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Jewish Journal

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August 9, 2016

Israel’s Defense Ministry backs away from comparing Iran deal to Munich pact

Leave a Comment / Israel /

Israel’s Defense Ministry offered a quasi-apology for comparing the Iran nuclear deal to the 1938 Munich Agreement.

On Monday, saying the media misinterpreted the original statement on Friday, the Defense Ministry said the reference to the Munich pact — a failed bid by European powers to appease Nazi Germany — “was not intended to make a direct comparison, either historically or personally. We are sorry if it was understood otherwise.”

The ministry added: “We wish to clarify that the State of Israel and Israeli defense establishment will continue to work in close and full cooperation with the US, out of a deep appreciation and mutual respect.”

The new statement added, however: “Israel remains deeply worried that even after the nuclear agreement with Iran, the Iranian leadership continues to declare that its central goal is the destruction of the State of Israel, and continues to threaten Israel’s existence in words and deeds.”

Israeli news reports over the weekend said the Prime Minister’s Office ordered the latter statement after being blindsided by the Defense Ministry’s statement on Friday. The Prime Minister’s Office worked overtime Friday night to downplay the original statement, including in a telephone call to the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, according to the reports.

The statement was in response to President Barack Obama saying on Thursday in defense of the deal, amid allegations that the United States paid Iran $400 million as “ransom” to secure the release of American prisoners, that the “Israeli military and security community … acknowledges this has been a game changer.”

“By all accounts, it has worked exactly the way we said it was going to work,” Obama also said.

“The Israeli defense establishment believes that agreements have value only if they are based on the existing reality, but they have no value if the facts on the ground are the complete opposite of those the deal is based upon,” the original Defense Ministry statement said.

“The Munich Agreement didn’t prevent the Second World War and the Holocaust precisely because its basis, according to which Nazi Germany could be a partner for some sort of agreement, was flawed, and because the leaders of the world then ignored the explicit statements of [Adolf] Hitler and the rest of Nazi Germany’s leaders. These things are also true about Iran, which also clearly states openly that its aim is to destroy the state of Israel.”

Israel’s Defense Ministry backs away from comparing Iran deal to Munich pact Read More »

Aly Raisman helps power US women’s gymnastics team to Olympic gold

Leave a Comment / Culture, Olympics, Sports /

The United States women’s gymnastics team, led by its Jewish-American captain Aly Raisman, won the Olympic gold medal in Rio.

The Americans finished with a total of 184.897 points to easily outdistance silver medalist Russia, which had 176.688 points. China took the bronze.

It was the second consecutive Olympic team gold for Raisman and the U.S., whose team members nicknamed themselves the “Final Five.” Rio is the last Olympics to have five-member gymnastics teams. Starting in 2020 in Tokyo, each team will have four members.

After the final score was announced Tuesday, the U.S. women huddled together and cheered, led by Raisman, “We are the Final Five!”

Raisman, at 22 the veteran of the group, is nicknamed “Grandma” by teammates Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez and Madison Kocian. Biles had the top score in the all-around qualifier with Raisman second.

Raisman and Biles will compete Thursday in the women’s all-around competition. Biles will also compete in vault, beam and floor exercise, while Raisman will compete on floor, Hernandez on beam, and Kocian and Douglas in uneven bars.

Raisman, of Needham, Massachusetts, won a gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics in the floor competition, performing a routine to “Hava Nagila.”

Also Tuesday, U.S. swimmer Katie Ledecky won Olympic gold in the 200-meter freestyle. Ledecky has a Jewish maternal grandmother and lost family members in the Holocaust.

Aly Raisman helps power US women’s gymnastics team to Olympic gold Read More »

Outside Lands star Anderson Paak sampled Israel’s national anthem

Leave a Comment / Election 2016, Israel /

For a brief moment, a snippet of Israel’s national anthem rang out over a frenzied crowd at the Outside Lands music festival in Golden Gate Park on Aug. 7, the second day of the three-day festival. Few, if any, noticed the somber notes. The partygoers danced without interruption.

Anderson Paak might have expected to hear crickets during his performance with his band, the Free Nationals, given that they were playing at the same time as rock legend Radiohead. Instead, the rap artist drew a lively reception and generally positive reviews.

In his song “Come Down,” which has been played more than 4 million times on Spotify and which he played at Outside Lands to a raucous response, Paak briefly samples Israel’s national anthem, Hatikvah. The anthem can be heard at the beginning of the song before Paak cuts in and then sporadically throughout. As the funky rap track fades out, the sound of an electric guitar accompanies the notes of Israel’s national song.