the United Kingdom

2024-04-14

Who’s Anita Minyan? Hint: I need a minyan. You’ll find out more about Anita by reading Kaddish Around the World: Uplifting and Inspiring Stories (Targum Publishers. Soft cover, 101 pages), a collection of stories compiled by Toronto-based Rabbi Gedalia (Gary) Zweig. They describe the supreme efforts of mourners to find a minyan, a prayer quorum of 10 men, in many countries and in the most unlikely places for the recitation of the , a time-honored Jewish practice. The Kaddish prayer is recited in Aramaic. Although often described as a prayer for the deceased, it does not mention death; rather, it is a hymn that praises God and sanctifies His name. The sons of the deceased recite it at the funeral, during shiva (the week of mourning), three times a day at prayer services for the ensuing 11 months, and once a year on the yahrzeit, the anniversary of the death. If there are no sons, the relatives or friends of the deceased must ensure that another male takes the obligation upon himself for the spiritual benefit of the person who has passed. Kaddish Around the World is a sequel to Living Kaddish (2007), which Zweig wrote after the loss of his mother. He is passionate about this ritual. Inspiring others to say Kaddish for their loved ones and not to give up in the face of challenges is a mission of his. In fact, Zweig has taken it upon himself to say Kaddish for four victims of the . He knows of others who are doing the same, he told the Magazine. Rabbi Gedalia Zweig is seen at a synagogue in Liverpool in the United Kingdom. (credit: Courtesy Gedalia Zweig) “First of all, it’s a benefit to the soul of the deceased,” he said. “I found a list of about 650 names of [murdered] civilians. To see the names of the people is very moving, even if you don’t know any of them personally. There might be a common name, like David Cohen, for example. You likely know a David Cohen, so you can relate to it. On a recent trip to Israel, I visited . Saying Kaddish for them [the victims] is very meaningful to me.” The Magazine asked if doing so had brought comfort to the families. “I hope so. There’s no way for me to know,” he replied. But he also hopes that as the initiative gains more publicity, the families of the victims will become aware of it, and more people will take it upon themselves to recite the Kaddish for others. Note: Zweig’s interview with the Magazine has been shortened for space and clarity. The first one was when my mother passed away and I couldn’t get a minyan in Orlando [Florida], although there are 20,000 Jews there, and then I learned that other people had similar stories. Regarding the second book, my dad – who had reached 101 years old – died, and I thought it would be beneficial to the Jewish community to share my experiences and those of others. You have the very frum [strictly Orthodox] who will say Kaddish no matter what, and the not-so-frum. We lost a lot [of people] during COVID. Shuls were not the same and people were on Zoom, so I said that we’ve got to get people back on board. This edition is literally Kaddish around the world. The stories are based in 17 or 18 countries where people have found a way to make a minyan, and it’s really inspiring.  It depends on how you look at it. In the cellphone generation, people might think, ‘Oh, I’ve got to do this; give it to someone else.’ But you shouldn’t give it to someone else; you’re supposed to do it yourself. On the other hand, the attitude can be different, like in the story about a guy who was on a safari in Kenya and didn’t think he’d manage to say Kaddish, but then a group of Israelis showed up.  I’m just trying to get more people involved. I was hanging out at the bookstores in England, and the response there was amazing. I had stopped off in London, and my cousin there asked if there was anything else I’d like to see. I said: ‘Liverpool.’ I’m a huge Beatles fan. So he called up the rabbi in Liverpool, who said, ‘Of course.’ We went there, and I asked the rabbi if he had heard of Brian Epstein, who was the manager of The Beatles. He pointed to Epstein’s yahrzeit plaque. The rabbi then arranged a breakfast at the shul for about 35 people, and right after that, we went – literally, five minutes away – to Paul McCartney’s boyhood home. In that tiny house, he wrote 70 songs. Later, we did Mincha [the afternoon service]. I just loved it there. It was great. Then we saw one of the most historic shuls in Liverpool, the Princess Rhodes Synagogue, so I joked that we had Beatlemania but now we have Kaddishmania.  The whole purpose of Kaddish Around the World is to show that you can go anywhere and continue to say Kaddish. I’ll tell you straight out: When I was working on this book, I had two stories from women that I wanted to include... Instead, I put in a story about a woman who didn’t say Kaddish but built a mikveh [ritual bath] in her hometown. She said she’s not obligated to say Kaddish; however, she wanted to do something that’s equally important in memory of her loved one. I agree with you. The way I see it is this: In the religious world, in most shuls they need to get a minyan of 10 men. If they don’t have 10 men, they don’t have a minyan. Telling a woman to come to the minyan doesn’t do anything for them. It’s good for the woman, of course; she could say Kaddish. She’s allowed to. And I think she should; I would encourage it. But the mitzvah, the obligation, is on the man. ZWEIG MENTIONS the Kaddish calendar at the end of the book, where he offers suggestions for different themes and areas of focus for each of the 11 months of Kaddish, to keep the mourner inspired. “I did that because after four or five months, maybe they’ll get tired or maybe it’s too cold. It’s like you’re running 11 miles. So you’ll run two miles at a time. That’s basically what it is – a way to keep the memory alive throughout the year and make the experience more meaningful. You have to stay motivated.” Kaddish Around the World is a delightful book, not just for mourners. Whether it’s an amusing story like the one about Anita Minyan, which will make you laugh out loud, or one that moves you to the core, these stories by diverse writers are highly entertaining and definitely worth reading.   The book is available at several stores in Israel and in Jewish bookstores in the US, Canada, and London, as well as on Amazon. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-12

Six months later after Hamas's October 7 massacre, the Israeli National Information System (or hasbara) campaign has been publishing its activities in the international arena. This campaign's goal within the global information arena is to provide details and a clear explanation of legitimizing Israel's needs, policies, and conduct in its war against the terror organization, which included an integrated and coordinated multi-system effort to exercise advocacy and public diplomacy - using representatives and spokespeople on behalf of Israel. According to the Israeli National Information System, about 1,500 interviews were conducted in a broadcast studio. In addition, the campaign has established a broadcasting studio for international media channels in English, Russian, and Arabic. Additionally, other efforts as part of the hasbara campaign have been written and broadcast press throughout the world's leading media. The national information system helped initiate and promote hundreds of articles to strengthen the Israeli narrative, provide critical articles and analyses, respond to news events, and drive intensive activity to create balance in coverage of the ongoing war. Just counting the 10 leading media systems in the US and Europe, the Israeli operations room has handled over 2,600 articles so far. Media that documents the atrocities that occurred on Israelis include in-depth articles covering the acts of sexual violence committed on October 7, dozens of interviews for leading systems in the international media involving officials, families of hostages, survivors of the October 7 massacre, and hostages who have been freed - all of which includes the BBC's apology for the false report which claimed that the IDF attacked the Shifa hospital in the first few weeks of the war. The area of ​​the Nova party where hundreds of Israelis were killed and kidnapped by Hamas terrorists who infiltrated to Israel, near the Israeli-Gaza border, in southern Israel, photo taken on October 12, 2023. (credit: CHAIM GOLDBEG/FLASH90) The hasbara campaign also included more than 4,000 visits by foreign reporters coming to Israel to cover the war, making it the most publicized event since the establishment of the state. This included 824 reporters from the United States, 595 reporters from the United Kingdom, and 488 reporters from France. The reporters went on tours in the South and in the north of the country, visited the aftermath scene of the Supernova music festival, and received sectorial and strategic reviews from IDF officers, ZAKA volunteers, police, Israeli officials, and witnesses of the massacre. Israel's National Information Center also hosts influencers from abroad for collaborations and further endorsing their advocacy. Among those hosted were "The Green Prince" , actor and comedian Michael Rapaport, and entrepreneur Julia Haart. The information center also launched a website that presents to the world only some of Hamas' crimes against humanity, with photographs and videos from the . The site was launched in preparation for the start of the hearing on the petition against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. In the first 3 days of its operation, the website received 43 million exposures. Furthermore, the national information system produced over 200 campaigns, which led to about 2 billion exposures to Israeli messages worldwide. This was done using billboards in different cities in the US and Europe and the spread of messages on various digital platforms and television channels. Messages were spread on days when many eyes would be watching, such as Christmas, the ICJ Hague case, New Year's Eve, the Super Bowl, the Academy Awards, International Women's Day, and International Holocaust Day. "We mark half a year of intense fighting in the information arena in the fight for the consciousness in the international community," said Moshik Aviv, the head of the Israeli National Information System. "Our activity will continue to be focused and determined with the goal of generating international legitimacy for Israeli defense in various areas. We will continue to fight for the truth of the State of Israel and spread it in every way." The national information policy is determined in the military operations room - located in the Kirya in Tel Aviv, where relevant representatives from all branches of the government participate in discussions and assessments of the current conflict. A well-equipped studio that enables regular press briefings, interviews with international media officials, and the production of dedicated broadcasts, and their active partners in the initiative include the IDF, Israel Police, and government agencies such as the foreign affairs and diaspora ministries. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-09

In the aftermath of Hamas’ barbaric terrorist attacks against Israel on and Israel’s subsequent invasion of Gaza, attacks against Jews have skyrocketed across the Western world. Antisemitic incidents have surged by 361% in the United States, 132% in Canada, and are at record highs in the United Kingdom and near-record highs in the European Union. From violent threats and physical intimidation on public transit to widespread vandalism of Jewish-owned business, Jews are no longer safe in spaces or even countries where they were previously welcomed. The media’s fixation on antisemitism in the West makes sense given that the is concentrated in Western Europe and Anglo-America. But Jews do not only live in “rich” countries, and since the Hamas attacks on Israel, the media has failed to expose the day-to-day dangers faced by Jews living in less prominent regions such as Latin America. For a Jew living in Argentina, Chile, or Mexico, a story condemning an antisemitic attack in Vancouver will only do so much. Stamping out antisemitism across the globe means stamping out antisemitism across the globe, and Latin America should be included in those efforts. Latin America has long nurtured an antisemitic underbelly that has drawn scant international media attention, even after the October 7 attacks. Latin America is home to approximately 500,000 Jews, including nearly 200,000 in Argentina alone. In Brazil, antisemitic attacks have risen by nearly 1,000% since October 7. A Venezuelan student walks over a cloth with red paint and the Star of David during an anti-Israel demonstration in Caracas (credit: REUTERS/JORGE SILVA) In Peru, right-wing extremists targeted a prominent Peruvian Jewish journalist by screaming antisemitic chants outside his home, including showing posters of rats holding bags of money. In Nicaragua, Jewish cemeteries have been vandalized and desecrated. Vicente Fox, Mexico’s former president, accused presidential candidate Claudia Sheinbaum – who has Jewish parents – of being “a Jew and foreigner at the same time.” Argentina’s new president, , who claims to be an ally of Jewish people and Israel, appointed Rodolfo Barra to be the country’s lead prosecutor. Barra belonged to a right-wing group responsible for hundreds of antisemitic attacks, including attacks against synagogues, a violent riot in a Jewish neighborhood, and the murder of a Jewish lawyer. He will now be responsible for prosecuting antisemitism in Argentina. Political leaders in nearly every Latin American country espouse popular tales about Jewish control of the media, politics, and the economy. Supporters of these antisemitic leaders include José Antonio Kast, the son of a Nazi SS lieutenant and frontrunner for the next Chilean presidential election, and Daniel Jadue, the mayor of Recoleta linked to the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO). A number of politicians and associations linked to former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro have also promoted antisemitic conspiracies and espoused neo-Nazi imagery. In the past, such antisemitism has moved from words to murder. In 1992, Hezbollah and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) bombed the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, and later the AMIA (Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina) Jewish community center in 1994, killing 114 people. In 2009, armed vandals attacked the oldest synagogue in Venezuela as a protest against Israel – and rather than help its Jewish citizens, the Chávez government was quick to issue support to the terrorists. IRAN FUNDS operations against Jews and Israel and in the last five years has signed multiple security deals with Latin American governments. The regime also supports terrorist organizations, including Hezbollah, in conducting attacks against Israel and Jews in Latin America. Israel’s diplomats and intelligence operatives in the region are subject to frequent attacks, some deadly. Governments are not helping. Shortly after Israel began its defense, Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, and Chile recalled their ambassadors from the region. Bolivia cut off diplomatic relations with Israel, accusing the nation of crimes against humanity. Colombian President Gustavo Petro compared Israel to the Nazis, saying that they treated Gaza like the Warsaw Ghetto. Lula, Brazil’s President, also compared Israeli policy regarding Palestine as a “new Holocaust,” saying Israelis are the new Nazis. Manuel Zelaya, former president of Honduras, claimed anyone who supports Israel is not human. Nicolás Maduro, the dictator of Venezuela, frequently goes on dehumanizing tirades against Jews and Zionists on national television. Despite its problems, Argentina offers a path forward. Back in 2019, the country’s Jewish community lobbied its leaders to create a task force to honor the victims of the AMIA attack and another to combat antisemitism. In addition, after the October 7 attacks, Argentina’s Jews created coalitions with other religious leaders within the country to denounce antisemitism and call for greater interfaith dialogue. Western media should support these efforts to combat antisemitism in the region. A Jew in Chile or Mexico is not responsible for whatever “sins” Israel “commits or does not commit” in Gaza, and Jewish communities deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. Antisemitism in Latin America will not go away overnight, but in order to fight it, one has to recognize it. The West and Latin America alike have failed in that department. Joseph Bouchard is a freelance journalist and analyst covering geopolitics in the Americas, with reporting experience in Bolivia, Colombia, and Brazil. His articles have appeared in The Diplomat, Mongabay, Le Devoir, La Razón, Responsible Statecraft, and Brazilian Report. He is a contributor with Young Voices, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting young journalists and columnists promoting heterodox thinking. Garion Frankel is a Ph.D student in PK-12 educational leadership at Texas A&M University. He is a State Beat fellow for Young Voices, and his work has appeared in various outlets including USA Today, Newsweek, and the Dallas Morning News.  ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-07

Houthi forces based in Yemen say the have launched rockets and drones targeting vessels from Israel and the United Kingdom, as well as a United States warship, within the last 72 hours in the Red Sea. Yahya Saree, the military spokesperson for the Houthi group, made the announcement via a televised statement, detailing the operations conducted over the past three days. While there has been no immediate confirmation from Israeli or US authorities regarding the reported attacks, two British maritime organizations have reported incidents involving vessels in the vicinity of Yemen overnight. The Houthi statement follows shortly after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced earlier today that the hostile aircraft intrusion sirens heard in Israel's southernmost city of Eilat and its surrounding areas were false alarms. This latest series of attacks marks a continuation of hostilities initiated by the Iran-backed Houthi group, which has been targeting ships in the Red Sea since November.  The group, classified as a terrorist organization by the United States, claims its actions are aimed at compelling Israel to cease its offensive operations in the Gaza Strip against Hamas. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-06

Jonathan Glazer's controversial speech at the 96th Academy Awards last month was endorsed by 151 Jewish creatives working in the film industry in an open letter, according to an exclusive report by Variety on Friday. The report comes only a few weeks denouncing Glazer's speech - nearly eight times the amount of those who defended the Zone of Interest director's words, where he said that he "refuted his Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people." Jewish producers of Glazer's film had also shown disapproval of his words. Signees of the open letter include actors Joaquin Phoenix (Joker), Elliott Gould (American History X, Ocean's Eleven), Chloe Fineman (Saturday Night Live), David Cross (Arrested Development), Wallace Shawn (Toy Story, Princess Bride), Ilana Glazer (Broad City), and Debra Winger (Terms of Endearment); directors Todd Haynes (May December, Carol), Boots Riley (Sorry to Bother You), Lenny Abrahamson (Room), Emma Seligman (Bottoms, Shiva Baby), Joel Coen (No Country for Old Men, Big Lebowski, Fargo); playwright Tom Stoppard (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead). Signees of the letter also included Israeli filmmakers such as Nadav Lapid and Avi Mograbi. The letter reads: “We are Jewish artists, filmmakers, writers, and creative professionals who support Jonathan Glazer’s statement from the 2024 Oscars. We were alarmed to see some of our colleagues in the industry mischaracterize and denounce his remarks,” referring to the letter denouncing his remarks. Director Jonathan Glazer, of the United Kingdom, accepts the award for Best International Feature Film for ''The Zone of Interest,'' during the Oscars show at the 96th Academy Awards in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 10, 2024. (credit: MIKE BLAKE/REUTERS) The letter also accuses those who disapprove of Glazer's speech as a "dangerous distraction from Israel’s escalating military campaign which has already killed over 32,000 Palestinians in Gaza and brought hundreds of thousands to the brink of starvation" and that they also "have a silencing effect on our industry, contributing to a broader climate of suppression of free speech and dissent." While the letter expresses grief for the victims of the and calls for the safe return of the hostages, it doesn't make any clear explicit condemnation of Hamas nor does it call for the terrorist organization to surrender in Gaza. The pro-Glazer letter continues by saying "We should be able to name Israel’s apartheid and occupation" and states "We are proud Jews who denounce the weaponization of Jewish identity and the memory of the Holocaust to justify what many experts in international law, including leading Holocaust scholars, have identified as a 'genocide in the making.'" The letter also references other Jewish creatives in the entertainment industry such as Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner, who also decried the innocent Palestinian civilians killed in the crossfire in the war, but their names are not attached to the letter.  Spielberg called the Hamas attacks in October "an unspeakable barbarity." His USC Shoah Foundation began collecting testimonies and accounts from survivors of the October 7 attacks as part of their Countering Antisemitism Through Testimony Collection initiative, a project that documents post-Holocaust antisemitism. He also warned that “the machinery of extremism is being used on college campuses,” referring to the rise of antisemitism in these areas. The letter ends by calling for a "permanent ceasefire" and "rejects the false choice between Jewish safety and Palestinian freedom," and that "We honor the memory of the by saying: Never again for anyone." Glazer has yet to address the diverse responses to his speech. Jerusalem Post Staff and Jacob Gurvis/JTA contributed to this report. ...قراءة المزيد

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2024-04-03

British police on Tuesday said three suspects believed to be involved in the working for a Persian language media organization in London last week left the country within hours of the attack. "Detectives have established the victim was approached by two men in a residential street and attacked. The suspects fled the scene in a vehicle driven by a third male," London's Metropolitan Police (the Met) said in a statement. The victim in his 30s sustained an injury to his leg in the attack in Wimbledon, southwest London, on Friday afternoon. Police said he has since been discharged from hospital. Police said that after abandoning the vehicle, the suspects traveled directly to Heathrow Airport and left the United Kingdom a few hours after the attack. Britain's National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said the victim was British-based Iranian journalist Pouria Zeraati, who hosts a show on the Persian language television news network International, which is critical of Iran's government. Soccer Football - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 - Group B - England v Iran - Khalifa International Stadium, Doha, Qatar - November 21, 2022 Iran fans hold signs reading 'Freedom for Iran' and 'Woman life freedom' inside the stadium before the match. (credit: REUTERS/PAUL CHILDS) Police said it remained unclear why the victim was attacked and officers are "keeping an open mind as to any motivation behind this." The incident was being investigated by counter-terrorism detectives because the victim was a journalist at a Persian language media organization based in Britain, and previous threats had been directed towards this group of journalists, the Met said. In January, Britain imposed sanctions, in coordination with the United States, on it said were involved in threats to kill journalists on British soil, and others it said were part of international criminal gangs linked to Iran. ...قراءة المزيد

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