nation / world
Israel, Japan Sign New Defense Agreement
Israel and Japan signed a defense agreement allowing for greater military equip-
ment and technology cooperation on Aug. 30 in a sign of closeness as they mark
the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year, JTA reported.

Israel Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s Japan trip comes at the tail end of a
visit to the United States, where he discussed Iran’s nuclear program and other
security issues with top offi cials, and as Japan faces heightened tensions in the
Pacifi c following Nancy Pelosi’s August visit to Taiwan, a self-ruled democracy
that Beijing claims as its own.

Japan announced plans to increase its defense budget and develop longer-range
missiles to counter threats from China and Russia.

Gantz said the new agreement “will strengthen the defense capability of each
country as well as our joint contribution to peace and stability in our regions and
all over the world.”
24th Annual Induction Ceremony
Oregon’s Swastika Mountain to be Renamed
Fift y miles southeast of Eugene, Oregon, reaching an elevation of more than 4,000
feet, lies Swastika Mountain.

It’s unknown how many Jews have climbed it. But the unfortunate name, nearly a
century old, will likely soon be replaced thanks to the eff orts of a resident, JTA reported.

According to Willamette Week, Joyce McClain discovered the mountain’s
existence last year and petitioned the volunteer-run Oregon Geographic Names
Board to change it. At a meeting this month, the board said it would support
a name change to Mount Halo, named aft er Chief Halito, who led the area’s
Indigenous Yoncalla Kalapuya tribe in the 1800s.

Th e name change is pending tribal approval.

Th e history of Swastika Mountain predates Nazi Germany. It was named
aft er the now-defunct town of Swastika, which acquired its name because a
local rancher used to brand his cattle with the symbol. Before the Nazis turned
the swastika into a symbol of hate, it signifi ed good fortune and well-being in
Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism.

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Djokovic to Compete in Israeli Tennis Tournament
Serbian tennis great Novak Djokovic will compete in the Watergen Open 2022 in
Tel Aviv in September, his camp confi rmed, aft er being forced to withdraw from
the U.S. Open due to not being vaccinated against COVID-19, jns.org reported.

Th e event will take place from Sept. 26 to Oct. 2 at the Expo center in Tel Aviv.

Foreign nationals who have not received one of the available coronavirus vaccines
are barred from entering the United States or Canada, and Djokovic has stated that
he will not get vaccinated even if this means missing out on key tournaments.

Djokovic also skipped the Australian Open in January, despite previously
claiming to have secured a government exemption to compete in the competition
without a vaccination record.

Yeshiva U. Asks Supreme Court to Weigh in on LGBT Club
Yeshiva University is asking the Supreme Court to block a New York court order
mandating that the Orthodox Jewish university recognize an LGBT group as an
offi cial campus club, New York Jewish Week reported.

Th e emergency request comes aft er an appeals court rejected the school’s
motion to delay a previous court order to recognize the YU Pride Alliance.

Both rulings were victories for the Pride Alliance and setbacks for the uni-
versity, where administrators argue that having to recognize the LGBT student
group would violate the First Amendment rights of the institution. Gay sex is
forbidden by nearly all Orthodox interpretations of Jewish law, although attitudes
toward individuals who identify as queer have eased somewhat in many Modern
Orthodox settings in recent years.

“As a deeply religious Jewish university, Yeshiva cannot comply with that order
because doing so would violate its sincere religious beliefs about how to form its
undergraduate students in Torah values,” the school wrote in the court request.

Th e university’s request is to only block the immediate implementation of the
club until another appeal of the decision is heard. JE
— Compiled by Andy Gotlieb
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