09/30 Links Pt2: George Soros’ Israel-Hatred Spills Out Into the Open; 5 feel-good stories from Israel in 5776 ~ EoZ

From Ian:

George Soros’ Israel-Hatred Spills Out Into the Open

Billionaire George Soros generally does not hide the fact that he uses the considerable funds at his disposal to support his extremist, leftist ideals.
So when he does hide something, it should raise some serious questions. A series of leaked documents recently revealed that Soros’ philanthropy network, the Open Society Foundations, has been giving money to a number of anti-Israel organizations with the goal of smearing the Israeli government and undercutting its relationship with the United States.
The list of organizations is a veritable who’s who of hostile, anti-Israel actors. One of the leaked documents shows that between 2001 and 2015, Soros funneled over $9.5 million into a range of groups including Adalah, the Al-Tufula Center, the Arab Association for Human Rights, Baladna, The Galilee Society, Molad, the New Israel Fund and others.
Even worse, these documents showed that while the Soros network was systematically and methodically doling out its funds to these controversial groups, it was also working extremely hard to keep its donations and advocacy work quiet.
According to the private documents, which have now been published online, Soros and his network are engaging in these subversive tactics in an effort to “hold Israel accountable” for its supposed violations of international law. In truth, it seems more fitting that Soros be held accountable for his inscrutable policies. His so-called Open Society Foundations certainly don’t appear to be so open after all.
By secretly dispersing his money to influence politicians and the media, Soros hopes to drive a wedge between America and Israel without anyone noticing. This approach is wrongheaded and shameful. And it’s not new.

Michael Oren On Trump, Clinton, American Leadership And His Future Ambitions

Former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren won’t take sides in the U.S. election — but that doesn’t mean he won’t express concerns about aspects of both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton’s policies.
During an appearance on “The Jamie Weinstein Show” podcast, Oren opened up about how Israelis view the U.S. election, his view of America’s role in the Middle East, whether he has ambitions to be foreign minister or even prime minster one day, and so much more.

The Mottle Wolfe Show: The Case For Trump

Mottle and Brian John Thomas discuss the loss of Shimon Peres. Brian John Thomas then goes on to layout the reasons why he supports Donald Trump for president.

Former Israeli President Shimon Peres demonized on official PA TV

PA TV's Israeli affairs expert Fayez Abbas: "Shimon Peres, 93, from Belarus, immigrated to Palestine at the age of 11. Of course, it is known that Shimon Peres is the spiritual father of the Israeli settlement in the West Bank, and he is also the spiritual father of the Israeli atomic bomb, which he succeeded in bringing or buying from France. He is also the spiritual father of all the wars against Arab states because he participated in all the wars, and [in] the last war that he participated in he was responsible for the Kafr Qana massacre in Lebanon, when he bombed a school in which women and children hid, in the war against Lebanon (referring to shelling of a UN facility in response to Hezbollah fire from the site in April 1996, during Operation Grapes of Wrath -Ed.). Of course if we look at the history of Shimon Peres, I am convinced that he is the one who established the State of Israel, and he is the one who led Israel to [become] a formidable military power. When he began to speak about peace, I believe he was deceiving the world. In other words, when Shimon Peres focused [in speech] on the issue of peace, this meant that war was coming. He essentially succeeded in convincing the world about Israel's point of view, even though it occupies and kills - the crimes he committed in Lebanon could have led him to the International Criminal Court, but the entire world forgave Shimon Peres-"
Official PA TV host: "And he received the prize-"
Fayez Abbas: "The Nobel Peace [Prize], together with Martyr (Shahid) President Yasser Arafat and [then Israeli Prime Minister] Yitzhak Rabin."
[...]
PA TV host: "The Israeli press talked about Peres' long life and said that exercise, eating little, and drinking wine were the reasons for-"
Fayez Abbas: "He would drink whiskey, he and Rabin loved whiskey. But Shimon Peres did for Israel what no one did, nor will do. The greatest fraud in the history of the Zionist movement, Shimon Peres. He is a man that the world undoubtedly loves, even the Arab states believed that Peres was a man of peace, even though he was the greatest man of war in Israel, more than [former Israeli Prime Minister] Menachem Begin and even more than [former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon."
[Official PA TV, Palestine This Morning, Sept. 28, 2016]
Kafr Qana in Lebanon - Shelling of a UN facility by Israel in response to Hezbollah fire from the site in April 1996, during Operation Grapes of Wrath. It resulted in civilian casualties.

Pew: American and Israeli Jews: Twin Portraits From Pew Research Center Surveys

If you are Jewish, odds are that you live in Israel or the United States. Four out of every five Jews in the world live in these two countries, with approximately 6 million Jews in each.
Differing perspectives
Pew Research Center has surveyed Jewish adults in both places, and has found deep bonds between them. Nevertheless, their experiences and perspectives are very different. For instance, we asked Jews in Israel to describe, in their own words, the biggest long-term problem facing their country. They were as likely to cite economic concerns (such as Israel’s high cost of living, or a shortage of affordable housing in Tel Aviv and other cities) as they were to mention military or national security issues (such as terror attacks or Iran’s nuclear program).
Yet when American Jews were asked to name Israel’s biggest long-term problem, fully two-thirds cited a military or security issue, and hardly any (1%) mentioned economic difficulties – which suggests that many Jews in the United States either don’t know much about Israelis’ day-to-day economic challenges or don’t worry much about them.
Israeli Jews aren’t simply Pollyannaish about their security problems. In fact, Jews in Israel are much less optimistic than Jews in the United States about the prospects for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Fewer than half of Israeli Jews (43%) polled in 2014 and 2015 said they believe “a way can be found for Israel and an independent Palestinian state to coexist peacefully with each other,” compared with a clear majority of American Jews (61%) polled on the same question in 2013. (h/t Yerushalimey)

JPost Editorial: Back to Africa

Most media coverage of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the US focused on his meeting with US President Barack Obama, his speech at the UN and his meetings with US presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
Another event that received less attention but was arguably no less important, however, was a meeting that took place between Netanyahu and African leaders. Three heads of state were present as were 12 prime ministers and foreign ministers from Africa.
There has been recently a veritable renaissance in Israel- Africa relations. Indicative of the changing sentiment was a statement by Togo President Faure Gnassingbe that African countries hesitant about strengthening ties with Israel should stop looking for excuses and begin to work with Jerusalem.
“Africa is beset by difficulties and Israel holds the key to them,” Gnassingbe said. He is planning to host an Israel-Africa summit in the spring of 2017.
Israel is finally coming back to Africa.

JPost Editorial: Custodian of the holy

In his speech to the General Assembly, Abdullah condemned Islamist terrorists who “want to wipe out our achievements and those of our ancestors; to erase human civilization, and drag us back to the dark ages.” The king might have included Palestinian terrorists who share those goals, at least as far as Israel is concerned.
He might have mentioned Jordan’s own short-lived effort to help maintain peace on the Temple Mount. This past March, the kingdom announced plans to set up 55 closed-circuit cameras to monitor the site, 24/7, and broadcast live footage over the Internet – but not to help the Israeli authorities arrest Palestinian extremists bombarding Jewish worshipers with rocks, firebombs and firecrackers.
“The goal is to document the violations and infringements in the mosque complex by the Israeli authorities and present it to the world,” Jordanian Minister of Holy Sites Heyal Daoud said.
Nevertheless, Israel welcomed the plan, which was mediated by US Secretary of State John Kerry, because it would reveal that the constant violence on the Mount was initiated by Muslims. But barely a month after the plan was announced, Palestinians plastered the Temple Mount with warnings that they would destroy the security cameras, which they said would be used by Israel to crack down on rioters.
Then-prime minister Abdullah Ensour hastily announced Jordan’s decision to drop its plan to install security cameras on the Temple Mount.
Though he said the plan’s goal was to document “recurring assaults” by Israelis on the sanctity of the holy site, he noted that the cameras would have brought “legal, political and media benefits” to the Muslims.
In his UN address, Abdullah asked the world leaders, “When and how did fear and intimidation creep so insidiously into our conversation when there is so much more to be said about the love of God?” Abdullah should take some of his own advice and, instead of heaping blame on Israel, embrace the efforts the Jewish state is making to forge stability in the region.

Remembering the 1929 Hebron massacre

Dr. Yinon Elmakias, who lectured about the Torah scrolls, was one of the academics who led the seminar marking the 87th anniversary of the 1929 massacre that took 67 lives and resulted in the expulsion of the Jewish community. Young and old walked through the now inhabited Jewish quarter in the city that suffered from the worst of the disturbances that year.
The conference took place on August 10, and began at Midreshet Hevron, a college in Kiryat Arba. Prof. Gershon Bar Kochba, a Hebron resident, spoke about what was called the Jewish ghetto of Hebron, the only place in Israel referred to by that name. With copious notes and photos of the neighborhood – including maps and diagrams of what 1920s Hebron Jewish life was like – Bar Kochba described a traditional, tight-knit, humble community on a lower economic stratum.
The next speaker was Dr. Yuval Arnon-Ohana of Ariel University. In contrast to the previous speaker, he was clean-shaven, bare-headed and spoke almost without any notes. He fascinated the crowd by his lecture on Arab riots, which were instigated by Haj Amin Husseini, the mufti of Jerusalem.
Arnon-Ohana explained that Husseini’s excuse for the riots was the increase in Jewish immigration. He countered, however, that in the late 1920s, Jewish immigration was at one of its lowest points. He argued that the real reason was a bid for power by Husseini, who sought to consolidate Arab factions by whipping them into a frenzy over a common enemy.
Husseini later became a supporter of Hitler, as evidenced by the famous photo of the two sitting together in Germany.

UK opens secret files on 1940s ‘Jewish terrorists’ in Palestine and beyond

A secret note written on April 14, 1947, warns that a reliable source had told British agents about an agreement between the Stern Gang and the Irgun group to coordinate policy and plans.
“The main point is that terrorist activities are not to be confined only to Palestine — but will take place also in the UK, France and Italy,” the note says, adding that “certain Jewish terrorists” have already arrived in the port city of Alexandria, Egypt, and have purchased a 200-ton ship to be used to transport weapons.
The plots described were many and varied, including a failed plan by militants to blow up the British destroyer Chevron off the coast of Haifa. The files indicate that plotters left a bag of primed explosives and detonators on board and were later arrested on land with concealed explosives.
The files also detail successful kidnappings carried out by the gangs.
The sporadic but deadly attacks spawned extensive British discussions about whether Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin could travel safely to Cairo without undue risk of assassination.
Many attacks were relatively minor, involving small arms fire, grenades, improvised explosives and land mines, but the campaign clearly made it hard for the British to conduct normal business without adding layers of protection. Railways, bridges, government facilities and officers clubs were all targeted.
The state of Israel was proclaimed in 1948; some of the militants went on to become influential figures, including future Israeli prime ministers Menachem Begin, who would sign the landmark Camp David peace accords in 1978, and Yitzhak Shamir.

Col. Kemp: Terrorism, refugees and Donald Trump

One obvious problem is security. Even with the proper process and patience it will be virtually impossible to weed out from the truly benighted each and every terror operative. As James Clapper, US Director of National Intelligence, noted last year, ‘We don’t obviously put it past the likes of Islamic State to infiltrate operatives among these refugees.’ Indeed, the attacks in San Bernardino and Orlando are tragic reminders of the group’s magnetic effect on violent residents of the United States.
For this reason, we agree with Donald Trump, that the United States ought to admit men, women, and children — but only after undergoing a robust vetting process. While this will not completely eliminate the threat of infiltration, it will substantially diminish it. Moreover, it will allow the United States to demonstrate to the international community that it’s actually Muslims who are suffering the most under Islamic State treachery, zealotry and barbarism. It’s a point we can’t make enough. We need more Muslim allies in the fight.
But there’s a less obvious yet equally formidable problem few are willing to talk about. Polling in Muslim-majority countries reveals that large percentages of Muslims who reject violence still adhere to beliefs that are inimical to liberal, democratic norms. In this sense, the refugee crisis is not only a dire humanitarian crisis; it also represents an immense cultural challenge for the West as a whole.
And yes, religion plays a role. In our Judeo-Christian tradition, we’ve come to believe in rule of law, accountable government, tolerance, pluralism and respect for diversity. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to engage those among us of different traditions who reject democratic principles and behaviors. We must return to, and evolve standards for, citizenship and requirements for those otherwise living in America and the West.
Let’s take in those suffering from war and calamity, in a way that sensibly protects the safety and security of our own citizens. And let’s also be clear to those who wish to stay — and here we can learn from Europe’s mistakes — that a future in a free society is an honour to be earned, not a gift bestowed.

What Trump and Clinton Said (and Didn't Say) About the Middle East

Apart from the rants, attacks, and insults, when it came to Middle East issues, last night's debate was like an old and broken record -- rehashing disputes over the Iraq war (2003), the withdrawal of troops from that country (2011), and the Iran nuclear deal (2015). As important as clarity on those issues may be, there was regrettably little discussion of pressing issues the next president is sure to face on Inauguration Day.
These include:
Syria. The most glaring foreign policy lacuna in the debate was the almost complete omission of the world's most pressing strategic cum humanitarian challenge. With Russian and Syrian bombs falling on civilians in Aleppo, the candidates offered no hint that they would ditch what one could call President Obama's policy of "strategic indifference" and implement a more robust approach -- one designed to create strategic balance on the ground in order to compel the Moscow-Tehran-Damascus axis to negotiate a political resolution.
The Islamic State. In terms of the fight against IS, both candidates replayed stock lines from stump speeches. Overall, Hillary Clinton's paragraph on defeating the group was much more detailed than Donald Trump's; it included support for Kurdish and Arab allies, a focus on targeting IS leadership, and a sequence of action (liberate Mosul by the end of 2016, then focus on squeezing the group in Raqqa), all done with enhanced U.S. air support but not ground forces. For his part, Trump did not go far beyond a commitment to massive military action against IS, falling back on his critique that the Obama administration permitted the group's rise by precipitously withdrawing U.S. forces from Iraq and mishandling Libya. Neither candidate, however, addressed what most experts believe to be the most serious challenge -- what to do the day after liberating IS-held territory so that it does not become the base for the next iteration of radical Sunni jihadists.
Iran. Clinton and Trump spent considerable time jousting over the wisdom of the Iran nuclear accord, including Trump's remark that Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu remains displeased with the deal. However, the Republican candidate offered no specific alternative to the existing agreement, and the Democratic candidate offered no detailed suggestions to push back against Tehran's success in taking advantage of the deal to extend Iranian influence throughout the region.

Anti-Semites in Labour feel emboldened by the leadership

This first Labour Party conference of the Jeremy Corbyn era was a dispiriting place for those committed to the fight against anti-Semitism.
The most telling moment came during the debate on anti-Semitism at the Momentum fringe festival. Anti-Zionist campaigner Jonathan Rosenhead recounted hearing the Chief Rabbi being interviewed on the radio about anti-Semitism. As Rosenhead told it, when the Chief Rabbi said that anti-Semitism is a serious concern, the presenter then asked if he personally had experienced any anti-Semitism, to which, Rosenhead said, the Chief Rabbi answered that he hadn’t – drawing a round of laughter from the Momentum supporters in the room.
We at CST know how much anti-Semitism gets directed at the Chief Rabbi’s office, because his staff send it our way before he sees it. That, however, is not really the point. If Dianne Abbot or Sadiq Khan said that they personally do not suffer racism but that many people in their communities do, a left wing audience would not laugh in such a scornful way.
There were some people at Labour Party conference who seemed determined to obstruct and divert any serious discussion about anti-Semitism. One group of activists repeatedly interrupted and undermined the party’s own official training session on anti-Semitism that was delivered by its Jewish affiliate, the Jewish Labour Movement. It was like a National Union of Students conference at its worst.

Danish Jew — Whose Daughter’s Bat Mitzvah Was Bloodied by Murder of Guard During Copenhagen Synagogue Attack — Deeply ‘Disappointed’ in Acquittal of Terrorist’s Accomplices

The Danish-Jewish woman whose daughter’s bat mitzvah was tragically cut short last year when a terrorist opened fire at the community center where the celebration was taking place told The Algemeiner on Tuesday about her sadness in light of the upshot of a long terrorism trial whose outcome was not what she had anticipated.
Mette Bentow was referring to the acquittal of four defendants on trial for aiding and abetting the perpetrator of the attack, in which volunteer security guard Dan Uzan — whom she knew well — was killed.
“It is not an easy day,” Bentow told The Algemeiner. “Nothing will bring back Dan to his wonderful family or to our community. Nothing will make the experience go away. But I am left with a sense of disappointment that the authorities did not manage to obtain the guilty verdict I had hoped for.”
The trial in question began in March, more than a year after L.E. (aged 20), I.A. (18), B.H. (24) and M.R. (31) were charged with assisting Omar El-Hussein in the deadly assault on the Jewish center/synagogue in Copenhagen, after he first committed an attack on the Krudttønden cultural center in Østerbro — at an event called “Art, Blasphemy and Freedom of Expression” — killing one civilian and wounding three police officers.
According to the indictment, the four men met with El-Hussein at 4:30 pm on the day of the two attacks — February 14, 2015 — and supplied him with a hoodie and a shoulder bag. The prosecution also contended that they provided the terrorist with access to a computer; gave him ammunition; and encouraged him to commit the second attack.

FBI: Men Who Stole Chelsea Bomber's Suitcase Are Egyptian Airline Employees

The two men caught on surveillance camera footage swiping a suitcase dropped by accused New York/New Jersey bomber Ahmad Khan Rahami have been identified as employees of an Egyptian airline by the FBI.
“Authorities had previously said the men were not considered suspects in the attempted bombing and appear to have removed the [explosive] device from the bag on Manhattan’s 27th street in order to lug away the suitcase,” reports ABC News.
NYPD counterterrorism chief James Waters sagely observed the men were “very, very lucky” the bomb didn’t go off when they dumped it to steal the suitcase, which seems like a very odd thing to do. The surveillance video shows them admiring the luggage for a while before removing the pressure-cooking bomb and absconding with it.
The two are considered witnesses in the case, rather than suspected accomplices, and are thought to have returned to Egypt.
The Associated Press characterizes the two Egyptians as “tourists,” and says American investigators have told Egyptian authorities they would like to question the men, emphasizing they have no need to fear being arrested.

Frank Luntz: 5 Ways to Combat Antisemitism on College Campuses

Republican pollster and political consultant Frank Luntz said there are five rhetorical methods Jewish students can utilize to combat antisemitism on college campuses more effectively.
Luntz suggested university students do the following: use the word “imagine,” which “changes the entire communications process and brings people to your side,” according to Luntz; emphasize human rights, social justice and equality when responding to the BDS movement; talk about ending a “culture of hate;” know that the Hamas charter denies Israel’s right to exist and Jews the right to live; and teach that hate will never lead to peace.
This advice is part of a new collaboration between Luntz and the Jewish National Fund (JNF) to develop a “language library” that will educate Jewish students on how to engage in conversations about antisemitism, specifically BDS [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions].
Luntz said the project hopes “to be the most efficient process in providing information, awareness and messaging that will help make the Jewish community stronger, safer and effective in what it does.”
“It’s not what you say that matters, it’s what people hear,” he said, adding that college students need to be encouraged and taught to “communicate with confidence and pride and lead fellow students to be supporters of Israel.”
Luntz said that no Jewish student should face antisemitism at university or college, but that he thinks fighting this form of discrimination is not a top priority outside of the Jewish community.

IsraellyCool: Reader Post: How To Start A Pro-Israel Group On Campus

Our main goal was to first get full recognition on campus, which was what we felt was most necessary being that we were a new organization. Once we accomplished our first goal we then started to host events as well as tabling. While tabling we experienced everything from rude comments, nasty facial reactions to students asking where we were hiding all this time; however the majority disregarded us. Those who ignored us were the ones who wanted to stay “neutral” and not get involved. The rude comments and the disgusted facial reactions came from the pro Palestinian students who were approached by the SJP prior to us. What we found to be very interesting about the newly pro Palestinian students was that they did not have any reasoning to back up why they believed that Israel was bad. They only knew that they were supposed to think of and picture Israel as this horrible thing. We encountered a perfect example of this when a student came up to our table, and after realizing what we were supporting, quickly said “Oh no I was just over there (pointing to the SJP table) and my friends would kill me if I joined you guys.” We then asked him for his reasons as to why he couldn’t support us and he simply didn’t have an answer. Right there and then we understood SJP’s method, which is to manipulate students and friends into supporting them.
As a pro-Israel group on campus we did not choose to manipulate students into joining or supporting us. We showed respect to everyone and presented facts to back up our reasoning. All of us stayed positive and shaped our group’s image to be warm and welcoming to all.
After we established SSI at Pace University, Hillel reopened its doors and became active on campus. The most notable thing I have experienced with founding and running SSI on campus has been that the Jewish students almost never participate in our events, except for a select few. Something else to note about my experience is that students who know most about Israel do not show support or attend our events, but the students who know the least show up to our events and show incredible support.
It’s easy for Jewish students to take the truth for granted, but if I’ve learned anything it’s that cowering in fear, shame or embarrassment won’t solve the problem – standing up for the truth will.
If you want to start an SSI on your campus, contact ssicampusmovement@gmail.com.

At Vassar College, hosting a pro-Israel speaker still is controversial

One of the ways the Vassar administration has attempted to deal with the situation is to bring some semblance of balance in public speakers by including pro-Israel speakers as part of a speakers series. While it certainly is not enough, at least the administration appears to recognize the problem and is taking some steps.
In that regard, as part of the series Wall Street Journal columnist Bret Stephens appeared on campus on September 20, 2016, and participated in a question and answer session titled “Why I support Israel and Why You Should Too.”
This pro-Israel appearance was a drop in a bucket of anti-Israel discourse on campus. Nonetheless, the student newspaper noted that the “arrival of a pro-Israel speaker on campus on Sept. 20 rapidly reignited students and faculty in the debate on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
According to Stephens’ statements in the discussion, there were threats by Vassar Students for Justice in Palestine to protest the event. It doesn’t appear that happened. There was none of the stage-takeovers or shout-downs that have become the norm for SJP tactics around the country.
Instead, Joshua Schreier, the pro-BDS former head of the Vassar Jewish Studies Program (yes, really) led an SJP/JVP event to counter Stephens’ appearance.

New Batch of Terrorism-Sympathizing Professors Added to Campus Watchdog Dossier of Radical College Faculty

A member of a covert campus watchdog group told The Algemeiner about the organization’s recent addition of six college professors to its dossier of academics who sympathize with terrorists.
The Canary Mission representative — who spoke on condition of anonymity — said that these professors have exhibited radical behavior, including the use of antisemitic rhetoric and — “the biggest revelation — explicit and implicit personal support for Palestinian terrorism and violence directed at Israelis and Jews.”
These professors are: Georgetown University’s John Esposito, a supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement; Rabab Abdulhadi of San Francisco State University (SFSU), who is a national leader of the BDS movement and founding member of the US Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (USACBI); Swarthmore’s Sa’ed Atshan, an “avid supporter” of BDS and featured speaker for Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP); Stanford’s Joel Beinin, a founding member of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) and backer of BDS; University of California, Irvine’s Mark LeVine, member of JVP and proponent of BDS; and Duke’s Miriam Cooke, a terror sympathizer and BDS supporter.

Report: Tenured Holocaust Denying Professor Asked by Canadian University to Resign, Following Outcry by Jewish Group

After years of complaints about his antisemitic rhetoric, a tenured professor at Canada’s University of Lethbridge is reportedly being asked to resign.
Professor Anthony Hall — who supports “open debate” on the Holocaust and has blamed Israel for the 9/11 terror attacks — told The American Herald Tribune, a website he helps run, that he was asked to step down after Jewish advocacy group B’nai Brith Canada urged the university to launch an investigation into his behavior.
“If the University of Lethbridge allows Hall to continue teaching, it would demonstrate complete disrespect for true scholarship and the values of the academy,” Amanda Hohmann, national director of B’nai Brith Canada’s League for Human Rights, told The Algemeiner on Thursday. “When a professor is allowed to abuse the academic stage in order to promote antisemitism and crackpot conspiracy theories, it brings the entire university and discipline into disrepute.”
Hall — a co-host of the YouTube program “False Flag Weekly News,” which promotes conspiracy theories about Zionists and Jews — has come under fire in the past for his spread of antisemitic and anti-Israel sentiment. In June, Lethbridge defended Hall’s right to do so, on academic freedom grounds.
According to anonymous reviews of his classes by students, Hall “basically abuses the stage he receives as a ‘teacher’” and “would rather spread his misguided views than actually teach a class.” One student said that “anyone who does not believe in the 9/11 conspiracy should not take this class.”

Daphne Anson: Lynch Mob in Lichfield: Pappe & Co head to Israel-bashing conference at city's cathedral

Lichfield, perhaps most famous as the birthplace of Dr Samuel Johnson, is a pretty city in the English Midlands. It's the location of a medieval cathedral, notable for its unusual feature of three spires.
And it is under the auspices of that cathedral that a conference (plus related book sale) is to be held over the weekend of 7-9 October (hat tip: Ian G).
As seen at left, the title of the conference is "Holding Palestine in the Light,"which reflects the despicably one-sided nature of the enterprise, for the overwhelming majority of the speakers are notable, to a greater or lesser degree, for their antipathy towards Israel.
That sad fact reflects the prejudices of the apparent driving force behind the conference, the Dean of Lichfield.

IsraellyCool: Israel Haters Game Google Maps

As of the time of this post, the non-existent Ken’s Kosher Koffee does not appear on Google Maps because it is subject to a review. Which means there is such a review process – and the Free Palastine cafe passed it!
What is not clear is how. Does Google base the review on the “standing” of the Google user, without performing any other checks? Or is this an example of an anti-Israel Google employee? Either way, it has led to this ridiculous situation.
The good news is there is way to redress this. If you see such fake places, you can report them to Google as follows:
After doing this, Google should remove them.
Besides highlighting a problem with Google crowdsourcing, this latest instance reaffirms something else. Do you notice how it is invariably the Israel haters doing this? I suspect they know the truth is not on their side, so they have to resort to such subterfuge.
Update: The non-existent Ken’s Kosher Koffee was also approved. So Google just do not properly check the submissions.

Yarden Frankl: Terrorism in New York (Times)

The Times has no choice but to write that there are indeed such things as “terrorist” networks.
But that begs the question, who are these networks? ISIS? Al Qaeda? Maybe Hamas, which the United States State Department and the European Union among many others have labeled a “terrorist” organization.
It seems reasonable to expect that if the Times writes about the existence of networks of terrorists, then they should not be afraid to use that label when referring to an organization identified the world over in that way.
I am sure that the Times would have preferred to leave the word out of the story on Rahami’s father, but doing so was not possible.
The example shows just how difficult it is to set a word off-limits, especially when that word is becoming more and more a part of the global conversation.
Terrorism is not a dirty word and the media should adopt the same definition that many governments use. That way they have a defense against those who accuse them of using the word to promote a partisan political agenda.
And then, when a terrorist attack takes place, whether in the streets of New York or Jerusalem, they would be able to provide their readers with the most accurate description.

Vice News Covers-Up For the Violent “Gandhi of Palestine”

A highly misleading article from the online publication “Vice News” begins with the headline, “A Famous Palestinian Activist Could Be Sent to Israel Prison for His Years of Nonviolent Protest.”
Journalist Batya Ungar-Sargon says that Issa Amro is called the “Palestinian Gandhi,” and quotes an interviewee who compares him to Martin Luther King, Jr.
But what Vice won’t tell you is that Amro is actually not “non-violent” at all. In fact, he is quite violent.
According to the charges, Amro was actually arrested for his years of violence against Israeli soldiers and civilians, and for actively harming and degrading human beings in ways that Gandhi and Dr. King, in their time, found utterly deplorable.

BBC report on EU Hamas terror designation gives incomplete picture

As the BBC’s own profile of Hamas states, Israel also designates Hamas. In addition, Australia designates Hamas’ Izz al Din Al Qassam Brigades as a terrorist organisation, as do New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Like the December 2014 report, this one too gives a whitewashed account of Hamas’ violent take-over of the Gaza Strip.
“After winning parliamentary elections in 2006, Hamas ousted its Fatah rivals from Gaza the following year and has since fought three conflicts with Israel.”
The caption to the image illustrating the report similarly states:
“Hamas took over Gaza in 2007 and has since been involved in three conflicts with Israel”.
Remarkably, in an article all about Hamas’ terror designation in the EU, the BBC did not find it necessary to provide readers with factual information concerning Hamas’ long history of terror attacks against Israeli civilians, including the thousands of missile attacks which brought about those tepidly portrayed “three conflicts”.

Two egregious omissions illustrate continued anti-Israel bias at the Independent

However, McKernan fails to include vital information regarding the two ‘news outlets’. According to multiple reports (including at Associated Press), Quds News Network is believed to be affiliated with Islamic Jihad, and Shehab News Agency is said to be affiliated with Hamas. Indeed, both media outlets are known for articles and posts on their social media sites encouraging violence and promoting antisemitism.
In Nov., 2014, Palestinian Media Watch reported that the Facebook page of Quds published a ‘music video’ urging Palestinians to use cars to commit terror attacks against Israelis. That same month, after two Palestinian terrorists launched a deadly attack on worshipers in a Jerusalem synagogue, Shehab News Agency’s Facebook page posted photos of Muslim children with letters of support “for the heroic Jerusalem operation.”
Additionally, the Indy reporter fails to note another extremely important element of the story. According to other reports on the incident, six out of the seven “journalists” had their Facebook accounts reinstated within a day of the original suspension – a fact acknowledged by Al Jazeera in their report on the row. AJ reported that a Facebook spokesperson apologized, saying the suspension[s] had been “accidental”.
Remarkably, even Electronic Intifada, in a post on Sept. 24th, two days before the Indy published their story, noted that the Facebook pages were restored shortly after the suspension.
These inconvenient facts not reported by the Independent, regarding both the terror-affiliation of the ‘media outlets’ and the reinstatement of the Facebook accounts, of course undermine the desired narrative of the article: that due to Israeli collusion with Facebook, the pages of seven Palestinian “journalists” were suspended.
Once again, the Indy has shown its propensity – at least regarding their coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict – to favor propaganda over professional journalism.

US Cyclists Join Wounded IDF Veterans on Bike Tour of Israel

A group of United States cyclists recently joined wounded veterans of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on a solidarity bike tour of Israel.
Some 37 cyclists from the organization American Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) took a cross-country bike ride with the Israeli vets, who had all benefited from the FIDF’s rehabilitative programs and prosthetic devices.
“This cycling tour was an incredible opportunity to bring FIDF supporters together with Israeli soldiers and strengthen the bonds between them,” said FIDF Cycling Tour leader Dany Saar, a former IDF soldier and cyclist living in West Bloomfield, Mich. “Biking across Israel with wounded veterans allowed participants to really connect with the brave men and women benefiting from FIDF programs.”
The bike tour began in northern Israel near the Sea of Galilee (“Kinneret” in Hebrew) and covered more than 400 miles with a total vertical climb of 32,000 feet. The tour concluded in six days at Tel Aviv’s Mediterranean beach.
Along the way, the group visited Israeli military bases, national landmarks and ancient historical sites.
FIDF was established by a group of Holocaust survivors in 1981 and has more than 150,000 supporters today.

2 female lawyers appointed as Israel's first Ethiopian judges

In a historic first, two female lawyers were appointed as Israel's first Ethiopian judges on Thursday, as the Judicial Nominating Committee has named Adenko Sebhat-Haimovich to the magistrates' court, and Esther Tapeta Gardi to the traffic court.
The committee announced a total of 26 judicial appointments, 13 of which were of judges who were promoted to a higher bench and 13 were attorneys who were named judges for the first time.
One of the new judges appointed Thursday was Miriam Banki, mother of the late Shira Banki, who was murdered at the Gay Pride Parade in Jerusalem in 2015.
Judicial Nominating Committee Chairwoman Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked welcomed the new appointees, saying she was certain that "the judges who have been appointed would issue just rulings."
Shaked said she also saw the appointment of two women from the Ethiopian community as judges a fulfillment of late President Shimon Peres' wishes. Peres was prime minister at the time of Operation Moses, which brought Ethiopian Jewry to Israel in 1984.

Britain’s Prince Charles Turns Heads at Peres Funeral With Personalized Royal Kippah

Britain’s Prince Charles turned some heads at the funeral of the late Israeli President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem on Friday with a personalized kippah bearing his official crest.
“One heck of a royal yarmulke on Prince Charles at the Shimon Peres funeral,” Peter Baker, the New York Times Jerusalem bureau chief, tweeted.
The Heat Street news site asked its Twitter followers, “Isn’t it more than a little tasteless to make your funeral headgear all ‘me me me’?”
This was not the first time Prince Charles has worn the kippah in question. As previously reported by The Algemeiner, he also wore it three years ago to celebrate the official induction of the UK’s new chief rabbi.
The prince was making only his second-ever visit to Israel for the Peres funeral. His first trip to the Jewish state took place two decades ago, when he attended the November 1995 funeral of assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
On Thursday, Haaretz journalist Allison Kaplan Sommer tweeted, “It’s nice that Prince Charles is flying in for Peres’ funeral. But it also continues the Royal Family’s policy of only visiting dead Israelis.”
According to the UK’s Telegraph newspaper, the British Foreign Office determined “a long time ago” that visits to Israel and the Palestinian Authority were “too politically fraught for the royals to be involved in.”

5 feel-good stories from Israel in 5776

The Jewish state has nearly made it through another Jewish year and, as always, there was plenty to kvetch about in 5776. Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is a time to take stock and celebrate.
Before the shofar blowing begins, here are five Israeli stories from the past year worth trumpeting. Expect them to echo into 5777 and beyond.
The Olympics gave Israelis reason to hope.
For Israel, the margin between Olympic disappointment and glory can be a single medal. The country came up empty in 2012, but two Israeli judokas grappled and leg-swept their way to bronze at the Rio games in August.
Their fellow citizens rejoiced: Waving flags and singing patriotic songs, hundreds thronged Ben Gurion Airport to give Yarden Gerbi and Or Sasson a hero’s welcome. The athletes were showered with flowers and hugs, and were immortalized by countless selfies. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later met with the judo team.
Israel made new friends in a hostile world.
As the Olympics reminded Israelis, their country is unlikely to win any international popularity contests. But in the past year, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government managed to find some new friends and potential allies.
Israel and Turkey officially reconciled recently following a six-year falling-out over the Mavi Marmara affair. While the deal, signed in June, may not make the countries BFFs again, it should help them cooperate amid the chaos of the Middle East. Exporting Israel’s natural gas bounty and rebuilding the Gaza Strip are potential joint projects.
Haredi Orthodox men in Israel rolled up their sleeves.
A majority of haredi Orthodox men in Israel have jobs. That may not seem worth blowing the shofar about, but it’s a first. Since officials started keeping track, most of the demographic has been out of work.
In 2015, the workforce participation rate for haredi men was 52%, part of a 12-year rise since the figure was 36 percent in 2003, Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics reported in February. Haredi men in Israel have long preferred Torah study to work or army service, living off yeshiva stipends, state benefits and perhaps their wives’ salaries.
More women than ever were making Israel’s laws.
The 28 women elected to Israel’s parliament in 2015 set a record. Since then, political reshuffling has seen the number move a little higher.
When Avigdor Liberman became defense minister in June, his Knesset seat went to Yulia Malinovsky, a member of his hawkish Yisrael Beiteinu party — sending the number of female lawmakers to 33. That’s right, more than a quarter of the 120 legislative seats are now occupied by women.
The government backed adding Sunday to the Israeli weekend.
It’s not often that something happens with the potential to redefine how an entire country understands the relationship between time and space.
But that something happened in Israel in June, when ministers approved a bill that would give Israelis six three-day weekends a year starting in 2017 as a step toward making Sunday a day off. The legislation is to be reworked in committee before going to the full Knesset for voting.

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.