Jewish Federations announces $54m plan to protect US communities

(Photo By: Screen Capture/Twitter)

By: Stuart Winer - October 4, 2021

The Jewish Federations of North America announced Sunday the launch of a $54 campaign to provide security for its member Jewish communities in the United States, as a response to the threat of antisemitism.

Over the next three years the LiveSecure initiative will ensure that each of the JFNA umbrella group’s 146 communities across the country have a Community Security Initiative. Currently, 45 such communities are protected in this way.

The project will provide “the resources and know-how to secure… vital institutions in the face of rising antisemitism,” a statement from the JFNA said.

Read More: Times Of Israel

Worldwide 30% of trees are in danger of extinction. Not in Israel…

(Photo By: uncredited)

By: Naama Barak - September 28, 2021

In bad news, a report assessing the state of trees worldwide has found that 30 percent of tree species are threatened with extinction. But in good news, it would seem that only two out of Israel’s 60 or so tree species are threatened – a meager 3%.

The State of the World’s Trees report, published as part of the Global Tree Assessment by Botanic Gardens Conservation International this month, looked into the extinction risk information on the world’s 58,497 tree species.

“We now know that 30% of tree species are threatened with extinction, and at least 142 tree species are recorded as extinct,” the report noted.

“The main threats to tree species are forest clearance and other forms of habitat loss, direct exploitation for timber and other products and the spread of invasive pests and diseases. Climate change is also having a clearly measurable impact.”

The report didn’t mention which Israeli tree species are threatened, only noting their number as well as the fact that two tree species are endemic, meaning that they grow in a limited area.

Read More: Israel21c

Israeli mask 99.95% protective against Delta variant, European lab says

(Photo By: Courtesy of Sonovia)

By: Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman - September 26, 2021

The Israeli mask company Sonovia has released a report from a leading Italian textile-testing laboratory showing that its fabric eliminates the COVID-19 Delta variant particles with over 99.95% effectiveness.

At the announcement of the results, the company’s stock spiked by nearly 30%, company founder Shuki Hershcovich told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday during a meeting at his headquarters in Ramat Gan.

Specifically, the masks were tested by VisMederi Textyle, the same lab that reported earlier that the unique fabric, which is coated in zinc nanoparticles, also protects against the British variant of COVID-19 and H1N1, otherwise known as swine flu.

The lab is next expected to test the fabric against the Mu strain, which carries several mutations to the spike gene and is labeled a “variant of interest” by the World Health Organization, said Sonovia chief technology officer Liat Goldhammer-Steinberg.

Read More: Jerusalem Post

An Israeli startup wants to make farming an easier, more profitable and safer enterprise using Nobel-winning gene-editing technology.

(Photo By: Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash)

By: Naama Barak - September 29, 2021

One of the main challenges facing the world of agriculture is that it is simply not profitable enough. Fields are dying in the developed world. Farmers across the globe are struggling to grow and sell crops. Food shortages are a real threat.

A big reason for these troubles is the fact that many crops must be harvested by hand, which is labor-intensive and costly.

Israeli startup BetterSeeds plans to genetically change the architecture of many types of crops to enable mechanized picking.

If that sounds a bit too scientific, BetterSeeds CEO and founder Ido Margalit points to one common, successful example – ketchup.

Read More: Israel21c

Lapid inaugurates Israeli embassy in Bahrain

(Photo By: Shlomi Amsallem/GPO)

By: Lazar Berman - September 30, 2021

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday officially opened Israel’s embassy in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, a year after the two countries agreed to normalize diplomatic relations.

“May our people live in peace and prosperity forever,” Lapid said during the inauguration.

He added in Hebrew: “Israel made a major, historic step today in the Gulf.”

The ceremony was also attended by Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif al Zayani.

“It is an unmistakable signal to all that we are determined,” he said. “We are not done.”

Read More: Times of Israel

Israeli Spy Thriller “Tehran” Nominated For International Emmy Award

(Photo By: Courtesy of Apple TV+)

By: NoCamels Team - September 27, 2021

Israeli spy thriller Tehran was nominated for the prestigious 2021 International Emmy Awards in the best drama series category, The International Academy Of Television Arts & Sciences announced on Thursday.

The Israeli drama co-created by “Fauda” writer Moshe Zonder and produced by Israeli public broadcaster Kan was picked up by Apple TV last year. It tells the story of a young Mossad agent, Tamar Rabinyan, who needs to complete a mission in the Iranian capital and escape safely with an Iranian counter-espionage agent hot on her heels. The show stars Israeli actors Niv Sultan, Navid Negahban, Menashe Noy and Shaun Toub. It features dialogue in Persian, Hebrew, and some English.

Read More: NoCamels

In the end, House Iron Dome fracas only showed Israel support not going anywhere

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By; Jacob Magid - September 25, 2021

Tuesday’s decision by Democratic House leadership to excise new funds for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system from a stopgap emergency government funding bill, following pressure from a small group of progressives, sparked alarm in pro-Israel circles.

Republicans sought to draw sweeping conclusions from the legislative kerfuffle, holding up the decision by Speaker Nancy Pelosi to leave the $1 billion in aid out of the bill, as proof that the Democratic party had officially been co-opted by the Israel critics in the so-called Squad of progressive lawmakers.

Had moderate Democrats, long insisting that such voices in the party represented a loud, yet ineffectual minority on issues relating to Israel, been proven wrong? Here, after all, was that small group affecting actual legislation, potentially causing measurable damage to Israel’s ability to defend itself — at least in the short term.

Read More: Times of Israel

Christians from Egypt, Turkey, 26 other nations bless Israel in new video

(Photo By: Marc Israel Sellem)

By: Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman - September 25, 2021

Christians from nearly 30 countries sent a prayer for peace and divine blessing to Israel through a special Sukkot video that has thus far garnered around 100,000 views.

The video of “Btfilah Amen” was created by Christian Zionist recording artists, musicians, and choirs and debuted on the eve of the Sukkot holiday as part of the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem’s Feast of Tabernacles kick-off event. It was then uploaded to social networks and has garnered 75,000 views on YouTube and around 25,000 on Facebook in just a few days.

Read More: Jerusalem Post

Over 300 prominent Iraqis publicly call for full peace with Israel

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By: Lazar Berman and Aaron Boxerman - September 24, 2021

Hundreds of Iraqi leaders and activists gathered in the country’s Kurdistan region on Friday to publicly call for full normalization with Israel.

The group, which includes Sunni and Shiites, youth activists and tribal leaders, said the next step after the dramatic announcement would be to seek “face-to-face talks” with Israelis.

The 312 Iraqi men and women issued their statements from a hotel in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region. The conference was organized by the New York-based Center for Peace Communications, which works to advance engagement between Arabs and Israelis, and to protect activists supporting normalization.

Read More: Times of Israel

How did Jews celebrate Sukkot 2,000 years ago? Archaeology offers answers

(Photo By: Koby Harati/City of David)

By: Rossella Tercatin - September 20, 2021

Some 2,000 years ago, as the festival of Sukkot approached, tens of thousands of Jews left their homes throughout the Land of Israel and beyond and began a journey toward Jerusalem. There they would encounter a monumental and flourishing city and take part in what likely was one of the most intense religious experiences in the entire Roman Empire.

Ancient remains might not represent the best tools to pinpoint what was happening in a very specific and short period of time – such as the seven days of a festival whose characterizing commandment is to build a temporary booth that would not leave anything permanent.

However, excavations in Jerusalem in conjunction with historical sources have revealed a grandiose picture of that heyday period just before the city and its temple would be destroyed at the hands of the Romans.

Read More: Jerusalem Post

Thousands gather at Western Wall for Sukkot Priestly Blessing

(Photo By: Youtube)

By: JNS Staff - September 22, 2021

Thousands gathered at the Western Wall on Wednesday morning for the traditional Sukkot Priestly Blessing.

Present for the ceremony were Israel’s Ashkenazi and Sephardi chief rabbis, David Lau and Yitzhak Yosef, as well as Rabbi of the Western Wall Shmuel Rabinovitch.

Security and religious authorities warned ahead of time that if the Western Wall Plaza became too crowded, entrance to both the Old City and the plaza itself would be barred. The Western Wall Heritage Foundation has appealed to the public not to attend the blessing on both Wednesday and Thursday, to allow as many people as possible to take part in the ceremony.

Read More: JNS

Pool of water near Dead Sea turns blood red, authorities investigating

(Photo By: David Stanley/FLICKER)

By: Tzvi Joffre - September 13, 2021

A pool of water near the Dead Sea was recently found to have turned red. The Jordanian Water Ministry was sending technical teams on Saturday to take samples and find out the reason for the color change, according to Jordanian media.

Local residents circulated photos of the red pond on social media, wondering how the change occurred.

Although water turning red may conjure up thoughts of the biblical plague of blood, scientists believe the cause is much more down to earth.

Sakhr Al-Nusour, the head of the Jordanian Geologists Syndicate, told the Jordanian Al Ghad news that the red color could have been caused by algae, iron oxide or the addition of substances by humans to change the water’s color.

Read More: Jerusalem Post

Israeli organization gears up for follow-up space mission in 2024, asks global research institutes to submit ideas for experiments

(Photo By: SpaceIL)

By: Ricky Ben-David - September 5, 2021

Israel’s SpaceIL organization, embarking on a second mission to the lunar surface in 2024 following a failed landing bid two years ago, issued a call for proposals from space organizations worldwide for scientific experiments that may become part of the mission, dubbed Beresheet 2.

Universities, research institutes, and companies in the space sector across the globe will have until November 15 to submit their ideas, as the organization prepares to launch the moon mission, SpaceIL said on Thursday.

The organization announced late last year that the Beresheet 2 mission would aim to break several records in global space history, including a double landing on the Moon in a single mission by two of the smallest landing craft ever launched into space, each weighing 120 kilograms (265 pounds), half of which is fuel. The landers will launch on an orbiting spacecraft and then detach to take on the second part of their missions. One of the landers will attempt to touch down on the far side of the Moon, which only China has accomplished to date, and the second spacecraft is scheduled to land at an as-yet-undetermined site on the Moon.

Read More: Times of Israel

Israeli philanthropists, IsraAID help dozens flee Afghanistan for UAE

(Photo By: IsraAID)

By: Cnaan Liphshiz - September 21, 2021

Several Israeli philanthropists have helped bring to Abu Dhabi dozens of asylum seekers, including female athletes, fleeing Taliban rule in Afghanistan.

The rescue operation led by Aaron G. Frenkel, an aviation professional who had helped airlift thousands of Jews out of the Soviet Union, ended on Sept. 6, as 41 asylum seekers from Afghanistan reached Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

The Euro-Asian Jewish Congress detailed the operation in a statement Sunday.

Read More: Times of Israel

‘Unbelievable joy’: In Israeli 1st, doctors separate heads of conjoined twins

(Photo By: Courtesy of Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba)

By: Nathan Jeffay - September 6, 2021

Doctors in Israel have successfully separated twins conjoined at the head for the first time — and say that after the 12-hour “life or death” operation, both babies are likely to live completely normal lives.

Dr. Isaac Lazar told The Times of Israel of the remarkable moment on Sunday when the girls looked at each other for the first time, after a year connected at their heads but unable to see one another, and of the “unbelievable joy” that the parents felt.

“When the nurses brought the babies together, newly separated, they looked at each other, made noises, and gently touched each other — it was beautiful,” Lazar said. “You could see the communication between them, and it was just so special.”

Read More: Times of Israel

Israel’s trade with Arab states has surged since 2020 peace deals, data shows

(Photo By: Miriam Alster/Flash90)

By: TOI Staff - September 4, 2021

Trade between Israel and countries in the Middle East and North Africa has grown significantly this year, following the Jewish state’s normalization of ties with additional Arab states, new data revealed.

In the first seven months of 2021, trade grew by 234 percent compared to the same period in 2020, according to Central Bureau of Statistics figures cited by Yonatan Gonen, a Foreign Ministry cadet.

The statistics showed trade with the United Arab Emirates surged from $50.8 million between January and July 2020 to $613.9 million in the same period in 2021.

Read More: Times of Israel

'Bible coming alive in Israel,' these women connect Christians to it

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By: Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman - September 6, 2021

For the majority of America’s nearly 90-million strong Evangelical community, supporting Israel is not about politics but the Bible.

“The connection really starts with Genesis 1:1,” explained Shari Dollinger, co-executive director of Christians United for Israel, with the verse “In the beginning, God created the heavens and earth.”

“If people are not tied spiritually to Israel, when Israel does something they don’t agree with, they can walk away,” said Dollinger. “If the link to Israel is through Scripture, tied to who they are – once you are rooted, you cannot walk away.”

Dollinger and her co-influencer, Yael Eckstein, the CEO of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, have devoted the majority of their adult lives to creating meaningful and relevant bridges between the Christian community and Israel.

Read More: Jerusalem Post

The Israeli Olympic medalist putting judo competition in a full Nelson-Levy

(Photo By: AP Photo/Vincent Thian)

By: Amy Spiro - September 1, 2021

When Timna Nelson-Levy stepped on to the mat to face fellow judoka Daria Mezhetskaia in the bronze medal match of the mixed team event at the Tokyo Olympics, she could feel the pressure on her shoulders.

Israel’s judo delegation to the Games, considered to be among its strongest medal contenders, saw its members knocked out one by one in the individual matches all week long. But the mixed team event, making its Olympic debut in Tokyo, brought a shot at redemption.

Nelson-Levy, 27, competed fifth in the lineup against the Russian Olympic Committee, with three Israeli wins already in the books out of six rounds, giving her a shot at clinching the medal for the entire team.

Read More: Times of Israel

Israel’s consulate in New York honors 9/11 victims on 20th anniversary of attacks

(Photo By: Israeli consulate/Twitter)

By: JNS Staff - September 2, 2021

Acting Consul General of Israel in New York Israel Nitzan and the Port Authority Police Department gathered at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday to mark the Jewish calendar’s 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and its victims.

“That tragic and devastating day was an attack on the free world, democracy and the values we all hold so dear,” said Nitzan at the event. “As terror and suffering continue to grow in this world, Israel and the United States must continue to join forces, and fight hate and evil from our midst. We have come a long way and yet have long to go.”

Others who attended the service included Port Authority Police Superintendent Ed Cetnar; Rabbi Mendy Carlebach, chaplain of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, who blew a shofar at the event; and UJA-Federation of New York president Amy Bressman.

Read More: JNS

Stone cold sting: Ancient Jerusalem weight points to a 2,700-year-old hustle

(Photo By: Eliyahu Yanai, City of David)

By: Stuart Winer - September 2, 2021

An ancient stone weight dug up in Jerusalem has been found to be far heavier than the amount written on its surface, leading archaeologists to assume it was used to cheat in trading, the City of David Ancient Jerusalem site said in a statement on Thursday.

The 2,700-year-old artifact was found in the main drainage channel of ancient Jerusalem at the foundations of the Western Wall, located in the Emek Zurim Valley National Park, at the northern section of the City of David. The statement did not say when the stone was found.

Just 14 millimeters (.55 inches) in diameter and 12 millimeters (.47 inches) high, it is made of a “hard, smooth, well-polished reddish limestone,” the statement said. “It is a very rare find and is the second weight of this kind found in archaeological excavations throughout Israel.”

Read More: Times of Israel