News – Diaspora
The #TousAvecUneKippa (We’re all with the kippah) campaign in France was in full swing today, calling on French citizens to proudly wear a yarmulke to show their solidarity with the Jewish people. On Twitter, photoshopped images of the Beatles, Robert De Niro, Brad Pitt, and other icons were being shared, in the wake of a stabbing on a Jewish man in Marseille. Also today, two French lawmakers wore yarmulkes to parliament to show their rejection of anti-Semitism.
Today: #Twitter Campaign Calls on All of France to Wear Kippot #TousAvecUneKippa pic.twitter.com/MN39ZumcZM
— Jewish Voice (@JewishVoice) January 15, 2016
A Montreal architect, Phyllis Lambert, has won the Israeli version of the Nobel Prize, the US$100,000 Wolf Prize for the Arts. Lambert was chosen for her six decades of championing innovation in building design and preservation of properties of patrimonial significance.
A heartwarming story turns ugly: as news agencies were rapidly searching for stories on the Powerball lottery, one tale emerged of a Jewish healthcare magnate, Shlomo Rechnitz, who reportedly bought over 15,000 Powerball tickets for all of his employees. The Jerusalem Post first reported that one of those tickets were a winner after a nurse working in a California facility believed she had won, celebrating with her co-workers in a scene captured by the media. However, the employee had been pranked by her son, who had sent her a photo of a winning ticket that he claimed was hers but wasn’t. Tsk tsk tsk.
A haredi Orthodox school in London has been ordered to close, after authorities discovered it doesn’t even teach English, but focused instead on Hebrew and the Torah. Those students are likely very sheltered.
Rainer Höss, the grandson of Rudolf Höss, an Auschwitz commandant, has reportedly been spending his life trying to make amends as an active proponent of Holocaust education and tolerance. Read a profile on his work in the community here.
The prestigious Sciences Po University in Paris has expelled its first student since 1872, apparently. The student, a Kuwaiti national, was let go after posting several anti-Semitic comments on Facebook. She was reportedly also a member of a few anti-Israel pages on social media as well. Considering that the school doesn’t make it a habit of letting its students go, it’s refreshing to hear it taking a harsh stand against bigotry and hatred. Keep it coming.
People are outraged at Charlie Hebdo’s decision to run an animated feature in this week’s edition that ponders what Alan Kurdi’s life would have been like if it hadn’t been cut short. Last year, an image of the three-year-old Syrian refugee lying lifeless on the beach went viral, resonating with millions across the world and galvanizing several politicians to act on the refugee crisis. According to the new Charlie Hebdo cartoon, Kurdi would have grown up to be a sex predator (or a “groper”), referencing the sexual assault attacks carried out in Cologne by Syrian and Middle Eastern migrants on New Years Eve. It’s a fairly controversial piece, even for Charlie Hebdo standards, but that is what they do best, after all.
Charlie Hebdo says this drowned baby Syrian refugee would have grown up to sexually harass German women. pic.twitter.com/Atprm0LffW
— Hend Amry (@LibyaLiberty) January 13, 2016
Atheists have launched a lawsuit against the United States to remove “In God We Trust” from American currency. We all know how susceptible Americans are to change – just look at how many amendments they’ve made to gun control, for example – so expect new currency notes by 2358.
Proponents of the BDS movement in Ireland claim they’ve convinced one of the world’s largest construction companies, CRH, to sell its stake in Israeli company Mashav Holdings, since it provided the cement for the construction of a separation fence between Palestinian territories and Israel. Though CRH has declined to comment on whether the move was politically motivated, Ireland’s Palestine Solidarity Campaign has described it as a huge win for the boycott movement.
Israel Advocacy Movement took to the streets of London to see who residents believe is the worst human rights violator in the world, providing them with these options: Israel, ISIS, North Korea, Saudi Arabia and Iran. The results are troubling, but also just plain sad. I mean, North Korea didn’t even stand a chance against Israel. This is what happens when we allow misinformation to spread at the rate that it has.
Israel Advocacy Movement took to the streets of London to see what country Brits believe is the worst human rights…
Posted by StandWithUs on Friday, January 15, 2016
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that it’s time to “reset” relations with the European Union, accusing it and Sweden particularly of holding a grudge against Israel. If the video above serves as any indication, his argument is certainly valid.
Margot Wallstrom, Israel hater No.1 (or should we bestow that honour to Roger Waters?), is apparently “beginning to become a problem” for residents in Sweden too, due to her “habit of thinking out loud.” One liberal commentator told the Times of Israel that her actions are “marked by controversy” and that her preoccupation with Israel is beginning to look like an “obsession.” Maybe it’s time to start thinking before you speak, Margot.
Russia has replaced Israel as the biggest threat to Turkey, according to a new survey, since relations between Turkey and Russia became strained. One less country to worry about.
In a bid to “calm tensions” between Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank, employees of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Unit (COGAT) distributed packets of cucumber seeds to Palestinians, presenting them with this message: to “sow, not stab.”
Sports
Jerusalem has launched Israel’s first-ever special needs basketball league, which will allow Israeli players with disabilities to be able to play with other sports enthusiasts in an organized framework.
Business
Israeli ultrasound developer Insightec has raised US$22 million in the latest round of funding from current shareholders. The company, based out of Haifa, is reportedly at the “forefront of the global shift towards non-invasive procedures,” reports Globes.
Culture
On his first trip to the United States, David Bowie reportedly didn’t go on a drug-fuelled trip through New York city, or roamed the streets of Hollywood. Instead, he spent the evening at the home of a Maryland Jewish family. According to reports, the evening resonated deeply with the iconic musician.
Woody Allen’s sidekick, Tony Roberts, has shared all in a new interview with JTA. Roberts appeared in several of Allen’s films during the 70s and 80s.
A Toronto artist re-imagines historic paintings in a new exhibit at the Koffler Centre. The installation from Howard Podeswa, A Brief History, was influenced by physicist and author Stephen Hawking’s book, A Brief History of Time.
Remember that movie Cloverfield, that left you with a pretty mean headache, but otherwise enjoyable? Well, according to Jewish super-director/producer J.J. Abrams, there was a sequel in the works for years, and nobody knew about it until today. A trailer for the surprise sequel, 10 Cloverfield Lane, was released this morning, and stars John Goodman and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Watch it below:
Charlies Xavier Patrick Stewart takes on an interesting new role in the Green Room, where he plays a Neo-Nazi out for blood.
Throwback
Jewish wide receiver Julian Edelman of the New England Patriots will be back in action during Saturday’s NFL playoff game. If you’ll recall, Edelman is a vocal supporter of the Jewish state: