As Gulf opens to Jewish life, Muslims spark interest in learning about High Holidays

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September 9, 2021

As Gulf opens to Jewish life, Muslims spark interest in learning about High Holidays

One year after the Abraham Accords were signed, locals from communities in Gulf states have taken a keen and public interest in the Jewish New Year and its traditions.

BY JOSH HASTEN

(September 6, 2021 / JNS) With Jews around the world set to begin the High Holiday season, the small Jewish communities in six Gulf states, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, are planning to take part publicly in some of the traditional holiday rituals for the first time in decades.

This newfound openness is a direct result of the Abraham Accords signed a year ago between Israel, the United States, the UAE and Bahrain, followed by Sudan and Morocco.

Ebrahim D. Nonoo, leader of Bahrain’s Jewish community and president of the newly founded Association of Gulf Jewish communities (AGJC), whose goal is to develop Jewish life in the region, told JNS that “the best thing about Rosh Hashanah this year is that we are able now to advertise it. We are saying ‘Happy New Year’ to our Bahraini friends and government officials. It’s beautifully really out in the open now.”

He added “for us, in Bahrain, it’s about reciting the prayers, which we will be doing at home. But at the same time, we are sending packages of honey, pomegranates and other traditional Rosh Hashanah items to [Muslim] Bahraini families so they can join us in experiencing Rosh Hashanah.

Nonoo grew up in Bahrain after his grandfather moved to the country from Iraq seeking business opportunities and succeeding in establishing a life there for his family. As such, Nanoo is seeking to expand avenues of Jewish growth for others.

He is hopeful that the community will soon have a full-time rabbi and make greater use of the local synagogue in the city of Manama, Bahrain’s capital. He currently tries to conduct services there on a weekly basis.

He said that since the signing of the Abraham Accords “government officials have become more open, and we are getting a lot more visitors, which is a fantastic sign. At the same time, more local Jews”—he estimates 50 community members—“are coming to the synagogue and want to see what’s going on.”

Nonoo said while fewer Jews reside in the other Gulf countries, the AGJC was formed to support them with their needs to participate in the rituals on Rosh Hashanah and maintain a Jewish lifestyle throughout the year.

Michael (last name withheld upon request) is also an AGJC board member who represents around 10 Jews living in Oman. He owns an engineering consultancy company and is a development strategist, having arrived in the country in 2008 from Vancouver, Canada. He decided to stay there permanently after stints working throughout the Gulf since the 1970s.

He told JNS that he has always felt safe there—safer than in Vancouver. He said he believes that any anti-Jewish sentiment exists because of ignorance as a result of social media and other media-related propaganda.

With few practicing Jews in Oman, coupled with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, he said that his community will be celebrating this Rosh Hashanah in their homes. Michael personally will be celebrating with his son, who flew in from abroad. He plans to fly to Dubai for Yom Kippur.

Michael, who claims to make “the best hummus in all of Oman,” said it’s his goal to reopen the country’s only Jewish cemetery for use when the need arises and has discussed the issue with the relevant officials.

The largest Rosh Hashanah event in the region is slated to take place in Dubai, the UAE city that boasts the largest Jewish community, with an estimated 500 practicing Jews.

‘This is going to be an amazing experience’

Alex Peterfreund, a co-founder of Dubai’s Jewish community, its cantor and an AGJC board member who arrived in the country from Antwerp, Belgium, in 2014, told JNS that the community will be hosting services and kosher meals for several hundred guests in a local hotel under the leadership of Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie, the Jewish Council of the Emirates’ (JCE) senior and resident rabbi.

Alex Peterfreund teaches a boy to read from the Torah at the synagogue in Bahrain. Credit: Association of Gulf Jewish Communities.

Similar to comments made by Nonoo, Peterfreund said “the biggest difference between this Rosh Hashanah and in previous years is that we were a group of Jews coming together in a discreet way, and now it’s much more open and people feel more comfortable.”

He added that “in the past, some people were insecure and hesitant, and that is much less the case this year.”

Peterfreund said another big difference is that this year, local Muslims from Dubai would be joining the group to take part in the festivities.

“The main focus is the interaction between Muslims and Jews,” he emphasized. “This is going to be amazing. When you sit and explain why you eat the head of a fish, pomegranate, apples and honey—what we have been doing for thousands of years—and you feel how the locals are curious and eager to interact with us, this is going to be an amazing experience.”

He noted that “the same way that we have learned about Ramadan and their traditions, they will be a full part of our festivities.”

Lapid in Moscow: Israel will defend itself against Iran in Syria

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September 9, 2021

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Lapid in Moscow: Israel will defend itself against Iran in Syria

FM calls for IAEA condemnation of Iran, which Russia opposes.

Israel will continue to defend itself against Iranian actions in Syria, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said in Moscow, following a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, amid concerns about Russian moves to curb Israeli strikes.

“Israel will not sit by quietly while Iran builds terror bases on our northern border [with Syria], or while Iran supplies advanced weapons to terror organizations – weapons intended to be used against us,” Lapid said.

There cannot be regional stability as long as Iran maintains a presence and continues to export terror, he warned.

“We will maintain our ability to defend ourselves in the face of threats from Syria and elsewhere,” Lapid added.

The foreign minister acknowledged Russia’s “key interests in the region,” and said that is why the “necessary and effective” military deconfliction mechanism between Moscow and Jerusalem exists.

On Sunday, a Russian-made missile launched from Syria landed in the Gush Dan region. Two weeks before that, the Russian military in Syria said the air defense system it supplied to Syria shot down 22 of 24 missiles launched by Israel.

Israel and Russia, which has soldiers in Syria, have a deconfliction mechanism regarding Israel’s aerial campaign to stop Iran from establishing bases near Israel’s borders.

That mechanism seems to have been going less smoothly of late, as the Russian military message on missiles came on the heels of a report in the London-based ASharq al-Awsat in July that Moscow believes Washington has given it a green light to foil Israeli airstrikes in Syria.

In response to a question from a Russian journalist, Lapid said that “Israel is not considering and never will consider returning the Golan Heights to Syria.”

Lapid also warned that Israel reserves the right to act against Iran’s nuclear program.

“Iran’s march toward a nuclear weapon is not only an Israeli problem, it’s a problem for the entire world,” he said, calling for a “strong and clear message” from the world to Iran.

“A nuclear Iran will lead to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East,” he warned. “The world needs to stop Iran from getting nuclear capabilities, no matter the price. If the world doesn’t do it, Israel reserves the right to act…Israel will not allow Iran to become a nuclear state, or even a nuclear threshold state.”

Lapid cited recent reports by the International Atomic Energy Agency that paint a “clear and very worrying picture” of Iran’s “rapidly advancing nuclear program without any effective supervision,” and the Islamic Republic’s “fraud, deception and outright lies” to cover it up.

“The reports demand an [IAEA] Board of Governor’s decision,” he said, ahead of an expected meeting in Paris on Friday.

Russia, however, has voiced opposition to such a resolution. Its ambassador to International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov tweeted during the Lapid-Lavrov meeting that “no action is needed” by the Board of Governors, which should “maintain traditional businesslike cooperation” with Iran.

That behavior was “affected primarily due to some external factors,” Ulyanov said, likely referring to the US departure from the 2015 Iran deal and subsequent sanctions.

“Under no circumstances the discussion [at the IAEA] should adversely affect the prospects of the Vienna Talks on JCPOA,” Ulyanov tweeted on Wednesday, referring to the 2015 nuclear deal.

US Special Representative for Iran Rob Malley, the chief American negotiator in the indirect talks with Iran to return to the 2015 deal, was also in Moscow on Thursday. A statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry said Malley and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister S.A. Ryabkov will continue those negotiations, to which Iran has refused to return since June. They also emphasized “the significant contribution of the IAEA to the process of stabilization and ‘restart’ of the JCPOA.”

In Moscow, Lapid and Lavrov marked the 30th anniversary of relations between Israel and Russia, agreeing that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Russian President Vladimir Putin should meet soon. The details of the meeting will be determined by the Prime Minister’s Office and the Kremlin.

Lavrov called the date “very significant,” and said ahead of the meeting with Lapid that he was “looking forward to taking another step in developing the relations.”

Lapid emphasized “the great relations we have between our two countries…[which are] useful and fruitful to our people in terms of economics and culture.”

Tourism Minister Yoel Razbozov, who was born in Birobidzan, joined Lapid on the trip to Moscow.

Earlier in Moscow, Lapid laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in honor of soldiers that fell in World War II, in the name of the citizens of Israel.

“Israel appreciates the role of the Soviet Union in defeating Nazi Germany and the Red Army’s role in liberating the death camps,” the Foreign Ministry stated.

Lapid referred to Russia’s role in World War II and his own father’s story in his remarks to Lavrov.

“My father was a child in the Budapest Ghetto,” Lapid said. “He was destined to die. Then, one day, he heard people speaking a language he didn’t understand. My grandmother…. said: ‘It’s Russian…We are saved.’ The Red Army saved the world from tyranny and racism. They also saved a 13-year-old boy in the ghetto.”

Source: Jerusalem Post

Taliban Say Willing To Establish Relations With All Nations Except Israel

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September 9, 2021

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Taliban Say Willing To Establish Relations With All Nations Except Israel

The Taliban are willing to establish ties with all countries except for Israel, a spokesman said Tuesday as the extremist group announced its new government after taking control of Afghanistan.

Spokesman Suhail Shaheen told Russia’s Sputnik news that The Taliban were willing to work with the US after they swiftly toppled the 20-year-old Western-backed government last month just as President Joe Biden was completing a pullout to end America’s longest war.

“Yes, of course, in a new chapter if America wants to have a relation with us, which could be in the interest of both countries and both peoples, and if they want to participate in the reconstruction of Afghanistan, they are welcome”, Shaheen said.

However, there was no chance for ties with Israel.

“Of course, we won’t have any relation with Israel. We want to have relations with other countries, Israel is not among these countries,” Shaheen said.

Read more at Times of Israel.

{Matzav.com}

Arizona Is First US State To Divest All Public Funds From Ben & Jerry’s

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September 9, 2021

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Arizona Is First US State To Divest All Public Funds From Ben & Jerry’s

The state of Arizona is divesting all public funds from Ben & Jerry’s due to its boycott against Israel, State Treasurer Kimberly Yee announced on Tuesday.

Arizona reduced its investments in Unilever, Ben & Jerry’s parent company, from $143 million to $50 million as of June 30, and will reduce all investments by September 21.

“As Arizona Treasurer, I’ve divested all state funds from Ben & Jerry’s for boycotting Israel,” Yee wrote on Twitter. “Israel is and will continue to be a major trade partner of Arizona. As Arizona’s Chief Banking and Investment Officer, I stand with Israel and I will not allow taxpayer dollars to go towards anti-Semitic, discriminatory efforts against Israel.”

“Arizona law (Arizona Revised Statues 35-393 et seq) states that a public state entity may not invest monies with an entity that boycotts Israel,” Yee asserted. “I gave Unilever PLC, the parent company of Ben & Jerry’s, an ultimatum: Reverse the actions of Ben & Jerry’s to come into compliance with Arizona law or face the consequences. They chose the latter.”

‘It does not matter how much investment Unilever PLC has in Israel: with Ben & Jerry’s decision to no longer sell its product in the West Bank, the companies are in violation of the law in Arizona. Arizona will not do business with companies that are attempting to undermine Israel’s economy and blatantly disregarding Arizona law.”

The states of New York, New Jersey, Florida, Texas, Illinois, Maryland and Rhode Island are also considering divesting their public funds from Ben & Jerry’s.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)

Farmers Sing And Dance As They leave Their Fields For Shmita

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September 6, 2021

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Farmers Sing And Dance As They leave Their Fields For Shmita

With tremendous Siyata Dishmaya and with Klal Yisroel’s unwavering support, thousands of farmers and over 51% of agricultural land in Eretz Yisroel will be keeping Shmitah this year.

It’s almost Shkiyah in Eretz Yisroel, and as you read this, brave farmers have already begun the impossible.

They started a year of incredible sacrifice. They took on the commitment to carry our burden. They are keeping the sacred mitzvah of Shmitah on our behalf.

Source: The Yeshiva World

Florida Man Kills 4, Including Mom Holding Baby

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September 5, 2021

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Florida Man Kills 4, Including Mom Holding Baby

(AP) – Four people are dead including a mother still cradling her now-deceased baby after a massive gunfight early Sunday with a former Marine a Florida sheriff said was “ready for battle” and so aggressive he tried to wrestle a gun from police from his hospital gurney after being captured.

Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said 33-year-old Bryan Riley appeared to be suffering from mental health issues and had been slowly unraveling for weeks, repeatedly telling his friend that he could communicate directly with G-d.

After a gunfight with police and deputies — where dozens “if not hundreds of rounds” were exchanged outside a Lakeland home, Judd said, authorities found an 11-year-old girl shot multiple times, plus three deceased victims. They included a 33-year-old mother still holding her 3-month old baby boy and the infant’s 62-year-old grandmother who lived at a neighboring home, and Justice Gleason.

Riley, who served as a sharpshooter in both Iraq and Afghanistan, seemingly targeted the family at random, Judd said during a press conference Sunday.

Preliminary evidence shows 40-year-old Gleason just happened to be an unlucky stranger out mowing his lawn Saturday night when Riley drove by, saying G-d told him to stop because Gleason’s daughter was going to commit suicide.

A second person came to confront Riley, telling him that story wasn’t true and warned they would call police if he didn’t leave, Judd said. Authorities responded to the scene but never found Riley.

About nine hours later, around 4:30 a.m., Riley returned to the home, laying out glowsticks to create a path leading to the house to draw officers “into an ambush,” Judd said.

By chance, a lieutenant far in the distance, heard popping noises and immediately put the agency on active-shooter mode, bringing all state and local law enforcement in the area to the scene.

Following the sounds of gunfire, authorities arrived at the home and found Riley’s white truck ablaze and an unarmed Riley outside, dressed in camouflage.

Riley immediately ran inside, where authorities heard another round of gunfire, “a woman scream and a baby whimper,” Judd said.

Officers tried to enter the front of the house, but it was barricaded. When they circled to the back, they encountered Riley, who had on full body armor including head and knee coverings and a bulletproof vest.

Authorities exchanged heavy gunfire, before Riley retreated back into the home, according to the sheriff.

Everything fell silent, Judd said, until a helicopter unit alerted authorities on the ground that Riley was coming out. He had been shot once and was ready to surrender.

Meanwhile, officers heard cries for help inside the home, but were unsure whether there were additional shooters and feared the home was booby-trapped. A brave sergeant rushed in and grabbed an 11-year-old girl who had been shot at least seven times.

She told deputies there were three dead people inside, Judd said, adding that she was rushed into surgery and was expected to survive.

Deputies sent robots into the home to check for explosives and other traps. When it was clear, they found the unidentified mother and baby, Gleason and the family dog all dead from gunshot wounds. The baby’s grandmother was also found dead in a home out back. Authorities did not say if or how Gleason was related to the other people in the home.

“They begged for their lives and I killed them anyway,” Judd said Riley told them during an interrogation, adding Riley was playing mind games during the interviews with detectives.

Authorities declined to say how many times the victims had been shot or where they were in the home, but said they were all hiding and huddling in fear.

Authorities said Riley’s acquaintance had been cooperative and was shocked, saying he was never violent but suffered from PTSD and had become increasingly erratic, saying he’d spent the previous week on a mission from G-d stockpiling supplies for Hurricane Ida victims, including $1,000 worth of cigars.

“Prior to this morning, this guy was a war hero. He fought for his country in Afghanistan and Iraq,” said Judd. “And this morning he’s a cold-blooded killer.”

Riley, who had no criminal history, also told authorities he was on methamphetamines. His vehicle had also been stocked with supplies for a gunfight, authorities said, including bleeding control kits.

While being treated at the hospital, Riley jumped up and tried to grab an officer’s gun. “They had to fight with him again in the emergency room,” Grady said, before he was ultimately tied down and medicated.

He is expected to recover and will be transferred to jail to face charges.

“The big question that all of us has is, ‘Why?’” State Attorney Brian Haas said. “We will not know today or maybe ever.”

Former FBI Agent Says 9-11 Hijackers Had US-Based Support

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U.S.

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September 5, 2021

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Former FBI Agent Says 9-11 Hijackers Had US-Based Support

At least two of the 9-11 hijackers probably had a U.S.-based support network, according to a former FBI agent.

Danny Gonzalez worked on “Operation Encore,” the still-secret investigation into the two Saudi hijackers who were based in San Diego. Gonzalez told CBS News he’s confident the records of that operation will show the hijackers had help.

“19 hijackers cannot commit 3,000 mass murders by themselves,” Gonzalez told the network.

President Biden signed an executive order Friday directing the Department of Justice to oversee a declassification review of some documents related to the 9/11 attacks, after pressure from families of victims who are demanding to know if Saudi Arabia helped the hijackers. The DOJ must release any declassified documents in the next six months.

Some records pertain to “Operation Encore,” which began two years after the commission’s report.

Gonzalez said the public would learn “a lot” if records from Operation Encore were released, and that it would change the public’s understanding of 9/11.

Read more at NY Post.

{Matzav.com}

Coronavirus Mu variant discovered in the US

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U.S.

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September 5, 2021

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Coronavirus Mu variant discovered in the US

Some 167 cases of the Mu variant were discovered in Los Angeles, with 2,000 cases countrywide.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF. SEPTEMBER 5, 2021 12:25

The B.1.621 Mu variant of COVID-19 was detected in Los Angeles for the first time last week, with 167 known cases being discovered by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health.

“These specimens were sequenced between June 19 and August 21, with the majority of Mu specimens sequenced in July,” public health officials said in a statement.

There have been 2,000 reported cases of the Mu variant in the United States, according to the Washington Post.

“This variant has a constellation of mutations that suggests that it would evade certain antibodies, not only monoclonal antibodies but vaccine and convalescent serum-induced antibodies,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci in a video posted by the Washington Post. “But there isn’t a lot of clinical data to suggest that. It is mostly laboratory in-vitro data.

“We’re keeping a very close eye on it,” he added. “It is really seen here, but it is not at all even close to being dominant.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci (credit: STEFANI REYNOLDS/POOL VIA REUTERS)

The World Health Organization (WHO) designated the Mu variant, which was discovered in Colombia in January, as a “variant of interest” last week, saying that more study needs to be done to see if it could evade certain antibodies.

So far, the Mu variant has been discovered in some 40 countries including the UK, US, Hong Kong, South America and Europe, while the Delta variant spreads through the world including the US and Israel.

Fierce Hurricane Larry churning across the Atlantic, could be even stronger than Ida.

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September 5, 2021

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Fierce Hurricane Larry churning across the Atlantic, could be even stronger than Ida. East Coast could face ‘life-threatening’ surf.

Susan Miller Sun, September 5, 202

Just days after Hurricane Ida left a staggering, multi-state trail of destruction, forecasters were keeping a wary eye Sunday on another storm steaming across the Atlantic that could be even more ferocious.

Larry, now a Category 3 hurricane, could intensify into a Category 4 storm, possibly by Sunday, Accuweather meteorologists said. A Category 4 hurricane, as Ida was when it made landfall in Louisiana, has sustained winds of 130 to 156 mph. If Larry’s sustained winds increase above 150 mph, it would become the strongest storm in the Atlantic this year – even stronger than Ida, Accuweather said.

The storm was expected to churn across the open waters of the Atlantic for several more days, but it could eventually approach Bermuda around the middle of the week and move close to North America, Accuweather said. “At this point, it is most likely that Larry will miss the United States and stay a few hundred miles away from the Northeast coast,” Accuweather said.

Still, much of the eastern U.S. coast could feel Larry’s effects by midweek: Major swells from the storm are “likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,” the hurricane center said.

Larry was located about 830 miles east of the Northern Leeward Islands on Sunday afternoon, moving to the northwest at 13 mph. Maximum sustained winds were 125 mph, with higher gusts, the National Hurricane Center said.

“Little change in strength is forecast during the next few days, although fluctuations in intensity will be possible. Larry is expected to remain a major hurricane through the middle of this week,” the center said.

The storm is a large hurricane, the center said: Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 45 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles.

Source: USA Today

Parts Shortage Could Keep Car Prices Sky-High Until 2023

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September 5, 2021

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Parts Shortage Could Keep Car Prices Sky-High Until 2023

Back in the spring, a shortage of computer chips that had sent auto prices soaring appeared, finally, to be easing. Some relief for consumers seemed to be in sight.

That hope has now dimmed. A surge in COVID-19 cases from the delta variant in several Asian countries that are the main producers of auto-grade chips is worsening the supply shortage. It is further delaying a return to normal auto production and keeping the supply of vehicles artificially low.

And that means, analysts say, that record-high consumer prices for vehicles — new and used, as well as rental cars — will extend into next year and might not fall back toward earth until 2023.

The global parts shortage involves not just computer chips. Automakers are starting to see shortages of wiring harnesses, plastics and glass, too. And beyond autos, vital components for goods ranging from farm equipment and industrial machinery to sportswear and kitchen accessories are also bottled up at ports around the world as demand outpaces supply in the face of a resurgent virus.

Read more at NEWSMAX.

(Matzav)