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Israel News for July 19, 2016

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IDF Permits Demonstrations
The IDF has modified its rules to permit soldiers and officers to participate in non-political demonstrations. According to the new rules, conscripts and officers up to and including the rank of major are permitted to take part in public activities, provided that they do not pertain to IDF actions, party political matters, or matters of state. The permitted activity must take place on the soldiers’ own time and out of uniform. The demonstrators must not be able to be identified as IDF soldiers.

The new rule allows soldiers and officers to march in the upcoming gay pride parade in Jerusalem this Friday.

For further reading click here.

Flag Law
The Knesset yesterday passed a new law that increases the penalty for desecration of the Israeli flag to a maximum prison sentence three years and a a fine of 58,400 shekels ($15,100). The previous maximum sentence was one year and the fine was 300 liras — which in today’s currency would be around zero.

No more flag burnings in Mea Shearim?

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Soccer Solution
Defense Minister Leiberman has proposed a new solution to fight Palestinian terror, and it’s not the kind of hard line tactic you’d expect. The DM said, in a meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee of the Knesset, that he would establish ten new soccer fields in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority, to give Palestinian youth something more productive to do than throwing ricks at Jews. Makes sense, right?

Building soccer fields is part of Leiberman’s overall strategy of rewarding Palestinians that do not engage in terror and punishing only those who do (as opposed to collective punishment).

Hey, whatever works.

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Mexico Trade
Israel’s ambassador to Mexico said that trade between the two countries could triple in the coming years. Israel is currently Mexico’s biggest trading partner in the Middle East and 42nd globally. In 2015, total trade between the countries was $841 million.

Mexico’s exports to Israel include cement, fruit, cars and crude oil. Israeli exports to Mexico include pharmaceuticals, chemical based products and technology. Over 200 Israeli companies have offices in Mexico, and that number is expected to rise. Around 50,000 Jews live in Mexico.

Will Israel be sharing wall building technology and expertise with Mexico in the near future? We’ll find out soon.

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South Tel Aviv Torah
A small yeshiva is opening in the Neve Sha’anan neighborhood of South Tel Aviv. In recent years the area has become the home to thousands of refugees from Sudan and Eritrea. Many Jewish residents have moved, and those who remain feel besieged in their own homes by the foreign population and accompanying rise in crime and racial tensions.

The head of the yeshiva, Rabbi Achiad Ettinger, said, “Our mission is to become a center of Torah learning that also contributes to the community.” He added, “All we can do is take positive action, create a connection with the local population, and provide a social presence. We are creating social programming for the youth of the neighborhood, we study Torah with them, and we plan to bring young, idealistic couples to the neighborhood to give the community psychological strength.”

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Gaza Tunnel
A tunnel collapsed in Gaza last night, killing at least one Islamic Jihad terrorist and leaving another four either wounded or missing. Nine days ago another tunnel collapsed on members of the terror group. Digging terror tunnels is a dangerous business. May they continue to gain martyrdom.

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US Aliyah
Two thousand Jews from America and Canada will be making aliyah this summer, with the help of the Nefesh B’Nefesh organization. The first group of 218 landed in Israel early today.

Natan Sharansky, Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, greeted them at the airport. He said, “The immigrants arriving from the United States and Canada are coming not out of distress but rather out of excitement to take part in the largest national project of the Jewish people. We must ensure that the State of Israel remains a place in which every Jew feels at home, a place that ignites Jews’ imagination and strengthens their identity and security.”

“And your children will return to their borders – V’shavu Banim L’gvulam”

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Israel News for June 21, 2016

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Terror on 443
Terrorists threw rocks and firebombs at vehicles traveling on a stretch of route 446 near Modiin at around 1am today. They also dumped on oil on the highway, which connects the center of the country to Jerusalem. One Israeli on a bus and two tourists in a car were injured.

Shortly after the attack an officer and soldiers of the Kfir brigade passed through and launched a hunt for the terrorists. According to initial reports the soldiers apparently spotted a Palestinian vehicle, which they thought belonged to the terrorists, and opened fire on it. A 15 year old boy was killed and two adults were wounded. Two suspects were arrested and taken in for interrogation. The IDF spokesman released a statement saying that the 15 year old was probably not a terrorist.

Also last night, Israeli forces destroyed the house of Bashar Massalha, the terrorist who killed American tourist Taylor Force and injured ten others in an attack in Jaffa earlier this year. The house was located in the village of Kafr Haja near Nablus.

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Lieberman in DC
Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman met with US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter in Washington on Monday to discuss the military aid deal currently being negotiated. An Israeli source related that, “the conversation was good and practical, and there is a willingness to reach an agreement on aid for Israel’s missile defense system, regardless of the presidential elections in the United States. The goal is to reach an agreement as fast as possible.”

The Pentagon released a statement after the meeting saying, “Secretary Carter and Minister Lieberman reaffirmed the strength of the US- Israeli defense relationship and the United States’ unwavering commitment to Israel’s security. They also discussed regional security challenges in the Middle East and areas of mutual defense cooperation.”

For further reading click here.

Divorce Rate
Moving to Israel must be help you stay married. According to a recent survey by the Central Bureau of Statistics, Israel’s divorce rate is only 13 percent. That ranks Israel 25th out of 39 developed countries. Denmark, the US and Sweden have the highest rates. Mexico, Ireland and Chile have the lowest.

The Israeli cities with the highest divorce rates are led by Eilat, with 25%, and followed by Bat Yam (22 percent), Upper Nazareth and Kiryat Yam (20 percent each), and then by Arad, Sderot and Acre (19 percent each). Most of those cities happen to have a predominantly lower income population with high proportions of Sephardim and Russian immigrants.

The places with the lowest divorce rate, all ultra Orthodox, are Rechasim (5 percent), Elad (4 percent), Betar Ilit (3 percent) and Modi’in Ilit (2 percent).

Now we need a survey that indicates the happiness level of married couples vs. those who divorce.

For further reading click here.

Sheep Aliya
If you’re planning to fly El Al to Israel from Canada this summer, you might find yourself sitting next to sheep. That’s because El AL announced that will be flying a flock of 113 sheep to Israel — biblical sheep.

The sheep, which are owned by Gil and Jenna Lewinsky (related to Monica?) of British Columbia, Canada, are apparently the only ones in the world to look like the ones described in the bible that belonged to Jacob (when he worked as a shepherd for his uncle Lavan). They have speckled skin, spots on their wool, and bands on their ankles and knees.

The Lewinskys are heeding the advice of Rabbi Amram Vaknin, a kabbalist living in Sderot, who claims that the sheep of Jacob must return to the Holy Land to hasten the redemption. They believe the animals came with Jacob through Canaan to Egypt, then with the Exodus to North Africa, and from there to Spain, England and then to North America. Quite a journey.

The deal was brokered by Israel’s embassy in Ottawa, which last month publicly offered its support to the effort. In February, Israel’s ambassador to Canada, Rafael Barak, visited the family’s farm in Abbotsford, about 40 miles east of Vancouver, and reportedly witnessed the birth of a lamb.

The sheep are currently extinct in Israel. Is this the breakthrough we’ve all been waiting for?

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Yoga Pics
American art photographer Robert Sturman photographs yoga practitioners in poses throughout the world. He’s now added Israel to his portfolio. To see some of his amazing Israel based yoga photos, click here.

Israel News for February 23, 2016

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Carry Weapons
IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot has instructed the IDF to change regulations that require soldiers to leave their weapons at base before leaving for at least a three day vacation. The regulation was meant to prevent the possibility of weapons being stolen. Now, all soldiers will be required to take their weapons with them and carry them at all times.

Eisenkot’s order comes in the wake of the murder of 1st-Sgt. Tuvia Yanai Weissman last week by terrorists. Weissman was on a week long vacation from the army when he was shopping in a supermarket and heard the screams of someone being stabbed by terrorists. Although he did not have his weapon with him (as per regulations), he still rushed to help and was stabbed to death. The two terrorists were finally shot by an armed civilian.

Had Weissman been carrying his weapon, the situation would probably have turned out much differently. Let’s hope that this new IDF policy regarding weapons will help prevent more bloodshed by terrorists.

For further reading click here.

IDF Raids
Last night the IDF conducted raids in several Palestinian villages in Samaria in search of weapons. Soldiers seized M-16 assault rifles, pistols, bullets, magazines, night-vision goggles, binoculars and other military equipment used in terror attacks. The IDF also demolished the homes of two terrorists west of Hebron.

To watch a video of the raids, click here.

Canada vs BDS
Canada’s Parliament passed a motion yesterday formally condemning the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. The motion passed with support from both the Conservative and Liberal parties and calls on the Canadian government to “condemn any and all attempts by Canadian organizations, groups or individuals to promote the BDS movement, both here at home and abroad.”

Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion said, “the world will win nothing for boycotting Israel but depriving itself of the talents of its inventiveness.”

On the flip side, the National Council on Canada Arab Relations said the anti-BDS motion goes “against the spirit of the Freedom of Speech, a right enshrined in Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.” You can’t please everyone.

Go Canada!

For further reading click here.

Last Treblinka Survivor
Samuel Willenberg, the last survivor of the Treblinka death camp, was buried yesterday in Israel. Willenberg was one of only 67 people to survive the notorious camp where 850,000 Jews were murdered in the 13 months of its existence.

Willenberg was a leading member of the underground resistance group formed in the camp, which carried out a revolt in August 1943 that burned down most of the camp and killed many guards. Hundreds of prisoners were shot trying to flee to the forest. Most of those who succeeded were later captured and killed by the Germans or local Poles. Willenberg managed to reach Warsaw where he joined his father who was hiding there as a Christian. He then joined the Polish underground and fought in the Warsaw (Polish Underground) Uprising in 1944. After the war Willenberg moved to Israel where he worked as an artist and sculptor, and wrote several books about his incredible story of survival.

President Reuven Rivlin eulogized Willenberg saying,“Samuel, I came here today to tell you – you are a hero. And what a hero, Samuel. You are a symbol of heroism. A symbol for an entire generation of Holocaust Survivors. Heroes. Strong and courageous people. Invincible. Optimistic. Who survived the destruction and could grow once again. Who experienced the horror and choose life.”

He concluded by saying, “We must do everything possible to help the survivors live out the rest of their lives with dignity. This is our duty. It is a moral imperative for the victims, for the survivors. For ourselves, and in order to fulfill the will of Samuel, we must remember and never forget. May his memory be blessed.”

For further reading click here.

 

Syrians Thank Israel
Aboud Dandachi, a 39 year old Sunni Muslim from the city of Homs now living in Istanbul, has created a website dedicated to the Israeli and Jewish organizations and people helping Syrian refugees.

The website, Thank You Am Israel, highlights the humanitarian aid being given to displaced Syrians and also refutes any reasons why Israelis and Syrians should be enemies.
The site includes news stories and opinion pieces on the global humanitarian aid being offered by Israeli and Jewish people to the Syrian people. (Am Yisrael is Hebrew for “Nation of Israel.”)

“There are new stories of Israelis helping Syrians every day. As far as I’m concerned, because we as Syrians cannot give back to Jews what they give to us, so we should at least thank them,” Dandachi told Ynet news.

Dandachi said, “By chronicling and acknowledging the numerous acts of compassion and generosity shown by the Jewish people to my own people, I can try to ensure that Syrians, Arabs and the world at large never be allowed to forget what you have offered and provided to Syrian refugees, at a time when you had every historical and practical reason not to. Thank you Am Israel, and may you always be safe and blessed.”

For further reading click here.

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