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JTVC Breaking News

Uruguay Establishes Diplomatic Credentials In Jerusalem

by JTVC Staff August 17, 2023

written by JTVC Staff

In a landmark decision for Uruguay, the South American country today presented its diplomatic presence in the Israeli capital of Jerusalem.

Ever since the establishment of Israel on 29 November 1947, Uruguay has been a staunch supporter of Israel. Its vote at the United Nations helped to establish global recognition of the Jewish country. In those early days, Yitzack Navon led a diplomatic mission to Uruguay. He later became an Israeli prime minister further cementing the bond between the two nations. Nearly four decades later the Uruguayan’s reciprocated diplomatic initiatives at the highest level when its then president Julio Maria Sanguinetti, was the first head of state to make an official visit to Israel.

A rocky road to peaceful relations

However the road to stable relations between the countries hasn’t always been so smooth. In September 2020, allegations were made in the United Nations against Israel’s treatment of women’s civil rights. It led to internal division within Uruguay, where the charges had been made within the government. The issue was later resolved in Israel’s favor. The incident does underline the fact that opposition to Israel still exists within government elements of Uruguay.

Israeli support for Uruguay

In April 2016, heavy rain resulted in devastating floods. Uruguay’s Emergency Authority were also dealing with tornados ripping through the country. More than 10,000 people were displaced from their homes, while many were drowned or missing during the catastrophe. Israel was one of the first countries to step in and offer practical assistance, a fact that didn’t go unnoticed by the people of Uruguay affected by those natural disasters. Accordingly, such assistance helped pave the way for factions of the population in support of their country’s bonds with Israel.

Return of Uruguay’s embassy to Jerusalem

Uruguay had an embassy in Israel’s capital city of Jerusalem between 1954 until 1980. Due to external pressure the government based at Montevideo followed a path also adopted by Venezuela to close its presence in Jerusalem. Uruguay stated it was due to concerns about the religious well being of Jerusalems three main monotheistic religions – Judaism, Islam and Christianity. While reference was made to security considerations, it was generally believed in diplomatic and intelligence circles to have been initiated by political sources wanting to weaken Israel’s ties with its friends. Iran, with its declared interests against Israel, was one such nation that was involved in political intrigue in Uruguay, which resulted in a diplomatic fall out. After abandoning its Jerusalem embassy, Uruguay established its ambassadorial presence in the Israeli town of Hertzliyah, north of Tel Aviv where most countries trying to maintain a diplomatic balance between having a diplomatic presence in Israel, but not in its disputed capital in Jerusalem. Maybe, in moving to Hetzliyah the Uruguayans were making it known that while moving out of Jerusalem, they were not becoming entrenched in the political machinations that declared Tel Aviv as being the accepted capital of Israel, rather than Jerusalem?

Todays news is limited to Uruguay establishing a diplomatic office in Jerusalem. They spoke of increasing business ties with Israel, in particular with its innovative high tech industry. However, it also officially declared its intention to move its embassy back to Jerusalem, which is welcome news for both countries.

August 17, 2023 0 comment

Community

Uniting Israel and the Jewish Diaspora

by JTVC Staff August 16, 2023

written by JTVC Staff

This article is a response to the question – Is the Jewish divide leading to self destruction – in a recent JTVC article.

Bonds between Israel and the Jewish Diaspora

Returning to our initial line of inquiry, while we haven’t yet fully addressed the original question if there’s a need for strengthening bonds between Jews in the Diaspora and Israel, we have more than determined the undisputed fact that there is clearly disunity, between Jews throughout the world. No prizes for coming to that obvious conclusion! Turning our attention to how things could improve if there did exist better communication in this arena, the way is littered with trip wires that could make a minefield seem like a walk through a picnic site. Why would that be the case? Every attempt at even trying to gather entrenched contestants together can also backfire, placing the participant in such a venture exposed to ridicule and even exile from their own home camp.

Torah precepts for helping each other

I can almost hear many thinking aloud about the need to keep adversaries in a state of exile, doomed to suffer a bitter fate for not sharing their own values. But surely, such an attitude goes against many Torah precepts. We are commanded not to harbor a grudge against a fellow Jew, we are commanded to help a Jewish enemy who stumbles under a heavy load, not to help just once, but repeatedly. There is an exception to that latter command, which states that we should help him together with his own efforts to help himself. Is this sounding familiar? We earlier mentioned potential reluctance by our brothers in the Diaspora to receive help from those living in Israel, maybe even vice-versa. Like the virus plaguing our lives, we are cast further apart from each other. And this happens at a time when our obsession with the Internet compounds any attempt to connect with others! But I’m drifting off topic here, and having made the salient point about the obvious difficulties in trying to bring us closer together, feel obliged to return to the question of how things could improve in that process. In one sense I feel that it’s almost insulting to my audience to pose such a rhetorical question. Surely there is no such question and it’s obvious that there will be improvements. But hold on, if it was so obvious, how comes that we are still so irreconcilable? Accordingly, allow me to address the question of how it could improve our lives.

Is it a personal or national mission?

First, many might think in simple terms of bringing Jews together based on those they share something solid with. For example, family, friends left behind in the Diaspora, previous community members, and so on. But is there really such a wide gap here other than a geographical one? What I have so far outlined involves those who’s very political or religious views are so far removed from our own that for all intents and purposes we live on separate planets. We are accordingly alienated from each other just like beings from another world. I hope you are up for a challenge because this is one hell of a one!

A potential solution

Do you recall mention of the Revival Theme, something about strengthening bonds between Jews in the Diaspora and Israel, without getting tripped up in religious or political issues? Let’s explore some real simple ways that a dialogue can progress.

There were 200 children in my infant school, 199 were not Jewish and that same 199 supported our local football team, Chelsea. I supported Arsenal and never once got into an argument over religion! Do you have pet likes, a Netflix series, a hobby, well let’s not venture further. Of course the short answer is yes, and of course you are able to enjoy some form of casual and warm communication with others who share your passion, regardless of their political or religious beliefs, because that’s not part of the agenda. Now picture again those Jews we’ve placed in exile and imagine having a conversation with each other based on a favorite subject. Easy peavy right! Yes, Lionel Messi should never have left Barcelona, it was an outrage, oh did you mention something about praying on a moving bus driven by a left wing gay fanatic last Shabbat?

Doesn’t it feel good just making agreeable connections with others, and how much more so when we each share our own love for an entity called Judaism, and especially Israel. Baby steps can go a long way, a lifetime in fact.

We’ve just learnt simple ways to improve the atmosphere. And being raised in London, if it wasn’t for the atmosphere bringing constant rain there was nothing to talk to each other about.

The solution in focus

Having identified a problem, it’s time to explore a solution. I for one firmly believe in the need for gathering together our people and strengthening the bonds between Jews in the Diaspora and Israel. One could rightfully say that there’s too much dividing us so why bother in the first place? Yes, there’s some truth in that, but it’s possible to attempt the nigh impossible through sidestepping political and even religious obstacle that many stubbornly use for self-justification, despite the ongoing damage caused. Hopefully, having got your attention so far, allow me to explain how this can be accomplished. Who likes a good party, come on I know I do? When we gather around the birthday child, or the folks enjoying a golden jubilee, etc., where’s the focus, it is naturally upon the object of the celebration! Most families have pet animosities towards someone else. In that regards, the sad events described above can also be placed in the same context as a family group coming together to honor someone else, and grudgingly placing family feuds aside for the duration of that event.

Let’s now return to Israel’s Diamond Jubilee. Whether we know it or not, Jews are also the Children of Israel. That’s right, Israel a.k.a. Jacob ben Issac, was later known as Israel, and his offspring were naturally called the Children of Israel. Even an extended family that includes converts, those with less than a fully recognized Jewish birth, and worthwhile friends, can all still subscribe to being part of this grand gathering.

Think about that for a moment. Israel is our great, great, and greatest granddaddy. Israel is the Jewish Homeland, and Israel is also a state, an entity, about to celebrate 75 years of existence, and still going strong!

The Revival Project relates to festivities focused on this Diamond Jubilee, and less on the individual politics and other issues of participants who chose to celebrate it. We have a Revival Theme that aims to strengthen bonds between Jews in the Diaspora and Israel, through focusing on this miraculous event, nothing less than the revival of the Children of Israel. So, you party spoilers, nobody’s stopping you from joining in the festivities in your own sweet way. Pause for a moment about what it’s possible to achieve by gathering ourselves together? Many a deep family feud has been repaired through sharing a common event. There’s no reason to believe that allowing the spirit behind Israel to be our invisible guide and leader, miracles can happen, such as a new revival. Regardless of where each one is at, the Revival Project offers a fun and friendly way to discover the amazing essence of the Children of Israel. Jacob asked his children to gather together, as a prelude to entering a new dawn of hope.

There’s an urgent need for strengthening bonds between Jews in the Diaspora and Israel.

We’re Getting It Together – that’s our slogan!

August 16, 2023 0 comment

Is The Jewish Divide Leading To Self Destruction

by JTVC Staff August 16, 2023

written by JTVC Staff

Israel is now in its 75^th anniversary this year, how incredible is that, considering that a short while before the first Independence Day its very existence was in question? Meanwhile, Jews worldwide are also struggling to maintain their own identity while the tide of Anti-Semitism threatens their very existence. It’s like the story of Israel’s birth pangs is being adapted for G-d forbid a more morbid outcome for those living in the Jewish Diaspora.

Anxiety Blinds

Is it possible or even desirable to stem this relentless onslaught against our kin in foreign lands? I say desirable because the view from outside looking in at our lives in Israel is often clouded with misinformation and even blind hatred against the existence of an entity that runs counter to the idea that Jews can belong in a Diaspora. Accordingly, the question of it being possible to do something positive to help our brothers in distress is somewhat also dependent upon recipients being receptive to such assistance.

Meanwhile, sadly as usual, many Jews do a great job of turning against each other.

Diversity Rules

Despite the fact that reform, conservative, and other less orthodox streams of Judaism include those considered fully Jewish from the most fundamental of Jewish laws, the mere membership of an alternative branch of religious adherence marks them as an enemy by more orthodox followers. But, this is not a one-way tirade. Leaders of these same sects equally target the orthodox. I stress the leaders, as by its very definition, being a follower means having to follow a leadership. Where does that leave those in between whose feelings of animosity is often something that stems from an external source, in this case another branch of Judaism?

It’s often overlooked that these same followers are raised in an environment that encourages them to strongly feel the pangs of bitterness towards those raised in other Jewish ‘sects’ and so the righteous justification of their cause grows without restraint. Where has this led us?

The Curse Of Demonization

This continuous hatred against other Jews has led to previously unheard of depths. Jewish settlers are demonized, based on their own faith and geographical location. Facts on the ground, like the thousands of innocent babies that also happen to be raised in Jewish settlements, the unrecorded good deeds that include Settlers enjoying friendly relations with local Arabs, and much more, get conveniently left out of the dialogue from those preaching another form of Judaism. On the other hand some in the right wing often regard the act of being right, almost as a religion of its own. That leads to demonizing Jews who belong to the same sects as those who demonize them. Therefore, is being a member of an alternative Jewish culture, in itself, part of the double-edged sword that tears our people apart from within?

The gay movement is perhaps one example of how membership of an entity can render the individual lives of its followers secondary to that of the movement. It has always been a known fact that adolescence involves experimentation, a journey of self-discovery, which shouldn’t be harnessed and sidelined to suit the goals of politically minded leaders. But this is precisely what happens. Each person has the right of choice, and that includes experimentation. It also includes their Jewish birthright that fully explored, can lead to another more conventional lifestyle. But these same followers are also trapped in a movement that can only thrive by holding their subjects to a concept that begs for not only universal acceptance, but like most ‘us and them’ environments, a need to undermine anything that is not part of their own homemade culture. Accordingly, orthodox Jews only see the external façade of these movements while simultaneously despising and demonizing its followers, regardless of individual lives. Conversely, those trapped in these movements are denied the chance to explore Jewish concepts about sexual issues. Next, what of really external issues that can effect all the above-mentioned movements, however remotely associated with Judaism.

Lessons Learnt

The Holocaust taught as well. Jews of all persuasions, homosexuals, among others deemed as society outcasts, all shared the same tragic fate. And today, despite many fringe Jewish groups aligning their cause with declared enemies of Israel, they too are targeted by the same bedmates based on showing any form of Jewish identity in the first place. Then like any person with their back to the wall, they seek a way out through associating more with their prosecutors by going to new extremes of justification for their self-righteous beliefs. This is the foundation of the anti-Semitic verse anti-Zionist dialogue.

Israelis will blame Jews in the Diaspora for their predicament, many stating with righteous indignation that the State of Israel is actually the root cause of Anti-Semitism in the first place. Ouch! And so the schism grows.

We will explore this question further in the next part of this article. Meanwhile, we should take to heart the none to subtle difference between how we perceive ourselves, that is how Jews view other Jews, as opposed to how non-Jews regard us. When a point of view gives way to physical abuse, then the difference becomes much more distinct and worrisome. The Jewish nation as a whole is still reeling from the aftermath of the atrocious Holocaust. As long as we still have survivors in our midst who can testify that what happened is not just something we can close the pages of a history book to make it all go away, then as a collective people, we still have the opportunity to learn the dreadful lesson of a not too distant past. The question however is how we interpret those events and put things into action to prevent any repeat in our own times? We can more easily tackle the external threat from those seeking our collect time harm. They can be identified, isolated, and subject to a plan to block their demonic efforts. But what of the internal threat, from Jews subjecting other Jews to damnation? And this is precisely what we are having to face in our daily lives.

Questions Outweigh Answers

There are no simple answers seeing how divided we’ve become. Nothing new there really! But, that shouldn’t prevent us from seeking solutions to finding common ground, if nothing more than standing united against external threats of a more physical nature.

Follow up article

August 16, 2023 0 comment

Business Israel

Amazon to invest $7.2 billion in Israel

by JTVC Staff August 2, 2023

written by JTVC Staff

The launch of the AWS Israel (Tel Aviv) Region gives customers the option of running their applications from data centers in Israel.

(JNS)

Amazon.com plans to invest about $7.2 billion in Israel through 2037, and announced on Tuesday the launch of its Amazon Web Services data centers in Tel Aviv.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to the announcement during a visit on Tuesday to IDF Central Command Headquarters in central Tel Aviv.

“We were told today that Amazon is investing 26 billion shekels in the Israeli economy; this is after we were told that Intel intends to invest $25 billion and that NVIDIA is building a supercomputer here,” he said.

“Israeli society and democracy are coming out strengthened,” he added, apparently referring to the passing into law last week of a key piece of his government’s judicial reform legislation, which critics have argued would weaken Israel’s democracy and economy.

The launch of the AWS Israel (Tel Aviv) Region gives customers the option of running their applications from data centers in Israel, Amazon said in a statement.

AWS is Amazon’s cloud computing platform.

“Customers can securely store data in Israel while serving users in the vicinity with even lower latency,” the firm said.

“The establishment of the Region will enable us to migrate substantial governmental workloads to the cloud, and we are confident that it will help us accelerate digital transformation in the public sector,” said Israel’s Accountant General Yali Rothenberg, according to Reuters.

Amazon noted in its statement that Israel is at the forefront of cloud computing, and that AWS began supporting startups in Israel in 2013 through its AWS Activate program.

In April 2021, Israel selected AWS as its primary cloud provider as part of a framework to enable government departments, including ministries and municipalities, to accelerate their digital transformation.

Among AWS customers in Israel are AI21 Labs, Bank Leumi, CyberArk and Ichilov Hospital.

The Tel Aviv Region launch expands AWS to 32 geographic regions around the world, the company said.

August 2, 2023 0 comment

Community

Over 2,000 teens worldwide will visit JCC Maccabi Games

by JTVC Staff August 1, 2023

written by JTVC Staff

The number of participants has expanded three-fold since Access successfully launched at last year’s games in San Diego.

(JNS)

Following the historic JCC Maccabi Games in Israel, the world’s largest Jewish youth sports event continues with the JCC Association of North America’s 41st JCC Maccabi Games and Access events in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., from Aug. 6-11, hosted by the David Posnack JCC.

Nearly 2,000 Jewish teens comprising 64 delegations from the United States, Canada and six other nations will gather for the week-long events. For the first time, delegations from Argentina, South Africa and Ukraine, which also sent a delegation to the recent Israel-based games, will participate. Israel, Great Britain and Mexico—countries that regularly participate in the games—will also be represented.

Among those participating in the competition are a group of 21 athletes representing seven communities participating in JCC Maccabi Access, a JCC Maccabi Games experience for Jewish athletes with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The number of participants (age 12 to 22) has expanded three-fold since Access successfully launched at last year’s games in San Diego. JCC Maccabi Access reflects the JCC Association’s commitment to inclusion and supports JCCs in developing ongoing engagement activities in their own communities for teens with disabilities and their families.

Teen participants in the JCC Maccabi Games, Aug. 2, 2022. Credit: JCC Association of North America.

The opening ceremony kicks off on Aug. 7 at 6 p.m. ET at the FLA Live Arena. More than three-dozen state, county and local officials, as well as prominent Jewish leaders, are slated to attend. The games are a dynamic experience of Olympic-style sports and volunteer service designed to strengthen Jewish teens’ identities and connections to global Jewish peoplehood.

Baseball, basketball, ice hockey, girls’ volleyball, flag football, lacrosse, soccer, table tennis, tennis, swimming and dance competitions are on tap. The closing ceremony and celebratory dinner on Aug. 11 will feature the passing of the JCC Maccabi torch to next year’s host communities.

Athletes also engage in volunteer and community support experiences through JCC Cares, the service arm of the JCC Maccabi experience. Program partners in Fort Lauderdale include the Children’s Services Council of Broward County, We Finish Together, and the Goodman Jewish Family Services (JFS) of Broward County food-bank services.

“I am filled with pride as more than 3,000 Jewish teens from around the world take part in the JCC Maccabi Games, one of the foremost Jewish peoplehood initiatives of our time, shares Doron Krakow, president and CEO of JCC Association of North America. “We returned to Israel for just the second time in our history as we joined in the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the fulfillment of the Zionist dream. We continue in Fort Lauderdale for one of the largest such gatherings in recent memory. For thousands of athletes, along with coaches, volunteers, host families and a wall-to-wall coalition of Jewish community organizations, this year’s games are an extraordinary reminder of the capacity for good across a diverse and dynamic Jewish community.”

Girls’ soccer at the JCC Maccabi Games, Aug. 2, 2022. Credit: JCC Association of North America.

Samantha Cohen, senior vice president and head of JCC Maccabi at JCC Association, says the “JCC Maccabi Games have an awe-inspiring, lifelong impact, uniting young Jewish athletes through sport, values and service and, for many, offering an introduction to the global Jewish community and Israel. It’s critical they have this meaningful opportunity in their formative teen years before many head off to college.”

Cohen credits her own transformative Jewish journey, which led to her role as a Jewish communal professional, to her early involvement as a participant in JCC Maccabi, noting that she “arrived at the games as a British tennis player and returned home a Jewish athlete.”

Featured Image: Teen participants in the JCC Maccabi Games, Aug. 2, 2022. Credit: JCC Association of North America.

August 1, 2023 0 comment

Community

New York Boulders ‘Jewish Heritage Day’

by JTVC Staff August 1, 2023

written by JTVC Staff

Independent league baseball player David Vinsky, who hit an RBI double on the night, told JNS he lets Jewish fans know that he is an athlete of the tribe.

Alan Zeitlin

(JNS)

The New York Boulders defeated the Evansville Otters 7-5 in an independent Frontier League baseball game on July 30 at Clover Stadium in Rockland County, N.Y. It was a double win for Boulders left-fielder David Vinsky, 25.

Vinsky, who is Jewish and wears a Star of David necklace, hit an RBI double. He also had another hit and a strikeout, bringing his batting average to .264. After the game, which ran nearly three hours on Sunday night, he told JNS that the team’s “Jewish Heritage Day” was (pun intended) a hit.

“It’s awesome,” he told JNS on the field. “Not just tonight but in general. We get a ton of support from Jewish fans. It’s a homey feeling.”

Vinsky told JNS he tells Jewish fans who come to get autographs that he is Jewish, too. “It’s great to bond with them, and I love it,” he said. “All of the fans are great and show support.”

The team raised an Israeli flag as part of Heritage Day. Sarah Bayles, who works in promotions for the Boulders, added that the Israeli national baseball team played a game at the park in 2021.

The Boulders are second in their league in attendance with more than 3,150 fans coming to each game on average, according to Bayles. For the 32-game season, attendance tops 100,000.

The stadium, which opened in 2011 at a cost of $38 million, contains a play area for children, a kosher concession stand and a large blue Adirondack chair upon which people pose for photos. Kosher-food options are available for home games when not falling on Shabbat or Jewish holidays. The venue is less than 10 minutes by car from Monsey, home to a large Orthodox Jewish community.

On Jewish Heritage Day, as many as 20% of the crowd (out of an audience of 2,962) were Jewish men, women and children from all over the tristate area, according to estimates. After all, residents of the village of Pomona in Upstate New York have less of a schlep than traveling to Citi Field in Queens, where the Mets play, or Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.

Tickets are much cheaper in the Frontier League, and fans have a significantly better chance of being able to run the bases or interact with players post-game than they do in the Big Leagues.

Hot dogs on hot day

Mendy Aron told JNS that he came to the game with 76 others from Congregation Shomrei Torah, an Orthodox synagogue in Fair Lawn, N.J.

“It’s a nice day at the park, and this is the third year we’ve come for Jewish Heritage Day,” Aron told JNS. “It’s great there is kosher food, and a young boy from our shul threw out the first pitch.”

Mendy Aron attended the game between the New York Boulders and the Evansville Otters on Jewish Heritage Day with 76 others from Congregation Shomrei Torah, an Orthodox synagogue in Fair Lawn, N.J. July 30, 2023. Photo by Perry Bindelglass.

The boy, Idan Lefkovits, 7, wasn’t nervous to throw out that first pitch, he told JNS. The Yankees fan, who hopes his team makes the playoffs, offered simply that the experience was “cool.”

Fulfilling a role that was much more functional than ceremonial was Chaim Lunger, 28, of Pomona. The co-owner of Kosher Heaven felt the heat on the warm summer evening as he served up hot dogs ($7.49), chicken nuggets ($8.99) and fries ($5.99), often joking with customers.

Lunger told JNS he thinks he sold between 350 and 400 hot dogs.

“The people appreciate that there is kosher food. There are customers who are not Jewish who buy food, and people who live in this area have seen religious Jews, but they tell me I’m the coolest religious Jew they’ve met,” he said.

Lunger added that both fans and Boulders staff are “very friendly.”

Lines in front of the hot-dog stand often ran up to 30 people long, and Lunger often fist-bumped patrons—Jewish or not—as they got their food.

Chaim Lungar of Pomona, N.Y., serves up kosher hot dogs at Clover Stadium in Rockland County, N.Y., where the New York Boulders played the Evansville Otters on Jewish Heritage Day, July 30, 2023. Photo by Perry Bindelglass.

Aiming right instead of center

Shira Steinfeld, who wore a personalized jersey with her name on the back, told JNS that the Boulders is the only baseball team she likes.

The New Hempstead resident, who lives a few minutes from the park, comes to nearly every Boulders home game, she told JNS, and her favorite player is outfielder Patrick Kivlehan. Kivlehan, who is not Jewish, had brief stints in the Major Leagues with the Cincinnati Reds, Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Diego Padres, and he entered the game with 13 home runs. (He hit 10 in the majors.)

“The stadium is beautiful,” Steinfeld told JNS. “I love being able to sit so close up. In a Major League game, you would have to pay $4,000 to sit this close. We know the players by name, and we cheer for them by name. We love it; it’s a great time.”

Yaakov Maline of Fair Lawn, N.J., told JNS that even those who are skeptical that they would enjoy a baseball game that doesn’t involve big leaguers should give it a try.

“The Boulders have some really good hitters, and it’s cool to be so close when they hit the ball hard,” Maline said. In fact, at this level, the hitters tend to outpace the pitchers, which makes for high-scoring games.

Robert Isler, a Mets fan also from Fair Lawn, was at Clover Stadium for the first time. “I’ve been to stadiums in New Jersey in the same league, and this stadium is a lot nicer,” Isler told JNS.

The Boulders are 36-28, which is good for fifth place in the East division of the Frontier League.

Vinsky, who wears the Star of David, grew up near Detroit and is a Tigers fan, but also roots for the Mets because his friend Nick Plummer played for the team briefly last season. In 95 games last year, Vinsky hit an impressive .349, with 20 home runs and 84 runs batted in.

The Jewish player told JNS that one strategy for a hitter at Clover Stadium is to aim for the short right-field porch—only 312 feet away from home plate. Dead center field, meanwhile, is 403 feet away.

After a losing streak, the Boulders have won two in a row. “I think our best baseball is ahead of us,” Vinsky told JNS.

An Israeli flag was raised for Jewish Heritage Day at Clover Stadium in Rockland County, N.Y., on July 30, 2023. Photo by Perry Bindelglass.Featured Image: David Vinsky, 25, a right-fielder for the New York Boulders, competed (and won) against the Evansville Ott

August 1, 2023 0 comment

Anews Biblical Archaeology History Jews Views JTVC Breaking News

Evidence Of Second Temple’s Destruction Unearthed In Jerusalem

by JTVC Staff July 31, 2023

written by JTVC Staff

“For the Freedom of Zion” was inscribed on it.

Pesach Benson

(JNS)

Tangible evidence of the destruction of the Second Temple and the devastating events that unfolded in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago has come to light with the discovery of a rare coin in Jerusalem’s City of David National Park.

The City of David Foundation announced the find on Thursday as Jews marked Tisha B’Av, a somber fast day commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples, which both occurred on the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av.

The coin was inscribed with the words, “For the Freedom of Zion,” and was pierced in the middle. Presumably, it was worn as a pendant.

“It seems clear that the coin was pierced on purpose and the hole was not created as a result of natural weathering of the material,” Yaniv David Levy of the Israel Antiquities Authority explained. “The coin is pierced on purpose to probably allow it to be hung.”

Levy added, “These coins had no economic value and it is clear that they were kept as souvenirs.”

He said other archaeological finds have shown that both Jewish families and Roman soldiers kept coins and other objects as mementos from the time of the Jewish Revolt of 66-73 C.E. and the Temple’s destruction.

Levy explained that coins taken by Roman soldiers have been found in excavations of Roman military camps in Europe, but stressed, “In the case of this coin that was discovered this week in Jerusalem itself, it seems that the possibility that the coin was In the hands of a Jew—more likely.”

Other artifacts discovered in the City of David excavations include a stone weight, a spinning wheel and a basalt grinding bowl, all offering a glimpse into Jewish life in Jerusalem during the Roman siege.

The excavation site, situated next to the “Pilgrims Road,” which served as the main thoroughfare during the Second Temple period, has yielded a treasure trove of artifacts. Among the findings are the remains of collapsed buildings that provide insight into the destruction and turmoil that characterized the final days of Jerusalem.

“There are very few places where you can actually physically touch the ruins of Jerusalem,” said Eli Escusido, director of the Antiquities Authority.

“Thanks to the new excavation by the Antiquities Authority in the City of David, the terrible events that we read about in the history books and which led to the fast of Tisha B’Av, are translated into tangible testimonies. In these days of internal division, we must be awake to the echo that reaches us from the depths of our past, and strive for what we have in common that connects us.”

The announcement came one day after the discovery of another 2,000-year-old silver half-shekel coin in the Judean Desert.

July 31, 2023 0 comment

Anews Education

Action Alert from Zachor Legal

by JTVC Staff July 31, 2023

written by JTVC Staff

CONTACT: Ron Machol, Chief Operating Officer

https://zachorlegal.org

We are extremely concerned about the Critical Race Theory ethnic studies courses that are beginning in California and throughout the country in K-12 schools. These classes are designed to indoctrinate our young children that Whites are privileged oppressors, responsible for all of society’s ills. This includes portraying Jews/Israel as colonizing “Palestine” rather than recognizing the eternal Jewish homeland. But this is not only a Jewish issue, as in this Marxist way of looking at society, minorities are instructed that the American system is stacked against them and they are victims of unfair American policies meant to keep them down.

Zachor Legal is pushing back aggressively against this discriminatory narrative, working with coalition partners and parents of these students.

TAKE ACTION: If any readers can send examples of discriminatory ethnic studies materials from their children or grandchildren’s schools to info@zachorlegal.org, we intend to initiate legal challenges once we have enough specific evidence of what the materials say and how they are being used.

Listen to Ron Machol / Zachor Legal on Talking Point:

http://jewishtvchannel.com/ron-machol/

Zachor Legal Institute Co-Founder Ron Machol shares how they are building coalitions to fight BDS, biased ethnic studies curriculums, and terrorist funded nonprofits that are fundraising and operating in the US. Don’t miss their action alert re: how YOU can get involved by writing congressional representatives to request specific action.

July 31, 2023 0 comment

Business

The AI revolution is remaking the Middle East

by JTVC Staff July 28, 2023

written by JTVC Staff

Will AI be used for the stability of the region or its destruction? Can Israel use it to forge peace with its neighbors? “Our Middle East: An Insider’s Views” with Dan Diker and guest Harry Rubin

Dan Diker

(JNS)

On this episode of “Our Middle East,” Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs President Dan Diker hosts Harry Rubin, an American expert in technology transfer and artificial intelligence, to discuss how it will transform the region.

Rubin, who studied at Harvard University and Columbia Law School, is a senior partner specializing in technology and international law at the law firm of Kramer Levin and is also an expert on German-Israeli relations.

Transformative technology

Rubin emphasized the power of AI, which he likened to the industrial revolution or the dawn of the nuclear age. As a transformative technology, AI can generate output including video materials, at incredible speed, but its products are difficult to source or test for accuracy, a fact Rubin says can make it a blessing or a threat to global and regional stability.

The effect of AI on warfare

According to Rubin, AI is “the great equalizer.”

“You don’t need to have nuclear bombs and you don’t need to have an air force. You need to have some very sophisticated technology/computer people with high-powered computers. That is something any government can do,” he said.

The ability of AI to create realistic fake videos means that it can be used to destabilize nations from both without and within, said Diker—in Israel’s case, from faraway Tehran or nearby Gaza. On the other hand, he said, AI can cut troop deployment and wars can be conducted through “AI on a screen from what they call a Hamal, or war room, especially when you combine this with drones and robotics and unmanned aircraft and all the rest, which you’re already seeing in the Ukrainian situation.”

Israel and AI

Can Israel use AI responsibly, humanely and sensitively in order to further deepen its membership in the Middle East?

According to Rubin, “It can, and it should. And I think it should do it proactively and very creatively and aggressively. … I mean, every industry that is out there, that is meaningful, that is salient to the Middle Eastern countries will benefit enormously from efficiencies and strategies that employ AI. So I would hope and expect that Israeli AI companies are actively pursuing these efforts. And I would think that the neighbors in the Middle East are very interested in partaking in this effort.”

—

Our Middle East: An Insider’s View” airs live on JNS TV Youtube Channel, Facebook and Twitter at 1:30 PM EST/8:30 PM IST. You can also listen to the audio version here. A Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs podcast produced by JNS.

You can catch the audio version on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

Dan Diker is the president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, a foreign policy expert and the former Secretary General of the World Jewish Congress.

July 28, 2023 0 comment

Anews Business JTVC Breaking News

Israel, Vietnam sign free-trade agreement

by JTVC Staff July 28, 2023

written by JTVC Staff

The accord will ease activity for Israeli exporters in a growing market.

(JNS)

Economy Minister Nir Barkat and his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Hong Dien signed a free trade deal on Tuesday, Israel’s second with an East Asian country after the Republic of Korea.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Vietnamese Deputy Premier Tran Luu Quang attended the ceremony in Jerusalem.

The agreement is “expected to lead to the reduction of reciprocal customs duties on both imported and exported products, alongside an improvement and easing in trade in a range of additional areas,” according to an Israeli statement.

It will also provide a “competitive advantage and ease activity for Israeli exporters in the developing and growing Vietnamese market, thereby strengthening Israeli exports and increasing growth in the economy.”

“We’ve had excellent relations over the past few decades, but this is an important turning point,” said Netanyahu. “We are formally signing an agreement that will expand our trade, which is robust, to be even more robust. I look forward to increasing our ties with innovation, with all the areas that can better the lives of both our peoples.

“Vietnam is a vibrant, growing economy. Israel is a vibrant, growing economy. And our cooperation I think creates new horizons that will make us more successful together in the future,” he added.

Following the signing, Netanyahu and Quang held a meeting marking 30 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

They discussed the strengthening of bilateral cooperation in innovation, agriculture and tourism, and evaluated the possibility of direct flights between Israel and Vietnam.

Among the main goods traded between the countries are chemicals, chemical industry products, electronic equipment, optical and medical equipment, electrical and mechanical machinery and equipment, fresh agricultural produce and food products.

Israel imports many consumer products from Vietnam such as clothing, footwear, coffee and cellphones. In recent years, electric vehicles manufactured in Vietnam have begun to be sold in Israel.

“The agreement will give Israeli industry a competitive advantage, facilitate the activity of companies and exporters in the Vietnamese market and help reduce the cost of living in Israel, among other things by lowering the costs of imports from Vietnam,” said Barkat.

A free trade agreement between Israel and South Korea went into effect in December 2022.

Image: Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien and Israeli Economy Minister Nir Barkat hold copies of a signed free trade agreement at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang applaud, July 25, 2023. Photo by Kobi Gideon/GPO.

July 28, 2023 0 comment