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Daybreak: Syrian Cabinet Swap

Plus, deadly riots in London, Congressmen head to Israel, and more in the news

by
Stephanie Butnick
August 09, 2011

• As international opposition mounts against the Syrian regime’s violent crackdowns, Syrian President Bashar Assad replaced defense minister Ali Habib, who last week was added to an European Union sanction for participating in attacks on protestors, with chief of staff Gen. Dawoud Rajha. [JPost]

• Following three nights of rioting, British Prime Minister David Cameron recalled Parliament from summer recess and has dispatched 16,000 police officers. [JPost]

• In his new book, Senator Joe Lieberman champions the power of the Sabbath, a time during which, among other things, he gets to turn his Blackberry off. [JTA]

• Polina Anoshina, a 63-year-old Russian Jew, was sentenced to one year and one day in jail for a scam involving the Claims Conference, the organization that distributes German restitutions to Holocaust survivors. Anoshina, who isn’t a Holocaust survivor, allegedly received $9,000 by making fraudulent claims. [Jewish Journal]

• 26 Democratic congressmen will arrive in Israel next week on a trip sponsored by an organization affiliated with AIPAC. The trips, which take place during the congressional summer recess, will later include 55 Republican congressmen. [JPost]

• A new book, Tweets from Tahrir, showcases exactly that. [Brain Pickings]

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