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Articles by Rigoberto Vinas
Juban Sefardic Tisha B’Av Memories - Rigoberto Vinas
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A Cuban rabbi's bittersweet 'welcome home'
Every Shabbat for more than five years my congregation at the Lincoln Park Jewish Center of Yonkers has joined me in prayer for the release of Alan Gross. We are pleased to be able to wish him a Happy Chanukah on American soil after he languished in the hellish prisons of communist Cuba. For our congregation it was personal. Many of us, myself included, are Cuban Jews (“JuBans”) who understand the Cuban situation not only on an intellectual level, but also on a deeply personal one.
IS said to execute 100 foreign fighters who wanted to quit
The Islamic State extremist group has executed 100 of its own foreign fighters who tried to flee their headquarters in the Syrian city of Raqqa, the Financial Times newspaper said Saturday. An activist opposed to both IS and the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who is well-known to the British business broadsheet, said he had “verified 100 executions” of foreign IS fighters trying to leave the jihadist group’s de facto capital.
Hamas threatens retaliation following Israeli airstrikes
Hamas threatened to hit back at Israel on Saturday after Israeli Air Force jets struck several targets belonging to the terror group in the southern Gaza Strip overnight for the first time since this summer’s war. The air raid came in response to a rocket fired on Friday that landed in open terrain in the Eshkol region. “The resistance [as Hamas calls itself] has the right to respond to Israeli aggression at the time and place of its choosing,” a senior Hamas member said Saturday.
Egypt to reopen Gaza crossing Sunday
Egypt is to reopen the Rafah border crossing with Gaza Sunday for the second time in two months to allow those stranded in Egypt to enter the Palestinian territory, officials said. The Rafah crossing is the only access point to the Gaza Strip not controlled by Israel. It was shut by Egypt in late October following a deadly bombing in the Sinai Peninsula, reopening briefly at the end of November to allow Palestinians stuck in Egypt to return home.
Livni takes credit for 'guarding Israeli interests' at Security Council
Hatnua leader Tzipi Livni, who is set to run on a joint ticket with Isaac Herzog’s Labor party in the March elections, said she was proud to have guarded Israeli interests at the UN in convincing the US to stall a vote at the Security Council on the recognition of Palestinian statehood. A joint statement released by Labor and Hatnua Saturday stated that” Livni [consistently] opposed any attempt by the Palestinians to impose a new reality on Israel by taking unilateral steps.
Killing top IS leaders not enough to cripple group, say experts
The Pentagon has hailed the deaths of several top leaders of the Islamic State group, but experts say this is far from enough to cripple what has proven to be a resilient organisation. US officials say air strikes have killed several senior and mid-level jihadists including Abu Muslim al-Turkmani, the right hand man of IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, dealing a serious blow to the group’s operations.
Kerry: Vote on Palestinian UN bid would strengthen Israeli hardliners
US Secretary of State John Kerry told European Union diplomats that a UN vote in favor of the Palestinian resolution asking for recognition and an Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines would, at this stage, only strengthen Israel’s hardline politicians, like Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett. Kerry said the US would not allow the resolution to come to a vote before the Israeli elections, set for March 17, according to a report in Foreign Policy.
Israeli mission slams UN request Israel pay Lebanon for oil spill
The Israeli mission to the UN criticized the General Assembly’s approval of a resolution late Friday night asking Israel to pay Lebanon over $850 million in damages for an oil spill caused by an Israeli air force attack on oil storage tanks during its war with Hezbollah in July 2006.
French far-right mayor’s city hall menorah sparks controversy
A French mayor with ties to the far-right National Front party lit a menorah in city hall despite protests that doing so violated the separation of church and state. Robert Menard of Beziers, who was elected mayor earlier this year, lit the menorah Tuesday, the first night of Hanukkah, at the seat of his municipality, the Actualite Juive newspaper reported Thursday.
Obama passes Israel strategic partnership bill
President Barack Obama on Friday signed a bill deepening US-Israeli cooperation and said the legislation reinforces “critical defense and security programs.” Obama said the legislation also lays the groundwork for increased trade and cooperation between the US and Israel. However, Obama says his administration will interpret certain sections in a manner that does not interfere with his constitutional authority to conduct diplomacy.
US asks Israel to pay Lebanon $850 millions for olive skill
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly has overwhelmingly approved a resolution asking Israel to pay Lebanon over $850 million in damages for an oil spill caused by an Israeli air force attack on oil storage tanks during its war with Hezbollah in July 2006. The assembly voted 170-6 in favor of the nonbinding resolution, with three abstentions.
Jewish theater director fired after Israel plays
Ari Roth, the longtime director at Theater J, is leaving the theater after a period of tension over plays dealing with Israel’s history. The Washington Post and the Washington Jewish Week each reported late Thursday that Roth is saying the Washington DC Jewish Community Center, which oversees the theater, fired him after he refused to leave under terms that would have made it appear he left amicably and the decision was mutual.
Tampa-area agency head dead in murder-suicide
A Jewish agency head who had been deeply involved with caring for migrant children was found dead with her longtime partner in what police are calling an apparent murder-suicide. Rochelle Tatrai, the president and CEO of Gulf Coast Jewish Family and Community Services, and partner Sean Ray were both found dead of gunshot wounds on Thursday at Tatrai’s Largo, Fl., townhouse, according to a report by the Tampa Bay Times.
Israeli aircraft strike Gaza targets after rocket attack
The Israel Air Force on Friday night struck Hamas targets in the southern Gaza Strip for the first time since last summer’s war. According to Ynet, the air force struck a Hamas training ground near Khan Yunis. There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. Gaza residents reported low-flying Israeli aircraft over the Palestinian enclave and multiple airstrikes. Unconfirmed reports indicated Israeli warships may also have shelled the Gaza Strip.
Barcelona soccer team 'set to cut ties with terror-financing Qatar'
Spanish soccer team FC Barcelona has reportedly decided not to renew its sponsorship deal with a Qatari group linked to the country’s royal family because of Qatar’s alleged involvement in funding Islamic extremist terrorist groups.
DC think tank hires ex-Palestinian negotiator
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy named a former Palestinian negotiator to its think tank team. Ghaith al-Omari, who until recently directed the American Task Force on Palestine, is joining the think tank as a senior fellow, a Washington Institute statement said. Al-Omari worked with the Palestinian team during the 1999-2001 talks with Israel.
Tunisian Jewish leaders endorse secularist’s presidential bid
In advance of the second round of Tunisia’s presidential elections, the head of the country’s Jewish community endorsed the campaign of secularist hopeful Beji Caid Essebsi. Joseph Roger Bismuth, president of the Jewish Community of Tunisia, or CJT, gave Essebsi his support in an interview published Thursday by the news site AfricanManager.com ahead of the December 21 vote.
IAEA: Iran honoring nuclear deal with P5+1
Iran is honoring the interim nuclear agreement reached last year with the P5+1 world powers, according to a confidential International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report. The document, obtained by Reuters Friday, showed that Tehran was not enriching uranium above a five percent concentration, and that it has not made “any further advances” at two enrichment facilities and a heavy water reactor which was under construction.
Abbas backs Egypt crackdown on Gaza tunnels
CAIRO, Egypt — Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas said he supported Egypt’s crackdown on tunnels linking the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip to the Sinai Peninsula and any other action the country took to protect itself from militants, according to a media report Thursday.
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