https://nypost.com/2024/02/26/
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When you hire affirmative action incompetents who have reached their rightful level what you get should be no surprise, even if it is Harvard.
Incompetency has no borders when stupidity is afoot.
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Harvard's Plagiarism Problem Multiplies
Another administrator at the Ivy League university appears to have plagiarized her dissertation
Now allegations have emerged that another Harvard DEI administrator, Shirley Greene, of Harvard Extension School, plagiarized more than 40 passages of her 2008 dissertation, “Converging Frameworks: Examining the Impact of Diversity-Related College Experiences on Racial/Ethnic Identity Development.” According to the Harvard directory, Greene is a Title IX coordinator affiliated with the Office for Gender Equity. She has worked to advance “Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging,” and hosted a panel on “The Past, Present, and Future of Juneteenth” in conjunction with the DEI department. (Harvard did not respond to an emailed request for comment.)
The Harvard Crimson previously reported on the allegations against Greene, which a whistleblower lodged anonymously. I have obtained the full complaint, which paints a much more damning indictment of Greene’s scholarship than the student newspaper had let on. Seen in its entirety, the complaint raises serious questions about Greene’s scholarship and academic integrity.
In the most serious instance, Greene lifts directly from Janelle Lee Woo’s 2004 dissertation, “Chinese American Female Identity.” In two significant sections, Greene copied words, phrases, passages, and almost entire paragraphs verbatim, without proper attribution or quotation. She also copies most of an entire table on “Racial/Ethnic Identity Development Models,” a foundational concept in the paper, without acknowledging the source.
We can examine one representative paragraph that illustrates the brazen nature of this adaptation. In her paper, Woo writes:
Stage 2, White Identification (WI), is a direct consequence of the increase in significant contact between the individual and white society. This stage entails the sense of being different from other people and not belonging anywhere. The individual’s self-perception changes from neutral/positive to negative, and she begins to internalize the belief systems of white society. Consequently, the individual does not question what it means to be Asian American. The individual alienates herself from other Asian Americans, while simultaneously experiencing social alienation from her white peers. Only when the individual seeks to “acquire a political understanding of [her] social status” (Kim 1981: 138) does she enter into the next stage.
Here is Greene’s version, with the duplicated portions of Woo and Woo’s citations italicized:
White Identification (WI), is a direct consequence of the increase in significant contact between the individual and white society. Individuals in this stage have the sense of being different from other people and not belonging anywhere. Their self-perception changes from neutral/positive to negative and they begin to internalize the belief systems of white society. Consequently, the individual fails to question what it means to be Asian American and alienates themselves from other Asian Americans, while simultaneously experiencing social alienation from their white peers. In order to move to the next stage, the individual must acquire a political understanding of social status.
The complaint, which has been sent to Harvard’s research-integrity officials, features more than three dozen other examples of Greene allegedly lifting language from other scholars, without proper attribution or quotations. For another typical example, we can compare a passage from Anthony Antonio’s paper, “Developing Leadership Skills for Diversity,” with Greene’s dissertation.
Here is Antonio’s original text:
Astin found that independent of students' entering characteristics and different types of college environments, frequent interracial interaction in college was associated with increases in cultural awareness, commitment to racial understanding, commitment to cleaning up the environment, and higher levels of academic development (critical thinking skills, analytical skills, general and specific knowledge, and writing skills) and satisfaction with college.
Compare this with Greene’s dissertation, which copies the entire paragraph verbatim, adds the word “ethnic,” and, though it cites the source, does not include quotation marks. Here is Greene, with italics added to mark the plagiarized content:
Astin found that independent of students’ entering characteristics and different types of college environments, frequent interracial interaction in college was associated with increases in cultural awareness, commitment to racial/ethnic understanding, commitment to cleaning up the environment, and higher levels of academic development (critical thinking skills, analytical skills, general and specific knowledge, and writing skills) and satisfaction with college.
In total, the complaint identifies dozens of such passages in Greene’s dissertation, ranging from minor infringements to what appears to be outright theft of concepts and language. Most of these instances would appear to violate Harvard’s own plagiarism policy, which states: “If you copy language word for word from another source and use that language in your paper, you are plagiarizing verbatim … you must give credit to the author of the source material, either by placing the source material in quotation marks and providing a clear citation, or by paraphrasing the source material and providing a clear citation.”
In its initial report, the Crimson chose to downplay these violations and focus on the fact that the complaint against Greene “marks the third set of anonymous plagiarism allegations against Black women who hold or held leadership positions at Harvard.” The implication, of course, is that the anonymous critics are motivated by racism—which other commentators have made explicit in defending Gay, Charleston, and Greene.
This should sound familiar. For years, America’s elite institutions have maintained the convenient fiction that all racial disparities can be explained by racism, not disparities in behavior. For the subjects of Harvard’s plagiarism scandal, however, another plausible explanation exists: namely, that academics who focus on DEI and advocate lower standards for “oppressed” racial groups might hold themselves to lower standards of academic integrity than academics in more legitimate disciplines.
Regardless of the cause, Harvard should ask itself a simple question: how did so many alleged plagiarists rise to positions of power at the nation’s most prestigious university? If Harvard officials believe that they can shrug off the university’s growing plagiarism crisis, they should know that this may just be the beginning. My sources indicate that many more allegations may be coming.
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The key to trust in America lies in localism
By Salena Zito
Autumn Colamarino says she has known since she was 6 years old she wanted to own her own business. Twenty years later, she opened her beauty salon along Old William Penn Highway and began achieving her goals.
The vivacious 27-year-old is in the business of making people feel beautiful. Her shop is a calming sea-foam green, her customers range from young to not-so-young, and despite the challenges of costs for color, foils, shampoos, and instruments doubling twice over the past year, she’d rather be her own boss than work for anyone else.
She was not alone. Three young women with businesses similar to hers in the neighborhood were meeting Thursday to share their use of Instagram and other social media to grow their businesses.
“Localism creates trust,” she said. “I can develop that relationship, [but] if I worked for a big salon, I lose that ability to gain trust and ultimately control the relationship I develop with my customer.”
According to the most recent Trust & Access To Capital Survey, small-business owners like Colamarino and her friends are most likely to turn to each other for counsel and guidance, preferring to figure things out with people who are having similar experiences.”
Full story here: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/2872661/key-to-trust-in-america-lies-in-localism/
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ORDMAN and Israel, plow ahead.
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From Darkness to Light - Israel's Positive Newsletter to 25th Feb 24
In Israel, we're slowly seeing the country emerge from one of the darkest times since the Holocaust. Evacuees are returning to their homes in the South as the threat from terrorists in Gaza is being eliminated. The transformation from darkness to light is reflected in much of last week's news.
The dark days of displaced Israeli families have been made a little brighter thanks to donations and kind hosts. A wounded Fauda TV star has been able to see the light of day after being discharged from hospital. A Hamas terrorist emerging from a dark tunnel shaft with a bomb was seen just in time. And from the dark despair after seeing Hamas murder his wife, a brave, stateless Bedouin and his nine children can have a brighter future as permanent residents of Israel.
The usual weekly Israeli medical breakthroughs give brighter prospects for ALS and PTSD sufferers, heart patients, and pregnant mothers in Brazil. The winter sun is shining on Israeli agricultural innovations with climate-resistant seeds, plant propagation breakthroughs, and sun-dried tomatoes on the vine. Meanwhile, Israeli technology is revolutionizing the taking of photos in poor light.
Finally, Israel celebrated some shining sporting results; a 2,000-year-old unique stone box, found near the ruins of the Temple in Jerusalem, is now seeing the light of day; and an Israeli fashion designer played the Israeli National anthem Hatikvah in New York, to accompany the showing of his Autumn collection, aptly entitled "Illumination of Hope". Let's hope that the rest of the world also "sees the light".
In the 25th Feb 24 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
POSITIVE NEWS DURING A WAR
Airlifting medical supplies. (TY WIN) Yad Sarah, Israel’s largest volunteer-run non-profit organization, is circumventing shipping delays of critical equipment caused by attacks by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthis with the arrival of the first airlift to Ben Gurion Airport. Funding was by the Jewish Federations of North America.
https://www.jpost.com/health-
Fly the flag. Israel’s National airline El Al is granting free tickets to various destinations in Europe, to IDF soldiers who have completed 30 days reserve duty since the outbreak of the war. In addition, they will have priority in boarding flights and be thanked in an announcement on the plane at the beginning of each flight.
https://www.
Teva donates its computers. (TY Yanky) Israel’s Teva has donated computers from its sites around the world to Israeli families affected by Oct 7. Teva’s offices in the USA, Germany, Spain etc., collected and shipped hundreds of used laptops. These were refurbished and sent to trauma therapists and to displaced families.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-
Cooking up some home comfort. The Asif Culinary Institute of Israel has helped many displaced families return to some form of normal life, despite being evacuated to hotel rooms. Asif’s Open Kitchen Project has paired 40+ families with host families and their kitchens around Tel Aviv where they can cook meals again.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Evacuees and exhibits at Bible Lands Museum. After Oct 7, Jerusalem’s Bible Lands Museum removed its ancient artifacts temporarily to make space for displaced families. Local artists and musicians gave creative workshops. It became a school for special needs children. It now hosts the Splinter from the Storm exhibition.
https://www.israel21c.org/
https://www.blmj.org/en/
Building bridges between funding and volunteers. Since Oct 7th Israel Support Bridge has sent 7 cargo planes worth of assistance to Israelis in need. It aims to build bridges between those who want to fund support efforts and volunteers who bring these services where they are needed.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
The miracle of the Gaza shaft. Click “subtitles” at the bottom of this video to watch an IDF unit describe one of the many incredible narrow escapes that Israeli soldiers have had in the war against evil. A Hamas bomb exploded 10 meters from the soldiers’ tent and the only casualties were temporary hearing loss and a stray cat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Wounded Fauda star’s two reasons to celebrate. Idan Amedi, singer and actor in the Israeli TV series Fauda, celebrated his 36th birthday - twice 18 (Chai = life), sharing photos of his injuries sustained in Gaza. He said both his survival and recovery were miraculous. Doctors say he made a 360-degree turnaround (20 times 18).
https://www.
More lost property found in Gaza. An IDF paratrooper has found a bag in an Arab house in Khan Younis in Gaza. It was a souvenir from a Chabad conference of teachers (Kinus Mechanchim) held in Gush Katif over 25 years ago. The paratrooper gave the bag to his uncle, Rabbi Kirshenzaft - the shliach of Gush Katif at that time.
https://anash.org/bag-found-
Bedouin hero gets full residency rights. (TY Hazel) Bedouin Arab Abu Ar’ar was born in the Gaza Strip, so wasn’t Israeli. On Oct 7, he hid as Hamas terrorists murdered his wife. He heard them planning an ambush on nearby IDF soldiers and went to warn them, saving their lives. His reward - permanent residency in Israel.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Good results for ALS therapy. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Immunity Pharma had positive results from its Phase 2a human trial with IPL344 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. Disease progression compared to placebo slowed by some 50% over 3 years. There were other positive indications and no serious adverse events.
https://immunitypharma.com/
More accurate detection of diabetes. Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) have developed a new method of analyzing pancreatic cell types and help discover diabetes early. Their DNA methylation-based analysis is far more accurate than current analysis that relies on protein markers.
https://www.afhu.org/2024/02/
Breakthrough valve replacement device. (TY Atid-EDI) The US FDA has just granted Breakthrough Device status to Israel’s PI-Cardia (see here previously) for its ShortCut ™ device that facilitates Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) procedures.
https://www.businesswire.com/
Orphan status for cystic fibrosis treatment. (TY Atid-EDI) The US FDA has granted “orphan” status on BX004 from Israel’s BiomX (see here previously) for the treatment of chronic lung infections suffered by cystic fibrosis patients. Orphan designation is given for rare conditions that have no current treatment.
https://ir.biomx.com/news-
Brazil approves self-scan ultrasound. (TY Atid-EDI) Before the Brazilian President’s hateful speech, his country’s medical authorities approved the home ultrasound system from Israel’s Pulsenmore (see here previously) for use in reducing pre-natal fatalities and unnecessary visits to hospital by pregnant mothers.
https://www.prnewswire.com/il/
National PTSD clinic. A clinic dealing with post-trauma and related mental-health disorders was planned to be inaugurated in Tel Aviv University in about two years’ time. But due to the urgent need for treatment following Oct7, it has now been launched on temporary premises. Initial patients will be IDF reservists and other adults.
https://www.israel21c.org/tel-
https://english.tau.ac.il/
Over 5,000 lives saved. Israel-based NGO Ezer Mizion now has over 1.1 million potential donors on its global database. Its stem cell transplants have now saved 5,000+ lives – almost 500 in 2023. Its support services provide hot meals, medical equipment, family and mental support, transportation to hospitals and much more.
https://ezermizion.org/blog/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
A place for Ethiopian Israelis at the hi-tech table. Haile means “within my power” in Amharic. Solomon Geveye recently established the Haile Venture Capital Fund to invest in pre-seed disruptive startups in which at least one founder is from Israel’s Ethiopian community. He also founded MetekuAI to combat fake news.
https://www.israel21c.org/new-
https://meteku-ai.com/ https://www.jpost.com/aliyah/
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
IAI launches US Innovation Center. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel Aerospace Industries is to launch its Washington DC CATALYST accelerator program, operated by Starburst Aerospace. It will provide tech startups with $100k investment plus the resources to develop and scale their products, by leveraging IAI’s in-house capabilities.
https://catalyst.
Climate-smart seeds. Breakthrough non-GMO seed treatment from Israel’s SaliCrop (see here previously) transforms arid terrain into flourishing arable farmland. The seeds are resilient to abiotic stresses from extreme climate challenges. SaliCrop has saved Spain’s tomato industry and is now doing field trials in 3 continents.
https://www.prnewswire.com/il/
Breakthrough in plant cultivation. Tel Aviv University researchers and the Volcani Institute have developed new compounds that significantly increase the success rate for getting plant cuttings to root. It can help develop new, high-quality, hardy varieties that survive climate challenges, and reduce costs to farmers and consumers.
https://www.aftau.org/news_
Sensors for irrigating cereal crops. Israel’s SupPlant (see here previously) is expanding into Morocco and the UAE, it is also adapting its irrigation sensors for grain and cereal plants. These are the most common crops, but they are generally only irrigated by rain. The threat to world hunger if these crops fail is now too high to ignore.
https://nocamels.com/2024/02/
Sun dried as they grow. Israel’s Supree, a subsidiary of NRGene (see here previously) produced a strain of the (Israeli-created) cherry tomato that dries itself on the vine as it grows in the sun. Instead of selectively breeding fruit and veg to be plump and juicy, Supree has enhanced their microcracking trait to dry them out.
https://nocamels.com/2024/02/
https://supree.co/press-
Then there will be light. Israel’s low-light imaging startup Visionary.ai (see here previously) has partnered with leading chipmaker Qualcomm to produce stunning visuals in low-light conditions. This technology, shown at CES 2024, will be available in the next generation of Android smartphones – perhaps as early as next year.
https://www.israel21c.org/low-
Storage product of the year. (TY Atid-EDI) The Infinibox SSA II F4316T from Israel’s Infinidat (see here previously) has just been named Storage Product of the Year 2023 in the Disk and Disk Subsystems category by TechTarget. It has a phenomenal capacity of 6.635 petabytes. (There are 1,024 terabytes (TB) in a petabyte.)
https://www.infinidat.com/en/
Using their heads. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Silynx has making ruggedized tactical communication headsets for industrial and military use for over a decade. The IDF and Israeli police have purchased $550,000 of them since Oct 7. One international customer has bought some $4.5 million of them. It has just launched on the NYSE.
https://www.silynxcom.com/
More smiles please. US-headquartered Align Technology manufactures the Invisalign teeth alignment system for a perfect smile. The scanners used to map the patient’s mouth are made in Israel where they have launched the iTero Lumina intraoral scanner. It has a 3X wider field of capture but is 50% smaller than previous models.
https://investor.aligntech.
Out of Syte. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Syte (see here previously) has announced the launch of its AI Styling and Product Description Generator solutions, combining visual AI with generative AI. Syte’s upgraded technology improves the ability for the public to instantly find online and buy the items they want.
https://www.syte.ai/blog/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Europe invests in green Israel. (TY Atid-EDI) The EU's European Investment Bank (EIB) is expanding its agreement with Israel’s Bank Leumi for “green” investments. EIB will inject €250 million to finance projects for small and medium-sized businesses. Finance has already been provided to Israel’s Solegreen and Teralight.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/
Ohio buys more Israel Bonds. As it has since 2003 (see here previously), the US State of Ohio has bought Israel Bonds - $30 million this time. Ohio is one of the country’s largest buyers of Israel Bonds, now holding $262.5 million. Ohio’s treasurer, Robert Sprague, said the bonds were good for Israel and good for Ohio.
https://www.jns.org/ohio-buys-
More angels. Israel’s female-led Venture Capital firm iAngels has raised $70 million for its second fund, iAngels Ventures 2. It will invest in early-stage startups, with investments ranging between $2-4 million for seed rounds. iAngels’ previous Israeli investments include Oddity, Hello Heart, BeeHero, WSC & Immunai.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Overland route to Israel. To avoid ships being attacked by Houthi terrorists, Israel-based firms transporting goods from the Far East (China and India) run trucking routes from the ports of Dubai and Bahrain to Haifa. They pass through Saudi Arabia (despite not having diplomatic relations with Israel) and Jordan.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Expanding Tamar gas production. The energy companies extracting natural gas from Israel’s Tamar field are investing $24 million to increase production. The additional gas will raise daily output to 1.2 billion cubic feet and by 2025 to 1.6 billion cubic feet, helping to meet Israel’s future energy needs and export gas to Egypt.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
$5 million US order for railway safety system. Israel’s Rail Vision (see here previously) goes from strength to strength. While it was receiving EU certification for its rail safety systems, it was also winning a $5 million order from a leading US-based rail & leasing services company. And it has just announced AI enhancements.
https://ir.railvision.io/news-
A sweet, juicy plan for USA expansion. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Better Juice (see here previously) has partnered with US company Ingredion, a provider of specialty ingredients to the food and beverage industry. Ingredion will lead a funding round for Better Juice, to help it market its reduced sugar technology in the US.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/
That’s Odd. Although the takeover of Israel’s hyperspectral imaging tech startup Voyage81 by US-based beauty brand Il-Makiage was reported here previously, the IPO of IL-Makiage’s parent company Oddity wasn’t. Why is that odd? Because Oddity’s R&D is performed in Israel. And Oddity has a very odd website.
https://oddity.com/
Startup investment – to 25/2/24: BRIA.ai raised $24 million; DustPhotonics raised $24 million; Loora raised $12 million; Faddom raised $8 million; KTrust raised $5.3 million; Silynx raised $5 million (IPO);
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
The Ivri House. If you are in Tel Aviv and are interested in nostalgia and memorabilia, stop, and have a coffee at the Ivri House, 8 Gedud HaIvri Street. Owner Guy Levy, an interior design graduate of Shenkar College, has amassed and displays Israeli memorabilia and secondhand furniture. Even the staff dress the part.
https://www.israel21c.org/
https://www.instagram.com/
Fashion Week debut’s finale of Hope. (TY Yanky) Israeli American designer Kobi Halperin held his very first own label show for New York Fashion Week. His Fall 2024 collection, entitled “Illumination of Hope,” ended with an instrumental version of “Hatikvah,” Israel’s national anthem, which translates to “The Hope.”
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
As unpredictable as the weather. (TY Sharon) Israel’s recent wintery weather has included a mixture of heavy rain followed by beautiful sunny days. Jerusalem’s on-going Shaon Horef (Winter Noise) festival on Monday nights includes an unusual mixture of musical street events from DJs, and bands, plus food and “fun”.
https://rjstreets.com/2024/02/
Silver medal in Qatar. Israeli swimmer Anastasia Gorbenko finished runner-up in the women’s 400-meter individual medley at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar. She ignored boos from Hamas-supporting spectators and dedicated her medal to a childhood friend, Matan Angrest – held hostage in Gaza.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Medals for weightlifters. (TY Hazel) At the European Women’s Weightlifting Championships in Sofia, Israel’s Celia Henna Gold won the silver medal for the Clean & Jerk in the 71kg category. In the 76kg category, Israel’s Nicole Rubanovich also won silver.
https://blog.torokhtiy.com/
https://blog.torokhtiy.com/
More medals. (TY Hazel) In the Seville Marathon, Israel’s Gashau Ayale finished third in 2:04.53, breaking the Israeli record and qualified for the Paris Olympics. At the Zagreb Kickboxing European Cup, there were gold medals (again) for Yulia Sachkov and Deniz Serebyanikov and another for Karolina Chorny.
https://www.ynetnews.com/
https://www.instagram.com/
Winning cyclists. The Israel Premier–Tech Cycling Team won the 8-day “Tour of Rwanda” race with Israel’s Itamar Einhorn wining the second stage. It marked one year after the building of Rwanda’s “Field of Dreams” cycling center, with funds from supporters of the team. The team went on to win stage 1 of the Tour des Alpes.
https://www.jns.org/israel-
https://israelpremiertech.com/
European soccer success. (TY Hazel) Maccabi Haifa beat Gent 2-1 on aggregate to advance to the Europa Conference League round of 16.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
The most since Moses. Israeli NBA star Deni Avdija scored a game-best and career-high 43 points for his Washington Wizards basketball team. He became the first Wizard to score 40-plus points and 15-plus rebounds in a game since Moses Malone accomplished that feat on Jan. 12, 1987. Despite this, the Wizards lost the game.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
NASCAR racer fights anti-Semitism. (TY UWI) Interesting article and interview with Israel’s Alon Day (see here previously), winner of NASCAR’s Whelen Euro Series, in 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2022. He talks about his career ambitions, but also about his pro-Israel activism. He singles out the support of Christian Zionists.
https://www.jns.org/face-of-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
THE JEWISH STATE
2,000-year-old stone box is historic. An extremely rare stone box, dating back to Jerusalem’s 2nd Temple, was found on the Pilgramage Road in Jerusalem’s City of David. Stone vessels cannot become impure and were often used in Temple times. The box’s burnt exterior fits with Jerusalem’s 70 CE destruction by the Romans.
https://www.
Thousands of volunteers. Since Oct 7, thousands of Jews from the Diaspora have boarded El-Al planes to show their love and solidarity by volunteering in Israel. The include from Masa Israel Journey, Taglit-Birthright Israel, and Operation Hug. El Al supports these volunteer programs by subsidizing ticket costs.
https://www.jns.org/wire/el-
The dark days of displaced Israeli families have been made a little brighter thanks to donations and kind hosts. A wounded Fauda TV star has been able to see the light of day after being discharged from hospital. A Hamas terrorist emerging from a dark tunnel shaft with a bomb was seen just in time. And from the dark despair after seeing Hamas murder his wife, a brave, stateless Bedouin and his nine children can have a brighter future as permanent residents of Israel.
The usual weekly Israeli medical breakthroughs give brighter prospects for ALS and PTSD sufferers, heart patients, and pregnant mothers in Brazil. The winter sun is shining on Israeli agricultural innovations with climate-resistant seeds, plant propagation breakthroughs, and sun-dried tomatoes on the vine. Meanwhile, Israeli technology is revolutionizing the taking of photos in poor light.
Finally, Israel celebrated some shining sporting results; a 2,000-year-old unique stone box, found near the ruins of the Temple in Jerusalem, is now seeing the light of day; and an Israeli fashion designer played the Israeli National anthem Hatikvah in New York, to accompany the showing of his Autumn collection, aptly entitled "Illumination of Hope". Let's hope that the rest of the world also "sees the light".
In the 25th Feb 24 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:
- IDF soldiers can fly for free on Israel’s National Airline.
- Some “amazing but true” stories from Gaza.
- Clinical trials show Israeli ALS therapy slows cognitive decline.
- Three Israeli ag-tech innovations that could prevent world hunger.
- Europe is investing in Israeli green technology.
- Israel had international success at swimming, weightlifting and 4 more sports.
- A 2000-year-old stone box was unearthed on Jerusalem’s Pilgrim Road.
- Please click here, to donate (a small or large amount) to help me publicize VeryGoodNewsIsrael.
POSITIVE NEWS DURING A WAR
Airlifting medical supplies. (TY WIN) Yad Sarah, Israel’s largest volunteer-run non-profit organization, is circumventing shipping delays of critical equipment caused by attacks by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthis with the arrival of the first airlift to Ben Gurion Airport. Funding was by the Jewish Federations of North America.
https://www.jpost.com/health-
Fly the flag. Israel’s National airline El Al is granting free tickets to various destinations in Europe, to IDF soldiers who have completed 30 days reserve duty since the outbreak of the war. In addition, they will have priority in boarding flights and be thanked in an announcement on the plane at the beginning of each flight.
https://www.
Teva donates its computers. (TY Yanky) Israel’s Teva has donated computers from its sites around the world to Israeli families affected by Oct 7. Teva’s offices in the USA, Germany, Spain etc., collected and shipped hundreds of used laptops. These were refurbished and sent to trauma therapists and to displaced families.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-
Cooking up some home comfort. The Asif Culinary Institute of Israel has helped many displaced families return to some form of normal life, despite being evacuated to hotel rooms. Asif’s Open Kitchen Project has paired 40+ families with host families and their kitchens around Tel Aviv where they can cook meals again.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Evacuees and exhibits at Bible Lands Museum. After Oct 7, Jerusalem’s Bible Lands Museum removed its ancient artifacts temporarily to make space for displaced families. Local artists and musicians gave creative workshops. It became a school for special needs children. It now hosts the Splinter from the Storm exhibition.
https://www.israel21c.org/
https://www.blmj.org/en/
Building bridges between funding and volunteers. Since Oct 7th Israel Support Bridge has sent 7 cargo planes worth of assistance to Israelis in need. It aims to build bridges between those who want to fund support efforts and volunteers who bring these services where they are needed.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
The miracle of the Gaza shaft. Click “subtitles” at the bottom of this video to watch an IDF unit describe one of the many incredible narrow escapes that Israeli soldiers have had in the war against evil. A Hamas bomb exploded 10 meters from the soldiers’ tent and the only casualties were temporary hearing loss and a stray cat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
Wounded Fauda star’s two reasons to celebrate. Idan Amedi, singer and actor in the Israeli TV series Fauda, celebrated his 36th birthday - twice 18 (Chai = life), sharing photos of his injuries sustained in Gaza. He said both his survival and recovery were miraculous. Doctors say he made a 360-degree turnaround (20 times 18).
https://www.
More lost property found in Gaza. An IDF paratrooper has found a bag in an Arab house in Khan Younis in Gaza. It was a souvenir from a Chabad conference of teachers (Kinus Mechanchim) held in Gush Katif over 25 years ago. The paratrooper gave the bag to his uncle, Rabbi Kirshenzaft - the shliach of Gush Katif at that time.
https://anash.org/bag-found-
Bedouin hero gets full residency rights. (TY Hazel) Bedouin Arab Abu Ar’ar was born in the Gaza Strip, so wasn’t Israeli. On Oct 7, he hid as Hamas terrorists murdered his wife. He heard them planning an ambush on nearby IDF soldiers and went to warn them, saving their lives. His reward - permanent residency in Israel.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
ISRAEL’S MEDICAL ACHIEVEMENTS
Good results for ALS therapy. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Immunity Pharma had positive results from its Phase 2a human trial with IPL344 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. Disease progression compared to placebo slowed by some 50% over 3 years. There were other positive indications and no serious adverse events.
https://immunitypharma.com/
More accurate detection of diabetes. Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) have developed a new method of analyzing pancreatic cell types and help discover diabetes early. Their DNA methylation-based analysis is far more accurate than current analysis that relies on protein markers.
https://www.afhu.org/2024/02/
Breakthrough valve replacement device. (TY Atid-EDI) The US FDA has just granted Breakthrough Device status to Israel’s PI-Cardia (see here previously) for its ShortCut ™ device that facilitates Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) procedures.
https://www.businesswire.com/
Orphan status for cystic fibrosis treatment. (TY Atid-EDI) The US FDA has granted “orphan” status on BX004 from Israel’s BiomX (see here previously) for the treatment of chronic lung infections suffered by cystic fibrosis patients. Orphan designation is given for rare conditions that have no current treatment.
https://ir.biomx.com/news-
Brazil approves self-scan ultrasound. (TY Atid-EDI) Before the Brazilian President’s hateful speech, his country’s medical authorities approved the home ultrasound system from Israel’s Pulsenmore (see here previously) for use in reducing pre-natal fatalities and unnecessary visits to hospital by pregnant mothers.
https://www.prnewswire.com/il/
National PTSD clinic. A clinic dealing with post-trauma and related mental-health disorders was planned to be inaugurated in Tel Aviv University in about two years’ time. But due to the urgent need for treatment following Oct7, it has now been launched on temporary premises. Initial patients will be IDF reservists and other adults.
https://www.israel21c.org/tel-
https://english.tau.ac.il/
Over 5,000 lives saved. Israel-based NGO Ezer Mizion now has over 1.1 million potential donors on its global database. Its stem cell transplants have now saved 5,000+ lives – almost 500 in 2023. Its support services provide hot meals, medical equipment, family and mental support, transportation to hospitals and much more.
https://ezermizion.org/blog/
ISRAEL IS INCLUSIVE AND GLOBAL
A place for Ethiopian Israelis at the hi-tech table. Haile means “within my power” in Amharic. Solomon Geveye recently established the Haile Venture Capital Fund to invest in pre-seed disruptive startups in which at least one founder is from Israel’s Ethiopian community. He also founded MetekuAI to combat fake news.
https://www.israel21c.org/new-
https://meteku-ai.com/ https://www.jpost.com/aliyah/
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
IAI launches US Innovation Center. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel Aerospace Industries is to launch its Washington DC CATALYST accelerator program, operated by Starburst Aerospace. It will provide tech startups with $100k investment plus the resources to develop and scale their products, by leveraging IAI’s in-house capabilities.
https://catalyst.
Climate-smart seeds. Breakthrough non-GMO seed treatment from Israel’s SaliCrop (see here previously) transforms arid terrain into flourishing arable farmland. The seeds are resilient to abiotic stresses from extreme climate challenges. SaliCrop has saved Spain’s tomato industry and is now doing field trials in 3 continents.
https://www.prnewswire.com/il/
Breakthrough in plant cultivation. Tel Aviv University researchers and the Volcani Institute have developed new compounds that significantly increase the success rate for getting plant cuttings to root. It can help develop new, high-quality, hardy varieties that survive climate challenges, and reduce costs to farmers and consumers.
https://www.aftau.org/news_
Sensors for irrigating cereal crops. Israel’s SupPlant (see here previously) is expanding into Morocco and the UAE, it is also adapting its irrigation sensors for grain and cereal plants. These are the most common crops, but they are generally only irrigated by rain. The threat to world hunger if these crops fail is now too high to ignore.
https://nocamels.com/2024/02/
Sun dried as they grow. Israel’s Supree, a subsidiary of NRGene (see here previously) produced a strain of the (Israeli-created) cherry tomato that dries itself on the vine as it grows in the sun. Instead of selectively breeding fruit and veg to be plump and juicy, Supree has enhanced their microcracking trait to dry them out.
https://nocamels.com/2024/02/
https://supree.co/press-
Then there will be light. Israel’s low-light imaging startup Visionary.ai (see here previously) has partnered with leading chipmaker Qualcomm to produce stunning visuals in low-light conditions. This technology, shown at CES 2024, will be available in the next generation of Android smartphones – perhaps as early as next year.
https://www.israel21c.org/low-
Storage product of the year. (TY Atid-EDI) The Infinibox SSA II F4316T from Israel’s Infinidat (see here previously) has just been named Storage Product of the Year 2023 in the Disk and Disk Subsystems category by TechTarget. It has a phenomenal capacity of 6.635 petabytes. (There are 1,024 terabytes (TB) in a petabyte.)
https://www.infinidat.com/en/
Using their heads. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Silynx has making ruggedized tactical communication headsets for industrial and military use for over a decade. The IDF and Israeli police have purchased $550,000 of them since Oct 7. One international customer has bought some $4.5 million of them. It has just launched on the NYSE.
https://www.silynxcom.com/
More smiles please. US-headquartered Align Technology manufactures the Invisalign teeth alignment system for a perfect smile. The scanners used to map the patient’s mouth are made in Israel where they have launched the iTero Lumina intraoral scanner. It has a 3X wider field of capture but is 50% smaller than previous models.
https://investor.aligntech.
Out of Syte. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Syte (see here previously) has announced the launch of its AI Styling and Product Description Generator solutions, combining visual AI with generative AI. Syte’s upgraded technology improves the ability for the public to instantly find online and buy the items they want.
https://www.syte.ai/blog/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Europe invests in green Israel. (TY Atid-EDI) The EU's European Investment Bank (EIB) is expanding its agreement with Israel’s Bank Leumi for “green” investments. EIB will inject €250 million to finance projects for small and medium-sized businesses. Finance has already been provided to Israel’s Solegreen and Teralight.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/
Ohio buys more Israel Bonds. As it has since 2003 (see here previously), the US State of Ohio has bought Israel Bonds - $30 million this time. Ohio is one of the country’s largest buyers of Israel Bonds, now holding $262.5 million. Ohio’s treasurer, Robert Sprague, said the bonds were good for Israel and good for Ohio.
https://www.jns.org/ohio-buys-
More angels. Israel’s female-led Venture Capital firm iAngels has raised $70 million for its second fund, iAngels Ventures 2. It will invest in early-stage startups, with investments ranging between $2-4 million for seed rounds. iAngels’ previous Israeli investments include Oddity, Hello Heart, BeeHero, WSC & Immunai.
https://www.calcalistech.com/
Overland route to Israel. To avoid ships being attacked by Houthi terrorists, Israel-based firms transporting goods from the Far East (China and India) run trucking routes from the ports of Dubai and Bahrain to Haifa. They pass through Saudi Arabia (despite not having diplomatic relations with Israel) and Jordan.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Expanding Tamar gas production. The energy companies extracting natural gas from Israel’s Tamar field are investing $24 million to increase production. The additional gas will raise daily output to 1.2 billion cubic feet and by 2025 to 1.6 billion cubic feet, helping to meet Israel’s future energy needs and export gas to Egypt.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
$5 million US order for railway safety system. Israel’s Rail Vision (see here previously) goes from strength to strength. While it was receiving EU certification for its rail safety systems, it was also winning a $5 million order from a leading US-based rail & leasing services company. And it has just announced AI enhancements.
https://ir.railvision.io/news-
A sweet, juicy plan for USA expansion. (TY Atid-EDI) Israel’s Better Juice (see here previously) has partnered with US company Ingredion, a provider of specialty ingredients to the food and beverage industry. Ingredion will lead a funding round for Better Juice, to help it market its reduced sugar technology in the US.
https://en.globes.co.il/en/
That’s Odd. Although the takeover of Israel’s hyperspectral imaging tech startup Voyage81 by US-based beauty brand Il-Makiage was reported here previously, the IPO of IL-Makiage’s parent company Oddity wasn’t. Why is that odd? Because Oddity’s R&D is performed in Israel. And Oddity has a very odd website.
https://oddity.com/
Startup investment – to 25/2/24: BRIA.ai raised $24 million; DustPhotonics raised $24 million; Loora raised $12 million; Faddom raised $8 million; KTrust raised $5.3 million; Silynx raised $5 million (IPO);
CULTURE, ENTERTAINMENT & SPORT
The Ivri House. If you are in Tel Aviv and are interested in nostalgia and memorabilia, stop, and have a coffee at the Ivri House, 8 Gedud HaIvri Street. Owner Guy Levy, an interior design graduate of Shenkar College, has amassed and displays Israeli memorabilia and secondhand furniture. Even the staff dress the part.
https://www.israel21c.org/
https://www.instagram.com/
Fashion Week debut’s finale of Hope. (TY Yanky) Israeli American designer Kobi Halperin held his very first own label show for New York Fashion Week. His Fall 2024 collection, entitled “Illumination of Hope,” ended with an instrumental version of “Hatikvah,” Israel’s national anthem, which translates to “The Hope.”
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
As unpredictable as the weather. (TY Sharon) Israel’s recent wintery weather has included a mixture of heavy rain followed by beautiful sunny days. Jerusalem’s on-going Shaon Horef (Winter Noise) festival on Monday nights includes an unusual mixture of musical street events from DJs, and bands, plus food and “fun”.
https://rjstreets.com/2024/02/
Silver medal in Qatar. Israeli swimmer Anastasia Gorbenko finished runner-up in the women’s 400-meter individual medley at the 2024 World Aquatics Championships in Doha, Qatar. She ignored boos from Hamas-supporting spectators and dedicated her medal to a childhood friend, Matan Angrest – held hostage in Gaza.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
Medals for weightlifters. (TY Hazel) At the European Women’s Weightlifting Championships in Sofia, Israel’s Celia Henna Gold won the silver medal for the Clean & Jerk in the 71kg category. In the 76kg category, Israel’s Nicole Rubanovich also won silver.
https://blog.torokhtiy.com/
https://blog.torokhtiy.com/
More medals. (TY Hazel) In the Seville Marathon, Israel’s Gashau Ayale finished third in 2:04.53, breaking the Israeli record and qualified for the Paris Olympics. At the Zagreb Kickboxing European Cup, there were gold medals (again) for Yulia Sachkov and Deniz Serebyanikov and another for Karolina Chorny.
https://www.ynetnews.com/
https://www.instagram.com/
Winning cyclists. The Israel Premier–Tech Cycling Team won the 8-day “Tour of Rwanda” race with Israel’s Itamar Einhorn wining the second stage. It marked one year after the building of Rwanda’s “Field of Dreams” cycling center, with funds from supporters of the team. The team went on to win stage 1 of the Tour des Alpes.
https://www.jns.org/israel-
https://israelpremiertech.com/
European soccer success. (TY Hazel) Maccabi Haifa beat Gent 2-1 on aggregate to advance to the Europa Conference League round of 16.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/
The most since Moses. Israeli NBA star Deni Avdija scored a game-best and career-high 43 points for his Washington Wizards basketball team. He became the first Wizard to score 40-plus points and 15-plus rebounds in a game since Moses Malone accomplished that feat on Jan. 12, 1987. Despite this, the Wizards lost the game.
https://unitedwithisrael.org/
NASCAR racer fights anti-Semitism. (TY UWI) Interesting article and interview with Israel’s Alon Day (see here previously), winner of NASCAR’s Whelen Euro Series, in 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2022. He talks about his career ambitions, but also about his pro-Israel activism. He singles out the support of Christian Zionists.
https://www.jns.org/face-of-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
THE JEWISH STATE
2,000-year-old stone box is historic. An extremely rare stone box, dating back to Jerusalem’s 2nd Temple, was found on the Pilgramage Road in Jerusalem’s City of David. Stone vessels cannot become impure and were often used in Temple times. The box’s burnt exterior fits with Jerusalem’s 70 CE destruction by the Romans.
https://www.
Thousands of volunteers. Since Oct 7, thousands of Jews from the Diaspora have boarded El-Al planes to show their love and solidarity by volunteering in Israel. The include from Masa Israel Journey, Taglit-Birthright Israel, and Operation Hug. El Al supports these volunteer programs by subsidizing ticket costs.
https://www.jns.org/wire/el-
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Before I present what I understand are 5 main conflictual matters impacting
the current stage of the Hamas War, I would like to make clear I am a Zionist
and pro Israel. That said, I hope any reader of what I am about to write will also
conclude I am trying my best to be constructive and objective.
I believe there are these issues which conflict with each other:
a) Netanyahu's comments and objectives.
b) The impact of Israel's response to the Oct 7, unprovoked and brutal Hamas
invasion and how Bibi's comments, actions and specified goals effect
Egypt's armistice agreement with Israel and the Philadelphia Corridor.
c) The current fighting in Khan Yunis and Palestinians caught in the middle.
d) The forthcoming European meeting of America's CIA Director,
The head of QATAR, Egypt's Intelligence official and Hamas' demands regarding
hostages
e) The aftermath of the War as pertains to who controls
GAZA.
Netanyahu has been clear. Hamas' leadership ability capable of orchestrating
another Oct 7, must be eliminated as well as members of their remaining terrorist military.
as an effective force.
It is this issue, in combination with demands Palestinian refugees be given access into
Egypt through the Philadelphia Corridor, that creates sensitive problems for Egypt.
Why? First, it is beyond the specificity called for in the armistice agreement.
Second, even though Egypt may secretly take comfort in Israel' destruction of
Hamas, Egyptians are Arabs and must not be seen embracing actions which cause angst
among and increasing tensions with The Muslim Brotherhood.
There are Israelis who believe Netanyahu's demands, regarding Egypt's opening of the
There are Israelis who believe Netanyahu's demands, regarding Egypt's opening of the
Philadelphia Corridor, does violate the specific terms of the Armistice Agreement
and thus, causes unnecessary issues between Egypt and Israel.
Netanyahu is particularly offended by African demands Israel be tried before
the World Court for committing atrocities though, he recognizes continued
fighting in a concentrated area exposes Palestinian refugees. However, he
argues, Israel did not want or start this war, have every moral right to
Netanyahu is particularly offended by African demands Israel be tried before
the World Court for committing atrocities though, he recognizes continued
fighting in a concentrated area exposes Palestinian refugees. However, he
argues, Israel did not want or start this war, have every moral right to
defend their nation and the IDF is the most moral army in the world.
The upcoming closed meeting in France is seen by those, with
hopeful views, as an effort by Biden to resolve the release
of the hostages. Obviously, there are those who are less positive
because they do not trust Qatar, believe they are biased
negotiators and Hamas will only keep increasing their demands.
Finally, Netanyahu, in a recent address to his people, held up a
copy of Mein Kamp with other hate documents taken from Gazan and West
The upcoming closed meeting in France is seen by those, with
hopeful views, as an effort by Biden to resolve the release
of the hostages. Obviously, there are those who are less positive
because they do not trust Qatar, believe they are biased
negotiators and Hamas will only keep increasing their demands.
Finally, Netanyahu, in a recent address to his people, held up a
copy of Mein Kamp with other hate documents taken from Gazan and West
Bank Palestinian Homes, to demonstrate why Israel must protect itself
against any future attack by Hamas and other such terrorist organizations.
Israel cannot depend upon others and must do so by itself.
Thus, he was adamant Gaza cannot be returned to being overseen by remnants
of surviving Hamas elements, those capable of destroying Israel etc.
The various issues of each party are legitimate save, perhaps, those by Hamas,
possibly language intruded by Qatar in support of Hamas and irrepressible Palestinian
The various issues of each party are legitimate save, perhaps, those by Hamas,
possibly language intruded by Qatar in support of Hamas and irrepressible Palestinian
haters..
Obviously, overlapping and crisscrossing produces dynamic obstacle
Obviously, overlapping and crisscrossing produces dynamic obstacle
pathways towards a peaceful resolution.
How this Gordian Knot is resolved is anyone's guess.
How this Gordian Knot is resolved is anyone's guess.
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Is Biden worrying about losing the wrong voters?
A poll shows New York Jews preferring Trump to Biden. Perhaps Democrats should be more concerned about the impact of left-wing antisemitism.
By JONATHAN S. TOBIN
Maybe President Joe Biden and his White House handlers are looking at their re-election problems through the wrong end of the telescope. Their top priority these days is doing something about their problems with the intersectional left-wing activist base of the Democratic Party that is unhappy about the administration’s support for the right of Israel to defend itself, as well as for the eradication of Hamas from Gaza after the Oct. 7 massacre in southern Israel. A main focus of that effort, at least as far as the Biden campaign is concerned, is trying to win back the affections of Arab-American voters in Michigan, a key swing state in the 2024 presidential election.
Earlier this month, the White House sent a delegation of policymakers to apologize to Abdullah Hammoud, the pro-Hamas mayor of Dearborn, Mich., for the president’s pro-Israel statements, even though he had already begun to shift towards a more even-handed stance. The latest demonstration of their worries about Michigan was the decision to send Vice President Kamala Harris to the state to address the concerns of the increasingly loud voices within the party that are calling the president “genocide Joe” for his continued refusal to cut off the supply of arms and ammunition to Israel, as well for vetoing U.N. Security Council resolutions that attempted to impose an immediate ceasefire that would effectively enable Hamas to survive. While the unpopular Harris (her approval ratings are even lower than the president’s) is considered politically toxic outside of deep-blue enclaves, she was considered a good choice to send to Michigan because, as The New York Times put it, she “is seen as more critical of Israel than the president.”
While the president’s re-election campaign staff is laser-focused on Arab Americans and Muslims, is it possible that the Democrats are ignoring potential problems with what is, by any measure, the far larger number of voters who are Jewish and support Israel?
A surprising poll result
That’s a thought that may have crossed the minds of some political strategists this week when a Siena College poll of registered voters in the state of New York produced a rather surprising piece of data. The breakdown of the survey showed that those voters who identified themselves as being Jewish supported former President Donald Trump over Biden by 53% to 44% in a head-to-head matchup. When third-party candidates were offered as an alternative, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West, Trump still maintained an advantage among New York Jews, beating Biden by 46% to 38%.
If the poll is an accurate rendering of Jewish public opinion—and there are reasonable arguments to be made that it’s not—it reflects something of a revolution in American Jewish opinion.
While everything changes in politics, the one data point that has remained constant for the last century is that the overwhelming majority of American Jews have remained loyal Democrats. No Republican presidential candidate has won the Jewish vote since 1920. And, the Siena Poll notwithstanding, the chances of Trump doing so this year remain unlikely. But even if this result is an outlier, it should cause Biden and the Democrats to ponder whether their near-hysteria about their problems in places like Dearborn—which thanks to the openly antisemitic pronouncements of various imams in the mosques of a city with an Arab-American majority, coupled with the mayor’s support for the Oct. 7 atrocities, was dubbed the nation’s “jihad capital” by The Wall Street Journal—is a mistake.
Muslims, Arabs and left-wingers who buy into the intersectional myths that falsely label Israel a “settler-colonial” and “apartheid” state of “whites” oppressing Palestinian Arab “people of color” are a real problem for Biden right now. Their laments about the fate of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip who have suffered as a result of Hamas’s decision to commit the Oct. 7 pogroms and start a war with Israel are being amplified by corporate press coverage in publications like the Times that liberals and Democrats still consider credible.
But most American Jews are understandably fixated on the surge in antisemitism in the United States, particularly since Oct. 7. While most Jews are accustomed to thinking of antisemitism as primarily a right-wing phenomenon, they know that the primary engine of Jew-hatred right now comes from the left—from some of the same voters that Biden is so worried about losing in the fall.
Growing concerns about antisemitism
The mobs chanting for the destruction of Israel (“from the river to the sea”) and for terrorism against Jews wherever they live (“globalize the intifada”) on college campuses and in the streets of American cities not only dwarf the tiny number of far-right extremists and neo-Nazis that so scared Jews in Charlottesville, Va., in August 2017. They also have more political influence—as evidenced by the virulent hostility for Israel that has become commonplace among left-wing Democrats and especially members of the congressional “Squad” led by Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), whose numbers have grown with more House progressives joining them since they made their debut in Washington in 2019. Their views are also routinely echoed by columnists and editors in the Times and The Washington Post, where anti-Zionism and smears against Israel are so frequent as to be no longer noteworthy.
This has sent shockwaves throughout the American Jewish community, including among liberals who felt most at home at the very same institutions that enable the demonizing of not just the Jewish state but American Jews.
If Jewish donors to elite universities are finally demanding that their administrations end their coddling of antisemites—and reverse their acceptance of the woke catechism of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) that grants a permission slip for antisemitism—then why should it seem surprising that some Jewish voters are doing the same to the Democrats?
Most Jews are still Democrats
Still, it would be foolish to jump to the conclusion that the Democrats’ stranglehold on Jewish votes is ending based on just one poll. While the minority of American Jews who are Orthodox or politically conservative have always treated Israel as a litmus test when it comes to voting, the majority who are politically liberal do not. For them, it is just one among many topics they care about. Other issues, such as their support for the right to abortion, the issue of climate change and other concerns that fall under the rubric of “social justice” are ranked as much higher priorities.
Moreover, the major shift in American politics in recent years should work to reinforce the traditional voting patterns of most Jews rather than overturn them. Democrats were once known as the “party of the people” but no more. They have largely become the party of the credentialed elites and Wall Street, while in the age of Trump, Republicans are now supported by working-class voters who used to be among the most loyal Democrats. In addition to the traditional political liberalism that is closely linked to their non-Orthodox beliefs, the majority of Jews are likely to be college-educated, which makes them among the least likely to be interested in changing parties.
And at a time of hyper-partisanship when political opinions now assume the role that religious beliefs used to play in most people’s lives, the bifurcation of American life is such that most liberal Jews think of voting Republican with the same horror the Orthodox regard eating non-kosher food. Placed on top of that the intense hatred for Trump felt by most liberal voters, who were unmoved by his historic support for Israel, and the case against a shift in Jewish voting seems even more unlikely.
Seen in that light, skepticism about the Siena poll is justified. As Mark Mellman, president of Democratic Majority for Israel, pointed out to JNS when asked about it, “the margin of error for Jews in the Sienna poll is plus or minus 13 points on each number.” He thinks that “this poll tells us very little about how New York Jews will vote.”
Even if the numbers for Trump are reduced by all of those 13 points, the number of Jews saying they’ll vote for him shouldn’t be dismissed.
Is the Jewish vote shifting?
There have already been some signs of a shift in Jewish voting patterns. For example, in 2022, 45% of Florida Jewish residents voted to re-elect Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. National exit polls also showed that in 2022, one-third of Jews voted for Republicans—an increase over past years. In New York, Republican gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin, who is Jewish, did better than the average GOP candidate, sweeping in areas like Rockland County north of Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn that have large Jewish populations.
While New York is not in play this year, even a slight shift in the Jewish vote in battleground states like Pennsylvania, where Jews outnumber Muslims by 3-1, could turn the election as surely as any shift in the Arab vote could swing Michigan.
Those trends are likely to be even stronger this year with even liberal Jews worrying about left-wing antisemitism, and with anti-Israel and openly antisemitic members of Congress getting more attention as a result of Israel’s war against Hamas.
That’s why we shouldn’t be too quick to dismiss the Siena poll or to think that Biden might not have a bigger problem with many Jewish voters than his campaign thinks.
According to President George W. Bush’s White House spokesman Ari Fleischer, the poll was “stunning.” Fleischer, a board member of the Republican Jewish Coalition, told me: “Even if you discount this for being out of line, Biden’s frequent criticisms of Israel and the unwarranted pressure he is applying to the Jewish state during a fight for its survival, is causing his support to crater among a reliably Democratic constituency.”
He may be right.
The demographic trends that are causing a decline in those identifying as adherents of Judaism also may be redefining who it is that we are speaking about when we talk about the Jewish vote.
The impact of demography
Most of those who make up anti-Zionist groups like Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow that are opposed to Israel’s existence and lobbying hard to save Hamas—and who are given disproportionate coverage in mainstream media outlets—are members of a slice of the community that is increasingly less interested in claiming Jewish identity and tend to do so only to denounce the Jewish state “as a Jew.” With skyrocketing rates of assimilation and intermarriage among the non-Orthodox creating a new reality that has caused Jewish communities to become inevitably smaller, those who remain inside the tent are more likely to be more religious, as well as more concerned about preserving Jewish lives and Israel’s security than in virtue-signaling their concerns about Palestinians.
The 2024 election is shaping up to be a race unlike any other in American history. There is an incumbent in Biden with record-low favorability ratings rooted in the perception of his diminished capacities and failures in office, and a challenger in Trump who is considered beyond the pale and hated by half the country. Never mind his being under siege from a campaign of lawfare waged by Democrats determined to either jail him or throw him off the ballot. In such an unprecedented contest, anything can happen. It would still be astonishing if Biden didn’t win the Jewish vote in November. But when you consider a surge of left-wing antisemitism and a president who seems more worried about offending antisemites than winning over Jews he clearly thinks are already in his pocket, it would be unwise to dismiss the possibility of a historic shift in Jewish votes.
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‘Disgrace': US House speaker slams Biden's policy on ‘settlements'
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Saturday slammed as an “absolute disgrace” the Biden administration’s decision to reverse the “Pompeo doctrine,” which held that Jewish homes in Judea and Samaria were not necessarily illegal.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that Israel’s approval of 3,000 new housing units in Judea—announced after one Israeli was killed and six wounded in a Palestinian terrorist attack near Jerusalem—was “inconsistent with international law.”
“The Jewish people have a historic and legal right to live in the land of Israel including in Judea and Samaria—the biblical heartland,” tweeted Johnson. “It is an absolute disgrace the Biden administration would issue this decision, especially as Israel fights terrorists on multiple fronts that seek Israel’s destruction and as more than 130 hostages remain in Gaza.
“The Biden administration must stop undermining Israel and facilitating efforts to delegitimize Israel. It is misguided and unconscionable.”
Blinken’s declaration upended the Trump administration’s “Pompeo doctrine,” which held that “the establishment of Israeli civilian settlements in the West Bank is not per se inconsistent with international law.”
During a trip to Buenos Aires, Blinken said Washington was “disappointed” in the approval of the new housing units, adding: “It’s been long-standing U.S. policy, under Republican and Democratic administrations alike, that new settlements are counterproductive to reaching an enduring peace. They’re also inconsistent with international law.
“Our administration maintains a firm opposition to settlement expansion, and in our judgment, this only weakens—it doesn’t strengthen—Israel’s security.”
Then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in 2019 that the Trump administration was reversing an Obama administration policy of describing Israeli “settlements” as inherently illegal under international law.
“The legal conclusions relating to individual settlements must depend on an assessment of specific facts and circumstances on the ground,” Pompeo said at the time.
John Kirby, White House national security communications adviser, said that Blinken’s statement was a return to a consistent U.S. position on the housing units.
“This isn’t about the previous administration,” he said. “We are simply reaffirming the fundamental conclusion that these settlements are inconsistent with international law.
“That is a position that’s been consistent over a range of Republican and Democratic administrations,” Kirby added. “If there’s an administration that [has been] inconsistent, it was the previous one.”
In response, Pompeo condemned the move, saying, “Judea and Samaria are rightful parts of the Jewish homeland, and Israelis have a right to live there.
“President Biden’s decision to overturn our policy and call Israeli ‘settlements’ illegal will not further the cause of peace. It rewards Hamas for its brutal attacks on Oct. 7 and punishes Israel instead. These Israeli communities are not standing in the way of peace; militant Palestinian terrorism is.”
The Trump administration policy “simply recognized reality: Judea and Samaria are the homeland of the Jewish people,” said Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on Saturday.
“It’s shameful that the Biden administration reversed this and rewarded terrorists—all to help Biden’s poll numbers in Michigan,” he added, referring to the battleground state in November’s upcoming U.S. presidential election.
Adding their voices to those criticizing the Biden administration’s position were Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez (R-Fla.), who tweeted on Saturday that “Judea & Samaria is Israel. Period,” and Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), who backed comments by former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman regarding the legality of Israeli communities in the region.
Ambassador @DavidM_Friedman is correct. The Biden Admin’s disgraceful reversal undermines a close friend while rewarding the genocidal terrorists they are fighting. It is not a legal assessment. It is a political calculation meant to appease the pro-Hamas radical left. Shameful. https://t.co/i3PcB9UAe0
— Senator Bill Hagerty (@SenatorHagerty) February 25, 2024
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Union dominance, resulting in non-competitive wages, followed by a desultory and sloppy work ethic caused, America to lose its status in shipbuilding, then the auto industry and now commercial aircraft construction). (if it is Boeing I ain’t going.) These facts have crippled the middle class.
Union dominance, resulting in non-competitive wages, followed by a desultory and sloppy work ethic caused, America to lose its status in shipbuilding, then the auto industry and now commercial aircraft construction). (if it is Boeing I ain’t going.) These facts have crippled the middle class.
Until these consequences are rectified, replacement of human labor by robotic technology and AI will accelerate, social disruption and increasing wealth disparity will continue disruption will grow, threatening capitalism.
Ironically, union “bossism;” power, cushy job benefits and wage disparity has mirrored corporate practices.
I submit, unions have outlived their purpose just as has lobbying. In a sense, constitutional protections have, in far too many cases, backfired. Resulting
distortions have driven work force conditions beyond any semblance of balance, union greed and power has replaced rational demands and an unhealthy environment has supplanted common sense,
These various conditions have increased social discord while doors fly off planes, auto quality has allowed foreign manufacturers to replace domestic’s and America’s reliance upon our adversaries has reached serious national security levels,
Add to this, Biden’s crippling , insane and arrogant border policies and America’s continued decline is a foregone conclusion.
Every presidential election is crucial. In my lifetime, because of constant wars and Civil Right’s issues, the severity of outcomes have grown, However, none seems as threatening to the survival of our republic as the one in 2024 because of the confluence of external factors and loss of control of the voting process.
Add to this, discord caused by a repeat contest between two candidates whom voters find distasteful and you have a true conundrum.
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On Thursday, Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the Defense Ministry body, which authorizes construction in Judea and Samaria, would convene to approve plans for 2,350 new housing units in Ma’ale Adumim, 694 units in Efrat and 300 units in Kedar.
The move came hours after three Palestinian terrorists murdered Matan Elmaleh, 26, and wounded six others in a shooting attack on the Route 1 highway.
Smotrich, who is also a minister in the Defense Ministry, said that the appropriate response to the attack was to build more Jewish homes across the Green Line.
“May every terrorist planning to harm us know that lifting a finger against Israeli citizens will be met with a death blow and destruction, in addition to the deepening of our eternal grip on the entire Land of Israel,” said Smotrich.
+++++++++++++++++
"NEVER AGAIN."
Attached, is an article I posted before and am doing so again after
listening to an interview on FOX this morning of BIBI.
The interview gave Bibi an opportunity to repeat what he has consistently been saying and which those who want to see Israel's elimination have also been saying.
To any one who is objective, it is quite evident anti-Semites have won the upper hand and won over a large segment of the world's population because Palestinians have been able to portray themselves as victims and the world loves to protect victims.
Ignorance is the prime ingredient which, all too often, allows perpetrators to wrap themselves in the cloak of victimhood.
When Israel turned over Gaza to the Palestinians they chose to be ruled by Hamas. They had a state of their own bordering Israel. Instead of living in peace they sent rockets into Israel and on Oct 7 engaged in an unprovoked barbaric massacre of Israeli's. Prior to this time, Palestinians rejected every opportunity to have a second state. They rejected these opportunities because their espoused goal has always been the elimination of Israel. They teach hatred in their schools, pay Palestinians to kill Jews and commit other atrocities. They did so yesterday in Jerusalem. Killing Israelis is a Palestinian preoccupation and their corrupt government rewards them.
The Israeli position hardened after Oct. 7. "Never Again" now is the attitude the majority of Israeli's have embraced. Bibi may ultimately be thrown out of office because the Israeli's have to blame someone for their nation's intelligence failure. The "buck" always stops with the incumbent.
Israeli's can argue, Bibi and various Israeli governments, as well as those heading the IDF, were naïve to believe Palestinians wanted peace and in this regard they are correct.
Therefore, Bibi's desire to win the war is the only rational course. I daresay the world would have laughed had Russia urged America to stop fighting the Nazi's short of victory and let Hitler live.
Because of poor polling , Biden and his lackey's have now caved. They have adopted and are espousing policies that appeal to the anti-Semites
and brainless but endanger Israel and its Jewish citizens and Bibi, as their leader, is right in rejecting them.
Finally, ask yourselves why haven't other Arab and Muslim nations invited Palestinians into their country?+++
A poll out of New York indicates a seismic shift in the Jewish vote
By Andrea Widburg
For almost a century, there has been one constant in American politics: Jews vote for Democrats. There are multiple reasons for this fact but, regardless of the reason, the one thing Democrats could rely on was the Jewish vote. However, the Biden administration’s increasingly open hostility to Israel may be changing that pattern. One poll out of New York shows something remarkable: More than 50% of New York’s Jews plan to vote for Donald Trump!
When Eastern European Jews came to America, they were escaping tsarist oppression. For them, the opposite of tsarism was Marxism. This binary viewpoint wasn’t unique to them. In pre-WWII England, a lot of the British upper class did the opposite, siding with fascism because they believed it was the only bulwark against communism. Except for people like Oswald Mosley and his wife, Diana Mitford, and the latter’s brother, Tom, and sister, Unity, most Brits quickly recovered from this delusion once WWII started.
In America, though, by the 1930s, Jews had made the same journey that blacks did, finding what they thought was their permanent political home with the Democrats. The Republican party was seen as the party of antisemitism and, especially after WWII, Democrats played on that visceral fear.
Few Jews, even the ones who escaped from or survived the Holocaust, made the connection between Hitler’s socialism and the rising socialism of the Democrat party. The inability to see this link—and this was true despite Karl Marx’s openly expressed antisemitism or Stalin’s Jewish purges—kept Jews tied to Democrats.
American Jewish fealty to Democrats was strengthened over the generations by the Jewish fealty to college degrees. Jewish immigrants have always had a reverence for education, and they soon realized that a degree was the way for their children to get out of the urban ghettos in which they found themselves after coming to America. At least since the 1960s, colleges have been indoctrinating graduates into believing that the Democrat party is good and the Republican party evil. This has reinforced Jewish loyalty to the Democrats.
And boy, has this loyalty been strong. In 2008, 78% of Jews voted for Obama; in 2016, 71% voted for Hillary; and in 2020, 77% of Jews voted for Biden.
However, things are changing, and they’re changing very rapidly. On October 7, 2023, Hamas—aided by UNRWA (a subdivision of the UN that Jews stupidly love so much given its institutional anti-Israel bias)—raided Israel, slaughtering almost 1,200 civilians and kidnapping 250 more (of whom many are now dead). In addition, it engaged in the most nauseating, heinous sexual warfare against Israeli women. The sexual violence is almost incomprehensible to the modern mind. It was remarkably similar in flavor to the 1937 Rape of Nanking.
The response on the Jews’ beloved college campuses was immediate: Campuses across America sided with Hamas. Meanwhile, Biden has made it quite obvious that he wants to save Hamas and reward the Gazastanians and West Bankians for their murderous intransigence by giving them a state of their own. So far, thankfully, Israel is refusing to let the Biden administration lead her to her death.
None of this, of course, is new for Biden. Like Obama, Biden dislikes Israel and has never been shy about showing it. Already in the 1980s, when support for Israel was bipartisan, Menachem Begin was calling Biden out for his comfort with letting Jews die at Muslim hands:
And do I even need to mention the Squads’ open hostility to Israel?
Suddenly, Jews have been forced to face what’s been brewing in their preferred political party for decades: Antisemitism that takes the form of anti-Israel hostility. The Democrat party dislikes Jews and wants to erase the world’s only Jewish state.
If Jews were as smart as their reputations, 100% of them would support Donald Trump. Unfortunately, it’s hard to shake off generations of leftism, which is why you have the Anti-Defamation League obsessed with not offending LGBTQ+ people rather than defending Israel or “Jews for Justice for Palestinians,” whose members enthusiastically support their would-be murderers (here’s a great photo of some of those delusional morons).
Nevertheless, there are signs that Jews are finally wising up. Exhibit A is what’s happening in New York. As of now, 53% of New York’s Jews plan to vote for Trump:
The spike in New York Jewish voters backing Trump has come in the wake of the murderous Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, with anti-Semitic hate crimes and anti-Israel protests surging in New York City.
The latest polls demonstrate a shift in the New York Jewish vote that is a “clear trend, long in the making,” Sam Markstein, national political director for the Republican Jewish Coalition, wrote on X.
Markstein cited Lee Zeldin’s failed 2022 gubernatorial race, with the former Long Island Representative receiving 46% of the Jewish vote after campaigning on defending yeshivas amid heightened scrutiny and bashing the state’s criminal justice reform laws.
The same article points out that this swing isn’t going to put Trump in the White House, but I still think it’s noteworthy. As I pointed out yesterday, New York’s Jews aren’t the only Jews viewing their beloved party with a newly jaundiced eye.++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Israel’s 142nd Day of War
By Sherwin Pomerantz
On the 142d day or war in Israel, dawn came with news of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s presentation to the security cabinet on Thursday night of a document of principles regarding the management of Gaza after the war, aiming to install “local officials” unaffiliated with terrorism to administer services in the Strip instead of Hamas.
Notably, the document of principles Netanyahu presented does not specifically name the Palestinian Authority or rule out its participation in the post-war governance of Gaza. Instead, it says that civil affairs in Gaza will be run by “local officials” who have “administrative experience” and who are not tied to “countries or entities that support terrorism.” The language is vague, but it could rule out groups that receive funding from Qatar and Iran — as Hamas does — or possibly the PA, whose welfare program includes payments to convicted terrorists and their families.
The plan begins by stipulating a principle for the immediate term: The IDF will continue the war until achieving its goals, which are the destruction of the military capabilities and governmental infrastructure of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the return of the hostages abducted on October 7, and the removal of any security threat from Gaza Strip long-term. The IDF will maintain an indefinite freedom to operate throughout the entire Strip to prevent the resurgence of terror activity, the document says, describing this as an intermediate-term principle. The plan states that Israel will move forward with its already-in-motion project to establish a security buffer zone on the Palestinian side of the Strip’s border, adding that it will remain in place “as long as there is a security need for it.”
Good news! The IDF appeared to clear the way for southern evacuees to return home after nearly five months in temporary quarters, saying that no security issues were preventing a return to communities near the Gaza border. The announcement by the IDF Home Front Command declared it essentially safe to return to all communities located between four and seven kilometers (2.5-4.3 miles) from the border with Gaza, along with 18 communities even closer to the Strip, including some practically abutting the war-ravaged enclave.
The move, which may mark a significant step toward the resettlement of some of those communities within weeks, follows reports that the Finance Ministry had reached a deal with mayors of evacuated communities aimed at incentivizing the return of residents starting in March while continuing to foot the bill for those who wish to remain in government-afforded accommodations until July.
As an Israeli delegation returned from Paris with an updated framework for a hostage release deal, the war cabinet convened to discuss the details and create an “outline of agreement.” The updated hostage deal, which has yet to be approved by Hamas, involves the initial release of 25-40 women, children, elderly, and ill hostages during a 6-week ceasefire and in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
Talks in Paris included negotiations between the US, Qatar, Egypt, and Israel, but didn’t include Hamas. However, there was some indication in the Saudi media that Hamas had “softened” its position and may have rescinded its demand for a permanent ceasefire, a condition that was a non-starter with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Prime Minister Netanyahu signaled his approval of the deal but insisted the IDF would continue its operations in Rafah to eliminate the last Hamas battalions. He said, “We are working to reach another framework for the release of our hostages, as well as the completion of the elimination of the Hamas battalions in Rafah.” The agreement calls for only a temporary ceasefire and has provisions for a “redeployment” of the IDF in Gaza. Israel is sending a delegation to Qatar to hopefully conclude the terms of the deal.
Future Leadership
In the continuing search for people who know how to successfully organize projects and could be useful in the post war government, today I call attention to Dr. Michal Tsur, 50. In the business and technology world, she's been a familiar figure for years, one of Israel's prominent serial entrepreneurs. But the general public became acquainted with her mainly as one of the leaders of the high-tech industry's protests against the government's judicial overhaul last year.
She is articulate and composed, and those who know her as an activist also know that she is neither angry nor accusatory, but her concern coincides with her efforts to channel her personal perspective into a broader national one that could change reality. Her entrepreneurial spirit is always looking for action.
Given her doctoral study in evolutionary game theory, she sees the fault lines of the current governmental structure and believes they need to be changed. She has opined that the cabinet acts like the board of a business whose directors take money from the treasury and give it only to some employees. This board has clear conflicts of interest, but everyone sits around the table and watches without doing anything. This conduct weakens Israel as a state, and every sector understands that. Given her academic background, she is quoted in a recent article in CTECH that, “According to game theory, it (the change) should have happened long ago."
In recent months, there were those who wondered if Tsur would make her way into politics, after it became clear that she was parting ways with her latest successful venture, Kaltura. Some even thought she would join forces with her former co-founder of Cyota, Naftali Bennett. Instead, last week the former prime minister joined the board of Tsur's new startup, Remepy, focusing on hybrid drugs.
She is married to Eran Shalev, a professor of American history and is a mother with a son currently serving in the IDF. In her vision of the country, she looks at what makes the tech industry so successful and believes it's a shared goal that everyone is focused on achieving. She believes that's what's missing in the political leadership.
Clearly after the war Israel must undergo a drastic change in infrastructure and restart.
Tsur was born in Jerusalem, completed a bachelor's degree in law and economics, and went on to obtain a doctorate in mathematics at NYU and a postdoc at Yale before starting to found companies. She believes that the government needs as many certified experts and scientists as does the hi tech industry here. A future government of Israel would be well advised to tap this significant human resource.
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