Free Republic

Egypt’s National Center for Translation has just released an Arabic translation of the Torah. To be precise, they converted Rav Saadia Gaon’s 10th century translation of the Torah to Judeo-Arabic into Arabic itself. (Judeo-Arabic is mostly Arabic with Hebrew letters.) The Egyptian scholars who published the book emphasize that R’ Saadia was born in Egypt (in Fayoum, identified by R’ Saadia himself as the Biblical Pitom), and that his philosophy and translations were heavily influenced by Islam. They even claim that he borrows Quranic texts in some of his translations to Arabic. They don’t emphasize that R’ Saadia moved to...

Noha Hashad (51), an Egyptian nuclear scientist who fled the Nile state in 2011 after her support of Israel made her a target for torture over many long years, has exposed troubling insights regarding Egypt’s military buildup in the Sinai Peninsula, as it fights terrorist organizations there. Speaking to Israel Hayom’s Emily Amrousi from her new home in Haifa, Hashad was asked to give her take about Egypt’s actions in Sinai, where the Egyptian army has been fighting radical groups such as Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, a group that recently swore allegiance to Islamic State (ISIS). “That’s all for show,” appraised...

Supporting One’s Friends by Ari Bussel I often highlight the courage and true friendship of the Consul General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles. It was a very contentious time for Israel, and I was invited for a celebration of the Azeri Independence Day. The Consul General, without any hesitation or fear, highlighted Azerbaijan’s close cooperation with Israel, mentioning Israel by name. The Consul General gained my eternal gratitude, for everyone else was afraid to even mention the name “Israel” lest they be accused of (or catch) something bad. It was the most politically incorrect thing to do, and the Consul...