Three Minor Earthquakes in 24 Hours Rattle Israel
Two quakes shook Israel on Feb. 8, measuring 3.3 and 3.9 on the Richter scale, respectively, according to JNS.
The first affected central Israel; the second was felt in Lebanon, as well as across the Golan Heights.
The temblors followed a 3.5 magnitude quake overnight on Feb. 7 centered 9 miles southeast of Ariel, which was felt in Jerusalem and surrounding areas.
There were no reports of injuries or damage, aside from limited cracks in the walls of residential apartments.
The three quakes, which occurred within 24 hours of each other, come in the backdrop of the devastating earthquakes that have killed more than 30,000 people in Turkey and Syria as of press time.
The Knesset Internal Affairs and Environment Committee called for an emergency meeting to review the country’s earthquake preparedness in light of the devastation in neighboring Syria and Turkey.
At the same time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu directed National Security Council head Tzachi Hanegbi to “update and reiterate the steps we need to take” as a result.
Barcelona Mayor Severs Ties With Twin City of Tel Aviv, Citing Israeli ‘Apartheid’
Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau announced that the city is no longer twinned with Tel Aviv, citing claims that Israel is guilty of “apartheid,” as well as “flagrant and systematic violation of human rights,” reported JTA.
Barcelona and Tel Aviv entered the relationship in 1998, when both cities jointly signed a “twin city” agreement with Gaza City.
Colau’s decision comes less than a year after Barcelona launched two linked public-relations campaigns — “Shalom Barcelona” and “Barcelona Connects Israel” — to appeal to Jewish tourists interested in exploring their heritage. Last summer, the city opened up the world’s first Michelin-starred kosher restaurant.
“More than 100 organizations and over 4,000 citizens have demanded that we defend the human rights of Palestinians, and for this reason, as mayor, I have written to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to inform him that I have suspended temporarily the institutional relationship between Barcelona and Tel Aviv,” said Colau on Feb. 8, who has been mayor since 2015.
The Federation of the Jewish Communities of Spain condemned what it called “sophisticated antisemitism.”
The next day, on Feb. 9, Madrid Mayor José Luís Martínez-Almeida offered to step up as a replacement. He criticized the Barcelona city council’s decision to sever ties with Tel Aviv after 25 years as twin cities but offered Madrid as a willing partner. “We will not promote, encourage or allow behavior such as this, which has a clear antisemitic overtone and has no place,” he said.
Bill to Criminalize Egalitarian Prayer, Immodest Dress at Western Wall Is Shelved
A proposed Israeli law that would sharply curtail the rights of women and non-Orthodox Jews at the Western Wall sparked alarm on Feb. 9, leading Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pledge that regulations at the holy site would “remain exactly the same” as they are now, reported JTA.
The bill was submitted by a lawmaker from the haredi Shas Party. It would have criminalized mixed-gender prayer at the site, as well as immodest dress and the playing of musical instruments.
Women would be forbidden from reading from a Torah scroll or blowing a shofar at the site. They would not be allowed to don prayer shawls or tefillin, the leather boxes and straps traditionally worn by Jewish men during morning prayers. The bill’s provisions would have also applied to the wall’s non-Orthodox section adjacent to the main plaza. Offenders would have faced a fine of about $3,000 or six months in prison.
Oregon College Settles Case With Fired Professor Who Reported Antisemitic Incidents
An Oregon university that fired a Jewish professor after he reported several antisemitic incidents, including purported derogatory remarks made by its president, has settled with the professor, reported JTA.
Linfield University, a private school in McMinnville, will pay $1 million to English professor Daniel Pollack-Pelzner for his wrongful termination in 2021.
Pollack-Pelzner had accused school president Miles K. Davis of making antisemitic remarks in front of him, including jokes about gas chambers and the size of Jewish noses. He was fired shortly after he went public with these and other accusations, including several allegations of sexual harassment directed at members of the school’s board of trustees.
After his termination, Pollack-Pelzner, who was tenured, sued the school for $4 million. A report on his firing last year by the American Association of University Professors found that Linfield had violated Pollack-Pelzner’s academic freedom and right to due process.
Tel Aviv Light-Rail Project to Debut in April
The long-delayed light-rail project set for Tel Aviv will debut on April 26, Israeli Independence Day, Minister of Transport, National Infrastructure and Road Safety Miri Regev announced on Feb. 7, reported Globes.
The Red Line was supposed to start operations in October 2021 but was postponed multiple times, in part due to a defective signaling system.
The line will run from Bat Yam, Jaffa and Tel Aviv via Ramat Gan and Bnai Brak to Petach Tikvah.
— Compiled by Andy Gotlieb
