#IsraelAt71 “What made my Israeli heart a little bigger this year? Our humor, brashness, kindness, the intrinsic sense of family, and that dust that gets everywhere”

Posted on May 9, 2019 by ArchitectGuy

TIMES OF ISRAEL
71 things to love about Israel
by Talya Woolf
May 8, 2019

It’s that time of year again. When the weather starts warming up, the rains finally stop, and the blue and white flags start to decorate… well, everything. Car flags spurt from windows, buildings get dressed up, and LED displays show images of the Israeli flag waving behind a Ner Nishama (Azrieli Mall — I’m talking about you). It’s the end of Yom HaZikaron (almost Yom HaAtzmaut) and each year, thanks to Benji Lovitt, we start to really enumerate the things that have made our Israeli heart just a little bigger. So without further ado, here are the 71 things that I love about Israel. READ THE 71 THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT ISRAEL

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“While Facebook claims to go after so-called “violent” and “dangerous” accounts, it ignores the thousands of Muslims on Facebook who threaten to rape and murder me on their platform”

Posted on May 9, 2019 by ArchitectGuy

FRONT PAGE MAG
If Facebook Were Actually Concerned With Violent And Dangerous People On Its Platform…
by Bosch Fawstin
May 8, 2019

If Facebook were actually concerned with violent and dangerous people on its platform. . . It would be targeting and banning Muslims who, more than any other group, threaten to murder people on their platform. None on Facebook, or in the world, are more violent than Muslims, and they habitually threaten to rape and murder on Facebook without paying a price for it.  And I’m well aware that I have no right to be on Facebook, but unlike those who state that fact as if that’s the end all and be all, I have the right to criticize Facebook for its fraudulent practices. READ MORE

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#AntiSemitism “The far Left is intertwined with Islamist activists. Both share a hatred of the U.S. and see the Middle East as a postcolonial victim of Western imperialism”

Posted on May 9, 2019 by ArchitectGuy

NATIONAL REVIEW
Why Progressive Anti-Semitism — and Why Now?
by Victor Davis Hanson
May 7, 2019

…The examples of progressive hatred of Jews could be multiplied endlessly, but the key question is: Why in this generation and why on the Democratic left? There, are of course, always white nationalists who voice reactionary anti-Semitism, but most are pathetic fringe groups easily identified and ostracized. For all the invective lodged against Donald Trump, no president has proved more sensitive to Jewish issues and more committed to the survival of Israel. The anti-Semitic extreme alt-right has received no sanction from the Republican party, and it remains a tiny, mostly irrelevant group of losers. READ MORE

JNS Jewish leaders decry lack of censure by most Democratic candidates on Gaza rocket fire “It is disappointing and troubling that only a few of the candidates spoke out in response to [the nearly] 700 rockets launched by terrorists against the civilian population of our close ally,” Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, told JNS.

WASHINGTON POST At a Chicago Catholic church: Farrakhan delivers insult while denying he’s anti-Semitic Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan referenced “Satanic Jews” in a speech denying allegations of anti-Semitism, misogyny and homophobia after Facebook banned him from the social media platform.

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“With annual abrupt change of spirits, country celebrates its 71st anniversary with fireworks, concerts, parties and torch-lighting ceremony in Jerusalem”

Posted on May 8, 2019 by ArchitectGuy

TIMES OF ISRAEL
Grief to jubilation: Israel transitions from Memorial to Independence Day
by Michael Bachner
May 8, 2019

Israel abruptly crossed over from grief to jubilation at nightfall Wednesday, as Memorial Day for the country’s fallen soldiers and terror victims came to a close and its 71st Independence Day began. Mournful and somber speeches gave way to fireworks, concerts and parties across the country, with flags promptly raised back from half-staff. The juxtaposition of Memorial Day and Independence Day is a key element of Israelis’ experience of their country’s anniversary, ensuring that no commemoration completely excludes the sacrifice of the fallen and their families, and that the elation of independence is never far removed from an awareness of its cost. READ MORE

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Yom Hazikaron Israel’s Memorial Day 2019 “Today, Israel stands united with the memory of the 23,741 fallen soldiers”

Posted on May 8, 2019 by ArchitectGuy

NAOMI RAGEN BLOG
Scenes from Israel Remembrance Day, 2019
by Naomi Ragen
May 8, 2019

…With haredim entering the IDF in ever greater numbers to fulfill their compulsory military service, things are changing. This year, for the first time, an official ceremony was held at Jerusalem’s Heichal Shlomo to honor fallen haredi soldiers like Yitzchak Tubal, who took time off yeshiva studies to join the army. On Yom Kippur, 1973, he was leading the prayers for his unit. A few hours later, Egyptian soldiers launched a murderous surprise attack. When a grenade landed at his feet, he didn’t hesitate, covering it with his body to absorb the entire impact and save the lives of his comrades.  READ MORE

This Yom Hazikaron, watch Jerusalem U’s award-winning documentary When The Smoke Clears in honor of the IDF soldiers protecting Israel. The film follows three former Israeli soldiers battling life-altering mental and physical scars as they return to civilian life. Showing what can be achieved when people come together, it’s a story of optimism, brotherhood and, ultimately, healing. Screening is free for Amazon Prime members, click here.

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Elan Carr: “Administration’s equating of anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism “certainly breaks new ground””

Posted on May 7, 2019 by ArchitectGuy

REUTERS
U.S. may review ties with countries deemed anti-Israel: envoy
by Dan Williams
May 5, 2019

The United States may review its ties with countries it deems as being anti-Israel after what a U.S. envoy said on Sunday was a shift in policy toward equating anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a March speech that anti-Zionism – opposition to Israel’s existence as a homeland for the Jewish people – was a form of anti-Semitism, or hostility toward Jews, that was on the rise worldwide and that Washington would “fight it relentlessly”. READ MORE

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“Because Trump’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over Golan was done through an executive order, a future president could undo the action. A bill passed into law would set the policy in stone”

Posted on May 6, 2019 by ArchitectGuy

JNS
AIPAC comes out in support of congressional bills recognizing Israeli control of Golan Heights
by Jackson Richman
May 6, 2019

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the most powerful pro-Israel lobbying group in the United States, has come out in support of companion congressional bills to enact into law U.S. President Donald Trump’s official recognition in March of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. “We are supporting these measures on Golan sovereignty,” AIPAC spokesperson Marshall Wittman told JNS. The statement by AIPAC came after two sources had told JNS that AIPAC had been opposed to the congressional legislation. READ MORE

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Eye-opening video on Gaza corruption; Israel is clearly not their big problem

Posted on May 6, 2019 by ArchitectGuy

JERUSALEM POST
Corruption: A Major Cause of Palestinian Suffering
by Pierre Rehov
May 6, 2019

…But when you talk to Palestinians about the misappropriation of funds allocated by the international community, the first term they use is “corruption.” Indeed, a study by AMAN – a chapter of Transparency International co-founded by Jordan – shows that, according to several surveys of the Palestinian population, the corruption of their leaders is the second most popular cause of their misery. According to the same surveys, the first cause would be the inability of these same leaders to create a strong economy. The Israeli occupation comes in third place. READ MORE

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Snoop Dogg “ignoring Farrakhan’s history of antisemitism, rapper calls on fans to share videos by Nation of Islam leader, excoriates Facebook over ban”

Posted on May 6, 2019 by ArchitectGuy

ARUTZ SHEVA
Rapper Snoop Dogg backs Farrakhan following Facebook ban
by David Rosenberg
May 6, 2019

Rapper Calvin Broadus, better known by his stage name ‘Snoop Dogg’, expressed support for Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan on Friday, and excoriated Facebook and Instagram for removing Farrakhan’s accounts …Following the ban, Snoop Dogg took to Instagram and Facebook to decry Farrakhan’s removal, questioning the basis of the ban and calling on his fans to share videos by the controversial Chicago-based minister. “I want to know for what? All that he ever do was tell the truth, for which y’all gonna ban him now.” READ MORE

BLOOMBERG Facebook Bans Alex Jones, Milo Yiannopoulos, Other Far-Right Figures Facebook Inc. said it’s banning a number of controversial far-right figures, including Alex Jones, Milo Yiannopoulos and Laura Loomer, for violating the social-media company’s policies on hate speech and promoting violence. The company is also blocking religious leader Louis Farrakhan, who is known for sharing anti-Semitic views; Paul Nehlen, a white nationalist who ran for Congress in 2018; and conspiracy theorist Paul Joseph Watson.

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Two new bios document “Ben Hecht’s vital role in challenging America to recognize the Holocaust, and Jews’ right to a state of their own”

Posted on May 5, 2019 by ArchitectGuy

ALGEMEINER
Ben Hecht: Hero of Israel and the Holocaust
by Harold Brackman
May 3, 2019

…Hecht joked that he “became a Jew” only in 1939. This was just around the time he met Peter Bergson, the alias of Hillel Kook, a leader of the Irgun Zvai Leumi underground militia in Palestine, which politically adhered to Vladimir Ze’ev Jabotinsky’s Revisionist Zionism. From 1937 to 1940, the Irgun organized unauthorized immigration to Palestine, then shifted to creating a Jewish Brigade to fight Hitler. In 1942, they changed emphasis to an all-out campaign to save European Jewry. READ MORE

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