World News in Brief

JTA STAFF

Rabbi Gabriel Davidovich was hospitalised with serious injuries, including nine broken ribs, according to Jorge Knoblovits, the President of the Jewish political umbrella organisation, the Delegation of Israelite Associations of Argentina (DAIA).

“We know that you are the AMIA [Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina] rabbi,” the assailants shouted before beating Davidovich.

His wife was home during the attack, which happened at about 02:00 in the Jewish neighbourhood of Once in the Argentine capital. The attackers restrained her, and stole money and belongings from the apartment.

The attack was a “brutal anti-Semitic aggression”, the DAIA said on Monday night. The statement, which was signed by Knoblovits, said that the attack was “framed on the anti-Semitic events that are taking place in different European countries, which threaten coexistence and democratic values”.

A statement issued by AMIA condemned the attack, but did not specifically call it anti-Semitic.

Davidovich has served as chief rabbi since 2013. The office of the rabbinate is located in the AMIA building in Buenos Aires.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement issued on Tuesday morning sent wishes for a quick recovery to the rabbi and his wife.

“We must not let anti-Semitism rear its head. I strongly condemn the recent acts of anti-Semitism, and call on the international community to take action against it,” Netanyahu said.

The World Jewish Congress said it was “shocked and incensed by the brutal attack”.

“It is not yet clear whether this was a targeted crime of hateful anti-Semitism or a barbaric criminal act, but we trust that the authorities will continue to do everything in their power to determine the motive and bring the perpetrators to justice,” Chief Executive Robert Singer said on Monday.

Israel ranked 10th healthiest country in world

Israel is the 10th healthiest country in the world, 54 spots ahead of the United States.

The Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index, published on Sunday, ranked 169 nations based on factors such as life expectancy, access to sanitation, and medical care. Countries were penalised for tobacco use and obesity, among other health risks.

Unsurprisingly, the Mediterranean diet – common in Israel, as well as Spain and Italy, which are numbers one and two on the list – was noted in Bloomberg’s analysis.

“Mediterranean diet, supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts, had a lower rate of major cardiovascular events than those assigned to a reduced-fat diet,” the Bloomberg study stated.

The rest of the top 10, in order, are: Spain, Italy, Iceland, Japan, Switzerland, Sweden, Australia, Singapore, and Norway.

The US placed 64th, largely in part to its high obesity rate. Recent figures from the US Centers for Disease Control estimate about 40% of the country, or more than 93 million citizens, are obese.

Egypt promises synagogues if Jews return

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said his government would build synagogues and provide services for the Jewish community if there was a resurgence of the community in his country.

Sisi made the statement last week during a meeting with a delegation from the US, the Jerusalem Post reported.

The delegation was made up of the Anwar Sadat Congressional Gold Medal Commission, which successfully lobbied to grant the Congressional Gold Medal to late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. President Donald Trump signed the bill to grant the highest civilian award bestowed by Congress in December.

The commission members were in Egypt to invite Sisi to attend the ceremony in autumn, when the medal will be presented to Jehan Sadat, the wife of the leader assassinated in 1981.

The commission was founded and led by Ezra Friedlander, an orthodox Jewish consultant and lobbyist from New York.

“President Sisi spoke fondly not only of Egypt’s past vibrant Jewish community, but also said that should there be a resurgence of the Jewish community in Egypt, the government would provide every religious necessity required,” Friedlander told the Post.

Before Israel declared independence in 1948, about 75 000 Jews lived Egypt. Only a handful of Jews live in Egypt today.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif resigns

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has submitted his resignation, reportedly over infighting about Iran’s foreign policy and its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, detested by Israel.

Zarif reportedly submitted his resignation late on Monday evening. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had not replied to the letter by Tuesday afternoon in Iran, Al Jazeera English reported.

The US-educated Zarif has served as foreign minister since August 2013, and faced criticism from hardliners in his country over his attempts to establish better relations with the West. Zarif was a major player in negotiating the nuclear deal with the US and other world powers, trading sanctions relief for Iran in exchange for easing its nuclear-weapons ambitions. The Trump administration pulled out of the agreement, which appears to be collapsing.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo responded to the resignation in a tweet, saying, “We note @JZarif’s resignation. We’ll see if it sticks. Either way, he and @HassanRouhani are just front men for a corrupt religious mafia. We know @khamenei_ir makes all final decisions. Our policy is unchanged. The regime must behave like a normal country and respect its people.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a vehement opponent of the Iran nuclear deal, tweeted: “Zarif is gone. Good riddance.”