Eurovision tonight: Israel’s unfancied entrant is upbeat * Germany denounces BDS * ’Orthodox’ Chicago couple preach Jesus * Herman Wouk obit * M y parents’ 1948 love story

[Visit timesofisrael.com for 24/7 updates]( The Daily Edition Saturday, May 18, 2019 [With Eurovision finally here, Israel’s unfancied Kobi Marimi is unfazed, upbeat]( By [TOI staff and Agencies]( [200 million people worldwide set to watch song contest final from 10 p.m. in Tel Aviv; Netherlands, Sweden, Australia are favorites; Madonna, Netta Barzilai to play]( [From the web / Eurovision 2019: What to watch for in Saturday’s grand final]( [Shalva inspires broadcasters to offer more accessibility for Eurovision viewers]( By [Melanie Lidman]( [Final countdown / Eurovision dress rehearsal goes off without a hitch, but no Madonna]( By [Jessica Steinberg]( Reporter's notebook [Yaakov Schwartz]( [As rowdy German parliament okays landmark anti-BDS law, far-right AfD wants more]( [Anti-immigration party, shunned by German Jewish community leaders, calls itself ‘Israel’s one true friend in parliament’ as it pushes for stronger legislation]( [Germany denounces BDS as ‘anti-Semitic,’ reminiscent of Nazi-era boycotts]( By [Raphael Ahren and AP]( [German far-right dominates digital campaign for EU election]( By [Kirsten Grieshaber]( [Head of Austria’s far-right FPOe resigns government amid corruption scandal]( By [AFP]( [Vienna’s government in crisis after Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache seen on hidden camera promising public contracts in return for campaign aid from a fake Russian backer]( [France’s Le Pen predicts historic vote for populist parties]( By [AP]( [Aide to far-right French politician pictured wearing Orthodox Jewish costume]( By [Cnaan Liphshiz]( [A Chicago couple lives like Orthodox Jews — and preaches the word of Jesus]( By [Josefin Dolsten]( [Likud says immunity for Netanyahu won’t be a part of coalition deals]( By [TOI staff]( [But PM still expected to push ahead with some sort of legislation after he puts together a government]( [Likud tries to tempt Blue and White MK to jump ship, join coalition — report]( By [TOI staff]( [Witness in PM’s case: He told me ‘Do everything Sara asks. Don’t be a leftist’]( By [TOI staff]( [US warns airliners flying in Persian Gulf of danger amid Iran tensions]( By [AP and TOI staff]( [Diplomats say planes in region face risk of being ‘misidentified,’ as well as possible interference with navigation and communications equipment]( [US-Iran tensions test Trump’s ‘America First’ pledge]( By [Zeke Miller and Steve Peoples]( [Iran’s top diplomat presses efforts to save nuclear deal]( By [Nasser Karimi]( [Saudi newspaper calls on Washington to launch strikes on Iran]( By [Agencies]( [Syria says Israel carried out strike, claims to intercept missiles]( By [TOI staff and Agencies]( [State news agency says air defenses shot down ‘hostile targets’ coming from the Golan; sounds of explosions reported near Damascus; Israel mum]( Obituary [RACHEL GORDAN]( [Herman Wouk, the legendary author who brought Judaism into the mainstream]( [Wouk, an Orthodox Jew, embodied the new postwar possibilities for American Jews]( [Obituary / ‘Caine Mutiny,’ ‘Winds of War’ author Herman Wouk dies at 103]( By [Hillel Italie]( First person [1948 battlefield love story unfolds in forgotten letters recovered by their son]( By [Amir Ben-David]( Top Ops [Baruch Frydman-Kohl]( [The day I met the Colombia astronauts’ families at the Israel Museum]( [On Ilan Ramon’s salvaged diary, the remnants of the Enoch scroll, and the ancient quest to reach beyond our limits]( [Jonathan Sacks]( [Evolution or revolution?]( [Though the Torah did not abolish slavery, it set in motion a process that led people to come to the conclusion that it was wrong of their own accord (Behar)]( [Israel says no evidence troops killed Palestinian paraplegic in 2017 Gaza riot]( By [Agencies and TOI staff]( [Army closes investigation into killing of Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh, whose death drew international attention]( [April is first month in over a year with no Israelis killed, wounded in attacks]( By [TOI staff and JTA]( [Clashes reported in West Bank between Palestinians, settlers]( By [Jacob Magid and TOI staff]( [Two masked suspects break into settlement, flee after encountering patrol]( By [Jacob Magid and TOI staff]( No bad publicity [Publisher backs out of novel about imagined Iranian attack on Israel]( By [Josefin Dolsten]( Analysis [Ron Kampeas]( [Democrats charge GOP with refusing to acknowledge far-right anti-Semitism]( [Opponents accuse Republican leaders of focusing on anti-BDS policy for political gain, while ignoring more serious threat of white nationalism]( [Police now probing 3 fires at 2 Boston-area Chabad houses]( By [Penny Schwartz]( [Palestinian activists don’t understand why they can’t enter the US]( By [Ben Sales]( [2 Democratic senators mock Trump’s Iran deal strategy on Twitter]( By [Ron Kampeas]( More Headlines [Flammable gas leak in Haifa causes shutdown of roads]( By [TOI staff]( [Israeli company targeted Nigerian election in Facebook disinformation campaign]( By [Isabel Debre]( [Whisky a go go / Israeli TV show set on an army base to be adapted by US network]( By [Curt Schleier]( [UK neo-Nazi who planned to kill lawmaker jailed for life]( By [AP and TOI staff]( [IDF cameramen square off against US ‘shooters’ in combat photography contest]( By [Judah Ari Gross]( [From our partner / Police investigate alleged racial abuse and assault near London synagogue]( [Rivlin says ‘national plans’ needed to protect animals after vulture poisoning]( By [TOI staff]( [With sights set on Supreme Court, Missouri latest US state to restrict abortion]( By [Chris Lefkow and Charlotte Plantive]( [Williams College gives pro-Israel group official status]( By [JTA]( [Closing of East Bay Jewish fed reflects changing fortunes in Northern California]( By [Dan Pine]( [Unsubscribe from this List]( © 2019 THE TIMES OF ISRAEL, All Rights Reserved