JEWISH WORLD NEWS

BELARUS

A mass grave of what are believed to be the remains of 730 Jewish Holocaust victims was discovered when builders began to lay the foundation for an apartment block in the area of Brest. Many of the skulls were marked with bullet holes, evidence of execution-style killings. Local authorities plan to bury the bodies in a ceremony at a cemetery. In the past, Belarus has faced sharp criticism for building over sacred Jewish grounds turning them into sports stadiums and using headstones for pavement and housing foundations. Belarus, a former Soviet republic, was occupied by Nazi Germany during the Second World War and tens of thousands of its Jews were killed by the Nazis. From 1941 till 1942, Jews living in this region were forced to reside in the Brest Ghetto, which was established as Germany conquered Poland

ISRAEL

L’Chaim!  According to the Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index, Israel is the tenth healthiest country in the world, 54 spots ahead of the United States. A Mediterranean diet is credited for the country’s high health rating. The report, which ranked 169 nations, based its findings on factors including life expectancy, access to sanitation, medical care, and health risks such as smoking and obesity.  Spain and Italy came in as the top two countries, while Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for 27 of the 30 unhealthiest nations in the Bloomberg rankings. Haiti, Afghanistan, and Yemen were also in the bottom 30.

IRAN

Three rare sifrei Torah estimated to be 1,000 years old were stolen from the Ezra-Abrishmi Jewish Community Center, a synagogue in Tehran. It is unknown if the motive for the theft was anti-Semitic or purely financial.  The Iranian border police are on high alert for the highly valuable scrolls. The building which housed the Torahs serves as the center for what remains of the local Jewish community, which includes a synagogue, a kosher restaurant, a mikveh, educational institutions and more. Between 15,000 and 25,000 Jews live in Iran, primarily in Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz.

TURKEY

Turkish security officials retrieved stolen historical artifacts in an anti-smuggling operation  in southern Turkey. Acting on a tip-off, provincial security directorate units raided a minibus and seized three handwritten Hebrew manuscripts, nine coins, and a small statue of a woman holding a water jug.  One of the items confiscated is an 800-year-old leather book filled with 22 pages of Hebrew scripts. The book also contains delicate engraved figures. The six suspects, who were later identified as Syrian nationals, have been detained and the artifacts have been delivered to the museum’s directorate for further examination. The suspects had been attempting to sell the book and artifacts.

AZERBAIJAN

Next month, a fleishig eatery named 7/40 will open in Azerbaijan, making it the very first  kosher restaurant ever to open in the region. Combining Azeri and Middle Eastern cuisine, owner Moshe Moiseev hopes to attract Jews and gentiles alike as customers. Rabbi Shneor Segal, the city’s rabbi, will supply the kosher certification and supervise the cooking. The 100-seat restaurant is situated around the corner from Segal’s Chabad synagogue and 500 yards away from the Georgian synagogue. Moiseev is hoping that the restaurant will encourage more Jewish tourists to visit Baku.

ENGLANDRabbi Yosef Mizrachi, a popular lecturer and founder of a kiruv organization, was forced to cancel a series of speeches scheduled to take place in London and Manchester after being denied entry into the country. The British Home Office labels him an “extremist” due to some of his controversial views on the Holocaust. “This Government upholds free speech but we will not let it be used to excuse detestable views that directly contravene our values,”  they said justifying their move.  16 Orthodox US and UK rabbis signed a letter condemning his lectures as “objectionable and even dangerous.” Rabbi Mizrachi also faces harsh backlash for his beliefs on autism and down syndrome.