June 2008

Arab and Israeli journalists share panel

Arab and Israeli journalists shared a panel during the American Jewish Committee's 102 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C. Correspondents from the New York Times, Channel 2 TV News (Israel), Al-Hayat and LBC Satellite TV (Lebanon) discussed the challenges of covering the Middle East. The session was aired on C-Span and can be watched on the internet at http://tinyurl.com/3jrpkz.

Israel's dilemma over opening hospitals to Gazans

The BBC, often criticized for unbalanced anti-Israel reporting, ran a story about Israel’s care for Gazans in Israeli hospitals and the challenges this presents for Israel. In addition to the crossing being bombarded over 200 times by mortars, rockets and sniper fire since last June, Israel’s care has been exploited by suicide bombers. The complete article is available at http://tinyurl.com/6fmylf.

Yad Vashem Launches YouTube Channels, puts 130,000 photos online

Yad Vashem, the Holocaust remembrance and education center in Jerusalem, has launched two YouTube channels, in English and Arabic. The English channel contains testimonies from Holocaust survivors, including archival footage, historians’ lectures on key issues related to the Holocaust, footage from visits to Yad Vashem, and human interest stories, such as family reunions. The Arabic channel has testimonies and archival footage about the Holocaust, with Arabic subtitles. You can watch the videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/YadVashem. Yad Vashem has also added 130,000 images to its Online Photo Archive at www.yadvashem.org.

Israel at Sixty Exhibit - Fulfilling the Dream

The American Zionist Movement has a new photo exhibit available for rent and display at community centers and synagogues. This special exhibit contrasts early scenes of the State of Israel with modern scenes using a hologram form of photography. For more information about renting the exhibit visit http://azm.org/exhibit.shtml.

Israeli Foreign Minister Livni visits Qatar

In a speech at a conference in Qatar, Livni extended Israel’s hand in friendship. She said "We hope that other Arab states will follow the example of Qatar, as a means for promoting co-existence, understanding and peace in the entire region....To the Arab states of our region, some represented in this conference, we extend our hand in friendship." Her entire speech is available at http://tinyurl.com/6axa6x.