Did I ever tell you about the German Jew who became an Indian chief in the Wild West? This isn't a joke from a Mel Brooks movie, this really happened! >> Solomon Bibo was born in Prussia in 1853 and left to the USA in 1869 due to persecution. Starting a business in Sante Fe, Solomon had many dealings with the natives, who valued his fairness and honesty. >>

The high priest of Jerusalem meeting a foreign king, possibly Alexander the Great. A mosaic from the recently excavated 4th century Huqoq synagogue in Galilee. It's very rare for ancient Jewish art to depict people, and this one is quite stunning. Here's Samson, carrying the gates of Gaza on his shoulders:

Without Portugal, it's likely that Israel wouldn't exist today. In fact, it's possible the world wouldn't exist today. This is the story of Operation Nickel Grass >> On 6 October 1973, Israel was attacked by Egypt and Syria, whose armies were trained and equipped by the Soviet Union. The surprise attack had inflicted heavy losses on the IDF and put Israel in a precarious position. >>

I like the 3D test of antisemitism. Israel is not ideal and not above reproach. However, every criticism should be tested for the 3 D's: delegitimization, demonization, and double standards. If any of these tests are positive, then this isn't criticism; it's bigotry. Delegitimization: If you claim that Jews lack the right of self-determination or that the state of Israel should be destroyed, you're not being critical of a nation's policies, you're inciting a genocide. Saying a nation should not exist is never criticism, it's a hateful attack.

A few interesting 20th century Arabic quotes about Palestine. A thread. "We consider Palestine as part of Arab Syria, as it has never been separated from it at any time. We are connected with it by national, religious, linguistic, natural, economic and geographical bonds."
-- The First Congress of Muslim-Christian Associations, 1919.

A few thoughts on the Israeli elections for the benefit of my foreign friends. A long and boring thread >> The terms "right" and "left" cannot be used to describe current Israeli politics. Examining their actual politics, there's nothing that makes Bibi more right or less right wing than Lapid. >>

A passage by Eric Hoffer from 1968 I really like. A thread:
Jews are a peculiar people: things permitted to other nations are forbidden to the Jews. Other nations drive out thousands, even millions of people and there is no refugee problem. >> Russia did it, Poland and Czechoslovakia did it. Turkey drove out a million Greeks and Algeria a million Frenchman. Indonesia threw out heaven knows how many Chinese—and no one says a word about refugees. >>

Story time! Everyone heard about the aristocratic Ashkenazi Rothchild family, described in 1836 as "peering above kings, rising higher than emperors." However, far fewer people have heard about the equally aristocratic and no-less-important Sephardi Sassoon family. >> Often referred to as "the Rothschilds of the East," the Sassoons have founded in the 18th century a merchant empire spanning the continent of Asia, with docks, hotels and trading companies from Baghdad to Bombay, from London to Shanghai, from New York to Jerusalem. >>

Did you hear about the German Jew who became an Indian chief in the Wild West? No, this isn't a joke from a Mel Brooks film, this really happened! >> Solomon Bibo was born in Prussia in 1853 and left the country in 1869 due to political persecution. Starting a business in Sante Fe, Solomon had many dealings with the natives, who valued his fairness and honesty. >>

The amount of people who think the US provided Israel with nuclear weapons is too damn high. It was the French. You know, the people who make good cheese and win at football? Those guys. And not just any old French, but left-wing, socialist, Radical Party French. >> The French Prime Minister at the time reportedly said that, "I gave you the bomb in order to prevent another Holocaust from befalling the Jewish people." (and also because you helped us and the British kick the sand out of Egypt). >>

There are three common myths about Gaza and Israel I'm tired of seeing. I'm not looking to change anyone's opinion here, just get some facts straight:

(a thread) >> Myth #1: Gaza is the most densely populated city in the world
Gaza city is not even in the top 50. In fact, there are many cities in Europe and the USA that are denser than Gaza. For example, Paris.

So tired of supposed "allies" who keep telling me what should or shouldn't be my concerns as a Jew and an Israeli and dismiss what I'm really concerned about. Allies *listen*. Otherwise, you're just using Jews to score political points. This is exploitation, not friendship. They always first pretend to be your friends and express sympathy with "your" struggle (their struggle really). Then when you told them they got it all wrong and you struggle with something totally different they instantly become dismissive and insulting.

This is a photo of a Vietnamese refugee with an Israeli hat. There's an interesting story behind this picture. >> On June the 10th, 1977, the Israeli bulk freighter Yuvali has encountered a fishing boat with 66 Vietnamese refugees who've been adrift for days. The captain, Meir Tadmor, had picked up the refugees and proceed to Taiwan. >>

Let me tell you a story about Jews, Nazis, Israel and the UN. When Israel arrested the Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in 1960, the Jewish state was condemned by almost the entire world, including by the US, the UK, France, and the Soviet Union. >> Even though these four nations executed thousands of Nazis on foreign soil and still occupied most of Germany, the UN passed Resolution 138 condemning Israel and warning Eichmann's arrest "undermined international peace." >>

Tragedy of Palestine. Pls share. Between 1967 (that’s when Israel occupied the territories from Jordan and Egypt) and 1987 (the eve of the first Intifada), the Palestinians experienced the following calamities >> Annual per capita income increased by 2,125%
GDP increased by 200%
Number of cars increased by 1,000%
Infant mortality dropped from 110 to 40
Crude death rates dropped from 14 to 3.5
Population doubled! (what a genocide!)

But wait, there's more! >>