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U.S. May Give Iran Money; Lhota’s Shul Faux Pas

Plus Israeli researches study Bedouin sign language, and more in the news

by
Stephanie Butnick
October 18, 2013
A 2010 photo shows the inside of reactor at the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran, 1200 Kms south of Tehran, where Iran has began to unload fuel for the nuclear power plant. (HAMED MALEKPOUR/AFP/Getty Images)
A 2010 photo shows the inside of reactor at the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran, 1200 Kms south of Tehran, where Iran has began to unload fuel for the nuclear power plant. (HAMED MALEKPOUR/AFP/Getty Images)

• The U.S. government is weighing a plan that would, in spite of the sanctions currently in place, give Iran access to billions of dollars in frozen funds, if they take certain steps towards dismantling their nuclear program. [NYT]

• New York City mayoral candidate Joe Lhota dropped by a Borough Park synagogue while campaigning in Brooklyn—but it was during a men’s service and and a female reporter and two aides were asked to leave. Lhota stayed, sparking a flurry of pre-election controversy. [Daily Intel]

• That could have gotten awkward for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has apparently spent a lot of time talking about what he would wear if he was a woman. [TNR]

• For terrorist group Hamas, whose funding and political influence has waned dramatically, the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier remains an disturbingly appealing option. [Times of Israel]

• Israeli researchers are looking to Bedouin sign language for insight on how humans develop language. [Haaretz]

• Hit Israeli reality singing competition Rising Star, which premiered last month, has already been been bought by various European networks. Stella Nascente! [JTA]

Stephanie Butnick is chief strategy officer of Tablet Magazine, co-founder of Tablet Studios, and a host of the Unorthodox podcast.