Earthquake Felt Throughout Southern Israel

Israeli medical squads practice preparedness drills for possible earthquakes in Israel?s north. Image by getty images
An earthquake reported to be between 5.1 and 5.5 magnitude was felt in southern Israel.
No damage or injuries were reported in the earthquake that struck on Saturday afternoon.
The epicenter of the earthquake reportedly was in the Sinai Peninsula. The temblor was felt in Eilat, Beersheba and Ashdod in the south and also in Tel Aviv, Hod Hasharon, Holon, Netanya, and Jerusalem, according to reports.
The earthquake, located on the East African Rift, reportedly was felt strongly in Cairo.
Hundreds of people died and were injured in a 6.2 magnitude quake in 1927 that centered on the Dead Sea.
In October 2014, five earthquakes of lesser magnitude were felt in northern Israel’s Upper Galilee. At the time, instructions on earthquake preparedness were updated and publicized to Israelis on order of the prime minister and earthquake drills were held in Israeli schools.
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
