Worst wildfire in years surges toward Jerusalem * Kabul airport chaos as Taliban take charge * Parlez-who? Lapid’s Paris pick * COVID cases, from 200 to 50,000 since June

[Times of Israel]( [The daily edition]( Monday, August 16, 2021 Presented by Good Faith Effort [Homes evacuated, roads closed as wildfire surges toward Jerusalem]( By [TOI staff]( [Ten planes and hundreds of firefighters deployed to new defensive line near city’s southern flank; environment minister: ‘Climate crisis will make such events more frequent’]( [Most of massive Jerusalem-area blaze brought under control, but hotspots remain]( By [TOI staff]( [Houses burn as huge wildfire forces evacuation of six Jerusalem-area communities]( By [TOI staff and Judah Ari Gross]( [Huge Jerusalem-area wildfire burns into the night as police hunt for missing man]( By [TOI staff]( [Taliban sweep into Kabul presidential palace, capping shock Afghanistan takeover]( By [AP]( [Spokesman says group will enter talks on forming ‘inclusive Islamic government’; chaos grips capital as Westerners, Afghans attempt to flee]( [Afghan president flees the country as Taliban forces enter Kabul]( By [ahmad seir, Rahim Faiez, TAMEEM AKHGAR and Jon Gambrell]( [While Taliban promise peace, Afghans fear return to brutal Islamic rule]( By [Rahim Faiez, TAMEEM AKHGAR and Joseph Krauss]( [5 killed at Kabul airport amid reports of shooting, stampedes, falling stowaways]( By [TOI staff and AP]( [Chaos at airfield as desperate Afghans and foreigners try to leave; US officials admit American troops fired in air to dispel crowds; reports of stowaways falling from plane wheels]( [Afghan military plane crashes in Uzbekistan amid Taliban takeover]( By [Agencies]( [Chaos on the runway: Kabul airport mobbed as Afghans make desperate dash to exit]( By [AFP]( [As Afghan army routed, officials say Pentagon vastly overestimated its power]( By [Sylvie LANTEAUME]( [In series of mistakes, US said to have exaggerated military’s numbers, introduced high-tech methods and systems beyond troops’ capabilities, ignored high defection rate]( [Iran’s Raisi: ‘Defeat’ of US in Afghanistan is chance for lasting peace]( By [AFP]( [Officials fear Taliban conquest of Afghanistan could boost other terror groups]( By [Agencies and TOI staff]( FROM OUR SPONSOR [A Tale of Two Jewboys]( [How do we confront the new antisemitism in America and the rise of anti-Israel animus on the New Left? Rabbi Ari Lamm and actor and comedian Elon Gold do a deep dive on the Good Faith Effort podcast]( Live updates [Hamas praises Taliban takeover of Afghanistan: ‘A crowning victory’]( By [TOI staff]( [Senior official in Gaza-ruling terror group cheers ‘fall of the American occupation’; US national security adviser says Biden ‘stands by’ withdrawal]( [Parlez-who? Lapid’s pick for Paris posting pilloried for being sans French]( By [Lazar Berman]( [Yael German is widely respected, but without mastery of the language and diplomatic experience, many experts question whether she is the right person for the important task]( [2 Gaza rockets fired at south in first major attack since May flareup]( By [Judah Ari Gross]( [One intercepted, second lands in Strip; no injuries or damage reported; launches follow threats by terror groups over slow reconstruction, deaths of operatives in Jenin]( [4 terror suspects killed, 1 injured in gun battle with Israeli troops in Jenin]( By [Judah Ari Gross]( [Israel’s active COVID cases pass 50,000, just 2 months after they hovered at 200]( By [TOI staff]( [41 deaths in 24 hours; 531 serious cases; positive test rate highest since February; 500 at-risk kids age 5-11 vaccinated, with mild or no side effects; new travel rules start]( [Arrival of Lambda variant would force lockdown, Health Ministry warns]( By [Stuart Winer]( [Health Ministry unveils new caps on gatherings, mask mandate]( By [TOI staff]( [Lapid slams Poland’s ‘antisemitic threats,’ casts Warsaw as ‘anti-democratic’]( By [TOI staff and AFP]( [Foreign minister hits back at Polish PM as officials in both countries continue war of words over new Holocaust restitution law]( [‘Outraged’ Poland rejects Israel’s accusation restitution law is antisemitic]( By [AFP and TOI staff]( Top Ops [Gil Lewinsky]( [The Kabul moment of American decline]( [Anyone who wanted America’s backing should take a look hard look at what is happening and determine whether US support means anything at all]( [Leah Aharoni]( [Repentance without the anxiety and guilt]( [Every Jewish year ends with the same regrets: too much time at the office, not enough at the gym. Too much screen time, not enough play. Again. I needed a change]( [A Twitter account puts the ghosts of Manhattan’s former synagogues on the map]( By [Andrew Silow-Carroll]( [University of Texas student Amy Shreeve, a descendant of Mormon and Irish immigrants who loves Yiddish, is delving into the various congregations that once dotted the Big Apple]( Oh snap [Meter-long predatory fish bites woman in mall fishpond]( By [Sue Surkes]( [Agriculture Ministry investigating how torpedo-shaped alligator gar, illegal in Israel, got into the pond]( [CRM]( [Armed Palestinian dressed as Israeli soldier arrested in West Bank]( By [Emanuel Fabian]( [Suspect, said to be from Jenin, was carrying a firearm with ammunition, a meat cleaver and other weapons near the settlement of Ma’ale Levona]( [High Court rejects petition against compromise deal for illegal outpost]( By [TOI staff]( [After Melbourne lockdown breach, hospital intern says send Jews to ‘gas chamber’]( By [Stuart Winer and JTA]( [Royal Melbourne Hospital ‘working to rectify this situation,’ as footage from Jewish engagement party that violated Australia’s virus orders sparks antisemitic backlash]( [Illicit engagement party during lockdown roils Melbourne Jewish community]( By [PHILISSA CRAMER]( ToI podcast [Daily Briefing Aug. 16 – Could Miri Regev be Israel’s Barack Obama?]( By [TOI staff]( [Political correspondent Tal Schneider fills us in on why the Likud lawmaker is making headlines; senior analyst Haviv Rettig Gur assesses how Israelis view Afghanistan’s collapse]( [Arab men in Israel 36 times more likely to be shot than Jews, study shows]( By [TOI staff]( [Ra’am chief Abbas calls for investment in education, employment opportunities as well as law enforcement: ‘Crime and violence is a serious disease’]( Tokyo 2020 [‘You’ve inspired future generations’: Herzog, Bennett welcome Olympic delegation]( By [TOI staff and Amy Spiro]( [Record-breaking Israeli athletes attend Jerusalem reception; PM says those who didn’t win medals also deserve praise for the years of work, pride they brought to nation]( More Headlines [Wales synagogue’s stained glass windows turn up in award-winning chicken coop]( By [PHILISSA CRAMER]( [Haiti quake toll soars to 1,297 as storm threatens rescue effort]( By [EVENS SANON and Collin Binkley]( [Israeli actress fired from TV show after refusing COVID tests]( By [Amy Spiro]( [Israel offers to dispatch team to Turkey as it battles major flooding]( By [Judah Ari Gross and Agencies]( [Israeli envoy predicts progress soon on exempting Israelis from US visa]( By [TOI staff]( [Police open probe against ex-Mossad chief Yossi Cohen over tycoon’s cash gift]( By [TOI staff]( [Police can’t find suspect in arson that killed Acre hotel guest]( By [TOI staff]( [WeWork ex-CEO Adam Neumann said to invest NIS 1 million in Israeli soccer team]( By [TOI staff]( [UK director Ken Loach booted from Labour, blames antisemitism ‘purge’]( By [Gabe Friedman]( [Ex-detainee says China operates secret Dubai detention site used to jail Uighurs]( By [AP]( [Unsubscribe from this List]( Email not displaying correctly? 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