“Despite the significant travel restrictions during the pandemic, we’ve succeeded in bringing tens of thousands of Jews home to Israel,” says Jewish Agency chairman Isaac Herzog.
Israel welcomed 104 olim (new immigrants) from North America at Ben-Gurion International Airport on Monday. The group arrived on a specially chartered New York-Tel Aviv flight, facilitated by the organization Nefesh B’Nefesh, in cooperation with the Israeli Aliyah and Integration Ministry, the Jewish Agency, Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael (KKL) and Jewish National Fund-USA.
The group included 28 families, 18 singles and 27 retirees—the eldest of whom is 98 and the youngest four months old—from New York, New Jersey, Ontario, California, Minnesota, Florida, Georgia, Illinois and Maryland. All passengers produced a negative PCR coronavirus test prior to arrival and will undergo mandatory quarantine in Israel.
The United States Department of Justice – justice.gov
WASHINGTON – A New York man was sentenced today to life in prison for detonating a bomb in a New York City subway station. He admitted that he conducted the terrorist attack on behalf of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.
Akayed Ullah, 31, of Brooklyn, New York, and a lawful permanent resident of Bangladesh, was convicted by a federal jury of offenses related to the detonation and attempted detonation of a bomb in a subway station near the New York Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City on Dec. 11, 2017. According to court documents, on Dec. 11, 2017, at approximately 7:20 a.m., Ullah detonated a pipe bomb strapped to his chest in a subway station near the Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan. Shortly after the blast, first responders located Ullah lying on the ground in the station where he had detonated the improvised explosive device, and he was taken into custody. Surveillance footage captured Ullah walking through the station immediately prior to the explosion and then detonating the bomb.
By: Ron Kampeas – Jewish Telegraphic Agency; jta.org
WASHINGTON (JTA) — The top Democratic and Republican lawmakers from the House Foreign Affairs Committee have joined a bill that supports the expansion of normalization agreements between Israel and its Arab neighbors.
It’s a sign of increasing bipartisan support for the initiative launched by former President Donald Trump.
Rep. Gregory Meeks, the New York Democrat who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and his Republican counterpart, Rep. Michael McCaul of Texas, are among the co-sponsors of the measure introduced Wednesday. A companion bill in the Senate also has bipartisan backing.
By: Jacob Nagel & Jonathan Schanzer – Real Clear Defense; realcleardefense.com
Israel reported significant progress last month on an underground fence around the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. Officials say Israel is close to completing the underground component and can see the finish line with the above-ground elements (roughly 80% complete). Once fully assembled, the three-layered barrier may be the most sophisticated barrier in the world.
The threat to Israel from Gaza and other adjacent territories has been constant. Suicide bombings by Hamas, Fatah, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad during the Second Intifada prompted Israel to build a barrier to control border crossings. This inspired Hamas to instead construct and fire thousands of crude rockets into Israel. In response, Israel developed the Iron Dome missile defense system (and others for longer range threats). Frustrated again, Hamas began digging commando tunnels for fighters to reach Israel to gather intelligence, conduct terrorist attacks, or even launch surprise, coordinated assaults.
Tunisian president fans the flames of hate for Israel, leading to wave of antisemitism
It was expected, I wrote about it, warned and warned as God is my witness, and now antisemitism is surging in Tunisia, hatred of the Jews is trending. Tunisian President Kais Saied (pictured) is the most antisemitic leader in the Arab world today. Dressed in the ideology of the Muslim left, embracing the Muslim Brotherhood, and advocating pan-Arabism, he symbolizes a dangerous combination.
Saied was elected because of his hatred and hostility toward Israel and the Jews. About a month ago, he accused the Jews of stealing. He ordered the harassment of Jews by the placing of pro-Palestinian signs in the Djerba Peninsula, where about 1,500 Jews live. He even went so far as to change the names of Jewish neighborhoods to Muslim names. In short, he and his agents are do everything they can to harass the Jews. He claims to be waging war against Israel to show his “support” for the Palestinians, but in reality he is waging a crusade against the Jews who have lived on the Djerba Peninsula for thousands of years.
The son of a princess who risked her life to save Jews from the Nazis, Prince Philip was always the most “pro-Israel” of the British royals
This past weekend Israel conveyed its condolences to the United Kingdom, to Queen Elizabeth II, and to the entire British royal family following the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, at the age of 99.
Both President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent their “deepest condolences and heartfelt sympathy” to Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles, and the people of the United Kingdom on the passing of the iconic royal consort.
“Prince Philip was the consummate public servant and will be much missed in Israel and across the world,” said Netanyahu.
By: Emily Jones and Chris Mitchell – CBN News; cbn.com
JERUSALEM, Israel – Iran blamed Israel Monday morning for a power failure at its top-secret Natanz nuclear facility on Sunday.
The comments by Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh is the first official accusation against Israel. Israel has remained quiet about the incident.
“The answer for Natanz is to take revenge against Israel,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said. “Israel will receive its answer through its own path.” He did not elaborate.
By: Gabe Friedman – The Times of Israel; timesofisrael.com
Academy Award winner to portray Israel’s only female prime minister in biopic set during Yom Kippur War; Shira Haas to play Meir in separate series
It’s a Meir moment.
Academy Award winner Helen Mirren will portray Golda Meir, Israel’s only female prime minister, in an upcoming biopic set during the Yom Kippur War.
Production on “Golda” will begin later this year, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The news follows the announcement last month of another star-powered production on Meir, a series titled “Lioness” led by Israeli actress Shira Haas of “Unorthodox” fame.
By: Times of Israel Staff – Times of Israel; timesofisrael.com
Public life stops during 2 minutes of silence dedicated to memory of 6 million Jews killed, as daytime ceremonies honoring those persecuted by the Nazi regime get underway
Israel came to a standstill at 10 a.m. on Thursday as sirens wailed throughout the country in memory of the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis during World War II.
The annual Holocaust Remembrance Day is one of the most solemn days on Israel’s national calendar, with much of the country all but shutting down for those two minutes to honor those who suffered under the Nazi killing machine.
It also heralded the start of the main daytime ceremonies for the somber day that began the night before with an official opening event at the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem.
By: Nick Southall and Mick Tucker – BBC News; bbc.com
Jewish leaders are calling for a public inquiry into whether alleged Nazi war criminals were protected from prosecution because they spied for the UK in the Cold War.
It comes after the BBC found that suspected Nazi collaborator Stanislaw Chrzanowski may have worked for MI6.
German officials believe the Telford pensioner may have murdered more than 30 people during World War Two.
But UK police said there was insufficient evidence to prosecute him.
Stanislaw “Stan” Chrzanowski grew up in eastern Poland, now part of Belarus. He came to Britain in 1946 after being taken as a prisoner of war and joining Allied forces.
He settled in Birmingham and, in 1954, met a British woman. They married and he became stepfather to her son, John Kingston.