Daybreak: Ramadan Will Heat Up Syria
Plus, Kabbalah guru killed, circumcision ban rolled back, and more in the news
July 29, 2011
Syrians protesting last Friday in Hama after prayers.(-/AFP/Getty Images)
• Syrians are looking to harness the religious rhythms of Ramadan—in which the fast is broken at the end of every day—to better organize protests against the regime. [NYT]
• The grandson of the sage Baba Sali and a rabbi considered a Kabbalah expert in his own right was murdered, stabbed, at his yeshiva in Israel. He was 70. A suspect is in custody. [Haaretz]
• Ahmad Tibi, the Knesset’s deputy speaker and likely the most prominent Israeli Arab politician, calls for a boycott of all companies aiding the settlement enterprise and decries the anti-boycott law. [IHT]
• A judge removed the circumcision initiative from the San Francisco ballot, and appeal may be prohibitive. [Ynet]
• Of course, in the Bay Area, many including Jews are rethinking the practice nonetheless. (Hint: that’s how it’s supposed to happen, not with coercive laws imposing norms.) [NYT]
• The latest Facebook revolution? It’s in Israel. [Haaretz]
Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.
