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Marking Rabin assassination, Bennett warns: ‘We mustn’t burn our house down’ By TOI staff Israeli leaders — minus Netanyahu — attend ceremony commemorating late PM; grandson hails new government: ‘The rule of the people has triumphed over the rule of the individual’

Netanyahu to skip official ceremony marking 26 years since Rabin assassination By TOI staff

Live updates (closed) LIVE: Lapid, Netanyahu mourn Colin Powell as true friend of Israel By TOI staff 357 patients in serious condition; another 1,000 coronavirus cases diagnosed since midnight, as downward trend continues

ToI podcast TOI staff Daily Briefing Oct. 18 – 100 Arab Israeli homicides; where to go from here? ToI editor David Horovitz and Arab affairs correspondent Aaron Boxerman discuss efforts to rein in Arab homicides, plus the Dead Sea and Spencer Tunick’s photoshoot there

Man gunned down in Bi’na, marking 100th Arab Israeli homicide in 2021 By Aaron Boxerman   Government moves to expand warrantless police searches to fight Arab crime By Aaron Boxerman

1 in 3 Haredim caught coronavirus, double the national average – study By Nathan Jeffay 31% of community have been confirmed positive compared to 13.7% of other Israelis; think tank says behavior in Haredi society to blame, others question conclusion

Israel to offer AstraZeneca vaccines starting Thursday By TOI staff   COVID death toll stands at 7,999 as transmission, serious cases continue decline By Amy Spiro

Diver pulls 900-year-old Crusader sword from seafloor By Stuart Winer Though encrusted with marine organisms, one-meter-long blade is preserved in perfect condition, expert says; finder given outstanding citizen award for handing in relic

From our sponsor Antonio Garcia Martinez – A religion of questions A conversation with the technologist, startup founder, one of America’s best public thinkers… and recent convert to Judaism. Click to listen

Inside story Holy and mundane: Why Israel’s 1st Orthodox premier still rankles many religious By Tal Schneider The PM keeps kosher, Shabbat and more, and not only for show; but to some, his unholy coalition outweighs any pride in seeing a kippah-clad leader in the halls of power

Energy minister accuses Netanyahu of using ‘fake news’ to harm ties with Jordan By Stuart Winer and TOI staff

Top Ops

Sarah Bernstein Hey, MK Smotrich, your diatribe is the problem 35 Jewish and Arab principals own their responsibility to educate for a future that will include living and working in a multicultural reality. You should too   Shay Nave A tragic wake-up call: The Rabin assassination as a catalyst for social change The prime minister’s murder spurred me to leave my comfort zone and work to spark dialogue among people who disagree, because not getting along is not an option   Jehuda Haddad Needed: An emergency plan to let high-tech win With a dire shortage of professionals, Israel must start tech education in kindergarten and bring in minorities to fuel the economy’s growth engine   Karen Feuer Rethinking safety on Bnei Akiva trips Not every driver does well when bombarded by loud music, shouting, and raucous behavior. The kids, counselors, bus company, and yes, we parents must take care

Nude and painted white, 200 volunteer models pose at endangered Dead Sea By Jessica Steinberg American photographer Spencer Tunick’s third installation at the salty lake poses models as white pillars of salt, seeking to raise awareness for the need to ‘save this pearl’

TV: State wipes out NIS 65 million debt owed by billionaire for Dead Sea water By TOI staff Justice Ministry reportedly backtracks from demand that the Idan Ofer-controlled Dead Sea Works factory pay for saltwater pumped from the receding lake

With carrot and stick, Palestinians see surge of vaccinations in West Bank, Gaza By Aaron Boxerman After months of stagnation, percentage of eligible vaccinated rises from 23% to 50%

Palestinian woman arrested while approaching settlement armed with a knife By Judah Ari Gross   Hamas sentences 2 to death, 2 to hard labor for collaborating with Israel By TOI staff

Top cyber official: Hospital attack ‘purely financial,’ likely by Chinese group By TOI staff Warning of ‘ongoing battle’ with hackers, Health Ministry cybersecurity chief Reuven Eliyahu says Israeli health sector is targeted ‘tens of thousands of times a month’

Officials said to fear some medical records lost forever in hospital cyberattack By TOI staff

Guatemala blocks extremist ultra-Orthodox sect heading to Iran through Mexico By TOI staff Two busloads of Lev Tahor members prevented from crossing border with the intention of flying to Kurdistan

EU top envoy ‘optimistic’ on new Iran nuclear talks, though nothing confirmed By TOI staff and AFP   IDF official: Israel expects Hezbollah to fire 2,000 rockets a day in wartime By AFP and TOI staff

Israel is ‘our most trusted partner,’ says India’s foreign minister in Jerusalem By Lazar Berman Subrahmanyam Jaishankar will meet PM Bennett, President Herzog and FM Lapid on Monday; will participate in Zoom call with Blinken, UAE’s Bin Zayed

Swedish foreign minister visits Israel in major step toward rebuilding ties By Lazar Berman

Family of slain British MP calls for ‘togetherness’ in wake of killing By Adrian DENNIS and Pauline Froissart Suspect in terror attack was supposed to be participating in a ‘de-radicalization’ program but was never formally a ‘person of interest’ to British intelligence

Father of suspect in slaying of British MP Amess ‘traumatized’ by son’s arrest By SYLVIA HUI

The classic Jewish film ‘Hester Street’ gets a new life in 2021 By Mia J. Merrill A 4K restoration of ‘Crossing Delancey’ director Joan Micklin Silver’s 1975 career debut, about Jewish immigrants assimilating in NYC, is now in select theaters and streaming

Venezuela’s tight-knit Jewish community is still mourning its Surfside victims By Orge Castellano After the number of Jews dwindled to roughly 6,000 from a peak of 25,000 in the ’90s, denomination and ethnicity are not dividing lines and most people know each other by name

More Headlines

Haifa man injured in wild boar attack while walking dog By TOI staff   Israeli judokas win two golds and a bronze at Paris Grand Slam By Amy Spiro   New video seems to challenge singer’s claim of antisemitism at German hotel By TOI staff   Israeli committee to weigh regulations for social networks, emerging tech By Ricky Ben-David   After reports on Jewish prayer, minister insists Temple Mt status quo ‘in place’ By Aaron Boxerman   Israel seeks to ease immigration for doctors, nurses due to manpower shortage By TOI staff   Woman sets fire to Brooklyn Jewish high school; police seek help identifying her By TOI staff   Police said probing if sex offender rabbi personally linked to cold case murders By Emanuel Fabian and TOI staff   Police called after Arab, Jewish families clash in hospital ward By TOI staff   Israeli ‘foldable’ electric cars to make debut as emergency response vehicles By Ricky Ben-David   Ex-general Gal Hirsch expected to be indicted within days — report By TOI staff   11 Israeli projects get millions in funding for personalized medicine research By Ricky Ben-David