ToI’s weekly deep dive: Ashkelon under rocket fire * Holocaust survivor’s emotional shtetl visit * Monk seal in Holy Land * Podcast: What Matters Now to Haviv Rettig Gur

[Times of Israel]( [Weekly Deep Dive]( Sunday, May 14, 2023 Reporter's Notebook [When lightning strikes twice: Repeat rocket hits break calm on an Ashkelon street]( By Carrie Keller-Lynn Within a few years, two homes on same Ashkelon street destroyed by direct rocket hits from Gaza; 9 months after last major flareup, no improvement in Ashkelon shelter situation Op-ed David Horovitz [At the root of the latest Gaza-Israel flareup, implacable rejection of Israel]( The Shin Bet chief said Israel ‘closed a circle’ with the killing of three notorious Islamic Jihad commanders. But our enemies are intent on keeping it open Analysis [For Netanyahu, the storm before the calm?]( By Haviv Rettig Gur Things are looking up for the prime minister. If he can finish the Gaza fighting with public support intact and pass a state budget by month’s end, he will be all but unassailable [Analysis / Ben Gvir solves his own coalition crisis, leveraging Gaza op to pump up his base]( By Carrie Keller-Lynn Analysis Amir Bar Shalom [Israel needs a new policy to push Hamas out of its comfort zone]( The Gaza-ruling terror group is enjoying the economic benefits of detente with Israel and building its forces, while allowing Palestinian Islamic Jihad to keep up the fighting [Egypt seeking swift ceasefire as nationalist flag march in tense Jerusalem looms]( By Jacob Magid United States [New York governor announces $25 million in funding for hate crime prevention]( By Luke Tress Package comes as Jewish New Yorkers contend with regular antisemitic incidents, remain most targeted group in NYC Top Ops Meir Ben Shabbat [Israel can nullify the threat of Palestinian Islamic Jihad]( Israel must act to continue the success of Operation Shield and Arrow, including deterring Hamas from joining PIJ’s attacks Adele Raemer [Evacuation diary: Fear of driving]( We Gaza border kibbutzniks have been warmly welcomed in Nahariya, but I’m too old for this nonsense. I need my home Tzipora Lifchitz [Mic drop at the ‘Jewish Matchmaking’ premier]( I worried that Netflix would get Orthodox Jewish dating wrong – until I realized that they aren’t the ones in the wrong Shana Aaronson [How one little girl and her mom gave me hope]( Advocating for sexual abuse survivors, I hear all about the predators, but I also know the heroes who have the tough conversations that stop abuse Diaspora [Tunisia terror attack threatens to deal ‘mortal blow’ to rare Jewish pilgrimage]( By Canaan Lidor The slaying of two Jews and a soldier risks undoing a Jewish-Arab interaction maintained by the annual visits of about 8,000 French, Israeli and other Jews to the Arab country [French imam asks Israelis to continue Tunisia pilgrimage despite terror attack]( By Canaan Lidor [3 Ethiopians waiting to immigrate to Israel killed in Gondar fighting]( By Canaan Lidor [Israeli killed in Tunisian synagogue attack buried in Netivot amid Gaza fighting]( By Michael Horovitz and AP Religion [At Meron pilgrimage, joy and grief mix as Haredi traditions and secular Israel clash]( By Canaan Lidor [CRM]( ToI podcast [What Matters Now to ToI analyst Haviv Rettig Gur: The political perils of conflict]( By Amanda Borschel-Dan After the Gaza conflict ends, PM Netanyahu faces another battle — to pass the budget. Once he does, we will learn his true stance on the judicial overhaul [In Poland, Canadian Holocaust survivor returns to native village as sole local Jew]( By Canaan Lidor Eurovision 2023 [Israel hoping Noa Kirel’s star power can fuel a come-from-behind Eurovision win]( By Amy Spiro Experienced pop singer seeks to ride ‘Unicorn’ to the top of the song contest in Liverpool, but faces tough competition from Sweden, Finland and France [Eurovision 2023 / Israel’s Noa Kirel rides ‘Unicorn’ to Eurovision grand final]( By Amy Spiro [Eurovision 2023 / Sweden wins 2023 Eurovision, while Israel’s Noa Kirel finishes in 3rd place]( By Amy Spiro [ToI podcast / Daily Briefing May 14: Operation Shield and Arrow wrap; bittersweet Eurovision battle]( By ToI Staff Interview [Nineties nostalgia sweeps Israel as Argentine heartthrob Felipe Colombo returns]( By Pablo Méndez Shiff Film festival Jessica Steinberg [Beloved singers, eco-activists and designer dreams among true tales at 25th Docaviv]( Dozens of documentaries being screened at 10-day film festival hosted by Tel Aviv Cinematheque [Interview / Prize-winning author Jennifer Egan avoids tech, but imagines it for her characters]( By Jessica Steinberg [Protests are altering Israel’s trajectory, says Handmaid’s writer Margaret Atwood]( By Jessica Steinberg Interview [Daughter helps turn lens on pioneering photographer father Roman Vishniac in new film]( By Renee Ghert-Zand Science [In first, endangered seal snoozes on central Israeli shore]( By Michael Horovitz Nature and Park Authority volunteers arrive to guard rare Mediterranean Monk Seal, urge public to keep distance until she returns to sea [Israeli study reveals molecular basis for female Alzheimer’s patients’ rapid decline]( By Renee Ghert-Zand Environment [Fridge recycling heats up, but most old appliances still end up in landfills]( By Sue Surkes Lack of regulations or enforcement allows companies to fudge official reports and avoid paying for disposal, with goods still being smuggled to Palestinians for burning [Company that offers farmers intel on trees adapts tech to measure carbon absorption]( By Sue Surkes [Israel’s first hydrogen refilling station for vehicles opens in north]( By Sue Surkes [Health expert: Government move to sidestep clean air law is a ‘license to kill’]( By Sue Surkes Israel Travels [Revamped as a national park, ancient Sussita’s rich history is even more accessible]( By Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am From The Blogs [A waste of an outfit]( By Rivka Herzfeld Having a key to an elevator somewhere in the synagogue building does not make the building handicapped accessible [Unsubscribe from this List]( Email not displaying correctly? 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