Sunday, December 6, 2020

Walter Williams - RIP. Call Orkin? Durham Release Report? Israel Speak With One Voice. Czechs Check Us Out. Understanding Populism. Ordman.














Walter Williams RIP.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/walter-williams-r-i-p-11606934313?mod=opinion_lead_pos7

And:

Call Orkin? 

https://thejewishvoice.com/2020/12/ossoff-warnock-campaign-with-democrat-congressman-who-called-jews-termites/

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House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Biggs demanded Friday that DOJ Attorney General William Barr hand over information on the ongoing investigations into election fraud. Barr had told the AP last week that as of yet the DOJ and FBI have not found significant evidence of fraud that would change the election. (Capitol Hill, Screen shot CSPAN, Dec. 4, 2020). 

By Sarah Carter

Arizona Republican Rep. Andy Biggs demanded Friday that Justice Department Attorney General William Barr release the current findings of “his election fraud investigation.”

Biggs, who spoke at a press conference outside on Capitol Hill, said on Twitter that it “is imperative that the American people receive clarity as to the allegations and claims that have been raised about the 2020 election.”

“This election took place almost exactly one-month ago,” said Biggs, who is the Chairman of the House Freedom Caucus. “And when this election was concluded at least on that November 3 day, and there began to be questions about the integrity of that election – there were a number of us that did call the Department of Justice to begin looking investigating and going through the claims that were arising and going forward throughout this country.”

He added that “as votes were being counted post Election Day complaints continued and we urged the Attorney General to investigate, to make sure that we can rely on the integrity of the election. In a republic there is nothing more detrimental than to not be able to trust your institutions created by those who have the ultimate power.”

“We don’t have any power as members of Congress. It is the people of this country from which our authority is derived because they delegate it to us,” Biggs added.

Last week, Barr disclosed to The Associated Press that thus far his “we have not seen fraud on a scale that could have effected a different outcome in the election.”

President Donald Trump’s lawyers, Rudy Giuliani and Jenna Ellis, shot back at Barr in a statement saying, “with all due respect to the Attorney General, there hasn’t been a semblance of a Department of Justice investigation,” they said. “We have gathered ample evidence of illegal voting in at least six states, which they have not examined.”

Let’s see what the DOJ has investigated. So far, with the Russia investigation into the FBI’s malfeasance and now with the election fraud probe it appears to be all talk and no action.Maybe it’s just gaslighting because we haven’t seen anything yet.

I agree with Biggs it’s the American people who must demand that the Justice Department do its job and present us with the facts. After all, we pay their salaries

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Israel needs to speak with one voice while America, should Biden become president, will speak in many tongues?

Biden makes the Netanyahu-Gantz divorce necessary

Israel has so far gotten away with a dysfunctional farce of a unity government. But with relations with Washington about to get tricky, the Jewish state needs to speak with one voice.


This isn’t what Israelis want to hear right now, but it’s nonetheless true. They need to hold another election. The prospect of a new administration in Washington is cause for concern, even if it may not prove to be the end of the world. But the challenge that this will pose requires Jerusalem to speak with one voice.


An Israeli government with the prime minister’s office at odds with both the defense and foreign ministries is a luxury the Jewish state might have been able to afford as long as President Donald Trump was in the White House, and the U.S.-Israel relationship was one rooted in close cooperation and a common vision about strategic issues. But with President-elect Joe Biden about to take office with a foreign-policy team committed to the failed Middle East policies of the Obama administration, Israel’s margin for error is about to be reduced. Even if that means that Israelis must suffer through the agony of a fourth election inside of two years, a divorce between unity government partners Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz has become a necessity.


After having held three inconclusive elections inside of a year, yet another trip to the ballot box would seem to be the last thing the Jewish state needs. In April and September of 2019, and then again in March of this year, Israelis headed to the polls to elect a Knesset. Each time resulted in a stalemate with neither Netanyahu nor his chief rival—Blue and White Party leader Gantz—able to muster a majority.

The standoff finally ended in April of this year, when Gantz split his party by joining a unity government with Netanyahu. Doing so made no political sense for him since the only point of Blue and White was to topple the prime minister rather than to enact different policies. Indeed, on all of the important war and peace issues, Gantz tried to run to the right of Netanyahu. But realizing the futility of the continued stalemate and responding patriotically to the crisis that the coronavirus pandemic presented to the nation, he decided that throwing in with his nemesis was the right thing to do.

 

Many in his own party denounced him as a traitor and a fool. The terms of the deal he cut with Netanyahu not only brought the rump of Blue and White who stuck with him an outsized share of government posts, it also offered him a pathway to the prime ministership since it called for the two to switch jobs in 18 months. Yet few at the time thought Netanyahu would stick to that deal, and nothing that has happened in the eight months since then has changed anyone’s mind about that.


Netanyahu is a political mastermind, and his ability to outmaneuver and undermine Gantz—a former chief of staff of the Israeli Defense Forces who is still a novice in his new profession—at every turn has made the conduct of the country’s government a dismal spectacle. Though the tall, handsome and personable Gantz seems like a political consultant’s dream candidate, his inability to keep up with Netanyahu has made the power struggle within the cabinet something of a mismatch. And with the prime minister personally managing the country’s key responsibilities—the relationship with Trump and Israel’s new Gulf state allies, as well as its defense strategy—Gantz’s frustration at being boxed out by the prime minister at every turn has been painfully obvious to all.


As long as Washington was prepared to follow Netanyahu’s lead, and ignore Gantz and his Blue and White colleague Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, this farce had no impact on anything other than the two ex-generals’ egos.


But with U.S. foreign policy about to be put in the hands of Obama administration alumni, Israel’s divided Cabinet is about to be transformed from a cruel comedy at Gantz’s expense into a distinct political liability for the country.


A Biden administration will not be content, as Trump’s was, to let communications between the two governments be managed through the friendly conduit of Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer, who reported directly to Netanyahu. Biden and Secretary of State-designate Anthony Blinken may not be about to seek the same “daylight” that Obama tried to create between the two countries. But their differences with the Israeli consensus on the impossibility of peace with the Palestinians and the need to confront, rather than appease, Iran are bound to create trouble.


Under those circumstances, they won’t hesitate to pit Gantz against Netanyahu, and to do everything in their power to strengthen the Blue and White faction in the government even if, at least in principle, its stands on important issues don’t differ much from those of the Likud Party.


The stakes involved in properly managing relations with Biden and avoiding the kinds of conflict that happened under Obama are too high for Israel to continue with a dysfunctional coalition. The sooner the current government is replaced by one that can speak with one voice—no matter whose voice it is—the better.


Holding an election during a pandemic or even one held while the arrival of a vaccine may start the process of ending the crisis won’t be easy. That’s especially true in a country where there are no mail-in ballots or absentee voting, as is the case with Israel (though that also means that they don’t have the kind of disputes about elections that America struggles with).


Of course, a new Israeli election might result in another stalemate, as happened the last three times. The prime minister is still laboring under the shadow of the corruption trial that threatens his future. But unlike in the previous tries, the notion of Gantz as the unsullied clear alternative to Netanyahu is out the window since both his decision to join the government and his poor performance in office guarantees that his faction will be punished by the voters. The anti-Netanyahu vote will be split between Blue and White, former Gantz partner Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid Party and the possibility of a centrist alternative led by yet another ex-general in Gadi Eizenkot. Right now, it looks as if a more stable right wing-religious government (with the Yamina Party, which is to the right of Likud, led by Naftali Bennett and now set to be the second-largest faction in the Knesset) is the most likely outcome.

No matter what choice Israelis make, they’ll be better off with a government not at war with itself. Whether it is led by Netanyahu or someone else, the end of the Trump era in Washington should also mean the end of Israel’s latest unhappy experiment in “unity.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Has someone in the Czech Republic  "checked" us out and knows us better than we know ourselves?


Some people have the vocabulary to sum up things in a way that you can quickly understand them. This quote came from the Czech Republic. Someone over there has it figured out. It was translated into English from an article in a Prague newspaper.

  

"The danger to America is not Joseph Biden, but a citizenry capable of entrusting a man like him with the Presidency. It will be far easier to limit and undo the follies of a Biden presidency than to restore the necessary common sense and good judgment to a depraved electorate willing to have such a man for their president. The problem is much deeper and far more serious than Mr. Biden, who is a mere symptom of what ails America. Blaming the prince of the fools should not blind anyone to the vast confederacy of fools that made him their prince. The Republic can survive a Biden, who is, after all, merely a fool. It is less likely to survive a multitude of fools, such as those who made him their president."

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Elites just don't understand the logic of and what motivates populism.


Conservative populism stronger than ever despite Trump’s election loss

By Salena Zito

“Even now, elites still fail to understand why people vote the way they do, and continue to portray conservative populists as uneducated whites driven by anger and resentment. Once again, they are missing the strength and diversity of this coalition.” 


Click here for the full story

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++If this email arrives in your spam / junk folder, please mark it as "not spam". 


Best regards
Michael

 -

In the 6th Dec 20 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include (edited:) 
   

     
    ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
     
    More accessible cancer treatment. The Car-T cancer therapy invented by Israel’s Professor Zelig Eshhar (see here) is curing thousands of blood cancer patients. But the manual effort is hugely expensive. Now Israel’s ADVA Biotechnologies is developing a simpler, automated process. More lives will be saved with less cost.
    https://www.advabio.com/   https://www.jpost.com/health-science/adva-biotechnology-643385
     
    AI in Israeli hospitals. Good to see that Israel’s six largest medical centers are using AI-based software from Israel’s Aidoc (see here) to analyze CT scans and pinpoint cerebral hemorrhage, pulmonary embolism, stroke and C-spine fractures. They are Sheba, Hadassah, Sourasky (Ichilov), Rabin, Shaare Zedek and Assuta centers.
    https://www.timesofisrael.com/6-biggest-israeli-hospitals-use-aidoc-software-to-read-ct-scans-firm-announces/
    https://unitedwithisrael.org/israelis-discover-brain-injuries-in-record-time-with-new-ai-tech/
     
    Go barefoot to reduce foot pain. Tel Aviv University researchers have discovered a simple cure for people suffering from osteophytes (bone spurs) - lumps that grow on the heels of the feet. A 1-month controlled study of 50 patients found a 10-30 minute daily barefoot walk at home, or on a treadmill, significantly reduced pain.
    https://unitedwithisrael.org/foot-pain-israeli-researchers-discover-simple-cure-for-most-common-cause/
     
    Not heart-stopping at all. Israel’s Mitrassist Medical (reported here previously) has advanced to human trials of its innovative heart valve implant that avoids the risks of stopping the heart during open heart surgery. Mitrassist has just raised funds to recruit more employees and tackle additional structural heart diseases.
    https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3878551,00.html   http://mitrassist.com/
     
    Blood test analyzers for Australia. (TY Hazel) Israel’s PixCell Medical (reported here previously) will be deploying its blood test analyzers in labs and emergency departments in New South Wales, Australia. PixCell’s HemoScreen low-cost portable hematology analyzer can perform a complete blood count at the point of care.
    https://www.timesofisrael.com/pixcell-to-deploy-blood-test-analyzers-in-australias-new-south-wales/
     
    Relieving the pressure on Cypriot hospitals. (TY Hazel) Hadassah hospital in Jerusalem will accept non-Covid patients from Cyprus with serious and life-threatening medical conditions to relieve local hospitals under strain from Covid-19. Hadassah also wants to build a hospital complex and rehabilitation center in Cyprus.
    https://cyprus-mail.com/2020/11/26/israels-hadassah-to-accept-critical-non-covid-patients-from-cypriot-hospitals/
     
    Israeli masks are good for you. (TY Uri) Nice article in TravelTrend about how the SonoMask facemasks from Israel’s Sonovia (reported here previously) protect their wearers and the public against the coronavirus.
    https://www.trvltrend.com/technology/sonovia-antiviral-facemask/   https://sonoviatech.com/
     
     
    ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
     

    Israeli elected to UN disability committee. Odelia Fitoussi, born with muscular dystrophy, is the first Israeli to be elected to the prestigious U.N. Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
    https://www.jns.org/israeli-advocate-for-disability-rights-to-serve-on-expert-un-committee/
     
    Trade agreements with Bahrain. Bahrain’s Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Zayed bin Rashid Al-Zayani made a 2-day visit to Jerusalem.  Three deals were signed to boost trade and tourism. The Minister said the agreements would lead to economic prosperity for both countries and more stability in the region.
    https://unitedwithisrael.org/peace-prosperity-and-friendship-israel-signs-3-agreements-during-bahraini-ministers-visit/  https://www.jns.org/netanyahu-welcomes-bahraini-tourism-minister-in-jerusalem/
     
    Partnering with UAE to save endangered bird. (TY UWI & ILTV) Abu Dhabi-based International Houbara Conservation fund is working with Israel’s Nature & Parks Authority and the Nature & Heritage Foundation to save the endangered Houbara species from extinction. There are some 400 Houbaras in Israel’s Arava Desert.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZiyJ_grfn8
     
    Aid to victims of Honduras hurricanes. Israel’s Defense and Foreign Ministers have sent an aid delegation of 15 IDF Home Front Command officers to Honduras. They are providing emergency response to the populations in the areas devastated by Hurricanes Eta and Iota, hand in hand with local volunteers. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292566
     
    Helping battle Covid-19 in Italy. (TY Stuart Pl) Israel’s Sheba Medical Center has sent a team of 20 doctors and nurses to assist the Piedmont District of Northern Italy, where 169,000 patients are infected with Covid-19. The 10-day mission followed an appeal from Piedmont’s governor to Israel’s Ambassador to Italy.
    https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-medical-team-aiding-covid-battle-in-northern-italy/
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HfWv5zxqMMk
     
     
    SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
     
    Czech-Israeli science co-operation. There are many current Czech-Israeli research projects using robots and AI in different fields. They include in autonomous vehicles, maneuvering with drones and physiotherapy treatment. The article humorously links fascination with robots to the Jewish tradition of the Golem of Prague!
    https://www.jpost.com/international/from-the-golem-of-prague-to-artificial-intelligence-650713
     
    Healthy milk without cows. (TY UWI & Nas) Israel’s Remilk has developed a product, chemically identical to milk, but without cholesterol or lactose. Remilk uses microbes to produce milk proteins. No cows, no animal abuse, no huge land use, no waste products. Remilk tastes the same and is easily made into cheese, yogurt etc.
    https://www.timesofisrael.com/dont-have-a-cow-israels-remilk-serves-up-dairy-products-made-without-animals/  https://www.re-milk.com/  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lq0btKzqYk4
     
    Tech to make tourism safe. Israel’s Arieli Capital is partnering tourism giants Booking.com, Spain’s travel firm Amadeus and Etihad Airways to launch a NIS 10 million accelerator program. Called OnBoard, it will foster Israeli and international startups developing tech solutions that reduce pandemic risks for travelers.
    https://www.timesofisrael.com/uaes-etihad-airways-joins-new-israeli-program-to-foster-travel-tech/
     
    Israeli tech protects Spanish VIPs from Covid-19. Madrid’s Pardo Palace, where the Spanish Monarchy accommodates guests of the government, has installed air purifiers from Israel’s Aura Smart Air (reported here previously). The system kills 99.9% of viruses in the air, including the coronavirus.
    https://jewishbusinessnews.com/2020/12/01/spains-royal-palace-chooses-israeli-technology-to-purify-the-air-from-covid-19/   https://techtime.news/2020/10/15/aura-air/
     
    Synthetic biology winners. At the iGEM (International Genetically Engineered Machine) Competition for Synthetic Biology, Tel Aviv University’s team won the “Best Software Tool” category. Israel’s Technion won gold for its active gel that captures SARS-CoV-2 viruses and prevents them from entering body cells.
    https://biotech.technion.ac.il/congratulations-to-igem-2020-team-for-winning-the-gold-medal/
    https://english.m.tau.ac.il/news/igem-2020  
     
    Recycling plastic for car parts. Almost every month there is a new use for the thermoplastic from recycled plastic waste made by Israel’s UBQ Materials (reported here previously). UBQ’s new partner is Indian vehicle component manufacturer Motherson Group, who will use the material in the manufacture of automotive parts.
    https://nocamels.com/2020/11/waste-ubq-materials-auto-conversion/
     
    An electric car for the elderly. (TY Hazel) Students at Israel’s Ariel University have developed an electric car that can park perpendicular to the sidewalk and disembark its passengers to a standing position. It was the only Israeli project chosen for the 2020 Global Grad Show - a virtual social impact exhibition hosted in Dubai.
    https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-students-electric-car-for-elderly-to-compete-in-dubai-based-show/
     
    Warehouse robots that adapt. Israel’s Caja Robotics installs robotic warehouse Automated Storage & Retrieval Systems (ASRS). Caja’s advantage is that it can be installed in almost any warehouse, as it adapts to existing infrastructure. It consists of two types of robot, plus cloud-based Artificially Intelligent software.
    https://jewishbusinessnews.com/2020/12/01/israels-caja-robotics-makes-warehouse-management-easier/
     
    Gel powered rocket engines. (TY UWI) Israel’s NewRocket (reported here previously) has unveiled its “new generation” rocket engines for satellites, propelled by its PowerGel low-cost and environmentally friendly gel fuel. Satellite engines currently use highly toxic hydrazine-based fuel - soon expected to be banned in Europe.
    https://www.timesofisrael.com/startup-unveils-new-generation-rocket-engines-with-powergel-fuel/
     
    Tracing problems in the data pipeline. Companies these days regard their data as important as their electricity or water supply. Israel’s Databand helps scientists and data engineers resolve problems with their data, such as failed processes, why data updates are running late, and how system changes affect the quality of data outputs.
    https://databand.ai/   https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3878320,00.html
     
    Powering Amazon’s AWS customers. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is to offer its customers Gaudi AI accelerators developed by Intel’s Israel-based subsidiary Habana Labs. They will soon be able to use AWS machine learning cloud services at a much lower cost.  Intel bought Israel’s Habana Labs for $2 billion in 2019.
    https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-tech-gives-intel-breakthrough-in-market-dominated-by-competitor/  
     
    Ariel’s first satellite. Ariel University’s first nanosatellite SATLLA-1 has been launched from the International Space Station and is now orbiting the Earth every 97 minutes. Eventually, three SATLLA nanosatellites will work as a “swarm” enabling affordable research, controlled and tracked by an Ariel-developed ground station.
    https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-university-nanosatellites-aim-to-democratize-space/
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIUZZvE5yl4
     
    Testing restaurant for vegan meat. Israel’s Supermeat (reported here previously) has opened a restaurant near its production factory in Ness Tziona, south of Tel Aviv. It is a testing kitchen for Supermeat’s lab-grown “cultured chicken”. Diners are not required to pay for their meal but are asked to give feedback.
    https://www.israel365news.com/160829/first-lab-grown-meat-restaurant-opens-in-tel-aviv-miraculous-food-from-heaven/
     
     
    ECONOMY & BUSINESS
     
    Projects to strengthen business economy.  The Israeli Economy Ministry is investing some NIS 50 million in ventures to help businesses recover from the pandemic.  They include a crowdfunding platform that provides loans to small businesses and a company helping to establish an online trading platform for businesses.
    https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/economy-ministry-to-invest-nis-50m-to-help-companies-impacted-by-covid-19-650882
     
    Israeli education centers for UAE. In January, the United Arab Emirates is to open an Educational Hebrew Institute in 4 locations in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Israelis will teach the Hebrew language and Israeli culture to
    acquaint local businesspeople with Israeli-style communication and cuisine in “a fun and interactive way.”
    https://www.israel21c.org/hebrew-language-and-israeli-culture-institute-opens-in-uae/
     
    Dubai commodities center opens Israel office. The Dubai Multi Commodities Center Authority has opened a representative office inside the Israel Diamond Center in Ramat Gan, north Tel Aviv. The new office will support Israeli businesses, from all industries and sectors, interested in setting up a presence in Dubai.
    https://www.israelhayom.com/2020/12/02/dubai-commodities-center-opens-office-in-tel-aviv-to-boost-israeli-trade-through-uae/
     
    Free trade agreement with Ukraine. The expanded Free Trade Agreement between Israel and Ukraine (reported here previously) will go into effect on 1st Jan 2021. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky praised the closer cooperation with Israel. “Relations between our countries are rising to a new level,” he wrote.
    https://www.jns.org/zelensky-announces-ukraine-israel-free-trade-agreement-to-take-effect-in-january/
     
    Next stop is Tulsa. Tulsa, Oklahoma is seeking to help Israeli startups with remote hiring and US market entry. Tulsa has diversified from oil & gas into hi-tech. Its work from home (WFH) program “Remote” has attracted skilled professionals escaping from crowded coastal cities. Several Israeli startups have already moved in.
    https://www.israel21c.org/the-surprising-us-city-where-israeli-tech-is-heading-next/
     
    $125 million for Israeli-founded startups. Venture capital firm Entrée Capital has now fully raised its $125 million Israel Opportunity Fund.  The new fund will target early growth Israeli-founded startups, focusing on areas such as deep technology, SaaS, fintech and digital health.
    https://www.calcalistech.com/ctech/articles/0,7340,L-3878810,00.html
     
    Water from the air to the Gulf. Israel’s Watergen is bringing its revolutionary water solutions to the United Arab Emirates and other countries in the region. Watergen’s partnership with Emirati Al-Dahra will cover hotels, offices and apartment buildings, agriculture, industry and more.
    https://www.jns.org/abu-dhabi-company-to-bring-israeli-drinking-water-technologies-to-gulf/
     
    People of the Books. A 1980 Hebrew University of Jerusalem library management project was commercialized into Aleph-Yissum and taken over several times. Now called Ex-Libris, it is still headquartered in Jerusalem. Ex-Libris’ remote learning systems are used by 7,500 academic institutions in 90 countries.
    https://nocamels.com/2020/12/ex-libris-remote-education-covid/
     
    Investment in Israeli startups: Bizzabo raised $138 millionEnvoy raised $81 millionMitrassist Medical raised $50 millionLogz.io raised $23 millionDataband raised $14.5 millionCaja Robotics raised $12 millionTipa raised $4 millionNewRocket raised $1 million;
     
     
    CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT`
     
    Jerusalem sights and colors. (TY Sharon) Sharon took a stroll in beautiful end-November sunshine through the streets, gardens and parks of Israel’s capital. http://rjstreets.com/2020/11/29/jerusalem-sights-and-colors/
     
    No stopping. Tel Aviv’s “The Non-Stop City Refuses to Stop” campaign has hundreds of events, all Health Ministry compliant. Rooftop performances, outdoor art and photography festivals, activities for the elderly, beach yoga classes, gyms on wheels, free city tours and this week’s best dating place is a lifeguard station.
    https://www.telavivpress.com/refuses-to-stop
    https://nocamels.com/2020/11/tel-aviv-city-date-beach-lifeguard-tower-coronavirus/
     
    Go online for Jaffa Fest. The 2020 Jaffa International Theater Festival (Dec 3 – 8) will consist of all digital content in Hebrew, Russian and English. The festival includes plays and a day-long Hebrew audio tour in the footsteps of Israeli playwright Nissim Aloni through the streets of Tel Aviv.
    https://www.israel21c.org/2020-jaffa-fest-takes-off-online-this-winter/   https://www.jaffafest.com/
     
    Walk the walk and tread the boards. For those wishing to get out of their homes following the end of lockdown, here are 10 recommended boardwalks and beach hikes in Israel. Enjoy Israel’s winter sunshine.
    https://www.israel21c.org/top-10-boardwalks-and-beach-hikes-in-israel/
     
    Golden gymnasts. Israeli rhythmic gymnast Linoy Ashram won the individual all-around title at the European Championships in Kiev. Israel’s rhythmic gymnastics team took gold in the group all-around category. Daria Atamanov won gold in the Junior clubs event. Apologies - last week’s Judoka gold medalist was Peter Paltchik.
    https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-gymnast-linoy-ashram-wins-gold-at-european-championships/
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tm57ebVD5CM  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka_N6B_ZHS0
     
    Champion windsurfer. Israeli windsurfer Yoav Cohen, 21, won the 2020 European Windsurfing Champion, held in Portugal. Shahar Zubari, a member of Israel’s Olympic sailing team, won a silver, as did Israeli teammate Katy Spychakov in the women’s category. This was Zubari’s fifth European Championship medal.
    https://unitedwithisrael.org/israelis-rake-in-the-gold-medals-at-international-competitions/amp/
     
    More medals and sports winners. Israeli Taekwondo warrior Avishag Samberg won gold in the European Clubs Championship in Croatia. Nimrod Krivishkiy won silver, while Ori Patishi and Alon Katz won bronzes. Finally, Israeli grandmaster Evgeny Postny, won an online chess solidarity event with Arab states.
    https://www.israel21c.org/israeli-contenders-rake-in-international-gold-medals/
     
    Slam Dunk. Israel qualified for its 14th consecutive EuroBasket tournament, beating Poland 78-72. Due to coronavirus, Israel’s “home” match had to be played in Spain. With two matches to play, the team has a 4-0 record in the group having previously beaten Romania, Spain and Poland (away). EuroBasket begins Sep 2022.
    https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/sports/israel-clinches-eurobasket-2022-berth-650763
    https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/sports/israel-breezes-into-eurobasket-in-style-651099
     
     
    THE JEWISH STATE
     
    400 years of US-Israel bond. (TY Yoram Ettinger) The Founding Fathers set sail from England to America in 1620, inspired by the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land of Israel. Symbols of America’s Biblical heritage can be seen right across the USA and most US Presidents have championed the Jewish State.
    https://thefederalist.com/2020/11/23/how-the-bible-inspired-the-american-founding-from-the-beginning/
     
    Making their way home. A couple who made Aliyah in 1989 have returned to visit the former Soviet Union. They found empty synagogues and remnants of large communities that have since relocated to the Jewish State.
    https://www.aish.com/jw/s/Jews-in-Exile-Making-their-Way-Home.html
     
    Operation Rock of Israel. In the opening flight of Operation Rock of Israel, 316 members of the Falash Mura community from Ethiopia landed in Israel on Thursday morning on a flight from Gondar. Approximately 100 more were due to arrive on Friday, and a total of 2,000 new Olim by end Jan 2021. Even the BBC reported it.
    https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/first-ethiopian-falash-mura-land-in-israel-watch-651019
    https://unitedwithisrael.org/joyful-ethiopians-kiss-the-ground-after-making-aliyah-to-israel/
    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-55171742
     
    Helping French medics make Aliya. KKL-JNF, Nahariya Municipality and NGO Kehilot Yisrael have begun a NIS 3 million project to bring hundreds of doctors and healthcare professionals from France and settling them in the Galilee. In a pilot project 14 doctors and their families moved to Nahariya three months ago.
    https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/kkl-jnf-helps-doctors-make-aliyah-from-france-651044
     
    Canadian defender of Israel honored. Toronto non-Jewish lawyer Jacques Gauthier was awarded the Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation’s inaugural Advocate Award of Excellence. His 1,100-page doctoral thesis supports and proves Jewish sovereignty over all of Jerusalem. It took him 25 years to complete.
    https://canadianjewishrecord.ca/2020/12/02/scholar-honored-for-work-on-100th-anniversary-of-san-remo-conference/
     
    Israeli 100-year-old hero has return flight. (TY Algemeiner) South African-born Harold “Smoky” Simon, who flew in Israel’s 1948 War of Independence, celebrated his 100th birthday by flying a vintage Tiger Moth around the Sde Te’eman airfield, near Beersheva. His two sons, both ex-IAF pilots, went with him for the ride.
    https://www.thejc.com/news/world/israeli-war-of-independence-hero-celebrates-high-flying-100th-birthday-1.509214
     
    100 years young. Kurt Rothschild, President of World Mizrachi, will hopefully mark his 100th birthday on the first day of Chanukah.  Every day, until the coronavirus pandemic hit earlier this year, he reported for duty in his Jerusalem office. Every institution in the religious Zionist world, has benefitted from his assistance.
    https://www.israelhayom.com/2020/11/29/honoring-kurt-rothschild-at-100/
     
    On a roll. (TY WIN) With so many recent discoveries of ancient Jewish artifacts in Israel it was only a matter of time before archaeologists chanced upon part of a game that Jews might have played during Chanukah 2,000 years ago. A die cube from the second Temple period was unearthed at the Khirbet Kfar Mor site in Beit El.
    https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/292027
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