Israel enters 2nd sweeping lockdown as Rosh Hashanah starts; defiance expected By TOI staff and Agencies 7,000 policemen and soldiers set to enforce intensely controversial closure that began at 2 p.m. on eve of New Year, is set to last at least three weeks

Netanyahu warns ‘there may be no choice’ but to tighten lockdown By TOI staff   Hospitals open underground wartime wards to ready for surge in COVID-19 patients By TOI staff

Israel media review Dip the lockdown in the loophole: What the press is saying on September 18 By Joshua Davidovich A nation beset by plagues of FOMO, anger, confusion and politics overriding health concerns enters a lockdown that is not a lockdown but may soon become a lockdown

Haredim seek to hold ‘protests’ Sunday night; cops see bid to evade lockdown By TOI staff   Virus czar absent from lockdown presser, amid reports of disagreements with PM By TOI staff

Analysis Nathan Jeffay It’s a lockdown of necessity. But what kind of necessity? Health or political? How did Israel become world’s first country reimposing lockdown? It’s not just a story of rising infections, but also of fragile religious-secular relations, nervous politicians

Hundreds protest in Tel Aviv against new virus lockdown By TOI staff and AFP   Under lockdown, Israel faces bitter start of Jewish New Year By Ilan Ben Zion

How to toot your horn: Israel’s Health Ministry issues shofar-blowing guidelines By Alexander Fulbright Memo suggests covering ram’s horn with a mask to prevent spraying of droplets, calls for blowing instrument toward an open window and not toward synagogue congregants

Naming names / Mohammad again most popular baby boys’ name; Tamar knocked off top by Miriam By TOI staff   One-third of Netanyahu voters believe COVID-19 was sent by God By Ben Sales

US says Hezbollah storing ammonium nitrate, which caused Beirut blast, in Europe By TOI staff and Agencies Terror group smuggling explosive chemical in first aid kits for use in terror attacks, State Department official charges; calls on European states to impose bans on organization

Trump said preparing executive order to sanction any who break Iran arms embargo By TOI staff and Agencies   US sanctions 2 Lebanon-based firms, Hezbollah-linked businessman By AP   Pompeo insists US to enforce ‘UN’ sanctions on Iran By AFP

First person Journalist reckons with Israeli blame for Sabra and Shatila By Abraham Rabinovich

Analysis Avi Issacharoff With the Israel-UAE-Bahrain deals, ‘undeniable Palestinan truths’ no longer hold Axioms the Palestinians imposed on the Arab world for decades — notably including the eschewing of all normalization with Israel — are crumbling before their horrified eyes

Top Israeli, UAE officials say new ties will make countries ‘close family’ By TOI staff   Study said to find Saudis may have enough uranium to make own nuclear fuel By TOI staff

Top Ops

Jill Cozen-Harel This Rosh Hashanah is not what I’d imagined Last year at this time, I was pregnant and worried, so I pictured myself in shul with a baby (yes, it helped). Now, without shul, I find myself asking: Who am I now?   Aliza Lipkin PHOTO ESSAY: May it be Your will, Lord Word play makes our menu, as we move beyond ’apples in honey’ to swiss chard, pomegranate, and black-eyed peas, with the puns we use to ask for God’s blessing   Dena Rock The breath of life and the shofar blasts The one biblical mitzvah that characterizes Rosh Hashanah reenacts the creation of humankind, an event that occurred on this very date in history   Nathan Bigman Stuck in second grade for the holidays God isn’t our king, our father, our mother or our master. He’s God, whatever that might mean. And She doesn’t need a pencil (though He might)

Almost all Hasidic pilgrims leave Ukraine border ahead of Rosh Hashanah By Dmytro Gorshkov Spokesman for Ukrainian border guard says he hopes those still aiming to reach Uman understand that ‘the entry ban decision will not be revised’

Hungarian Jews to celebrate Rosh Hashanah on boat on the Danube as virus surges By Cnaan Liphshiz

Israeli research: Bacteria may be key to curing coronavirus and other viruses By Nathan Jeffay Likening finding to discovery of antibiotics, researcher says it ‘could lead to drugs that cure various viruses’ and ‘maybe even this one’

British government warns national lockdown could return By Agencies   Coronavirus cases top 30 million worldwide as Europe sees fresh surge By AFP

Picture of Netanyahu apparently sleeping on plane floor stirs debate By TOI staff PM seen snoozing on his return flight from Israel-UAE-Bahrain normalization accords ceremony at White House, after plans for private jet were nixed

Diplomatic deals with Gulf fail to provide Netanyahu electoral boost – poll By TOI staff   Qatar won’t normalize with Israel before 2-state solution reached, envoy says By TOI staff

Biden, in Rosh Hashanah greeting, calls for change: ‘Got to be a better year’ By JTA and Jacob Magid In message, Democratic Presidential challenger emphasizes holiday’s themes of renewal, his commitment to Jewish values

Hoping for a better one / Rivlin wishes Jews around the world a happy new year By TOI staff

rosh hashanah Jessica Steinberg High Holiday content goes online for the Jewish New Year Musicians and rabbis, chefs and writers take on questions of spirituality and knock on the gates of heaven with Jerusalem cultural center Beit Avi Chai

Those looking for online High Holiday services in US have a plethora of options By JTA   Sweet sauce / Tunisian pumpkin jam is an underrated Rosh Hashanah treat By Rachel Myerson

Whole apples, individual honey jars: New York issues health guide for holidays By Shira Hanau US state advises social distancing measures in synagogues to prevent spread of coronavirus, also suggests increased ventilation of sukkahs

26 US Jewish schools unite to exhort families to play it safe during holidays By Shira Hanau

More Headlines

Denying cover-up, former police chief insists killed Bedouin man was terrorist By TOI staff   Germany to improve safety of Jewish sites after Halle attack By AP   3 Palestinians shot dead by unknown assailants ‘meters from Israeli checkpoint’ By Aaron Boxerman   Two shot dead in Nazareth during club brawl By TOI staff   Oldies but goodies / Musicians produce album of covers for Israeli classics By Jessica Steinberg   Polish parliament drops bill’s proposal to ban export of kosher and halal meat By Cnaan Liphshiz   Push underway to save UK church mural made by Jewish artist who escaped Nazis By Stuart Winer   2 US senators warn Poland’s president on anti-Semitism and restitution By Ron Kampeas   Miami Herald apologizes for running anti-Semitic and racist ads for months By Josefin Dolsten   Woody Allen’s ‘A Rainy Day in New York’ to get US release after 2-year delay By AP