“Grandpa Bela, a quiet man whose nickname was ‘Bela the Wise,’ sent me here today to say on his behalf that the Jews have not surrendered. The Nazis thought they were the future and that Jews would be something you only find in a museum. Instead, the Jewish state is the future, and Mauthausen is a museum. Rest in peace, grandfather, you won”. — Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid in Austria, speaking at an International Holocaust Remembrance Day memorial service at Mauthaussen concentration camp, where his grandfather, Bela Lampel, was murdered in 1945. (Globe and Mail, Jan. 27, 2022)
“According to the rules of conversion, the head of the conversion system is responsible for implementing the instructions of the president of the Great Rabbinical Court, which is me. I don’t understand what’s illegal about my checking each and every case. …The bill being discussed is an attempt to rip apart the Jewish people. It will lead to two kinds of conversion, and we’ll be forced to tell people who haven’t converted properly that they aren’t Jews. Minyans at synagogues will have to check who converted in accordance with Jewish law and who is just a convert on paper. It will lead to chaos, and we mustn’t lend our hand to that.” — Israel’s Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau is saying he does not intend to sign off on anything he does not believe. (Jewish Press, Jan. 25, 2022)
“It would appear that the so-called ‘fringe minority’ is actually the government.” — Tesla CEO Elon Musk mocking Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his government over a comment downplaying the massive protests that have formed over the country’s vaccine mandates. (Fox Business, Jan. 31, 2022)
“He or she does not represent the thousands of peaceful protesters who waved Canadian flags and acted responsibly. I stand with them and will continue to fight with them.” — Conservative party MP Michael Cooper tweeted. While showing support for the protesters and truckers who converged on Parliament Hill, a protester with a Canadian flag covered in swastikas walked by him. (Jerusalem Post, Jan. 30, 2022)“… if those eight BBC journalists really did construe what they heard as an “anti-Muslim slur” on the basis of “cues which the listener is unaware of having received,” this means that, when watching and listening to a recording of an attack upon Jews, the “cues” in their brains translated unfamiliar sounds into an attack by Jews. Deeply disturbing, if true; but more disturbing is that the ECU thinks that this exonerates the BBC from the most serious charges of a breach of editorial standards. Even by the BBC’s normal standards of obfuscation when it comes to complaints against it, this ECU report is a shocker.” – British columnist Melanie Phillips commenting on the BBC’a Executive Complaints Unit (ECU)’s report, which rationalizes the BBC’s antisemitism. (Melanie Phillips, Jan. 26, 2022)
“Do we have tanks on the streets? No. When you read media, you get the image that we have troops in the city, people fleeing. That is not the case. I’m the president of Ukraine, and I’m based here, and I think I know the details better here.” — Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, reacting to a phone call in which President Biden evidently stressed that a Russian invasion was imminent. (NY Post, Jan. 28, 2022)
“Joe Biden meanders through his photo-ops indifferent to American civilization collapsing around him. His first year was the most disastrous of any presidency in history. Should that calamity continue, Biden will be known by posterity as the most inept president to have held office.: – Classicist Victor Davis Hanson lamenting on the left’s uses of nihilism. (American Greatness, Jan. 30, 2022)
ANCIENT HEBREW AMULET DISCOVERED AT JOSHUA’S ALTAR IN SAMARIA (Mount Ebal) — An ancient amulet made of lead and written in ancient Hebrew was found among the remains of the excavation carried out at the archeological site on Mount Ebal in Samaria, where the biblical-era altar of Joshua bin Nun is located. The amulet is inscribed with the letter Alef and a mark reminiscent of a lotus flower. The late Haifa University archaeologist Adam Zertal identified the remains of an altar found at the site as the one described in the Bible, where Joshua distributed the land among the tribes. (Jewish Press, Jan. 26, 2022)
BELZ HASIDIC SECT TO BEGIN TEACHING CORE CURRICULUM, MORE COMMUNITIES MAY FOLLOW (Jerusalem) — The leader of the Belz Hasidic sect has approved the inclusion of core curriculum in its elementary schools, including math, science, Hebrew, and English. The sect’s education committee met with Education Ministry director Dalit Stauber and other top education officials to formulate a model by which Talmud Torahs would be fully budgeted by the state per their success in these studies.. Belz, led by Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach, is the second-largest Hasidic sect in Israel, with the proposed reform initially involving some 7,000 children. (Times of Israel, Feb. 1, 2022)
AMID CONDEMNATIONS, NGO MONITOR ANALYZES AMNESTY INTL REPORT ACCUSING ISRAEL OF ‘CRUEL DOMINATION’ (Jerusalem) — On February 1, Amnesty International intends to release a new 211-page report vilifying the State of Israel as a proponent of apartheid. NGO Monitor, which received advance copies of the publication, called the report “another volume in the litany of copy-paste NGO reports that label Israel as an “apartheid” state.” The organization’s exclusive analysis highlights the salient flaws in Amnesty’s publication, which essentially repeats the claims made by Human Rights Watch and other NGOs in 2021. (Jewish Press, Jan. 31, 2022)
ESTHER POLLARD DIES AFTER BEING RUSHED TO HOSPITAL(Jerusalem) — Esther Pollard, the wife of Jonathan Pollard, died on Monday after being rushed on Saturday to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital’s COVID-19 intensive care unit suffering from septic shock (sepsis). Thousands attended her funeral at Har Hamenuhot Cemetery in Jerusalem/ Esther, who had been fighting breast cancer for years, returned a positive COVID test in the hospital after negative home tests had indicated that she had recovered from a bad case of the virus. She passed away at age 68 with her husband, Israeli agent Jonathan Pollard, by her side. (Jerusalem Post, Jan. 31, 2022)
HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR ORDERED TO PAY LEGAL FEES OF DEMONSTRATORS WHO HARASSED CONGREGATION (Ann Arbor) –US District Court Judge Victoria Roberts found in favor of the defendants, whose weekly demonstrations outside the Beth Israel Congregation were upheld as protected speech under the first amendment. The group, calling itself Witness for Peace, has gathered for more than 18 years outside the synagogue, holding signs with antisemitic slogans such as “Resist Jewish Power,” “Jewish Power Corrupts,” “No More Holocaust Movies,” “Boycott Israel,” “Stop US Aid to Israel,” and “End the Palestinian holocaust.” The court forced the plaintiffs to pay $159,000. (United With Israel, Jan. 31, 2022)
LEBANON CATCHES ISRAELI SPY RING OPERATING THROUGHOUT COUNTRY- REPORT (Beirut) — Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi announced that 17 spy networks working for Israel were caught throughout Lebanon recently. The Information Branch of the Lebanese Internal Security Forces Directorate launched an operation four weeks ago to dismantle the spy networks one by one. The branch is trying to keep the process under wraps by claiming that the suspects were arrested for fraud and drug crimes. (Jerusalem Post, Jan. 31, 2022)
42 MEMBERS OF CONGRESS PRESS BLINKEN TO ‘DEFUND’ UN’S NEW ANTI-ISRAEL COMMISSION OF INQUIRY (Washington) — A bipartisan group of 42 members of Congress called on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to lead an effort to defund the UN’s just-established Commission of Inquiry (COI) on Israel. Created by the UN Human Rights Council, the COI is a permanent and open-ended entity dedicated solely to investigating alleged Israeli malfeasance in its actions toward the Palestinians. Critics have regarded it as a biased mechanism that expresses the UN’s notorious hostility to the Jewish state. The congressional letter, spearheaded by Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) called the COI “outrageous and unjust” and objected to its “carte blanche mandate — in perpetuity — to investigate any allegations against Israel in the past or the future.” (Algemeiner, Jan. 25, 2022)
ORTHODOX GROUP JOINS LAWMAKERS TO FORM CAUCUS PROMOTING TORAH VALUES, BATTLING ANTI-SEMITISM (Washington) — Members of both parties in Congress inaugurated a new Congressional Caucus to focus on Jewish issues such as the rise of antisemitism and unfair treatment in Jewish communities. According to a news release by the Orthodox organization Dirshu, the Congressional Caucus for the Advancement of Torah Values will discuss ongoing issues of concern to Jews in the United States, Canada, and the world. Reps. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) and Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) will co-chair the caucus, spearheaded by Rabbi Dovid Hofstedter—a Canadian real estate investor, philanthropist, and the founder and president of Dirshu, headquartered in New Jersey and started in 1997. (JNS, Jan. 19, 2022)
ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE SLAMMED AFTER CHANGING DEFINITION OF ‘RACISM’ ON WEBSITE (Washington) — The Anti-Defamation League was slammed after it was revealed that the organization changed the definition of “racism” on their website to read, “The marginalization and/or oppression of people of color based on a socially constructed racial hierarchy that privileges white people.” Jonathan Greenblatt, a former Obama administration official, heads the organization. The definition previously read: “Racism is the belief that a particular race is superior or inferior to another, that a person’s social and moral traits are predetermined by his or her inborn biological characteristics. Racial separatism is the belief, most of the time based on racism, that different races should remain segregated and apart from one another.” (Post Millennial, Jan. 31, 2022)
WHOOPIE GOLDBERG CLAIMS HOLOCAUST IS ‘NOT ABOUT RACE,’ SPARKS MAJOR BACKLASH (NYC) — ABC’s ‘The View’ host Whoopi Goldberg claimed that the Holocaust was “not about race” on last Sunday’s show, creating tension among the co-hosts and sparking major backlash on social media. The comment came during a discussion among co-hosts about the decision by Tennessee schools to pull “Maus“ from its shelves, a Pulitzer Prize-winning Holocaust education book, authored by Art Spiegelman, who recounts the story of his parents’ survival. Co-host Ana Navarro noted a Florida bill that prevents any conversation in schools that could cause a student to feel uncomfortable about race or gender. This led Sunny Hostin to ask if that could be a reason to stop teaching about the Holocaust in schools. “If you’re going to do this, then let’s be truthful about it,” Goldberg said. “Because the Holocaust isn’t about race. … It’s about man’s inhumanity to man,” Goldberg said. Indeed, the Aryan “master race” was a major concept in Nazi ideology. (WIN, Jan. 31, 2022)
POLICE REPORT NO VIOLENCE AS THOUSANDS STAGE PEACEFUL PROTEST IN CANADIAN CAPITAL OVER MANDATES (Ottawa) — Thousands of truckers and others held a loud yet peaceful protest in Canada’s capital of Ottawa on Jan. 29 and 30 against the government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandates, according to a police report. The “Freedom Convoy” started as a rally of truckers who opposed the mandates, but it quickly morphed into something much broader—with people from all walks of life taking to the streets against vaccine passports, requirements, and other restrictions that have been handed down by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in recent months. (Epoch Times, Jan. 31, 2022)
MAJORITY OF CANADIANS WANT ALL COVID RESTRICTIONS TO END NOW: POLL (Ottawa) — A new poll by the Angus Reid Institute shows that, for the first time, Canadians want any and all COVID restrictions to end completely. The poll found that 54 percent of those surveyed claimed that all restrictions should be lifted. This is up sharply from the last time this poll was taken at the beginning of Jan 2022, when 40 percent agreed with the same statement. (Post Millennial, Jan. 31, 2022)
ISIS FIGHTERS GET SURRENDER-OR-DIE ULTIMATUM IN SYRIA PRISON STANDOFF (Syria) — A U.S.-backed militia in Syria delivered a surrender-or-die ultimatum to dozens of Islamic State fighters holding out in prison a week after they attacked it, saying they would face an all-out military assault if they did not give themselves up. The Islamic State assaulted the Sinaa prison in the city of Hasaka in an attempt to free thousands of former ISIS fighters, breaching the walls with bombs and holding some of the almost 700 child detainees there as human shields, according to the militia, the Syrian Democratic Forces, or the S.D.F. (NYTimes, Jan. 28, 2022)
SEPARATISTS KILL 10 PAKISTANI SOLDIERS IN ATTACK ON OUTPOST (Islamabad) — The assault on a military post in a remote southwestern district lasted for several hours. Dozens of attackers, belonging to a Baluch separatist group, heavily armed with rocket launchers and sophisticated weapons, outnumbered the Pakistani soldiers. Officials said a heavy gunfight killed 10 Pakistani soldiers and one attacker, and the rest managed to escape. The ambush was one of the deadliest on Pakistani soldiers in recent years and comes at a time of heightened unrest. (NY Times, Jan. 28, 2022)
U.S. BLOCKS $130 MILLION IN AID FOR EGYPT OVER RIGHTS ABUSES(Washington) — Citing human rights concerns, the United States will not give Egypt $130 million in annual security assistance, even as the Biden administration continues to approve billions of dollars in military sales to the Middle Eastern ally. (NY Times, Jan. 28, 2022)
Exclusive Interview with UAE Senior Rabbi: Hana Levi Julian, Jewish Press, Jan. 30, 2022 — There is no antisemitism, at least that can be noticed, in the United Arab Emirates, the country’s senior rabbi tells JewishPress.com in an exclusive interview Sunday held after the Israeli President Isaac Herzog and his wife Michal met with Jewish community representatives in Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital.President Isaac Herzog Visits Dubai Expo 2020: Hana Levi Julian, Jewish Press, Jan. 31, 2022 — Israel’s President Isaac Herzog and his wife visited Dubai Expo 2020 in the United Arab Emirates on Monday during the second and final day of his two-day visit to the country, the first such official visit to the UAE by an Israeli president. Check it out!
Who Are Israel’s 6 Athletes Competing in Beijing Winter Olympics?: Abigail Klein Leichman, United With Israel, Jan. 31, 2022 — About 2,900 athletes from 90 countries are expected to compete in 15 sports at the Olympic Winter Games, opening on February 4 in Beijing.
Florida Nazis Out in Force in Orlando with Flags, Swastikas & Salutes: David Israel, Jewish Press, Jan. 31, 2022 — A bunch of Neo-Nazis on Saturday and Sunday chanted antisemitic slogans, waved Nazi flags, and jumped on a driver who confronted them near the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Florida.
Media Attack Investigative Reporter for Investigating and Reporting on CAIR: A.J. Caschetta, National Review, Jan. 29, 2022 — When accusations first emerged that Steven Emerson’s Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) had an informant inside the Ohio office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), it was clear that the media had missed the story entirely. Instead of bemoaning “spying” by a “mole” inside the most high-profile Islamist group in the nation, the headlines should have read “Moderate Muslim Infiltrates Islamist Organization.”