Israel blames Iran for assassination attempts against Israeli diplomats. [Washington Post]
The Israel government responded yesterday to bombings targeting diplomats in both Georgia and India, pinning the blame for the attacks on Hezbollah and Iran. Though Iran is denying responsibility for the incidents, the bombings have propounded concerns over its nuclear program, and led to heightened tension in the region.
“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited places where he said attacks on Israelis and Jews had recently been foiled, including Thailand and Azerbaijan, and he accused Tehran of orchestrating Monday’s plots, calling Iran ‘the greatest exporter of terrorism in the world.'”
David Bernstein on how supporting Israel on campus shouldn’t be a reactionary pursuit. [JTA]
Bernstein cites the ineffectiveness of the BDS movement on college campuses, as an indication that it is now time to diversify efforts and focus on supporting Israel rather than defending it.
“The real work that must be done in supporting Israel is not reactive at all. It’s not as fun as responding to the Israel bashers or engaging in dueling narratives on the campus quad. The real work targets the influencers, from student government presidents to Indian-American leaders, with a positive, pro-Israel message. It seeks to build long-term allies and sometimes ignores detractors. It’s proactive, not reactive.”
A senior at NYU’s Tisch School of The Arts Film and Television Program’s senior thesis project is a film about the holocaust…from a new angle. [JTA]
Emily Harrold’s thesis examines the way in which American media chose to cover the holocaust, focusing specifically on the New York Times, funded by the NYU Bronfman Center. Harrold, who is not Jewish, says the project was an eye opening glimpse into the way in which media attention was focused during the era.
“When you think about history, it’s always from the perspective of people who win the war, because those are the people who write the history books, usually. So we see history from the perspective of the great country of America in which they’re projecting themselves in the best way that they can. I guess learning that we weren’t the great liberators as much as we like to think of ourselves is sort of what got me interested in the topic.”
Valentine’s Day in Israel carries the weight of cross-cultural communications. [Forward]
Nathan Jeffay examines the ways in which pursuing relationships in Israel differs from that in the United States, and the pitfalls that may arise from taking this American holiday overseas.
“Aliyah among single American Jews was up 9% last year, which can create an echo boom in romantic encounters between sabras and American singles.”
