Very Hallmark Hanukkah & hard proof of pre-Maccabee pogroms

Welcome to The Times of Israel’s Daily Briefing, your 15-minute audio update on what’s happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world, from Sunday through Thursday. Military correspondent Emanuel Fabian and news editor Amy Spiro join host Amanda Borschel-Dan on today's episode. An Israeli driver came under gunfire by Palestinians in the northern West Bank on Friday and last night the Lion’s Den militant group reportedly claimed responsibility. Fabian fills in details. Fabian attended a large-scale military and medical drill at Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital in Jerusalem on Thursday. Should patients feel safe, based on what he saw? Spiro recently interviewed Mixed Martial Arts fighter Natan Levy who had some fighting words for Kanye West. Tonight, the Hallmark channel is airing "Hannukah on Rye." Why is this "perfect timing," according to Israeli star Yael Grobglas? And finally, Borschel-Dan speaks about how archaeologists have uncovered a cache of 2,200-year-old silver coins near the Dead Sea, which they say is the first physical proof that Jews fled to the Judean Desert during the upheaval and persecution under Hanukkah villain Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Discussed articles include: Israeli car comes under fire near Nablus, driver escapes unharmed IDF drills at Jerusalem hospital for potential war, heavy rocket attacks on capital UFC’s only Israeli fighter believes all Jews ‘should know how to defend themselves’ Hallmark’s new Hanukkah movie is ‘perfect timing’ amid antisemitism spike, says star 2,200-year-old coin hoard gives hard proof of Book of Maccabees, say archaeologists Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on iTunes, Spotify, PlayerFM, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: 2,200-year-old silver coins that were discovered in a wooden box inside a cave in Wadi Muraba‘at near the Dead Sea. (Shai Halevy, Israel Antiquities Authority)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.