Weekly roundup of world briefs

Deborah Project files another lawsuit against a California school district

(JNS) — It was déjà vu for the public-interest law firm the Deborah Project, which has sued two California public-school districts in as many months. In both instances, the districts refused to turn over record requests, despite state law requiring that they do so.

Earlier this month, the firm, which focuses in particular on the civil rights of Jews in education, asked a court in Santa Clara County, Calif., to ensure that the Mountain View-Los Altos Union School District comply with California Public Records Act, the firm stated.

The Deborah Project had sought “information about the use of overtly antisemitic ethnic-studies teaching materials, the use of which is forbidden by numerous California laws,” per the firm.

Not only are the teaching materials “explicitly biased and discriminatory,” the firm stated, but those promoting them have told teachers to hide their use from parents, district supervisors and the public, according to the Deborah Project.

The district had apparently contracted with a since-terminated consultancy that works with someone who has stated that “Zionists have no place in the classroom.”

87 percent of Israelis has positive view of America

(JNS) — A new study of global attitudes shows that Israel is the country with the second-highest positive opinions towards the United States, with only Poland ranked higher.

The report from the Pew Research Center reveals that among Israelis, 87 percent hold a favorable view of the United States, while 12 percent have a negative opinion. This compares to the survey’s high in Poland of 93 percent, the low in Hungary of 44 percent and the median of 59 percent overall across the 23 surveyed countries.

Other outlier countries with notably higher or lower levels of anti-Americanism included Australia at 52 percent and South Korea at 79 percent.

“Israel’s current view of the U.S. is the most positive since 2000,” Israel Nitzan, acting consul general at the Consulate General of Israel New York, tweeted of the survey.

Psychologist: Pittsburgh synagogue shooter ‘hurt’ he didn’t receive parade

(JNS) — The man convicted of killing 11 Jewish worshippers at Tree of Life*Or L’Simcha Synagogue in Pittsburgh on Oct. 27, 2018 thought he acted heroically, Richard Rogers, a forensic psychologist, testified in federal court.

The death penalty is under consideration for Robert Bowers, now 50, whom Rogers evaluated over four days late last year.

Rogers said on June 29 that Bowers “also wanted medals” and that he was “blatantly psychotic.” Another forensic psychologist testified the prior day that the defendant was schizophrenic, had attempted suicide as a teenager and had been committed involuntarily.

Prosecutors insist that the massacre took significant time to plan and that Bowers made his intent explicit in wanting all Jews to die.

Dr. Siddhartha Nadkarni, a neuropsychiatrist with epilepsy expertise who analyzed Bowers for four hours, disagreed. “I don’t think he’s incapable of planning it out, but I think the reasons for planning it out are not reliable in his mind—in his brain,” he said.

Michael Williams, a Butler County Prison corrections officer, testified about his observations of Bowers’ behavior. The defendant does not have a cellmate and appears coherent in discussions. He watches a lot of news programs and seems to enjoy coverage of his trial, seeming to smirk when he sees it, Williams testified. Bowers seems not to like illegal immigration and is not on medication, he added.

Syrian anti-aircraft battery hit after missile explodes over Israel

(JNS) — Israeli fighter jets struck an anti-aircraft battery in Syrian territory on Saturday night after a Syrian anti-aircraft missile exploded in Israeli airspace, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.

The missile exploded over southern Israel, with shrapnel found in the Bedouin town of Rahat. The IDF said that there were no casualties, and no special instructions were issued following the incident. No sirens were activated. Residents of the south and center reported hearing the explosion. 

“It fell right next to the children’s bedroom, we were very lucky,” a Rahat resident was quoted as saying by Kan News.

Simultaneously with the missile’s detonation shortly after midnight, Syrian media reported air defenses had responded to an Israeli aerial attack in the Homs area in the western part of the country. 

The Israeli attack came from northeast of Beirut, and caused material damage, Syria’s official SANA news agency reported. 

Rahat is some 257 miles from Homs and around 142 miles from the Syrian border. Reports indicated that the Syrian missile was a Russian-made S-200 long-range surface-to-air missile.

One arrested over threatening letter at Yoni Netanyahu’s grave

(JNS) — Israeli police and the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) on Saturday night arrested a 26-year-old resident of Kfar Saba in connection with a death threat against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The arrest followed a report regarding a threatening letter placed on the grave of the late Yoni Netanyahu—the prime minister’s brother who was killed in the 1976 Entebbe raid—at the Mount Herzl national military cemetery in Jerusalem. Upon receipt of the report, a joint investigation was opened by the Israel Police and Shin Bet.

During interrogation, the suspect admitted to placing the letter at Yoni Netanyahu’s grave. The suspect is set to appear at the Rishon Lezion Magistrate’s Court on Sunday for an extension of his remand.

The letter, which was written in both Hebrew and English, stated, “This is a threat of the first level,” and indicated that Netanyahu would not reach the age of 74.

Netanyahu and his brother Ido last week participated in a memorial ceremony at Mount Herzl on the 47th anniversary of Yoni’s death.

Israeli media also reported on Sunday that on Friday, a 47-year-old resident of Kiryat Gat was arrested after calling the police station in the city and threatening to kill Netanyahu.

“The Shin Bet and the Israel Police will deal with severity and with all the means at their disposal in the face of a threat of harm to public figures and will prosecute those involved,” a joint statement said.

Tel Aviv Light Rail to be inaugurated this month

(JNS) After years of delays, the Tel Aviv Light Rail’s first line is scheduled to start operating by the end of the month, the Transport Ministry announced Sunday.

The 24-km. (15-mile) Red Line, which connects the coastal city of Bat Yam, just south of Tel Aviv, with Petach Tikvah, east of Tel Aviv, has been green-lighted after all outstanding safety approvals were granted.

Originally scheduled to begin operation nearly two years ago, the nearly NIS 19 billion ($5 billion) project was repeatedly derailed by malfunctions, including, most significantly, in its signaling and emergency braking.

The line includes 33 stations and runs from Bat Yam through Jaffa, Tel Aviv, Bnei Brak and Ramat Gan to Petah Tikvah in both directions. Half of the route goes through an underground tunnel.

“I am glad that soon there will be a first step to solving the congestion in [Metropolitan Tel Aviv] when the Red Line will run there,” said Transport Minister Miri Regev in a written statement issued from the Republic Georgia, where she is on an official visit. “If there are no special problems, soon the citizens of Israel will enjoy the line.”

She added that two additional light rail lines are under construction.

The inauguration of the Red Line is supposed to include a free-ride period, although the length of the grace period is still under discussion. 

Regev has been repeatedly embarrassed by the delays in the start of the city’s flagship transportation program, known in Hebrew as Dankal, with her previously announced start date of shortly after Independence Day in late April passing without the line running.

The train has been undergoing test runs without passengers for months, with the spring national and Muslim holidays adding to the delays, frustrating Tel Aviv residents who often watch it pass by as they are stuck in traffic in the congested city.

The first tender for the rail line was published nearly two decades ago, while Prime Minister Golda Meir broached the idea of a metro line for Tel Aviv a half-century ago.

The Jerusalem Light Rail’s first line, also called the Red Line, was launched in 2011 after similar delays and has since become a distinct feature of the capital city that is used by Jewish, Muslim and Christian residents as well as tourists. Several additional lines are planned.

Herzog lauds Birthright at annual gala

(JNS) — President Isaac Herzog on Sunday evening addressed the annual Taglit-Birthright Israel gala event, this year marking Israel’s 75 years of independence.

“Tonight we are celebrating an impressive and truly amazing project that has brought together a million Jewish youth from the Diaspora,” said Herzog. “Each nation has deep-rooted aspects of their identity and character—and the Jewish people have a profound connection to their national home, the State of Israel.”

This connection, he continued, was “tangible, immense and profound. It helps build the crucial bond within the Jewish people, a small nation facing immense challenges both externally with many communities worldwide, and internally within its own nation-state, which itself faces numerous challenges. It is important to integrate the story of the Jewish people into the story of the State of Israel.”

Philanthropist and Israel Hayom publisher Dr. Miriam Adelson, who together with her husband the late Sheldon Adelson, through the Adelson Family Foundation, have contributed nearly $500 million to Birthright Israel in the past 15 years, was awarded a certificate of appreciation at the event.

“The investment in Taglit is an investment in our children, grandchildren, and all future generations,” said Adelson. “My late husband Sheldon Adelson and I used to say that Taglit is the highest-yielding investment: the eternity of the Jewish people. Taglit has brought close to a million people here so far, and each one of them will say that Taglit has changed their lives, and each one of them is more determined to defend Israel. This is a path that needs to be nurtured, and the more people who walk on it, the better.”

Taglit CEO Gidi Mark also addressed the gathering.

“This year we see greater importance than ever in the annual Taglit gala event. We are experiencing an unprecedented demand for registration, and in addition to the 25,000 participants who will come for tours in Israel by the end of the year, there is a waiting list of around 25,000 more young people whom we are unable to accommodate without additional resources,” he said.

“Taglit creates tens of thousands of ambassadors for the State of Israel every year, who continue to serve as a growing support network for Israel worldwide,” he added.

To date, 850,000 Jewish youngsters visited Israel as part of the Birthright program.

Israel’s Under-21 soccer team qualifies for Paris Olympics

(JNS) — Israel’s youth soccer team qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics when England beat Portugal on Sunday in the Under-21 European Championship.

The top three teams from the tournament qualify for the next Olympic Games, and Israel’s U-21 squad on Saturday secured its place in the semifinals with a penalty shootout victory over Georgia.

England is ineligible to qualify directly for the Olympics as it forms a part of Britain, which is represented at the Games by a team also comprising players from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

Accordingly, the other three semifinalists at the Under-21 Euros will head to Paris next year.

Teams at the Olympics next summer will be restricted to under-23 players (born on or after Jan. 1, 2001), with a maximum of three overage players allowed.

It is the first time an Israeli soccer team will participate in the Olympics since the 1976 Games in Montreal.

Prior to this year, Israel had not had much success in major international tournaments, since moving regionally in the 1970s from Asia to Europe to avoid boycotts from Arab countries.

However, the current run at the Euros follows the Israeli Under-21 team’s historic achievement last month at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Argentina, where the team finished in third place.

Israel will now face England in the Euro semifinals on Wednesday.

Turkey uncovers alleged Mossad spy network; Seven arrested

(JNS) — Turkish counterintelligence recently detained seven alleged Mossad agents on suspicion of espionage, Ankara’s National Intelligence Organization announced on Monday. According to local media, all seven confessed to working for the Israeli spy agency.

Reports noted that the men are believed to have spied on “non-Turkish nationals.” The suspects, who carried passports of various Middle Eastern countries, were reportedly members of a 56-member team, which was in turn part of a larger network consisting of nine cells.

In May, Turkish officials announced the arrest of 11 people for spying on an Iranian company and individuals with business ties to Teheran. At least one member of the cell received training in Israel, reports said at the time.

Jerusalem and Ankara last summer announced the restoration of full diplomatic ties, with then-Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid saying that the move would “contribute to deepening ties between the two peoples, expanding economic, trade and cultural ties, and strengthening regional stability.”

Six months ago, Irit Lillian presented her credentials to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, becoming the first Israeli ambassador to Turkey since 2018.

However, significant points of contention between the two countries remain. Most notably, Hamas maintains its operational headquarters on Turkish soil, which it uses to orchestrate and fund terrorism in Judea and Samaria.

While Erdogan has expelled a handful of Hamas members from Turkish soil in recent months, its foreign minister late last year reaffirmed that Turkey “do[es] not see Hamas as a terrorist organization.”

‘Our aim is to cement Israel’s position as a technological super-power’

(JNS) — The Israel Innovation Authority announced on Monday the launch of a new campaign for its “Tnufa” (Ideation) program, targeting budding entrepreneurs seeking to develop ideas into businesses.

“The development of innovative entrepreneurs at the beginning of their journey requires government support… to promote greater success down the road. Our aim is to cement Israel’s position as a technological superpower in the next decade as well as in the present,” said Innovation, Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis.

The goal of the initiative is to help develop and crystallize technological ideas to enable entrepreneurs to decide whether to start a business and raise private equity or find business partners and continue developing their business plans.

Entrepreneurs can receive a grant of up to 85% of their approved budget, up to a maximum of 100,000 shekels ($27,000) annually for up to two years.

Projects that provide innovative solutions for the Bio-Convergence sector, based on combining biology and life sciences with engineering, physics, nanotechnology, computer science and more, can request a larger grant of up to 200,000 shekels ($54,000) per annum.

“We can learn from the past, that periods of slowdown in investments provide excellent opportunities for the creation of new projects. Some of the most successful startups—both locally and internationally—began their journeys during challenging times such as we are experiencing today,” said Dror Bin, CEO of the Israel Innovation Authority.

Israel tourism yet to rebound to pre-COVID levels

(JNS) — The number of visitors to the Jewish state has yet to return to pre-COVID levels, according to figures the Tourism Ministry released on Wednesday.

In the first half of 2023, 1.97 million tourists entered Israel, spending 11.7 billion shekels ($3.16 billion), the ministry said.

Those numbers are below the corresponding time period of 2019, which was a record year for Israeli tourism. It was also the last full year of international travel before coronavirus travel restrictions began in 2020.

During the first half of 2019, 2.26 million tourists entered Israel. By year’s end, Israel had 4.9 million visitors who spent 8.46 billion shekels ($2.29 billion).

The ministry noted that tourism from Russia and Ukraine has dropped sharply since Russia invaded Ukraine. Before the war, Russia was the second-largest source of visitors, behind only the U.S.

Based on the current figures, the ministry projects 3.9 million tourists will visit by the end of the year.