New Antiviral Masks from Israel May Help Stop Deadly Coronavirus: Abigail Klein Leichman, Israel 21C, Jan. 28, 2020 — As the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak continues to spread, two Israeli companies are finalizing development of revolutionary antiviral reusable facemasks.
WEEKLY QUOTES:
“The reason that we haven’t yet annexed the communities in Judea and Samaria is that Trump has asked that we annex it all in one shot,” – Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu told the Jerusalem Conference. He discussed Trump’s peace plan, which permits Israel to annex these territories. (WIN, Feb. 25, 2020)
“When I was with grandma in the store, a red alert caught us. Immediately we got under the table. I was under stress. Every red alert makes me shake in my hands and legs. Every boom terrifies me. My big sister has a bat mitzvah soon and I hope there won’t be another red alert. At school they try to give us tools to deal with the fear with the help of games, and I hope that when I’m grown up I can be a dancer without sirens in the background,” — Roni, an eight-year-old second grader from the border city of Sderot, which has absorbed thousands of rocket strikes over the past two decades. told Israeli news site N12. She was in a store with her grandmother buying a Purim costume when the warning sirens sounded. (Algemeiner, Feb. 24, 2020)
“I have come to the conclusion that there is a 95% chance it is inevitable that we will have to launch a large campaign to restart Gaza,” – Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett said less than a day after nearly 100 rockets were fired into the South in the latest round of violence between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (Jerusalem Post, Feb. 25, 2020)
“… we really run the risk in this election of transitioning from the most pro-Israel president ever in history, and make no mistake about it Donald Trump is absolutely the most pro-Israel president ever in history, transitioning from that to the first enemy of Israel ever in the White House,”— said Matt Brooks, the executive director of the Republican Jewish Coalition. He reacted to Sen. Bernie Sanders’ decision to skip the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference next month in Washington. (Fox News, Feb. 25, 2020)
“I was reading last night about the fall of France in the summer of 1940, and the general, Renault, calls up Churchill and says, ‘It’s over.’ And Churchill says ‘How can it be? You’ve got the greatest army in Europe. How can it be over?’ He said, ‘It’s over,’” –– said Matthews during MSNBC’s TV broadcast of Saturday’s Nevada caucuses. Matthews compared Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’ recent victory in the Nevada caucuses to the Nazi’s victory over France in 1940. He later apologized to Sanders. (WIN, Feb. 24, 2020)
“Mr. Sanders responded to Mr. Cooper: “We’re very opposed to the authoritarian nature of Cuba, but you know it’s unfair to simply say everything is bad. When Fidel Castro came into office, you know what he did? He had a massive literacy program. Is that a bad thing, even though Fidel Castro did it?”… Mr. Sanders still flunks Cuban literacy 101. Before the 1959 revolution, some 80% of Cuba could read. That put the island’s education level far ahead of most of its Latin American neighbors. In the ensuing six decades, many countries in the region have moved to near-universal literacy. The difference is that countries like Ecuador and Colombia, both of which came from much further behind, did it without having “totally transformed the society” with firing squads, dungeons, torture and exile. They did it without stealing private property and driving Cubans into poverty or rafts to escape to America. Cuba has gone from being one of the more advanced countries in the region in the mid-1950s to one of the most impoverished, and the reason is its economic socialism and political tyranny. The issue for voters today is what it says about Mr. Sanders that, even after so many years of cruel evidence, he still feels compelled to insist there is a silver lining in the Cuban revolution,” – writes the WSJ Editorial Board responding to Senator Sanders praise of Castro on CBC’s 60 Minutes. (WSJ, Feb. 25, 2020)
“Bernie Sanders announces he is not going to @AIPAC. To be clear, he has never attended and has no clue what the organization is about or what it stands for. Go back to defending Castro and socialist dictators. We will go back to defending peace, democracy, and our ally Israel,” –– tweeted former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley. Haley slammed 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders over his announced boycott of next week’s American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference. (Algemeiner, Feb. 24, 2020)
“We made it clear last month that no further delays by the government would be accepted by Canadians. Unfortunately, there is no alternative at this point to legal recourse. It is intolerable that 20 months have elapsed since this important motion passed, and no action has been taken by our government to implement it,” — said Michael Mostyn, Chief Executive Officer of B’nai Brith Canada after Canada failed to list Iran’s IRGC as a terrorist group. Referring to the US assassination of IRGC head Qassem Soleimani on Jan. 3, Mostyn added, “Today, the Islamist regime is undoubtedly seeking to avenge the killing of its IRGC General. Canadians are more at risk than ever by the IRGC. Our safety concerns are pragmatic, moral, and urgent.” (Algemeiner, Feb. 23, 2020)
SHORT TAKES:
NETANYAHU’S LIKUD REGAINS LEAD IN POLLS WITH ONE WEEK TO GO (Jerusalem) – After lagging behind its main rival Blue and White in the polls over recent months, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has taken the lead just a week ahead of the March 2 Knesset election, according to the latest polls. Based on several public opinion surveys, the Likud would edge out Blue and White, 35-to-34, in the 120-member Israeli parliament. The right-wing block, led by Likud, is projected to receive 57 mandates, still four short of the 61-seat majority. Blue and White and the Left receive only 44 mandates and could surpass the Right only if they depend upon the Joint List, a faction predominantly of Arab members who are non-Zionists, meaning that they do not recognize Israel as the Jewish State. (WIN, Feb. 24, 2020)
CHALLENGERS GANTZ AND LAPID ATTACK NETANYAHU-TRUMP RELATIONSHIP (Jerusalem) — The Times of Israel reported that Gantz accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “of neglecting bipartisan ties in favor of exclusive support from U.S. President Donald Trump’s Republican Party.” In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, Lapid—Blue and White’s No. 2 on the leadership list and a likely candidate for foreign minister in a government led by the party—similarly criticized Netanyahu’s close relationship to the Trump administration. (JNS, Feb. 19, 2020)
ISRAEL MAY QUARANTINE TRAVELERS FROM ITALY AND AUSTRALIA OVER CORONAVIRUS FEARS (Jerusalem) — Israeli Health Minister Ya’akov Litzman announced that Israel may quarantine travelers returning from Italy and Australia due to fear of coronavirus infection. The Australian Health Ministry has confirmed 22 cases of coronavirus infection, with seven of the cases being passengers of the Japanese cruise ship Diamond Princess that are being flown back from Japan. (JNS, Feb. 25, 2020)
IRAN’S DEPUTY HEALTH MINISTER SICK WITH COVID-19 CORONAVIRUS (Tehran) — Iran’s deputy health minister, Iraj Harirchi, has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus. The deputy health minister said in a video statement released online that he was entering self-quarantine at home. (Jewish Press, Feb. 25, 2020)
FORMER PRESIDENT HOSNI MUBARAK DIES AT 91 (Cairo) — Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak passed away at the age of 91 on Tuesday. Mubarak, the fourth president to Egypt, ruled the country for a period of 30 years before he was forced to step down on February 11, 2011 as a result of the January 25 Revolution. On May 24, 2011 Mubarak and his sons, Alaa and Gamal, were called to trial on charges of killing protesters and corruption charges. On August 19, 2013 Mubarak was acquitted of one of his corruption charges and two days later the court ordered his release from prison. (Egypt Today, Feb. 25, 2020)
HOLLYWOOD ICON SOPHIA LOREN STARS AS HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR IN NEW FILM ACQUIRED BY NETFLIX (Italy) — Netflix has acquired global rights to Hollywood icon Sophia Loren’s first feature film in a decade, in which she will star as a Holocaust survivor. In “The Life Ahead,” directed by her son Edoardo Ponti, the legendary Italian Oscar-winning actress plays Madame Rosa, a Holocaust survivor living in seaside Italy who has a daycare business and takes in a 12-year-old Senegalese Muslim boy, named Momo, who has no home and recently robbed her. The film will be released later this year. (Algemeiner, Feb. 23, 2020)
DISTURBING IMAGES EMERGE OF ASTOUNDING ANTISEMITISM AT BELGIAN CARNIVAL (Aalst) –– Disturbing images emerged of the annual carnival at Aalst, Belgium, showing an astounding number of antisemitic themes, costumes, displays and statements. Israeli journalist Raphael Ahren documented people dressed as caricatures of Orthodox Jews, a fake “wailing wall” attacking critics of the parade, blatantly antisemitic characters and puppets wearing traditional Jewish clothes and sporting huge noses. There was also video of attendees dressed in exaggerated imitations of clothing warn by Hasidic Jews with insect legs attached to their torsos. (Algemeiner, Feb. 23, 2020)
REPUBLICAN CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE UNDER FIRE FOR ANTI-SEMITIC POSTS (Virginia) — Heerak Kim is running in Virginia’s 8th Congressional District tweeted that the “FBI should investigate U.S. politicians in both Republican and the Democratic party with ‘questionable’ ties with Israel. It is strange that there is such a pro-Israel voting by Republicans and Democrats. There seems to be corruption involving bribery by Israel for US politicians [sic].” (WIN, Feb. 23, 2020)
JEWISH HARVARD STUDENTS FORM ANTI-ZIONIST ORGANIZATION (Cambridge) — The Harvard Jewish Coalition for Peace said it will focus on Palestinian solidarity work; fighting antisemitism and for the safety of Jews and all people through solidarity; and creating Jewish spaces and events outside of Hillel. The pro-Palestinian group that backs the BDS movement has several chapters on campuses across the country that push the boycott movement. (Jerusalem Post, Feb. 13, 2020)
‘TEL AVIV, PALESTINE’? FRENCH OFFICIAL DENIES ISRAEL EXISTS (Paris) — France’s Bureau National de Vigilance Contre l’Antisemitisme (National Bureau for Vigilance against Anti-Semitism or BNVCA) demanded an explanation for a French official’s designation of Tel Aviv as located in “Ex-Palestine.” The letter was sent to notify a recipient who was born in Tel Aviv of registration on an electoral list. Calling the letter “scandalous,” Eli Nahum, former anti-Semitism researcher for the Prime Minister’s Office in Israel and founder of The Coordination Forum for Countering Anti-Semitism-CFCA, wrote on his website, “For the city hall of Marseilles, Israel does not exist.” (United With Israel, Feb. 24, 2020)
IDF’S PIONEERING ALL-WOMEN TANK CREWS TO PROVIDE PROTECTION OF ISRAEL’S SOUTH (Negev) — The all-female tank crews that the Israel Defense Forces will create this coming year will have the mission of defending the Egyptian and Jordanian border against intrusion by terror squads. The IDF’s Border Defense Array specializes in defensive operations, unlike the wartime divisions that must be able to move deep into the enemy’s territory and destroy numerous targets on the way while providing cover fire for the infantry in built-up areas. (JNS, Feb. 19, 2020)
ISRAELI LEADER IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE EARNS $1 MILLION DAN DAVID PRIZE (Tel Aviv) — Israeli tech leader Amnon Shashua will be awarded the 2020 Dan David Prize for his contributions to the field of artificial intelligence (AI) as CEO of Mobileye and co-founder of OrCam, a tech company that harnesses AI-driven computer vision. The international Dan David prize, headquartered at Tel Aviv University, is awarded annually and includes three prizes of $1 million to each of three recipients for outstanding scientific, technological, cultural or social impact on the world. (JNS, Feb. 25, 2020)
BERNIE SANDERS SAYS HE IS PROUD TO BE JEWISH — SO WHY IS HE SKIPPING THE BIGGEST CELEBRATION OF JEWISH PRIDE? (Washington) — On Sunday night, Sen. Bernie Sanders announced via tweet that he would not be attending the upcoming AIPAC policy conference in Washington, D.C., accusing the pro-Israel lobby of being a platform for “bigotry.” His statement came one week after his campaign released a video about how Sanders is “proud to be Jewish” and a month after a four-minute video with similar themes. Given that Sanders refuses to address the diverse, bipartisan group of 18,000 pro-Israel, mostly Jewish constituents, one is compelled to ask: What kind of Jewish pride does Sanders have? (JTA, Feb. 25, 2020)
ANTI-ISRAEL LINDA SARSOUR DISTORTS ‘PALESTINE’ HISTORY (Washington) — Linda Sarsour, a pro-Palestinian political activist who supports Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, is urging party voters to cast their ballots for the socialist candidate, who this week made headlines by announcing his boycott of next week’s bipartisan AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) annual conference. In a speech in late November at the American Muslims for Palestine conference in Chicago, Sarsour said, “Israel was built on the idea that Jews are supreme to everybody else…. How can you be against white supremacy in the United States of America and the idea of living in a supremacist state based on race and class, but then you support a state like Israel that is built on supremacy?” Sanders, a Jew, has suggested that a portion of US military aid to Israel go to the Gaza Strip, which is ruled by the Hamas terror group, for humanitarian purposes. (United With Israel, Feb. 24, 2020)
MISSOURI AND IOWA LEGISLATORS INTRODUCE CAMPUS INTELLECTUAL DIVERSITY BILLS (Missouri; Iowa) — Arizona State Representative Anthony Kern (R) has filed HB 2238, a new bill designed to promote intellectual diversity at Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Arizona. Two more intellectual diversity bills modeled on CIDA have been introduced in Iowa and Missouri. Kurtz drafted CIDA in response to the growing trend on college campuses toward ideological homogeneity and activist “shout-downs.” (National Association of Scholars, Feb. 14, 2020)
FIRST ISRAELI RABBI RECEIVED AS GUEST OF SAUDI KING AT ROYAL PALACE (Riyadh) – Rabbi David Rosen became the first Jewish clergyman from Israel to be hosted by the king of Saudi Arabia in his Riyadh royal palace. The meeting happened as part of a gathering held by the King Abdullah International Center for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID). Rosen is a member of KAICIID’s board of directors. (WIN, Feb. 24, 2020)
FIRST ISRAELI NONPROFIT BANK TO PROVIDE LIFE-CHANGING LOANS AS A ‘NATIONAL MISSION’ (Jerusalem) — Originally established to help new immigrants from Ethiopia and the former Soviet Union adjust to their new lives in Israel, the Ogen Group is working to become Israel’s first “social bank.” Ogen works as a nonprofit loan fund that provides affordable credit to disadvantaged segments of the Israeli public. Founded by the late Professor Eliezer Jaffe, Ogen has provided more than 60,000 interest-free loans since 1990 totaling more than $330 million. (JNS, Feb. 24, 2020)
LOST 1,000-YEAR-OLD HEBREW BIBLE FOUND ON DUSTY CAIRO SYNAGOGUE SHELF (Cairo) — In July 2017, Israeli historian Yoram Meital stumbled upon a handwritten 1028 CE biblical codex that was lying abandoned on a dusty shelf in a Cairo synagogue. Wrapped in simple white paper, at 616 pages, the Zechariah Ben ‘Anan Manuscript is one of the era’s most complete and preserved examples of the “Writings,” the third and concluding section of the Hebrew Bible. It had been lost to scholars for almost 40 years. (The Times of Israel, Feb. 24, 2020)
DEED ON MONTREAL-AREA HOME CONTAINS CLAUSE PREVENTING SALE TO JEWS (Montreal) — A Montreal-area home contains a clause in its deed preventing its sale to a Jewish person. It is the second home near that Canadian city in Quebec discovered to contain such a “servitude clause” barring sale to anyone of Jewish origin, CTV News reported. In January, it was discovered that a farmer in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu included a clause refusing sale to Jewish people when he subdivided into lots and sold his property about 60 years ago. Today there are some 350 homes on that land, the Canadian Jewish News reported. The clause was ordered erased in January by the Quebec Superior Court. Such clauses are not legally enforceable since they run counter to the Charter of Rights, according to CTV. (JTA, Feb. 25, 2020)
AUSCHWITZ MEMORIAL CONDEMNS AMAZON’S NAZI-HUNTING SERIES ‘HUNTERS’ AS ‘DANGEROUS’ (Warsaw) — The Auschwitz Memorial condemned the new Amazon mini-series about Nazi hunters. The museum said in a tweet that the human chess game invented for “Hunters,” in which the inmates of the Auschwitz camp were the game pieces and were killed when their piece was removed, is “Dangerous foolishness & caricature.” “Hunters,” which stars Al Pacino, tells the story of a group of people trying to stop Nazis living in New York City in the 1970s. “Auschwitz was full of horrible pain and suffering documented in the accounts of survivors,” the museum tweeted. “Inventing a fake game of human chess for ‘Hunters’ is not only dangerous foolishness & caricature. It also welcomes future deniers. We honor the victims by preserving factual accuracy.” (JTA, Feb. 25, 2020)
For Further Reference:
Watch: ‘Trump Killed My Brother Soleimani, Clinton Killed My Brother Qadaffi, says Farrakhan: United With Israel, Feb. 25, 2020 — Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan delivered a three-and-a-half hour speech at a major conference for his sect in Detroit, Michigan on February 23, 2020, blasting U.S. President Donald Trump for ordering the assassination of Iranian arch-terrorist Qasem Soleimani.
The Forward’s Noxious Op-Ed Accusing Modern Orthodox Jews of Dual Loyalty: Elder of Zyon, Jewish Press, Feb. 25, 2020 — Last Friday, the Forward published what can only be considered be irresponsible piece that accuses Zionist schools of teaching students that loyalty to Israel is more important than being American.
US Jewish Groups React With Outrage to Bernie Sanders’ ‘Offensive’ Attack on AIPAC: Benjamin Kerstein, Algemeiner, Feb. 24, 2020 — Mainstream US Jewish groups reacted with outrage on Monday to what they saw as 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’ “offensive” attack on the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, as the hashtag #AIPACProud went viral on Twitter in protest.
Leading Publisher Pulls School Textbook Which Asks Children To ‘Reflect’ On How Israel Caused 9/11: Camilla Turner, The Telegraph, Feb. 20, 2020 –– A leading publisher has pulled a school history textbook where children are asked to “reflect” on how Israel caused 9/11
