Your Daily Spiel is The CJN’s (almost) daily roundup of trending stories in the Jewish world.
Canada
Rapid Retraction: In a quick turn of events, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) reversed an earlier directive for carriers such as the LCBO, to stop importing and selling wines produced in the disputed territories. “In our assessment, we did not fully consider the Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement (CIFTA),” the food agency explained. “Further clarification of the CIFTA indicates that these wines adhere to the agreement and therefore we can confirm that the products in question can be sold as currently labelled.”
READ: MEMORIAL ATTENDED BY NEO-NAZIS HELD AT TORONTO LIBRARY
Israel
Temple Troubles: Three Palestinian terrorists opened fire on the Temple mount this morning killing two Israeli police officers before being shot and killed themselves.The Temple Mount is considered by many the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam. The incident is part of a string of disputes over the religious site’s legal status in recent years. PA President Mahmoud Abbas condemned the attack in a call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Europe
Travel Time: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to be the first Israeli political leader to visit Hungary since the Iron Curtain fell 26 years ago. Netanyahu’s visit comes amid growing concerns of anti-Semitism regarding American-Hungarian Jewish billionaire George Soros’ treatment in recent years. Leaders of Hungary’s 100,000 person Jewish community argue that Netanyahu is subordinating domestic claims of anti-Semitism to Israeli commercial interests.
READ: THESE 10 RABBIS IN CANADA MADE ISRAEL’S CHIEF RABBINATE’S ‘BLACKLIST’
Arts & Culture
Throne Games: A new article by Forward Magazine details the ‘secret’ Jewish history behind the renowned HBO show Game of Thrones. Among the show’s interesting Jewish tidbits include its set location of the legendary kabbalistic city of Girona, which boasts one of the most well-preserved and beautiful Jewish quarters in Europe and the addition of Ania Bukstein and Yousef Sweid, two Israeli actors, to the cast.
Jon Stewart Returns: Jon Stewart stopped by for a guest appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! to speak to a Bar Mitzvah boy interesting in becoming a late-night talk-show host. Check it out!
Column of the Day
Newish Acquaintances: An Op-Ed published in today’s New York Times by Neri Zilber, a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, chronicles the growing “secret” alliance between Israel’s and its neighbours. The encouraging signs of co-operation between Israel and Syrian rebels, the Jordanian monarchy, Egyptian counterinsurgency, and Palestinian co-ordination are not isolated incidents. “Taken as a whole, Israeli activities in Syria, Jordan, the West Bank, Egypt and the Gulf can no longer be viewed in isolation from one another,” Zilber continues. “At the very least, Israel is no longer viewed as the central problem plaguing the Middle East.”