Israel InSight Preview Issue by israelinsightmagazine

PREVIEW ISSUE • FALL 2018

PREVIEW ISSUE

with a small taste of what’s to come

DEFUNDING UNRWA — WHAT IT MEANS AMERICAN FOOTBALL IN ISRAEL SHELTERING THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL

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Preview Issue • Israel InSight

I n S ide

16 Bringing American Football to Israel

4 About Israel InSight 12 Defending Israel

Christians Celebrate Sukkot In Jerusalem

Shelter in place: Operation Lifeshield protects Israelis

African-American basketball players in Israel

Visiting Jerusalem in Mississippi

8 Israel In Depth: Nation-State Law, UNWRA 10 Fighting BDS 18 Reading Israel 23 Israel Marketplace Israel InSight â€˘ Preview Issue

The Beginning

There are

many reasons why Christians support Israel.

For some, the motivation is Biblically-based. God promised the land of Israel to Abraham and his descendants, and said that He would “Bless those who bless thee.” Israel is the Promised Land, holy and sacred, which Moses and Joshua led the people of Israel back to. It is where Jesus lived and preached, and the destiny of this tiny land and its resilient people continues to play a critical role in Christianity’s faith narrative. Beyond faith and theology, and Biblical prophecy, Christians support Israel for other reasons. Israel is an outpost of American democratic values and individual freedom in a turbulent region. Israel is also a valuable strategic ally to the United States. Unfortunately, Israel has had to be on the cutting edge of military technology and tactics, sharing that expertise with the U.S. Israel is also a fountain of creativity, ingenuity, knowledge and expertise that have the potential to benefit all of humankind. Everything from medical advances to expanding water resources, to best practices in emergency response to cutting edge technology, all of this is going on in a tiny sliver of land at the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. Yes, there are many reasons Christians support Israel. And now, through this new magazine, Israel InSight, we want to celebrate this powerful and unprecedented support for Israel and, as Jews, embrace it, honor it, empower it further and express our gratitude. These are the reasons why our team at Southern Jewish Life, an award-winning regional Jewish community magazine based in Birmingham, is now introducing Israel InSight, a magazine geared toward Israel’s Christian friends. In this new publication, we will highlight the amazing and selfless things that Christians throughout the South and beyond are doing to promote Israel, ensure its well-being, and sustain the miraculous ingathering of the exiles as we witness Jews from all over the world returning to their Biblical homeland. Through our experienced news staff, we’ll also provide news and commentary that goes well beyond the often-superficial, and sometimes erroneous, coverage of Israel found in the mainstream media. We also will highlight the deep connections between Israel and the United States, through business, culture, cooperation and joint ventures. We will also highlight American organizations that are doing great work in Israel, amazing things that Israel does around the world, and how one can get involved in a wide range of ways. And what you see in these pages is just a taste of what we have in mind! So, if you love Israel, come along on this journey, as a reader, subscriber and supporter. Israel InSight is in sight — and we can’t wait for you and others to take a look. We think you will be pleased.

Lawrence Brook

Publisher/Editor

We thank our many, many friends in the Christian community throughout the region who have been so helpful with their feedback, suggestions and insights as we launch this important publication.

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PUBLISHER/EDITOR Lawrence M. Brook ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/ADVERTISING Lee J. Green V.P. SALES/MARKETING, New Orleans Jeff Pizzo ADVERTISING SPECIALIST Annetta Dolowitz CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ginger Brook SOCIAL/WEB Eugene Walter Katz CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Rivka Epstein, Nathan Klein, Tally Werthan, Bebe Hudson, Belle Freitag, Claire Yates MAIN OFFICE P.O. Box 130052 Birmingham, AL 35213 14 Office Park Circle #104 Birmingham, AL 35223 205/870.7889 FAX 866/392.7750 TOLL FREE 866/446.5894 israelinsightmagazine@gmail.com israelinsightmagazine.com ADVERTISING Advertising inquiries to 205/870.7889. Media kit, rates available upon request. SUBSCRIPTIONS $25/year, $40/two years Subscribe online, call 205/870.7889 or mail payment to the address above. Copyright 2018. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part without written permission from the publisher. Views expressed in Israel InSight are those of the respective contributors and are not necessarily shared by the magazine or its staff. We retain the right to refuse any advertisement.

ICYMI

In Case You Missed It

Photo by International Christian Embassy Jerusalem

A Christian Celebration of Sukkot in Jerusalem The streets of Jerusalem were filled with 7,000 Christian pilgrims from 85 countries on Sept. 27, celebrating Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, in a five-day event coordinated by the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem. The diverse group was the largest Christian event in Israel this year, and the largest solidarity mission of the year. The largest delegations came from Brazil, with about 900 attending, and 500 from Ivory Coast. The celebration is designed as “a wonderful foretaste of that future time when all peoples will come up to Jerusalem to celebrate Sukkot,” and Sukkot was originally designed as a time for the Gentile nations to join the Children of Israel in Jerusalem. Each year, the Sukkot event takes a Biblical theme. This year’s was Psalm 126:1, “When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream.” The dreaming part was translated into events highlighting Israel’s growing hightech sector, with a talk by Jon Medved, founder of OurCrowd, and displays from high-tech companies. An annual highlight is the Jerusalem March, with the national delegations waving their respective flags and often wearing clothing identified with their home countries. A musical celebration featured recognition of Israel’s 70th birthday. A busload of Holocaust survivors was brought to the celebration, where they danced with the delegates from around the world. The celebration also honored the move of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem and a tribute to Senator John Kyl, who initiated the 1995 legislation calling for the embassy move. The first Feast of Tabernacles was in 1980 as a response to the last 13 national embassies leaving Jerusalem. About 1000 Christians from 40 countries gathered in Jerusalem and established ICEJ to demonstrate solidarity with the Jewish claim to Jerusalem. A group of delegates visited the Gaza border, participating in a ceremony with Operation Lifeshield (story, page 14). The ICEJ partners with Operation Lifeshield in assisting communities near Gaza, and at this year’s event, ICEJ dedicated 17 firefighting trailers, three security vehicles and six new mobile bomb shelters. After Israel announced another 1,000 Ethiopian Jews will be brought to the country, ICEJ committed to sponsor their flights. During the festival, the group debuted “Journey of Dreams,” detailing the stories of the last Jews in Ethiopia. In an editorial, the Jerusalem Post acknowledged the “key support” of Christian allies around the world. “We salute the ICEJ and Christians for their unwavering support for Israel and the Jewish people. As God said to Moses, according to Genesis 12:3, ‘I will bless those who bless you.’ May those who bless Israel be blessed.”

Teenager Ahed Tamimi became a folk hero of the Palestinians for slapping an Israeli soldier while her mother livestreamed it, in an attempt to provoke a response that could then be used against Israel. After spending eight months in an Israeli prison and receiving a hero’s welcome upon release, some are criticizing her, even accusing her of being an Israeli agent. She ruffled feathers in international appearances with leaders of Hezbollah, an opponent of the Palestinian Authority, and Moroccan separatists. She also has been criticized for her characterization of “party” life in Israeli prisons, saying they sang and danced, she took a law course among high school studies in the prison’s large library, and gained 19 pounds. While Palestinian activists routinely talk about oppressive Israeli prisons, Syrian Palestinian activists were outraged, as Palestinian prisoners of the Assad regime in Syria are routinely tortured and killed. One activist compared Tamimi’s experience with “those imprisoned in our Arab countries (who) can reach a stage where they wish their mother didn’t give birth to them.” On the anniversary of Sept. 11, the official Fatah Facebook page of the Palestinian Authority showed a cartoon of Trump flying an airplane into a burning tower that is shaped like Israel and the territories, and colored as the Palestinian flag. Belgium forced the Palestinian Authority to rename a school funded by Belgium, after learning that the school was named in honor of a terrorist. But then the PA named two more schools nearby after that same terrorist, so Belgium has cancelled funding of PA schools.

In recent months, “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling has been critical of those who downplay anti-Semitism. Her new book, “Lethal White,” the fourth in her Cormoran Strike series written under pen name Robert Galbraith, features a villain who is an extreme hater of Israel who also vilifies Jews.

After the murder of Israeli-American Ari Fuld, a well-known social media activist for Israel, the Palestinian Authority announced that it will pay the family of the 17-year-old terrorist NIS 1400 per month. Israel then announced it would deduct that amount from the tax funds that Israel collects and transfers to the PA. Israel InSight • Preview Issue

ICYMI

In Case You Missed It The United Nations announced that donor funding for the Palestinians has dropped to one-third of its 2008 level. The Palestinian Information Center tweeted a photo of a rabbi and several masked men attacking a Palestinian boy near Hebron in September. Questions about the photo’s authenticity were raised when it was revealed that the rabbi in question had been murdered in January — by Palestinian terrorists.

In a first, Israeli judokas are participating in an international judo tournament in the United Arab Emirates under the Israeli flag, instead of being forced to compete under an international flag.

Not throwing a party… All summer, kites and balloons — even live birds — were used by Gazans to send incendiary devices over the border from Gaza into Israel, setting random fires and burning thousands of acres. Recently, large balloon bouquets have been sent off with devices attached, such as the one here. As of late September, at least 10 such attacks per day have been launched. Meanwhile, many firefighters from across the United States participated in the Emergency Volunteers Program, traveling to Israel to help fight these fires. Below, firefighters from Broward County are welcomed back to South Florida after spending time near the Gaza border. Photo courtesy Israel Consulate, Miami

Photo courtesy Operation Lifeshield

The National Women’s Studies Association honored Rutgers professor Jasbir Puar with a prestigious prize for her “major milestone book,” “The Right to Maim” — which says Israel shoots Palestinians to maim, not to kill, so Israel can control them as perpetually debilitated. She also accuses Israel of a “slow motion genocide” and claims Israel harvests Palestinian organs for research. After a summer of controversy over anti-Semitism in Britain’s Labour Party, the party accepted an international definition of anti-Semitism, rebuffing an effort by party leader Jeremy Corbyn to carve out an exception stating that describing Israel as a racist state should not count as antiSemitism.

Among the controversies involving Corbyn: The British Labour Party leader “misled” members of Parliament about his contacts with an organization deemed too extreme for Palestinian groups, which is led by a Holocaust denier who is regarded as one of Britain’s leading anti-Semites and is a fan of former Klan leader David Duke. Also, Jewish delegates and Parliament members in the Labour party were assigned security details at the party conference, out of fear they could be attacked by Corbyn supporters.

Ha’Aretz reported that bringing U.S. Jews and Muslims together for dialogue is becoming increasingly difficult, as more Muslim activists pressure others in the Muslim community not to meet with any group that doesn’t actively resist the occupation — even turning down invitations to Shabbat dinner on college campuses.

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Terror hits an “isle of sanity” and coexistence On Oct. 7, two Israelis were bound and murdered at the Alon Group, one of the businesses at the Barkan Industrial Park near Ariel in Samaria. The murderer was a 23-year-old Palestinian who worked at the company as an electrician, and had posted on Facebook earlier that day that he was “waiting for Allah.” Kim Levengrond Yehezkel, 29, of Rosh Haayin, and Ziv Hajbi, a 35-year-old father of three from Rishon Lezion, were killed. Barkan is seen as a prime example of Israeli-Palestinian cooperation, with over 160 factories employing 4,200 Palestinians and 3,000 Israelis. There is a lengthy waiting list for companies who want space there. Managers of companies describe a family atmosphere between the Palestinian and Israeli workers, and complete shock that some-

thing like this would happen there. One Palestinian worker was quoted by Israel Hayom as saying Barkan is “an isle of sanity and peace,” and complained that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas hadn’t condemned the attack. “At the end of the day, it’s the factories in Barkan that help provide for thousands of Palestinian families, which is more than he and the PA are doing. At the end of the day, we’ll be the ones to pay the price.” After the attack, Gazans passed out sweets on the streets in celebration. Though the gunman had no known ties to terror groups, Hamas said the attack was “a new chapter in our resistance” and said it shows attempts by the Palestinian Authority to “normalize relations with the Zionist occupier are unsuccessful.”

Almost alone in the world: Israel’s love of the U.S.

Do Israelis love America? A survey by the Pew Research Center shows the answer is a resounding “yes.” A poll of America’s standing in 25 countries, released on Oct. 1, shows Israelis have an extremely positive view of both the U.S. and the Trump administration, vastly greater than the other countries surveyed. When asked if they have a favorable view of the U.S., 83 percent of Israelis — and 94 percent of Jewish Israelis — said yes. Worldwide, the figure was 50 percent. Likewise, 82 percent of Jewish Israelis have confidence in the Trump administration’s foreign affairs approach, 69 percent overall. Only the Philippines scored higher. Conversely, among European countries, only 18 percent expressed confidence in the administration’s foreign policy, and just 27 percent worldwide. One area where Israel agreed with the rest of the world is that China plays a much more important role internationally than it did 10 years ago. Despite a worldwide 70 percent lack of confidence in President Trump, and a view by 70 percent that the U.S. takes little or no account of the interests of other countries, 63 percent still say it would be better for the U.S. to be the top global power, with just 19 percent saying China.

Iran: $16 billion of instablity

A recurring theme in opposing Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons is that it supports instability in the Middle East. A new report from the United States’ State Department shows what that price tag actually is — $16 billion in six years. The report estimates that the regime of Syria’s Bashar Assad has received $4.6 billion, while Hezbollah, Iran’s proxy in Lebanon, receives $700 million annually. Israel has been focused on preventing any Iranian presence in Syria that could endanger Israel’s security, and works to prevent arms shipments from Iran to Hezbollah through Syria. Iranian leaders have vowed to eradicate the Jewish state. Hamas and Islamic Jihad have received over $100 million from Iran in recent years, and Iran has also funded militias in Iraq and the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Iran also violates international restrictions by supplying missiles to the Houthis. A State Department official said “We know that Iran uses its economic revenues to finance terrorism. There is no country in the world that sponsors and supports terrorism more than Iran.”

ICYMI

In Case You Missed It The new president of Paraguay decides to move his country’s embassy back to Tel Aviv after his predecessor moved it to Jerusalem earlier this year. In response, Israel closed its embassy in Paraguay. The president of Vassar College condemned a studentpublished “Disorientation Guide” that encouraged students to “slap a Zionist.” The running mate of Michigan’s Democrat candidate for governor supported Hamas, and said he is sick of politicians who are “kissing Israel’s ass.”

Despite a ban on providing health care to Hamas relatives, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled the Israel Defense Forces must admit five critically ill women who are close relatives of Hamas terrorists for emergency medical treatment.

A bipartisan bill in Congress would levy sanctions on groups, such as Hamas, that use human shields. Fleeing war and economic hardship, about 400 Jews from Ukraine made Aliyah to Israel on two flights coordinated by the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. An Israeli equestrian withdrew from an international event that is a qualifier for the 2020 Olympics, because the competition in North Carolina was on Yom Kippur.

After one of the Gaza border clashes in August, Doctors Without Borders had to confirm that a slain terrorist at the border was one of its employees. The terrorist apparently opened fire at Israeli troops, and he was killed in the response.

FIFA suspended Jibril Rajoub, head of the Palestinian Football Association, for one year for inciting hatred and violence ahead of an Israel-Argentina “friendly” in Jerusalem before the World Cup. The match was ultimately cancelled because of the threats — and some have pointed to that as a karmic reason for Argentina’s poor performance in the world tournament.

The Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts apologized for spreading fake atrocity stories against Israel at their July national convention, where the Episcopal church was debating several anti-Israel resolutions. Saying “This is our heritage,” Zulu king leads a delegation to Israel, pledging to mobilize South Africans for Israel solidarity. South Africa’s government has been particularly hostile to Israel in recent years.

Netta, who was unknown outside of Israel until she won the Eurovision Song Contest recently, became the first Israeli artist to top a Billboard chart in the U.S., with “Toy” hitting number 1 on the dance club chart. Israel has been banned from the Asian Games in Indonesia since 1981 — but those in attendance will be using the Games’ official transit app, Moovit, which was developed in Israel. Photo by Laura Lachman, Courtesy of the Israel Museum

A 2,000-year-old stone inscribed with the full name of Jerusalem was discovered in the area of the Jerusalem International Convention Center. The stone, from the first century BCE, reads “Hanania son of Dodalos from Jerusalem.” It is rare to find inscriptions that use the full spelling of Jerusalem.

An Israeli physicist is developing a solution to slow rapidlyspreading forest fires, involving lasers cutting fueling foliage from the tops of trees. An Israeli company is providing innovative portable water filtration systems to Cameroon to combat a cholera epidemic.

Israel InSight • Preview Issue

InDepth ISRAEL

Big Issues

Israel’s New Nation-State Law

If you care about Israel, and have been following the recent controversy about the new Nation-State law, then you know it’s touched some nerves. Here is an explanation of the law, why it is controversial, and how in some cases it has been misrepresented.

What is the Nation-State law?

On July 19, Israel adopted a new Basic Law that is referred to as the Nation-State law, officially codifying many things about Israel that are commonly accepted but not enshrined in law. For example, there wasn’t a law explicitly stating that Israel is the national home of the Jewish people. Unlike the United States, Israel does not have a constitution. Instead, Israel has a series of Basic Laws that act like a constitution. Many of the provisions of the new law are basic facts, such as the country’s name being Israel, “complete and united” Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Shabbat and Jewish holidays as official days of rest while recognizing the right of other faiths to have different days of rest and holidays, the current flag as the national flag, the menorah as the symbol of Israel and “Hatikvah” as the national anthem.

context of the Galilee in the north and the Negev in the south, and the language does not even hint at the territories — much to the chagrin of those on the right who want to expand communities in the territories. There has always been an emphasis on building communities in the Galilee and Negev, rather than everyone concentrating in the Tel Aviv to Jerusalem corridor, going back decades before Israel’s independence. Some have also claimed the clause refers to creating Jewish-only towns, but that is not present in the wording. Conversely, Israel’s Supreme Court has ruled in the past that Israeli Arabs have the right to establish all-Arab communities, but Israeli Jews cannot exclude Arabs from their communities. Similarly, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas has repeatedly declared that no Israelis would be allowed to live in a future Palestinian state.

What about the status of Arabic?

While the law states Israel’s language is Hebrew, Arabic is recognized as having a “special status” and the clause “does not harm the status” given to Arabic before this law was passed. Road signs and government documents are in Arabic, Arabic is mandatory in Israel he elementary schools, and in the last couple of years, learning Arabic has been trendy among Israeli adults. The perception that Arabic has been demoted was one of the main complaints of the Druze community, Arabs who serve in Israel’s milWhat is the controversy? itary and are very loyal to the state. Many of their leaders felt the law When the bill narrowly passed, Arab members of the Knesset conwas a slap in the face, and they met with Prime Minister Benjamin demned it as the “death of democracy” and apartheid. It was conNetanyahu to protest the law. demned as a racist law, polarizing the nation and demonstrating the strength of the right-wing. What about the neighbors? Some who are otherwise in favor of the law have said it would have The Palestinians have a basic law, passed in 2002. It declares Islam been far more palatable to a wider spectrum if it had included language as the official religion, Islamic sharia as the “principal source of legisreinforcing equality for all Israeli citizens. Others have responded that lation” and Arabic as the official language. It also declares Jerusalem as the concept of equality for non-Jewish citizens is already enshrined in Israel’s Declaration of Independence and elsewhere in the Basic Law, the capital of Palestine. The Nation-State law does not recognize Judaism as the Israel’s offiand did not need to be reiterated here. cial religion. Many Western nations have Christianity as their official Several groups have petitioned the Israeli Supreme Court to review religion, many Eastern nations have Buddhism as their official religion, the law. and virtually all Arab countries recognize Islam as the state religion.

What about the self-determination clause?

Critics have claimed the law permits self-determination only for Jews in Israel. That is a misrepresentation, as the law states that “national self-determination in the State of Israel is unique to the Jewish people.” Simply put, Israel is the homeland for the Jewish people. This has to be stated, because some have urged a one-state solution with the idea that Arab demographics would soon overwhelm the Jewish population and Israel would no longer be a Jewish homeland. This way, the Palestinians cannot assert national self-determination inside Israel. In that sense, it is seen as no different than Spain not granting national self-determination to Basques, for example, or the U.S. resisting the call of fringe African-American groups to establish an independent, separate “New Africa” in several Southern states.

Why was this passed now?

Because of the way the law has been portrayed, many have asked why Israel would bother to pass such a declaration at this time, knowing the firestorm it would provoke. Just because you have the right to do something, and you may be morally correct, it doesn’t necessarily follow that one must take such an action. Of course, that same argument was used for over 20 years to delay moving the United States Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The perception was that it just was never quite the right time to do it. After the vote, Netanyahu explained that in recent years there have been efforts to cast doubt on Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people, “and so to undercut the foundations of our existence and our rights.” Part of that, of course, comes from advocates for the Palestinians. Three months before the law was passed, Arab Knesset members inWhat about the settlement clause? troduced a bill to make Israel a binational state, end the Law of Return The law states that Israel will “encourage and promote” Jewish setfor Jews, and retire the state’s Jewish symbols. tlement around the country. Many critics have claimed this refers to There is also a trend among some intellectuals to deny the idea of the disputed territories, but the Hebrew word used in the law has the

Preview Issue • Israel InSight

The full story behind the headline or the 30 seconds on the evening news… Israel as a Jewish state, and transform it into a state of all citizens by eliminating Jewish symbolism. One of the main reasons why Israel exists is to be a place of refuge for any Jews who is endangered, anywhere in the world. Eliminating Israel as a Jewish state would endanger that mission. There is also a political aspect, as new elections are anticipated next year, and Netanyahu is looking to shore up his base. Some have said

that the omission of some concepts in the law, prompting left-wing parties to not support it, was a calculated move to paint left-leaning parties in a negative light and bolster the national-defense resume of right-wing parties. While the new law is seen as an important declaration of principles, it also is seen as having little effect on the day-to-day life for Israelis of all backgrounds.

U.S. Defunding UNRWA

tion to a Palestinian state, any Palestinian who wants to return to his pre-1948 home in what is now Israel should be allowed to do so. Israel flatly rejects this, saying the goal is to flood Israel with Palestinians and change the demography, ultimately eliminating Israel as a Jewish state. In most world conflicts, refugees wind up being resettled elsewhere, but Krahenbuhl said the Palestinian right of return is similar to Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar who are in Bangladesh, and the return of Bosnian Muslims to areas under Serb control in the 1990s, and that the Palestinians are being singled out in denying that right. Further perpetuating the conflict, UNRWA has been seen as a “passive and active partner” in terror attacks against Israel, and UNRWA schools have had curriculums of anti-Israel and anti-U.S. incitement, which is seen as producing at least a generation of Palestinian youth who have been conditioned to hate Israel, glorify martyrdom and view all of Israel as occupied Palestinian land that needs to be liberated.

News in August that the United States would stop its $300 million annual funding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency set off different reactions — would it be the start of a humanitarian crisis, or the removal of a major barrier to a Middle East peace agreement?

What is UNRWA?

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency was formed in 1949 to provide education, health and social welfare services to “persons whose normal place of residence was Palestine” from 1946 to 1948, “and who lost both home and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 conflict.”

Then what is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees?

What does Israel think about the defunding?

That is the U.N. agency that assists all other refugee groups around While UNRWA has few fans in Israel, there is concern of instability the world. In January, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Palestinian areas because of a lack of basic humanitarian services called on the UNHCR to take over the UNRWA’s mandate, saying due to the funding cuts. Some would like to see the funding go to othUNRWA “perpetuates” the Palestinian refugee problem. er agencies and organizations that can be more closely monitored by donors, and which aren’t tainted by corruption and politics. What is the difference? Others argue that the funding cuts are still less than the amount the The worldwide group seeks to resettle refugees as quickly as pos- Palestinian Authority pays in stipends to those who murder Israelis in sible if they can’t return to their home countries, while UNRWA is terror attacks, or the families of terrorists killed in such attacks. If the mandated to maintain the refugee population and not look to reset- Palestinians were concerned about serving their citizens, that money tle Palestinians. Also, unique to UNRWA, descendants of the up to would be shifted to basic needs instead of being dangled as a carrot to 700,000 Arabs who fled during the 1948 Israel War of Independence incentivize terrorism. Similarly, complaints about conditions in Gaza are met with a re— which they refer to as the Naqba, the “catastrophe” — are classified as refugees, even if they have been resettled elsewhere and have sponse that Hamas should concentrate on serving its people rather become citizens of those other nations. That is partly why many Arab than diverting resources to building terror tunnels and pursuing constates do not extend citizenship to Palestinians, even if they have lived flict with Israel. there for decades. A former UNRWA advisor said if the UNHCR criteria were applied What happens now? to the Palestinians, the “refugee” count would fall from around 5.5 milWith a $300 million budget hole, UNRWA turned to Europe and lion to perhaps half a million. Losing refugee status would be over 2 other countries, but was able to raise just $122 million. million in Jordan, the 2.2 million under Hamas or Palestinian Authority rule in Gaza and the territories, and the majority of the half-million Does UNRWA deal with all refugees from 1948? each in Syria and Lebanon. No. While the agency’s entire focus is on Palestinians, there were Other estimates say that if one counts only those who actually fled actually two refugee issues from Israel’s War of Independence. After in 1948, the number who are still living is in the tens of thousands. Israel’s statehood was declared, many Arab countries uprooted their Also, the staff of UNRWA is much larger than the agency that han- Jewish populations, with many communities having a 2,000-year hisdles the rest of the world’s refugee problems. tory in those countries. In a great deal of cases, they were forced to

Why does UNRWA still exist?

UNRWA Commissioner General Pierre Krahenbuhl said the agency’s 70-year history isn’t because of the agency’s self-perpetuation, it is because they are still waiting for a political solution to the conflict, including the “right of return.” The “right of return” is a demand by the Palestinians that, in addi-

flee, their property confiscated. Roughly 850,000 Jews were thus forced out of Arab countries. The reason nobody hears about them is that Israel, which had just 650,000 Jews at its founding, opened its doors to the refugees and resettled them, granting them immediate citizenship. On the other side, the Palestinians were left by their brothers to languish as political pawns in the Arab war against Israel’s existence. Israel InSight • Preview Issue

FIGHTING BDS

At Israel’s 70th anniversary celebration in Baton Rouge, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards signs executive order barring state contracts with companies that boycott Israel

At 70th anniversary celebration, Louisiana strikes a blow against BDS Ceremony includes first-ever kosher meal at the Governor’s Mansion

Last year, Hodges tried to pass a bill that would have prevented state The State of Louisiana celebrated Israel’s 70th birthday on May 22 with a series of events at the State Capitol in Baton Rouge, culminat- public worker benefit plans from investing in companies that boycott ing in an executive order by Governor John Bel Edwards that forbids Israel, but the measure failed. A dinner was then held at the Governor’s Mansion with about 100 state agencies from doing business with companies that participate in community members in attendance. It was the first-ever fully kosher boycotts of Israel. With the order, Louisiana became the 25th state to take an official meal at the mansion, catered by Rabbi Peretz and Mushka Kazen of stance against the Boycott, Divest and Sanction movement that seeks Chabad of Baton Rouge. After the dinner, Katz thanked the legislators and the governor. to isolate Israel. “The United States, and by affiliation Louisiana, have benefited in “Your symbolic contribution toward my state and the people of Israel innumerable ways from our deep friendship with Israel,” Edwards said are not taken for granted,” he said. Katz assumed his post in Houston in August. in a statement about the order. “Any effort to He said the day’s events were “one of my peak boycott Israel is an affront to this longstanding “The state of Louisiana moments I have experienced” as consul general relationship. I am pleased that Louisiana will unequivocally rejects the and it was a day to remember. join what is now a critical mass of states in supBDS campaign and stands He spoke of the commonalities and differporting our closest ally.” ences between Israel and Louisiana, noting that Israeli Consul General for the Southwestern firmly with Israel” Louisiana is seven times the size of Israel. “We United States Gilad Katz visited Baton Rouge for the day’s events, which began with both chambers of the Legisla- have the same issues that challenge our people. First of all, water. You have too much, we have too little.” ture unanimously passing resolutions celebrating Israel’s birthday. He also described the people of Louisiana as “Warm-hearted, The Senate bill, introduced by Sen. Neil Riser, “commends and congratulates the modern state of Israel on the occasion of the 70th anni- friendly, caring. In short, Israelis.” Edwards’ order states that “Israel and the State of Louisiana enjoy versary of its establishment.” The House bill was introduced by Rep. Valarie Hodges, and “con- a robust trading relationship that is in the best interests of the people gratulates Israel on its seventieth anniversary, recognizes its contribu- of Louisiana,” and advancement of BDS “harms the Israel-Louisiana tions to humankind, expresses support for its people, and extends best relationship and the Louisiana economy.” Because of that, “the State of Louisiana unequivocally rejects the wishes for a peaceful future.”

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Campus ISRAEL BDS campaign and stands firmly with Israel.” The order says the state commissioner of administration, Jay Dardenne, will terminate existing state contracts with a business that boycotts Israel or supports businesses that do so, and future contracts will include a certification that a company is not boycotting Israel. It can be waived if the commissioner determines “that compliance is not practicable or in the best interests of the State.” The order applies only to commercial conduct and does not affect speech or consumer conduct. It also will not apply to procurement contracts for less than $100,000, or vendors with fewer than five employees. “It was truly a historic day for Louisiana and for the Jewish communities of this state,” said Arnie Fielkow, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans. “The Federation and the JCRC would like to thank the Governor, the Legislature, and all of the leaders whose tireless efforts over the years made the day possible.” Fielkow added, “Our organization’s support of Israel is intrinsically linked to our longstanding support for a peaceful resolution of the persistent conflict in the Middle East. We continue to hope for a solution that ultimately results in two states — Israel and Palestine — and other neighboring countries living side by side in harmony, prosperity, and security.”

The Israel Action Network applauded Edwards’ order. William Daroff, senior vice president of public policy at Jewish Federations of North America noted that Louisiana becoming the 25th state with such a measure marks “a critical moment in which 50 percent of U.S. states have received the message that boycotting Israel is bad for business. These state actions address the discriminatory nature of BDS and the ability for states to control their own commerce. We thank the Governor and the many community activists who made this possible in Louisiana.” Roz Rothstein, CEO of StandWithUs, said “we are heartened that Louisiana has taken a strong stand opposing discrimination against Israel. Earlier this year, the city of New Orleans rejected an anti-Semitic resolution, and now the state has made clear that taxpayer funds should not support businesses which discriminate.” Josh Block, president of The Israel Project, said the group was “grateful to the governor for his leadership in fighting back against BDS discrimination” because the movement’s founders “have made it clear that they target Israel’s very existence, not its policies.” Katz called it “a great day for the State of Israel and Louisiana,” and “we look forward to strengthening Israel-Louisiana relations.”

Mississippi joins neighboring states in buying Israel Bonds Following in the footsteps of a majority of states, on March 27, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant signed a law allowing the state to invest a maximum of $20 million in Israel Bonds. The bill authorizes “a portion” of excess state funds to be invested in bonds “issued, assumed or guaranteed by the State of Israel” provided that they have a credit rating of AAA and have a higher rate of return than U.S. bonds. House Bill 747, introduced by Rep. Hank Zuber of Ocean Springs, passed 113-2 on Jan. 31 and was sent to the Senate. A similar bill, SB-2051, had been introduced in the Senate by Joey Fillingane of Sumrall. It was passed on Feb. 8 with an amendment that the investment be denominated in dollars, which Israel Bonds are. Another change capped the investment at no more than $20 million. On Feb. 28, the House passed the Senate bill, 118-2, then passed an amended version on March 1, 116-1. On March 2, it was returned to the Senate for concurrence. The House amendments passed the Senate, 42-10, on March 15. Alabama currently holds $4 million in Isra-

el Bonds, while Louisiana has $25 million and Georgia has $10 million. In February, Florida’s Department of Financial Services announced it would increase its investment in Israel bonds to $50 million. The State Board of Administration also holds $55 million in Israel Bonds. In August 2017, Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson signed legislation making Arkansas the 27th state to permit the governmental purchase of Israel Bonds, and made its first purchase of $20 million in February. The state with the largest holdings of Israel Bonds is Ohio, with $200 million. Israel Bonds, the Development Corp. for Israel, was established in 1951 to underwrite securities so the Israeli government could borrow money for infrastructure development and immigrant absorption. Since 2013, Israel Bonds has sold over $1 billion annually in the United States, featuring competitive interest rates and a track record of never defaulting. In 2016, Israel Bonds launched an initiative to combat on-campus anti-Israel boycott activism by encouraging the donation of Israel Bonds to universities.

Two instructors at the University of Michigan refused to write letters of recommendation for students to study abroad when they found out the students were planning to study in Israel. While the university itself stated it opposes boycotts of Israeli institutions of higher education, and the board of regents declined to pursue divestment from Israel after the student government passed a resolution urging divestment, both professors cited their solidarity with the Palestinians in refusing to write the letters. Both of the students are planning to study at Tel Aviv University, which is where Omar Barghouti, one of the leaders of academic boycotts of Israel, has been pursuing a doctorate.

The university said one of the of the instructors will not receive a merit raise this year and will not be allowed to take a sabbatical for two years, including one scheduled to start in January. Also, in early October, Michigan art students were required to attend an art lecture by Black Panther veteran Emory Douglas. One of his slides showed Adolf Hitler and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with “Guilty of Genocide” written across their foreheads, and a definition of genocide below the picture. Two years ago, a different speaker in the same series said Israeli soldiers were unworthy of being represented as human beings in his art. While many universities have become fierce battlegrounds for the Boycott, Divest and Sanction campaign to isolate Israel, one campus declared last spring that it isn’t playing along. In March, the Student Senate at Texas A&M approved a resolution condemning BDS and welcoming “Jewish and Israeli students as a valued member of the Aggie family.” The resolution, which passed 38-6 with 12 abstentions, called the BDS campaign “anti-Semitic in its effect, if not in its intent.” Students at the University of California at Los Angeles are speaking out against a national conference for Students for Justice in Palestine, saying SJP uses anti-Semitic harassment at campuses nationwide, invites known terrorists to speak and tries to shut down any program seen as pro-Israel. Also, the closed nature of the November conference violates university openaccess policies. Israel InSight • Preview Issue

DEFENDING Israel

From Mississippi to the skies over Israel

Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, members of the state’s Congressional delegation and senior officials of the Israeli Ministry of Defense celebrate the delivery of the first Arrow-3 canister, Aug. 27 in Columbus. Photo courtesy IAI

The first “Made in Mississippi” Arrow 3 anti-ballistic missile canister was delivered to Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) during an Aug. 27 ceremony at Stark Aerospace in Columbus. Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant and several members of Mississippi’s Congressional delegation were at the ceremony, along with senior officials from Israel’s Ministry of Defense and Consul General Lior Haiat from Israel’s consulate in Miami. Stark was recently chosen to manufacture canisters for the Arrow-3, an integral component to the latest generation of missile defense systems developed by IAI, Stark’s parent company. The canisters hold the anti-ballistic missiles that are fired at incoming rockets and missiles. Each launcher can hold six canisters. The Arrow Weapon System is the upper tier defense system against ballistic missile threats and is the world’s first operational, national missile defense system. IAI is the prime contractor for Arrow and responsible for Arrow 2 and 3 interceptor development, production and system integration. The already-deployed Arrow-2 system is for low-altitude intercepts. The Arrow-3 interceptors are faster, have a longer range than Arrow 2 and can operate at much higher altitudes, including intercepting missiles

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whose trajectories go beyond the atmosphere into space. Moshe Patel, director of the Israel Ministry of Defense, said the ministry “is proud to mark here in Mississippi another achievement representing fruitful long term cooperation between the U.S. and Israel for building a strong protective shield to the State of Israel against missiles and rockets.” He said that partnership “created a world-class interceptor that, together with the Arrow 2, expands the ballistic missile defense envelope provided to the State of Israel. Stark joins many other U.S. vendors and manufacturers that do exceptional work and produce highend components for our Arrow, David’s Sling and Iron Dome systems.” The Arrow-3, he added, is for longer-range threats, such as Syria or Iran. Boaz Levy, general manager and executive vice president of IAI Missiles and Space Group, said the event “symbolizes the full cooperation between Israel and the U.S. Stark’s missile defense capabilities enable IAI to manufacture parts of the Arrow Weapon System in Mississippi and serve as a basis for future expansion on missile defense initiatives and other activities.” It was noted during the ceremony that the U.S.-funded project benefits both nations, with Israel getting the

most advanced systems while providing jobs in the U.S. ““We are combining the defense of Israel with bringing jobs to places like Mississippi,” Patel said. “It’s a win-win situation.” Bryant said 70 percent of the materials in manufacturing the canister “come from Mississippi, so you’re looking at Mississippi steel and a lot of Mississippi technology that goes in this.” Radar systems protecting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem also come from Mississippi, Bryant said. Rep. Gregg Harper said Stark “is utilizing a strong and talented Mississippi workforce to defend Israel from shared foreign adversaries throughout the Middle East and beyond.” Building the canisters in Mississippi also helps Israel on the world stage. According to the site Breaking Defense, when the U.S. funds development of a weapons system for Israel, it has a veto over any Israeli export of the system, to prevent competition against U.S. systems. Being able to say these systems are made in the U.S. is a major advantage. Also, new restrictions mean Israel has to spend U.S. aid in dollars and will eventually not be able to convert the aid into shekels to pay Israeli companies, leading Israeli companies to have U.S. affiliates and partners. In November, Bryant will travel to Israel on a trade mission for the fourth time in five years. He generally also speaks at security and technology conferences while in Israel, and in March the state hosted an international homeland security conference in Biloxi that was dominated by Israeli companies. In addition to representatives from India, South Korea and Taiwan, there were numerous Israeli officials and 16 Israeli companies for the day-long meeting at the Mississippi Coast Convention Center on March 13. The Biloxi summit was inspired by his 2016 trip to Israel, Bryant said. While he had dreamed about such an event for a few years, in 2016 he was invited to speak at a homeland security summit in Israel. “If there’s anyone who knows about homeland security, it’s the Israelis,” Bryant said. At the 2016 event, “I was able to see the impact that kind of summit had,” he said. Mississippi is a strong candidate for that kind of event, he said. “We have a niche right here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast,” with Ingalls Shipbuilding — which built three Sa’ar-5 ships for Israel in the 1990s — and over 120 aerospace manufacturers and suppliers in the state. SpaceX rocket engines are tested at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, so anyone looking to go to Mars “will have to go through Hancock County,” Bryant quipped.

Photos courtesy IsraAid

Israel responds to Carolina flooding Following the large-scale damage caused by Hurricane Florence in North Carolina in September, IsraAid is on the scene. A six-person emergency response team was sent from Israel on Sept. 30, followed by a second team of six that is assisting in home recovery and debris removal, and assessing long-term needs. Since 2001, IsraAid has deployed all over the world, helping in cases of extreme crisis. Their first deployment in the United States came in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina, when the response in Louisiana included elite search and rescue divers, doctors and nurses, trauma specialists and relief workers. The North Carolina deployment is in collaboration with Team Rubicon in California, and they plan to coordinate additional volunteers from North American Jewish communities. After the initial emergency period, IsraAID transitions to long-term programming, with the aim of accompanying communities on the journey towards a better, sustainable future. There are still teams on the ground in Houston and Puerto Rico, one year after Hurricanes Harvey and Maria. Some of the North Carolina team came over from Houston. The hurricane is just part of a busy month for the agency. A team responded to Typhoon Mangkhut in the Philippines, where they had already been following Typhoon Yolanda in 2013. A team also deployed to Indonesia following an earthquake and tsunami there. Other current deployments

include Dominica and India. IsraAid has a network of about 1500 volunteers that can respond at any given time. Adding to that, this year, the IsraAid Humanitarian Aid Fellowship for U.S. college students included 14 Fellows who were deployed to eight different countries on IsraAid projects. Yotam Polizer and Voni Glick, IsraAID co-CEOs, said “We are praying for the people of the Carolinas and are ready to provide help and assistance for as long as we are needed.”

Israel InSight • Preview Issue

DOING FOR Israel

Dedicating two shelters at Regba, where “Lone Soldiers” from outside Israel are housed

Photos courtesy Operation Lifeshield

Saving lives while building bridges

Operation Lifeshield in Israel provides shelters from missile attacks, now also fighting kite fires For over a decade, Operation Lifeshield has provided above-ground The organization also places shelters in Muslim Bedouin communibomb shelters to Israeli communities under threat from missiles ties near Gaza. “Rockets don’t know the difference between Jewish and launched from Lebanon and Gaza. With the “kite fires” from Gaza in Arab communities,” he said. the last few months, the small organization has added firefighting to Bowman said most Gazans “would much rather be living peacefulits resume. ly,” and there is tremendous potential for Gaza. It has “some of the Rabbi Shmuel Bowman, executive director of Operation Lifeshield, nicest beaches you would ever find,” and natural gas off the coast, he spoke at several locations in the United States this summer, including said. But Hamas isn’t allowing development of Gaza to happen. “That’s ResLife Church in Michigan, which has donated and co-donated close the message the world isn’t hearing.” to 100 shelters through Operation Lifeshield. When Gazans oppose Hamas, the terror orHe told the church “Israel was hit by over 180 ganization that rules the area, there are severe Gaza has tremendous rockets from Gaza in less than 48 hours this consequences. Bowman referred to video of a potential, with “some of the father of a family being pulled out of his home, week. Your shelters were heavily used, and protected thousands of innocent civilians.” nicest beaches you would tied to the back of a truck and dragged through Operation Lifeshield began in 2006 during ever find” and natural gas the streets to his death, and people being pulled the second Lebanon war, to provide accessible from hospital beds and being thrown off the off the coast, but Hamas above-ground bomb shelters in northern Israel, roof. won’t allow it to happen. “so people could get into them and then out of In the recent border riots, demonstrators them in a reasonable amount of time.” burned 45,000 tires, then complained when “That’s the message the In recent years, the focus has turned to Gaza, Israel refused to allow the importation of more world isn’t hearing.” which was taken over by Hamas in 2007. Every tires. Israel petitioned the World Health Orgaso often, Hamas launches a campaign of firing nization, citing the long-term damage to Israelis missiles at random into Israel. For those living in communities near and Gazans alike, but the WHO refused to get involved. Gaza, once an alert is sounded they have just seconds to reach a bomb Leaders in the region by Gaza and Sinai tell the group to keep the shelter. shelters coming. As an example, a music school near Gaza, which Missile attacks force “Auschwitz decisions,” Bowman said. If the serves underprivileged students, can’t expand until they have addisirens go off and you have 20 seconds to get to the shelter, your five- tional shelters. year-old is in one part of the house and the six-year-old is on the other Operation Lifeshield works with local officials who have the final say side, who do you grab on the way out? on where to put the shelters.

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Being above ground, the shelters are easily accessible for anyone, from the disabled to the parent who is carrying children. One of the shelters is a 35,000-pound “bell” shelter that is “lightweight” enough to be put anywhere using a crane. In addition to the concrete shelters, they have steel shelters that are even lighter and have a capacity of about 25. They have an open entryway — if there is a door, what do you do when the door is closed and someone is outside asking to be let in — do you expose those already in the shelter to danger? The biggest concern isn’t a missile hit, Bowman said, it’s the shrapnel spray that causes the most damage, so from the shelter’s entrance there is a turn to shield those inside. The shelters are thoroughly tested. As Bowman put it, “we literally blow them up” and hit them with rockets. A new challenge is the kite fires, with Gazans attaching incendiary that resemble normal building materials. They converted a corridor on the second floor to serve as a bomb devices to kites, helium balloons, birds and helium-filled condoms, and launching them into Israel to start fires randomly wherever they shelter, enabling the center to reopen. It was such a large project that four sponsors were needed, Bowman land. The fires “start immediately, and they are big,” Bowman said. “You noted. Two of them are from Alabama — the Birmingham Jewish Federation’s World Jewry Bureau, and the Baxley Companies of Dothan. can’t run fast enough.” Noting that one donor was Jewish and one was Christian, Bowman Operation Lifeshield has started placing portable firefighting trailers in communities — a 700-liter tank that can be towed by a pickup said “we actually do bridge the communities of the Jewish and Christian world… in a project we all can really care about.” truck. Baxley Companies have donated a dozen shelters in Israel, including Because wildfires grow exponentially, “if you can put out a fire withtwo at Moshav Regba, in northern Israel less than 10 miles from the in 15 minutes, you drastically reduce the damage it can do.” Operation Lifeshield was the first organization to distribute the Lebanon border. The shelters are by a building that houses Lone Soltrailers, and now it is just them and the huge Jewish National Fund. diers in Israel, soldiers from around the world who have no relatives in “It’s something I never expected to do,” Bowman said, adding that they Israel to rely on. Bowman said he did not realize this beforehand, but he had a cousin have done 10 trailers thus far. A fire trailer costs about $15,500. Concrete shelters are $21,000 and from Canada who was housed at Regba and would benefit from the steel shelters are $22,000. He quipped that the shelters are “a concrete shelters. She was given the honor of unveiling the dedication plaque. Jerome Baxley, who attended Bowman’s talk in Birmingham, said thing” people can do to help Israel. A recent major project for Operation Lifeshield helped Livnat Kutz, he went to Israel several times on Christian tours, but wanted to go over and do something tangible for the people who founded Beit Malacha in Sha’ar HaNeof Israel. He volunteered with the Hesed progev, near Gaza, after working for Intel in Isragram of the Friends of Israel Ministry, workel. Bowman explained that the stress of living ing at an Israeli hospital. under constant threat of missile attacks has During one of his first volunteer trips, led to first and second grade students in the there was a ceremony dedicating a shelter region being unable to learn basic concepts. that Friends of Israel donated, and Baxley met “These children are growing up in trauma,” he Bowman. Upon returning to Alabama, Baxley said. decided to start supporting Operation LifeshBeit Malacha uses art and creativity to teach ield. those basic concepts, reaching 150 students a Alabama’s Shoals community is also inday. But not long ago, the Israeli military shut volved, under the leadership of Rev. Jim Bevis down the program. Since it was on the second of CRS Ministries. Bevis is coordinating the floor of a building in an area without a sheldedication of a shelter from the area, seekter, in a zone where response time to a missile ing 170 individuals to commit $100 each. launch would be just a few seconds, not long Florence Mayor Steve Holt provided the first enough to get students downstairs, they had gift, and Jewish community member Adolph to close. Abroms was the second. Operation Lifeshield brought in a company Bowman said he would love to report that that specializes in shelters, fortifying Israeli Operation Lifeshield isn’t necessary any more, embassies around the world in an unobtrusive but “I’m afraid that’s not the case.” manner. He said despite the constant threats, IsraeIn many places around the world, the loRabbi Shmuel Bowman, Jerome Baxley lis don’t live in fear. “We live in preparation,” cation of Israeli installations are not known of Alabama and Livnat Kutz at the having “as normal a life as possible in an abto the public, so to fortify such anonymous shelter built for Beit Malacha’s learning normal situation.” spaces, one can’t draw attention by bringing program in Sha’ar HaNegev. Top, one of Operation Lifeshield is “a boring organizain heavy equipment or unusual materials. The the firefighting trailers recently donated tion,” Bowman said. “We just save lives.” company has developed fortified materials through Operation Lifeshield. Israel InSight • Preview Issue

DOING FOR Israel

With a little help from their friends

American-style football works to make it in Israel, league seeks partnerships in the U.S. Outside the United States, the term “football” is what Americans refer to as “soccer.” While soccer is big in Israel, American-style football is steadily growing, but Israel’s version continues to need help from its nation of origin. “Football is a good fit for Israelis,” said Betzalel Friedman, commissioner of the Kraft Family Israel Football League, explaining that American football is physical, tactical and strategic. Friedman toured the United States earlier this year, visiting several communities to make connections for the league. Americans in Israel started a flag football league in 1989, followed by a women’s league, which won the silver medal in this past year’s Europe championships. In 2005, a group of Israelis started to play tackle football, playing without pads or a league. The tackle league was officially founded in 2007, with four teams. Last year there were seven adult teams and 11 high school teams. In 2015, Israel fielded a national tackle football team for the first time. The first game was held in Spain, and Israel won. Friedman said a new high school team, the Rishon LeZion Rockets, will start this year, and in 2019-20 they will add the Petach Tikvah Knights, and a yet-to-be-named team in Karmiel. Friedman explained that the league is pay-to-play, not paying players to play. When it started, someone who made the team would then be told to acquire pads and a helmet and then come back to join the team. Those items aren’t plentiful in Israel. “You can’t exactly go into Dick’s Sporting Goods and buy helmets and shoulder pads.” Through donations of new and used equipment from the United States, Friedman hopes the league gets to where the players don’t have

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to buy their own equipment. Friedman said there are many families and institutions in the U.S. that have been “instrumental” in keeping the league going. Recent donations include game jerseys from a high school in Missouri, helmets and shoulder pads from Maryville College in Tennessee, pants from Abilene Christian in Texas, and thigh pads from Dordt, a Christian college in Iowa. The Grace Christian Academy Rams in Knoxville sent home and away jerseys to the Haifa Rams. If one of the Israeli teams seems to resemble the guys from Rocky Top, there is a reason for that. When the University of Tennessee changed its equipment contract from Adidas to Nike, all of a sudden the school had a lot of equipment they could not use. “They had to get rid of everything with the Adidas logo,” including home and away uniforms, about 150 new pairs of cleats and 500 pairs of new gloves. Ramat Hasharon was forming a team that was to be called the Lightning, with grey and green as the colors, but when all of the Tennessee equipment became available, they changed their colors to grey and orange, and became the Thunder, because of the big orange T on the helmets. That also makes it easier for the team to get additional materials. Rather than special ordering with a custom logo as the other teams do, they just order stuff from Tennessee’s website. Most of the donated equipment is funneled to Israel through Harvest of Israel in Morristown, Tenn. While it’s great to get the equipment, not all of it can be used immediately. Friedman still has about 50 pairs of cleats, because they are size 16 and up — and “we don’t have players that size.”

One thing they can’t accept is used footwear, because Customs won’t allow it into Israel. High schools in the U.S. have to recertify their helmets every couple of years, a requirement that isn’t present in Israel, so “schools tend to go through equipment faster now.” The biggest supporter of Israeli football is New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. “As a Colts fan who grew up in Indianapolis,” Friedman said, “that is very hard on me.” In 1998, Kraft was visiting Israel, and a hotel concierge, who played in the young league, recognized him. He asked Kraft if he knew that football was being played in Israel, albeit on crowded, rocky fields. Kraft soon met with Steve Leibowitz, who was commissioner at the time, then in 1999 Kraft donated $200,000 toward the Kraft Stadium in Jerusalem, which Photo courtesy Brandy Gibson was the first football field in the nation. The stadium This summer, 25 Israeli high school football players took part in a two-week was improved in 2005. training camp at Christian Academy of Knoxville While many games are played there, other games The other required “E”s are equipment and economics. To particiaround the country are played on soccer fields when available. Friedman noted that Kraft started his involvement with Israeli foot- pate in European competitions, Israel has more of a challenge. Friedball in 1999, and the Patriots, which had been mediocre for some time, man said if a tournament is in Italy, Switzerland can take a bus and won the Super Bowl in 2001 for the first time, and then twice more in spend one night in a hotel. Travel is more lengthy, involved and expensive from Israel. the next three years. “They’ve done okay since then,” he added. To help promote football in Israel, Kraft has organized several trips Friedman said the women’s league was “Myra Kraft’s baby.” She died of current and former NFL players. in 2011. A February 2017 delegation included New Orleans Saints defensive Many big names have played football in Israel, though not necessarily big football names. Ron Dermer, Israel’s ambassador to the United end Cameron Jordan, who was baptized in the Jordan River during States, quarterbacked the national flag football team in the World Cup the trip. The trip originally was supposed to include 11 players, but after Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett dropped out three times. Friedman’s family moved to Israel when he was 10. When Friedman over whether he would be seen as endorsing Israel’s policies toward finished his army service, he saw a flyer for the expansion Judean Reb- the Palestinians, five others cancelled. When Jordan was criticized on Twitter for doing PR for Israel by goels in what was the league’s third season. The next season, because of his organizational skills, they asked him to coach the team, and “we ing on the trip, he responded “I’m going on a trip for the spiritual and actually won the championship,” defeating the Tel Aviv/Jaffa Sabres, historical layout of a country I’ve always wanted to go to. I’m learning more.” 32-30, in Israel Bowl IV. In April 2017, Saints quarterback Drew Brees visited Jerusalem on He said it was all because of the players. “I made one good call that a low-key, private trip. year.” In June 2017, 18 NFL Hall of Famers joined Kraft for the dedication After three years running the team, he was asked to run the league, of the new Kraft Family Sports Campus in Jerusalem. The gold-jackso he left the high-tech world. Coach Eric Cohu, who was then in Huntsville and has advised the eted delegation included Joe Montana, Roger Staubach, Jim Brown, league for a decade, mentored Friedman as commissioner, and Israeli Mean Joe Greene and Eric Dickerson. Friedman called Staubach a “mensch,” saying he has been supportcoaches came to Huntsville to be on his staff at Madison Academy, ive of Holocaust education. deepening their knowledge of the game. While “all sports are pretty good” at bringing people together, That is one of the three “E”s that Friedman said are needed by the league — education. Football knowledge in Israel is nowhere close to Friedman said, “none can better than football.” The Judean Rebels have the level in the U.S., so the league is trying to set up coaching relation- three Palestinian brothers on the team. Ramat Hasharon, a “ritzy area” has 10 players from a youth village, ships with Americans. In June, 25 Israeli high school players traveled to Knoxville for an in- including three Muslim players, all of whom start on the offensive line. tensive two weeks of training camp at Christian Academy of Knoxville. The offensive rookie of the year was an immigrant from the former They stayed in the dorms at Maryville College and used buses donated Soviet Union, the offensive player of the year was Ethiopian and the MVP was an American who immigrated from Chicago and is a veteran by Grace Baptist Church. Among those in attendance was Brandy Gibson of Birmingham, of one of the IDF’s elite units. Another player is a former Division III college football player who left who does public relations for several NFL players, as well as for FriedDartmouth when he became observant and would no longer play on man and Dan Phillips, U.S. coordinator for the Friends of the IFL. Phillips. defensive coordinator at The Kings Academy, travels to Is- Saturdays. He became a Breslov chassid, and joined the Israeli league rael when his season ends and serves as coaching coordinator for the at age 36. Another player, Friedman said, is a Christian from Texas who is purIsraeli leagues. Gibson works with the sports marketing program at Samford Uni- suing a Master’s degree in Jerusalem. Peace, Friedman said, “is going to come from the neighbors and the versity, and facilitated a marketing consulting project for the IFL by people who play football together and shop together.” students in the program. Israel InSight • Preview Issue

READING Israel

Shared passion:

African-American hoops players at home in Israel

David A. Goldstein, a sports executive and journalist in Toronto, Canada, said he “grew up a basketball fanatic who visited Israel every year, and yet I’d never put the two together.” That changed over a decade ago when he was visiting his grandparents in Jerusalem. It was when Anthony Parker, who previously had played in Israel, was playing for Toronto in the National Basketball Association and his grandparents’ friends couldn’t stop talking about him — and they were incredibly well-informed. He knew basketball was big in Israel, but “I never understood the scope, the depth, the emotional parts of it,” and the connection that Israelis had with African-American players in the Israeli basketball leagues. He started to research that passion “with a blank slate,” curious as to what he would uncover. He figured the story would be a few former NBA players who went to Israel for a brief time, enjoyed their experiences and then headed back home. “When I dug further, that’s when I started to see the depths of the phenomenon.” He saw stories of players who stayed in Israel after their playing days, and “their depth of commitment to the country,” in many cases even serving in the Israeli military. Even for those who don’t stay, “Israel is a part of them, they are advocates and ambassadors, years after they came back to the U.S.” He chronicles their stories in “Alley-Oop to Aliyah: African American Hoopsters in the Holy Land.” He said the book is “their perspective, my best effort at describing how they view the country,” and it is “a completely different perspective” that comes from “people with no discernable history with Judaism or Israel.” Goldstein spoke to a “variety of players” from different levels of Israeli basketball, so he would not get “10 versions of similar experiences.” He spoke to NBA veterans who played for powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv, and Division II players that “scratched, clawed their way.” A lot of them had some trepidation in going to Israel, and family members expressing concern about what they perceived as going to a war zone. “They weren’t expecting much, didn’t know much about the country.” Some players expected it would be like going back in time, he added. “And then, wow. The word ‘wow’ came up over and over again.” Unlike many European countries, almost everyone in Israel speaks English, and since Israel has a great relationship with the U.S. “being an American is something to be proud of,” unlike in much of Europe. With so many cultures represented in Israel, it wasn’t difficult for the players to feel at home. “You can go into a nightclub and hear American hip-hop” or find whatever kind of foods they are used to. Still, being in Israel does mean having to be constantly aware. Goldstein relates the story of Donald Royal from New Orleans, who arrived in Israel in 1990. While shopping with a friend, it didn’t faze him when an elderly Arab woman put her shopping bag on the floor in the mall’s food court. But as she shouted “Allahu akbar,” his friend grabbed his arm and told him to run. He heard the explosion behind him.

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When the Gulf War broke out in 1991, Royal was given permission to stay in Switzerland and meet the team for games on the road — because of the war, all of the Israel team’s international games had to take place outside Israel. But within two weeks, he was so concerned about what was happening in Israel that he ignored family pleas and headed back. Numerous other African American players could have left, but they decided to stay and show they were “in this together.” Many of the prominent players have Southern roots, which can be a problem in adjusting to life in Israel. While there is great hospitality and warmth one-on-one in Israel, “people are very upfront, can be very abrasive or rude,” and that comes as culture shock to those of a Southern mindset. Goldstein said Fred Campbell, who has ties to Florida and Georgia but remained in Israel, said he had to learn the “Israeli mentality,” and now he is able “to switch back and forth” between Southerner and Israeli. One of the more prominent basketball families is the Dawsons. Joe Dawson is from Tuscaloosa, Ala., and played at Southern Mississippi. He went to Israel in 1987 and played for 14 years. He now lives in Rehovot, and his two sons both play in Israeli leagues. Goldstein said son Shawn Dawson “is widely considered the most likely Israeli to next

make the jump to the NBA.” In 2016, Shawn Dawson signed with the New Orleans Pelicans, appearing in three preseason games before being waived. Joe Dawson, who has a laid-back Southern personality, said it took him a while before he understood that the abrasiveness of Israelis was because of the pressures they are under. Stanley Brundy, a DePaul graduate, was born in New Orleans. After one year in the NBA, he went overseas, arriving in Israel in 1999. He eventually became a citizen of Israel and still lives there with his wife and children. Cory Carr, from Fordyce, Ark., has played in Israel since 2000, married an Israeli and became a citizen in 2009. One of the earliest players to go to Israel was Aulcie Perry. A New Jersey native, he attended Bethune-Cookman in Florida. In 1976, a scout for Maccabi Tel Aviv saw him in Harlem, and signed him. Perry led them to an historic season, then Maccabi Tel Aviv headed to the EuroLeague competition, where they had never done well despite all their success in Israel. Usually mired at the bottom of the standings in pool play, Maccabi Tel Aviv found success at the 1977 tournament. They needed a victory over CSKA Moscow to make the champions round — a game the Soviet Union refused to host and would not play in Israel because diplomatic relations had been broken off in 1967. The game was played in Belgium, with all of Israel glued to their televisions. When you are in a country that is routinely vilified on the international stage, “success in sports on an international level is a rallying point, whether you are a sports fan or not,” Goldstein said. The Israeli team won by 12, setting off a huge celebration in Israel. That only intensified after Israel beat the Italian team for the championship. For a country still trying to get over the 1973 Yom Kippur War and the massacre of Olympic athletes at the 1972 Munich Games, the victory “was a defining moment in the history of the country.” Tal Brody, one of the team’s biggest stars, famously said that Israel was on the map, and would remain there, “not just in sports, but in everything.” After 1977, the New Orleans Jazz was among the NBA teams interested in Perry, but he wasn’t interested in leaving Israel, which he called his “adopted home” in a 1978 Ebony interview. He added that though he was the only black player on the team, he had never experienced racial discrimination in Israel. Eventually, he converted to Judaism. After Perry, many more African American players followed. The influx led to rule changes. Early on, only one non-Israeli could be on a team. In New York, “basketball rabbis” sprang up to do quick conversions, so players could move to Israel and immediately become citizens under the Law of Return, which grants citizenship to any Jew who declares an intent to stay. In the context of basketball, the player would then not count against the foreign quota. There were also “arranged marriages.” In all, about 40 players went those routes. Before long, the rules were changed to close that loophole. The practice also cast a shadow on several players who converted “legitimately” and remain Jewish long after their playing days. Even Perry, who keeps kosher, faces some doubters among Jews, as well as a lack of acceptance by some of his Southern Baptist relatives. In researching the book, Goldstein did not expect he would learn so much about conversion, the Law of Return and non-basketball religious aspects.

Cory Carr, a Fordyce, Ark., native and Texas Tech alumnus, played one season for the Chicago Bulls, then joined Maccabi Ra’anana in Israel in 2000. He became an Israeli citizen in 2009. After playing for many years, he now coaches the Bnot Herzliya women’s team.

There is also a running debate about having foreign players in the league — do they crowd out native Israelis who do not have a chance to develop their skills to a higher level? Goldstein found in many cases, having African American players has caused Israelis to step up their effort. The Americans often found a low level of off-season commitment to training and conditioning among Israeli players, who were mostly waiting to be told what to do. The book comes across as so overwhelmingly positive, some readers have been skeptical. “I’ve been asked if the Israeli government commissioned the book, or if I got paid by the Israeli government,” Goldstein said. “I had no objective, no plan,” he added. “I was curious. I dug, and this is the phenomenon. I didn’t create it. I didn’t spin it.” He didn’t shy away from negatives, and wrote about some players who did not have a perfect experience. But overall, the experience of African-American players in Israel is “a rare thing you can be unapologetically proud of.” Even the little things are noticed. Former Florida Gator Alex Tyus tweeted about losing his wallet in Israel in 2012. It was found, with all contents intact. He commented that if he had lost it in the U.S., it would have been “gone forever.” When Tyree Rice signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2013, he got a text from another veteran of Israeli basketball — “Congratulations, you’re going to heaven.” That season, Maccabi Tel Aviv won its sixth European title, and Rice was named the EuroLeague Final Four MVP. Israel InSight • Preview Issue

READING Israel “Israel Matters” Opens Christian Hearts, Minds “Israel Matters: Why Christians Must Think Differently about the People and the Land” is the title of a relatively new and thought-provoking book by Anglican theologian Gerald McDermott, who is currently affiliated with Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. In his book, McDermott challenges his own previous belief that in God’s view Jews became a peripheral people when they did not accept Jesus as the Messiah and, as a result, their relationship to their land and the land itself lost its significance. McDermott also revises his own view that Jesus and the ascendancy of Christianity and the Church replaced Israel and the Jewish people as God’s covenantal partners. He also examines his previous inclination to accept the false claims that modern Israel was established on land “stolen” from Arabs; that Israel oppresses Palestinians; and that Zionism — which maintains that the Jewish people have a right to

sovereignty in some portion of their biblical homeland — is a racist ideology. With grace and humility, and an easy-to-read style despite tackling complex subjects, McDermott writes that as a result of his continued Biblical studies, willingness to consider things in new ways, and multiple visits to Israel, that he was wrong on each of the above accounts. In addition, as part of his journey — a journey marked by some heavy-duty rethinking and rereading of both the Old and New Testaments — he evolved from being dubious about Christian Zionists to becoming one himself. The book is a fascinating exploration of how a growing number of Christian Zionists think about Jews, both Biblically and today; how they’ve come to reconcile Jewish non-acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah with their Christian belief that he is and that acceptance of him is the one true path to salvation; and how Christians have come to be among Israel’s most ardent supporters.

“Bibi” Book Tells Netanyahu Story On July 17, 2019, if he’s still in power, Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu will become Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, surpassing the tenure of the country’s founding prime minister, David Ben-Gurion. On that day, Netanyahu will have served 13 years, or for 18 percent of Israel’s history. In U.S. terms, that would be like a president serving 43 years. Netanyahu’s impact as prime minister is highlighted in a recent biography titled “Bibi: The Turbulent Life and Times of Benjamin Netanyahu.” It’s by journalist Anshel Pfeffer, who writes for the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz. Parts of it portray Netanyahu unfairly, but it also provides insight into the forces that have shaped Netanyahu and his views. Netanyahu has made an impact in an array of important spheres. Included is his deepening and nurturing of the relationship between Israel and Christians who are Biblically-motivated to support the Jewish state, and his developing a closeness with the Trump administration, which has yielded transformative diplomatic fruit for Israel. The importance that the prime minister places on Israel’s relationship with its Christian allies was highlighted in remarks he delivered via video link to the recent Christians United for Israel Summit

in Washington. “We will always defend ourselves,” said Netanyahu. “We will prosper. We will thrive. And Israel’s strength is not merely because of our army; it’s because of our spirit. And it’s because of the spirit of friends like you around the world.” Netanyahu also has made it clear that Judea and Samaria (more recently and less accurately known as the “West Bank”) continue to be integral parts of the land of Israel going back to Biblical times, and that Jews have a historic right and national obligation to build and expand Jewish communities in these areas. Both views are backed overwhelmingly by millions of Christians. When examined fairly (which this book does not always do), Netanyahu’s achievements are looming and will leave a lasting impact. Israel is stronger than ever; it’s a world leader in fields such as technology, medicine, agriculture and water; the U.S.-Israel relationship is at an all-time high right now; Israel’s economy is strong; new diplomatic opportunities have opened up with Asia, Africa and key Arab countries; the country’s military is powerful, and Netanyahu helped motivate the U.S. to pull out of the flawed and dangerous Iran nuclear deal. This new book, even with its shortcomings, is worth reading.

The above reviews were written by Birmingham Jewish Federation Executive Director Richard Friedman. They are adaptations of reviews that first appeared in the Federation’s newsletter, Update.

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BUSINESS in Israel

Ironically, it’s Pepsi that buys SodaStream

For years, SodaStream was the target of anti-Israel boycotters, since the well-known company had its manufacturing facility in the territories, where it employed hundreds of Palestinians alongside Israelis. Now, SodaStream has been purchased by PepsiCo for $3.2 billion and will become a wholly-owned subsidiary. The company, founded in 1991, will continue to be headquartered in Israel. It has 3,500 employees, and its products are currently sold in 46 countries. In 2014, SodaStream ran its first Super Bowl ad and hired Scarlett Johansson as a spokesperson. The pro-BDS forces immediately started pressuring Johansson, causing her to resign from the charity Oxfam. In 2015, SodaStream announced it was closing the facility in the territories and moving to a new, larger plant in southern Israel — employing hundreds of Bedouin in the area while the Palestinian employees in the territories lost their jobs. The BDS movement hailed it as a great success, though the company said that move had been in the works for years. After saying that Israel was too small for a Coca-Cola bottling plant, in the late 1960s Coca-Cola finally opened in Israel. Arab nations boycotted Coca-Cola as part of their effort to punish any company doing business with Israel. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, one could get Coca-Cola products in Israel but not in the Arab world, and Pepsi was seen throughout the Arab world but not in Israel. That ended in 1992 as the Arab boycott started to wane.

Israeli innovation eases spine surgery

In a $1.64 billion deal, Dublin-based Medtronic is acquiring Israeli medical robotic company Mazor Robotics. The deal is the largest-ever sale of an Israeli medical company. Mazor’s proprietary core platform technology transforms spinal surgery from freehand procedures to accurate, state-of-the-art guided procedures. By combining Medtronic’s market-leading spine implants, navigation and intra-operative imaging technology with Mazor’s robotic-assisted surgery systems, Medtronic intends to offer a fully-integrated procedural solution for surgical planning, execution and confirmation. Mazor was founded in 2001, pioneering robotic technology for spinal procedures and is the market’s segment leader. To date, more than 200 Mazor systems are in clinical use on four continents and have guided the placement of more than 250,000 implants during some 40,000 procedures, enabling minimally-invasive spine surgery to become standard procedure in many hospitals.

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Israel-U.S. EMT training saves lives

For the second year, United Hatzalah of Israel is offering a hybrid Israeli and United States emergency first responder training course in October. The course allows participants to become certified EMTs in both Israel and most of the United States. The course is recognized by the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians, which certifies EMTs across the United State and whose accreditation is used by 46 states out of 50 as a basis for licensure. United Hatzalah is Israel’s official training partner of the NREMT. “We are making the effort to reach out to the English speaking population in Israel who often travel to the U.S. as well as students studying in Israel for their gap year. Many of these people want to get involved and save lives so we came up with this training course that will certify them in both countries allowing them to save lives no matter where they are,” said President and Founder Eli Beer. Last year, the organization held three such courses and graduated more than 60 students, some of whom went on to save lives as first responders in both countries. Coral Sellouk graduated the course last May and within two weeks had saved the lives of two people, one in Rehovot and the other in her hometown of West Hollywood, Calif. “Training to become an EMT has been a positive change for me,” said Sellouk. “Not only have I learned to gauge my surroundings in a different way and notice things that I never did before, but I have also managed to raise my awareness in a way that enables me to help people. It is because of this training that I was able to save two lives since my graduation. That is not something that I ever expected to do,” she added. “I’ve gone on dozens of emergency calls as well as ambulance shifts in Israel and I can say that it has been an experience that changed me and how I live my life,” said Yonaton Atkin, one of the graduates of the course from last year.

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SEEING Israel

If you can’t make it to Israel…

“This is second-best” While in the future, this feature will highlight unusual or little-known places in Israel that are interesting to visit, this month we highlight a taste of Israel in the Deep South

Palestine Garden 201 Palestine Gardens Road Lucedale, Miss. palestinegardens.org 601/947.8422

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Even though he hasn’t been there himself — yet — Don Bradley urges people to travel to the Land of Israel. But if one is unable to do so, he says visiting his backyard is “second best.” His is no ordinary backyard — Palestine Gardens is a scale model of the Land of Israel, filled with representations of how the Biblical towns looked 2,000 years ago, during the time of Jesus. From March to November, he offers tours to anyone who wanders in, and people from all over the world find their way to his part of the Mississippi woods. When Walter Harvell Jackson was a seminary student, a teacher challenged the students to study the Bible as a “place book.” He was ordained in 1933 and served churches in Kentucky, North Carolina and Alabama before going to First Presbyterian Church in Lucedale. Remembering the charge from his teacher, Rev. Jackson used his life savings to buy 40 acres in the woods, and in 1953, he and his wife Pellerree started building a scale model of the Land of Israel, to make the Bible “come alive.” On Easter Sunday in 1960, Jackson opened the gardens to the public, with Biblical cities created out of concrete, cinder blocks and landscaping stones in a folk art style. The site is scaled at one yard to one mile. To them, though, the message was more important than the models — showing what the landscape was like during the time of Jesus as a means of relating the story of Jesus. In 1971, the Jacksons’ daughter and her husband, Jim Kirkpatrick, moved to the area and helped expand the site. After Rev. Jackson and his wife died in

1992 and 1993, respectively, the Kirkpatricks struggled to keep the attraction open. In the early 1990s, Don Bradley was a senior maintenance analyst at Martin Marietta. He felt a calling to return to the garden, which he had visited as a third grader, and propose that he purchase it. In 1994, he became the owner and started restoring the cities and adding structures. Until then, the site was known as Palestinian Gardens. Bradley wanted to honor what Jackson had created and not alter the name too much, but he changed it to Palestine Gardens, lest anyone assume it was an Islamic establishment. While the emphasis is on the story of Jesus, Bradley says he gets visitors of all faiths. In an effort not to offend anyone, he makes sure they know the Christian orientation of the garden and acknowledges any difference in beliefs while explaining sites from a Christian perspective on the tour. One enters the garden by crossing the River Jordan, then the first city that is encountered is Jericho, not far from the Dead Sea. Tucked near a sign is a pillar of salt, representing the story of Lot’s wife during the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. As with the real-life Israel, the Dead Sea is at the lowest point in the garden, and one climbs up the hill up to Bethlehem and Jerusalem, and Mount Hermon, the highest point in Israel, is the highest point at the distant end of the garden. The garden is about 5 miles off US 98 near Lucedale, about an hour from Mobile, Pascagoula or Hattiesburg. There is no admission charge, but donations are welcomed, and large groups are urged to contact him in advance.

COMMENTING Israel This year, Israel celebrated its 70th birthday, with many events all over the United States to celebrate the deep ties between the U.S. and Israel. It is often said that the younger generation doesn’t have the same passion for Israel as the older generations, and what can be done to bring them up to speed, so to speak. One simple explanation for the difference comes from history and the passage of time. My first realization was when I taught religious school in the early 1990s and it hit me that the students weren’t even alive when Menachem Begin and Egypt’s Anwar Sadat signed the 1978 peace treaty. For those who remember the Six Day War in 1967 or the Yom Kippur War in 1973, it was a real question each night as to whether Israel would still be there the next morning. Who remembers that feeling? Nobody under 50 — I was four when the Yom Kippur War was fought. More recent battles haven’t had the same existential threat for Israel. And what of Israel’s founding? While the roots of modern Israel go back to the 1890s, for a lot of people Israel’s necessity was driven home during the Holocaust, when the Jewish people had nowhere to go, no place of last resort. From the late 1940s, Israel’s existence had to be defended at all costs. Who remembers those days? Far fewer people. To many, Israel has never been the beleaguered nation, fighting for survival against huge, hostile neighbors. Israel is seen as the regional powerhouse; Iran as little more than a nuisance. With Zionism becoming an epithet on the international stage and among some social justice groups, many young people don’t want any part of that label. Of course, the term has been distorted away from its true meaning, which is simply the belief that the Jewish people have a right to a sovereign state in their historical homeland. That’s all — that the Jews have the same right as any other people. It’s a double standard to press for Palestinian self-determination while dismissing the Jewish right for the same. What is one to do with those who look at the Middle East and see an endless distorted stream of mighty Israel and the poor, oppressed Palestinian? That became even more acute this spring, with the Gaza border demonstrations and a level of journalistic malpractice that was shocking even for the international media’s incredibly low standards when it comes to covering Israel. If the Gaza demonstrations, which had already gone on for weeks, were suddenly all about the embassy move, where were the massive, violent protests in the West Bank? Looking at the coverage, what reaction does one expect of those who are raised on ideals of peace, tolerance and understanding when they see those images from Gaza? Especially when reported in such a simplistic way that ignores the real danger to Israeli lives, and the cynical manipulation of Hamas, whose leaders see their people as mere cannon fodder toward an unattainable goal? Israel isn’t perfect. But warts and all, Israel is still a miracle of history, with very real struggles, not the least of which is dealing with a neighbor whose leadership is completely unwilling to allow anything that will better their people’s lives, lest they lose their embittered motivation to fight what they are told is their external enemy. That corrupt Palestinian leadership is content to sacrifice their own people on a quixotic mission while stealing their people blind, rather than improving their situation. Neighboring Arab states are also weary of the Palestinian leadership’s refusal to make progress. Despite everything, Israel is a technical marvel, a culinary center, a land of innovation and benefit to the world. Israeli advances touch pretty much everyone, every day. We celebrate the achievement and the modern miracle Lawrence Brook, Publisher/Editor that is Israel.

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Top photos courtesy Israel Ministry of Tourism: Synagogue mosaic in Susya, by Dafna Tal. Tomato Stall at Carmel Market, by Dana Friedlander. Boat sailing on the Sea of Galilee, by Itamar Grinberg