Your Daily Spiel is The CJN‘s daily roundup of trending stories in the Jewish world
CANADA
Global religious leader Rabbi Jonathan Sacks was in Toronto recently, where The CJN had a chance to discuss with him the threat of religious violence, extremism, and his latest novel, Not in God’s Name: Confronting Religious Violence.
Representatives from Israel’s Givat Haviva Center for Shared Society arrived in Toronto this month to help celebrate Heart to Heart, which brings 20 Palestinian and Jewish youngsters to Canada each summer for a camping and educational experience. Learn more here.
If you’ve been curious about Stephen Harper’s whereabouts since Justin Trudeau won the Canadian federal election last October, the former PM finally emerged last week to speak to Republicans and Conservatives at an event attended by fellow pro-Israel supporter Sheldon Adelson in Las Vegas.
UNITED STATES
A 13-year-old New York boy has taught us all the true definition of the word ‘mitzvah,’ after donating his bar mitzvah money (some $76,000 US) to less fortunate Israeli children, thanks in part to UJA Federation of New York’s ‘Give a Mitzvah-Do a Mitzvah’ program.
ISRAEL
Tel Aviv university researchers say that high-tech handwriting analysis of what is believed to be 2,600-year-old Hebrew inscriptions on pottery shards suggest that the Bible is even older than we thought. The handwriting belongs to at least six authors, according to the researchers, which means that a) literacy in the Kingdom of Judah may have been far more common that believed, and b) the earliest books of the Bible could have actually been written during the First Temple period.
In another historic document (in its own right), an Israeli Orthodox rabbinical group published a legal document that calls on others to welcome gay Jews to the Jewish community at large.
Israeli defence minister Moshe Ya’alon revealed today that Israel did indeed give written approval to Egypt’s transferring of two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia. The news once again signals a small, but growing, amount of cooperation between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
An Israeli collector arrived in Jerusalem this week to sell his unique collection of maps of Jerusalem, drawn at least 150 years ago. The maps were sold for NIS 13,000 ($4,400 Cdn).
According to reports, a secret Jewish wedding was performed on the Temple Mount (essentially forbidden to Jewish worshippers) in Jerusalem, the second to take place there in 2,000 years.
Palestinian sources have revealed their plan for nonviolent resistance by a unified Palestinian leadership lead by Fatah activist Marwan Barghouti, who is currently serving five life sentences for murder in an Israeli jail.
WORLD
Australia’s oldest Holocaust survivor might lose his beloved caregiver due to a visa mishap, but that’s only if she decides to leave the country to visit her daughter in the Philippines.
You’ve probably heard of Israel’s revolutionary prostate cancer drug which is now on the market in Mexico. The drug is now undergoing advanced trials in Europe.
CULTURE
James Corden driving Adele around might be the first video you see when you google ‘Carpool Karaoke’ but legendary Jewish a Capella group The Maccabeats driving around with ‘viral vidmaster’ Meir Kay is pretty good for a close second.
There’s a play currently running at the Panasonic Theatre in Toronto that looks at the effects of the Sept. 11, 2011 attacks on Jewish and Muslim couples. Click here for details.
David Blatt said he wasn’t done with the NBA after he was fired from the Cavaliers earlier this season, and now it seems that the New York Knicks are considering him. Seems like he’d fit in just fine there.
In a new interview, trending Israeli actor Gal Gadot says that her Wonder Woman film will be dark. “In Batman v Superman, you get a glimpse of who she is but not where she comes from. In Wonder Woman, this would be the first time we ever tell the coming-of-age story of how Diana becomes Wonder Woman. It’s very interesting. It has moments of humor, but it’s pretty dark,” she said.
Toronto celebrity chef Zane Caplansky is riding a bike to help end child hunger. Donate here.
If there was any comedian you’d be stoked to see live, who would it be? If your answer is Louis C.K., and you are planning on visiting Israel this summer, you’re in luck. During a conversation with Howard Stern, C.K. said, “I’m going to Israel and doing a show like at a soccer stadium or something there and I’ll get as much money over there as I would here at home.” He didn’t announce any other details, mind you, but still. It’s pretty exciting. Revisit C.K.’s stand-up on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WspEKHwnxlU&nohtml5=False
Click here for yesterday’s edition of Your Daily Spiel
Send ideas, news items to [email protected]