Yom Hashoah
Today is Yom Hashoah, when we remember and honor the memories of the 6 million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators. On the Hebrew calendar it marks the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising (although not the exact date).
Stores in Israel were closed last night. This morning a siren was heard throughout the country during which traffic stopped and Israelis stood for two minutes of silence. Names of Holocaust victims are read in the Knesset and memorial services are held throughout the country. The radio and television run holocaust programming and survivor testimonies throughout the day. In the afternoon, the 31st the March of the Living will begin in Poland, where participants, including survivors and dignitaries, will march three kilometers from Auschwitz concentration camp to the Birkenau death camp.
Yom Hashoah is also commemorated in Jewish communities throughout the world.
As the years pass and the survivors of the Holocaust grow fewer, it gets harder to remember and even harder to relate to this most horrific episode in human history. Six million is such an overwhelming number that it can make us forget that it consists of individual people, each with a story of living, happiness, love, suffering, survival and yes, death.
How can we relate to the tragedy of the Holocaust?
Perhaps one way is to take a moment during our normal course of life to try and imagine how it would feel. When you’re outside in the bitter cold, imagine how you would feel if instead of your warm coat and boots, you were barefoot and naked. When you’re sitting at the dinner table with your family, imagine how it would feel to know that you all could be arrested and put on a train to Auschwitz at any moment. When you’re looking at your young children, imagine how it would feel to hold their hands as you walk together to a pit to be shot, or to the gas chamber.
A million and a half children were murdered in the Holocaust. Many of them were accompanied by at least one parent who would never leave them, even if that meant giving up an opportunity to save themselves. What did fathers and mothers, who gave up the chance to escape in order to stay with their children, tell them in those final moments? How did they muster the courage?
Another way to relate to the Holocaust is to read the first hand testimonies of survivors. Sometimes the testimonies of the murderers and collaborators is even more effective — and the only ones we have. [yes, the “neighbors” their share of the killing. Sorry, but it’s true.]
Here are a few:
Testimony of Ukrainian women – witnesses to murder of Jewish population of Sataniv:
“The Jews were walled up under the marketplace in a cellar. The Germans had burned some straw to make smoke and smother them. Then, after closing the door, they had piled 2 meters of earth on top. For four days afterwards the Jews had tried to get out. People saw the ground of the marketplace moving. On the fifth day the silence was total.”
Testimony from the village of Berniki:
“We are going to tell the truth. You see the house down there on the left, the modern house? Well, down there he hid Jews during the war. He hid a lot. And each time he killed them during the night. He smothered them with quilts. When they were dead, he stripped them and took their bodies to the quarry to get rid of them.“
Source – “The Holocaust by Bullets” by Father Patrick Desbois
From the testimony of Joseph F., a German soldier stationed in Kerch, Crimea, who witnessed the mass execution of hundreds of Jews.
“I climbed up onto the embankment I have already mentioned and saw a heap of clothes, children’s shoes and hats lying right there. I also saw piles of watches. Trucks full of men, women and children were arriving. The trucks arrived at the road and after they stopped, the people were pulled out by Russian civilians overseen by an SS guard. If they didn’t go fast enough, they were hurried along with sticks until they were all assembled on the embankment.
On the other side of the embankment, the Jews had to take off their clothes. If they didn’t do this fast enough, their clothes were ripped off by the Russians and two or three SS guards. If the Jews hadn’t known before, now they discovered what was to become of them. Some moan too loud, but most of the older Jews clasp their hands and look toward the sky. It was always the same image; they clasp their hands the way we do at home to ask for something and looked up at the sky.
When the children had nice shoes, they were pulled off by the Russians and the SS. The firing squad was composed of five or six SS. Once they were in front of the shooters, the Jews had to jump into the anti-tank ditch and stand against the straight wall. From there, it all went very fast. As soon as they were all inside, there was firing and the people slid to the ground.
I noticed among the women a man who was obviously paralyzed. He was big and fat. He was dragged to the execution spots by two 12 to 14 year old boys. The two boys took him by the shoulders but had to keep putting him down because he was so heavy. When they put him down, another Russian would hit and push them.
Then I noticed a very handsome couple with two small children. The husband and wife were very well-dressed. You could see right away that they were fine people. This couple was in one of the groups that the Russian civilian was bringing toward the firing squad. The woman had a child of about one in her arms, and the couple was leading another child of three or four by the hand. Once they were facing the firing squad, I saw the man ask for something. He had probably asked for permission to hold his family in his arms one last time, because I saw him embrace his wife and the child she was holding. But at the same moment, the shots were fired and everyone fell to the ground. I watched those people all the way to the firing squad because they were such a handsome couple and they had two children.”
The soldier then continues to describe the murder of Jewish children.
“Most of the time the children knocked over by their falling mother’s sat on the ground or on their mothers bodies without really understanding what had just happened. I saw how they climbed on their mothers among the dead women. They looked around and definitely did not understand what was going on. I still have the image very clearly before my eyes; they looked up with their big eyes and scared expressions at the shooters. They were too terrified to cry.
Twice I saw an SS go down into the ditch with a rifle and kill the children, who were sitting on the dead or on their own mothers, with one shot to the nape of the neck. As I’ve said, they weren’t crying, but looking around in shock. I think he was aiming for the head with his gun. At least, he held the barrel not far from the head, because I noticed almost no space between the head and the barrel. The children I saw struggling to move here and there range from babies to children of two or three years.”
Source – “The Holocaust by Bullets” by Father Patrick Desbois
Testimony from the book, “The Death Brigade” by Leon W. Wells
“I worked at the firm of Feder and Daumen at 5 Zrodlanej street with my two daughters. One was 17, the other 15. After the liquidation of the ghetto we were hidden in the company’s building. The director of this firm took everything away from us. Then the gestapo came and brought us here; my two children and I. This was a few days ago. Today they took us, together with you, to the sands, and I was separated from my two daughters. I, as everyone else, went down to the ravine. After a long time, about 15 people were selected and taken to the place where we left the women and children in the morning. And they were all, and my two daughters among them, lying dead … shot. What girls, beautiful, intelligent, what I wouldn’t have done for them… they told us to make a fire, and we threw all the bodies into it, my children, too.”
“The SS shot a woman. The woman’s child is sitting next to her in a puddle of blood with her head on her dead mother’s breast, sleeping. An SS man wakes the child by whipping her. She must go with the other children to the sands. The child screams in terror, “mother, it hurts!” the child gets up and starts to run, and the SS man goes after her. The child yells, and the murderer decides to shoot her on the spot. He reaches for his pistol, and shoots.”
Conclusion?
If you’ve read this far, you understand why the Jewish People must have their own country with a powerful army to defend it, and why compromising its security is simply not an option.
You understand that when the Iranians threaten to annihilate us, and the Arabs (and Palestinians) threaten to push us into the sea — we take those threats seriously, because we’ve experience what happens when those threats are ignored.
You understand why we must always control our destiny in Israel and why we can never allow an armed Palestinian state to exist in our land. Doing so would be like walking to the execution pits or the gas chambers, and we will never again do that.
Finally, you understand why we must always remain vigilant to stamp out any trace of violence or persecution based on race, religion or personal beliefs and orientations.
The Holocaust has taught us what unspeakable horrors man is capable of, and it is a lesson that we must never forget, so that it never is allowed to happen again, to anyone, anywhere.
[Note: If you have problems with what I’ve written here, there’s an unsubscribe link at the bottom of this email.]
Israel News for 5-6-2019
/by Arnie SingerGaza Update
An Egyptian-mediated ceasefire agreement has apparently taken hold between Israel and the Gaza terror groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, after 3 days of fighting. The fighting began on Friday, when terrorists fired at IDF troops from Gaza, wounded 2 soldiers. The IDF retaliated with airstrikes at Gaza terror targets that killed 2 terrorists.
Since then, over 700 rockets and missiles were fired from Gaza into Gaza, killing 4 Israelis. Israeli forces hit over 350 targets in Gaza, killing 23, including a high ranking Hamas commander (in a targeted strike). IDF troops continue to mass at the Gaza border in preparation of a continuation of the fighting.
The Israeli killed were:
Pinchas Menachem Prezuazman, 21, was killed by shrapnel when a rocket fired from Gaza struck a building in Ashdod Sunday evening. He leaves behind a wife and a 1.5-year-old infant. He was a member of the Gur hasidic community. Three others were also injured by the shrapnel.
Moshe Feder, 68, father of 2, from Kfar Saba was killed when his vehicle was struck by an anti-tank rocket fired from Gaza that was aimed at a busload of soldiers. Moshe Agadi, 58, the father of 4, was killed in a rocket strike in Ashkelon and Ziad Alhamamda was killed when a rocket struck a factory in Ashkelon.
Scores of Israelis were injured in the rocket barrages.
US President Trump tweeted, “Once again, Israel faces a barrage of deadly rocket attacks by terrorist groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad. We support Israel 100% in its defense of its citizens…To the Gazan people — these terrorist acts against Israel will bring you nothing but more misery. END the violence and work towards peace – it can happen!”
The EU condemned the rocket attacks against Israel.
[Today’s summary was taken from a variety of news sources including YNET, Israel National News, and Globes]
Yom Hashoah
/by Arnie SingerYom Hashoah
Today is Yom Hashoah, when we remember and honor the memories of the 6 million Jewish men, women and children who were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators. On the Hebrew calendar it marks the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising (although not the exact date).
Stores in Israel were closed last night. This morning a siren was heard throughout the country during which traffic stopped and Israelis stood for two minutes of silence. Names of Holocaust victims are read in the Knesset and memorial services are held throughout the country. The radio and television run holocaust programming and survivor testimonies throughout the day. In the afternoon, the 31st the March of the Living will begin in Poland, where participants, including survivors and dignitaries, will march three kilometers from Auschwitz concentration camp to the Birkenau death camp.
Yom Hashoah is also commemorated in Jewish communities throughout the world.
As the years pass and the survivors of the Holocaust grow fewer, it gets harder to remember and even harder to relate to this most horrific episode in human history. Six million is such an overwhelming number that it can make us forget that it consists of individual people, each with a story of living, happiness, love, suffering, survival and yes, death.
How can we relate to the tragedy of the Holocaust?
Perhaps one way is to take a moment during our normal course of life to try and imagine how it would feel. When you’re outside in the bitter cold, imagine how you would feel if instead of your warm coat and boots, you were barefoot and naked. When you’re sitting at the dinner table with your family, imagine how it would feel to know that you all could be arrested and put on a train to Auschwitz at any moment. When you’re looking at your young children, imagine how it would feel to hold their hands as you walk together to a pit to be shot, or to the gas chamber.
A million and a half children were murdered in the Holocaust. Many of them were accompanied by at least one parent who would never leave them, even if that meant giving up an opportunity to save themselves. What did fathers and mothers, who gave up the chance to escape in order to stay with their children, tell them in those final moments? How did they muster the courage?
Another way to relate to the Holocaust is to read the first hand testimonies of survivors. Sometimes the testimonies of the murderers and collaborators is even more effective — and the only ones we have. [yes, the “neighbors” their share of the killing. Sorry, but it’s true.]
Here are a few:
Testimony of Ukrainian women – witnesses to murder of Jewish population of Sataniv:
“The Jews were walled up under the marketplace in a cellar. The Germans had burned some straw to make smoke and smother them. Then, after closing the door, they had piled 2 meters of earth on top. For four days afterwards the Jews had tried to get out. People saw the ground of the marketplace moving. On the fifth day the silence was total.”
Testimony from the village of Berniki:
“We are going to tell the truth. You see the house down there on the left, the modern house? Well, down there he hid Jews during the war. He hid a lot. And each time he killed them during the night. He smothered them with quilts. When they were dead, he stripped them and took their bodies to the quarry to get rid of them.“
Source – “The Holocaust by Bullets” by Father Patrick Desbois
From the testimony of Joseph F., a German soldier stationed in Kerch, Crimea, who witnessed the mass execution of hundreds of Jews.
“I climbed up onto the embankment I have already mentioned and saw a heap of clothes, children’s shoes and hats lying right there. I also saw piles of watches. Trucks full of men, women and children were arriving. The trucks arrived at the road and after they stopped, the people were pulled out by Russian civilians overseen by an SS guard. If they didn’t go fast enough, they were hurried along with sticks until they were all assembled on the embankment.
On the other side of the embankment, the Jews had to take off their clothes. If they didn’t do this fast enough, their clothes were ripped off by the Russians and two or three SS guards. If the Jews hadn’t known before, now they discovered what was to become of them. Some moan too loud, but most of the older Jews clasp their hands and look toward the sky. It was always the same image; they clasp their hands the way we do at home to ask for something and looked up at the sky.
When the children had nice shoes, they were pulled off by the Russians and the SS. The firing squad was composed of five or six SS. Once they were in front of the shooters, the Jews had to jump into the anti-tank ditch and stand against the straight wall. From there, it all went very fast. As soon as they were all inside, there was firing and the people slid to the ground.
I noticed among the women a man who was obviously paralyzed. He was big and fat. He was dragged to the execution spots by two 12 to 14 year old boys. The two boys took him by the shoulders but had to keep putting him down because he was so heavy. When they put him down, another Russian would hit and push them.
Then I noticed a very handsome couple with two small children. The husband and wife were very well-dressed. You could see right away that they were fine people. This couple was in one of the groups that the Russian civilian was bringing toward the firing squad. The woman had a child of about one in her arms, and the couple was leading another child of three or four by the hand. Once they were facing the firing squad, I saw the man ask for something. He had probably asked for permission to hold his family in his arms one last time, because I saw him embrace his wife and the child she was holding. But at the same moment, the shots were fired and everyone fell to the ground. I watched those people all the way to the firing squad because they were such a handsome couple and they had two children.”
The soldier then continues to describe the murder of Jewish children.
“Most of the time the children knocked over by their falling mother’s sat on the ground or on their mothers bodies without really understanding what had just happened. I saw how they climbed on their mothers among the dead women. They looked around and definitely did not understand what was going on. I still have the image very clearly before my eyes; they looked up with their big eyes and scared expressions at the shooters. They were too terrified to cry.
Twice I saw an SS go down into the ditch with a rifle and kill the children, who were sitting on the dead or on their own mothers, with one shot to the nape of the neck. As I’ve said, they weren’t crying, but looking around in shock. I think he was aiming for the head with his gun. At least, he held the barrel not far from the head, because I noticed almost no space between the head and the barrel. The children I saw struggling to move here and there range from babies to children of two or three years.”
Source – “The Holocaust by Bullets” by Father Patrick Desbois
Testimony from the book, “The Death Brigade” by Leon W. Wells
“I worked at the firm of Feder and Daumen at 5 Zrodlanej street with my two daughters. One was 17, the other 15. After the liquidation of the ghetto we were hidden in the company’s building. The director of this firm took everything away from us. Then the gestapo came and brought us here; my two children and I. This was a few days ago. Today they took us, together with you, to the sands, and I was separated from my two daughters. I, as everyone else, went down to the ravine. After a long time, about 15 people were selected and taken to the place where we left the women and children in the morning. And they were all, and my two daughters among them, lying dead … shot. What girls, beautiful, intelligent, what I wouldn’t have done for them… they told us to make a fire, and we threw all the bodies into it, my children, too.”
“The SS shot a woman. The woman’s child is sitting next to her in a puddle of blood with her head on her dead mother’s breast, sleeping. An SS man wakes the child by whipping her. She must go with the other children to the sands. The child screams in terror, “mother, it hurts!” the child gets up and starts to run, and the SS man goes after her. The child yells, and the murderer decides to shoot her on the spot. He reaches for his pistol, and shoots.”
Conclusion?
If you’ve read this far, you understand why the Jewish People must have their own country with a powerful army to defend it, and why compromising its security is simply not an option.
You understand that when the Iranians threaten to annihilate us, and the Arabs (and Palestinians) threaten to push us into the sea — we take those threats seriously, because we’ve experience what happens when those threats are ignored.
You understand why we must always control our destiny in Israel and why we can never allow an armed Palestinian state to exist in our land. Doing so would be like walking to the execution pits or the gas chambers, and we will never again do that.
Finally, you understand why we must always remain vigilant to stamp out any trace of violence or persecution based on race, religion or personal beliefs and orientations.
The Holocaust has taught us what unspeakable horrors man is capable of, and it is a lesson that we must never forget, so that it never is allowed to happen again, to anyone, anywhere.
[Note: If you have problems with what I’ve written here, there’s an unsubscribe link at the bottom of this email.]
Israel News for 5-1-19
/by Arnie SingerNew Knesset
Israel’s 21st Knesset was officially sworn in yesterday in opening day ceremonies. There are 49 new Knesset members, out of 120.
President Reuven Rivlin addressed the Knesset members saying, “We’ve been through a rough campaign season. We’ve slammed others and got slammed ourselves. Enough now. We must rise above, put our swords aside and clean the dirt. Political strategy can no longer be the only the sole compass.”
After all 120 MKs stood up and declared their commitment to serve, they all sang Hatikvah. The MK’s from the Arab parties refused to sing and left the room instead.
[ Can you imagine members of the US Congress refusing to sing the national anthem? What do you think would happen to them? ]
For further reading click here.
Switching Teams
The Likud is reportedly trying to convince several Blue and White Knesset members to switch over to Likud. One of the top targets is freshman MK Omer Yankelevich, the only female ultra-Orthodox lawmaker in the Knesset.
The Likud is hoping to recruit at least one Blue and White MK, thus enabling PM Netanyahu to form a narrow 61-MK coalition without former Defense Minister Avidgor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu party.
For further reading click here.
Rocket Fired
A long-range rocket was fired from Gaza on Monday. It fell into the sea off the Israeli coast. The IDF blamed the Islamic Jihad commander in Gaza for the rocket attack, indicating the threat of possible action against him.
In response to the attack, the IDF restricted Gaza fishermen to a 6 nautical mile area until further notice.
For further reading click here.
EU Support
In response to a request by Israel, the EU has decided to increase its financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority by 22 million Euros.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said that the EU accepted Israel’s request, noting that “the European Union is and will remain the biggest and the most reliable donor to the Palestinians. European Union assistance to Palestinians has been more than €300 million every year for the last 15 years. This support will continue, because Palestinians have the right to live in dignity and because we Europeans know very well that this money is an investment in security for the Palestinians, for the Israelis, for the region and for ourselves.”
Israel made the request after the PA rejected hundreds of millions of shekels offered by Israel. The money was a portion of the tax revenues that Israel is withholding because the Palestinians are using the money to pay salaries to terrorists and their families.
For further reading click here.
Holocaust Stories
During the official Holocaust Memorial ceremony which will take place Wednesday evening at Yad Vashem, six Holocaust survivors will light six torches. The survivors are Bela Eizenman, Shaul Lubovitz, Fanny Ben-Ami, Menachem Haberman, Sara Shapira and Yehuda Mimon. Holocaust survivor Zipora (Feiga) Granat (née Gershenfish) will speak on behalf of the survivors.
To read their stories click here.
Israel News for 4-29-19
/by Arnie SingerTerror Foiled
The Shin Bet announced yesterday that it had arrested a suspected terrorist late last month who planned to carry out a suicide car bombing in Ma’ale Adumim close to the Israeli elections. The 23-year-old man from the village of az-Za’ayyem, near Jerusalem, told investigators he communicated over the internet with Hamas operatives in Gaza and was conscripted in Gaza. He was told to scout potential locations for an attack and report back to Hamas, who then decided on the final target.
The Shin Bet said that Hamas is constantly attempting to recruit operatives in the West Bank.
For further reading click here.
PA Rejects Cash
According to a news report released yesterday, Israel attempted to secretly transfer hundreds of millions of shekels to the Palestinian Authority as a partial payment in lieu of the tax payments that Israel withheld because the PA continues to pay salaries to terrorists and their families. But PA President Abbas rejected the cash transfer, saying the he would only accept the entire sum. Israel attempted the transfer in order to prevent the PA from economic collapse.
For further reading click here.
Prisoner Release
Israel has decided to release 2 prisoners as a goodwill gesture for the recent return of the remains of Zachary Baumel. Israel did not provide any details about the identity of the prisoners, but Russian officials claim that they are Syrian.
For further reading click here.
Lebanon Border
The speaker of Lebanon’s parliament has indicated that Lebanon is prepared to set a maritime border with Israel under the supervision of the United Nations. The move was reportedly encouraged as a result of talks with US Secretary of State Pompeo during his recent visit to Beirut. Israel and Lebanon do not currently have a mutually recognized maritime border, which has recently caused tensions to flare as a result of offshore oil and gas discoveries and exploration.
[Could this be part of the Trump peace deal?]
For further reading click here.
Balloon Buster
The IDF has developed a new weapon to counter the threat from incendiary and explosive balloons and kites launched at Israel from Gaza. The weapon is a smart rifle sight called Pegion (dagger) developed by a company named Smart Shooter from Kibbutz Yagur in cooperation with the Administration for the Development of Weapons and Technological Infrastructure in the Ministry of Defense.
The sight improves fire from assault rifles carried by soldiers that make it possible to accurately strike targets moving at high speed. Such accuracy was unavailable until recently, because the sights previously mounted on weapons did not guarantee such accuracy against moving targets or in shooting at stationary targets following great physical effort.
The Pegion sight is an electro-optic system that makes it possible to follow a moving target in various scenarios, such as in the case of balloons and kites carrying explosives or incendiaries into Israeli territory. Based on the rapid mathematical calculations that it performs through computer software, it determines when the weapon on which it is mounted should shoot at the target, so that the first bullet fired at the target will strike it accurately.
The systems is built so that as soon as it is operated, it will not allow the soldier pulling the trigger to shoot at all at a target if it does not identify an accurate hit. Pegion is designed to hit targets at a range of hundreds of meters, with an emphasis on reducing potential damage to bystanders in urban warfare. Smart Shoot is currently developing a new and more advanced version that is believed to be lighter.
For further reading click here.
Passover 2019
/by Arnie SingerPassover Break
As PM Netanyahu begins the process of forming his fifth governing coalition, the Israeli government and most of the country shuts down for the Passover holiday, so we’ll be doing the same. We’ll see you back after the holiday. Wishing you all a very happy and peaceful Passover!
Destroying Haughtiness
The Torah commands us to destroy our chametz – leavened products — before the onset of Passover. Jewish law dictates that we conduct a search for any chametz in our homes, to make sure that none remains in our possession during Passover. In a spiritual sense, chametz represents haughtiness and misplaced pride and self importance. In preparation of our redemption (on Passover) we are meant to destroy the chametz within us. It is then that true redemption, both personal and national, can be achieved.
Getting rid of physical chametz is not too difficult. But vanquishing our spiritual chametz is a challenge of epic proportions. For it is that chametz that gives us the permission to belittle, mistreat, mock or simply ignore those whom we deem to be not quite good enough for us. It’s what often makes us feel good about ourselves when we do things that we shouldn’t and directs us to put our own interests before those of others, even if those interests are ethically or morally corrupt — or simply not very nice.
So here’s a challenge: in addition to getting rid of our physical chametz, let’s put at least as much attention into getting rid of our spiritual chametz. Doing so will allow us to experience redemption in its truest sense.
Is it Enough?
One of the most famous and beloved songs we sing at the Passover Seder is Dayenu, which means “it would be enough for us”. The song enumerates the great miracles performed for the Jewish people from the Exodus until their entrance into the Land of Israel and after each one proclaims “Dayenu”. For example, “If God had just taken us out of Egypt but not split the sea, that would have been enough for us”. But would it really have been enough if God had taken us out of Egypt but not split the sea? The same question can be asked about nearly every even mentioned in the song. Would it really have been enough?
In order to answer this question, we need to understand that Dayenu is really a love song. When someone is truly in love, every moment and memory with their beloved is precious. Of course we’d love to have it all – – the best house, car, job, vacations, clothing, jewelry etc. But if we truly love our spouse, family or friends, then we can still be happily fulfilled with less. When you have love, then the other stuff isn’t that important.
Let’s use this Passover holiday as an opportunity to appreciate the love in our lives. If we do, we’ll find that the other things are not so important after all. And we’ll also gain a greater appreciation for the things we have been blessed with.
Israel News for 4-17-19
/by Arnie SingerFinal Results
The final election results (for real this time) were released yesterday and presented to President Rivlin. In the end, Likud dropped from 36 to 35 seats and UTJ gained moved up from 7 to 8. It doesn’t change the overall balance of power between left and right, with the right wing block holding 65 seats and the left 45 (or 55 if you include the Arab parties).
Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked’s New Right party did not manage to cross the minimum threshold to enter the Knesset, despite their complaints of voting irregularities. Shaked announced that she’s quitting politics, at least for the time being.
President Rivlin will give PM Netanyahu the green light to form a new government, and the PM will have 42 days to do so. He is expected to hand out around 26 ministerial portfolios to satiate his coalition partners, which will make for one of the largest governments ever. But just a few of those portfolios will probably end up going to members of his own Likud party.
Avigdor Lieberman has pledged his Yisrael Beytenu’s 5 seats to join the PM’s coalition. But one of the main points of his party’s platform is to do away with IDF draft exemptions for yeshiva students, and the 16 seat strong Shas-UTJ ultra orthodox block will never let that happen. So how will they all coexist in a coalition? They’ve managed to do it in the past.
New Map
The US government has published a new map of Israel which, for the first time, includes the Golan as part of Israel. The map shows the West Bank as territory occupied by Israel.
For further reading click here.
Heart Print
Israeli scientists have printed a living heart using a 3D printer. The technology was developed by Dr. Nadav Nur and Dr. Assaf Shapira working at the life science lab of Prof. Dvir at Tel Aviv University in cooperation with the faculty of engineering and the Segol biotechnical center. They say that the technology will be widely available for use in 10 years.
For further reading click here.
Israel News for 4-15-19
/by Arnie SingerSyria Attack
On Saturday, aircraft believed to be Israeli attacked and destroyed a missile production facility in Syria. The site was built during the years 2014-2016 on the western section of a Syrian military base and is isolated by a wall. It is unclear whether the site is controlled by the Syrians or the Iranians. The industrial structures, including all the equipment inside them, were completely destroyed. Other nearby buildings also were damaged. Syrian opposition forces claim that 17 people were injured in the strike including Syrians and Iranian militia personnel.
For further reading click here.
Visit Cancelled
A spokeswoman for Israel’s Economy Ministry said a planned visit to Bahrain this week by Israel’s Economy Minister Eli Cohen had been “delayed because of political issues.” The group of around 30 Israeli business executives and government officials was scheduled to participate in a congress organized by the U.S.- based Global Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) in Bahrain on April 15-18.
The proposed visit caused protests by members of Bahrains parliament as well as street protests. The parliament members released a statement saying, “Bahrain’s parliament announces that the people of Bahrain reject any Israeli presence on its territory and its lands and any decision allowing this presence is unacceptable.”
For further reading click here.
Women in Tanks
The IDF has decided not to integrate female soldiers in the Armored Corps despite conducting a successful pilot course last year to train female troops as tank crewwomen. The 10 crewwomen who underwent the special training have in recent months been integrated into other combat units, such as the Karakal Battalion, composed of both male and female combat soldiers.
For further reading click here.
Pay Raise
Israel’s non military security forces are getting a, well deserved, 7.5% pay raise. The first payment was made on the eve of the elections last week.
For further reading click here.
Matzah to Poland
The Shavei Israel organization, led by Michael Freund, has delivered to the Jewish community in Poland 2 tons of matzah, consisting of 1,692 boxes of Matzot Aviv, along with 90 boxes of machine-made special shmura (“guarded”) matzah and 45 boxes of hand-made shmura matzah. The matzah will be distributed to nearly a dozen Jewish communities throughout Poland, including Bielsko-Biala, Gdansk, Katowice, Krakow, Legnica, Lodz, Lublin, Poznan, Szczerczin, Warsaw and Wroclaw.
There are approximately 4,000 Jews registered in Poland today, but experts suggest there may be tens of thousands more throughout the country who, to this day, are either hiding their identities or are simply unaware of their family heritage. In recent years, a growing number of so-called “Hidden Jews” have begun to return to Judaism and to the Jewish people. Shavei Israel has been active in Poland for over a decade, working closely with Polish Chief Rabbi Michael Schudrich and these “Hidden Jews.”
Rabbi Schudrich said, “As more and more Poles discover their Jewish roots. Passover especially speaks to them as a celebration of freedom and the end of slavery or occupation. Matzah represents that freedom and every Jew wants to have his box of matzah for Pesach. Thanks to Shavei Israel, many Jews will have matzah this Pesach. Thank you, Shavei Israel.”
For further reading click here.
Israel News for 4-12-19
/by Arnie SingerFinal Results
The final election results were released yesterday, after roughly 200,000 votes of soldiers, diplomats and a few other groups were counted. The newly counted votes gave Likud another seat and caused UTJ to lose one.
Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked had hoped that their party would be pushed over the threshold, but they apparently fell 1,461 votes short. Had they not broken off from their Jewish Home party to start their own party, they would have probably added another 3 or 4 seats to the right wing block and been in a strong position to attain important ministerial portfolios and materially impact government policies. Instead, they weakened the right wing and ended up with nothing.
Arab voter turnout, which is usually very low, was even lower, resulting in only 10 seats for the Arab block, which is far lower than their proportion of the population. It’s possible that some Arabs voted for Jewish parties, but much more likely that they have simply lost hope in the political process.
Here are the final results:
Likud (Netanyahu) – 36
Blue White (Gantz) – 35
Shas (Ultra Orthodox) – 8
UTJ (Ultra Orthodox) – 7
Hadash-Ta’al (Socialist-Arab) – 6
Labor (Left) – 6
Yisrael Beytenu (Right) – 5
United Right – 5
Kulanu (Right) – 4
Meretz (Left) – 4
Ra’am-Balad (Arab) – 4
President Rivlin will meet with both the Likud and Blue White leaders next week to determine which to choose to form a government. But with a right wing block of 65 seats versus 55 on the center-left, it’s clear that the Netanyahu will be forming the next government.
Ganz and Lapid have pledge to remain in the opposition. But would they join a unity government under the right circumstances? They’ve said they won’t, but anything can happen in Israeli politics. Even if they remain in the opposition, they would probably support the PM in the event that he proposed making concessions required by a soon to be released US peace proposal. How could they not?
Moon Miss
Israel’s Beresheet spacecraft was set to land on the moon and make Israel the fourth country to ever do so. But complications with one of the engines got in the way, and the spacecraft was lost while attempting to land.
Morris Khan, president of SpaceIL, said “I’m happy. The flag of Israel is on the moon. The slogan of ‘Small country, big dreams’ and Am Yisrael Chai (the nation of Israel lives) is on the moon. I think we’ve done something. We got around the moon, we landed on the moon. It just happened to be a hard landing.”
PM Netanyahu remarked, “If at first, you don’t succeed, try again. We’ll try again, and next time we’ll just try it more gently.”
The mission cost over $100 million and was funded primarily by private philanthropists. Could that money have gone to more worthy endeavors, like helping Israel’s poor? I guess reaching the moon must be pretty important too…
For further reading click here.
Israel News for 4-10-19
/by Arnie SingerElection Results
With 97% of the votes counted, here are Israel’s election results, indicating the number of Knesset seats each party won:
Likud (Netanyahu) – 35
Blue White (Gantz) – 35
Shas (Ultra Orthodox) – 8
UTJ (Ultra Orthodox) – 8
Hadash-Ta’al (Left) – 6
Labor (Left) – 6
Yisrael Beytenu (Right) – 5
United Right – 5
Kulanu (Right) – 4
Meretz (Left) – 4
Ra’am-Balad (Arab) – 4
The New Right, led by Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked fell just over 4,000 votes short of crossing the 3.25% vote threshold, which means they get 0 seats. However, there are still around 200,000 votes (3%) that have yet to be counted. They are expected to be counted sometime on Thursday. These votes, cast by IDF soldiers, police officers, diplomats and their families, prisoners and hospital patients and staff, could potentially push the New Right over the threshold, giving them 4 seats. The votes could also push the Arab party or Meretz below the threshold and out of the Knesset.
So while the final standings are not yet final, the overall outcome is clearly a big win for Likud, Netanyahu and the right wing, which holds a 65 seat majority.
The clear majority of the country’s Jewish voters voted to the right. But they did not vote for the more extreme right wing parties, as is evident from the New Right’s inability to (at least for now) cross the threshold, and the United Right’s 5 seats. Had Bennett and Shaked not broken away from their Jewish Home party to start their own party, their combined block would probably have close to 10 votes. But that didn’t happen.
In order to form a governing coalition, PM Netanyahu will have to cater to his smaller partners. For the most part, these partners are more focused on domestic and economic issues rather than foreign policy and the peace process.
The Ultra Orthodox parties, which make up the third largest Knesset block with 16 seats, are primarily concerned with religious issues, financial aid and draft exemptions. Kulanu is also focused on domestic and economic issues. They are moderate on foreign policy. While Yisrael Beytenu is tough on security issues, its policies are not based on ideology.
What all that means is that PM Netanyahu will not be forced to make ideologically based policy decisions such as annexing territory (even though he promised to do just that), which would most likely put him at odds with the soon to be released Trump peace plan. As long as the PM gives his more moderate partners what they want domestically, he should have free rein over foreign policy and security.
Once all the votes are counted and President Rivlin directs Netanyahu to form a new government, the horse trading will begin with the prizes being ministerial portfolios. The religious parties will most likely be happy with the Interior Ministry and the Health Ministry, which they held in the previous government. Kulanu, with Moshe Kahlon, will probably want the Finance Ministry again. The big prizes of the Foreign and Defense Ministries will most likely remain within Likud, unless Netanyahu decides to hold on to one for himself.
Let the games begin.
Israel News for 4-8-19
/by Arnie SingerAnnexation Pledge
During an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 TV news, the Prime Minister was asked why he had not annexed some of the larger settlement blocks during his current term. Netanyahu answered, “The question you are asking is an interesting question, whether we will move to the next stage and the answer is yes. We will move to the next stage, the imposing of Israeli sovereignty.”
The PM added, “I will impose sovereignty, but I will not distinguish between settlement blocs and isolated settlements. From my perspective, any point of settlement is Israeli, and we have responsibility, as the Israeli government. I will not uproot anyone, and I will not transfer sovereignty to the Palestinians.”
Annexation of parts of Judea and Samaria (West Bank), or its entirety, has been a hot issue in the right wing camp for years and most right wing politicians, including Likud members, have either pledged to do so or indicated that they are in favor of doing so. The notable exception has been the PM, until now.
Whether Netanyahu’s annexation pledge is just a tactic for galvanizing right wing voters before Tuesday’s election, or whether he will actually carry it out in the face of immense international pressure and massive diplomatic and economic repercussions is anyone’s guess. Annexation would also most likely go against the soon to be released Trump Middle East peace plan, and the PM definitely does not want to cross the US President.
For further reading click here.
To better understand the potential consequences of annexation, it’s worthwhile reading a report published by Commanders for Israel’s Security, a non partisan movement of over 280 retired generals and equivalents in Israel’s security services, including the IDF, Mossad, Shin Bet and Israel Police.
The Commander’s report is unequivocally against the unilateral annexation either the entire West Bank, or even just Area C (which includes the areas with an Israeli presence and encompasses 60% of the West Bank), for the following reasons:
1. The cost of securing the area and of providing the Palestinian residents with social services will be prohibitive (tens of billions of dollars annually).
2. The international ramifications, including government sanctions and private BDS actions, will be crippling to the Israeli economy.
3. Israel will eventually be forced to grant citizenship to the 2.5 million Palestinians in the territories or face being labeled an apartheid state and be isolated and shunned like was the case with South Africa. Granting them citizenship will destroy the concept of a Jewish democratic state in Israel.
4. The annexation of territory will cause the downfall of the Palestinian Authority (which will lose the little credibility it still has) and will force Israel to take full security and administrative control over the entire territory, again causing a huge strain on the Israeli economy and the IDF.
To read the report click here.
Cyber Threats
Israel’s security services are warning that Israel’s elections are potentially vulnerable to cyber attacks. Cybersecurity firms have identified efforts by Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey to breach party databases. Despite Israel’s use of paper voting ballots, the actual vote count is done digitally, which opens up the potential for manipulating the final totals.
For further reading click here.
Election Update
Israel’s elections will take place tomorrow. There are 39 political parties running for election to the Knesset. Most will not pass the required threshold of 3.25% of the total vote to win any seats. To get a better understanding of what all the parties stand for, check out this comprehensive guide by the Times of Israel – click here.