ToI’s weekly deep dive: Ancient monument baffles experts * Remembering Golda * Eastern Med. turns tropical * Podcast: 1936’s missed peace * Saving sub-Saharan Africa Jews

[Times of Israel]( [Weekly Deep Dive]( Sunday, August 20, 2023 Archaeology [In northern Israel, massive 3,800-year-old monument stuns and stumps archaeologists]( By Melanie Lidman The size of an Olympic swimming pool, with vaulted ceilings that raise the topographical height of Tel Shimron by 5 meters, the delicate mud brick structure was likely barely used [Archaeology / Discovery of Israel’s oldest gate resets clock on local urbanization by centuries]( By Melanie Lidman [2,000-year-old arch in Caesarea aqueduct collapses; official: ‘We sounded the alarm’]( By ToI Staff Book review [How should Golda Meir be remembered? Deborah Lipstadt weighs in]( By Amy Spiro 50 years after end of Meir’s term as PM, longtime historian and current US envoy pens a new biography of the leader – but chooses to skim over her time leading the nation Top Ops Jennifer Moses [What can I say? He was my dog, and I loved him]( They say it’s a blessing that we can put a dog down, relieve him of his misery, but I’d never had to do it before Sarah Mann [The right to bare arms]( If public bus drivers can become modesty police, women’s rights are in real danger – as is the future here for the likes of liberal me Yoaz Hendel [A national Zionist emergency government can save Israel]( Govern according to the majority of Israelis who vote right-wing on security and want liberal social policies; leave the extremists out Emily Kaiman [Hillel, Shammai and J Street]( We must avoid the prevailing impulse to exaggerate and distort and learn to disagree without fracturing our community Analysis Sue Surkes [Eastern Mediterranean turning tropical, as warming waters force native species out]( In Gulf of Eilat, expert warns corals could bleach if pollution allowed to continue on top of marine heating ToI podcast [What Matters Now to author Oren Kessler: 1936 Palestine’s missed peace deal]( By Amanda Borschel-Dan In ‘Palestine 1936,’ Kessler delves into dusty archives to bring to life the overlooked saga of the 3-year Arab Revolt that arguably forms the roots of today’s Middle East conflict [Herbert Samuel’s secret 1937 testimony on the infamous Mufti of Jerusalem revealed]( By Oren Kessler [Smotrich reportedly advancing plan to legalize 155 wildcat outposts in West Bank]( By ToI Staff Far-right minister starting with legalization of 15 illegal communities; official laments that government helpless to stop it because Smotrich controls both relevant offices [Report: Smotrich to ask cabinet to approve $180m plan to expand settlements]( By ToI Staff [Blinken presses Dermer for steps to calm region, as US awaits pledged boost for PA]( By Jacob Magid Israel Travels [Go ‘back to the future’ of ancient Jerusalem with these high-tech history exhibits]( By Aviva and Shmuel Bar-Am [Netanyahu lends ‘full backing’ to IDF brass after attacks by son and Likud minister]( By ToI Staff In joint statement, PM and defense minister say they reject ‘any attack against top officials’ and express support for military, after Amsalem rails at reservist ‘rebels’ [PM said to have shouted at IDF chiefs: ‘It looks like the army is running the country’]( By Joshua Davidovich and ToI Staff [Security officials tell TV network PM trying to shift blame onto them for harm to IDF]( By ToI Staff Analysis Renee Ghert-Zand [Israeli cancer patient in final push to raise money for specialized treatment in NY]( Naor Blankleder, 29, thought he had beat bone cancer but now it has spread to his lungs and his best chance to survive lies with doctors and researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering [Study shows how brain cells of males and females respond differently to stress]( By Renee Ghert-Zand [How homegrown data-driven farming may save sub-Saharan Africa’s Jews from starvation]( By Amanda Borschel-Dan Currently surviving through food aid and donors, 10 countries’ Jewish communities come together to share best practices for scientifically proven farming schemes seeded by a US Jew Analysis Gianluca Pacchiani [Hamas and Islamic Jihad seen importing Gaza military tactics to the West Bank]( Report shows terror groups have been replicating tactics in the Jenin-Nablus area: manufacturing weapons, building tunnels, launching rockets and, perhaps most of all, cooperating [Ostensible bid for ‘dialogue’ with Haredim on bus devolves into angry singing match]( By Canaan Lidor Videos show women from Brothers in Arms protest movement and Bnei Brak-bound passengers trying to drown out each other’s words with song [Hundreds protest at Tel Aviv light rail stations because train won’t run on Shabbat]( By ToI Staff [Teen girls told to sit in back of bus, cover up because of Haredi passengers]( By ToI Staff Op-ed David Horovitz [Ultra-Orthodox push for draft exemption law strains the coalition’s docile unanimity]( Ignoring vast public outrage, all 64 coalition MKs backed the first step on Netanyahu’s march to neuter the judiciary. Will the Haredi parties’ key demand threaten that united front? [Coalition whip: We’ll pass IDF draft law next, then continue with judicial overhaul]( By ToI Staff [Police chief and Ben Gvir spar over who cops should obey in constitutional crisis]( By Michael Bachner Analysis Lazar Berman [US-Iran deal doesn’t mean full nuclear pact is next — but it shows Israel’s limits]( Iran has little reason to run toward a new deal now, but prisoner agreement last week underscores that the Netanyahu government has minimal influence on Washington’s Iran policy Author interview Matt Lebovic [How Roma and Jews went from ‘familiar strangers’ to partners in Holocaust memory Â]( In his book ‘Rain of Ash,’ historian Ari Joskowicz tracks Romani-Jewish relations since World War II, from decades of ‘mutual suspicion’ to ‘unlikely success story’ [CRM]( Reporter's notebook Ron Kampeas [A Jewish journalist’s experience covering the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting]( Veteran JTA reporter tells of his conflicted, emotionally tolling odyssey, from day the 2018 Tree of Life massacre took 11 lives through recent conclusion of the murderer’s trial Interview [Singer-songwriter Sheva Elliot lays bare her vulnerabilities in blues-infused debut]( By Cathryn J. Prince The LA-based musician combines her childhood musical influences on ‘Pay the Priestess,’ and even recorded the album on the same equipment used by Gladys Knight and Marvin Gaye [Weekly Deep Dive]( [facebook]( [twitter]( [instagram]( [View in browser]( [Contact support](mailto:support@timesofisrael.com) [Advertise with us](mailto:advertise@timesofisrael.com) Were you forwarded this email? [Subscribe here]( [Unsubscribe]( from this List © 2023 The Times Of Israel, All Rights Reserved