Levin smears AIPAC to try and save his political skin

July 28, 2022 The main headlines FEATURED COLUMN JONATHAN S. TOBINJNS Levin smears AIPAC to try and save his political skin Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.). Credit: andylevinforcongress.com. NEWSPennsylvania gubernatorial candidate stirs controversy after giving $5,000 to Gab site JNS STAFF CEO Andrew Torba of the social-networking site says “these people aren’t conservative. They’re not Christian, right? They don’t share our values. They have inverted values from us as Christians.” Special envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria Brett H. McGurk delivers remarks alongside Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Australian Army Col. David Kelly, an exchange officer on assignment to the Joint Staff, during a press conference following the 2017 Chiefs of Defense Conference at Fort Belvoir, Va., Oct. 24, 2017. Photo: U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Dominique A. Pineiro/U.S. Dept. of Defense. BRIEF US official: Nuclear deal with Iran ‘highly unlikely’ in near-term JNS White House Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk reportedly said that in the absence of a renewed agreement, Washington would impose sanctions on the Islamic Republic and attempt to isolate the mullahs diplomatically. BRIEFEU foreign-policy chief: Latest Iran nuke deal is ‘the best possible’ “If the deal is rejected, we risk a dangerous nuclear crisis,” warns Josep Borrell. BRIEFGantz says Israel could ‘seriously harm and delay’ Iran’s nuclear program “Iran is a global problem. It is not just Israel’s private problem,” declared Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz. BRIEFIAEA chief: Iran nuclear program ‘galloping ahead’ with little oversight The Agency has had “very limited visibility” over Tehran’s nuclear progress for five weeks, warns IAEA director. The Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Room of the Palace of Nations, in Geneva. The room is the meeting place of the U.N. Human Rights Council. Credit: Ludovic Courtès via Wikimedia Commons. BRIEF Lapid’s office condemns ‘anti-Semitic remarks by UN Commission of Inquiry member’ JNS Miloon Kothari alleged that social media is largely controlled by “Jewish lobby.” In this image of the Gaza Strip, the red dotted lines indicate the path of Hamas tunnels, which run under school grounds (highlighted in white at top and left) and an ambulance dispatch center (bottom right). Credit: Israel Defense Forces. BRIEF IDF reveals Hamas tunnel networks under Gazan civilian neighborhoods JNS “If the tunnels collapse, hospitals, mosques, universities, or factories will collapse with them,” warns the Israeli military. Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Credit: Wikimedia Commons. BRIEF Bosnia and Herzegovina to adopt IHRA definition of anti-Semitism JNS “It is no secret that I feel a great appreciation for the State of Israel, mainly due to the sense of historical partnership that my people went through with the Jews during World War II,” said Milorad Dodik. Russian President Vladimir Putin. Credit: Photographer RM/Shutterstock. BRIEF Trial over ‘dissolution’ of Jewish Agency work in Russia set for Aug. 19 JNS An Israeli delegation of jurists is in Moscow for meetings with senior Russian Justice Ministry officials. BRIEFIsraeli delegation heads to Moscow to ease ties as Jewish Agency crisis heats up Russia-Israel tensions have intensified as Moscow appears primed to force the “dissolution” of the agency operations in the country. BRIEFSharansky: Russia’s threats to ban Jewish Agency part of attempt to ‘break Western unity’ “The Kremlin feels absolutely isolated, and is looking for points of weakness,” says the former Jewish Agency chairman. COLUMNRussia’s threat against the Jewish Agency is an act of political extortion DANIEL RAKOV Israel should prepare for a prolonged crisis. The Russians might want to delay or accelerate the legal process to exploit the elections period. The verdict will not constitute the final word. The government is advised to navigate the crisis behind the scenes, as publicity might accelerate escalation. The bodies of Israeli athletes killed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich arrive in Israel ahead of burial services. Credit: Eldan David/ GPO via Wikimedia Commons. BRIEF Families of the 1972 Olympic Massacre victims reject ‘insulting’ German compensation offer JNS The families are threatening to boycott the attack’s 50th anniversary commemoration in September if the current proposal stands. Israeli-Canadian businessman Sylvan Adams (third from right) cuts the ribbon to inaugurate the Sylvan Adams Emergency Hospital along with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid (second from right) and Israeli President Isaac Herzog (third from left), together with other dignitaries, July 28, 2022. Credit: Jenny Yerushalmi. BRIEF Philanthropist Sylvan Adams cuts ribbon on world’s largest emergency room at Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital JNS President Isaac Herzog thanked Adams for his generous support of the Israeli people, calling him a “true ambassador of Israeli society.” One of the bullets pierced a window in Michael Sperber's Efrat home, which was fired on from Bethlehem on July 25, 2022. Credit: Courtesy. NEWS Family home in Efrat struck by multiple bullets believed fired from nearby Bethlehem DAVID ISAACJNS City residents are frustrated by what they say is the municipality's lack of action regarding repeated instances of gunfire in and from the nearby Palestinian town. FEATURE Deep-sea wonderland in Israel is declared a Hope Spot ABIGAIL KLEIN LEICHMANISRAEL21C Sea life at the Palmachim Slide. Photo courtesy of University of Haifa and Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research BRIEFBeach bummer: Unusually large jellyfish swarms converge on Israel’s coast The arrival of the stinging creatures is not an immediate cause for concern, say Haifa University experts. A map illustrating the area under contention between Israel and Lebanon. Credit: Alma. BRIEF ‘Maritime border dispute with Lebanon on verge of solution’ JNS Report: Israel assesses that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s recent threats are an attempt to frame the pending agreement as Hezbollah achievement. BRIEFWATCH: Nasrallah threatens war over maritime border dispute with Israel “No Israeli target at sea or on land is out of the reach of the resistance’s precision missiles,” said the Hezbollah chief. BRIEFDC think tank: Lebanese army fails to face Hezbollah, despite billions in US aid “The time has come for a close examination of whether 15 years of substantial support has enabled Lebanon’s armed forces to serve as an institutional counterweight to Hezbollah,” writes David Kilcullen. Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh. Source: Screenshot. BRIEF Relative of ‘Al Jazeera’ journalist killed in Jenin says US will not launch independent probe JNS Shireen Abu Akleh’s niece met with America's top diplomat, who reportedly declined to comment on how Washington concluded that the reporter was not shot intentionally on May 11 during clashes between Palestinian terrorists and Israeli forces. Italy's President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Mario Draghi welcome Foreign Minister of South Africa Naledi Pandor, at the occasion of the G20 Rome summit, Oct. 30, 2021. Credit: Italian President's Office. BRIEF South African foreign minister wants Israel designated an apartheid state TAMIR MORAGISRAEL HAYOM Naledi Pandor says the United Nations must establish committee to determine whether or not Israel meets the criteria to be labeled “apartheid.” Hisham al-Said in a video released by Hamas last month. Source: Screenshot. BRIEF Father of Israeli held captive by Hamas pleads to UN Security Council for son’s freedom JNS Hisham al-Said is one of two Israeli civilians being held captive by the terror group • Israeli U.N. envoy Gilad Erdan: Hamas is using the boy as a “sick bargaining chip.” BRIEFTeenagers learn military techniques at Fatah-run summer camp in West Bank The video also shows youths jumping and going through obstacles with fire and smoke. BRIEFJoint List leader refuses to condemn Hezbollah, denounces Israel as ‘primary terror’ In response to a question from a ‘Channel 13’ reporter asking whether Hezbollah is a terrorist organization, Ayman Odeh replied that the Israeli “occupation” is the “primary terror in the whole region.” FEATURE ‘Lion of Nablus’ twice escapes IDF capture, but his time will come DAVID ISAACJNS Ibrahim Nablusi, leader of an Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade cell in Nablus. Credit: Twitter BRIEFAbbas hails as ‘martyrs’ Palestinian terrorists killed in Nablus firefight with IDF The P.A. chief’s condolence call to the families of the deceased comes as the IDF demolishes the homes of two Palestinian terrorists who killed an Israeli security guard near Ariel in April. BRIEFTargets of deadly Nablus raid responsible for recent attacks, planning more The main target of the raid evaded capture, later attending his comrades’ funerals, according to Israeli media reports. BRIEFPalestinian Authority leader incites church against Israel in call with pope Mahmoud Abbas repeated the libel that the State of Israel “attacks” Christian and Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. The Haifa Rabbinical Court. Credit: Rabbinical Courts Administration spokesman. BRIEF Israeli rabbinic court: Woman must compensate husband for money spent on lover JNS The Haifa Rabbinic Court was reportedly “stunned” by the brazenness of the woman, who demanded during the divorce proceedings more than half of the couple’s home value. BRIEFEducation Ministry: Israeli schools are short nearly 6,000 teachers NOAM DVIR ISRAEL HAYOM “Teachers are fleeing the profession due to the disgraceful salaries and conditions,” says Israel Teachers Union head Yaffa Ben-David. A view of the McCarthy Honors Residential College at the University of Southern Californina in Los Angeles on Oct. 8, 2017. Credit: Kit Leong/Shutterstock. NEWS Federal probe investigates USC for anti-Semitic environment against campus Jewish leader DMITRIY SHAPIROJNS An open investigation by the OCR means that the university will now have to answer questions from the U.S. Department of Education and embark on an effort to reform its practices while demonstrating tangible change or risk losing its federal funding. NEWSFederal complaint against Jew-hatred at CUNY documents decade of anti-Semitism MIKE WAGENHEIM The filing from the American Center for Law & Justice calls for a U.S. Department of Education investigation into pervasive discrimination against Jews at the City University of New York. NEWSHearing gets intense over accusations of growing anti-Semitism at CUNY schools MIKE WAGENHEIM New York City Council members grow frustrated with the lack of answers, action—and absence—by the administration and its representatives. NEWSGroup at CUNY plans to get school’s Jewish population to ‘unlearn Zionism’ MIKE WAGENHEIM “We vehemently stand against the Zionist movement within CUNY that aims to criminalize and demonize Palestinian students and workers,” reads the statement. Eric Reyzelman. Photo by Chris Parent/Courtesy of Louisiana State University Athletics. NEWS At 21, plucked by New York Yankees, Eric Reyzelman is off to play ball HOWARD BLASJNS A 6-foot-2 right-hander from California currently pitching for Louisiana State University, he was the 160th overall pick in the fifth round of the Major League Baseball draft. FEATURE‘Leveling the Playing Field’ does just that, spreading the sports wealth among others HOWARD BLAS Max Levitt recalls being heartbroken at the sight of usable equipment being thrown away, saying “it really bothered me. It stuck in my head.” FEATURE Belev Echad helps physically and emotionally wounded Israeli soldiers heal … and thrive ELI MANDELBAUMJNS Dorel Haim recovering in New York City. Credit: Courtesy. The Cymbalista Synagogue and Jewish Heritage Center on the campus of Tel Aviv University. Credit: Michaeli via Wikimedia Commons. BRIEF Cymbalista Synagogue and Jewish Heritage Center deemed protected site JNS Completed in 1998, the building on Tel Aviv University’s campus is currently the “youngest” in the country to hold this status. BRIEFRare Roman ‘goddess coin’ discovered off Carmel coast Nearly 2,000 years old, coin was minted during the rule of Emperor Antoninus Pius and depicts a Roman moon goddess and the Cancer zodiac sign. Soup kitchen for refugees. Credit: Pixabay. BRIEF Grants offered to Jewish federations to resettle Ukrainian refugees JNS The United States is expected to absorb 180,000 people, including some who were temporarily in the country before the war broke out. Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid with Jordan's King Abdullah II at the royal palace in Amman, Jordan, on July 27, 2022. Photo: Haim Zach/GPO. BRIEF Post-Biden trip, Lapid and Jordan’s King Abdullah meet in Amman JNS The two leaders discussed the U.S president’s visit to the region, as well as several major bilateral projects. BRIEFHaredi Jews denied entry to Jordan HANAN GREENWOOD AND SHIMON YAISH ISRAEL HAYOM The Jewish visitors created a “disturbance,” says the Israel Airports Authority • Haredim say they were “humiliated” and asked to cut off their sidelocks. VIDEO Saudi textbooks remove references to violent jihad: Video ENDOWMENT FOR MIDDLE EAST TRUTH BRIEFSaudi magazine showcases success of Israeli Arabs in IDF The article begins by noting the misconception prevalent in the media about the IDF’s composition, and that it is, in fact, not only Jewish but also incorporates members from across Israeli society. Members of the Knesset Honor Guard, the Israeli Defense Forces Home Front Command, firefighters, police and Israel's Magen David Adom emergency medical services participate in an emergency drill simulating an earthquake near Ashkelon on Dec. 19, 2019. Photo by Yaniv Nadav/Flash90. BRIEF Scientists develop two-day warning to predict devastating earthquakes ABIGAIL KLEIN LEICHMANISRAEL21C Israeli scientists say their method can forecast strong earthquakes up to 48 hours ahead with 80% accuracy. BRIEFIsrael approves ‘historic’ plan to develop southern section of Jordan River It aims to increase water levels and ensure a constant flow throughout the year, turning the area into a diverse biological ecosystem and a tourist destination. A hotel in the southern resort city of Eilat. Credit: Pixabay. BRIEF Israel tourism bounces back, hotel occupancy approaches 2019 levels JNS Eilat's hotels led the pack with an occupancy rate of 81%, which was 5% higher than June 2019. BRIEFApple to open its third development center in Israel Its new office in Jerusalem will focus on hardware and Mac chip development. BRIEFYahoo to expand its R&D centers in Israel The Tel Aviv office focuses on its adtech, video and data products, while the Haifa center is comprised of researchers with advanced degrees in computer science and algorithmics. FEATURE As Russia-Israel tensions heat up, analysts advise caution DAVID ISAACJNS Russian President Vladimir Putin. Credit: Photographer RM/Shutterstock. FEATURED COLUMNJONATHAN S. TOBIN Is the Russian threat to the Jewish Agency a return to Soviet oppression? Moscow wants to pressure Israel to stay out of its brutal war on Ukraine. That’s deplorable; still, Jerusalem and Jewish groups shouldn’t become full-fledged participants in that conflict. BRIEFLapid: Shuttering Jewish Agency in Russia could have ‘serious impact on diplomatic relations’ TAMIR MORAG AND SONIA GORODEISKY ISRAEL HAYOM A senior Israeli delegation has been instructed to spare no effort to halt a Russian order to cease the Agency’s operations in the country. FEATURE‘If Russia mounts a nuclear attack on the US, it’s going to succeed’ CAROLINE GLICK “Mideast News Hour” with Caroline Glick and guest David Wurmser Stephen D. Bryen FEATURED COLUMN STEPHEN BRYENJNS Lydia Litvyak: World’s first female fighter ace The Wall of Glory to Heroes of War and Labor in Krasnyi Luch, Ukraine. Lydia Litvyak took off for her last mission from an airfield close to this city, where a museum dedicated to her is located. Credit: Andrei Sedoff via Wikimedia Commons. The Legacy Summer Camp kicked off its 17th summer for 21 bereaved campers in July 2022. Credit: Courtesy of FIDF. BRIEF 21 children and siblings of Israeli fallen soldiers enjoy US summer camp JNS This year’s group included a variety of populations and religions, such as Arab and Druze participants. Gary Jacobs (left) and David Wax, immediate past board chair and current board chair, respectively, of the JCC Association of North America, in front of the Lawrence Family JCC. Credit: San Diego Jewish World. NEWS Suddenly, San Diego finds itself at hub of Jewish Community Center universe JACOB KAMARASJNS “It’s a recognition that not the entire Jewish world is centered in New York,” said Gary Jacobs, outgoing board chair of the JCC Association. “There needs to be leadership and representation from the West Coast.” FEATURE Making a stand for seasonal farmers markets ETHEL G. HOFMANJNS Farmers market. Credit: Pixabay. Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas seen during a tour of Ramallah on May 15, 2020. Photo by Flash90. BRIEF Palestinian attorneys protest in Ramallah against PA ‘rule by decree’ JNS Palestinian riot police stopped the protesters from advancing in the direction of P.A. Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh’s office. BRIEFAbbas is creating a dictatorship in the Palestinian Authority, new report finds ARIEL KAHANA ISRAEL HAYOM “There’s nothing left of Palestinian democracy,” says attorney Maurice Hirsch, the head of legal strategies for Palestinian Media Watch, which produced the report. FEATURECarlos the Jackal: ‘I was the first-ever foreigner to join the Palestinian struggle’ YARON NISKI AND DANNY LIBER ISRAEL HAYOM Notorious terrorist Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, aka “Carlos the Jackal,” recalls how he joined the PFLP after getting expelled from university and abducted dozens of ministers at the behest of Libyan revolutionary Muammar Gaddafi, only to be betrayed by the leader he held in high regard. A reported Israeli attack on a weapons storage site outside Damascus on July 22, 2022. Credit: Alma Center. NEWS Israel’s shadow campaign in Syria ‘is strategy that delivers partial results’ YAAKOV LAPPINJNS Ex-defense establishment official Lt. Col. (ret.) Orna Mizrahi says Moscow has been willing to ignore Israeli airstrikes, as they have boosted Russia in its competition for control with Iran in Syria. BRIEFSyria: Three killed, seven wounded in Israeli strike near Damascus The strikes targeted Iranian weapons depots, Israeli defense research center says. The Uruguay soccer team defeated the United States by 3-2 at the stadium on the Givat Ram campus of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on July 24, 2022. Photo by Howard Blas. NEWS Wrap-up on wrap-down: Israel comes up big on more than medals HOWARD BLASJNS Maccabiah educator Jennifer Brodsky says “there is an opportunity to think about Jewish identity and to add context that can be as impactful” as the sports competitions themselves. BRIEFWorld-class ATP 250 tennis tournament returns to Israel after 26 years The top-20 ranked players internationally will compete in the daily tournament at the Expo Tel Aviv Complex starting on Sept. 25. BRIEFIsrael to host French Super Cup soccer match with Messi, Neymar And Tottenham Hotspur will face Roma at the Sammy Ofer Stadium in Haifa, part of the I-Tech Cup. FEATURE Critics of ‘Citizenship Law’ ruling charge Supreme Court has ‘emptied the law of meaning’ DAVID ISAACJNS Esther Hayut, president of Israel's Highest Court, the Supreme Court, March 14, 2019. Photo by Hadas Parush/Flash90. BRIEFIsraeli forces thwart terror attack at Tapuach Junction in Samaria IDF “Operation Breakwater” continues: Security forces arrest seven in Judea and Samaria counter-terror raids. Preacher Anjem Choudary on March 2, 2014. Credit: MEMRI. BRIEF London-based, pro-ISIS preacher calls for jihad against Israel JNS “The Divine ruling is to fight jihad to defend life and property, and to liberate the land,” proclaimed preacher Anjem Choudary. BRIEFHamas TV children’s show: ‘Defend Jerusalem until ‘our last drop of blood’ A young boy said that Muslims should follow Islamic law and that the land would be liberated from Israel. The original design for the East Side Elementary School in Cobb County, Ga., featured an eagle on top of a hexagon. Credit: American Jewish Committee. BRIEF Georgia school district pulls new logo after Nazi eagle comparisons JNS “Cobb County’s history with anti-Semitism should have prevented something like this,” said the Jewish Federation of Atlanta. BRIEFGroup carrying swastika flags in Tampa, Fla., disperses anti-Semitic fliers Similar papers, including ones that blame the coronavirus pandemic on Jews, have been distributed in cities across the country in recent months, tied to the Goyim Defense League. CAWW: Conformal Airborne Early Warning Aircraft. Credit: Israel Aerospace Industries. BRIEF Israel Aerospace Industries to provide special mission aircraft to NATO nation JNS The company’s special mission aircraft “are active in Israel and in many countries around the world and provide an important strategic edge.” BRIEFTel Aviv-Krakow flight evacuated due to bomb scare Slides were deployed and passengers instructed to leave their belongings and disembark from the Wizz Air flight shortly after it touched down in Poland. No bomb was found aboard. BRIEFEl Al reintroduces six Boeing 777 jets as summer tourism heats up Israel's flagship airline stopped using the jet at the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. Scroll to view more Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.). Credit: andylevinforcongress.com. Rep. Andy Levin (D-Mich.). Credit: andylevinforcongress.com.