09/16 Links Pt2: Tuvia Tenenbom: The dark side of America; Glick: Twilight of American Jewry ~ EoZ

From Ian:

Tuvia Tenenbom, author of "Catch the Jew!" and "I Sleep in Hitler's Room" sits down for a frank chat with Israel Hayom • His new book, "The Lies They Tell," exposes the real America, the one where racism and anti-Semitism lurk just beneath the surface.
Tuvia Tenenbom is a funny man. I am not the first to describe him as such. Behind the jokes and sarcasm, however, is an undercurrent of anxiety. Anyone who has read his recent travelogues knows he has taken a thankless task upon himself: village idiot, court jester, who in his profound wisdom deploys humor to reveal the existential truth cloaked by daily life. "I'm the foreign observer," he tells me, "and like the classic Jew I am a nomad, living here and there and everywhere. I am a resident of Germany, and I have Israeli and American citizenship. But I am a Jew who cares about Jews and I am not ashamed of that."
He is currently releasing a new book, "The Lies They Tell" (Sela-Meir Publishing). Following his accounts of Germany and Israel (and the Palestinian Authority), it is now the United States' turn. For seven months, Tenenbom traversed that vast country, "the land of the free and home of the brave," speaking to thousands of people on his path, from the most far-flung rural areas to the cosmopolitan centers of the universe. The result: a jarring, disconcerting testimony. Not to worry, Tenenbom knows how to serve his dishes in an easy, palatable manner, which won't allow you to put the book down until it's finished. The soul-searching and pondering will come later. The United States exposed in this book is not the idyllic dream many Israelis picture in their minds. At a cafe adjacent to Rehovot's Beit Haam community center, built in 1913 by the pioneers of the First Aliyah, we sat down for a contemplative discussion.
Were you surprised?
"Yes. I thought America was much better. When you write a book, you need to dig deep. When you live in New York, for example, you automatically make connections and bring people closer. It's something psychological that has to do with the brain's immune system; you collect people who love and respect you around you. Before I wrote the book ('I Sleep in Hitler's Room'), I didn't think anti-Semitism was common in Germany. But when you start asking pointed questions, and use humor ... you understand, I try not to be 'heavy,' we have drinks together, share a smoke, and only afterward do I ask, 'What do you think of Jews?' And things come out. I didn't think racism in America was so harsh. I didn't think there were places in the Unites States where refugee camps in Jordan and Iraq are heaven in comparison. I spent countless hours in these places, and I discovered a world that is hard to believe exists."

Khaled Abu Toameh": Palestinians: Jibril Rajoub and the "Merry Christmas Group"

Jibril Rajoub, chairman of the Palestinian Football Association and a top official of Fatah and the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank, made the offensive remarks during a recent interview with an Egyptian television station.
Many Palestinian Christians said that Rajoub's derogatory remarks would further heighten tensions between them and Muslims. They pointed out that the top PA official was excluding them from being an integral part of the Palestinian people.
Christians see Rajoub's derogatory remarks as part of the widespread persecution of Christians in Arab and Islamic countries, which has claimed the lives of thousands of Christians over the past few years and prompted many of them to flee to the US, Canada, Australia and Europe.
In an open letter to Rajoub, who previously commanded the PA's notorious Preventive Security Force, and served 17 years in Israeli prison for terror-related charges, Bethlehem Pastor Danny Awad wrote: "We have been here for more than 2000 years... We are not strangers or guests or aliens who speak a foreign tongue."
Rajoub's disparagement of Palestinian Christians is indeed likely to encourage Christians to leave the Western-funded PA areas. Such comments are particularly unwelcome at a time when Christians in Syria, Iraq and Egypt face a campaign of terrorism and intimidation by Muslim extremists.

Caroline Glick: Twilight of American Jewry

Perhaps the most striking thing about the Jewish Republicans’ behavior is that while attacking the anti-Semites at the margins of the Republican Party, they ignore the anti-Semites at the heart of the Democratic Party.
While Trump has disavowed the support of the GOP’s Jew-hating wing, some of Clinton’s closest advisers harbor virulent anti-Semitic beliefs.
Take Sidney Blumenthal for instance. Blumenthal has been a close adviser to the Clintons for decades. We learned from Clinton’s emails made public earlier this year by Judicial Watch that Blumenthal was one of Clinton’s most intimate advisers throughout her tenure as secretary of state.
Blumenthal’s son Max is a raving anti-Semite. He calls for the destruction of Israel. He compares Israel to Nazi Germany and IDF soldiers to the Nazi SS.
Blumenthal Sr. is a proud father. He regularly shared his son’s ravings with Clinton, and she shared his delight. In eight separate emails over the course of her tenure in office, Clinton enthusiastically praised his Jew-hating propaganda.
In one message email, Clinton wrote, “Your Max is a mitzva.”
On the one hand then, we have the Jewish Democrats who are faced with a party that is increasingly controlled by anti-Semitic forces. And on the other hand we are in the midst of the collective political suicide of the Jewish Republican establishment.
It is hard to know how Israel will be affected by the dramatic enfeeblement of the American Jewish community that we are now witnessing. The fact remains that the vast majority of American support for Israel comes from the evangelical Christian community.
What is clear enough though is that the political waning of the Jewish community across the political spectrum means that the golden era of American Jewry is not only over. It is gone.

Melanie Phillips: As I see it: ‘Autumn for Jew-bashing’ is beyond satire

Remember Springtime for Hitler, the musical from hell in the immortal Mel Brooks movie The Producers? Well, British political activists are now promising us “Autumn for Jew-bashing.”
In response to the Labour Party’s crisis over its anti-Jewish attitudes, a group called the Jewish Labour Movement is reportedly organizing a “rally against antisemitism” at the party’s annual conference next month. However, while Springtime for Hitler was comedy, Labour’s proposed spectacle is beyond satire.
For the chorus line includes the Labour MP Naz Shah, the shadow Chancellor John McDonnell and the author of the party’s report on antisemitism Shami (now Baroness) Chakrabarti.
Shah shared a graphic on her Twitter account which suggested all Israelis should be relocated to America. She has since grovellingly apologized and asked the Jewish community to educate her.
McDonnell, who says party members with antisemitic views should be banned for life, shared a platform this week with Jackie Walker who claimed Jews were the “chief financiers of the sugar and slave trade.” He also once tabled a motion in Parliament claiming that “Israel tries to suppress criticism with false accusations of antisemitism.”

Michael Lumish: The Breezy Hypocrisy of the Academic Left and their Fashionable Acceptance of Calls for Judeocide

Imagine, if you will, a fictional organization called Students for Justice in the United States that focuses on African-American urban crime. Imagine that this organization suggested that black misbehavior is undermining the United States economically and educationally, socially and culturally.
What if thirty, or so, of such students were to gather outside the Cesar Chavez Student Center at San Francisco State University (SFSU) and literally call for the murder of black people.
How do you suppose the university would respond?
What would President Wong do under such circumstances?
I think that we can all agree that those students would not remain students at SFSU for very long, if, in fact, they did not end up in prison. There is not the slightest doubt in my mind, however, that the university would expel those students and rightly so.
Yet, somehow, against all common human decency, the General Union of Palestine Students (GUPS) is allowed to call for the murder of Jews (at least, those in Israel) via calls for "intifada" on university property. Furthermore, the university seems to have no problem with such behavior, presumably on the grounds of free speech.
There is a clear and obvious double-standard wherein SFSU, and virtually all other universities around the country, have created two classes of students. There are those whose people must be protected as a matter of conscience and of social justice and those who can be thrown to the wolves, also allegedly as a matter of conscience and social justice.

Why Palestinians Should Support ‘Normalization’ with Israel

An interview with peace activist Professor Mohammed S. Dajani Daoudi
As a non-violent form of resistance to the Israeli occupation, the anti-normalization movement gained ground in the aftermath of the Al-Aqsa Intifada of 2000. Extremist groups such as Hamas and the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) oppose any form of dialogue and interaction with Israelis. However, while the BDS movement targets Israel and Israelis, the anti-normalization movement targets other Palestinians as well. Recently, official Arab normalization has increased, with the Saudi Arabian delegation hosted in Israel, sports delegation hosted in Qatar, and trade delegations in the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco.
Mical Polacco: What is your definition of “normalization” and where do you stand on that issue?
Mohammed S. Dajani Daoudi: I don’t know if a unified understanding of ”normalization” exists. The first Palestinian BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) conference defined normalization as “participation in any project or initiative or activity, local or international, specifically designed for gathering (either directly or indirectly) Palestinians (and/or Arabs) and Israelis, whether individuals or institutions; that does not explicitly aim to expose and resist the occupation and all forms of discrimination and oppression against the Palestinian people.”
On the other hand, a document published by the Ma’an Development Center of Ramallah, defines normalization as: “Projects that do not agree on inalienable rights for Palestinians under international law and the conditions of justice; projects implying equity between Israelis and the Palestinians in the responsibility for the conflict, or that claim that peace is achieved through dialogue and understanding and increased cooperation between both sides, without achieving justice; projects that hide the situation of the Palestinian people as victims of the Israeli colonial project; projects that refuse, ignore, or dilute the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, the right of return, and compensation according to the UN resolution No. 194; and projects supported by or in partnership with Israeli institutions that do not recognize the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people or projects receiving support or funding (in part or in whole) from the Israeli government such as cinema festivals, information technology exhibitions, etc.”
Yet, when I accompanied Palestinian students to Auschwitz to teach them about the Holocaust it was considered ‘normalization’ and condemned as treason. The three key tenets of the anti-normalization movement campaign are: ending the occupation; equal rights for Israelis and Palestinians; and a full right of return for Palestinian refugees

Israeli Radio Host Asks Americans If They Want Netanyahu to Be Their Next President (VIDEO)

With many in the US in despair over their options in the upcoming presidential election, an Israeli radio personality decided to ask Americans their thoughts on a potential alternative.
Asaf Liberman, the host of the “Good Morning Israel” program on Army Radio, took a camera and microphone to New York City’s Central Park and presented passersby with a new candidate — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who spent many of his childhood and young adult years in the US and speaks fluent English.
The responses Liberman received were mixed.
“I can’t see him as president here,” one man said. “He is great for Israel. He can stay in Israel and fight for Israel there.”
“I love him in Israel,” a woman echoed.
A second man said, “We support his policy in leading Israel, but I’m not so sure about America. It’s totally different.”
“You just want to get rid of him and get him over here,” another man chimed.
The next interviewee had the warmest praise for the prime minister, saying, “He’s a remarkable politician and a great statesman and a great leader and very intelligent man. And that’s why he could be a better president than anyone.”

IsraellyCool: Successful Singer-Songwriter Alison Moyet Rips Antisemite Alison Chabloz

Alison Moyet is an English singer, songwriter and performer who has sold over 23 million albums and over a million singles. All seven of her studio albums and three compilation albums have charted in the Top 30 UK Album Chart, with two of the albums reaching number one. She has also achieved nine Top 30 singles and five Top 10 hits in the UK Singles Chart.
I know of Alison Moyet because I used to religiously listen to her songs back in the 80s.
Alison Chabloz is a vile Jew hater I have exposed on here, who fancies herself as a musician.
She has sold 0 albums and singles. Go figure.
Two Alisons, nothing in common. Until today, when Alison Moyet ripped Alison Chabloz. It is a thing of beauty.

New York Lawmaker: CUNY Must Stop Using Tax Dollars to Fund Anti-Israel, Antisemitic Campus Groups

The City University of New York (CUNY) must stop using tax dollars to fund anti-Israel and antisemitic student groups, a local legislator wrote on Wednesday.
Scoffing at the recently released results of a CUNY investigation into allegations of pervasive antisemitism on its campuses, State Senator Jack Martins (R-7th District) expressed his wrath in an op-ed in the New York Post.
Martins argued that though anti-Israel groups are guaranteed free speech “no matter how objectionable others may find [their] message,” they are not guaranteed “the right to receive taxpayer money to support or further that message.”
At the heart of the CUNY investigation was anti-Israel group Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), a major proponent of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement and “intifada” against Israel.
According to the CUNY report, intifada “has become a call for violence in a region that has already experienced far too much violence.”

Actions of campus pro-Palestinian group not anti-Semitic, probe finds

The actions of a pro-Palestinian group on City University of New York campuses may be offensive but are not anti-Semitic, an independent investigation found.
Offensive speech in political opposition to Israel is also protected under the First Amendment, according to the report issued this week by a former federal judge, Barbara Jones, and a former assistant federal prosecutor, Paul Shechtman.
The investigation into incidents on CUNY campuses involving Students for Justice in Palestine came after a 14-page complaint in February from the Zionist Organization of America, which catalogued the incidents. The complaint accused SJP of creating a “hostile campus environment” for Jewish students at CUNY colleges and called on the university to expel the group.
The report acknowledged that such incidents caused students to feel harassed, threatened and unsafe, and made some fearful of openly identifying as Jewish on campus, but said many anti-Semitic incidents were not committed by people associated with SJP and that it was a “mistake” to “blame SJP for any act of anti-Semitism on any CUNY campus.”
Shechtman and Jones interviewed more than 60 students, alumni, administrators and faculty, according to the Forward.

Exclusive: Israeli fans blocked from Italian stadium by Palestinian protesters

Israeli fans who traveled to Italy to watch soccer team Hapoel Beersheba play in the UEFA cup against Italian powerhouse Inter Milan were blocked from entering the stadium by a pro-Palestinian protest on Thursday.
One of the Israeli fans, Tal Lavi, a media manager for The Jerusalem Post, said that local police and stadium security for San Siro Stadium told Israeli soccer fans that they would not be allowed to enter the premises due to security concerns.
Video taken by Lavi shows protestors near the stadium waving Palestinian flags and shouting chants in opposition to the soccer match.
Lavi said that an estimated 1,200 fans of Hapoel Beersheba were restricted to an enclosure far from the stadium by stadium security and local authorities.
According to the Jerusalem Post employee, further police assistance was requested in order to address the matter.

Belgian charity official: Israel allies vastly inflate anti-Semitism problem

An employee of a Belgian state-funded charity who was denied entry into Israel accused supporters of the Jewish state of “inflating” Belgium’s anti-Semitism problem to distract from the Palestinian issue.
Brigitte Herremans, who works as a Middle East expert for the Catholic groups Pax Christi and Broederlijk Delen, made the assertion Monday during a radio interview about her Aug. 9 experience at Ben Gurion Airport, where she was leading a group of activists seeking to “experience” life in the West Bank.
Noting her co-authorship of a book on the causes of anti-Semitism, she told Radio 1: “When you sometimes hear criticism from certain pro-Israel circles, also in Belgium, then I think that mostly they try to vastly inflate this business to distract from the heart of the matter: Israel tolerates no criticism and wants to do only as it pleases in the Palestinian territories.”
In 2014, four people were killed during a shooting at Brussel’s Jewish museum in what police said was a terrorist attack perpetrated by a jihadist. According to the Belgian League Against Anti-Semitism, hatred of Jews in Belgium is driving them to leave the country and refrain from enrolling their children at public schools.

Green Party “Peace Mission” to Gaza: Nine Things to Consider.

Green Party NZ MP, Marama Davidson, is soon to depart on the “women’s peace boat” in an attempt to breach Israel’s legal maritime blockade of Gaza and raise awareness of the Palestinian cause. However, press releases from the Green Party and Ms Davidson seem to lack awareness of some fundamental facts, so we thought we would help them become better acquainted with the truth.
1. Jews are indigenous to Israel
In the Green Party press statement, Ms Davidson said she is joining the boat “as an indigenous woman” to support the women of Gaza. However she appears unaware of the Jewish people’s 3,000 year historical connection with the land of Israel, which expulsion and dispersal failed to destroy. Since the most recent expulsion by the Romans 2,000 years ago, faithful Jews have prayed three times daily, and annually on special festivals for a return to their maunga (sacred mountains), their whenua (ancestral land). This is the longing of an indigenous people.
The Jewish state of Israel is considered by many to be the role model for indigenous peoples seeking a return to their ancient homelands. While most were dispersed to foreign lands, Israel has always retained a small number of Jews, keeping the fires burning (ahi kaa) for an eventual return to land over which they had mana whenua. Jews, like many other indigenous peoples, were under occupation, a minority in their own land for many centuries. The revitalisation of the indigenous language (Hebrew) is an inspiration to indigenous language advocates worldwide, including Måori.

After Major German Union Recognizes BDS as Anti-Semitic, Branch Trashes Anti-Israel Article

After Germany’s largest teachers’ union strongly denounced the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaign as anti-Semitic, a branch of the union trashed copies of its September publication because it contained an article advocating in favor of anti-Israel boycotts, Benjamin Weinthal reported for The Jewish Chronicle on Monday.
The Education and Science Workers’ Union (GEW) branch, located in the city of Oldenburg, pulped the latest issue of its local magazine for running an article calling for a complete boycott of Israel. It called the publication of the article, which was written by a pro-BDS union member based in Oldenburg, a “big mistake.” It is believed to be the first time since the Holocaust that a German union advocated for a boycott of Jews.
GEW said in a statement on its website that it “rejects a boycott of Israel and antisemitic positions.”
Glanz, who goes by the Twitter handle of Christopher Ben Kush, at one point tweeted that “Israel’s government is a racist freak show.” He is being investigated for possibly violating the terms of his civil service employment, which require him to be politically neutral. He told a newspaper that he was “appalled” by the union’s response, which was conversely praised by German politicians, teachers, and Jewish communal leaders.
Michaela Engelmeier, a parliamentarian from Germany’s main opposition party, wrote on Twitter that she was “pleased that the GEW Oldenburg distanced itself“ from Glanz.

In anti-BDS stand, Hempstead New York signs sister city pact with settler council

The Samaria Regional Council signed a sister city pact with the town of Hempstead New York, as part of a series of events it held in the United States to solicit support for Jewish communities over the pre-1967 lines.
“This marks a victory against boycotts and in support of the import and export of the culture and industry that has placed the Samaria region on the international map,” Samaria Regional Council head Yossi Dagan said.
He issued a few brief remarks to the Hempstead politicians and community leaders who held a special ceremony with him in their town earlier on Monday to mark the new bond between them.
“In the Shomron, our population grows 10% a year, after boycott, after terror, after delegitimization. From this spirit of survival we are building our future,” he said.
The largely Republican town of over 750,000 has stood strongly for Israel and against the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.

After Boot From Congress, Israel Boycotters Move Discredited Event to Church

After being barred from holding an event promoting boycotts of Israel on Capitol Hill, a prominent anti-Israel organization says that it will hold its forum at a nearby Methodist Church, according to an invitation for the event obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
The U.S. Campaign to End the Israel Occupation, a group known for employing anti-Israel rhetoric, was scheduled to hold on Friday a congressionally sponsored event to promote the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, which has been widely described as anti-Semitic.
Following multiple reports from the Free Beacon disclosing the nature of the event, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) ordered that it be canceled, effectively barring the organization from promoting the BDS movement on the Hill, the Free Beacon reported.
The U.S. Campaign has now relocated the event to the United Methodist Building, located near Capitol Hill.
“Originally scheduled to take place at the Rayburn House Office Building, the event has been moved a few blocks to the United Methodist Building (100 Maryland Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002), Conference rooms 1& 2,” states the latest event invitation.
The Free Beacon disclosed earlier this week that an anonymous member of Congress had initially sponsored the event, permitting the pro-BDS group to hold its forum in an official Capitol Hill meeting room.

Montreal BDS Activist Arrested for Assault on Pro-Israel Protesters (VIDEO)

A political activist was arrested in Montreal on Tuesday for assaulting pro-Israel protesters last month, Canada’s CIJ News reported.
According to the report, well-known Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) activist Francis Mounadhel was taken into custody for his attack on members of the Jewish Defense League of Canada (JDL).
Mounadhel is the head of a University of Quebec student group called “Solidarité pour les droits humains des Palestiniennes et Palestiniens UQÀM” (Solidarity for Human Rights of Palestinian women and Palestinian UQÀM) and a frequent organizer of BDS rallies in Montreal.
The incident for which he was arrested occurred on August 10, as JDL activists were preparing to protest the World Social Forum conference, which was denounced by major Jewish advocacy group B’nai Brith Canada as “promoting antisemitism and the anti-Israel boycott movement.”
As they approached the venue, Mounadhel and “radical leftist activists” affiliated with the Solidarity Across Borders Anti-Racist Response Committee (SAB Antifa) physically attacked them, the report said.

BBC’s Gaza correspondent amplifies Hamas’ version of a story

Abualouf’s followers would of course have understood from those Tweets that Israel was responsible for the youth’s death. But is the amplified claim from the Hamas-controlled health ministry accurate and does Abualouf’s Tweeted report tell the whole story?
Ha’aretz reports:
“Gaza health ministry spokesman Ashraf Al-Qidra said Abdel-Rahman Al-Dabbagh was killed by an Israeli bullet to the head during the border clash in the central Gaza Strip.
The Israeli military said troops had sought to contain the violence on the other side of the border fence and had used only tear gas.
“Dozens of rioters breached the buffer zone and attempted to damage the security (border) fence. … Forces stationed at the border used tear gas that led to the dispersal of the riot. Following a preliminary review, the Israel Defense Forces did not conduct the reported shooting,” a military statement said.”
Other media outlets made amendments to their reporting on the story after being contacted by CAMERA.

Independent cherry picks Dutch PM’s comments on BDS

So, while upholding the freedom of expression for those who support BDS (as the Indy correctly noted), he also made the following points which the Indy did not note:

His government firmly opposes BDS, including boycotts of the settlements.

The ‘international’ BDS campaign does not have the Dutch government’s support.

His country will not fund BDS activities targeting Israel.

His government is in fact working to strengthen their relationship with Israel.

Once again, the Indy has exaggerated the impact of BDS and significantly skewed the facts to reinforce the increasingly absurd media narrative that Jerusalem is facing ‘increasing international isolation’.

Indy is fourth UK news site this year forced to correct claim that Tel Aviv is Israel’s capital

A couple of hours later, they corrected the sentence, and replaced Tel Aviv with Israel.
Interestingly, this represents at least the fourth such British media correction this year to a false claim regarding Tel Aviv’s status.

In August, UK Media Watch prompted a correction to a Guardian report which included a sentence suggesting to readers that Tel Aviv was Israel’s capital.

In June, UK Media Watch prompted a correction to a Times of London article which twice used “Tel Aviv” as a synonym for Israel’s capital.

In March, UK Media Watch prompted a correction at the Daily Mirror in an article which explicitly referred to Tel Aviv as the nation’s capital.

For more background on the British media’s continuing problems with accurately naming Israel’s capital.

Australian Religious, Political Leaders Condemn ‘Textbook Antisemitism’ Campaign Against Construction of Sydney Eruv

Religious and political leaders in Australia are widely condemning what they consider to be the antisemitic nature of a campaign against the construction of an eruv, a ritual enclosure constructed of posts and wires, Australia’s Daily Telegraph reported on Wednesday.
NSW Jewish Board of Deputies Chief Executive Vic Alhadeff told The Daily Telegraph that fliers circulating in the St. Ives neighborhood of Sydney — which are warning residents the eruv will create a “Jewish enclave” and the “eventual expulsion of secular people” — constitute “textbook antisemitism.”
They are “one of the worst examples of antisemitic literature we’ve seen in Sydney in a very long time,” he said.
Masada Synagogue Rabbi Had Kreb told The Daily Telegraph, “The vitriolic label contained in these false claims is baseless, antisemitic scaremongering. It cannot be tolerated.” He called on local politicians and residents to “take a clear and unequivocal stand against this hatemongering.”
According to the report, Father Vincent Casey of Broken Bay Dionese, has condemned the fliers and issued his support for the Jewish community.
Jonathan O’Dea, a State Liberal politician, told The Daily Telegraph that he has been contacted by residents who are “deeply offended” by the fliers, which were “disturbing to read and highly inaccurate.”

Amid rising European anti-Semitism, Portugal sees Jewish renaissance

Every Friday at the start of the Jewish Sabbath Porto’s imposing synagogue positively buzzes with the sound of chatter — not just in Portuguese but also in English, French and Spanish.
It’s in this unexpectedly animated atmosphere that the Jewish community in northern Portugal, wiped out in the 15th century, is currently undergoing a rebirth, welcoming Jews who feel threatened in Europe and elsewhere — some coming from as far as India.
“Anti-Semitism is growing in Europe but Porto seems to be a safe haven. It’s good to be a Jew here,” said Sam Elijah, who heads a community that numbered only 20 four years ago.
It has since increased to 200 made up of no less than 21 different nationalities.
Now, the community — which is Orthodox but is open to all Jews — does not hesitate to advertise the attractions of the city abroad and anticipates a big boost in numbers in coming years, in particular from France and Turkey.
The Zekris, a family of four, who did not want to give their full names, took the plunge in August 2015. They are among 50 French Jews already settled in Porto, Portugal’s second city and the largest in the country’s north.

“Israel is coming back to Africa, Africa is coming back to Israel”…Takhles !

The motto of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, “Israel is coming back to Africa, Africa is coming back to Israel, which announced Israel’s resolve to strengthen its diplomatic, humanitarian and commercial ties with the African continent, lead to a visit to four African countries.
It would be interesting to see what concrete follow-up will be given to these moving reunions in the media spotlight. Indeed, considering that bilateral trade between China and Africa reaches $240 billion , one would understand why Israel would also want to find its place in a growing market.
The four African countries that the Prime Minister visited are all English speaking countries and/or share historical links with Israel, namely Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Ethiopia. Given these countries GDP per capita, according to the IMF classification, visiting these four countries was a smart choice.
Yet, it is also important to factor in global competitiveness. If one looks at the global competitiveness index of the World Economic Forum, the ranking is quite different: Maurice is ranked first, followed by South Africa, Rwanda, Botswana, Namibia, Ivory Coast, Zambia, Seychelles, the Kenya, Gabon, Ethiopia, Senegal, Cameroon, Ghana, Benin, and Nigeria etc. This shows that when it comes to business opportunities in Africa, several countries should be considered, including French-speaking African countries.
Strengthening trade links, is to guarantee commercial relations. One of the tools that international law offers is the conclusion of a bilateral investment treaty (BIT) – an agreement between two countries which sets legal protection for foreign investments. These agreements notably allow investors who are nationals of the other signatory State, to initiate legal proceedings for international arbitration in the event of a breach of the treaty by one of the signatory States, by a mechanism for settlement of disputes between investors and States (ICSID).
To date, a single BIT was ratified between Israel and an African State, Ethiopia. While the BIT with South Africa was signed on March 30th, 2009, ratification by South Africa remains pending. One can only encourage the State of Israel to conclude this type of treaty with the African countries of the East and the West.

Beersheba beats mighty Inter Milan in European soccer

Israel’s national soccer champions, Hapoel Beersheba, delivered a stunning 2-0 victory Wednesday night in Italy against three-time European champions Inter Milan.
Miguel Vitor (54th minute) and Maor Buzaglo (69th) scored in the second half at Inter’s San Siro stadium in the first round of the Europa League group stage. Nir Biton hit the post. Inter managed just two shots on goal all game.
Inter are one of Europe’s finest teams, whereas Beersheba’s rise to the domestic league championship last season caught the country by surprise.
The upset victory set Hebrew media on fire, with late Wednesday headlines celebrating the “history-making” and “shocking” win, and proclaiming that “Europe is red,” Hapoel’s team colors.
It was a festive end to what had been an unhappier day for Israel in the Europa League, as Maccabi Tel Aviv managed to squander a commanding 3-0 lead in minute 70 over Zenit St. Petersburg, losing the game to four Russian goals in 16 minutes.

New Israeli App Helps Tourists Discover Cities on Foot

The Israeli app Waze took the world by storm, making it easier for drivers across the world to bypass traffic and reach their destination quickly.
Now there’s Sidekix, an Israeli navigation app geared to people walking in cities. The iOS app shows walkers the best on-foot routes and orients the map as they move.
But it doesn’t necessarily show the straightest line from Point A to Point B. The free app customizes routes based on preprogrammed interests in the categories of art, culture, shopping, nightlife, and food.
If a user indicated an interest in museums, for example, Sidekix will show ones on the way to their final destination, relying on recommendations from social media, lifestyle websites, and local bloggers. If a specific destination wasn’t entered, the app will create a walking route in a city based on the user’s stated interests.
“Shopping spree, pub crawl, gallery hop? Sidekix chooses routes by what you want to see and do along the way. Get there with the only navigation app that offers walking routes based on interest, not just distance,” the website explains.
The app also allows users to share their route with their contacts so that they can meet up with friends while they walk. If a user is walking alone in unknown territory or at night, they can ask a friend to monitor their progress remotely via the app so that they can feel safer.

We have lots of ideas, but we need more resources to be even more effective. Please donate today to help get the message out and to help defend Israel.