Your Daily Spiel is The CJN‘s daily roundup of trending stories in the Jewish world
Canada: In an interesting turn of events, the Embassy of Israel in Canada and the Consulate General of Israel in Toronto have stepped in as sponsors of the controversial Achinoam Nini (Noa) concert in Vancouver, Canada is reviewing the case of former Nazi death squad member Helmut Oberlander who’s been fighting to keep his Canadian citizenship since 1995, the former director of Toronto’s Leo Baeck day school has been arrested in California on child porn charges, an Alberta imam recently charged that Islam would soon conquer Rome, and the National Post and CJN contributor Barbara Kay has penned an articulate article explaining why Max Blumenthal does not deserve the honour of a PEN Canada audience.
A Toronto barista with autism is giving Drake a run for his money as the city’s most popular rep after appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show where he got a heartfelt greeting from Toronto Raptors Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan and GM Masai Ujiri. Truly worth a watch:
U.S.: Trump won his third primary in a row (is it time to freak out yet?), the Washington Times published a satirical piece on how not to resolve the Israel-Palestinian conflict, a Miami Orthodox Jew has committed suicide by driving on the wrong side of the road, students at University of Massachusetts, Amherst say that despite a rally, administration is not doing enough to combat anti-Semitism on campus, and the Anti-Defamation League is pressuring Rutgers University to respond to a Jewish student’s discovery of a swastika on the ceiling of her campus apartment.
Israel: An IDF soldier, 30, was killed by friendly fire after being attacked by a Palestinian terrorist, the Shin Bet has released a new report that claims the number of Israelis injured by terrorism jumped up by 284 per cent in 2015, a gay Iranian poet is seeking permanent asylum in Israel after “falling in love” with the country, Tel Aviv University researchers, in an unprecedented discovery, have found a collection of ancient fabrics dating back 3,000 years, Israel’s Knesset held its first-ever LGBT Rights Day yesterday, and several weapons were discovered in a passenger’s bag at Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion Airport.
The Knesset passed Israel’s first foster care law yesterday in honour of terror victim Dafna Meir, Tel Aviv University has launched a scholarship fund for lone soldiers in memory of lone soldier Sean Carmeli who died during Operation Protective Edge in 2014, the Palestinian Authority is looking to launch a new academic degree program for terrorists jailed in Israel, and Israel’s first Arab Food Fest appears to have been a success, at least, according to this video:
The Arab food festival in Israel! A tasty look at coexistence.
Posted by StandWithUs on Wednesday, February 24, 2016
World: Three British lawmakers from Conservative and Labour parties have condemned Palestinian incitement and terrorism directed against Jews, a French-Jewish teacher has been arrested on suspicion of lying about being attacked by anti-Semites, the Huffington Post U.K. is offering a guide to make boycotting Israel easy (thanks HP), Sweden is increasing its financial aid to Palestinians to $40.6 million (US) annually, an El Al passenger was arrested for causing a disturbance on a flight from Poland to Israel because the in-flight film apparently “wasn’t modest enough,” and a man is suing his sister in the U.K. because their Holocaust survivor father left her a larger inheritance share.
Five women from the ancient Chinese Jewish community of Kaifeng are making aliyah to Israel, Uganda’s chief rabbi has made history as the first member of the tribe to win a seat in Parliament, Malmö’s Jewish community aren’t particularly fond of actor Kim Bodnia’s decision to cite anti-Semitism as the reason for leaving a television show, and a Swedish teenager who was coerced by her boyfriend to Iraq has been rescued by Kurdish special forces.
Culture: Jewish actor B.J. Novak still has ideas for Michael Scott. Too early for a reunion episode?
Ideas I Had for Michael Scott This Week https://t.co/ddwThlPJ8D
— B.J. Novak (@bjnovak) February 23, 2016
Swedish electronic musician Avicii has confirmed his forthcoming performance in Israel this summer. Given the strained relationship between Israel and Sweden, expect boycotts, condemnation, and maybe even an open letter from Roger Waters?
In the latest episode of The Simpsons, Bart channels legendary Jewish rapper Drake to the soundtrack of his hit single, Started from the Bottom.
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