News – Diaspora

Florida and California are both saying no to the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel, with groundbreaking legislative measures. Florida has become the fifth U.S. state to adopt an anti-BDS resolution, following Tennessee’s example, while California has introduced a bill countering BDS, which will require the state to divest from all companies that participate in boycotts of Israel.

Lina Allan, a pro-Palestinian activist based out of Michigan, recently posted a video defending the stabbing of Jews in Israel, where she compares Jews to animals. “Let me tell you that at best, you are representing animal rights – not human rights, but at best, animal rights,” she says to those who oppose the terror attacks.

Charlie Hebdo is marking the anniversary of the Jan. 7, 2015 terror attack with a special edition whose cover features a murderous God.  In an editorial, chief editor Gerard Biard writes how the French are accustomed to “Jews being killed because they are Jewish,” comparing the attack on Hyper Cacher to the November attack on Le Bataclan. “This is an error, and not just on a human level. Because it’s the executioner who decides who is Jewish. Nov. 13 was the proof of that. On that day, the executioner showed us that he had decided we were all Jewish.”

News – Israel

Israeli experts weighed in on the Iran-Saudi Arabia conflict yesterday, with some claiming that the situation could be detrimental to Israel as it could allow hostile elements to operate directly on Israel’s borders. Others believe the conflict will keep both Iran and Hezbollah occupied, keeping them from focusing on Israel.

The manhunt for 29-year-old Nasham Melhem entered its fifth day Tuesday, with his father Mohammed, and several other family members, arrested on suspicion of involvement.

A Palestinian man was killed after stabbing an IDF soldier at the West Bank junction of Gush Etzion today. The soldier was lightly hurt with stab wounds to the face.

In Tel Aviv, in a bid to restore normalcy, some 20 + bars are offering a buy one, get one free deal on beer. An effective solution to ending terror if I’ve ever heard one.

An Israeli NGO has exposed Facebook for, it alleges, harbouring an anti-Israel bias, after launching both anti-Israel and anti-Palestinian Facebook pages. While both pages were simultaneously uploaded with hateful content, Facebook deemed that only one violated its community standards. Care to guess which one?

Science

Israeli researchers are investigating the potential of algae-based biofuel, and if it could power cars or airplanes.

Innovation from Israel is being utilized where it’s needed most: Africa. According to a new report, Israeli technologies are slowly attempting to “transform” the continent, with startups “developing products that will have a meaningful impact on the people who need them the most.”

Sports

The Raptors lost (badly) to Israeli coach David Blatt, superstar LeBron James and the Cavaliers last night, 122 – 100.

Israelis and Jews alike are being encouraged to vote for the Jewish state’s first-ever baller to play in the NBA, 3-point phenomenon Omri Casspi, to participate in the upcoming NBA all-star game in Toronto. Good luck getting tickets though.

Culture

In an interview with Uproxx, Mayim Bialik (read our exclusive interview with her here) and other cast members from the iconic 90s sitcom Blossom reflect on the television show that galvanized her path to stardom.

There’s a new bar in Melbourne, Australia that gets its inspiration from a character on the most Jewish television show of all time: Seinfeld. That’s right, George’s Bar is real and offers patrons the chance to drink George Costanza-themed cocktails like ‘The Hand Model’ or ‘Draped in Velvet’. They even have Frogger.

Jason Alexander commented on the news himself via Twitter:

That’s right – I may not have an Emmy, but I got me a bar in Melbourne, Australia. G’day, mates.

— jason alexander (@IJasonAlexander) January 1, 2016

Hilarious Jewish director Judd Apatow has a new Netflix series called Love, starring Paul Rust and Gillian Jacobs. The show will be unveiled on Feb. 19, but until then, feel free to check out the newly-released trailer:

Weather

The weather is currently – 11 C in Toronto. Should perk up significantly by Wednesday, though.