Daily Briefing Feb. 6: Israel offers to help Turkey after earthquake. Syria, too?

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world,...

PM said to have sought support for judicial changes from ex-US Treasury head Summers

As opposition to the government’s judicial overhaul has mounted among Israel’s leading finance, business, and tech executives, Prime Minister...

Winter storm Barbara set to blow in with furious winds, heavy rain and snow

Israel was girding Monday morning for the arrival of a powerful winter storm expected to bring high winds, heavy rain, near-freezing temperatures...

Jill Biden awards Grammy to Iranian singer for viral anti-government anthem

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An Iranian singer who faces possible prison time for his song that’s become an anthem for the ongoing...

Man suspected of forging license plates, passports for imaginary kingdom

Police said Monday they were investigating a man suspected of distributing and using fake documents for his imaginary kingdom, “Yashar-El.”...

Death toll surpasses 1,300 in Turkey, Syria in wake of devastating earthquake

AZMARIN, Syria (AP) — A powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked southeastern Turkey and northern Syria early Monday, toppling hundreds of...

New government has so far appointed zero women as ministry directors general

Every ministry director general appointed by the new government so far has been a man, angering women’s groups and calling into question its...

Two women killed in deadly collision near Tel Nof airbase

Two people were killed after three cars collided near the Tel Nof airbase in central Israel on Monday, medics said. The Magen David Ambulance...

At least 5 gunmen killed as IDF targets West Bank terror attack cell, officials say

Several Palestinian gunmen were killed in a military raid near the West Bank city of Jericho early Monday, as part of an operation to apprehend...

The (latest) Ilhan Omar debacle – explained

The day: Thursday, February 2nd, 2023. The place: Capitol Hill, Washington DC. The occasion: the Republican-controlled House (gee, aren’t they doing...

(POGLED) Freak Out Joker Out: Da ne bo pozneje kakih frustracij … Ali bomo končno zmagali?

Bila pa je v oddaji vidna tudi diskrepanca med bendom oz. komadom samim — ki tudi starejši in izkušenejši, da ne rečem izbirčnejši publiki...

Vinyl, record player shop in Nablus aims to preserve a fading musical heritage

NABLUS (AFP) — From Jamal Hemmou’s ramshackle workshop in Nablus’s Old City in the West Bank, classic Arabic songs blare into the surrounding...

Death, glory and warlordism in Vladimir Putin’s Russia

LJUBLJANA – Rumors are flying about veiled jockeying within Russia over who will replace President Vladimir Putin, now that his war of aggression...

Svoboda

Ne gledam in ne poslušam več ničesar, kar je nastalo v Jugoslaviji, ker to v meni vzbuja tesnobo, pravi prijatelj, znani oblikovalec, eden...

Over 1,500 gather at illegal Homesh West Bank outpost for Tu Bishvat seder

Over 1,500 people held a ceremony on Sunday for the Jewish festival of Tu Bishvat at the illegal West Bank outpost Homesh, despite the military...

Rešitev vodne krize je ključna

Igor Napast V boju proti podnebnim spremembam in v prizadevanjih za izgradnjo boljšega sveta je treba vodo vključiti v pomembne globalne okvire,...

Why industrial policy is back

By Ricardo Hausmann CAMBRIDGE ― After decades of relegation to the fringes of economic thinking, industrial policy is making a comeback. With...

The Imperative-Nishmat Pt. 3

A couple of articles ago I started writing about the prayer NISHMAT KOL CHAI, in my opinion the best prayer ever written by our Sages. We’re now up...

Shabbat Shira, Tu Bishvat and the Power of Music

One Shabbat, walking outside the small town of Zlatopol, Ukraine, a town that no longer exists, Rabbi Nachman of Breslev told the person with him...

Burning the Koran – and the Torah – Challenges Sweden's Absolute Freedom of Speech

Officially, Rasmus Paludan is the leader of a far-right party active in Sweden and Denmark, but to call him a “leader” is misleading. Paludan, a...

Can U.S. Liberal Jews Change Israeli Politics? Right-wing Jews Know the Answer

I asked a group of Jewish-American students this week to name the American Jew who’d had the most influence on today’s Israel. The automatic...

I am a Tree, too, My Friend

A poem for Tu B’Shevat, the new year for the trees. Written with gratitude to our silent, rooted companions, who enhance the world around us....

Elephant food is for the strongest teeth

There is intense violence and reverent spirituality coexisting side by side in the West African martial art called ‘dambe’ - by Aeon Video Watch...

Witnesses recount how quakes rattled Israel, sent hundreds fleeing buildings

The devastating earthquakes that killed thousands in Syria and Turkey were clearly felt in Israel, where they shook buildings and sent hundreds...

In fresh move in tax dispute with Vatican, Israel freezes Notre Dame hotel accounts

In the latest episode in a long-running dispute between Israel and the Holy See, the Jerusalem municipality demanded on Monday that the...

‘Great privilege to reach out to our neighbor’: IDF aid delegation heads to Turkey

A delegation of 150 military rescue experts was to depart for southern Turkey on Monday night, as the country grappled with the aftermath of a...

Gantz: Israel to grind to a halt if judicial blitz continues; coalition pushes back

Senior opposition figure Benny Gantz called Monday for citizens to grind the country to a halt if the government continues to rapidly push its far-...

‘We need to wake up’: UN chief fears entry into ‘wider war’ over invasion of Ukraine

UNITED NATIONS, New York (AFP) — United Nations chief Antonio Guterres warned Monday that he fears the likelihood of further escalation in the...

Private equity 2023 – what should we expect?

While limited partners grapple with the exact percentages of their target private equity allocations in the next year, one thing is certain: PE...

US charges neo-Nazi Atomwaffen leader in plot to attack power stations

WASHINGTON (AFP) — US authorities announced the arrests Monday of the co-founder of the notorious Atomwaffen neo-Nazi group and a woman he met...

75 years in Canada

Seventy-five years ago this month, two Polish Jewish refugees and their infant son arrived in Canada, a distant nation of peace, tranquility and...

A Triumph of My Memory

It was only a few seconds, but my evening was ruined. I was watching an episode of Father Brown, a television series loosely based on the Father...

Thoughts on the Biblical Portion Yitro

As usual, the biblical portion Yitro is named after the first significant word in the portion, the name of Moses’ father-in-law Yitro. His name...

 Yitro – a paradigm for welcoming the convert

We have all heard about people who experienced miracles that changed their life – soldiers saved from certain death, survivors of a terrible...

Renowned Death Penalty Abolitionists You Should Know

Supporters of the death penalty would do well to learn some of the names of American and global humanitarians across the centuries who disagree on...

Transition Time for Tests Nazir 14 Psychology of the Daf Yomi

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses Adar 7, the auspicious day that Moshe was born and passed away. On that day we are also taught that the Manna...

A Parable about Divorce and Remarrying

A parable Meanwhile, in a parallel universe . . . A man went to the matchmaker (called shadhanit there) to ask for help in finding a partner.  ...

In Africa, we must see the wood for the trees

Tu BiShvat, which falls this year on February 6th, is the Jewish New Year for Trees — the, biblically approved, original Arbor Day. Its message is...

Chcú železnice vyhnať ľudí z vlakov?

Je pochopiteľné, že firmy sa snažia znižovať náklady. Peňazí niet nikdy nazvyš. Vždy však ide o to, akým spôsobom sa to vykoná....

Tu B’Shevat: Not Just a New Year for the Trees

In the Gemara in Rosh Hashanah (14a), we are told that once Tu B’Shevat has arrived, the majority of the rain for the year has fallen. Rashi...

Let It Rain?

The rain is finally here, and we are happy to receive it. We need the winter rain. The land depends on it — our fields, rivers, lakes, etc., etc....

Cana­da is com­ing un­done

Thread by thread, the idea of lovely Canada is coming undone. Some, if not many, Canadians are likely to consider my indictment as a...

Educating the World’s Children of Conflict

Why some EU coun­tries in the east are still pro-Rus­sia

Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine, launched a year ago, changed Europe overnight. It has set in motion tectonic shifts in political and...

„Dobrí“ holubi sa vracajú. Kaliňák nevylúčil návrat

Pridajú sa ďalší? To sa nedá vylúčiť. S veľkou pravdepodobnosťou sa v najbližšej budúcnosti dočkáme ešte nejedného prekvapenia....

Hong Kong has to rebuild confidence in its policymaking

Investors must be persuaded that government will keep economy as priority

No sign of impending major earthquake in Israel, but issue hard to predict — experts

There have been no recent signs of an impending powerful earthquake in Israel that could be triggered by the powerful temblors that rocked Turkey...

Rewarding Israel for its crimes

When Palestinian boy Muhammad Aliwat, 13, from Silwan in occupied Jerusalem, shot at a group of five Israeli settlers recently he wounded two of...

Israeli-American sentenced to 7 years in US prison over child sexual abuse material

A US federal court has sentenced an Israeli-American man to seven years in prison for trafficking in child sexual abuse material online, after...

Turkey arrests 15 IS members who allegedly plotted to target Istanbul synagogues

ISTANBUL, Turkey (JTA) — Istanbul police have arrested 15 suspects connected to the Islamic State terror group, who were allegedly plotting to...