Weekly roundup of world briefs

Orthodox basketball player Ryan Turell selected in NBA minor league draft

(JNS) — Orthodox Jewish basketball player Ryan Turell on Saturday was selected No. 27 overall in the 2022 NBA G League Draft, ESPN reported.

Turell, who went unpicked out of Yeshiva University in June’s NBA Draft, was selected by the Motor City Cruise, the minor league affiliate of the NBA’s Detroit Pistons.

The NBA G League is the NBA’s official minor league system.

“Being the first Orthodox Jew in the NBA would mean the world to me, and a dream come true, God willing,” Turell had told ESPN in March. “But, just as importantly, it would mean the world to others that never saw this as a possibility.”

Last season, the 6-foot-7 small forward averaged 27.1 points for Yeshiva University, which competes in NCAA Division III sports.

Turell led the NCAA in scoring across all three divisions.

IDF intercepts shipment of narcotics and firearms from Lebanon

(JNS) — The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday night intercepted a shipment of narcotics and firearms being smuggled from Lebanon into Israel.

Soldiers apprehended a suspect near the Hasbani River, and seized 30 kilograms of narcotics, with an estimated street value of around 800,000 shekels ($225,400), as well as two handguns, the IDF said in a statement.

The suspect, narcotics and weapons were transferred to the Israel Police for further processing, according to the military.

In July, the IDF and Israel Police thwarted an attempt to smuggle 43 firearms, worth millions of shekels, from Lebanon into Israel. The weapons were confiscated near the village of Ghajar on July 9, according to Israeli security forces.

In its statement at the time, the IDF said it was “examining the possibility” that the Hezbollah terror organization was behind the attempt.

The IDF has in the past named senior Hezbollah operative Haj Khalil Harb as running cross-border smuggling operations. Harb is notorious for trafficking narcotics and weapons along the Blue Line separating Israel and Lebanon.

According to the Alma Center, such activities represent the expanded activities of a Hezbollah unit known as 133, which is dedicated to orchestrating terror attacks inside Israel and Judea and Samaria, commonly known as the West Bank.

“The arms can be used for terrorist activities. The drugs are substitute payments. The criminals sell the drugs and take the money. In exchange, they act as bridging elements,” IDF Maj. (res.) Tal Beeri, director of the research department at the Alma research center, told JNS in July. “This is the mechanism.”

Germany may deploy Israeli-made drones to defend against Russia

(JNS) — Germany may soon deploy Israeli-manufactured drones to boost the country’s defense of critical energy infrastructure against potential Russian strikes, as well as to monitor Moscow’s naval fleet, Globes reported on Sunday.

Berlin in 2016 forged a long-term agreement with Jerusalem to lease five Israel Aerospace Industries-produced Heron-TP UAVs at a cost of nearly $1 billion, according to the report. It added that dozens of German Air Force pilots have over the past two years trained to fly the UAVs at the Israeli Air Force base in Tel Nof.

After Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the German parliament reportedly authorized the arming of the drones with Israeli-made missiles.

According to Globes, Germany has become increasingly concerned that Moscow could target European civilian infrastructure, especially after unexplained explosions last month hit the Nord Stream gas pipeline.

The German government and military are reportedly laying the groundwork to begin using the drones within German territory, although certain legal obstacles remain.

Israel behind Damascus blasts

(JNS) — Syrian state media on Monday attributed several explosions in Damascus to the Israeli Air Force, though according to the Syrian Arab News Agency the cause of the  blasts was still being investigated.

It was the second alleged Israeli strike on the Syrian capital in the past few days, after Syria’s Defense Ministry reported on Friday that air defenses had intercepted Israeli missiles over the city and its suburbs.

In September, an airstrike in the Damascus region attributed to the IAF reportedly killed five Syrian soldiers, while in June, reports said that IAF strikes took Damascus International Airport out of commission for almost two weeks.

Syria’s northern Aleppo airport was also targeted, in both August and September.

Kim Kardashian condemns Jew-hatred following Kanye West’s antisemitic remarks

(JNS) — Kim Kardashian said she stands with the Jewish community, in a tweet that appears to be a response to numerous recent antisemitic remarks made by her ex-husband Kanye West.

“Hate speech is never OK or excusable,” the reality star tweeted to her 73 million followers. “I stand together with the Jewish community and call on the terrible violence and hateful retoric towards them to come to an immediate end.”

West—who now goes by “Ye”— made several comments in recent weeks including telling NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo last week that the “Jewish underground media mafia” is targeting him, he doesn’t believe in the term “antisemitic” and that today’s music industry is akin to “modern-day slavery.”

The International Legal Forum sent a letter to sporting goods and apparel giant Adidas labeling West an antisemite and urging the company to drop him as a business partner.

“Earlier this month, Kanye threatened to go ‘Death Con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE,’” the letter reads, continuing, “He has since gone on an unhinged antisemitic tirade, including blaming ‘Jewish media’ for various grievances, saying ‘Jewish people have owned the black voice’ and that ‘the Jewish community, especially in the music industry, they’ll take us and milk us till we die.’

Labor Party leader: Judea and Samaria will not belong to Israel

(JNS) — Israeli Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli said on Saturday that the West Bank, known in Israel as Judea and Samaria, would ultimately not belong to the Jewish state.

“It’s a shame to invest in a place that, at the end of the day, won’t be part of Israel,” said Michaeli during an exchange with an audience member on Channel 12.

She made the comment in response to a question asking why she had frozen transportation projects in Judea and Samaria.

Michaeli noted that while she had not cut existing transportation projects in Judea and Samaria, her ministry had not advanced any new ones.

Shlomo Ne’eman, leader of the Yesha Council, an umbrella group that advocated on behalf of Israelis living in Judea and Samaria, told i24News: “On November 1, a government will be elected that believes in our right to this land and nothing less than the fact that, unlike you [Michaeli], it will take care of the citizens of Israel in every corner of the country.”

Herzog in US ahead of meeting with Biden at White House

(JNS) — Israeli President Isaac Herzog touched down in the United States on Tuesday for a two-day official visit at the invitation of President Joe Biden.

Herzog is slated to meet with Biden on Wednesday at the White House. During the trip, the Israeli president is also scheduled to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, among others.

“The United States is Israel’s greatest ally, and our strategic partnership is both enduring and unshakable,” Herzog said ahead of his trip. “In my scheduled meetings with President Biden and senior administration officials and congressional leaders, I intend to discuss important developments in our region, from the Abraham Accords to the gas deal with Lebanon, and of course our desire and hope to have more nations join the circle of regional peace.

“Of course, most importantly, the Iranian threat, which is destabilizing not only the Middle East but the entire world, requiring a firm and united stand against it,” said Herzog.

“This visit comes during elections, both in Israel and the United States, and it is an opportunity to reaffirm that the powerful friendship and partnership between our nations is above all disagreements, and above any political or party divisions.”

Finally, Herzog emphasized: “I will, of course, meet the leadership of the Jewish communities in the United States, the leaders of American Jewry, which is the largest Jewish Diaspora in the world—as part of our efforts to strengthen and reinforce the bridges between Israel and world Jewry.”

Zelensky rips Israel, says Moscow will support Iran’s nuclear development

(JNS) — Russia will support Iran and its nuclear program in exchange for Tehran sending drones and missiles to aid its conflict in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said as he blasted Israel on Monday.

“How does Russia pay Iran for this, in your opinion? Is Iran just interested in money? Probably not money at all, but Russian assistance to the Iranian nuclear program. Probably, this is exactly the meaning of their alliance,” Zelenskyy said in a speech via video at a Haaretz conference.

“This is the decision of your governments…not to annoy the Kremlin, which was adopted a long time ago,” Zelenskyy said.

“If we had immediately secured our skies when faced with a missile and drone threat, Russia would not even have a motive now to go to Iran and offer it something in exchange for assistance in terror,” the Ukrainian president said.

Gantz offers early warning system but no weapons to Ukrainian counterpart

(JNS) — Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksii Reznikov, on Monday and offered to provide the war-torn country with an alert system for early warning of Russian missile and drone attacks.

At the start of the call, “Minister Reznikov briefed Minister Gantz on the developments of the war in Ukraine. Minister Gantz expressed his condolences regarding the tragic loss of life and concern regarding the humanitarian crisis as a result of the war,” according to a statement from Gantz’s office.

Gantz reiterated that Israel stands with the Ukrainian people and the West, and his commitment to supporting Kyiv via the delivery of humanitarian aid and life-saving defense equipment. “The ministers agreed to conduct professional dialogue in order to assist Ukraine in the development of a civilian early warning system,” the statement continued.

However, Gantz also stressed “the operational limitations faced by the State of Israel. As a result, Israel will not provide weapon systems to Ukraine.”

The two men concluded the call by agreeing to continue communicating in the coming weeks regarding additional topics on the agenda.

On Oct. 20, a phone call set to take place between Gantz and Reznikov was canceled at the request of Kyiv, Gantz’s office said.

The incident came after Gantz told European Union ambassadors that while Jerusalem stands with Kyiv, it will not supply it with arms.

Israeli researchers use geomagnetic data to support biblical accounts

Magnetic field reconstruction matched battle sites to Egyptian, Aramean,

(JNS) — An Israeli scientific breakthrough has enabled researchers to verify biblical accounts of wars between ancient Jewish kingdoms and their enemies, according to a statement released by Tel Aviv University.

The scientists examined archaeological findings containing magnetic minerals which, when heated or burned, record the local magnetic field. These magnetic records can thus be used to date the fires, matching them to reported military campaigns, in a manner reminiscent of radiocarbon dating.

Using such records, a joint study by TAU and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, employing some 20 researchers from a variety of countries and disciplines, was able to accurately date destruction layers at 17 archeological sites throughout Israel, according to the statement.

The researchers were able to reconstruct the direction and intensify of the Earth’s magnetic field in burnt remnants at various battle sites, enabling them to match the dates of the fires to biblical accounts of battles between Israel and Judah, the two ancient Hebrew kingdoms that formed after the division of the united Israelite monarchy, and armies from ancient Egypt, Aram, Assyria and Babylon.

“Findings indicate, for example, that the army of Hazael, King of Aram-Damascus, was responsible for the destruction of several cities—Tel Rehov, Tel Zayit, and Horvat Tevet,” according to the statement. Hazael’s campaign also resulted in the destruction of the Philistine city of Gath, an event recorded in the Bible.

“At the same time, the study refutes the prevailing theory that Hazael was the conqueror who destroyed Tel Beth-Shean. Other geomagnetic findings reveal that the cities in the Negev were destroyed by the Edomites, who took advantage of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Kingdom of Judah by the Babylonians,” the researchers said.

Israeli song-and-dance program will return to US for first time since pandemic to mark 50th anniversary

(JNS) — For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, the Tzofim Friendship Caravan, a song-and-dance performance program from Israel, is returning to the U.S. next summer as part of its 50th anniversary celebration.

The traveling theatrical show features songs in Hebrew, English and Yiddish, with the Tzofim Scouts performing in uniforms, Middle Eastern garb, festive blue-and-white outfits and in attire characteristic of shtetl life. Each performance runs about 45 minutes.

The 10 performers must be fluent in English and are chosen after several rounds of competitive auditions and interviews. They spend a year training and rehearsing.

“The first Caravan came to the United States in 1973 with a goal of bringing a message of hope and peace for Israel,” said Eran Tzivon, the caravan’s director, noting the program is “a unique way to have the American community experience a taste of Israel.”

“We offer up to three shows in two locations in one day. There are plenty of ways to have interactive shows, whether it be with a school, a camp, a synagogue or anywhere else,” he said. “And the best part is that no two shows are the same.”

The Tzofim Friendship Caravan is being supported by Friends of Israel Scouts and the Jewish National Fund.

8 years in jail for selling gun to Texas synagogue shooter

(JNS) — A man sentenced on Monday to nearly eight years in prison for a federal firearms violation gave a weapon to a man who used it to hold hostages inside a Texas synagogue before being fatally shot by the FBI.

Henry “Michael” Dwight Williams, 33, was charged via criminal complaint in January and indicted the following month.

He pled guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm in June and was sentenced to 95 months in federal prison by Chief Judge David Godbey of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

On Jan. 15, Malik Akram, a 44-year-old British Pakistani armed with a pistol, took four people hostage inside Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, during a Shabbat service. Akram demanded the release of Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani and alleged al-Qaeda operative imprisoned in nearby Fort Worth for attempted murder and other crimes. Akram released one hostage after six hours, and the remaining three hostages escaped 11 hours into the standoff. FBI officers then entered the synagogue and killed Akram.

The FBI linked Williams to Akram through a review of Akram’s cellphone data, which showed the duo exchanged a series of calls from Jan. 11 to Jan. 13.

Services at Congregation Beth Israel, a Reform synagogue in Colleyville, a suburb in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, reopened nearly three months after the assault.

Nikki Haley: Antisemitism must be flagged at every instance

(JNS) — Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told the Canadian Friends of Jerusalem College of Technology 50th-anniversary gala dinner on Sunday night that racism must be condemned wherever it occurs.

“We have to call out antisemitism every time we see it,” said the Israel advocate and former South Carolina governor.

“It’s not okay. It will never be okay. We have to speak up every time we see it. We have to humiliate those that do it every time they do it. And we have to remind leaders to speak up,” she said.

Her remarks to the 500 guests at the celebratory dinner organized by CFJCT come at a time when antisemitism is a major topic of discussion in the United States.