more," so some eat them to symbolize increased blessings to come. Whatever symbolism you believe in, the Rosh Hashana table always includes a plethora of vegetables to choose from.

Carrot-Beet Borscht by Jamie Geller

On Rosh Hashana, there are no rules for what to serve only to eat it in abundance and with a lot of sweetness to go around. Shana Tova!

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Rosh Hashana: What's the meaning behind the foods of the Jewish New Year? - Yahoo News

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Posted By admin on August 28, 2021

Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, the leading Ashkenazi non-hassidic ultra-Orthodox rabbi, has told school principals in the sector that if school teachers are not vaccinated against COVID-19, they should not teach.

Kanievskys comments were made amid an increasing rate of coronavirus infection in the haredi community resulting largely from the reopening of ultra-Orthodox educational institutions at the start of the Jewish month of Elul on August 8.

The rabbi made his remarks in a meeting with coronavirus commissioner Dr. Salman Zarka on Tuesday. He and other leading ultra-Orthodox rabbis have repeatedly called on the haredi public to get the vaccine and booster shot.

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Zarka raised the issue of unvaccinated teachers in the haredi sector, drawing particular attention to institutions for children below age 12 children who cannot be vaccinated and who therefore are vulnerable to the virus.

According to a statement from the Health Ministry, Kanievsky said it is forbidden for teachers to go to work unvaccinated, and that men and women involved in education have an obligation to get the vaccine.

The rabbi added that principals should suspend any unvaccinated staff.

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Top ultra-Orthodox rabbi: Unvaccinated teachers should not come to work - The Jerusalem Post

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