Weekly roundup of world briefs

German luxury hotel flies Israeli flag, sees 136% bump in bookings

(JNS) — A luxury resort in the Bavarian Alps which has been flying an Israeli flag since Oct. 8, 2023, has seen a 136 percent rise in Israeli bookings over the past year, according to Hebrew media reports.

Schloss Elmau, located in Krün near the Austrian border, reported 438 overnight stays by Israeli guests in the first 10 months of 2024, compared to 185 during the same period the previous year. Owner Dietmar Müller-Elmau has pledged to keep the flag flying until all the hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas are freed.

The hotel, recognized this week as the best in Germany at the “101 Best Hotels in Germany” awards, features some 160 rooms and suites, nine pools, saunas, yoga classes and fitness centers. It is a popular destination for combining relaxation, culture and nature, while offering world-class hospitality.

Schloss Elmau’s rich history includes hosting G7 summits in 2015 and 2022 and serving as a Nazi military vacation camp during World War II. From 1947 to 1951, it operated as a sanatorium for Holocaust survivors and displaced persons. The castle, originally built by philosopher Johannes Müller between 1914 and 1916, was destroyed by fire in 2005 and restored by Müller’s grandson, Dietmar Müller-Elmau.

In addition to flying the Israeli flag, Müller-Elmau has expressed heartfelt support for Israel. On the resort’s website, he has condemned the Hamas-led Oct.7, 2023, massacre, offered prayers for hostages and voiced hope for peace, writing:

“My heart and thoughts are with Israel. I share the pain and sorrow of all who lost loved ones in the genocidal massacre carried out by Hamas on October 7, 2023 … I am confident that Israel will re-establish deterrence and emerge from this horror more united and secure than ever before.”

Israel invests $40 million in cutting-edge drone technology

(JNS) — The Israeli Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday that it had purchased $40 million-worth of advanced drones and autonomous systems from Haifa-based Elbit Systems Ltd.

Jointly developed by the Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Defense Research & Development, the Israel Defense Forces ground forces and Elbit, the new systems feature advanced capabilities and are engineered to support a range of missions, from precise intelligence gathering to targeted strikes.

“These acquisitions ensure that troops can optimally execute their battlefield missions. The DDR&D will continue maintaining Israel’s technological battlefield superiority and supporting the current war efforts,” said Brig. Gen. Yehuda Almakias, head of the DDR&D’s research and development department.

“Contracts such as these demonstrate the increasing confidence in Elbit’s innovative Robotics and Autonomous Systems technology in general, and especially our unique drone capabilities,” said Haim Delmar, executive vice president and general manager for C4i and Cyber at Elbit Systems.

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“We are dedicated to delivering reliable and efficient systems with advanced capabilities for enhanced battlefield dominance and operational control. Through continuous innovation and operational excellence, we consistently develop and provide sophisticated solutions that address our customers’ evolving operational requirements,” Delmar said.

Israel raises threat level for Armenia, Maldives, lowers it for Brazil

(JNS) — Israel’s National Security Council lowered its travel warning for Brazil on Thursday, while raising its alert levels for Armenia and the Maldives.

The travel warning level in the South Caucasus country was increased to Level 2 (occasional threat) “due to an increased risk to Israelis/Jews in Armenia from terrorist elements.” The National Security Council stressed that it was not a call to leave the country, but to exercise caution.

For the Maldives, an archipelagic state in South Asia in the Indian Ocean, the travel warning was escalated from Level 2 to Level 3 (medium threat) “due to the presence of terror supporters in the islands and growing hostility toward Israelis and Jews.” The recommendation is to avoid nonessential travel to the country.

For Brazil, the alert level was lowered from Level 2 to Level 1 (no warning), except for the tri-border area between Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay.

Jaffa Port gets Israel’s first wave energy plant

By JNS Staff

(JNS) — Israel’s first wave energy power plant is being inaugurated on Thursday at Jaffa Port, in a push for renewable energy.

The city-sponsored pilot project will generate electricity from sea waves, reinforcing Tel Aviv’s status as a global innovation leader.

For the first time, electricity generated from sea waves will power Israel’s national grid—a historic milestone in the country’s march toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions and advancing sustainable energy, the city said.

The power plant has been recognized for its use of pioneering technology that connects “floaters” which rise and fall with the waves to existing marine structures such as breakwaters and piers, powering a motor and generator onshore.

Trump names Jewish tech entrepreneur to head NASA

(JNS) — President-elect Donald Trump announced Dec. 4 his nomination of Jewish entrepreneur Jared Isaacman as administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 

Isaacman is the founder and chief executive of Shift4, a payment processing company, and co-founder and chief executive of Draken International, a private fighter jet company and contractor for the Defense Department. 

“Jared will drive NASA’s mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for groundbreaking achievements in Space science, technology, and exploration,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social media platform.

Isaacman flew as commander on SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s private spaceflight in 2021, which he helped fund. It was the first of three private spaceflights he purchased from Musk.

“Jared’s passion for Space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe and advancing the new Space economy make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era,” Trump wrote.

Long Island shul hosts memorial service for Oct. 7 terror victim Omer Neutra

(JNS) — Family and friends of Omer Neutra, the 22-year-old member of the Israel Defense Forces whose death was confirmed this week, commemorated him in a memorial service on Tuesday at the Midway Jewish Center in Syosset, N.Y.

His mother-turned-activist, Orna Neutra, said after 14 months of believing that her son could still be alive as a hostage in Gaza: “Now things are clear, but not as we hoped.”

She called her son’s absence “a big hole in my stomach,” adding “our beautiful Omer, so much love and goodness and chesed were committed in your name.”

Omer’s brother, Daniel, said “you were my best friend, you made me who I am, thank you for everything. Laila tov.” In Hebrew, that means “good night.”

Rabbi Elizabeth Zeller of Temple Chaverim said “we believed one thing and came to find out it’s another, and that’s so much of the difficulty that we’re having to process.”

“To know that this whole time we were hoping and praying only to have that really shattered,” she added.

New York’s Gov. Kathy Hochul attended the service and spoke privately with the family. Both U.S. President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump sent their condolences as well.

House hearing discusses radical indoctrination of young students

(JNS) — The House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing Dec. 4 to discuss the increasing trend of teachers focused on indoctrinating their students with radical ideas. 

The hearing, titled “Back to Basics: America’s Founding, Civics, and Self-Government in K-12 Curricula,” was lead by Rep. Aaron Bean (R-Fla.), chairman of the subcommittee.

“Instead of focusing on the basics of history and the founding of America, teachers and administrators have taken it upon themselves to indoctrinate the youngest students with terms like ‘slavocracy,’ radical ideology about sexuality and discriminatory lessons about Israelis as ‘colonial settlers,’” Bean said.

In his opening remarks, he added that educators leaning on Critical Race Theory are “substituting the traditional narrative of this great but flawed nation with a political story built on racial resentment and collective guilt.”

Critical Race Theory’s “framework is distorted and applied to sow division and foster animosity against the Jewish people,” Bean said. “We have numerous examples that fails to give the full context of Jewish history or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

Special envoy Lipstadt traveling to Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, UAE 

(JNS) — Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, left the United States on Tuesday for a week of meetings in the Middle East.

She is scheduled to speak with government officials and others in Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates through Dec. 13. Topics include promoting interfaith understanding, encouraging religious tolerance, countering antisemitism and highlighting Jewish regional heritage.

This is Lipstadt’s fourth trip to the Middle East and North Africa since her term began in May 2022. She previously visited Israel in December 2023. Also on her agenda is the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ annual Manama Dialogue in Bahrain that runs from Dec. 7-8.

Launched in 2004, Bahrain hosts the Manama Dialogue on an annual basis. The meeting describes itself as “a central element of the Middle East’s security architecture” and seeks to enable “national leaders, ministers and policymakers from the Middle East, North America, Europe, Africa and Asia to gather together to discuss the most pressing regional security issues and to share policy responses.”

UK Chanukah initiative to ‘shine light’ on hostages in Gaza

(JNS) — The Board of Deputies of British Jews announced Dec. 2 its “Be Their Light” initiative, which encourages Jews in the United Kingdom to light a candle each night of Chanukah for every hostage with a British connection still being held by Hamas.

“It is unbearable to contemplate that these hostages, captured in such traumatic circumstances, are still held in Gaza,” Board of Deputies President Phil Rosenberg said. “At this time of darkness, we must all shine some light on their plight and pray for their release.”

The initiative urges individuals, families, communities, schools, synagogues and youth movements to participate and share pictures of their chanukiot using the hashtags #BeTheirLightUK and #BringThemHomeNow.

Several Jewish institutions have been provided with printed cards of the nine hostages with British connections to place by their Chanukah displays. The information cards are also available for download on the campaign’s website.

“Chanukah is a time for families and communities to come together to celebrate the miracle of light and the importance of hope. A key element of the festival is ‘to publicize the miracle,’” the campaign’s website states. “We also need to publicize the plight of those who remain in captivity.”

“Be Their Light” co-sponsors include the Yellow Ribbon Campaign, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum UK and the British Hostage Families.

Macron announces French-Saudi conference for Palestinian state

(JNS) — French President Emmanuel Macron announced and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will host a conference in June on the establishment of a Palestinian state, Macron announced on Tuesday.

“In the coming months, together we will multiply and combine our diplomatic initiatives to bring everyone along this path,” he said, in comments made during a visit to Saudi Arabia.

Asked whether France would recognize a Palestinian state, the French president said he would do so “at the right moment” and at a time “when it triggers reciprocal movements of recognition.

“We want to involve several other partners and allies, both European and non-European, who are ready to move in this direction but who are waiting for France” he added.

Ireland, Spain and Norway recognized a “State of Palestine” in May, though no such country exists.

Macron also spoke of an additional, simultaneous goal to “trigger a movement of recognition in favor of Israel,” which could “provide answers in terms of security for Israel and convince people that the two-state solution is a solution that is relevant for Israel.”

Saudi Arabia and Israel appeared close to a normalization agreement following the Abraham Accords. However, the process was derailed by the Hamas attack of Oct. 7, 2023. 

In November, Saudi Arabia reiterated its position that the kingdom will not formalize relations with Israel without a pathway to a Palestinian state. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud then accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly come out forcefully against the prospect of unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state. 

A survey conducted by the Jerusalem Center for Foreign Affairs found that 64% of the Israeli public oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state, even as part of the normalization process with Saudi Arabia.

Chicago Jewish groups react to suicide of man who shot Jewish worshipper

By David Swindle

(JNS) — The suicide of Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi, 22, on Saturday, while he was being held on multiple charges related to the shooting of a 39-year-old Orthodox Jewish man walking to synagogue on Shabbat, has opened more questions than answers for Jewish organizations in Chicago. He was found by the Cook County Sheriff’s Office staff “unresponsive due to an apparent suicide attempt by hanging in his cell.”

“I think most people don’t understand how the system works and instinctively think good riddance, a savage terrorist deserved to die, taxpayers save money and the threat self-neutralized,” Rabbi Shlomo Soroka, director of government affairs at Agudath Israel of Illinois, told JNS. “They’re not wrong, but there’s the big picture here.”

He added that “we will probably never find out if terrorism was a politically motivated, gratuitous charge or if the State’s Attorney was collaborating with the mayor’s office.”

Abdallahi faced 16 felony counts, including hate crime and terrorism.

Daniel Goldwin, chief public affairs officer for the Jewish Federation of Chicago, told JNS that “even though Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi is dead, we assume the investigation behind his crimes, including one count of terrorism, will not end.”

He said that “while we won’t have the immediate transparency of a criminal trial, we know that our law enforcement agencies, like their Israeli counterparts, will continue to look into important facets of the case, such as whether he had accomplices and whether he was radicalized and inspired to attack the Jewish community after he entered the United States.”

IAF launches first haredi aircraft maintenance facility

(JNS) — The Israel Defense Forces has established its first ultra-Orthodox underground aircraft maintenance facility, for the “Scorpion” Squadron located at the Ramat David Airbase in the Jezreel Valley.

A graduation ceremony was held for 26 Haredi soldiers who completed a Level A Technician Course for F-16 maintenance on Tuesday at the technical base in Haifa, the IDF announced on Wednesday.

This initiative, supported by the IDF Manpower Directorate and the Tzurim organization, includes accommodations to maintain a religious lifestyle, such as separate housing, strict kosher standards and a synagogue. According to the military, it marks a significant step in integrating haredi men into the military while respecting their religious needs.

JNS reported last month that the IDF plans to form the first company of the Hasmonean Brigade, to be made up of ultra-Orthodox soldiers, by Chanukah, which this year starts on Dec. 25.

The IDF wants to capitalize on the symbolism. The Hasmonean Dynasty began after the Jews threw off the yoke of Hellenistic rule in the Maccabean Revolt (167 to 141 BCE) against the Seleucid Empire, liberation that the holiday commemorates.

Thirty young men passed the first screenings and dozens of others have expressed interest in serving in the brigade.

The army is also looking to make haredi soldiers currently serving in noncombat roles into combat soldiers for the brigade.