ToI’s weekly deep dive: After 7-month celestial tour, astronaut Jessica Meir still needs a hug * Annexation, now? * Inside the mind of an Orthod ox prepper * DIY fine art

[Visit timesofisrael.com for 24/7 updates]( The Weekend Edition Sunday, June 14, 2020 Interview [Back from space odyssey, astronaut Jessica Meir adapts to Covid-plagued Earth]( By [Renee Ghert-Zand]( [With 7 months on International Space Station and historic all-female space walks behind her, trailblazing child of Iraqi-born Israeli sets sights on Artemis moon landing project]( Reporter's notebook [Already neglected, Jordan Valley Palestinians fear Trump plan will confine them]( By [Jacob Magid]( [Villagers slated to be engulfed by annexed territory oppose US proposal and say they’d reject Israeli citizenship even if offered]( [Steven E. Zipperstein]( [How to cancel annexation? Make a win-win deal that’s better]( [Inside story / Mapping Netanyahu’s annexation plan: Experts explain a charged, complex process]( By [Jacob Magid]( [Fighting Trump plan, hilltop youth may go where no settler has before: Area A]( By [Jacob Magid]( Op-Ed [David Horovitz]( [Annexation Now: What is Netanyahu up to?]( [Why is this most calculating of politicians so ostensibly determined to expand Israeli sovereignty into the territories, when potential downside is so clear?]( [Interview / Why some on the right see Netanyahu’s trial as unjust – even if he’s guilty]( By [Haviv Rettig Gur]( [Analysis / For Netanyahu, despite mounting opposition, annexation is already paying off]( By [Haviv Rettig Gur]( Reporter's Notebook [NY Jewish neighborhood watch Shomrim slams movement to defund NYPD]( By [Cathryn J. Prince]( [CRM]( George Floyd [Pandemics, riots & no kosher food: The doomsday scenarios of an Orthodox prepper]( By [Miriam Groner]( [US-born Israeli Joshua Wander sees the coronavirus crisis and America’s violent unrest pushing disaster preparedness to the mainstream — and he has some advice for Diaspora Jews]( [Author interview / Comparing how Germany and US confront evil racial past, author finds US wanting]( By [Rich Tenorio]( [Avi Weiss]( [Do not cover George’s blood: Breathe out for justice and peace]( [ToI Community webinar / WATCH: Call to action from Minnesota rabbis who attended George Floyd funeral]( By [Noam Haykeen and TOI staff]( TOI investigates [As world roils, Ethiopian-born minister leads ‘wake up’ call on racism in Israel]( By [Sam Sokol]( [Many black Israelis say they see a reflection of their own struggle in Floyd protests. Absorption Minister Pnina Tamano-Shata says Israel must, and can, become a beacon of progress]( [Listen: ToI Podcast / Activist, politician, rabbi: Sergio Bergman takes the helm of Progressive Jewry]( By [Amanda Borschel-Dan]( Coronavirus crisis [A DC-area Hebrew Home creates new norms amid a pandemic, but are they enough?]( By [Eric Cortellessa]( [The head of Maryland’s largest skilled nursing center explains how the facility has changed its policies while dealing with the ‘unknown unknowns’ of the coronavirus outbreak]( [Elderly / Start-up nonprofit feeds over 1,500 Holocaust survivors locked down in NY]( By [Matt Lebovic]( [Steven Bayar]( [Lessons from the cemetery, 2020]( ToI investigates [Who is Gal Hirsch, championed for top police job by Likud minister, activists?]( By [Simona Weinglass]( StartUp Israel [As mammoth high-tech hub is eyed for East Jerusalem, will it benefit locals?]( By [Aaron Boxerman]( [Urban planners say that ‘Silicon Wadi’ project does not answer needs of Wadi Joz residents, must include housing; up to 200 existing Palestinian businesses to be evicted]( [Analysis / Proposed rescue deal could lead to nationalization of ailing airline El Al]( By [Shoshanna Solomon]( [Inside Story / As banks refuse to lend, small firms’ crunch highlights lack of credit options]( By [Shoshanna Solomon]( [In first, Sweden and Israel to join forces in research and development]( By [Shoshanna Solomon]( DIY Art [Locked down art lovers go viral by recreating masterpieces at home]( By [Alex Surin]( [After reenacting Van Gogh’s famous self-portrait with her husband, Katerina Brudnaya-Chelyadinova invited her Facebook friends to have a go; her group is now a global phenomenon]( Film review [‘The King of Staten Island’: A touchingly funny film about the loser you love]( By [Jordan Hoffman]( [Streaming June 12, the movie is perhaps Judd Apatow’s best in over a decade, and lets SNL star Pete Davidson catch laughs while showing his dramatic range]( [Director interview / Why Hollywood director Boaz Yakin’s newest project is a gender-fluid art film]( By [Jordan Hoffman]( [Interview / What podcast rhymes with corona and gets under your skin? ‘Ronna’ stars tell all]( By [Jordan Hoffman]( Exclusive [Diaries reveal overwhelmed British officials in Palestine wanted to go home]( By [Steven E. Zipperstein]( Archaeology [China’s fabled ‘Genghis Khan Wall’ was not actually built to keep him out]( By [Amanda Borschel-Dan]( [737 km section of Great Wall in Mongolian Steppe predates ferocious ruler; was built to control movements of nomadic peoples, boost Khitan-Liao Empire, Israeli hi-tech study shows]( [Archaeology / Israeli researchers find first evidence ancient humans ate snakes, lizards]( By [Luke Tress]( [Small-scale appearance / 130 years on, lizard species found by Jewish explorer resurfaces]( By [Sue Surkes]( [Pack a duffel, there are sleepaway camps for Israeli kids this summer]( By [Jessica Steinberg]( [Summer Camps Israel gathers a forum of 30 camps and youth organizations in order to create better summertime options]( [Stellar song / Local folk singer pens ode to female astronomer]( By [Jessica Steinberg]( From the blogs [Finding my Kaddish voice]( By [Shira Pasternak Be'eri]( [As if saying Kaddish as an Orthodox woman wasn’t challenging enough, COVID-19 upended the entire process]( [Unsubscribe from this List]( © 2020 THE TIMES OF ISRAEL, All Rights Reserved