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Babi Yar Mystery Solved

The two-day German “aktion” at Babi Yar, where the Germans and Ukrainians slaughtered 33,771 people decades ago, was one of the largest open-air massacres but its precise location had remained a mystery for nearly 80 years.

Recently, however, a former Scotland Yard investigator solved the 1941 mystery together with the Babi Yar Holocaust Memorial Center, creating a 3D simulation of the site where at least 70,000 others were killed during the months following the original massacre.

Speaking with the Times of Israel, investigator Martin Dean said, “I believe my work goes considerably beyond the previous understanding of historians that have worked on this topic.

“The Germans feared the Soviets would use any such evidence for propaganda purposes. Ironically some of what we know about the locations of the shootings comes from about a dozen former prisoners who burned the corpses but then managed to escape just before the Nazis planned to kill them.”

He added, “In the end, I conducted around nine months of careful research and wrote more than 30 detailed reports, each analyzing a specific location or aspect of the mass shooting, trying to highlight any new information discovered or significant conclusions that we had reached.”

After Nazi Germany was defeated in 1945, the Soviet Union committed itself to erasing the memory of the Nazi genocides, among other things by filling the ravine itself with brickpulp and other landfill materials.

“The whole area of the ravine was literally flattened and turned into a park that is unrecognizable compared to the wartime terrain,” said Dean, who has mapped the route taken by the Babi Yar victims during the Yom Kippur massacre. “I discovered that a key feature [of the massacre], the ‘sand quarry,’ which can be seen in some key wartime images, did not come into existence until the late 1930s, such that even people familiar with Kyiv, were not aware of this feature and could not find it on maps.”

The sand quarry was where Jews were forced to leave their clothes and belongings before being brought to the ravine’s edge, where they were shot in groups of ten. According to Dean, the mass grave was 500 feet long, and corpses were stacked in layers.

Dean said that he took testimo-

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“My methodology has been to combine ground photographs with aerial photography, maps, and especially witness testimony. In the postwar German legal investigations, there are hundreds of testimonies by men who acted as guards or even shooters at Babi Yar. I looked especially for any references to geographical features or descriptions of the process of how the shootings were organized,” he said.

“Fortunately, there were several photographs that had overlapping views, so we could piece together a panorama of the photos by finding distinctive vegetation or terrain features that overlapped. These were then also compared to aerial photographs and maps to visualize the entire topography. By enlarging ground and aerial photographs, it was possible to identify features not obvious to the naked eye.”

He also used evidence discarded by other investigators.

“In particular, there were two quite primitive sketch maps drawn by Germans, which do not look very useful at first sight,” said Dean. “However, together with the testimonies of these witnesses, the sketch maps strongly corroborate the overall picture I have built from comparing the various sources.”

UK Grapples with Corona

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government should impose additional restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said on Monday.

He noted that the risk to contracting the virus is greater in pubs, restaurants, and night clubs.

“The purpose of these measures is to get the virus under control,” Dowden told Sky. “The point of moving to this tiered system is so that in those most highly affected areas, we have got measures in place to control the virus.”

Adding that he hoped the pandemic would be under control by the December holidays, he acknowledged: “Of course, it is very challenging for people. The measures we are taking are having a bad impact on health, they are having a bad impact on the economy but ultimately it is better to do that than to allow the virus to get out of control.”

Coronavirus cases have spiked in the UK since mid-August, reaching 617,688 cases and 42,875 deaths as of Monday. The rising infection rate has already led the government to implement wide-ranging restrictions, including closing pubs after 10 p.m. and shuttering cafes and restaurants in Wales and Scotland.

While Prime Minister Boris Johnson has attempted to reduce the spread of the disease while mitigating the damage to the already-battered economy in the UK, critics say that he isn’t going far enough. Britain already has the highest death rate in Europe from the pandemic and may well impose a second lockdown.

World Food Programme Wins Nobel

The 2020 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the World Food Programme (WFP) for its efforts to combat hunger and its “contribution to bettering conditions for peace in conflict-afflicted areas.”

The Norwegian Nobel Committee presented the award on Friday, praising the organization for being “a driving force in efforts to prevent the use of hunger as a weapon of war and conflict.”

A United Nations entity, WFP was

created in 1961 and today provides food to over 100 million people each year.

“This is a powerful reminder to the world that peace and zero hunger go hand-in-hand,” WFP tweeted, expressing its “deepest thanks” for the honor and praising its staff, who “put their lives on the line every day.”

Executive director David Beasley said, “It’s the first time in my life I’ve actually been speechless; I really can’t believe it.” He said the award was a “call to action” and urged people to “step up and step up now.”

“Where there’s starvation there’s conflict, destabilization and migration,” he said, adding that the world was now experiencing “all of those things coupled with Covid.”

He shared, “We’re looking for a vaccine for Covid; we have a vaccine for hunger – it’s called food, and we have the food. We need the money and the access to solve it,” he added.

N. Korea Hosts Mass Celebration

North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un’s party hosted a celebration featuring tens of thousands of dancers, gymnasts, and other performers on Sunday.

The Workers’ Party, which has ruled North Korea since its founding, celebrated its 75th anniversary. Photos of the event published by the party’s newspaper Rodong Sinmun on Monday showed Kim and top aides at a long banquet table surrounded by an enthusiastic audience.

According to state broadcaster KCNA, Kim was greeted by loud cheers as he made his entrance, and the national flag and Workers’ Party flags were hoisted to musical numbers. Kim and his entourage were not wearing masks in the photographs, but the crowds of spectators were. When addressing the crowd, Kim vowed to continue “strengthening” North Korea’s military for “self-defense and deterrence.”

On Saturday evening, North Korea staged an unprecedented nighttime military parade, showcasing the country’s new weapons. In the parade, Pyongyang rolled out its new “massive” ICBM missile that experts say is capable of hitting anywhere in the United States.

More than 6 feet longer than North Korea’s Hwasong-15, the missile appears to be the biggest ICBM in the world. According to South Korea media reports, the missile can carry multiple nuclear warheads at once and is intended to send a message to the U.S. prior to next month’s presidential election.

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On Sunday, Shlomo Sulayman, Israel’s oldest man, died at the age of 117.

According to his grandson, Gil Radia, Mr. Sulayman stayed sharp even into his old age. He lived alone until the end and would attend synagogue daily.

Because of the coronavirus epidemic, Mr. Sulayman was forced to stay at home by himself. It was the solitude, says Radia, that “did him harm” and caused his passing.

Mr. Sulayman’s wife died a few years ago at the age of 94.

According to Radia, Mr. Sulayman did not eat a lot and stayed active.

“He would eat small portions,” Radia said. “In the morning a piece of bread with cream cheese; for lunch either chicken, fish or and egg with rice; and in the evening a salad with an egg.”

Mr. Sulayman immigrated to Israel in 1949 with his wife and four children. He lived with his family in Netanya, and after serving in the IDF, worked in agriculture.

According to Ynet, Sulayman was born in 1903, making him not only the oldest person in Israel, but the oldest in the world.

Ethiopians to Come to Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told Ethiopian leader Abiy Ahmed on Friday that he would soon airlift 2,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel.

“I updated Prime Minister Abiy that I intend to immediately bring some 2,000 people from Addis Ababa and Gondar, as part of our commitment to continuing the Aliyah of Jews to Israel,” Netanyahu tweeted.

He added that Abiy replied that there was no issue with the plan, but added that it “symbolizes the special relationship between the peoples.” Netanyahu also said Abiy congratulated him on the recent normalization agreements signed with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain and that the two discussed Israel’s agricultural assistance to Ethiopia.

The Cabinet will vote on the airlift this week. The total cost of the plan is approximately $109 million and comes following covert negotiations to bring the remaining Ethiopian Jews to Israel.

Netanyahu expounded on the decision during Monday’s cabinet meeting. “Six months ago, I promised to bring the remnant of the Jewish community in Ethiopia,” he said. “Today, I am submitting for Cabinet approval the bringing to Israel of 2,000 of our people, our brothers and sisters from Ethiopia. We will also act to bring all of the rest, as I instructed in the Cabinet decision that we will approve today.”

Top Treasury Official Steps Down

Finance Ministry Director-General Keren Turner-Eyal stepped down abruptly after only six months on the job.

As Director-General, Turner-Eyal was the most powerful official at the Finance Ministry after Minister Yisrael Katz. In her resignation letter she published on Sunday, she decried the “unprofessional decision making” that was “destroying Israel’s economy.”

A veteran of the Transportation Ministry, Turner-Eyal transferred to the Treasury after her longtime boss, Yisrael Katz, was tapped as Finance Minister. But since taking the job,

she butted heads with Katz and other Likud appointees over how to handle the devastating economic fallout from the coronavirus.

Turner-Eyal strenuously opposed the stimulus package that gave every Israel NIS ($200) earlier this year, believing that it was a populist move that drained the country’s strategic cash reserves. She also pushed for the government to pass a two-yearbudget, contradicting Prime Minister Netanyahu’s wish to pass only a oneyear funding bill in December.

“What’s going on in the ministry is crazy. Everything here is shooting from the hip. There are no professional consultations,” Turner-Eyal asserted. “I can no longer continue in this situation.”

Turner-Eyal is the latest senior Finance Ministry official to resign in protest over the handling of the economy. In August, Budgeting Department head Shaul Meridor stepped down after singling out Katz for his unprofessional decision-making, accusing him of directing an “atmosphere of terror” at civil servants who spoke out.

“You do not allow me and many other public servants in various departments at the Ministry of Finance and other government ministries to do what we know how to do – to form, to propose, to analyze and to criticize policy measures which allow the Israeli economy to succeed during this period of difficult economic crisis that has hit,” wrote Meridor in a blistering resignation later.

A few weeks later, Accountant General Roni Hezekiah also resigned over tensions between the professional and political echelons in the Finance Ministry. Turner-Eyal’s predecessor, Shai Ba’bad, stepped down in May following the formation of the new government. Wildfires Torch Thousands of Acres

Over 4,000 acres were torched after a sudden heatwave led to widespread wildfires across Israel over the weekend.

In Oranim, a village adjoining the city of Modiin in central Israel, firefighters deployed airplanes and special units to battle out-of-control brush fires. Five-thousand residents were evacuated while dozens of homes suffered damage.

In the northern city of Nof Hagalil, 20 homes were destroyed after the nearby Churchill Forest went up in flames. The wildfire resulted in over a 1,000 acres being torched along with a significant part of the forest.

The evacuation efforts were hampered by the need to treat thousands of people while maintaining social distancing. By Saturday morning, the majority had returned home after police engineers declared the damaged homes safe to live in.

The brush fires spread to a slew of kibbutzim adjoining the northern border with Lebanon, with the resulting heat causing minefields to detonate. Locals reported hearing loud booms throughout Friday and Saturday until authorities managed to gain control over the fires.

“Firefighters continue to stubbornly fight to stop the spread of fire and protect the residents of Nof Hagalil and their homes,” shared Nizar Fares, who led the firefighting teams in Israel’s north. “Overnight we prepared for the continuation of the campaign, and at this stage the residents are not in any danger. The firefighting efforts will continue throughout the day. I call on the public to obey the instructions of the emergency bodies.”

The Israel Fire and Rescue Service said in a press release that its personnel dealt with “250 fires throughout the country, with 13 very large fires.” While the majority of them were caused by a heatwave that followed an unseasonably hot September, authorities suspect that several of the

blazes were the result of arson.

IDF Sets Up Two Coronavirus Hospitals

With Israel’s hospitals overwhelmed by coronavirus patients, the IDF recently inaugurated two wards in Haifa’s Rambam Hospital dedicated specifically to treat those suffering from the pandemic.

The wards were opened in a ceremony on Sunday attended by Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Health Minister Yuli Edelstein. The makeshift hospital is staffed by uniformed IDF doctors, nurses, and paramedics and is the first time in Israel’s history that the military is called upon to treat civilians.

“The IDF has never treated civilians, even in the hard days of the 1950s,” noted chief medical officer Brig. Gen. Alon Glasberg.

The IDF had been preparing to operate a hospital for civilians since late September. As part of the training, soldiers were taught how to wear the full-body suits to protect from being infected by the coronavirus and using the advanced medical equipment.

“The training included theoretical and practical content that prepared the teams for treating the coronavirus patients who come to wards in the most professional and humane ways possible,” said the IDF.

However, many senior medical professionals opposed the move to open these hospitals, arguing that the effort took badly-needed military doctors out of front-line units. Speaking with Channel 12, an anonymous IDF medical officer said that army doctors do not have any experience with internal medicine, noting that they mainly concentrate on healing battlefield injuries such as burns.

Unlike most militaries, the IDF does not have its own hospital and utilizes civilian medical centers during wartime.

“This means that any army doctor will have far less training than his civilian counterparts in dealing with respiratory difficulties caused by COVID-19,” he said.

Knesset Ratifies Israel-UAE Deal

The Israeli government voted unanimously to approve the peace deal Prime Minister Netanyahu signed last month with the United Arab Emirates. The accord will now be brought to the Knesset for its final approval.

Netanyahu hailed the “historic agreement” after its approval on Monday.

“The agreements reflect the dramatic change we have made in Israel’s position in the region,” the prime minister said at the beginning of the cabinet meeting. “I have no doubt that we will soon see agreements with other Arab and Muslim countries.”

Earlier in the day, Netanyahu revealed that he spoke with United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Zayed for the first time since the diplomatic breakthrough in August. The two discussed different ways to implement the peace agreement and promised to meet in the near future.

“This weekend I spoke with Ben Zayed. I invited him to visit Israel and he invited me to visit Abu Dhabi,” Netanyahu related at the government meeting. “But even before that, we will see a delegation from the United Arab Emirates here and another delegation of ours will go out there.”

He continued, “I promise you that we will receive the delegation from the United Arab Emirates with the same warmth and great excitement, as received by the Israeli delegation in Abu Dhabi.” Netanyahu added that “we have talked about the collaborations we are promoting – in investment, tourism, energy, technology and other areas.”

The Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement that the senior delegation would include the Ministers of