Unveiling the contours and contrasts of an ever-changing Middle East landscape
Reliable reportage and insightful commentary on the Middle East by seasoned journalists from the region and beyond
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What’s happening in Israel today? See this week’s daily ‘The Israel Brief’ broadcasts on LOTL YouTube by seasoned TV & radio broadcaster, every Monday to Thursday and on our Facebook page. Rolene Marks familiar to Chai FM listeners in South Africa and millions of American listeners to the News/Talk/Sports radio station WINA broadcasting out of Charlottesville, Virginia. You can subscribe to LOTL news from Israel and enjoy at a time of your convenience.
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Articles
(1)
A Tale of Two Judokas – the Israeli and the Iranian
It took bravery, grit and defiance – not against a single competitor but an autocratic regime!
By David E. Kaplan
Defying orders to withdraw from the 2019 World Championship in Japan because he might likely face an Israeli in the final, Iranian Judoka Saed Mollaei went into exile instead. Emerging “Friends for life” with that Israeli – Sagii Muki, the two competitors reunited this February in a competition in Tel Aviv.
A Tale of Two Judokas – the Israeli and the Iranian
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(2)
And Then They Came for Us
Big Tech censorship is hurting the freedom of speech
By Rolene Marks
Social media is becoming increasingly antisocial with tech giants like Facebook, Twitter and others restricting online exposure of what an algorithm may determine as “political”. With “Zionism” not being immune from censorship and behemoth Facebook ‘unfriending’ a sovereign state like Australia, who is safe today? Are our rights to free access of information as news consumers in serious danger?
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(3)
Tel Aviv is Alive, Well and Pedaling
By Stephen Schulman
With its flat topography, large parks, seaside promenade, multitude of cycling lanes and many hire bike stations, Tel Aviv has become a Mecca for cyclists. Even in this difficult pandemic period, the writer, a seasoned social cyclist, explores Israel’s two-wheeled renaissance as many Israelis have discovered and rediscovered the joys of cycling.
Tel Aviv is Alive, Well and Pedaling
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LOTL Cofounders David E. Kaplan (Editor), Rolene Marks and Yair Chelouche
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While the mission of Lay of the Land (LotL) is to provide a wide and diverse perspective of affairs in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, the opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed by its various writers are not necessarily ones of the owners and management of LOTL but of the writers themselves. LotL endeavours to the best of its ability to credit the use of all known photographs to the photographer and/or owner of such photographs (0&EO)
