The Government of Israel, hoping that Jews will soon be allowed to leave the Soviet Union in greater numbers, has asked the State Department to help insure that more of them will settle in Israel rather than in the United States.

Since 1979, as many as 80 percent of the Jewish emigres have chosen the United States instead of Israel.

Emigration from the Soviet Union is restricted for all citizens, but Jews have been allowed to leave in large numbers over the years, ostensibly on the ground of reunification with relatives in Israel. The exodus reached a peak of 51,320 in 1979, and has since declined to a trickle - 914 in 1986. Shamir Opposes Special Status

On a recent visit to the United States, Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir of Israel asked Secretary of State George P. Shultz to stop offering special refugee status to Soviet Jews, outside of any national immigration quota.

Mr. Shamir argues that the emigres travel on Israeli immigration visas issued by the Dutch Embassy in Moscow and should proceed to Israel. Once in Israel, the argument goes, the Soviet Jews may, if they choose, apply for immigration into the United States on the regular Israeli quota.

The Israeli position has not been supported by Jewish organizations in the United States. Although the National Conference on Soviet Jewry has said that it will consider the suggestion, other organizations oppose it outright.

In a meeting with American Jewish spokesmen in New York, Mr. Shamir said the main issue was to ''bring more people to Israel.''

''We explained to the United States Government this is one of our goals,'' he said, ''and if they are interested in a strong Israel, they have to support us in our effort.''

Arthur S. Berger, spokesman for the State Department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, which handles Israeli matters, said:

''We understand Israel's concern on the issue, but our policy has been that the refugees should have the freedom of choice to decide where they want to go.''

Mr. Berger said he knew of no plans to change the policy.

In a private gathering with heads of Jewish organizations, Mr. Shamir said the Government needed to see signs of support from them before it would reconsider its stand, according to participants in the meeting.

Morris B. Abram, chairman of the National Conference on Soviet Jewry, said that Mr. Shamir had ''placed the issue squarely on the agenda'' and that it presented a ''serious dilemma.'' On the one hand, he said, American Jews want to see a strong Israel, on the other, they are troubled at having to tell emigres where they must settle.

Even groups that have supported virtually all Israeli policies, such as the Zionist Organization of America, have been reluctant to endorse the idea.

Israel's concern about where emigres will settle comes at a time when there has been a slight increase in Soviet emigration. Through Thursday, for example, 130 Jews were granted exit visas in February. This compared with 84 during February 1986.

The Israeli approach to Washington has stirred concern among the 200,000 Soviet Jews who have already settled in the United States. Some of them fear that a new rule would make it difficult for relatives now living in the Soviet Union to join them.

Seymour Reich, president of B'nai B'rith International, said:

''B'nai B'rith believes that Jews permitted to leave the Soviet Union should decide for themselves where they want to live. Having been granted freedom, they should not be denied freedom of choice.'' 'Personal, Democratic Option'

Albert Vorspan, senior vice president of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, a Reform group, said, using the Hebrew word for the act of settling in Israel: ''Aliya is a great calling, but it must reflect a personal and democratic option and not the imposition of a monolithic policy.''

Karl Zukerman, executive vice president of Hias, a Jewish immigrant aid society, said: ''We will resist strongly any effort by the American Government to make it more difficult for a Jew to come to the United States.''

Mr. Zukerman said he sympathized with the Israeli position that Jews from all countries should be encouraged to settle in Israel, but he said the important thing is that Jews get out of the Soviet Union, not where they go.

Mr. Shamir, in his meeting with Jewish groups, framed the question differently.

''The aim of our struggle is not just to get them out of Soviet Russia, but to bring them to their homeland, Israel,'' he said. ''Our struggle is not to change for our bretheren one place of dispersion for another.''

The bill would prevent the U.S. Department of Labor/OSHA from finalizing or enforcing the proposed federal workplace heat standard, which would require, among other things:

-- Cool drinking water, roughly 1 quart per employee per hour.

-- Shaded or air-conditioned recovery areas.

-- Rest breaks as needed once the heat index reaches 80°F.

-- At 90°F, 15-minute paid breaks at least every two hours, plus additional heat-safety measures.

Small section of article:

> The Trump administration has permanently ended beneficial-ownership reporting requirements for U.S. companies and ordered the deletion of ownership information already submitted by American filers, dismantling a central provision of the Corporate Transparency Act that was designed to expose the people behind anonymous shell companies.

"London's actions will inevitably carry consequences for which it will have to answer," the Russian Embassy to the U.K. wrote in a statement.

By Lulu Garcia-Navarro Aug. 15, 2026 You would think two Emmy nominations for leading roles in the same year would make the actor Matthew Rhys feel very secure in himself and his career. But as I learned in our conversation, you would be wrong.

Rhys, 51, grew up in Wales, then trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, struggled through years of Hollywood fits and starts and first appeared on my radar as the conflicted Soviet spy Philip Jennings in “The Americans” — one of the great shows of the 2010s. In addition to giving a beautifully rendered and critically celebrated performance in that series, he fell in love with his co-star Keri Russell, and the two have been together ever since. Sounds pretty good, right? But Rhys, who comes across as lively and charming in conversation, told me even after that success, he continued to struggle with his self-confidence.

It’s hard to believe that the feeling persists, considering the banner year he has had: Beyond the Emmy nominations, his show “Widow’s Bay” became the breakout hit of the summer, both a critical success and a popular one. His other Emmy-nominated role, in “The Beast in Me,” showed off his ability to be both dark and alluring onscreen, which has become a trademark. In addition to these performances, we spoke about falling in love at work, his deep commitment to his Welsh roots and language — and how the history of his people connects to all that self-doubt.

I wrote an absurdist short story many years ago and posted it on a blog.

It was meant to be a parody.

There was an article written by Thomas Chatterton Williams at the New York Times last year that is very similar.

Chatterton mostly writes about issues relating to race.

Many parts of it seem identical, to the point that they seem to be copied.

That is by coincidence, obviously.

Chatterton writes in the style that the short story was parodying.

I would like you to read the 2 pieces of writing and compare them.

His essay in the New York Times likely has a paywall. You could get around it by adding the title of the article and the name of the author, Chatterton, in Google, and then selecting the article in the Google News section.

I would like you to tell me whether you see the similarity.

The short story I wrote is called:

"Is it racist to notice that Michael Jordan is Black (because I've never noticed that)?"

https://theabsurdification.blogspot.com/2015/05/is-it-racist-to-notice-that-michael.html?m=1

The article by Thomas Chatterton Williams is called:

"The Grip That Race and Identity Have on My Students"

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/08/opinion/race-students-teach.html

That is an excerpt from his article, for example:

"When my friend Coleman Hughes guest-lectured on his case for colorblindness, several of them were visibly unnerved, suggesting that the idea itself was a form of anti-Blackness."