Israel scraps ’red’ list; set to open to foreigners Sunday * Jewish Agency search stalls * Archaeology Podcast: Tales beneath J’lem * Blogs: Emma Watson; olim; apartheid

[Times of Israel]( [The daily edition]( Friday, January 7, 2022 [Israel nixes ‘red’ list of countries ahead of reopening to foreigners on Sunday]( By [TOI staff]( [Officials say Omicron COVID surge makes the roster of banned countries obsolete; Health Ministry director predicts daily infections will top 30,000 within days]( [Daily COVID-19 cases near record 17,000 as new testing rules take effect]( By [TOI staff]( [Ministers decide to ease virus regulations for in-person classes at schools]( By [TOI staff]( Interviews [As process stalls, candidates to lead Jewish Agency warn of urgent world challenges]( By [Lazar Berman]( [The Times of Israel speaks to figures seeking to head the venerable body as drawn-out nomination reveals political rifts; coalition nominees refuse interviews]( [‘You’re pissing me off!’ Israeli diplomat reportedly yells at European envoys]( By [TOI staff]( Times Will Tell [Podcast: Author digs into wacky-but-true tales of Jerusalem archaeology]( By [TOI staff]( [Journalist Andrew Lawler’s new book ‘Under Jerusalem’ is a treasure trove for the unbelievable real history of excavations in the Holy City through today]( [Thousands at funeral of Arab child shot dead in north, president expresses ‘horror’]( By [TOI staff]( [4 suspects remanded in custody over stray gunfire that killed 4-year-old Ammar Hujayrat on playground in Bir al-Maksur]( [Lod man shot dead, in day’s second Arab community slaying]( By [TOI staff]( [Two suspects arrested in fatal shooting of 4-year-old boy on playground]( By [TOI staff]( Inside story [Several of Michael Steinhardt’s looted art pieces still on display at Israel Museum]( By [Ilan Ben Zion]( [Last month US court ordered billionaire to surrender $70 million worth of artifacts, including several loaned to Israel, to avoid prosecution; museum says it is examining issue]( Israel media review [We’re going down: What the press says about the coalition’s flubs and fights]( By [Joshua Davidovich]( [The government is sniping over Omicron, leaving the press to bewail Israel’s state and score points along the way; plus the slaying of a 4-year-old earns long-overdue attention]( [Man indicted for death threat against minister over religious reforms]( By [TOI staff]( Top Ops [Michali Cohen]( [You got Emma Watson’s post all wrong. Let me tell you why]( [Normalizing the Palestinian cause isn’t antisemitism, and crying wolf about this post undermines concern about real Jew-hatred disguised as criticism of Israel]( [Dan Perry]( [Not an ‘apartheid state,’ but not good enough]( [Here’s my scorecard rating Israel’s poor excuses for treating the Palestinians like second-class citizens]( [Ariel Beery]( [We will beat neither COVID nor climate change on our own]( [Israel should organize an international coalition to vaccinate the world, and it should include the infrastructure for rapid responses to new variants and more]( [Michael Oren]( [Israel needs olim]( [First and foremost, Israel shelters oppressed Jews worldwide, so when French Jews facing rampant antisemitism choose Canada or the US, it’s a failure of Zionism]( [Deputy minister says he regrets ‘subhuman’ settlers comment, but stands by criticism]( By [TOI staff]( [After furor, Yair Golan concedes his choice of wording about Homesh outpost residents may have been ‘problematic’; source accuses him of creating more divisions in coalition]( [Former Dutch PM accused of blood libel after saying settlers poisoned Palestinians]( By [Cnaan Liphshiz]( [Jerusalem police filmed beating ultra-Orthodox men, blasting them with water cannons]( By [TOI staff]( [Officers respond violently to protests, attacks against a store selling non-kosher phones; bystander is beaten and arrested after trying to speak with undercover detectives]( [Biden says Trump and his backers placed a ‘dagger at the throat of democracy’]( By [MARY CLARE JALONICK, LISA MASCARO and Zeke Miller]( [On first anniversary of Capitol invasion, US president says his predecessor ‘tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power’; Trump dismisses ‘political theater’ as GOP stays away]( [Trump maintains tight grip on Republican party despite violent insurrection]( By [Jill Colvin]( [Terror, shattered glass and gratitude: US lawmakers recall January 6 Capitol assault]( By [Alan Fram and KEVIN FREKING]( [Peter Bogdanovich, lauded Hollywood filmmaker and son of an Austrian Jew, dies at 82]( By [Andrew Lapin]( [Director and actor helmed hits including ‘The Last Picture Show’ in the 1970s; his Christian father sacrificed his career to help his Jewish mother flee the Nazis]( [‘The soundtrack of generations’: Artists, ministers bid farewell to Yoram Taharlev]( By [Jessica Steinberg and TOI staff]( [Government members fete famed lyricist’s ‘unique combination of love of country and love of his fellow person, of romance and of pain and always with humor’]( [CRM]( [New online translation by Sefaria may be the Jerusalem Talmud’s ‘Cinderella moment’]( By [David Stromberg]( [The nonprofit offers free access to Jewish texts, and debuts one of its most ambitious projects yet – an interactive version of a cryptic and oft-overlooked version of the Talmud]( [As 26 die in mass protests, Kazakh leader orders use of lethal force on ‘terrorists’]( By [Dasha Litvinova]( [President Tokayev warns: ‘Those who don’t surrender will be eliminated’; Russia-led troops arrive to guard government institutions]( [Iran displays missiles amid nuclear talks with world powers]( By [AP]( [State television says missiles in central Tehran are the same types as those used to strike US bases in Iraq after Soleimani killing]( [Thousands of Iranian mourners attend mass funeral for 250 dead in ’80s war with Iraq]( By [Isabel Debre]( [Statue of slain commander Soleimani torched in Iran hours after unveiling]( By [AFP and TOI staff]( [CRM]( [In Brooklyn, a Jewish group tries a face-to-face approach to fighting antisemitism]( By [julia GERGELY]( [Members of Jews for Racial & Economic Justice canvas New York neighborhoods, offering passersby tips on intervening in hate crimes to head off potential violence]( [Brazilian court fines American Airlines $1,759 after passengers denied kosher food]( By [Cnaan Liphshiz]( [Airline caused ’emotional suffering’ to travelers who went without food for some 10 hours, judge says in ruling]( More Headlines [120 artists, industry officials slam boycott of Sydney festival over Israeli funding]( By [TOI staff]( [Polish leader admits country bought powerful Israeli-made spyware]( By [Vanessa Gera]( [Number of women murdered by relatives, partners falls after 2020 spike]( By [TOI staff]( [North Italian town to establish museum at burial site of 17th-century Kabbalists]( By [Giovanni Vigna]( [State prosecutor to fill in as attorney general until Mandelblit replacement found]( By [TOI staff]( [Saudis say Hezbollah a threat to Arabs after Nasrallah calls king a ‘terrorist’]( By [Agencies]( [Mobileye unveils ‘super-computer’ chip to power fully autonomous driving]( By [Ricky Ben-David]( [On a different note / After composing for top artists, conductor finds his own voice]( By [Jessica Steinberg]( [Come what may / Air Supply plans two-show jaunt to Israel in spring]( By [Jessica Steinberg]( [State seeks harsher sentence for Arab man in Jerusalem assault case]( By [AP and TOI staff]( [Biden taps combat-hardened officer to lead Central Command, which works with Israel]( By [AP and TOI staff]( [Palestinian Authority’s Wafa news agency relaunches Hebrew service]( By [AFP]( [The daily edition]() [facebook]( [twitter]( [instagram]( [View in browser]( [Contact support](mailto:support@timesofisrael.com) [Advertise with us](mailto:advertise@timesofisrael.com) Were you forwarded this email? 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