"Fox" Store in Ramallah: The Conclusion

Summary of Article: Two weeks ago, I blogged about the opening of an Israeli "Fox" store in Ramallah, the first of its kind in the West Bank. The two businessmen seeking to open it just decided not to do so, under tremendous pressure from those who do not want "normalization" with Israel. The store would have provided jobs to 150 Palestinians; it is a blow to the West Bank economy. Those protesting, which included activists and journalists, do not want any Israeli store or person in the West Bank. (Parents: This is part of a trend. See recent remarks by President Abbas that he wants a future Palestinian state to be Israeli/Jew free.)

See a great video on a work situation where Palestinians and Israelis work in harmony.

Questions for Kids:

• Israelis and Palestinians are currently in peace negotiations. How would the opening of Fox been a possible path to peace? Why is this news a disappointment?   
• Why would this store have been good for Palestinians? How would it have helped so many more people than just the 150 workers? (Each worker probably supports an entire extended family on his/her salary)
• How are those against "normalization" hurting Palestinians?

Largest Expedition to Understand Sharks Sets Sail

Summary of Article:

• Scientists often "tag" animals in the wild, in order to track and study them. Today, the largest shark-tagging mission in U.S. history begins, as an expedition to tag great white sharks sets sail off of Massachusetts. The scientists hope to tag as many as 20 of the sharks, which are enormous and about which little is known. 
• The purpose of the mission is to learn about the sharks and their importance as the top predators in the ocean. Sharks as seen as vital to the proper functioning of ocean food. At least 100 million sharks are killed each year through hunting. 
• The sharks will be tagged through barbless hooks to minimally harm the animals. First a shark will be caught, reeled in and tagged with a GPS on their dorsal fin. Some tests will be then performed, looking at the shark's weight, height, and diet. The shark will then be released back to the ocean. During the 15 minutes of tagging and testing, the shark will remain submerged in seawater. The GPS will allow researcheres to see where they go, the depths they swim, their routes, etc. 
• For pictures and videos about tagging sharks, click here. 

 Questions for Kids: 

• What do you know about sharks? Believe it or not, scietnists know very little. That's why this expedition has set sail. What do scientists hope to learn? Why? 
• Why is it important to do the tagging quickly? (don't want to put too much stress on the sharks)
• What is the most interesting aspect of this expedition to you?

 
 

Saudi Princess Fails to Show up For Her Arraignment on Human Trafficking

Summary of Article: A Saudi princess, one of 6 wives of  Saudi Prince, has been arrested in California on charges of human trafficking. Her domestic servant, a Kenyan woman, worked for the Saudi princess for 16 hours a day, 7 days a week, for $220/month. She did not get vacation. Her passport was held in a locked safety deposit box so she could not flee. She managed to call police with the help from someone she met on a bus. The Saudi princess, who left custody on $5 million bail put out by the Saudi Consulate, did not show up for her arraignment today. That is quite serious. If convicted, she could face up to 12 years in prison, but first the police have to find her. She was in America on a temporary visa.

Note: for an entertaining and eye-opening memoir on this subject, check out Driving the Saudis: A Chauffeur's Tale of the World's Richest Princesses

Questions to Ask Kids:

• What does it mean to be a domestic worker? (Housekeeper, nanny, babysitter, cleaning lady, gardener, chauffeur, etc.) What are ways to treat domestic workers with respect and what are examples of not showing respect?
• Why is the Saudi Princess guilty of a crime? What did she do wrong? 
• What additional crime is the princess now guilty of? Why is it a crime to flee bail?
• We have minimum wage in America. What does this mean? It is now at $8/hour. If the Saudi Princess paid minimum wage, as she was required to do, how much should the domestic worker have earned? $3840 (Not to mention time off and access to her passport)

Court Case About Status of Jerusalem Decided

Summary of Article: The Zivotofsky family, American citizens, had a son in Jerusalem. They named him Menachem and went to the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem to have "Jerusalem, Israel" put on his birth certificate. This was consistent with a federal law passed in Congress, signed by President George W. Bush, ordering the State Dept to list "Jerusalem, Israel" as the birthplace of U.S. citizens born in Jerusalem. The U.S. Embassy/State Department refused the Zivotofskys, saying that it wouldn't recognize Jerusalem as part of Israel because it wanted to remain neutral on who controls Jerusalem. The Zivotofskys sued in the United States.

The case has gone through the courts for the last 10 years, up to the Supreme Court (where it ruled that the case could proceed) and now back down to the lower courts. On Tuesday, the lower court just struck down the law, finding for the White House position. The White House said it interfered with the U.S. position on who controls Jerusalem and U.S. history of neutrality. (Keep in mind that the State Dept has a long history of being unsympathetic to Israel; sympathy for Israel in the White House depends on who is president.) While this impacts passports, the decision actually focused on who has the authority to choose which foreign governments are legitimate: the White House or Congress. The lower court chose the White House. The case will likely return to the Supreme Court.

Future King of England Born This Week

Summary of Article: The future king of England was born this week to HRH William and Catherine (Kate). The baby was named today: George Alexander Louis. Upon leaving the hospital, he first met with this great-grandmother, the Queen of England, and now goes to live with Kate's parents for the next few weeks. The baby is third in line for the throne.

Questions for Kids:

• The lineage of the current royal family has ruled England for over 1200 years. Click here for a family tree. All descend from King Alfred the Great, who ruled in 871.
• How far back can you trace your family? 
• What do you think they should name the new royal baby? What goes into consideration when naming a future king? 
• Here's a video of the baby.

Lance Armstrong: Part II

Summary: In January, we spoke about Lance Armstrong's confession to using drugs to win the Tour de France. (See posting). A new article has just come out speaking about the ramifications of his confession. As a result of his confession, the Department of Justice civil lawyers are suing for fraud, claiming damages with a potential award of $120 million, because the U.S. Postal Service sponsored Armstrong. (He wore US Postal Service insignia on his clothes when racing.) Armstrong claims there was no fraud or damages: The US Postal Service got tremendous exposure by sponsoring Armstrong and that was all they sought. There are also possible criminal charges against him for intimidation, witness tampering, and obstruction of justice, as well as possible plaintiff class actions. Many in the legal community are wondering why Armstrong would open himself up to gong to jail and losing his entire fortune (estimated at millions) by confessing. He could have just remained silent. 
(Source: CA Lawyer Magazine, July 2013)

Questions for Kids:

• Review: What did Armstrong do wrong? What does it mean to lose your reputation? In what way has Armstrong lost his reputation? 
• Armstrong confessed to doing wrong on an interview. No one made him confess. Why did he choose to?
• What have the pros/cons of choosing to confess? 
• Discuss all the ramifications. What do you think Armstrong should have done?

Israeli Clothing Store, "Fox," To Open in Ramallah

Summary of Article: Israeli-owned clothing store, Fox, is opening a store in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Some Palestinians are excited about this development, others are protesting. They say that they want no sign of normalized relations with Israel, do not want to support Israeli products, and fear economic cooperation could lead to political cooperation. Fox is a worldwide chain.

Questions for Kids:

• Why is Fox choosing to open a store in the West Bank? Why hasn't it done so previously? (Fears of terrorism; lack of opportunity; time is ripe now; think they could succeed economically)
• If you were Palestinian, make arguments for and against Fox. Ditto for if you were Israeli. 
• What does "peace" and "coexistence" mean? 
• Why is opening an Israeli store in an Arab city a sign of coexistence and possible peace? Why is this important to the region? 
• What are other ways to bring peace? 
• Look on map: find Ramallah and Israel

Children Eat Poisoned Food at School in India

Summary of Article: At a school in New Dehli, India, 21 children died and over 48 injured after eating lunch poisoned with toxic insecticides at school. Lunch that day was rice, beans and potato curry. After eating, the children immediately said the food tasted funny, then became sick with vomiting and diarrhea. The teachers fled the school when they saw the children getting sick; the school's cook tasted the food and also got sick. This part of India has many problems with corruption, and cases like this are not unusual; people involved in the food preparation process look for easy ways to cut costs and pocket the money. 120 million children in India get lunch at school as part of a law passed in 2001 to combat malnutrition and improve school attendance.

Questions for Kids, after summarizing article:

• How do you eat lunch every day? Do you bring it from home, do you get it at school? How is it prepared? 
• Why did India pass a law to give all students lunch every day? Why was this important? 
• The part of India where this happened is very poor and corrupt. What does this mean? How did this impact the food being poisoned? 
• Why is this unlikely to happen where you live? What safeguards do we have here that probably don't exist in that part of India? 
• What can we do to help children like this? (Give to charity; help invest in products their community produces to provide jobs and labor)

Woman Victim of Car Scam--Twice!

Summary of Article: An 18-year old woman sought to buy a used car from a California couple off of Craigslist. She paid $10,000 for the car and drove it home. The next day it was gone. It turns out her title to the car was fake and the couple had stolen back the car. The police found the Craigslist ad and arranged a fake meeting. The police arrested the couple, after they first tried to flee. They are currently being held in jail. The police are asking people to contact them if they have been victims of a similar theft by this couple.


After telling the story of the article, here are some questions to ask: 

• Why could the 18-year old victim have done to protect herself better? 
• What are the crimes the couple will likely be charged with (transferring fake title; grand theft; resisting arrest)? 
• Why do the police want to know if there are other victims? Why is it likely that there are? 
• Why is it preferable to sometimes buy things from places like Craigslist/eBay? What are things to beware of when buying things from these sites?

Tisha B'Av

Today we remember Tisha B'Av, a day in Jewish history of great suffering for the Jewish people. We lost both the First and Second Temples on this day, Jews were expelled from England on this day, the Spanish Inquisition expulsion order was signed on this day, and other calamitous events occurred in on this day.

I could not find a great video about Tisha B'Av to show to kids. If uou have any suggestions please post them below!

Otherwise, today is a good day to discuss with your kids what is Tisha B'Av, why it is important to remember, and what lessons we can learn from it--mainly Jewish unity and belief in God.

Iran Weeks Away from Crossing "Red Line"

Summary of Article: For a while now, we have discussed in this blog about the threat of Iran and nuclear capability. Netanyahu, Israel's PM, has just announced that Iran is weeks away from actually acquiring the uranium it needs to possess nuclear weapons, at the same time that Obama has just announced renewed efforts to try to talk Iran out of its nuclear ambitions. Netanyahu has firmly said he will not allow Iran to cross the red line, meaning Israel will take military action; Obama seems to prefer diplomatic action. Netanyahu is also concerned that because of all the turmoil in Egypt and Syria right now, the world's attention is not on Iran and Iran is getting away with building up its nuclear program.

Discussion with kids:

• Explain about how Iran, under the new president, is quickly reaching the point of no return regarding uranium enrichment. 
• Why is it extremely important that Iran not get nuclear weapons? 
• Why is Israel more worried about this than America? (Israel is closer geographically)
• If you wanted to stop Iran, what would you do? Explain sanctions, diplomatic talks, military action. Discuss pros/cons of each method and what has worked in the past. 
• Israel bombed and destroyed Iraq's nuclear reactor in the 1980s. Many suspect Israel will take similar action against Iran. Is this a good/bad idea? If Israel chooses to do this, what are ways we can show our support for Israel and help her? (Rallies; write letters; send donations)

Frying Eggs with Mother Nature?

Summary of Article: Death Valley, a desert national park near Los Angeles, has had record high temperatures lately, going into the 120s. Some people have been taking advantage of the heat to make egg omelets on the rocks. They split an egg open and let it cook on the rock itself! Park rangers don't like this because it is smelly and leaves cracked egg shelves for the rangers to clean up. Some people don't even throw out their egg cartons. Park rangers have asked people to stop frying eggs on rocks and instead to use pans directly on the ground. See link for picture.

Discussion with Kids:

• How do you usually make scrambled eggs or omelets? (Frying pan on the stove). Explain how people are cooking them in Death Valley. Talk about: 
• How is that you can cook an egg directly on a rock? What conditions do you need to make this happen (sufficient heat and the right surface)
• Why don't park rangers like what people are doing? How can people do it so park rangers won't get upset (clean up after themselves; not litter; use frying pans)
• Have you ever felt the ground hot enough to cook on? What would you try to make?

Unknown Portuguese "Righteous Gentile" Remembered in Portugal

Summary of Article: Mr. Sousa Mendes was Portugal's consul in Bordeaux, France, when Germany began its invasion of Europe in 1939. His twin brother was consul in Warsaw and informed him of the atrocities beginning there. In response, Mr. Mendes personally created 30,000 visas to get Jews and others out of France to Portugal and safety. Exact numbers are unknown, but an estimated one-third of the visas saved Jews, with the rest saving members of Europe's aristocracy and artists, such as Salvador Dali. Mr. Mendes, an aristocrat with 15 children, was rebuked for his actions by the Portuguese government. He was recalled to Portugal, stripped of his diplomacy position, and ended up dying in poverty, his courageous actions entirely unrecognized. He is being remembered today, as some are trying to make his now dilapidated mansion into a Tolerance Museum and others are searching for those he saved.

Women Sue In Israel to Obtain Right to Serve as Kosher Supervisors

Summary of Article: Kosher restaurants must have a moshgiach, or kosher supervisor, on the premises to ensure that the food is kosher. A group in Israel, Emunah, trains women to be supervisors so they can apply for these jobs. In 2010, the Chief Rabbinate in Israel issued a law that said one can only be a moshgiach if one has studied in a yeshiva for a minimum of four years. But only men may study in yeshiva, thereby precluding women from being kosher supervisors. Haredi women have worked as kosher supervisors for years and are well-respected in this trade. It is also one of the few jobs haredi women can pursue outside the home. Emunah has sued the Rabbinate to compel them to recognize their certificate for women in kosher supervision.

Questions for Kids:

• What is a moshgiach? Why is this necessary to make sure the food is kosher? 
• What does it mean to make a law that is only open to men? In America, we call this a discriminatory law. Why? What about it is unfair? 
• What are the arguments that the Chief Rabbinate will make and Emunah will make before the judges.
• Who do you think should win?

Gay Marriage

Summary of Article: The Supreme Court has ruled that states may decide whether to legalize gay marriage, in a sense giving a go-ahead to gay marriage in America and its related issues--gay adoption, health benefits, etc. In California, gay marriage is now legal as a result of the Supreme Court decision. Last week, Rabbi Wolpe, the head rabbi of Sinai Temple and a leader of the conservative movement, announced that he will begin performing gay marriages. This has led many in his congregation to oppose him, stating that classical Jewish literature does not approve of gay marriage.

Questions for Kids After Explaining Article:

• What does it mean to be gay? What does it mean that gay marriage is now legal in America? 
• There is a difference between civil law and religious law. What do "civil" and "religious" mean and how can they have laws that are different? Give an example. (Religious Jewish law says you cannot eat non-kosher meat but American civil law says any type of restaurant is ok). Religious law and civil law can both exist in the same society. 
• What does it mean that a rabbi will perform gay marriage? What does it mean that some people say this is against Jewish law but the rabbi says it is ok under Jewish law? (I will discuss with my kids how there are different strains of Judaism and each person follows what he/she is comfortable/what their family traditions are).
• Bonus: speak with your kids about your thoughts on gay marriage or what your rabbi/religious leader says about the gay marriage

American Independence Day!

Happy 4th of July! In honor of today being America's Independence Day, here's some ideas to discuss with kids:

• Who is your favorite president and why? 
• Who did America get independence from? (England) What were some of the reasons America wanted independence?
• The founders of American talked about establishing a country where one could pursue life, liberty and happiness. What do each of these mean and why are they you choose? 
• Here's a history video to watch about the day. 

Jordan Negotiates Gas Deal with Israel

Summary of Article: Israel recently discovered that it has natural gas reserves that it can export. Israel is in negotiations with Egypt to export the gas, greatly relieving Jordan's energy crisis. Until now, Jordan has relied on Egypt, which has had a two year shortage in supplying gas to Jordan. As a result, Jordan does not have enough cooking gas and electricity. How would gas get to Jordan? Some same it would be transported through a pipe line through the dead sea, which could be set up quickly; others say it faces major engineering hurdles to get it to Jordan. Such a deal would be wonderful for Israeli-Jordan relations, but would open Jordan up to major criticism from the Arab world. Israel hopes to become a major exporter to Asia and Europe, but has yet to sign any deals.

Questions for Kids (after summarizing article):

• Why do we need natural gas? What do we use it for? Can you find an example at home of ways we use gas? 
• Why is it a huge relief for Israel that it has its own natural gas reserve? (Discuss ramifications of being energy-independent)
• Why has Egypt had trouble supplying gas to Jordan? (Remember current event two days ago about unrest in Egypt?)
• Why would a deal be good and bad for Jordan? 
• Why does Israel want to become a major exporter? (Make Israel less isolated, increase revenue, etc.)

American Telephone Surveillance

Summary of Article: It has recently come out that the National Security Agency has been collecting telephone records on millions of Americans. This information was leaked by someone working for the organization. This collection was authorized by Congress, without the public's knowledge. Usually telephone data can only be gathered through subpoenas/going through a judge. NSA claims that the information was only phone numbers, times called, etc, not the actual conversations themselves.

Questions for Kids After Explaining Article:

• Why are some people upset to find out that the government has been collecting information on Americans? Why are some people not upset by this? 
• The NSA claims it was collecting the information in part to fight terrorism. How does collecting telephone information help track bad guys? 
• Why do some people prefer that that the government get a subpoena to obtain telephone records? Why does the government prefer to do it secretly? 
• Does it make a difference that the information collected was not the actual conversations themselves? 
• Do you think that what the government was doing was wrong or ok? 

Unrest in Egypt

Summary of Article: This weekend, there have been violent protests in Egypt. Thousands, many of them teenagers, have been protesting the lack of any economic stability or jobs in Egypt, and have demanded the ouster of the new Muslim Brotherhood president Morsi. So far the protestors have the military backing and have been peaceful, almost festive. Morsi has yet to resign and seems unsure of how to proceed, not knowing what steps to take to meet the protestors' demands. Click on link for video of protests.

Discussion with Kids:

• Egypt, which is just south of Israel, is trying to create a new government. They recently got rid of their president and elected a new president who many feel is not making the necessary changes. 
• Egypt is largely agricultural. What does this mean? 
• Many of the people graduating from Egyptian colleges find themselves with no jobs. They are protesting the lack of economic future in their country. What can be done to create jobs? 
• If you are unhappy with your government in America, how do you show it? How are they showing it in Egypt? Why doesn't the American way work there right now? (No freedom of expression, speech, press, etc.)