ToI Community update: Editor’s Note: An ethos to live by * Webinars: US protests; Israeli annexation * Podcast: Dead Sea Scrolls 101

[The Times of Israel]( Dear Community members and Daily Edition readers, The “whole of the Torah,” the core of Judaism, was summed up by the Mishnaic sage Hillel as “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor.” A detail from the Knesset Menorah, Jerusalem, showing Hillel the Elder teaching a man the meaning of the whole Torah while he stands on one foot. (Avi Deror /Wikipedia) Perhaps the miracle of Jewish survival through the centuries was engineered in order to preserve that elemental precept. Humanity needs to be reminded of it time and again. And most certainly right now — as America gives every sign of tearing itself apart, and as we all battle a virus that spreads via physical proximity and thus can be thwarted by simply being considerate and keeping our distance. For a moment, just a few days ago, from a selfish Israeli perspective, it had seemed like life was returning to something akin to normal. Israel appeared to be beating COVID-19. After almost a year-and-a-half, we even had a proper government. But the moment has passed. The virus is evidently not behind us. Our government is bloated, divided and only semi-functional. We are now [arguing]( over whether Israel should unilaterally expand its sovereignty into parts of the disputed West Bank — the biblical Judea and Samaria — the territory claimed by the Palestinians for a future state. We have witnessed two terrible recent killings: The first, by police, in a part of Jerusalem’s Old City that has seen a series of terrorist attacks over the years, of an autistic Palestinian man holding what was apparently thought to be a gun but was his mobile phone. (All praise to Jerusalem’s Chief Rabbi Aryeh Stern for [visiting]( the bereaved family of Iyad Halak last night, and to the family for their grace in receiving him.) The second, by a stray bullet, of a four-year-old Palestinian girl, Rafif Qara’een, in a tragedy [unsolved]( and barely remarked upon. Jerusalem Chief Rabbi Aryeh Stern, center, speaking to members of Iyad Halak’s family during a condolence call on June 2, 2020. (Courtesy: Jerusalem Municipality) Thousands in Tel Aviv have felt the imperative to come out and [demonstrate]( against the enduring plague of violence against women. And we look across to America, and wonder how much worse the violence will get, and how long it will take for the United States to heal. But humanity does have a route out of this hellish time: that precept coined by Hillel 2,000 years ago. 🤝 NOW MORE THAN EVER: Join the ToI Community We are hugely appreciative that so many of you have been joining the Community, and thus helping finance the work of our reporters and editors. If you haven’t yet joined the ToI Community, [please do so now!]( All Times of Israel content remains open to all readers. But if that content matters to you, do please support us — for as little as $6 a month. Did you miss a Community update, webinar, podcast or benefit? It’s all right on [the ToI Community page]( (accessible only to logged-in Community members). 🎥 ToI Community Webinars ** TODAY: Unilateral annexation and its repercussions ** What would unilateral annexation mean for Israel in the diplomatic arena? What would happen to the Palestinians — and Israel’s democracy? Tune in TODAY, June 3 at 2 pm Jerusalem time (7 am Eastern / 4 am Pacific) for an exclusive ToI Community session with ToI diplomatic correspondent Raphael Ahren about how unilateral annexation could affect Israel’s future. (We know this takes place very early for many of you, so we will try to provide a recording. Email sarah@timesofisrael.com for the video recording link.) Click the image above or the link below to join this webinar on Zoom: [JOIN ON ZOOM]( ** Civil rights and civil unrest: Insights from Minneapolis ** As protests spread across the US, the ToI Community heard yesterday from two leaders who live in the epicenter of the crisis: ToI Community member Ethan Roberts, director of government affairs for the Jewish Community Relations Council for Minnesota and the Dakotas, and Abou Amara, a prominent civil rights attorney. Thank you to all who participated in this incredibly moving webinar. A video will be available soon on our [Facebook ToI Community Group.]( If you aren’t on FB and wish to see the recording, please email sarah@timesofisrael.com for a link. 🎧 ToI Podcast: The Dead Sea Scrolls: History, conservation, and digitization This week the prestigious Cell journal has a really cool new study of ancient animal DNA that was taken from Dead Sea Scrolls’ parchment. There are a lot of surprising findings, so we’re speaking with Pnina Shor, the founding curator and head of the Dead Sea Scrolls unit in the Israel Antiquities Authority, to get some background. Shor provides a Dead Sea Scrolls 101 and explains the many iterations of her unit’s conservation and digitization efforts since the scrolls were found in a chance discovery by a Beduin shepherd in 1947. Hear [this episode here]( — and be sure to subscribe to The Times of Israel podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you listen. 🙌 June perks for ToI Community members: - 10% off Israeli artist Lea Nikel’s prints at [ArtSource](. Indicate you’re a member of the Times of Israel Community to receive discount. - 15% off at [Milk & Honey Distillery](. Discount Code: timesofisrael_mh-distillery (Israel shipments only; discount on all but Distillery Exclusive Edition) - 10% off any custom photo bencher at [Let’s Bench](. Discount Code: 10TOI - 10% off from [BeerBazaar]( ([English](). Discount Code: TOI-COMMUNITY - A 15% discount at [Judaica Webstore.](Discount code: TOI_15 - A $100 voucher for a Hebrew course from[ eTeacher.]( Be well! David Horovitz Founding Editor, The Times of Israel You are receiving this email because you are subscribed to The Times of Israel's Daily Edition and/or you are a member of [The Times of Israel Community](. If you would like to stop receiving these emails, please click below to unsubscribe. [Unsubscribe]( Email not displaying correctly? [View it in your browser](