A daily digest of information about Sephardic culture with a focus on Egyptian Jews, its omission in the discourse of world Jewry, women and their place in the world, human rights, and some truths no one wants to hear.
22-year-old Aseel Ibrahim Sharif is the daughter of Ibrahim Sharif, one of the hundreds of activists detained under the Bahraini government’s recent crackdown. In her own words, Aseel describes the experience of her family, as one of many families suffering through the regime’s crackdown.
MY JERUSALEM
"There is a humanity at the heart of this city—the residents are good but unfortunately not to each other. They are not aware that those on the 'other' side want exactly what they want: to survive and live a decent life," says Carol Daniel Kasbari about Jerusalem. Read more >>
While Anna Hazare received a great deal of media coverage for his actions fighting corruption in India, women's war against corruption has gone largely unnoticed. Here we highlight the courageous actions of one woman by the name of Agnes Kharshiing. Read more >>
It's National Poetry Month. In honor of this month and of the vital role poetry plays in our lives and cultures (even when we don’t realize it), here’s a poem from Judy Neri. Enjoy!
A DECADE OF CULTURE, SCHOLARSHIP AND IDEAS Sunday, May 8, 2pm
Yeshiva University Museum and Center for Jewish History
with American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research present:
Remembering 1948 - In Color
In honor of Yom Hazikaron (Israeli Remembrance Day)
and Yom Ha'atzmaut (Israeli Independence Day)
I Was There in Color (directed by Avishai Kfir, 2010) tells the story of the birth of Israel, usually recalled through stark black-and-white images, in nuanced color. Historic, recently discovered footage, shot by Fred Monosson, a Jewish-American businessman, reveals all facets of life in the new country, from the pomp of large, public ceremonies, to quiet, light moments of daily events. Kfir's dazzling documentary pays tribute to this unsung hero and to the many American Jews who volunteered in 1948; and reveals a richer -- and more colorful -- image of life in the young Jewish State.
Film will be preceded by:
· Reflections by Ira Feinberg, a Machal veteran who volunteered in Israeli's War of Independence
· Performance by Ramaz Middle School Chorus
Admission: Free; reservations required at SmartTix
En tête de la lettre en haut et à droite. Grand Rabbinat d'Egypte, Bureau du Grand Rabbin
Cette note est écrite en arabe par le dernier Grand Rabbin d'Egypte, Haïm Nahum, Membre du Sénat et adressée à Tewfik Rifaat Pacha, Président de la Chambre des députés pour s'excuser de ne pas pouvoir être présent le 26 mars 1932 parce que l'invitation à lieu le jour du Shabbat. La lettre est datée du 24 mars 1932.
On the letter head is written : "Rabbinat "of Egypt, Office of the Chief Rabbi
This letter is hand written in Arabic by Haim Nahum, Member of the Senate and signed by him at the bottom and sent to Tewfik Rifaat, Pasha President of the Parliament where the Chief Rabbi excuses himself for not being able to be present on March 26 1932 because the invitation falls on Shabbat. The letter is dated March 24, 1932
1_Mohamed Tewfick Rifaat Pacha a été président du parlement de 1931 à 1934. Ancien magistrat, juge et procureur il a été plusieurs fois ministre d'éducation . des affaires étrangères, du transport ...il a été le premier président de l'Académie de la langue arabe de 1934 jusqu'à sa mort en 1942. il etait ne en 1870.
2_Haim Nahum, Effendi, (1873-1960) was born in Turkey in a small town near Izmir. He studied in Istanbul and at the Sorbonne, Paris. He went to Ethiopia in 1908 to report on the Falasha Jews. Returning to Istanbul, he was chosen as Chief Rabbi of Turkey, a post which he held for 12 years. In 1922 he acted as advisor to the Turkish Prime Minister Ismet Pasha (Ismet Inonu) at the Conference in Lausanne. He was called to Cairo in 1925 and was appointed Grand Rabbi of Egypt and the Sudan on 2 March 1925. He was granted Egyptian citizenship in 1929, appointed by royal prescript to the prestigious Academie de langue Arabe on 6 October 1933, and appointed to the Egyptian senate. He died on 13 November 1960.
N.B.Esther Benbassa a un écrit un livre remarquable sur la vie due dernier Grand Rabbin Séfarade d'Egypte.
The University of Miami leads an attempt to collect oral histories of Jews who fled North Africa, the Mideast and Iran after World War II.
About Sephardi Voices
Sephardi Voices is an audiovisual history project that interviews Jews displaced from North Africa, the Middle East and Iran. About 95 percent of Jews in the region have been displaced since World War II. The University of Miami’s Department of Religious Studies is leading the effort.
The international project director, UM’s Henry Green, is looking for interviewees. Call him at 305-284-4375 or e-mail him at hgreen@miami.edu.
As a boy, Ted Bekhor remembers swimming the Tigris, the ancient river mentioned in the Bible.
The Bal Harbour resident remembers the friendly neighbors – Jews and Muslims – and his family’s sprawling Baghdad estate.
But all that changed after World War II when a restless Middle East and North Africa wanted to break free of European colonists.
As tensions mounted, his frightened Jewish parents sent Ted, who was then 8, to a European boarding school in 1949, the year after Israel became a nation.
He never went back to Iraq.
By the late 1960s, Saddam Hussein’s Iraq was publicly hanging Jews on trumped-up charges.
Memories of the the terror are still too real to Bekhor’s younger cousin, Gladys Daoud, who remembers Iraqis being invited to picnic on the execution grounds.
“We just left with a suitcase,’’ said Daoud.
Now someone wants to hear their story. continued in the miamiherald>>
My father never lived to see his dream come true of an all-Yiddish-speaking Canada.
David Steinberg
I once wanted to become an atheist but I gave up. They have no holidays.
Henny Youngman
Look at Jewish history. Unrelieved lamenting would be intolerable. So, for every ten Jews beating their breasts, God designated one to be crazy and amuse the breast beaters. By the time I was five I knew I was that one.
Mel Brooks
The time is at hand when the wearing of a prayer shawl and skullcap will not bar a man from the White House, unless, of course, the man is Jewish.
Jules Farber
Even if you are Catholic, if you live in New York, you're Jewish. If you live in Butte, Montana, you are going to be a goy even if you are Jewish.
Lenny Bruce
The remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served us nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found.
Calvin Trillin
Let me tell you the one thing I have against Moses. He took us forty years into the desert in order to bring us to the one place in the Middle East that has no oil!
Golda Meir
Even a secret agent can't lie to a Jewish mother.
Peter Malkin
My idea of an agreeable person is a person who agrees with me.
Benjamin Disraeli
It's so simple to be wise. Just think of something stupid to say and then don't say it.
Sam Levenson
Don't be humble; you are not that great.
Golda Meir
I went on a diet, swore off drinking and heavy eating, and in fourteen days I had lost exactly two weeks.
Joe E. Lewis
A spoken contract isn't worth the paper it's written on.
Sam Goldwyn
I have enough money to last me the rest of my life unless I buy something.
Jackie Mason
I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve immortality through not dying.
Woody Allen
Marriage is a wonderful institution. But who wants to live in an institution?
Groucho Marx
Whoever called it necking was a poor judge of anatomy.
Groucho Marx
A politician is a man who will double cross that bridge when he comes to it.
Oscar Levant
Too bad that all the people who know how to run this country are busy driving taxis and cutting hair.
George Burns
Liberals feel unworthy of their possessions. Conservatives feel they deserve everything they've stolen. Mort Sahl (ed: my favorite for obvious reasons!)
A committee is a group that keeps minutes and loses hours.
Milton Berle
I don't want any yes-men around me. I want everybody to tell me the truth, even if it costs them their jobs.
Sam Goldwyn
Television is a medium because it is neither rare nor well done.
Ernie Kovacs
With the collapse of vaudeville, new talent has no place to stink.
George Burns
When I bore people at a party, they think it is their fault.
This Yom Hashoah: Join the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Combating Holocaust Denial, Fighting Holocaust Revision, Educating Millions and Preserving the Memory of the Shoah
From Iran which denies the Holocaust, to Lithuania's campaign to do away with International Holocaust Memorial Day, to the denigration of the memory of the victims of the Shoah by some Church leaders, we are on the frontlines to thwart the rise of Holocaust denial and revisionism that has been gaining momentum among elites in Europe and beyond.
At the same time, the Center continues educating millions by keeping alive the memory of the Holocaust. Each year, tens of thousands of children and adults hear first-hand accounts from Holocaust survivors who tell their stories of survival and sacrifice when they visit the Museums of Tolerance in Los Angeles and New York. Our Holocaust-related documentaries are regularly screened on television and in theaters including our Academy Award™-winning Genocideand The Long Way Home. And, our online Digital Archives contains artifacts, images and documents which are accessed by people from around the world.
This Yom Hashoah and during this week of Holocaust commemorations, the Simon Wiesenthal Center will again be involved in extensive worldwide Holocaust programing including honoring Albanian Muslims who saved Jews during the Holocaust as well as keynoting Yom Hashoah programs in the US, Canada and in Europe.
"The problem here is more specific than the wild-west financing of U.S. elections. The problem is that the interests of the Israeli government, far from always representing the Israeli people, in no way represent those of the American people or the people of Virginia. Our views may align or diverge. But the Israeli government's hostility toward Iraq or Iran, Lebanon or Palestine, or to independent democratic rule in Egypt and the rest of the region, need not be our own. That should be for us to decide, open to foreign input, but free of foreign financial pressure. AIPAC raises its money in the United States but advances the agenda of a foreign nation, diverging often from the majority views of both Americans at large and Jewish Americans in particular."
Moroccco's interior ministry said early evidence suggested
the blast in the Argana cafe was a criminal act [Reuters]
An explosion in a busy cafe in the Moroccan city of Marrakesh has killed at least 14 people and wounded several others, local officials said. Morocco’s interior ministry said on Thursday early evidence suggested the deadly blast in the heart of the country's main tourist destination was a criminal act. The interior ministry said foreigners were among the 14 people killed and 20 wounded in the blast that rocked Argana cafe in the city's main Jamaa el-Fna square. more>>
L’antisémitisme en Belgique prend des tournures tragiques, et cela dans une totale indifférence des politiques.
En France des choses similaires se passent, et la reconnaissance d’un état palestinien dont la seule raison d’être est d’affirmer l’illégitimité du peuple juif sur sa terre ancestrale, au profit de résidents sans antécédents politico-historiques sur cette terre, montre bien que l’antisémitisme avoué ou inavoué reste bien présent.
ed: antisémitisme? cinéma vérité? l'antisémitisme n'égale pas l'antisionisme.
The rival Palestinian movements Fatah and Hamas agreed Wednesday to reconcile and form an interim government ahead of elections, after a four-year feud, in what both sides hailed as a chance to start a fresh page in their national history.
Israel said the accord, which was brokered in secrecy by Egypt, would not secure peace in the Middle East and urged Abbas to carry on shunning the Islamist movement, which has governed the Gaza Strip since 2007 after ousting Fatah in a civil war.
Hamas' deputy leader, Moussa Abu Marzouk, and Fatah
representative Azzam Al-Ahmad in Cairo on April27, 2011.
Photo by: Reuters
Forging Palestinian unity is regarded as crucial to reviving any prospect for an independent Palestinian state, but Western powers have always refused to deal with Hamas because of its refusal to recognize Israel and renounce violence. continued>>
C’est une première et c’est un évènement qu’il faut prendre à sa juste valeur. Le 27 avril à Eilat a été ouvert pour la première fois en Israël les portes du Musée de l’Erotisme. A l’intérieur, comme dans la plupart des musées de l’érotisme dans le monde, on y trouve de nombreuses œuvres d’art, mais aussi des caricatures, des posters, des sculptures, des vidéos.
Une attention particulière est portée dans un faux petit théâtre des années 1920 ou seront montré des films érotiques du siècle dernier.
Une autre exposition inspiré par le peintre français François Boucher sera mise à l’honneur… Non sans raison puisqu’il exerçait son art lors du “siècle galant”. suite>>
The festival was a refreshing showcase of diverse perspectives on recent events. From action-based films to probing documentaries, the films presented at the festival go beyond Tahrir Square to capture a range of emotions and events experienced by Egyptians from Alexandria and Cairo to Aswan. Read article>>
WASHINGTON: A US commission called Thursday for Egypt to be put on a blacklist for lack of religious freedom, saying attacks on Coptic Christians and other minorities have worsened despite political changes.
In an annual report, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom voiced concern about what it saw as serious violations in a number of nations including China, Iran, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Vietnam.
The commission, an autonomous advisory board, added Egypt to its recommended list of "countries of particular concern" on religious freedom, a designation that can carry economic sanctions unless governments address the US concerns. more>>
Conférence le Mardi 3 mai 2011 à 20h30 à l’Espace Rachi - 39, rue Broca Paris 5e
Avec Colette Bismuth-Jarrassé et Dominique Jarrassé, auteurs du livre "Synagogues de Tunisie". La soirée sera animée par Paule- Henriette Levy, rédactrice en chef de RCJ.
Le président Mahmoud Ahmadinejad n'a pas participé mercredi au Conseil des ministres pour la deuxième fois en une semaine et n'a pas fait d'apparition publique depuis le 22 avril, alimentant des rumeurs sur une crise politique grave au sein du pouvoir en Iran.
Le président iranien a disparu de la scène publique peu après sa tentative avortée la semaine dernière de faire démissionner son ministre du Renseignement Heydar Moslehi, qui s'est heurtée au veto du Guide suprême Ali Khamenei.
Pour la deuxième fois d'affilée, M. Ahmadinejad a laissé mercredi à son premier vice-président la direction du Conseil des ministres, auquel a en revanche participé M. Moslehi, selon les médias qui n'ont fourni aucune explication.
Le chef de l'Etat, absent également mardi d'une réunion du Conseil suprême de la révolution culturelle qu'il préside, n'a eu aucune activité publique depuis le 22 avril, comme le confirme le site internet de la présidence vierge depuis cette date.
Une telle absence est tout à fait inhabituelle de la part du président Ahmadinejad, généralement omniprésent dans les médias à la faveur d'apparitions et déclarations publiques quasiment quotidiennes.
Les médias officiels n'ont fait aucune allusion à cette éclipse. suite>>
J’entends dire, ici ou là, qu’Israël serait « inquiet » du vent de démocratie qui souffle sur le monde arabe.
Je conçois cette inquiétude.
Je sais comment, dans deux cas au moins, celui de l’Algérie de 1991, puis de Gaza en 2006, des libres élections ont pu accoucher du pire.
Sur les lignes de défense de Benghazi, avec les rebelles volontaires
recrutés par Mustapha Elsagezli, le chef des forces insurgées. (c) Marc Roussel
Et je suis trop conscient du fait qu’Israël n’a, en ces matières, pas droit à la moindre erreur pour prendre à la légère le risque de voir ces révolutions égyptienne, libyenne ou, demain, syrienne engendrer un monde où le péril croîtrait.
L’inquiétude, pourtant, est une chose – qui commande lucidité, méfiance à l’endroit des illusions lyriques, vigilance.
Mais la frilosité, le repli, la réprobation muette, en seraient une autre – qui mettrait les héritiers du rêve sioniste dans une position intenable et indigne de leur histoire. suite>>
Pour avoir dénoncé l’instrumentalisation de la Shoah à des fins politiques (soutenir Israël) ou mercantiles (obtenir des réparations financières), le politologue états-unien, fils de survivants du ghetto de Varsovie, Norman G.Finkelstein, s’est fait interdire d’enseignement à l’Université DePaul de Chicago.
Dans un entretien réalisé le 11 janvier 2011 par Sylvia Page et Béatrice Pignède pour Clap36, l’auteur de « L’Industrie de l’Holocauste » revient avec humour sur les fondements d’un usage politique de la culpabilité. Il égratigne au passage la « stupidité française » qui a émis une loi punissant la négation de la Shoah et érigé BHL au rang de philosophe… Il n’épargne pas non plus Obama dont il définit « le grand art » d’avoir cyniquement manipulé « les Blancs » en leur donnant bonne conscience de soutenir « un Noir » afin de ne « déranger aucun des intérêts principaux ». suite>>
A US delegation arrived in Cairo on Wednesday to examine the possibility of lifting the American government's warning to its citizens against visiting Egypt, which has been in place since the 25 January revolution.
The delegation, composed of media professionals and members of American travel agencies, will conduct tours of Egyptian cities to see if the warning notice should be lifted. more>>
Presidential candidate Mohamed ElBaradei has asked the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to include an article in the constitution protecting the status of Egypt as a secular state.
He said Egypt must be ruled by institutions and not by individuals, adding that the current transition period should not be rushed, as decisions made now will determine Egypt’s political system for the coming 50 years.
He also said the country needs a new constitution and a parliament that truly represents the people, pointing out that the next parliamentary elections would not give all Egyptians an equal say, as most parties are not prepared for an election battle. more>>
However, the most ridiculous story currently being promoted by some Syrian analysts is that the Syrian unrest is due to the presence of cells inside the country, loyal to General Omar Suleiman, the former Egyptian Vice President, and former intelligence chief before that. Syrian analysts corroborate this claim by saying that such information has been circulated in the Israeli press for some time!
This is both ridiculous and pathetic. Omar Suleiman was unable to create cells in Gaza, in order to deter Hamas when it undertook its coup, or when it attacked the former Egyptian regime, let alone could he deploy cells to give rise to riots in Syria.
Jusqu'à la chute du dictateur, écrire « Dégage Ben Ali ! » sur un mur, sur une toile ou sur la Toile était passible d'emprisonnement en Tunisie. Certains artistes, tels que Zed, un graphiste maroco-tunisien ou encore Z, un blogueur-caricaturiste, prenaient pourtant le risque d'exprimer leur révolte contre le régime liberticide.
Zed raconte son quotidien, quand il étudiait les beaux-arts à Nabeul, sous le régime de Ben Ali :
« Pour acheter une bombe de peinture, il fallait donner une pièce d'identité. La photo, la vidéo étaient extrêmement surveillées. Il fallait aller au poste de police pour obtenir une autorisation et c'était les humiliations et les insultes… suite>>
The vicious discrimination brought to bear against Palestinians in the occupied territories deserves no applause from members of Congress attending the AIPAC conference.
At the end of one of my first journeys to the Israeli-occupied West Bank in 2004, I endured a shocking experience at Ben-Gurion Airport. I never imagined that Israeli security forces would abuse a 79-year-old Holocaust survivor, but they held me for five hours, and strip-searched and cavity-searched every part of my naked body. The only shame these security officials expressed was to turn their badges around so that their names were invisible.
The only conceivable purpose for this gross violation of my bodily integrity was to humiliate and terrify me. But it had just the opposite effect. It made me more determined to speak out against abuses by the Israeli government and military. continued>>
In this Foreign Policy argument piece, Michael Oren argues that America needs Israel more than ever.
What is the definition of an American ally? On an ideological level, an ally is a country that shares America's values, reflects its founding spirit, and resonates with its people's beliefs. Tactically, an ally stands with the United States through multiple conflicts and promotes its global vision. From its location at one strategic crossroads, an ally enhances American intelligence and defense capabilities, and provides ports and training for U.S. forces. Its army is formidable and unequivocally loyal to its democratic government. An ally helps secure America's borders and assists in saving American lives on and off the battlefield. And an ally stimulates the U.S. economy through trade, technological innovation, and job creation.
Few countries fit this description, but Israel is certainly one of them. As U.S. President Barack Obama told a White House gathering, "The United States has no better friend in the world than Israel," a statement reflecting the positions of Democrats and Republicans alike. The importance of the U.S.-Israel alliance has been upheld by successive American administrations and consistently endorsed by lawmakers and military leaders. It should be unimpeachable. But for some it is not. more>>
Students march from Cairo University to the Israeli embassy, demanding an end to normalisation with Israel
In response to news spread about a statement made by Israeli President Shimon Peres to Israeli Radio, asking the Middle East youth — and particularly that in Egypt — to revive relations with Israel, hundreds of Cairo University students demonstrated, demanding Egypt cut all ties with Israel.
The demonstration was called by several university student groups including the Socialist Students, the Haqy Movement (My Right), Tahrir Movement, Amal Students (Labour), the Coalition of Democratic Students, and Egyptians Against Zionism. The demonstration’s ad read: “Shimon Peres has asked for normalising relations with Israel and this is how we will respond to his call in front of Israel’s embassy” more>>
The concept of human beauty is constantly evolving, often reflected throughout history in the female portrait. In this exhibition, six Korean artists ask the perennial question, “What is beauty?” Each artist offers different interpretations on the idea of womanly beauty, or miindo (미인도), in Korean culture. From both traditional and modern perspectives, they question what is truly beautiful, suggesting new standards for the notion of femininity. Featured artists include Koh Chan-gyu (professor, Incheon University), Kim Sun-doo (professor of fine arts, Chung-Ang University), Jung Jong-mee (professor of Art and design, Korea University), Park Soon-chul (professor, Chugye University for the Arts), Baek Jee-hye, and Son Yeon-chil (professor of Buddhist Art, Dongguk University).
The opening reception will include a presentation (6:30-7:00) by Son Yeon-chil, Professor of Buddhist Art at Dongguk University, on traditional Korean arts over the past two millennia as distinct from Chinese and Japanese counterparts, including ceramics, religious sculpture, and portraiture. This exhibition will remain on display for through Friday, May 13.
Le président vénézuélien Hugo Chávez a annoncé, le 26 avril, une augmentation du salaire minimum et des retraites pour tenter de compenser la hausse du coût de la vie avant l'élection présidentielle de 2012. Le salaire minimum sera augmenté de 15 % en mai, puis de 10 % en septembre. Son montant atteindra 360 dollars par mois et sera accompagné de coupons alimentaires. "Le président a déclaré qu'il s'agirait du salaire minimum le plus élevé d'Amérique latine, en précisant que ce n'était pas encore suffisant", rapporte le quotidien vénézuélien Panorama. L'inflation du Venezuela est l'une des plus élevées au monde. De mars 2010 à mars 2011, les prix ont augmenté de 27,4 %. source: courrierinternational
Obsèques de 15 policiers à l’hôpital militaire Tishreen de Damas, le 27 avril 2011. En un mois, plusieurs centaines de Syriens, civils et militaires, ont été assassinés par des groupes de francs-tireurs financés par le clan saoudien des Saidiris et encadrés par la CIA.
Alors que des centaines de Syriens, civils et militaires, viennent de tomber sous les coups de snipers financés par les saidiris et encadrés par la CIA, les médias occidentaux accusent le gouvernement de Bachar el-Assad de tirer sur sa population et sur ses propres forces de l’ordre. Cette campagne de désinformation vise à justifier une possible intervention militaire occidentale. Le philosophe Domenico Losurdo rappelle que la méthode n’est pas nouvelle. Simplement, les nouveaux moyens de communication l’ont rendue plus sophistiquée. Désormais, le mensonge n’est pas seulement véhiculé par la presse écrite et audiovisuelle, il passe aussi par Facebook et YouTube.en savoir plus>>
It always seemed as if Arab countries were ‘on the brink.’ It turns out that they were. And those who assured us that Arab autocracies would last for decades, if not longer, were wrong. In the wake of the Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions, academics, analysts and certainly Western policymakers must reassess their understanding of a region entering its democratic moment.
What has happened since January disproves longstanding assumptions about how democracies can—and should—emerge in the Arab world. Even the neoconservatives, who seemed passionately attached to the notion of democratic revolution, told us this would be a generational struggle. Arabs were asked to be patient, and to wait. In order to move toward democracy, they would first have to build a secular middle class, reach a certain level of economic growth, and, somehow, foster a democratic culture. It was never quite explained how a democratic culture could emerge under dictatorship. more>>
Huit pierres tombales du cimetière de Beyoglu ont été endommagées.
ISTANBUL (EJP) ---Un cimetière juif d’Istanbul, en Turquie, a été profané mardi par des vandales qui ont détruit plusieurs pierres tombales.
Selon des informations d’un site turc, huit pierres tombales du cimetière de Beyoglu ont été endommagées. La profanation a eu lieu pendant la Pâque juive. suite>>
Une compagnie de télécoms israélienne propose à ses clients juifs ultra-orthodoxes un téléphone mobile casher, avec des sonneries hassidiques et un menu en yiddish, le premier au monde, a rapporté le journal israélien Yediot Aharonot.
"Ce téléphone n'a pas de fonction SMS, d'accès à internet, à Facebook ou aux mails. Il n'a même pas d'appareil-photo", indique le journal. "Et si vous appelez depuis ce téléphone lors du Shabbat, vous payerez le prix exorbitant de 10 shekels (2 euros) par minute", souligne-t-il.
Tous les menus sont en yiddish, la langue traditionnelle des communautés juives allemandes, largement utilisée par les juifs ultra-orthodoxes, dont le nombre est estimé entre 350.000 et 400.000, selon la même source. suite>>
America's relationship with the Middle East is changing – and Egypt is its test case, says Richard Spencer.
In the days of Empire, monarchs and statesmen would refer to their colonies as children whose development needed overseeing in a firm but fatherly way. Such patronizing and racist attitudes are – rightly – long gone, but they had the virtue of clarity.
It is far harder to characterize the nature of America's relationship with its modern-day client states. Yet the same metaphor still comes to mind when remembering what may turn out to be the key moment in the extraordinary struggles that are shaping the future of the Middle East.
That moment came on February 1, when President Obama sent a special envoy named Frank Wisner to tell Hosni Mubarak he had lost America's backing. As night fell, President Mubarak announced that he would not seek another term in office. While he pledged to stay on until the next set of elections, it was a fig leaf. The protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square had already decided that it wasn't going to happen, and that Mr Obama had just put them in charge. continued>>
Fed up with the stalled peace talks, the Palestinian leader defies Israel and vents about Obama.
Paolo Verzone / Agence VU for Newsweek
Portrait of Mahmoud Abbas in April 2011.
We’re somewhere over the Mediterranean, and Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, is trying to get inside the head of Barack Obama. “We knew him before he became president,” he’s saying, struggling to understand what happened to the man who had seemed more sympathetic to the Palestinian cause than any of his predecessors. “We knew him and he was very receptive.” Around us, Abbas’s closest aides are shuffling papers or typing on laptops, while his bodyguards lounge on long corduroy couches. Saeb Erekat, the ubiquitous adviser, is writing talking points for Abbas’s meeting the next day with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. A man with a sidearm is shoveling pumpkin seeds into his mouth. In a space the size of two living rooms, most of the 20-odd passengers are puffing on cigarettes, and so is Abbas. At 76, he smokes more than two packs a day. continued>>
In 1955, Albert Hourani, the Oxford historian and bestselling author of A History of the Arab Peoples, published a short article called "The Vanishing Veil: A Challenge to the Old Order." Pointing out that veiling was a fast-disappearing practice in most Arab societies, Hourani gave a brief history of how it was fading from modern society -- and why it would soon become a thing of the past.
The trend to unveil, Hourani wrote, had begun in Egypt in the early 20th century, set in motion by the writer Qasim Amin. Amin had argued that "gradual and careful change in the status of women," including women's casting off their veils, was now an essential step in the advancement of Muslim societies -- and "not contrary to the principles of Islam." Although Amin's ideas had been met with great resistance, Hourani recounted how they gradually gained acceptance and spread among the "more advanced Arab countries," first in Egypt and then "Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq." more>>
Abbas a poursuivi : "Obama est celui qui a proposé un gel complet de la colonisation et l'a laissé de côté, après avoir échoué à maintenir la pression sur le Premier ministre sioniste, Benjamin Netanyahu, pour geler la colonisation, l'année dernière".
Il a critiqué les efforts de la médiation déployés par l'émissaire américain de la région, George Mitchell, qui a effectué des visites fréquentes dans la région pendant plus de deux ans avant qu'il ne s'arrête. en savoir plus>>
We will continue to discuss: Why did the Mubarak regime in Egypt collapse? How did it happen in Tunisia that one of the most influential security regimes was overthrown by a minor incident? How does it happen that Gaddafi's state now is on the verge of collapse, following four decades of rigid rule? In Syria, the al-Assad regime, which was once one of the most imposing regimes in the region, is also threatened with collapse because a group of youths wrote anti-government slogans on a wall in the city of Daraa [and were arrested as a result], arousing public anger. Today, the revolution is resonating through more than seven Syrian cities, all chanting anti-government slogans calling for an end to the regime.
The question to be asked is: Why have the most powerful and most brutal of all regimes collapsed? more>>
Et dire qu'il s'en trouve pour affirmer, en plein milieu de l'université de Dakar, que « l'homme africain n'est pas assez entré dans l'histoire » ! Pourtant, sur l'origine des langues, des chercheurs du département de psychologie de l'université d'Auckland viennent de publier simultanément deux études dans les magazines Science et Nature. La première question était : où sont apparues les langues humaines ? Réponse : en Afrique.
Origines génétiques de l'homme : l'Afrique
L'article qui pointe le continent noir comme origine probable de tous nos discours, y compris – triste revers de médaille – ceux vantant la supériorité de l'homme blanc, est signé Quentin Atkinson. Il s'est penché sur le point de départ de l'histoire des langues modernes : le lieu précis de leur apparition. suite>>
The prosecutor-general extended the incarceration of Alaa and Gamal Mubarak by another 15 days, in connection with the investigation of their involvement in Egypt’s debt payments as well as commissions taken on gas exports to Israel and other issues related to forced partnerships in some contracts with multi-nationals working in Egypt.
A team from the prosecutor's office undertook the investigation of the sons of ousted president Hosni Mubarak in Tora prison today in the presense of their lawyer. source: ahramonline
Le président français, Nicolas Sarkozy, et le Premier ministre italien, Silvio Berlusconi, se sont rencontrés mardi à Rome pour la tenue du 29ème sommet avec l' immigration comme thème central.
L'afflux d'immigrants d'Afrique du Nord suite aux crises tunisiennes et libyennes ont suscité une controverse entre la France et l' Italie sur le thème de l' immigration.
L'Italie a décidé d'octroyer des permis de séjour de six mois aux plus de 20 000 Tunisiens arrivés sur ses côtes depuis janvier afin qu'ils puissent rejoindre "amis et parents" dans le territoire français et en Europe.
Le ministre français de l'Intérieur, Claude Guéant, avait alors déclaré que la France renverrait vers l'Italie les migrants ne répondant pas à certaines conditions de ressources.
Le 17 avril dernier Paris avait suspendu la circulation des trains depuis la ville italienne de Vintimille vers la France, estimant que la présence de militants accompagnants les immigrés tunisiens représentait un risque pour l' ordre public. suite>>
Britain has become a hotbed for terrorism, with extremist preachers and masterminds freely able to operate there. The news has come to light in the latest WikiLeak.
The secret files reveal that at least 35 Guantanamo detainees had been trained for terrorism in London mosques and suggest that an alleged al-Qaeda bomber worked as an informer for British intelligence.
Eighteen of these detainees that have reportedly come out of Britain were from abroad, 17 others were either British nationals or, the document said, they were asylum seekers from Arab countries who then filtered into the UK and received their training in London. more>>
L'Australie veut durcir ses critères d'immigration, afin de pouvoir renvoyer chez eux les demandeurs d'asile ayant participé à des émeutes durant leur séjour en centre de rétention, a indiqué mardi le gouvernement.
Si ce texte est voté au parlement, un demandeur d'asile reconnu coupable d'un délit pendant sa détention sera automatiquement écarté de toute demande de visa, a précisé le ministre de l'Immigration, Chris Bowen.
Cette initiative intervient après plusieurs émeutes, dont les dernières datent de la semaine dernière, au centre de rétention de Villawood. Des demandeurs d'asile avaient incendié neuf bâtiments et jeté des tuiles sur les pompiers.
Plusieurs dizaines de personnes ont été interrogées mais aucune poursuite n'a encore été engagée. suite>>
A number of you have been asking me on Facebook, Twitterand iReportabout my predictions for the Middle East ten years down the line.
I think we're seeing the beginning of fundamental change in the Middle East. This is 1989 for the Middle East. The big caveat, however, is that the Middle East is not Eastern Europe. So change will not happen on the scale or with the speed and scope that it happened in Europe.
There are going to be much slower transitions. The line forward is going to be much more meandering. Not all countries will be affected.
The key places to focus on are the non-oil-producing countries like Egypt, Tunisia and, to a certain extent, Jordan and Morocco. Those are the places where there is significant pressure for economic and political reform. There you can't buy off the population easily, which is the typical strategy of the rich oil states. more>>
Le gouvernement syrien continue de sévir contre les manifestants pro-démocratie, avec un nombre de morts qui atteint, en moyenne depuis une semaine, les 25 par jour.
Des milliers de soldats, appuyés par des chars, sont entrés lundi dans la ville de Deraa où le soulèvement a commencé il y a plus d’un mois. Les soldats ont, hier avant l’aube, ouvert le feu sans discernement sur les civils. L’offensive a été planifiée en détail avec des coupures simultanées d’électricité, d’eau et des services de téléphonie mobile.
« Nous avons besoin de l’intervention internationale. Nous avons besoin de pays pour nous aider », explique un témoin dans Daraa à l’Associated Press, en ajoutant qu’il a vu cinq cadavres après que les forces de sécurité aient ouvert le feu sur une voiture. « Permettez à Obama venir prendre la Syrie. Laissez Israël prendre la Syrie. Laissez les Juifs prendre la Syrie ! Tout est mieux que Bachar el-Assad », explique-t-il. suite>>
Le ministre israélien de la Défense Ehud Barak, a oublié des documents secrets au cours de son séjour au Park Plaza de London. C’est la chaîne israélienne Aroutz 2 qui a dévoilé l’information dans son journal du soir.
Selon le reportage, lors de la visite, ses collaborateurs lui ont apporté une série de documents sensibles. Après l’entretien, les assistants du ministre et ce dernier sont partis de la salle de réunion de l’hôtel, laissant derrière eux les documents secrets… Dont des papiers manuscrits, écrits de la propre main du Ministre. suite>>
For those who thought the Egyptian revolution is done and past, think again. The Egyptians did not go home. They are out there again if things do not turn out the way they had hoped.
There’s no question that the unrest in Egypt is of paramount world concern. Opinions vary about how this situation will work out, but many analysts think, or rather hope, that this situation could actually have a positive outcome for Egypt.
One must keep in mind that Egypt’s standing in the Arab and Islamic world is partly linked to its role as a patron of the Palestinian cause in the era of Nasser. continued>>
Des sénateurs américains ont profité de leur présence dans l'émission « Etat de l'Union » de la chaîne CNN hier pour demander que le dirigeant libyen Muammar Kadhafi soit assassiné et que l'on intensifie les frappes aériennes pour parvenir à l'objectif réel de la guerre: la mise en place d'un régime fantoche accommodant.
Cinq semaines de bombardements n'ont pas réussi à faire tomber Kadhafi, du fait principalement que le soutien au gouvernement de Tripoli se poursuit et du fait de la faiblesse politique et militaire des forces anti-Kadhafi basées dans la ville orientale de Benghazi. Les combattants de l'opposition n'ont pas fait de gains significatifs dans l'est du pays et les troupes pro-gouvernementales maintiennent le siège de Misrata, ville occidentale tenue par l'opposition, malgré des bombardements quasi quotidiens de l'OTAN. suite>>
London, Asharq Al-Awsat – The jihadist media has moved to publish a new magazine that is concerned with women jihadists. Observers have said that the objective of the publication of the "Al-Shamikha" magazine, which translates as "The Majestic Woman", is to promote Islamic values among women, in addition to fashion and beauty tips. This magazine has been dubbed the 'Jihad Cosmo" in some quarters after the well-known Cosmopolitan style magazine.
This is the first jihadist magazine of its kind aimed solely at women, and follows on the heels of Al Qaeda publishing the English language "Inspire" e-magazine which aims to radicalize young Muslims living in the West. This online publication is thought to be the work of Anwar al-Awlaki, an American citizen of Yemeni descent who was the spiritual guide to at least two of the 9/11 hijackers, and has ties to the Ford Hoot shooting and other terrorist crimes. The Inspire e-magazine is much like any internet publication in terms of style and production, but includes an "exclusive" interview with al-Awlaki, who is on the Yemeni government's most wanted list, as well as a message from Osama Bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri. The magazine also articles such as "How to make a bomb in the kitchen' and "Destroying buildings." This magazine was reported published by the Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula [AQAP] organization. more>>
Cairo and six other governorates on Tuesday witnessed more than ten labor protests, demanding better wages, pensions and the removal of “corrupt” managers from their workplaces.
Pensioners of the Helwan Engineering Industries Company said they were not paid their full pensions and threatened to continue protesting until they were.
Also, former workers of the Beni Suef Cement Company, which was sold to a French company in 2006, staged protests for the same purpose. more>>
Beaches and bikinis from when Alexandria was Club Med.
In 1959, Elie Moreno, then a 19-year-old sophomore engineering student at Purdue University in Indiana, visited the Egyptian port city of Alexandria on his summer vacation, and brought his camera. Moreno, an Egyptian of Sephardic Jewish descent, had been born in Alexandria and raised in Cairo. But the Egypt in which he had grown up, the milieu of the country's multi-ethnic urban elite, was fast disappearing; the summer of 1959 was the last Moreno would see of it.
Odette Tawil and Elie Moreno on Sidi Bishr Beach, 1959.
The late 1950s marked the end of an era in Alexandria that had begun in the late 19th century, when the port -- then the largest on the eastern Mediterranean -- emerged as one of the world's great cosmopolitan cities. Europeans -- Greeks, Italians, Armenians, and Germans -- had gravitated to Alexandria in the mid-19th century during the boom years of the Suez Canal's construction, staying through the British invasion of the port in 1882 and the permissive rule of King Farouk in the 1930s and 1940s. Foreign visitors and Egyptians alike flocked to the city's beaches in the summers, where revealing bathing suits were as ordinary as they would be extraordinary today. continued>>
CAIRO: Senior US Senator John McCain met Egypt's military chief and foreign minister on Saturday, a day after a trip to the Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi, Egyptian television reported.
It said McCain, a Republican who lost his 2008 presidential bid to Barack Obama, met Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces that has ruled Egypt since the February ouster of Hosni Mubarak.
McCain also discussed American aid with Foreign Minister Nabil El-Araby, as well as Middle East developments and the conflict in Libya.
The official MENA news agency said McCain briefed El-Araby on his talks with Libyan rebel leaders in their Benghazi stronghold. continued>>
PARIS: How difficult is it to erase one’s past as a colonial power? Tunisia has been independent for 55 years, and Côte d’Ivoire for 51 years, yet France is once more playing a decisive role in these countries. Naturally, many Africans are unconvinced that France is acting only to defend the lives of a few thousand of its citizens, rather than its economic and strategic interests, which are negligible for the former and null for the latter.
The damage that slavery and colonialism inflicted in these countries has left a powerful legacy. And, though they have been handling their own business for decades, France still has a duty of friendship that forbids it to forget and requires it to adopt a certain mode of conduct.
Côte d’Ivoire enjoys large agricultural wealth (along with gold, diamonds, and iron); Tunisia possesses large phosphate deposits; Libya has oil; and all three have a relatively moderate climate. But none experienced economic takeoff at independence. Why? more>>
Egypt's ousted former president Hosni Mubarak is likely to be transferred from hospital in the Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh to a military facility near Cairo on Tuesday, reported state news agency MENA, citing an official source.
The prosecutor-general, Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud, has ordered Mubarak's transfer to the Tora Prison hospital, and has instructed the minister of interior to implement all the necessary procedures. With the prison hospital not yet equipped to meet the ousted president's needs, he will first be moved to a military hospital where he will stay until the facility at Tora is ready. source: ahramonline
Un rapport secret israélien indique que le président américain Barack Obama, a demandé au président Abbas, lors de leur réunion à Washington il y a deux semaines, de tenir une réunion bilatérale avec le Premier ministre israélien Benjamin Netanyahu et de commencer des pourparlers directs avec la partie israélienne. (…) Le rapport souligne que le président Abbas a rejeté la demande d’Obama.
Pendant ce temps, les Palestiniens réclament, devant les médias, qu’Israël négocie “enfin” des accords de paix et la création d’un état palestinien. suite>>
Retour en Egypte après deux mois d'absence. Pendant la semaine précédant mon départ, il y a dix jours, les nouvelles m'arrivant du pays étaient mauvaises. On avait dispersé violemment les derniers manifestants de Tahrir, on installait des barbelés sur la place, on parlait de cas de torture perpétrés par l'armée.
C'étaient ces nouvelles que relayaient prioritairement les médias français, ou que postaient sur Facebook les amis européens que je connais au Caire. Cette révolution avait-elle été confisquée ?
De retour ici, je retrouve une société en révolution permanente. Tout est débattu collectivement. Dans les bars, on parle politique à voix haute et les serveurs s'arrêtent parfois de travailler pour écouter, leur plateau à la main, l'émergence d'une parole publique autrefois impossible. Les produits dérivés du mouvement du 25 janvier ont presque remplacé les pyramides et les sphynx sur les étalages des vendeurs ambulants du centre-ville. suite>>
CAIRO – Egyptians are deeply skeptical about the United States and its role in their country, but they are also divided in their attitudes about Islamic fundamentalists, according a poll released Monday by the Pew Global Attitudes Project.
Most Egyptians distrust the United States and want to renegotiate their peace treaty with Israel, the poll found. But only 31 percent say they sympathize with fundamentalists, while 30 percent say they sympathize with those who disagree with fundamentalists. An additional 26 percent said they had mixed views
Les catholiques pratiquants restent plus attachés à Nicolas Sarkozy que le reste de la population française en dépit de la polémique de l'automne dernier sur les Roms. Ils sont suivis de près par les juifs. Les musulmans, en revanche, confirment leur forte distance vis-à-vis du président de la République. Tels sont les principaux enseignements d'un sondage réalisé par l'Ifop qui a interrogé les Français en fonction de leur appartenance religieuse sur le degré de satisfaction de Nicolas Sarkozy «comme président de la République» . Ainsi, sur la période janvier 2008-mars 2011, 55 % des catholiques pratiquants se disent satisfaits du président de la République.
Sur la même question, la moyenne de satisfaction des Français est de 37 %. Les juifs, eux, sont 49 % à être satisfaits. Quand 41 % des protestants, 40 % des catholiques non pratiquants, 24 % des sans-religion et 21 % des musulmans sont du même avis. suite>>
Three months after the January 25 Revolution in Egypt, President Obama's approach to the Middle East is hopelessly adrift. He is hesitant to truly embrace the Arab freedom movements, failing to lead Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations and lacking effective diplomacy to counter Iran's nuclear ambitions. Two years after his ballyhooed Cairo University reach-out to the Arab and Muslim worlds, it's clear now that he actually doesn't get it.
We're told that Obama intends to speak again very soon about his Middle East policies. What is needed is something that he is unlikely to deliver, especially as a politician already launching his campaign for re-election in 2012: a long-overdue revolution in America's Middle East policies, a fitting and needed response to the revolutionary change sweeping the region. more>>
Iran's Jewish community celebrated Passover this week, gathering to pray at the Pol-e-Choubi Synagogue in Tehran, a synagogue catering to the largest Jewish community in the Middle East outside of Israel.
The story of Iran's ancient Jewish community unfolds over more than 2,700 years, back to when the Jews were exiled from Jerusalem through to today, after most members of Iran's Jewish community have relocated throughout the world.
On Passover, an elderly Iranian Jew prays in a morning service for Shabbat,
at the Pol-e-Choubi Synagogue, in Tehran, April 23, 2011.AP
Iran's Jewish community has decreased from 80,000 before the Islamic revolution, to about 20,000 today. more>>
Protesters in Yemen have demanded President Ali Abdullah Saleh's
removal. Here, demonstrators march in Sanaa this month
It all happened so fast.
In January, less than a month after fruit vendor Mohammed Bouazizi lit himself on fire, nationwide protests in Tunisia forced out President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali.
One month later, Egypt experienced its own revolution, and unrest spread across the region to other countries such as Bahrain, Jordan, Syria and Yemen.
But in the last couple of months, it seems, the rate of change has slowed. A stalemate has developed in Libya's civil war. Government leaders aren't budging in Bahrain or Syria, and Yemen's future is still up in the air.
So what happens next? Is more change on the way, or have we already seen the peak of what some call the "Arab Spring"?
CNN.com reached out to five experts for opinion and analysis. More specifically, we posed the following question: How do you see the "Arab Spring" playing out as we move toward the summer months? continued>>
BAHRAIN MADE PERSONAL: ONE WOMAN'S STORY OF HER MISSING FATHER
MY JERUSALEM 
A LONG ROAD TO JUSTICE
I Was There in Color (directed by Avishai Kfir, 2010) tells the story of the birth of Israel, usually recalled through stark black-and-white images, in nuanced color. Historic, recently discovered footage, shot by Fred Monosson, a Jewish-American businessman, reveals all facets of life in the new country, from the pomp of large, public ceremonies, to quiet, light moments of daily events. Kfir's dazzling documentary pays tribute to this unsung hero and to the many American Jews who volunteered in 1948; and reveals a richer -- and more colorful -- image of life in the young Jewish State.
memory of the Holocaust. Each year, tens of thousands of children and adults hear first-hand accounts from Holocaust survivors who tell their stories of survival and sacrifice when they visit the Museums of Tolerance in Los Angeles and New York. Our Holocaust-related documentaries are regularly screened on television and in theaters including our Academy Award™-winning Genocide and The Long Way Home. And, our online Digital Archives contains artifacts, images and documents which are accessed by people from around the world.
The vicious discrimination brought to bear against Palestinians in the occupied territories deserves no applause from members of Congress attending the AIPAC conference. 
In response to news spread about a statement made by Israeli President Shimon Peres to Israeli Radio, asking the Middle East youth — and particularly that in Egypt — to revive relations with Israel, hundreds of Cairo University students demonstrated, demanding Egypt cut all ties with Israel.
« Nous avons besoin de l’intervention internationale. Nous avons besoin de pays pour nous aider », explique un témoin dans Daraa à l’Associated Press, en ajoutant qu’il a vu cinq cadavres après que les forces de sécurité aient ouvert le feu sur une voiture.
Selon le reportage, lors de la visite, ses collaborateurs lui ont apporté une série de documents sensibles. Après l’entretien, les assistants du ministre et ce dernier sont partis de la salle de réunion de l’hôtel, laissant derrière eux les documents secrets… Dont des papiers manuscrits, écrits de la propre main du Ministre. suite>>
Des sénateurs américains ont profité de leur présence dans l'émission « Etat de l'Union » de la chaîne CNN hier pour demander que le dirigeant libyen Muammar Kadhafi soit assassiné et que l'on intensifie les frappes aériennes pour parvenir à l'objectif réel de la guerre: la mise en place d'un régime fantoche accommodant. 
In 1959, Elie Moreno, then a 19-year-old sophomore engineering student at Purdue University in Indiana, visited the Egyptian port city of Alexandria on his summer vacation, and brought his camera. Moreno, an Egyptian of Sephardic Jewish descent, had been born in Alexandria and raised in Cairo. But the Egypt in which he had grown up, the milieu of the country's multi-ethnic urban elite, was fast disappearing; the summer of 1959 was the last Moreno would see of it.
Pendant ce temps, les Palestiniens réclament, devant les médias, qu’Israël négocie “enfin” des accords de paix et la création d’un état palestinien. suite>>
