The Jewish Home | JULY 28, 2022
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The country’s internal security system said, “The citizen was referred to the General Prosecutor’s Office, since he cooperated with an American journalist who entered Mecca via a route for Muslims, in contradiction to the ordinances for the holy city. “A spokesperson for the Mecca-area police said that the police transferred to the General Prosecutor’s Office a citizen who aided the entrance of one of the journalists (not Muslim) who has American citizenship to the holy capital city via the route for Muslims, in a clear violation of the entry regulations to Mecca for non-Muslims. The citizen was arrested, and steps have been taken against him.” “Anyone who comes to the kingdom must respect the regulations, especially with regards to the holy places and the holy religious ceremonies,” Saudi Arabia’s General Security said. “Crimes of this sort are considered a felony, and punishments will be imposed on those committing them, based on the regulations.” Last week, journalist Gil Tamari of Israel’s Channel 13 News posted a video of himself driving through Mecca, despite rules banning non-Muslims from entering the city. Tamari himself was not punished, since he published his report only af-
ter his return to Israel, Middle East 24 News reported. However, the trip, which included Mount Arafat, where Muslims gather during the hajj, was not authorized by Saudi authorities. According to Bloomberg, Tamari’s behavior “provoked controversy on social media and clarified the sensitivities of closer relations between the two countries.” On Tuesday, Tamari tweeted an apology for his trip, saying he did not mean to offend Muslims. In it, Tamari wrote, “Disclaimer: I would like to reiterate that this visit to Mecca was not intended to offend Muslims, or any other person. If anyone takes offense to this video, I deeply apologize. The purpose of this entire endeavor was to showcase the importance of Mecca and the beauty of the religion, and in doing so foster more religious tolerance and inclusion. Inquisitiveness is at the heart and center of journalism, and this type of first-hand journalistic encounter is what separates good journalism from great journalism.” He added, “This founding principle also guided us in this journalistic endeavor and allowed many people to see, for the first time, a place that is so important to our Muslim brothers and sisters, and to human history.
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“Once again, if anyone was hurt by or offended by this, I apologize wholeheartedly. We had no such intention.” Channel 13 also responded to the backlash, “The visit of foreign news editor Gil Tamari to Mecca is an important journalistic achievement, which was not intended in any way to hurt the sensitivities of the Muslims. Obviously, if someone felt hurt, we apologize for that. We emphasize: Journalistic curiosity is the soul of the profession of journalism. “In our opinion, knowledge and familiarity with an important place, firsthand, only contributes to increasing religious tolerance and the discourse for recognition of others’ faiths.”
The Investigation into Hunter Biden
The federal investigation into Hunter Biden’s business activities is nearing a critical point. No decision has been made yet regarding whether to bring charges against Hunter Biden. Justice Department guidelines indicate to avoid bringing politically sensitive cases close to an election, CNN said, quoting those briefed on the matter. According to CNN, the probe, led by David Weiss, the U.S. Attorney in Delaware, has intensified in recent months, along with discussions between officials and investigators. Potential charges could include tax violations and making a false statement in connection to the purchase of a firearm, at a time when he would have been forbidden from doing so due to his struggles with drug addiction. The probe focuses on Hunter Biden’s financial and business activities in foreign countries, as well as whether Hunter and his associates violated money laundering, campaign finance, and tax and foreign lobbying laws, and whether Hunter Biden broke federal firearm and other regulations.
Meanwhile, Hunter has not been charged with any crimes and has previously denied any wrongdoing. His father, U.S. President Joe Biden, is not being investigated as part of the probe.
Layoffs at Shopify
Shopify is laying off about 1,000 employees, according to a memo sent out by CEO Tobi Lütke. The company had mistakenly thought that the e-commerce boost in sales fueled by the pandemic would continue. “When the Covid pandemic set in, almost all retail shifted online because of shelter-in-place orders. Demand for Shopify skyrocketed,” wrote Lütke. “Shopify has always been a company that makes the big strategic bets our merchants demand of us — this is how we succeed,” he continued. “We bet that the channel mix — the share of dollars that travel through ecommerce rather than physical retail — would permanently leap ahead by 5 or even 10 years. We couldn’t know for sure at the time, but we knew that if there was a chance that this was true, we would have to expand the company to match.” Shopify is not the only U.S. company to announce layoffs. Peloton laid off thousands of employees earlier this year. Real estate firm Re/Max slashed 17% of its workforce. Netflix also cut jobs. For many companies, even though business is increasing, their labor costs are becoming too much to bear. The combination is causing American companies across a variety of industries to slash headcount. Shopify saw outsized growth during the pandemic. In 2020, its business essentially doubled, and it reported 57% revenue growth for 2021, up to $4.6 billion. Its gross merchandise volume — or the total value of sales conducted on the platform — grew 47% year over year. The company set an ambitious goal of making 2,021 technical hires in 2021. According to Crunchbase News, which has been tracking layoffs in tech, more than 30,000 tech workers in the U.S. have been laid off in 2022.
