Jerusalem boxing club unites Jews and Arabs in and out of the ring
By Joel Greenberg
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, January 4, 2011; 12:48 PM
JERUSALEM - In a converted bomb shelter in a low-income Jewish neighborhood, Ismail Jaafari, a Palestinian boxer from across town, bobbed and weaved in the ring, trading punches with an Israeli opponent.
They were sparring at a local boxing club that is something of an anomaly in this ethnically divided city: a place where both Jews and Arabs pursue a shared passion. Palestinians from East Jerusalem have earned their boxing credentials at the club, training with Russian-speaking Jewish immigrants, bearded yeshiva students and settlers from the West Bank.
Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Israel. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Did the human race start in Israel?
The chosen people
Might the human race have started in Israel?
Sunday, January 02, 2011
By Jack Kelly, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Archeologists digging in a cave in central Israel said Monday they've found teeth 400,000 years old they think belonged to a Homo sapiens.
If they're right, then modern man is roughly twice as old as previously thought and didn't originate in Africa, as contemporary scientific theory postulates. The oldest Homo sapiens remains found in Africa are about 200,000 years old.
Might the human race have started in Israel?
Sunday, January 02, 2011
By Jack Kelly, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Archeologists digging in a cave in central Israel said Monday they've found teeth 400,000 years old they think belonged to a Homo sapiens.
If they're right, then modern man is roughly twice as old as previously thought and didn't originate in Africa, as contemporary scientific theory postulates. The oldest Homo sapiens remains found in Africa are about 200,000 years old.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Letter urges Israeli girls to avoid dating Arabs
Letter urges Israeli girls to avoid dating Arabs
From Shira Medding, CNN
December 29, 2010 2:53 p.m. EST
Jerusalem (CNN) -- A letter from about 30 prominent rabbis' wives was causing a stir in Israel Wednesday because it urges Israeli girls not to date Arabs.
The open letter comes three weeks after the uproar caused by another letter, which was written by 50 state-appointed rabbis and told Jews not to rent or sell property to non-Jews.
The latest missive, which was published by some websites and news outlets, says Arab men act polite around Jewish girls and "act as if they really care about you," but it says that's a ruse. The men, it says, even change their Arab names to Hebrew forms like Yossi and Ami in order to get close to the girls.
From Shira Medding, CNN
December 29, 2010 2:53 p.m. EST
Jerusalem (CNN) -- A letter from about 30 prominent rabbis' wives was causing a stir in Israel Wednesday because it urges Israeli girls not to date Arabs.
The open letter comes three weeks after the uproar caused by another letter, which was written by 50 state-appointed rabbis and told Jews not to rent or sell property to non-Jews.
The latest missive, which was published by some websites and news outlets, says Arab men act polite around Jewish girls and "act as if they really care about you," but it says that's a ruse. The men, it says, even change their Arab names to Hebrew forms like Yossi and Ami in order to get close to the girls.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
American Football Gains a Following in Israel
December 27, 2010
American Football Gains a Following in Israel
By BEN SOLOMON
New York Times
JERUSALEM — On a Thursday night early in December, Pinchas Zerbib took off his traditional cotton skullcap. In its place, he put on a polyester one.
“It’s my Under Armour yarmulke,” Zerbib said. “For practice, it’s better. Plus, it’s still kosher.”
As an orthodox Jew, Zerbib, a native of Israel, believes he must always wear a head covering. He spends his days studying in a yeshiva, or a Talmudic learning institution. But three nights a week, he suits up as a linebacker.
“I sit down and learn all day,” said Zerbib, a 27-year-old student. “I love to do this sport and stay healthy.”
American Football Gains a Following in Israel
By BEN SOLOMON
New York Times
JERUSALEM — On a Thursday night early in December, Pinchas Zerbib took off his traditional cotton skullcap. In its place, he put on a polyester one.
“It’s my Under Armour yarmulke,” Zerbib said. “For practice, it’s better. Plus, it’s still kosher.”
As an orthodox Jew, Zerbib, a native of Israel, believes he must always wear a head covering. He spends his days studying in a yeshiva, or a Talmudic learning institution. But three nights a week, he suits up as a linebacker.
“I sit down and learn all day,” said Zerbib, a 27-year-old student. “I love to do this sport and stay healthy.”
Monday, December 27, 2010
What If Israel Ceases to be a Democracy?
What If Israel Ceases to be a Democracy?
DEC 27 2010, 3:32 PM ET
Jeffery Goldberg
The Atlantic
Is it actually possible that one day Israelis -- Jewish Israelis -- would choose to give up democracy in order to maintain Israel's Jewish voting majority? Some people, of course, argue that Israel has ceased to be a democracy, because there is nothing temporary about the 43-year-old occupation of the West Bank. I believe it is premature to talk about the end of Israel as a democratic state -- mainly because the disposition of the West Bank is still undecided -- but I can't say that the thought hasn't crossed my mind that one day Israelis will make the conscious, active decision to preserve the state's Jewish character instead of its democratic character (I use the word "Jewish" in the demographic sense, not the moral sense, obviously).
DEC 27 2010, 3:32 PM ET
Jeffery Goldberg
The Atlantic
Is it actually possible that one day Israelis -- Jewish Israelis -- would choose to give up democracy in order to maintain Israel's Jewish voting majority? Some people, of course, argue that Israel has ceased to be a democracy, because there is nothing temporary about the 43-year-old occupation of the West Bank. I believe it is premature to talk about the end of Israel as a democratic state -- mainly because the disposition of the West Bank is still undecided -- but I can't say that the thought hasn't crossed my mind that one day Israelis will make the conscious, active decision to preserve the state's Jewish character instead of its democratic character (I use the word "Jewish" in the demographic sense, not the moral sense, obviously).
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Seattle Bus Ads Allege Israeli War Crimes
Jewish groups fear bus-ad backlash
By Keith Ervin
Seattle Times staff reporter
December 23, 2010
Leaders of four Jewish organizations asked senior King County officials Wednesday to reconsider plans to put an ad on Metro buses alleging "Israeli war crimes," saying local Jews have good reason to fear it could lead to crimes against them.
During the "open and candid and respectful conversation," the Jewish leaders said they feel the ads "are inappropriate here in this community and actually pose a public-safety threat," said Hilary Bernstein, Pacific Northwest community director of the Anti-Defamation League.
Rob Jacobs, Northwest regional director of StandWithUs, said the executives of the Jewish organizations described how synagogues and schools have upgraded security in recent years after their buildings were defaced, a man frightened students as he screamed "Heil Hitler!" on the Seattle Hebrew Academy campus and another man shot six women, one fatally, at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle.
By Keith Ervin
Seattle Times staff reporter
December 23, 2010
Leaders of four Jewish organizations asked senior King County officials Wednesday to reconsider plans to put an ad on Metro buses alleging "Israeli war crimes," saying local Jews have good reason to fear it could lead to crimes against them.
During the "open and candid and respectful conversation," the Jewish leaders said they feel the ads "are inappropriate here in this community and actually pose a public-safety threat," said Hilary Bernstein, Pacific Northwest community director of the Anti-Defamation League.
Rob Jacobs, Northwest regional director of StandWithUs, said the executives of the Jewish organizations described how synagogues and schools have upgraded security in recent years after their buildings were defaced, a man frightened students as he screamed "Heil Hitler!" on the Seattle Hebrew Academy campus and another man shot six women, one fatally, at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Guardian: Jewish refugees must not be neglected in peace talk
Jewish refugees must not be neglected in peace talks
There are two sides to the refugee story, and the Israeli side is one of the best-kept secrets of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Danny Ayalon
guardian.co.uk,
Wednesday 22 December 2010 09.00 GMT
For a long time now, we have been wanting and waiting to sit down and talk. After all, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not short of talking points that need to be urgently resolved. Unfortunately, however, instead of both sides discussing the problems, the Palestinians seem more comfortable issuing demands.
One of the topics that we could discuss is refugees, what some describe in the familiar mantra as the "right of return". The slogan itself is, of course, a misnomer – a right is a legal function and must be grounded in law to have applicable force. Yet, as with so many of the cliches and familiar refrains surrounding the Middle East, there are two sides to the refugee story, with the Israeli side one of the best-kept secrets of the conflict.
There are two sides to the refugee story, and the Israeli side is one of the best-kept secrets of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Danny Ayalon
guardian.co.uk,
Wednesday 22 December 2010 09.00 GMT
For a long time now, we have been wanting and waiting to sit down and talk. After all, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not short of talking points that need to be urgently resolved. Unfortunately, however, instead of both sides discussing the problems, the Palestinians seem more comfortable issuing demands.
One of the topics that we could discuss is refugees, what some describe in the familiar mantra as the "right of return". The slogan itself is, of course, a misnomer – a right is a legal function and must be grounded in law to have applicable force. Yet, as with so many of the cliches and familiar refrains surrounding the Middle East, there are two sides to the refugee story, with the Israeli side one of the best-kept secrets of the conflict.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Fear and Loathing in Israel, 2010
Fear and Loathing in Israel, 2010
by Ami Kaufman
Posted: December 21, 2010 05:08 AM
Huffington Post
I can't get away from it. Every place I go, everything I read, everything I watch -- it's always there. The racism is always there. Towards Arabs, towards foreign workers, towards Morroccans, Russians, Ashkenazim, Mizrahim.
This isn't the place I grew up in. Where is that place? Where did it go? Racism has always existed in Israel, but something about the ease in its surfacing, something about how violent it is is different. It's all out in the open, and nobody cares anymore.
I'm actually really, really scared.
by Ami Kaufman
Posted: December 21, 2010 05:08 AM
Huffington Post
I can't get away from it. Every place I go, everything I read, everything I watch -- it's always there. The racism is always there. Towards Arabs, towards foreign workers, towards Morroccans, Russians, Ashkenazim, Mizrahim.
This isn't the place I grew up in. Where is that place? Where did it go? Racism has always existed in Israel, but something about the ease in its surfacing, something about how violent it is is different. It's all out in the open, and nobody cares anymore.
I'm actually really, really scared.
Jewish gang that attacked Arabs arrested
Jewish gang that attacked Arabs arrested
Published: Dec. 21, 2010 at 11:23 AM
UPI
JERUSALEM, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Israeli police have arrested a gang of nine Jewish suspects, seven of them minors, that allegedly attacked Arabs in Jerusalem.
The gang members live in Jerusalem and West Bank settlements, police said.
The Jerusalem Magistrates Court released three of the teenagers on bail Tuesday, Ynetnews.com said.
Published: Dec. 21, 2010 at 11:23 AM
UPI
JERUSALEM, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Israeli police have arrested a gang of nine Jewish suspects, seven of them minors, that allegedly attacked Arabs in Jerusalem.
The gang members live in Jerusalem and West Bank settlements, police said.
The Jerusalem Magistrates Court released three of the teenagers on bail Tuesday, Ynetnews.com said.
Monday, December 20, 2010
WikiLeaks cables: Syria believed Israel was behind sniper killing
WikiLeaks cables: Syria believed Israel was behind sniper killing
Assassination of Syrian president's top security aide caused anxiety among the political elite, US embassy cables reveal
by Ian Black, Middle East editor
guardian.co.uk,
Monday 20 December 2010 21.30 GMT
It was late in the evening of 1 August 2008 in the Syrian coastal city of Tartous when the sniper fired the fatal shot. The target was General Muhammad Suleiman, President Bashar al-Assad's top security aide. Israelis, the US embassy in Damascus reported, were "the most obvious suspects" in the assassination.
US state department cables released by WikiLeaks trace the panicked response of the authorities. "Syrian security services quickly cordoned and searched the entire beach neighbourhood where the shooting had occurred," the embassy was informed. Syrian-based journalists were instructed not to report the story. It was a sensational event, akin to another mysterious assassination in Damascus earlier that year, when a car bomb killed Imad Mughniyeh, military chief of Hezbollah.
Assassination of Syrian president's top security aide caused anxiety among the political elite, US embassy cables reveal
by Ian Black, Middle East editor
guardian.co.uk,
Monday 20 December 2010 21.30 GMT
It was late in the evening of 1 August 2008 in the Syrian coastal city of Tartous when the sniper fired the fatal shot. The target was General Muhammad Suleiman, President Bashar al-Assad's top security aide. Israelis, the US embassy in Damascus reported, were "the most obvious suspects" in the assassination.
US state department cables released by WikiLeaks trace the panicked response of the authorities. "Syrian security services quickly cordoned and searched the entire beach neighbourhood where the shooting had occurred," the embassy was informed. Syrian-based journalists were instructed not to report the story. It was a sensational event, akin to another mysterious assassination in Damascus earlier that year, when a car bomb killed Imad Mughniyeh, military chief of Hezbollah.
WikiLeaks: Possibility of Israeli-Palestinian co-operation over Gaza
WikiLeaks: Possibility of Israeli-Palestinian co-operation over Gaza
The Daily Telegraph (UK)
5:10PM GMT
20 Dec 2010
A cable released by WikiLeaks on Monday suggested close co-operation between Israel and forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas when rival Hamas militants overran the Gaza Strip three years ago.
The disclosure could embarrass Mr Abbas and his Fatah movement, which Hamas has accused of working with the Israelis. Mr Abbas' standing among Palestinians has already been weakened by his failure to make progress in peacemaking with Israel.
The June 13, 2007, cable from the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, citing a conversation that took place during the civil war that ended with Hamas' takeover of Gaza, cites Israeli Security Agency chief Yuval Diskin as saying Israel had "established a very good working relationship" with two branches of the Palestinian security service.
Mr Abbas' internal security agency, he said, "shares with ISA almost all the intelligence that it collects."
The Daily Telegraph (UK)
5:10PM GMT
20 Dec 2010
A cable released by WikiLeaks on Monday suggested close co-operation between Israel and forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas when rival Hamas militants overran the Gaza Strip three years ago.
The disclosure could embarrass Mr Abbas and his Fatah movement, which Hamas has accused of working with the Israelis. Mr Abbas' standing among Palestinians has already been weakened by his failure to make progress in peacemaking with Israel.
The June 13, 2007, cable from the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, citing a conversation that took place during the civil war that ended with Hamas' takeover of Gaza, cites Israeli Security Agency chief Yuval Diskin as saying Israel had "established a very good working relationship" with two branches of the Palestinian security service.
Mr Abbas' internal security agency, he said, "shares with ISA almost all the intelligence that it collects."
Thursday, December 16, 2010
What will Columbia’s new Center for Palestine Studies become?
Political Education
What will Columbia’s new Center for Palestine Studies become?
Armin Rosen, Jordan Hirsch
December 16, 2010 | 12:00 am
Published on The New Republic (http://www.tnr.com)
The October launch of Columbia University’s Center for Palestine Studies (CPS), the first institution at an American university specifically dedicated to the study of Palestinian Arabs, received surprisingly little notice. Middle East–related brawls on Columbia’s campus have often captured national attention, featuring accusations of anti-Semitism lobbed at professors (recall the alleged bullying of Jewish and pro-Israel students in 2004 by Professor Joseph Massad) and controversial speaking engagements (for example, Iranian president Mahmud Ahmadinejadin September of 2007). Despite this tumultuous track record, the CPS opening took place without disruption. Paraphrasing Columbia University film professor James Schamus—a faculty member associated with the CPS—The Forward characterized the opening as “a new moment of civility” and a re-dedication to “open and courteous dialogue” on Middle East issues.
But is it? Given the highly sensitive subject matter of this dialogue, the CPS faces an important choice. It can host academics interested in serious Palestine-related scholarship, or it can advance political interests under the guise of Palestine studies. Should it move in the latter direction, it could make the boundary between politics and scholarship more meaningless than ever. And there are already troubling signs that this is exactly what is happening.
What will Columbia’s new Center for Palestine Studies become?
Armin Rosen, Jordan Hirsch
December 16, 2010 | 12:00 am
Published on The New Republic (http://www.tnr.com)
The October launch of Columbia University’s Center for Palestine Studies (CPS), the first institution at an American university specifically dedicated to the study of Palestinian Arabs, received surprisingly little notice. Middle East–related brawls on Columbia’s campus have often captured national attention, featuring accusations of anti-Semitism lobbed at professors (recall the alleged bullying of Jewish and pro-Israel students in 2004 by Professor Joseph Massad) and controversial speaking engagements (for example, Iranian president Mahmud Ahmadinejadin September of 2007). Despite this tumultuous track record, the CPS opening took place without disruption. Paraphrasing Columbia University film professor James Schamus—a faculty member associated with the CPS—The Forward characterized the opening as “a new moment of civility” and a re-dedication to “open and courteous dialogue” on Middle East issues.
But is it? Given the highly sensitive subject matter of this dialogue, the CPS faces an important choice. It can host academics interested in serious Palestine-related scholarship, or it can advance political interests under the guise of Palestine studies. Should it move in the latter direction, it could make the boundary between politics and scholarship more meaningless than ever. And there are already troubling signs that this is exactly what is happening.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
The point is fast approaching when further talks between Israel and the Palestinians will be useless
December 14, 2010
Nothing Left to Talk About
By HUSSEIN AGHA and ROBERT MALLEY
The New York Times
Amid speculation over how Israelis and Palestinians might resume their talks, a reality is taking hold: The point is fast approaching where negotiations between the two will be, for all practical purposes and for the foreseeable future, over. As emissaries are dispatched and ideas explored, discussions could well carry on. But they will have lost all life, energy or sense of purpose.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might not have been wholeheartedly committed to a peace deal with the Palestinians, but upon taking office, several factors tugged him in that direction. He worried about U.S. and regional pressure; had concerns about his own public opinion; was unsure about how Palestinians would react to a prolonged impasse.
Nothing Left to Talk About
By HUSSEIN AGHA and ROBERT MALLEY
The New York Times
Amid speculation over how Israelis and Palestinians might resume their talks, a reality is taking hold: The point is fast approaching where negotiations between the two will be, for all practical purposes and for the foreseeable future, over. As emissaries are dispatched and ideas explored, discussions could well carry on. But they will have lost all life, energy or sense of purpose.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might not have been wholeheartedly committed to a peace deal with the Palestinians, but upon taking office, several factors tugged him in that direction. He worried about U.S. and regional pressure; had concerns about his own public opinion; was unsure about how Palestinians would react to a prolonged impasse.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Carmel Fire Unites Some Arabs and Jews
Israel’s Arabs and Jews, United by Flames
By ISABEL KERSHNER
New York Times
December 13, 2010
EIN HOD, Israel — The flames encircled Ed Sernoff’s house in this Israeli artists’ village in the Carmel hills near the northern port city of Haifa, licking a corner of the stone structure and cracking a window but otherwise leaving it intact. A small child’s playhouse survived in the middle of the mostly charred garden, but the chalet-style home that Mr. Sernoff’s son had built next door was destroyed.
From the Israeli Arab village of Ayn Hawd on a nearby hilltop, Zakaria Abu al-Hija looked down at the rooftops of Ein Hod, the village his father and other relatives fled, or were driven from, during the Arab-Israeli war of 1948, when Israel was established, and to which the family was not allowed to return.
Most of the original Arab residents of what is now Ein Hod became refugees, landing in refugee camps in the West Bank city of Jenin or in Jordan. Yet Mr. Abu al-Hija says that those who stayed and became Israeli citizens have good relations with their Jewish neighbors in the artists’ colony, and that the deadly wildfire that broke out nearly two weeks ago and raged for four days did not distinguish between Arab and Jew.
“It hurts all of us that Ein Hod burned,” Mr. Abu al-Hija said, “no matter who is living there.”
By ISABEL KERSHNER
New York Times
December 13, 2010
EIN HOD, Israel — The flames encircled Ed Sernoff’s house in this Israeli artists’ village in the Carmel hills near the northern port city of Haifa, licking a corner of the stone structure and cracking a window but otherwise leaving it intact. A small child’s playhouse survived in the middle of the mostly charred garden, but the chalet-style home that Mr. Sernoff’s son had built next door was destroyed.
From the Israeli Arab village of Ayn Hawd on a nearby hilltop, Zakaria Abu al-Hija looked down at the rooftops of Ein Hod, the village his father and other relatives fled, or were driven from, during the Arab-Israeli war of 1948, when Israel was established, and to which the family was not allowed to return.
Most of the original Arab residents of what is now Ein Hod became refugees, landing in refugee camps in the West Bank city of Jenin or in Jordan. Yet Mr. Abu al-Hija says that those who stayed and became Israeli citizens have good relations with their Jewish neighbors in the artists’ colony, and that the deadly wildfire that broke out nearly two weeks ago and raged for four days did not distinguish between Arab and Jew.
“It hurts all of us that Ein Hod burned,” Mr. Abu al-Hija said, “no matter who is living there.”
Evangelicals to the Rescue
U.S. Jews and Evangelicals Help Israel Rebuild After Fires
First Posted: 12-13-10 09:00 PM
Updated: 12-13-10 09:00 PM
Michele Chabin
Religion News Service
Huffington Post
JERUSALEM (RNS) American Jews and evangelical Christians are taking a central role in rebuilding the Carmel region in northern Israel after a deadly fire decimated large swaths of the Carmel forest and left many people homeless.
Several Jewish and evangelical Christian organizations have launched fund-raising drives to assist the region after a massive wildfire in early December killed 43 people in one of Israel's few green belts. It took a team of international fire fighters to put out the blaze.
The fire highlighted the woeful state of Israel's fire service, which employs fewer than 1,500 fire fighters in a nation of 7 million people. There is a severe shortage of fire trucks and the under-funded service does not own a single fire-fighting plane.
First Posted: 12-13-10 09:00 PM
Updated: 12-13-10 09:00 PM
Michele Chabin
Religion News Service
Huffington Post
JERUSALEM (RNS) American Jews and evangelical Christians are taking a central role in rebuilding the Carmel region in northern Israel after a deadly fire decimated large swaths of the Carmel forest and left many people homeless.
Several Jewish and evangelical Christian organizations have launched fund-raising drives to assist the region after a massive wildfire in early December killed 43 people in one of Israel's few green belts. It took a team of international fire fighters to put out the blaze.
The fire highlighted the woeful state of Israel's fire service, which employs fewer than 1,500 fire fighters in a nation of 7 million people. There is a severe shortage of fire trucks and the under-funded service does not own a single fire-fighting plane.
Monday, December 13, 2010
The Failed US Attempt to Bribe Israel
Reality Check
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
NEW YORK TIMES
December 11, 2010
The failed attempt by the U.S. to bribe Israel with a $3 billion security assistance package, diplomatic cover and advanced F-35 fighter aircraft — if Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu would simply agree to a 90-day settlements freeze to resume talks with the Palestinians — has been enormously clarifying. It demonstrates just how disconnected from reality both the Israeli and the Palestinian leaderships have become.
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
NEW YORK TIMES
December 11, 2010
The failed attempt by the U.S. to bribe Israel with a $3 billion security assistance package, diplomatic cover and advanced F-35 fighter aircraft — if Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu would simply agree to a 90-day settlements freeze to resume talks with the Palestinians — has been enormously clarifying. It demonstrates just how disconnected from reality both the Israeli and the Palestinian leaderships have become.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)