The June 7, 2023 USA Today crossword puzzle, which identifies “Palestine” as a neighbor of Jordan. (Screengrab)
“It appeared to be another disturbing, disrespectful attempt at delegitimizing Israel,” reader Bob Berman told JNS.
By Menachem Wecker, JNS
Bob Berman, who is retired and lives in Cheshire, Ore., near Eugene, does the USA Today crossword puzzle in The Register-Guard, a daily paper published in Eugene. He said what he saw in the clue and answer for 35 down in the June 7 puzzle stood out as unusual.
“If there is any consistency in the clues, it’s that if a country is mentioned and they want a neighbor to that country, then they are looking for another country. Pretty simple,” he told JNS.
The clue for 35 down in the June 7 crossword was “neighbor of Jordan.” The nine-letter answer could not be Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia or Israel. When JNS clicked “reveal word” in the online puzzle, the provided answer was “Palestine.”
“Palestine is not a country. The nearest country west of Jordan is Israel. It appeared to be another disturbing, disrespectful attempt at delegitimizing Israel,” Berman told JNS.
The puzzle, which is titled “Left Brain,” is credited to Sara Cantor and edited by Anna Gundlach. Gannett, which owns USA Today, did not respond to a query from JNS.
A Jewish man was accosted by two antisemites while walking in Berlin, who shouted antisemitic…
Abbas’s refusal to answer may have broader electoral consequences in the upcoming national elections in…
Over the past three decades, the relationship has centered on links between Hackney’s Homerton University…
Cornell student Austin Franco, who was exposed for refusing to work for a Jewish employer,…
Any stalemate that ensues between the US and Iran will inevitably be falsely blamed on…
In the past, Lebanese prosecutors issued arrest warrants in similar cases for Lebanese citizens outside…