Новости за 21.11.2018

There as many as 230,000 Sunni Islamic militants operating across almost 70 countries today, almost quadrupling the number that was active on Sept. 11, 2001, according to a new study by Washington D.C. based Center for Strategic and International Studies. The study’s findings were summarized in an article in Wednesday’s New York Times:

When you end up on Oprah’s Favorite Things, you know you made it big. When someone makes you an inspiration for a new beer flavor, you know you’ve reached cult status. Both of these things recently happened to the babka, the beloved yeasted pastry synonymous with Ashkenazi Jews. This November alone, the babka-centric New York Brunch Kit from Russ and Daughters made it into Oprah’s Amazon gift guide, while Grimm Artisanal Ales, a New York City brewery, launched a new chocolate babka-flavored stout. Читать дальше...

Last Thursday, as New York was struggling with the obstacles presented by 5 mighty inches of snow, El Al Flight 002 to Tel Aviv, scheduled to depart at 6:30 p.m., was delayed. It finally took off at 11:45 p.m., which, ordinarily, is hardly the stuff of front page news. Except that shortly after its landing, the flight became not only the subject of explosive nationwide controversy but also a perfect metaphor for so much that is wrong—and so much that is right—with Israeli society.

“Joining us for Turkey Day in Florida?” my father emailed a year ago. “The trip’s on me.”

Today’s episode comes out a day early, so you can gobble it up before Thanksgiving.

This is a story of the American dream. You can’t say that anymore—because no one is sure what it means, because there is no America, and, even if there were, there is no dream. And yet, here you have it—the dream as it had once been dreamed by millions of Jews around the world, the fantasy, but also its flip side, captured in the life of a single family.

Israel’s most interesting diplomat just got a historic promotion. The 34-year-old George Deek will soon become the first Arab Christian ambassador in Israeli history. Deek, who is a former Fulbright fellow and an expert in international law, isn’t getting one of the easier postings either: He’ll be Israel’s lead representative in Azerbaijan, a Muslim-majority country that borders Iran and has been at war with its neighbor Armenia for over 25 years.