Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on August 9, 2021

Theres no need for a Military Police investigation to know that the soldiers who killed a child, Mohammed al-Alami, in his home village of Beit Ummar last month violated our most basic ethical expectations for the armys operations in the heart of a civilian population.

Its still too early to know whether the soldiers who raced after a pickup truck carrying a man and three children and shot deadly fire at it will receive backing from their commanders, or whether theyll be punished in some way and if so, how. Will a punishment be imposed simply to cover military rear ends, or to make the value of a Palestinian childs life clear to all soldiers? Mohammed dreamed of working for NASA someday, helped his uncle in his pepper garden and would have turned 12 in September.

One thing is already clear. Israels defense establishment moved quickly to punish the bereaved father after soldiers killed his son on July 28; it canceled his permit to work in Israel. He found this out from a colleague at work, as he has told Haaretzs Amira Hass.

Snow in Brazil, denial in Israel: Why extreme weather is the new normal. LISTEN

The father wasnt surprised, because many other people have experienced the same thing. Palestinians who lose a first-degree relative to soldiers bullets also automatically lose their work permits in Israel. In the computer system, theyre labeled denied for security reasons.

And this isnt true only for people whose relatives were killed during armed clashes with soldiers or who carried out a terror attack on Israelis. Its also true for Palestinians whose loved ones were killed by soldiers in a clearly civilian setting, unconnected to any incident that could be defined as combat or even a disturbance of the peace (i.e., a demonstration), or whose loved ones had no connection to such an incident.

Initially, the pain and bereavement dwarf the shock of losing ones job. But later, the loss of work, thanks to an arbitrary decision that takes no account of the identity of the person being hurt, becomes an inseparable part of the injustice.

The elder al-Alami said he had been denied a work permit in Israel for security reasons once before, because in March 2002 soldiers killed his brother Amjad. The rights group BTselem looked into that death at the time and concluded that Amjad hadnt taken part in any fighting.

A few years ago, the security ban on al-Alami was lifted and he began supporting his family by working in Israel. Judging by what he told Haaretz, he was happy with his work (paving roads, often at night) and had good relations with his employer. By telephone Sunday he said his employer tried to renew his work permit but was told that the issue is in the hands of the Shin Bet Security service.

The least the defense establishment could do now is to return the work permit to the bereaved father, Muayyad al-Alami.

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

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First the army killed his son, then Israel took his work permit - Haaretz

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Posted By admin on August 7, 2021

When tensions rose with the US, UK and Israel after the attack, Iran shifted the frontline to Lebanon and Gaza, targeting Israel with rockets last week. When Israel responded, Iranian-backed Hezbollah fired more than 10 rockets from southern Lebanon at Israel on Friday.

What we are seeing is a multi-front conflict in which Tehran shows it can heat up the Lebanon front, the Syrian front, Gaza and areas off the coast of Oman, like playing a piano in which each key is a threat to Israel.

Iran has been messaging about this for a week via media like Al-Alam TV, which claimed that the drone attack on the ship off Omans coast was a response to an Israeli airstrike near Qusayr, Syria. Irans Press TV also ran an article by Elijah Magnier noting how Iran is now making the commercial sea lanes a quagmire for Israel. He also asked: Will Israel stop playing and breaking its teeth in the Axis of the Resistance playground?

Tehran says that the recent clashes between the Zionist regime and the resistance groups indicate a significant weakness and decline in the intelligence capabilities of this regime, which in turn shows the development of the resistance-oriented capabilities in the field of intelligence.

Irans argument is that the Palestinian resistance has shown its readiness to strike at Israel. This builds on the view that the Islamic Republic thinks that Hamas won the conflict with Israel in May after it appears to have encouraged the terrorist group controlling the Gaza Strip to strike at the Jewish state with more than 4,000 rockets.

Iran also encouraged Palestinians in Lebanon to fire rockets, and used a drone to fly from Syria into Israel in May, during Operation Guardian of the Walls.

The internal situation in Lebanon may be the reason for the resistances greater readiness for confrontation, not retreat, Tasnim News says. One of the issues to be noted in the clashes in southern Lebanon over the past few days, which began with Israeli aggression and Hezbollah missile responses, [shows] once again Israels intelligence failure to assess resistance positions to respond to aggression.

Indeed, Iran says that the recent clashes between the Zionist regime and the resistance groups indicate a significant weakness and decline in the intelligence capabilities of this regime, which in turn shows the development of the resistance-oriented capabilities in the field of intelligence.

IRAN NOW admits that there is a high level of coordination and intelligence cooperation between members of the Axis of Resistance, which was mentioned by the leaders of the Palestinian Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah movements during the battle, Tasnim said. This means that these groups have honed their close contacts in recent months.

Palestinian groups and Hezbollah attended the inauguration of Irans new president, Ebrahim Raisi. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh went to Tehran to meet with Ali Shamkhani, who is the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran.

He also met Palestinian Islamic Jihad leader Ziyad Nakhalah and Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces leader Faleh al-Fayadh. Shamkhani told Fayadh that the US withdrawal from Iraq is important.

What else is Iran thinking?

It believes that Israels power of deterrence has eroded. It noted that Jerusalem carried out airstrikes and artillery strikes in Lebanon for the first time since the 2006 war, saying that Israel thought that the resistance would not respond or would be content to carry out symbolic attacks to the maximum; but the reality is against the will and imagination of the Israelis.

Iran says that Israel has relied heavily on intelligence technology that led it to think Hezbollah would not respond. It also says that the Jewish state works closely with countries in the region.

Recent events have shown that they cannot assess the orientation and positions and thinking of the resistance.

IRAN HAS assessed that Israel made a mistake in believing Hezbollah was suffering from Lebanons economic crisis. This made the Zionist enemy think of changing the fixed rules of conflict between the Israeli army and the Lebanese resistance since the July 2006 war, which, contrary to the Zionists expectations, did not change and Hezbollah immediately responded with aggression with its missiles.

Iran predicts that escalation might continue. The general conclusion that can be reached is that the Zionist enemy can no longer assess the positions and orientations of the resistance in Gaza, Lebanon, Iran and other areas dependent on the Axis of Resistance.

Accordingly, Israels repeated intelligence failures may lead the regime to escalate its aggression under the pretext of trying to change the rules of the conflict in its favor, which will certainly be accompanied by more decisive responses from the resistance.

This is an important Iranian assessment through its messaging that has been put out through its media. The point Iran is making is that it works closely with Hamas and Hezbollah, and that it used them to distract from the growing condemnation of Iran after the July 30 drone attack on Oman.

It also wanted to test Israels responses. Hezbollah had a green light from Iran to fire missiles from Lebanon. Hezbollah caused some controversy by using a Druze village to move missiles via a truck. A Hezbollah member was detained and released. The terrorist group also made it clear it could fire the rockets with impunity but also targeted open spaces in the contested Mount Dov area.

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Iran believes it has Israel on the run - The Jerusalem Post

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Posted By admin on August 7, 2021

JERUSALEM Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group, claimed responsibility for firing a volley of rockets over Israels northern frontier on Friday, the latest in a spate of tit-for-tat cross-border attacks that have ratcheted up regional tensions.

The salvo was significantly larger than a few previous rocket launches from Lebanon in recent weeks, and the first to be claimed by Hezbollah in many years. On Friday afternoon, Israels political and security leaders held consultations about how to respond.

The hostilities were the most recent in a long shadow war between Israel and Iran and its proxies by land, air and sea, which has increasingly flared into the open.

Tensions between Israel and Irans allies have been further heightened by expectations that Israel may soon retaliate for an attack last week on an Israeli-linked merchant ship in the Indian Ocean. The two countries have repeatedly attacked each others ships at sea over the past two years; in particular, Israel has targeted Iranian vessels carrying fuel or weapons from Iran to its allies.

Israel and several major powers have blamed Iran for the attack last week, which killed two foreign nationals aboard the ship a Romanian officer and a British security guard. On Friday the foreign ministers of the United States, Britain, Japan, Canada, Germany, France, Italy and the European Union issued a joint statement condemning what it called a deliberate and targeted attack, adding that all available evidence clearly points to Iran.

The U.S. militarys Central Command on Friday released a report on its investigation into the episode, stating that the ship, the Mercer Street, was hit on July 30 by an Iranian-made aerial drone loaded with a military-grade explosive, damaging the vessel and killing the two victims. It said that two other drones had targeted the ship the day before but missed, striking nearby.

Explosives experts were able to recover several pieces of the drone that hit the ship, the report said, including a vertical stabilizer (part of the wing) and internal components which were nearly identical to previously-collected examples from Iranian aerial drones.

Israel has been calling for more of an international response, and significant preparations have been underway for an Israeli military response against Iran for the attack on the ship, according to three Israeli officials with knowledge of the decision-making process on national security issues, and who asked not to be named when discussing sensitive operational topics.

Despite the heightened tensions between Israel and Iran across the Middle East, both Hezbollah and the Israeli military indicated a desire to avoid escalation and seemed to be trying to defuse the situation. But the Israeli military also said it would not allow attacks to go on unhindered along the border.

We do not wish to escalate to a full war, yet we are very prepared for that, said Lt. Col. Amnon Shefler, an Israeli military spokesman.

The Israeli military said that 19 rockets had been fired from Lebanon and 10 were intercepted by Israels air defense system while others landed in open areas. There were no casualties or damage reported on either side, and Israel said it struck back at the rocket launch sites inside Lebanon.

The Israeli military said civilian life along the border could go on as normal and tourist attractions remained open, signaling an expectation that no other major action was imminent at a time when many Israelis are vacationing in the north.

Hezbollah also signaled that its rocket salvo was not intended to break the current balance, noting in a statement that its fighters had fired tens of rockets at open land near Israeli sites in a disputed border area known as Shebaa Farms.

Shebaa Farms known in Israel as Mount Dov is a strip claimed by Israel, Lebanon and sometimes Syria near the intersection of all three nations, adjacent to the Golan Heights.

Hezbollah said its rockets were a response to Israeli airstrikes on Thursday that had also hit open land in southern Lebanon. Israeli airstrikes on Lebanese territory have been rare in recent years.

Those strikes came after militants fired rockets into Israel on Wednesday for the second time in two weeks. The last few rocket attacks from Lebanon have been attributed to rogue Palestinian groups.

In an embarrassing turn of events for Hezbollah, which prides itself on the secrecy of its military operations, angry residents of a village in southern Lebanon stopped one of the rocket crews after it had fired, filmed videos of a launcher in the back of a pickup truck and posted the images on social media.

In other videos seen by The New York Times, residents belonging to the Druze sect in the village of Chouya dragged Hezbollah members from their cars, hit them on their heads and shouted at them.

Two residents said in phone interviews that the villagers had heard the launch near their village and went to attack the crew because they were worried the outgoing rocket fire would bring Israeli retaliation on their community.

Both spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals from Hezbollah.

In social media comments on the videos, some Lebanese criticized Hezbollah for risking a new war with Israel while the country suffers through a profound economic crisis.

No medicine, no diesel, no hospitals. The situation in the country is bad. There is no government, the army is tired, so why this timing for a war? wrote one person.

Another asked why Hezbollah did not fire rockets from its stronghold in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Hezbollah acknowledged that some of its fighters had been stopped in the village.

The Lebanese Army said that it had arrested four people in Chouya who had fired rockets and seized their launcher.

Colonel Shefler, the Israeli military spokesman, said that Hezbollahs claim of responsibility on Friday was likely aimed at showing that the organization still has control over the border area in southern Lebanon and that the Israeli airstrikes would not go unanswered.

Zvika Haimovich, a retired Israeli general and former air force commander, said that both Hezbollah and Israel were trying to act within the established formula of recent years and that it was in Israels interest to keep its border with Lebanon quiet and keep Lebanon out of the game.

But given what he described as the advancement of Hezbollahs Iran-backed program to develop precise missiles in Lebanon, Mr. Haimovich added, We are close to a point where Israel will have to act against Hezbollah in Lebanon, and that the events of the last few days brought that point even closer.

Isabel Kershner reported from Jerusalem, Ronen Bergman from Tel Aviv, and Ben Hubbard from Beirut. Hwaida Saad and Asmaa al-Omar contributed reporting from Beirut.

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Hezbollah Fires Rockets at Israel as Risk of Escalation Looms - The New York Times

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Posted By admin on August 7, 2021

Three and a half years ago a government report said longer and more-intense heat waves appear to be our countrys most problematic issue, but the ministry tasked with tackling the problem has come up short, sources say.

As a result, many of the poor, ill and elderly are suffering because of the failure to implement the plan, the National Plan for Adaptation to Climate Change.

During exceptional climatic events, the employees of the Social Affairs Ministry must be in daily contact with all the people in risk groups ... whether a telephone call or home visit, the plan says. If necessary, these people should be evacuated to hospitals or air-conditioned public places. Responsibility: Social Affairs Ministry.

The Labor, Social Affairs and Social Services Ministry was also tasked with monitoring mortality by developing an action plan for preparedness for heat waves, cold waves and floods. It was told to establish a computerized system to monitor in real time at-risk Israelis and the chronically ill.

But sources say the ministry has no answer for helping members of these disadvantaged groups during the climate crisis, many of whom may not have an air conditioner or cant afford to use it.

The Social Affairs Ministry thus hasnt been distributing water or fans, or directing people to cool public spaces. It hasnt been monitoring their situation during the August heat wave, as has been done in a number of countries that have sweltered in recent months in North America and Europe.

Finance Ministry officials say the Social Affairs Ministry has never asked for a budget for the plans to aid the disadvantaged groups.

Social Affairs plans to handle the climate crisis? Weve never received from the ministry any instructions to prepare for heat waves, floods or anything related, a senior welfare official said. As far as the ministry is concerned, theres no climate crisis, everything is normal.

She said families living in poverty cant afford to pay their high electricity bills because theyre using so much air conditioning.

The Social Affairs Ministry, for its part, said it is working on a plan with operative recommendations, but this is a great challenge that requires a special budget and the recruitment of new employees.

People who work outside are also at risk during heat waves. For example, on Wednesday, 19-year-old Rashid Abu Moyes from a West Bank village near Jenin died of heat stroke while working in his agriculture job. Many laborers have no choice but to keep at it.

A unit at the Environmental Protection Ministry that was established as part of the cabinets decision three and a half years ago is in charge of integrating the ministries work. It says every ministry must craft a preparedness plan in which the matters under its responsibility receive a response in the best way . Recently the Social Affairs Ministry has begun taking action to prepare a readiness plan for climate change, as required.

Alon Zack, a senior official for natural resources at the Environmental Protection Ministry and the head of the countrys climate change administration, says the climate crisis is here.

This week weve been hit by another heavy and long heat wave, and these extreme events will continue to call on us in the future. Proper preparation in time will make the climate crisis in Israel as minor as possible, he said.

Its clear that the Social Affairs Ministry must help the disadvantaged populations also during extreme heat waves. The administration and Environmental Protection Ministry are unable to step into the shoes of the various ministries.

The top 1 percent pollute more

The eastern Mediterranean, meanwhile, is seeing a particularly rapid pace of climate change.

In Israel, the meteorological service declared in 2016 a significant and clear increase in the frequency of heat waves. For the past three decades, extreme heat waves have been three times as frequent compared with the 20th century. Recent research forecasts heat waves in Israel with temperatures topping 50 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, richer people are mainly responsible for the emission of greenhouse gases, but they can protect themselves to a much greater extent.

Every change, even the smallest, has significant implications on the health and quality of life of the most vulnerable, said Maskit Bendel, a lawyer for the Association for Civil Rights in Israel. She said one reason is the high cost of electricity and gas.

For example, research by Oxfam and the Stockholm Environment Institute shows that carbon dioxide emissions by the top 1 percent is twice as large as that by the poorest half of the worlds population.

In Israel, Prof. Dan Rabinowitz of Tel Aviv University has found that the per capita greenhouse-gas emissions from household electricity among the top 10 percent is 24 times that of the bottom 10 percent, with per capita emissions from the use of cars 27 times as high.

Karni Krigel of the research unit for studying poverty, environment and society at Bar-Ilan University said: The burning heat of this past week reminds us once again that its hardly taken into account that in the climate crisis as in other crises the disadvantaged groups are the first to be harmed.

Nothing can be done? Think again

Tami Barsheshet, who chairs the organization of welfare-service mangers at local governments, notes that the disadvantaged live in old houses that cant withstand the current climate and arent properly maintained, and this affects them during heat waves and rainy days.

Some places around the world already have disadvantaged groups in mind. Athens, which is suffering even worse heat than Tel Aviv, has appointed an official to adjust the city to heat waves; for example, by planting trees, expanding the citys green areas, and rebuilding roads and buildings while taking into account the construction materials.

Moreover, during the heat wave in New York in June, the municipality sent text messages urging residents to take care of older people and members of other risk groups. The city has also published a list of public spaces where New Yorkers can cool down.

The Social Affairs Ministry added that in 2019, the ministry became part of the climate change administration, whose members are relevant government ministries.

The Social Affairs Ministry is one of the ministries that have recently joined the climate change administration, but is one of the first to put together a plan while acknowledging the importance of the issue and that populations aided by the ministry are the most vulnerable to climate-change damage.

According to the ministry, since it joined the administration, relevant work teams have been set up. Plus, the ministrys emergency division is taking into account scenarios including floods, brush fires and tsunamis, and is working to increase preparedness for other scenarios as well.

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Israel isnt coming through on its pledge to help risk groups beat the heat - Haaretz

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Posted By admin on August 7, 2021

Israel has recorded 3,290 new coronavirus cases since Tuesday, with 234 in serious condition, data from the Health Ministry revealed Wednesday, one day after a slew of tightened gathering restrictions were announced.

Israel has recorded a slight drop in the percentage of positive tests, with 3.35 percent of coronavirus tests returning positive. Over 205,000 Israelis have received their third coronavirus vaccine dose, according to Israel's health ministry.

>> Haaretz experts explain: Why lockdowns are back in Israel, even when almost everyone's vaccinated

"Our goal is to keep Israel open while preventing a situation where hospitals fill up, and we'll have a shortage of beds," Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said at the opening of a COVID-19 testing center earlier on Wednesday, adding that "we know how to slam on the breaks" if such a situation arises.

Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said that the government sees another lockdown as a measure of last resort and that it can still be avoided if the public follows restrictions and if more people get vaccinated."We will do the maximum to avoid a lockdown," he said.

Israels coronavirus cabinet concluded a three-hour-long meeting on Tuesday by announcing a series of new COVID-19 restrictions, as the country plunged deeper into a post-vaccination delta variant wave. The new regulations, including limiting gatherings to those with proof of immunity and encouraging working from home, will go into effect on Sunday.

A green passport a document showing that someone has either been vaccinated, recovered from the virus or recently tested negative for it will now be required for entry to events with fewer than 100 people.

The coronavirus cabinet also recommended that private companies have employees work from home, while government ministries will have to reduce the number of employees working in the office to 50 percent.

Children, who are exempt from the so-called green passport requirement, will now have to show a negative test result before entering such events.People will have to wear masks even at outdoor events with more than 100 people.

Also on Tuesday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz signed a call-up order for 1,000 reservists to help the army deal with the spread of the virus. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett spoke with the heads of all the parties in the governing coalition and said that additional restrictions had to be imposed now, since otherwise, Israel will likely have 800 seriously ill patients in another 20 days or so.

Earlier Tuesday, the government announced that arrivals from 18 countries would have to quarantine for a week, regardless of vaccination status, beginning on August 11.

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COVID in Israel: Severe cases slightly rise as new restrictions imposed - Haaretz

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Posted By admin on August 7, 2021

In order to avoid a lockdown and fully celebrate the Jewish holidays, Israelis have to go out and get vaccinated, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Thursday.

The future of the Jewish holidays depends on vaccination numbers, Bennett stressed, addressing the Israeli public on his Facebook page in an interactive briefing.

The prime minister strongly urged both Israelis over the age of 60 to go and get a third shot and younger individuals who have not gotten jabbed at all to do so immediately.

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Five days after the third shot, people over the age of 60 are six times less likely to get infected than people who were vaccinated twice, Bennett noted.

He also reminded younger listeners that COVID can be dangerous also for them, recalling the phenomenon of long COVID with symptoms such as exhaustion and lack of concentration for several months but also asked them to show responsibility toward their family and the society.

I ask each of you to go and get vaccinated, you are endangering yourself and the people around you, as if you were walking with a machine gun and shooting Delta viruses at all of us, the prime minister said. This is selfish, unworthy and irresponsible. None of you want to kill people by mistake, we are waiting for you at the vaccination stations.

Currently there are about one million Israelis who are eligible for a vaccine and have not gotten it.

Asked about whether the government is considering bringing back the Purple Badge outline which placed restrictions on the number of customers or visitors venues and business could welcome Bennett said there is no tool that the government is not ready to examine.

The prime minister also noted that the government aims to finalize the outline for the upcoming school year on Sunday or Monday. He said that having a normal school year, as avoiding a lockdown during the holidays, depends on how the vaccination campaign proceeds.

The goal is to avoid overwhelming the hospitals, putting them in a position where they have to turn patients away. During the last wave, the hospitals managed 1,200 serious cases of COVID before raising a red flag.

In response to a question from The Jerusalem Post, Bennett said that there is still no plan to let vaccinated tourists into Israel.

The plan will be dependent on the virus, he noted. If we go out and we vaccinate and the virus is quelled, we can open up to tourists again - with the proper testing and other procedures, such as testing before takeoff and landing and isolation based on the location from which the tourist is traveling.

With the way the situation is now, we cannot take the chance and let mass amounts of tourists into Israel, the prime minister said.

At the end of the third wave, the previous government made a commitment to allow individual vaccinated tourists into the country on July 1, a move that was pushed off until August 1 and now seems indefinite.

The number of serious patients on Thursday stood at 250, 14 more than the previous day and almost 100 more than seven days before. Experts fear that if serious morbidity continues to grow at a similar rate, by the end of the month Israel could have as many as 1,600 serious patients.

The hope is that the third shot to people over 60 who currently represent the majority of serious patients is going to change the trend.

The response to the new vaccination campaign so far has been positive, with some 263,000 people already jabbed out of a total population of about 1.6 million.

The Prime Ministers Office said in a statement that there is no shortage of vaccine, and new shipments are set to arrive in the upcoming days.

On Thursday, Health Ministry Director-General Prof. Nachman Ash said in an interview with Army Radio that authorities do not want to impose a lockdown, but if the situation requires, it could be decided already before the end of August.

We do not want to reach a lockdown, but the reality could make it a necessary step, he noted. We have started a third vaccination campaign to reduce the serious morbidity, and if we see a decrease it could prevent - or delay - more difficult steps.

According to reports, health officials have suggested that if a lockdown is needed it will require shutting down the commercial sector and schools.

Some 3,421 new cases were registered on Wednesday, the Health Ministry said on Thursday.

While the number marks a slight increase compared to Tuesday when 3,290 virus carriers were identified it also confirms a decrease from Monday, when a fourth-wave record of 3,851 cases was registered.

In addition, the positivity rate of tests administered also offered a slight decline for the second day in a row. From the fourth wave peak of 3.8% on Monday, it went down to 3.35% on Tuesday and 3.29% on Wednesday.

On weekdays last week, Israel had some 2,100 to 2,400 new cases per day, with a 2.3 to 2.5% positivity rate.

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COVID: The future of the Jewish holidays depends on vaccination Bennett - The Jerusalem Post

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Posted By admin on August 7, 2021

The government is implementing new or reinstituted coronavirus restrictions in an attempt to flatten the curve of infections and reduce the number of seriously ill hospitalized patients.There has been a rise in morbidity and the start of the fourth wave of coronavirus infections in Israel, with over 3,000 new cases being registered every day for several consecutive days.

The restrictions, which will be enforced starting from Sunday, August 8, are as follows:

Mask mandates:

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Masks will not be required for children under the age of seven, people with a disability-related exemption, or people engaging in sports activities.

Work from home:

Government ministries, and the public work sector in general, will return to a reduced capacity workspace, with 50% of employees returning to work from home, which most have not done since the end of the third lockdown in February of this year.

The private sector workforce has been encouraged to implement the same directive, although no formal orders have been issued as they have been for the public sector.

Quarantine rules:

In the case of a child under the age of 12 coming into contact with a coronavirus patient, their primary care-giver must enter into quarantine with them, even if they are vaccinated.

Any parent with a child under the age of 12 who is found to have prevented their child from performing a coronavirus test or from entering quarantine will be charged a fine of 3,500 NIS.

A 5,000 NIS fine will be given to anyone found to be violating quarantine orders, and steps are being taken to properly enforce this directive.

Coronavirus tests:

Green pass restrictions:

The happy badge:

The happy badge restrictions, designed specifically to allow indoor events to take place in a safe manner, will be valid for sporting and cultural events and shows. The badge allows entry of vaccinated and recovered individuals, as well as people with negative test results, into events with over 100 participants.

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Everything you need to know about Israel's new coronavirus restrictions - The Jerusalem Post

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Posted By admin on August 7, 2021

Veteran political negotiator and brother of President Isaac Herzog, Michael Herzog, is Prime Minister Naftali Bennetts leading candidate for ambassador to the US, a senior source in Jerusalem said on Thursday.

Bennett hopes to bring the nomination to the cabinet for approval on Sunday.

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Currently a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Herzog had a long IDF career including as head of strategic planning, and retired a brigadier-general. He later served as a senior adviser to defense ministers Ehud Barak, Amir Peretz, Shaul Mofaz and Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, including as chief of staff to the defense minister.

He was former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahus special envoy on the peace process 2009-2010, and was a negotiator in the secret channel between Israel and the Palestinians 2013-2014. He previously participated in most rounds of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, Jordanians and Syrians, including the Wye Plantation summit, Camp David summit, Annapolis and others hosted by the Americans, and as such has many connections in Washington.

The ambassadorial candidate already has a relationship with US President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken, as well as with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk, and Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman.

Appointing someone viewed as one of Israels top security experts and also someone whose career has been apolitical despite coming from a famous Labor Party family is meant to send a message to Washington, the source in Jerusalem said.

A final decision on the new ambassador will likely be made in the coming days, after Bennetts incoming National Security Adviser Eyal Hulata and Diplomatic Adviser Shimrit Meir return from Washington, where they met with White House and State Department officials this week, but before Bennett makes his first trip to the White House, likely in the coming weeks.

Current Ambassador to the US Gilad Erdan tendered his resignation in June, but is expected to remain Israels envoy at the UN.

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Cabinet to approve President Herzog's brother as ambassador to US - The Jerusalem Post

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Posted By admin on August 7, 2021

JTA In 2016, Beatie Deutsch placed sixth in the Jerusalem half marathon. Watching Deutsch, an Israeli born in the United States, you would have never guessed that she had taken up running only four months earlier. The following year she ran the Tel Aviv Marathon while seven months pregnant with her fifth child.

Even while running, the Haredi Orthodox Deutsch dresses modestly, following Jewish laws. She wears a headscarf, elbow-length shirt and a knee-length skirt covering her leggings unlikely attire for a star athlete.

Just a few short years after her first race, Deutsch placed first in the 2018 Jerusalem Marathon. In 2019, she won Israels National Championships Marathon in Tiberias, and she quickly became the Israeli national champion in the marathon and half marathon. Most notably, she qualified for the 2020 Olympics by ranking among the top 80 women runners in the world.

Many women, particularly those who are religious, see Deutsch as a role model for observant Jewish athletes.

We dont have a lot of female athlete role models in Israel, she says. I want to see more girls becoming athletes and pursuing that passion. My ultimate goal in life is to share the beauty of Judaism and impact people to spread light in that way because I did not dream about being an athlete, ever. I wasnt like, Oh, when I grow up, I want to be a professional runner. I didnt know there was such a thing.

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And though she became famous for her speed and positive spirit, disappointments soon arose. First, due to the pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics were postponed until 2021. When that happened, the womens marathon was moved from a Sunday to Saturday meaning that Deutsch needed to convince the International Olympic Committee to switch the date, or else she could not compete in the race, as it coincided with the Jewish day of rest.

Beatie Deutsch (center) with her husband and children with former Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat (R) at the Jerusalem Marathon on March 15, 2019. (Beatie Deutsch/Facebook)

And then, in April 2020, runners needed to requalify for a spot in the Olympics this time beating a new standard time (2:29:30) or ranking in the top 80. Unfortunately, while Deutsch ran a new personal record of 2:31:39 in England, she didnt make the cutoff.

After publicly fighting for months to switch the race date and show observant Jews around the world that their religion matters, Deutsch was disappointed by her race results. Still, she kept a positive attitude after this major setback.

I know my time will come, she says. Plus, my PR is the same qualifying time for the World Championships [July 2022], which is a race not on Shabbos like the Olympics is. As much as I wanted to qualify for the Olympics, I knew that the chances of me actually being able to participate in the race were slim to none.

It might take me a week or two weeks or even longer to get over this loss and process my emotions, she said on Instagram following her disappointing results. When everything fell apart, my first thought was that this is from Hashem [God]. Maybe this was to show the world that sometimes you dont reach the goals you set and how you deal with things when they dont work out as planned.

Despite the setback, Adidas, one of the biggest sportswear companies in the world, took notice of Deutsch and decided to highlight her because of not despite her religious observance. With her usual headscarf, skirt and long sleeves, Deutsch was featured in Adidas Impossible is Nothing campaign, which hopes to unite people through sports and expand the limits of human possibilities.

Within Israel, the campaign is hard to miss its online, and theres a giant billboard of Deutsch on the Ayalon highway near Tel Aviv.

I couldnt believe it, she says. It was a beautiful opportunity to make an impact as a proudly modest woman, and Adidas chose to highlight that aspect of me.

I was so surprised that they wanted to highlight the fact that Im a religious runner and that my faith is what moves me. Its not necessarily what youd expect from a big sports company.

I was so surprised that they wanted to highlight the fact that Im a religious runner and that my faith is what moves me. Its not necessarily what youd expect from a big sports company

Deutsch sees running and sports in general as a way to connect to Judaism.

Here I am teaching Judaism through sport, she says, explaining that by dressing modestly while running and still juggling the laws of Judaism, she shows people that you can be an observant Jew and still compete at the highest level.

I love sport, I love pushing myself, I love challenging myself, I love running, she says. Im using this gift that Hashem has given me in a way to fulfill my mission here. Im really blessed.

Since her race in England to qualify for the Olympics, Deutsch has begun to train for the Abbott World Marathon Majors in Berlin this fall. The finish line will be at the historic Brandenburg Gate, where Hitler was appointed chancellor and proclaimed his plans to annihilate the Jews.

I couldnt think of a more fitting way to demonstrate Am Yisrael chai than by racing as a proud Orthodox Jewish mother, she says, using the ancient Hebrew phrase meaning the Jewish nation lives on.

Moms who want to have a family while chasing their dreams consider Deutsch to be their role model.

I see a lot of women on track and field showing up and saying we can continue to pursue our careers and still have a family, she says. That is whats revolutionizing the track and field world, and Im one of those women.

Obviously, theres more to juggle and balance. There are so many things I cant do because I have a family. I cant go away for altitude training, I cant pick up and leave for six weeks. But at the same time, I see it as a great career opportunity for moms because my jobs flexible. I dont train all day and I have a lot more time with my kids. Im doing something I love while being there for my family.

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Posted By admin on August 7, 2021

In recent years as Green Road Synagogue was using its original building, the lobby and hallways were crammed with strollers. Not anymore.

The new synagogue, which was recently completed for $12.5 million, features a dedicated space for strollers and wheelchairs. The two stroller corrals are tucked outside the main entrance.

Everybodys walking on any given Shabbat morning, synagogue president Adena Klineman told the Cleveland Jewish News during a July tour of the building. And those stroller corrals? Full. Full already.

The 38,500-square-foot building also has a beit midrash, a room that functions as a second sanctuary and study hall. More heavily used than the buildings main sanctuary of 450 seats, the beit midrash has services on a daily basis. It also is used as a space for community gatherings. It features a wall of books, several editions of the Talmud, some with English translation, all donated within the last five years. The built-in shelving in that room already shows signs of personal use. Members have claimed shelves to keep their religious texts.

Its very interesting how people or members really make things their own, Klineman said. It tells you though how homey it is, the desire to have their stuff here.

The building was two years in the construction phase, with $11.65 million raised among congregants at the growing synagogue.

In designing the new building, the congregation kept elements of the original design and artifacts from the 1973 edifice, the congregations most recent building.

One of our primary focuses was on identifying the legacy pieces of our original building and bringing them over into the new building, building chair Steven Soclof told the CJN. So the signage, the menorah on the exterior wall, is a perfect example of that.

Synagogue president Adena Klineman, from left, executive director Sarah Ehrenreich, Rabbi Binyamin Blau and Steven Soclof, building chair, stand in front of a stained-glass installation taken from the original Green Road Synagogue that is showcased in the lobby of the new building.

A colored-glass installation by artist Edward Sloane depicting the 12 tribes of Israel was carefully restored and placed in the new lobby. The main sanctuary features faceted glass panels that were in the old buildings sanctuary. In addition, there are four-stained glass blocks above the lobby depicting Jewish symbols from the old buildings social hall.

A sculptural memorial to victims of the Holocaust has a place in the legacy memorial hall, along with the memorial book listing the names of family members of congregants who perished in the Holocaust. The ner tamid, eternal light, from the original Green Road Synagogue building hangs above it. That space also contains two ceremonial sinks, used by Kohanim and Leviim for hand washing during festival services. And just off it are shelves for tallitot and personal items.

It helps us when we come in we remember our past, and then we move into the sanctuary, which also has the evocative pieces from the former synagogue, Klineman said, referring to the design of the legacy memorial hall.

Rabbi Binyamin Blau shows the ark doors brought from the original building depicting the tree of life.

The ark in the main sanctuary contains the metal tree of life and glass doors came from the former sanctuary. The yizkor boards from the congregations past homes also hang in the sanctuary.

These elements stand out in an otherwise sleek, one-floor, accessible building that contains a brides room, a four-room youth wing, quiet rooms, two social halls, a courtyard with a garden and structure for a sukkah, along with a commercial kitchen that can accommodate both meat and dairy functions due to its back-to-back, double design.

In the past eight years, Green Road Synagogues congregation has doubled to its current 350 membership units. Many of the new members are families with many children, and the synagogues youth wing is already full of minyanim and classes, with more groups than initially planned for.

The main sanctuary by opening movable walls that separate the social halls can accommodate more than 1,000 people for services or events.

Rabbi Binyamin Blau spoke of one of the goals in building the new structure.

Everything weve done with much care to maximize the efficiency and functionality, while at the same time being aesthetically beautiful, he told the CJN.

Designed by Marco Ciccarelli of studio TECHNE Architects of Cleveland, the building was constructed by Green Road Construction, an affiliate of Arbor Construction of Cleveland. The construction schedule was slated for 18 to 20 months. Slowed by the supply-chain issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, construction took two years.

Green Road Synagogues new sanctuary features 18 lights below a skylight.

In the sanctuary, the mechitza the divider between the mens and womens seating includes a waist-high wall and movable Plexiglas dividers that can be raised and lowered to allow for better hearing. The womens section was also designed in one area, with clear sight lines to the bima and Torah table, due partly to the semi-circle seating pattern in the sanctuary.

In the old building, Soclof said, women were separated in two wings.

One of the comments was the women wanted to be together, and we tried to accommodate that, he said.

The congregation that built the 1973 building dates to 1910. The members were from the Marmaresher region of Hungary.

Originally known as the Marmaresher Bnai Jacob Society, the congregations first home was in a rented room on East 26th Street and Woodland Avenue in Cleveland, according to the synagogues website. It moved to a rented building at East 30th Street and Scovill Avenue in 1920 and incorporated as the First Marmaresher Bnai Jacob Congregation in 1922. It hired its first rabbi in that same year.

After World War II, the congregation moved to a building on Lancashire Road in Cleveland Heights, prior to purchasing land and completing the first Green Road Synagogue where the current parking lot is.

The older membership of the synagogue were deeply involved in the construction phase and the construction industry, Soclof said. You talk to some of the families. A lot of them couldnt contribute any money but contributed their skills set whether it was the plumbing or the wiring or the HVAC work or the cement work.

Steven Soclof searches for the memorial page for members of his family in Green Road Synagogues memorial book dedicated to victims of the Holocaust in the memorial legacy hall.

In the early 1970s, members also began to build houses along Beachwood Boulevard and a new section of Wendover Road so they could walk to their new shul. Soclof grew up four houses away from the synagogue in the same house he lives in now.

Green Road Synagogue was the first Orthodox synagogue on the street, which is now dotted with synagogues and study houses, as well as the new Cleveland Community Mikvah and the Cleveland Kosher Food Pantry.

Making the decision to rebuild on the same site was made possible by the foresight of past members, Klineman said.

Were so fortunate that as a congregation that back in the 70s, the early 70s, when they bought this land, they bought a really huge piece of land, Klineman said, referring to the five-acre site. We were really able to have two full buildings on this site.

Adena Klineman stands at the back of the sanctuary, where prayer books are kept for each holiday, and where a yizkor plaque from the congregation hangs.

Still, the decision to demolish rather than expand and renovate was complicated.

That was a real challenging exercise for the congregation to go through, said Soclof, whose family has belonged to the synagogue for generations. I mean, everyone loved that building. There was a lot of emotional attachment to it. And yet I think the importance of having a new building that met the contemporary needs of the synagogue was very clear. And ultimately, we had a congregational vote and the effort to build a new building was supported.

Members voted 134-17 on Aug. 30, 2015 to build a new Green Road Synagogue. As the building underwent construction, members continued to pray at the old one.

Demolition started Oct. 27 on Green Road Synagogue in Beachwood. To read more about the new synagogue, visit cjn.org/beachwood.

Klineman expressed appreciation for the city of Beachwood, which allowed the new building to be used even prior to the finish of landscaping and the parking lot with a temporary occupancy permit. They were also concerned about our safety and wanted us in this building rather than in the former building, Klineman said.

The temporary occupancy permit dates to Oct. 16, 2020. That night, Green Road Synagogue held its first Shabbat service in the new building.

Blau is pleased with the way the synagogue has come together.

I was so overjoyed that we had the ability to provide a beautiful structure to have for the wonderful things we do within, he said. Im excited we have a beautiful, beautiful edifice, but Im more excited about what happens inside and the fact that we can match the two together. That was really so magnificent for me. That was really wonderful.

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