ToI’s weekly deep dive: Traffic really is worse. Here’s why * ’West Side Story’ redux * Neshama Carlebach on hugs * Podcast: Onsite at the IFAF Flag Football Championship

[Times of Israel]( [Weekly Deep Dive]( Sunday, December 12, 2021 [German prince fights for estate ‘stolen’ after his grandfather tried to kill Hitler]( By [Robert Philpot]( [Prince Friedrich zu Solms-Baruth III was tortured and imprisoned after being involved in Operation Valkyrie; his heirs want their property back, but Germany’s government disagrees]( [Interview / How European Jewish refugees wined and dined Nazi prisoners for US Army intelligence]( By [Rich Tenorio]( Analysis [The statesman in the room: How Isaac Herzog became Israel’s secret diplomatic weapon]( By [Tal Schneider]( diaspora [‘We’re not touching it’: PM, Kahana shelve plan for Western Wall egalitarian plaza]( By [Shalom Yerushalmi]( [Bennett, religious affairs minister agree to suspend implementation of compromise for pluralistic prayer at site, as ultra-Orthodox and Likud use controversy to fire up opposition]( [‘You have my word’: Bennett pledges to US Jewry that he’ll reopen borders ASAP]( By [Jacob Magid]( [Diaspora Minister: Barring entry to non-Israelis damages our ties with Jews abroad]( By [Jacob Magid]( [Israel advances East Jerusalem project 25 years after promising Clinton to trash it]( By [Jacob Magid]( Profile [US lawmaker who ran to represent marginalized in Bronx finds himself talking Hebron]( By [Jacob Magid]( Analysis [Lazar Berman]( [Egypt’s openness to expanded Israel ties on full display during Lapid visit]( [Sissi sees Israel as a regional economic and security partner, but true normalization is not on the way]( [In Egypt, Lapid and antiquities chief return 95 ancient relics smuggled into Israel]( By [Lazar Berman]( [Israeli diplomats, celebrities join kids with disabilities for ‘Upside Down’ exhibit]( By [Lazar Berman]( ToI investigates [It’s the errands, not the commute: What’s really driving Israel’s traffic crisis]( By [Carrie Keller-Lynn]( [Why, if COVID has left many working from home, is the country so gridlocked? Partly because people jump into their newly bought cars for trips they once took on public transit]( [ToI podcast / Daily Briefing Dec. 9 – Traffic jams are driving Israelis crazy]( By [TOI staff]( covid-19 [Bethlehem hoped to recoup some coronavirus losses this Christmas. Then came Omicron]( By [Aaron Boxerman]( [Some tourists were expected to return this year, but new COVID strain and resulting Israeli ban on foreigners mean city will likely see second year with little income]( [Israeli study finds 2 Pfizer shots fail to neutralize Omicron, but booster effective]( By [Nathan Jeffay]( [Analysis / Is Omicron destined to usher in Israel’s 5th outbreak, or will it ‘downgrade’ COVID?]( By [Nathan Jeffay]( [Hebrew U researchers tell government Israel’s 5th COVID wave is already here]( By [TOI staff]( startup israel [Game of foes: Israeli AI startup hunts ‘bad actors’ across the internet]( By [Ricky Ben-David]( [ActiveFence says its solutions can help companies and organizations stay ahead of malicious content such as hate speech and child abuse]( [Israeli scientists say humans may have ‘backup’ insulin system diabetics could use]( By [Nathan Jeffay]( [‘Life saving’ Israeli tech helps ID patients most at risk from blood infections]( By [Nathan Jeffay]( [Israeli scientists discover how bat moms teach young to navigate]( By [Sue Surkes]( [CRM]( [The beautiful face of regional peace: Miss Universe contestants descend on Israel]( By [Amy Spiro]( [With Miss Bahrain making a debut at competition in Eilat and Miss Morocco returning for first time since 1978, beauty pageant showcases new regional ties]( Times Will Tell [Podcast: Down, set, hike! Flag football athletes take on Jerusalem]( By [TOI staff]( [A look at the IFAF Flag Football World Championship that took place this week at Jerusalem’s Kraft Family Sports Campus]( [Israeli who lost both hands aged 13 takes gold at World Para Taekwondo Championships]( By [Stuart Winer]( Film review [Spielberg’s beautifully choreographed ‘West Side Story’ update hits every note]( By [Jordan Hoffman]( [Out Dec. 9, the remake, tweaked just enough to resonate today, rounds out its characters more than the original – and with its killer musical numbers, purists won’t be disappointed]( Film [Alana Haim is true to life in coming-of-age flick ‘Licorice Pizza,’ set in 1970s LA]( By [Jordan Hoffman]( [The musician and daughter of Israeli soccer player Moti Haim stars across from Cooper Hoffman in a nuanced performance peppered with authentic Jewish moments]( [Interview / HBO doc ‘Adrienne’ is a husband’s loving tribute to murdered wife and rising star]( By [Cathryn J. Prince]( [Interview / In documentary ‘Flee,’ animation helps an Afghan refugee open up to an old friend]( By [Jordan Hoffman]( From the blogs [I’m stepping back from hugs and embracing the mitzvah of consent]( By [Neshama Carlebach]( Top Ops [Gitit Levy-Paz]( [So how, in fact, do Haredi women behave?Â]( [Ultra-Orthodox feminists aren’t just changing their own communities, they are posing a wider challenge: Can new and different models be tolerated in the Israeli secular space?]( [Sheldon Kirshner]( [Lara Logan’s grotesque comparison: Fauci and Mengele]( [How could anyone who calls herself a journalist compare an upstanding, caring scientist to the Nazi war criminal known as the Angel of Death?]( [Ron Kronish]( [Yes, there is a peacebuilding community in Israel and Palestine]( [Dozens of organizations keep a flicker of hope burning, engaging out of the limelight in dialogue, advocacy and grassroots cooperative programs]( [Andrew Silow-Carroll]( [Larry David has never been more Jewish than in this season’s ‘Curb’]( [David’s character is sacrilegious and heretical, but to dismiss him as ’self-hating’ is to miss out on the unmistakably Jewish conversation at the heart of the show]( photography [Seeking exposure in religious media, Orthodox women photograph themselves]( By [Cathryn J. Prince]( [As an extreme ‘modesty’ trend goes mainstream and the female form is omitted or removed from photos and ads, rights group Chochmat Nashim launches a photo bank so women can be seen]( [Photographer Gillian Laub exposes her family ties and turmoil in the Trump era]( By [Luke Tress]( [Jerusalem’s Tmol Shilshom cafe puts on an exhibit about… cafes]( By [Jessica Steinberg]( Archaeology [Rare evidence of Roman crucifixion unearthed in UK]( By [TOI staff]( [Experts find skeleton with a nail through its heel bone, in first physical remnant of the excruciating Roman punishment found in northern Europe]( [Unsubscribe from this List]( Email not displaying correctly? [View in browser]( © 2021 The Times Of Israel, All Rights Reserved