In The News

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Cyberattacks Target Israeli Labs Working on Coronavirus Vaccine

As a cyberattack shut down hundreds of Israeli websites last week, research centers working on a vaccine for the novel coronavirus were also targeted by a cyberattack, Channel 12 reported.

The attacks attempted and failed to damage the vaccine development process, but did not attempt to steal information.

Cyberattacks have been reported on other…

Fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls Long Thought to be Blank Contain Text That’s Invisible to the Naked Eye

For decades, fragments from the ancient Dead Sea Scrolls were stowed away at the University of Manchester, deemed largely worthless.

Yes, they were still significant as authentic fragments of the coveted scrolls have been hard to come by, but they were blank, and therefore, just scraps of paper.

Until now.

Researchers have found that four of…

In First, Direct Commercial Flight from UAE Lands in Tel Aviv

United Arab Emirates-based Etihad Airways made history on Tuesday, flying a plane loaded with virus aid for Palestinians on a direct flight from Abu Dhabi to Tel Aviv, marking the first known direct commercial flight between Israel and the UAE.

The Etihad cargo jet, painted in all white and missing any marking, landed at Ben-Gurion Airport just…

Stabbing Attack at West Bank Checkpoint Thwarted: Police

An attempted stabbing attack at the Qalandiya security checkpoint near Jerusalem was foiled on Tuesday, the Israel Police spokesman said in a statement.
Police units at the scene dealt with the attack as the terrorist was neutralized, the police said.
Local Hebrew media reported that the suspect was shot by security forces at the scene and no…

Tributes Pour in for Legendary Jewish Actor and Comedian Jerry Stiller: ‘His Comedy Will Live Forever’

A number of Hollywood stars have paid tribute on social media to Jerry Stiller, best known for his roles on the sitcoms “Seinfeld” and “The King of Queens,” after the legendary Jewish actor and comedian died on Monday of natural causes at the age of 92.

Jerry Seinfeld tweeted, “Jerry Stiller’s comedy will live forever,” and shared a photo of…

Cybercriminals Imitating World Health Organization to Steal Information, Say Israeli Experts

Cybercriminals are increasingly impersonating the World Health Organization (WHO) and popular video conferencing platforms to steal sensitive information from users, experts at Israeli cybersecurity giant Check Point have warned.

In mid-April, Google said it had identified 18 million coronavirus-related malware and phishing emails being sent to…

IDF Soldier Killed by Rock Thrown at His Head During West Bank Arrest Raid

An Israeli soldier was killed in the northern West Bank in the predawn hours of Tuesday morning, after being struck in the head by a large rock during an arrest raid, the Israel Defense Forces said.

The soldier, Sgt. First Class Amit Ben-Ygal, was a member of the Golani Reconnaissance Battalion, which was carrying out a series of four arrests…

Coronavirus: No New deaths, Recovered Patients Double Active Cases

No new coronavirus-related death was registered in Israel in the past 24 hours and the number of recovered patients (10,737) has doubled the figure of active cases (5,370), the Health Ministry announced on Thursday morning.

The number of hospitalized patients currently stands at 245, 83 of whom are in serious condition, including 69 intubated. A…

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Israel Pledges $60 Million to Global Coronavirus Fight

In a conference call with global leaders on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged $60 million to the fight against the coronavirus.

“Israel, like all countries, has been greatly affected by ,” Netanyahu said. “Fortunately, our casualties thus far have been relatively low. This has been the result of early action to contain the…

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Israeli Professor Accepted to Prestigious US Academy of Arts and Sciences

Wendy Sandler, a distinguished professor of linguistics at the University of Haifa and Founding Director of the norther Israeli institution’s Sign Language Research Lab was inducted into the prestigious American of Arts and Sciences this week.

Members of the academy are selected as people recognized for discovering advanced knowledge, and those…

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Sharansky Donates $1 Million Genesis Prize to Alleviate COVID-19 Suffering

The Genesis Prize Foundation (GPF) today announced the names of the 15 recipients of this year’s Genesis Prize grants.  The majority of the funding for the grants came from the $1 million Genesis Prize, which was awarded to human rights activist Natan Sharansky this past December. Sharansky chose to direct these funds to organizations fighting the…

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16-Year-Old Israeli Girl Wins World Bible Quiz in Jerusalem

A 16-year-old girl from Israel won the World Bible Quiz for Jewish Youth on Wednesday.

The Quiz is held in Jerusalem each year for young people aged 14-18 from around the world. It is broadcast live on Israeli television every Independence Day. Sixteen contestants from seven different countries participated in the 2020 Quiz.

The winner was Ruth…

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Trump Marks Jewish US Heritage Month, Vows to Combat Antisemitic Bigotry

US President Donald Trump marked the start of Jewish American Heritage Month with a proclamation this week in which he vowed to “vigorously confront antisemitic discrimination and violence against members.”

America’s Ambassador to Israel David Friedman tweeted that message on Friday, with his own statement.

“Today begins Jewish American Heritage…

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Jewish Family in Texas Turns Hundreds of Kippahs Into Face Masks for Local Homeless Community

A Jewish family in Houston, Texas, is collecting kippahs, also known as yarmulkes, and converting them into face masks to help protect the homeless population in their hometown.

Teen brothers Matthew and Jeremy Jason volunteer every Friday in downtown Houston with the organization Food Not Bombs, a non-profit that feeds the hungry in over 1,000…

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For First Time, Israelis Recovered from Coronavirus Outnumber Those Still Sick

For the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus in the country earlier this year, the number of people in Israel who have recovered from the virus surpassed the number of those who are still sick, according to Health Ministry figures published Wednesday.

There have been a total of 15,782 confirmed carriers of COVID-19, the disease caused…

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Israel Thwarts Major Coordinated Cyber-Attack on Its Water Infrastructure Command and Control

Israel thwarted a major cyber-attack on its water infrastructure over the weekend.

In a statement, Israel’s National Cyber Directorate announced, “Reports have been received by the National Cyber Directorate about attempted attacks on command and control systems of wastewater treatment plants, pumping stations, and sewage.”

The Directorate…

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Israeli UN Envoy Scolds Palestinian Counterpart: Your Hate For Jewish State Overrides Care For Your Own People

Israel’s envoy to the UN excoriated his Palestinian counterpart at a Security Council discussion of Israeli efforts to aid the Palestinian Authority during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, declaring: “You have made it clear that you prefer to hate Israel more than help the Palestinian people.”

Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon sprang to his…

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MSNBC Graphic During COVID-19 News Shows ‘Palestine’ in List of Countries

A background graphic on MSNBC last week showed “Palestine” in a rolling list of countries depicting numbers associated with the coronavirus pandemic, despite it not being an independent nation.

The graphic was displayed during “The 11th Hour With Brian Williams” on April 16 while internal medicine physician Lipi Roy was analyzing the number of…