| Erev Shabbat - Parashat Vayikra / Zachor 5784 | 12 Adar 2 5784 - March 22, 2024 | |  | Rabbi Doron Perez - Hesped at Funeral of Daniel Perez hy"d | |  | | HaMizrachi magazine now available in shuls and online here | | 
"Mizrachi Chicago – you are amazing!"
That is what we heard from the representatives of the IDF families to whom we sent meals for Shabbat as part of this year's Raffle – Support IDF Families campaign.
So far, we have arranged for 355 meals to be sent, showing our care and concern for the IDF Families and creating personal connections with them.
We are continuing this effort, now in partnership with the Efrat Development Foundation. As before, each $60 donated will result In a Shabbat meal for an IDF family whose parent/spouse is on active IDF duty. Tax-deductible donations are to be sent directly to the Efrat Development Foundation by clicking here. | | | Hiddenness and Hope: Purim Meets the Gaza War Rabbi Stewart Weiss  Jewish holidays are unique. They are not only opportunities to recall past events - such as the Exodus from Egypt on Passover, the giving of the Torah on Shavuot or our victory over the Syrian-Greeks on Hanukkah - they also carry with them eternal messages that are as modern and meaningful as the day they occurred. And so it is with Purim; though its story is almost 2000 years old, it contains several impactful insights into the crisis now being experienced by the Jewish world.
HIDDENNESS. The events of Purim would seem to occur in a rational, random manner: A virulent anti-Semite gains power and is determined to eradicate the minority Jewish presence in his land. Nothing, alas, all too uncommon about this. A clever Jewish girl wins a beauty contest and captivates the king; this too, is not extraordinary – after all, are not all Jewish women both beautiful and brilliant?! Ultimately, assisted by a daughter in the palace, a hero emerges to save the day, and we survive another near-catastrophe.
Yet could this all have happened by coincidence? As the Megila opens, we are a privileged community, favorites of the king. We are honored guests at a lavish royal banquet, where we enjoy the finest cuisine, made Glatt-kosher just for us. How could we so rapidly fall out of favor, such that the monarch would happily sign our death warrant? And of all the ladies in the kingdom, why would Esther be chosen? Why would Mordechai "just happen" to save the king's life and be publicly paraded? And why would a gallows – built to hang Mordechai - be right at hand to accommodate the villainous Haman's neck?
Clearly, the hand of God is pulling the strings, but in a decidedly concealed fashion. God's name does not appear outright anywhere in this book, an anomaly in rabbinic literature. Although every aspect of the narrative is painstakingly orchestrated from above, God is conspicuously absent, hiding behind His own Purim "mask." The Megila is named for Esther - which means "hidden" – while the holiday itself is called, "Purim," lots, or random tickets of chance. The truth is right in front of us, but either it is shrouded in clouds of mystery, or we have misplaced our eyeglasses.
The horrendous events of October 7th are now in the public record, yet the facts, though firmly established, are other-worldly. How is it possible that our state of the art technology, our early-warning systems, our billion dollar defense mechanisms broke down all at once? How did we ignore the many danger signs that the lookout teams warned about weeks and months before? Why did it take interminably long to react to the crisis, as the enemy simply walked across the "impenetrable" border and massacred civilian and soldier alike.
Yes, there may be rational explanations for every piece of the puzzle, but the combined event boggles the mind. Could it just be a confluence of bad planning, bad tactics, bad luck? Or is it what my wife Susie calls a "negative miracle;" that is, a Divine happening that facilitated evil rather than foil it. And is it, ironically, just one more bit of evidence that the Jews are a miraculous people, and Israel a land of miracles?
FLIGHT, OR FIGHT? The Purim story is unique in that it represents the first – and perhaps the only time - in history that the Jewish community was allowed to establish an independent army within a foreign Diaspora. While Ahasuerus refused to cancel the now-executed Haman's genocidal decree, he amazingly permitted us to take up arms and defend ourselves. We had the opportunity to flee, but we chose to band together and fight. We killed more than 75,000 of our would-be murderers, and may have amazed ourselves as much as the local inhabitants in the process.
The Megila records that when word got out that there was to be a pogrom, "ha-ir Shushan nevocha," the capital Shushan's Jewish inhabitants were bewildered, at a complete loss as to what to do. But when our forces triumphed in battle, "ha-ir Shushan tzahala v'samecha," the city rejoiced. The play on words sings out to us: Without the will and ability to fight for our freedom, we were a "nebuch," a nobody. But when we assembled an army and fought back, "Tzahala," – as in Tzahal! - we prevailed and celebrated.
Purim – striking as it is (no pun intended) - is just one more example of how, in times of need, even the most religious among us must stand up and fight. Avraham went to war to save his nephew Lot; Jacob's sons avenged the rape of their sister by decimating Shechem; Joshua and King David were brilliant generals in the field; Yoav, head of the Sanhedrin, was David's Chief of Staff; Samuel the Prophet took out his sword to kill Agag, the Amalekite ancestor of Haman. The list goes on and on of the most pious of Jews putting aside their Talmuds and joining – if not leading – the war effort.
UNITED WE STAND. The Megila opens on a sad note, depicting a Jewish community severely divided. Many had chosen to identify with Persian culture rather than our own, and Mordechai's fervent plea to disassociate with Ahasuerus fell on deaf ears. It would take a major crisis – as, sadly, happens all too often – to convince us that our strength lies within, and not without. As the Talmud says so succinctly, Ahasuerus's handing of his signet ring to Haman – thus validating his plot to wipe us out – engendered more prayer and penitence than the pleading of all of history's prophets combined.
Wisely, Esther told Mordechai that she would not petition the king for our deliverance unless and until all of her co-religionists joined in the effort. And so, we fasted and we prayed for three full days, a magnificent show of unity by the very same men, women and children that Haman sought to murder. Buoyed by their backing, Esther risked her own life to save us. This communal effort of Psalms, study and soldiering – "Guns and Moses," I call it – was the key to our victory.
We all know how divided we were on October 7, and we have made the cause of unity our national imperative. But have we really learned the lesson? Have we created common ground and bridged the differences between us? Or have we just traded the dispute over judicial reform for the dispute over hostages vs. continued warfare, and now over replacing government mid-tenure, or not? Each side, dug-in, may have plenty of justification to make its case, but do we see the bigger picture?
The "last word" in the Purim story, of course, is HOPE. God emerged from "behind the curtain," so to speak, and turned His benevolent gaze in our direction once more. We proudly banded together, and so a looming Holocaust became instead a day of "light and joy," a stunning reversal - Mah'pach - from fasting to feasting, from mourning to merriment, such that multitudes of non-Jews clamored to convert and become part of our culture. We turned things, in the words of the Megila, "on its head" and what looked to be a disaster was transformed into a grand deliverance. Here's hoping that we can do it once again.
(Dedicated to the memory of Capt. Daniel Perez, HYD) | | 
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Zachor 5784
Ariel Chesner,
Director of the Center for Religious Affairs in the Diaspora, World Zionist Organization | | | 
Four Aspects of Thanksgiving
Rabbi Zev Leff  The Korban Todah, Thanksgiving Offering, is basically a Shelamim, a peace offering. But unlike any other Shelamim it is brought with four different types of flour offerings, ten of each type. Three are types of matzah, and the fourth is chametz. In addition, the normal timespan within which the Shelamim had to be eaten – two days and one night – is reduced to one day and one night for the Todah.
The Gemara (Berachos 7b) relates that from the day Hashem created the world, no one thanked Him until Leah thanked Him for the birth of her fourth son Yehudah. At first glance, this Gemara defies understanding. Didn't Adam, Noach, Avraham, Yitzchak, Ya'akov, Sarah, Rivkah, and Rachel have countless reasons and opportunities to thank Hashem? And why didn't Leah herself thank Hashem for her first three children?
Thanksgiving is a recognition of receiving something undeserved and feeling indebted to repay the giver with gratitude. The more one feels that the bounty received was indeed earned or deserved, the less necessary the show of gratitude.
From the time the world was created, no one ever felt that the bounty given to them by Hashem was totally undeserved. Even the greatest people thought that what was given to them was part of G-d's plan for the world, and therefore not completely undeserved. But G-d's plan could have been equally fulfilled if the fourth son born to Leah had been born to any of her sisters. Thus, Leah felt his birth was totally unearned, and required the full measure of gratitude.
Usually we offer thanksgiving to G-d for a salvation from a misfortune or calamity. But, if we truly believe that everything that occurs in this world is the result of Divine Providence, then it is hard to understand why we should thank Hashem for saving us from misfortune, since He Himself caused that misfortune.
The answer is that we have chosen the wrong analogy. Consider an orthopedic surgeon who notices someone walking in a manner that is symptomatic of a rare, crippling bone disease. The condition can only be cured if the bones are broken and reset before the disease progresses to the point of no return. Realizing that the patient's gait reveals that not too much time is left before his condition is irreversible, the surgeon takes an iron pole and swiftly breaks both of his legs and then proceeds to set them and nurture the patient back to health. In this instance the surgeon deserves thanks both for breaking and setting the legs.
So, too, when we cause ourselves spiritual illnesses because of our sins and shortcomings, Hashem brings misfortune and calamity to atone and correct the situation. Thus, our gratitude for the salvation can only be significant if it includes a confession that the misfortune and calamity was also deserved. Full, uninhibited thanksgiving required both confession of the justice of the misfortune and admission that the salvation was undeserved.
One's feelings of gratitude must be expressed publicly. That expression of gratitude then becomes a lesson to others in recognizing G-d's goodness and intimate involvement in the events of this world. We say in Shemoneh Esrei: "nodeh lecha – we will thank You, Hashem; u'nesapair tehelasecha – and we recount Your praises." It is not sufficient to thank Hashem quietly; one must recount his debt of gratitude to others.
In Eretz Yisroel today we must both thank Hashem for this magnificent present and at the same time recognize that the travails and misfortune especially now at time of suffering and war are all part of the Divine plan and deserve deep contemplation and self-searching and improvement.
Rabbi Zev Leff is the rabbi of Moshav Matityahu, and a renowned author, lecturer and educator. He is a member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau (www.mizrachi.org/speakers). | |  | | Chicago Mizrachi Pina Chama in Itamar
dedicated in honor of our
Chayalim Bodedim
Maintenance costs for the month of
Adar 2 5784
have been sponsored
in memory of
Chaim Leib, z"l, ben Yitzchak v'Rachel Rivka
by
his loving family
--------------- and ---------------
in memory of the IDF forces and Israeli citizens
who perished in the recent war.
by
Ephraim Dachman | | | To watch and view the picture gallery of the Mizrachi Chicago Pina Chama in Itamar Dedication and Hachnasat Sefer Torah in the Shomron (July 30, 2023)
CLICK HERE | | | Cpt. Daniel Perez, son of World Mizrachi CEO, was killed on 10/7, body being held by Hamas Daniel Perez, 22 from Yad Binyamin, served as a platoon commander in the 78th Battalion of the 7th Formation. His body is currently being held hostage by Hamas. A funeral is being planned for tomorrow, to be followed by Shiva.  The IDF has cleared for publication on Sunday that Captain Daniel Perez, 22 from Yad Binyamin, was killed in action on October 7th and his body is being held by the Hamas terror organization in the Gaza Strip.
Daniel served as a platoon commander in the 78th Battalion of the 7th Formation. Daniel was the son of Rabbi Doron Perez, the CEO of the World Mizrachi movement. A funeral is being planned for tomorrow, to be followed by Shiva. World Mizrachi Acting CEO Rabbi Danny Mirvis stated: "Over the past 163 days we have desperately davened for better news. Throughout that time, the Perez family has inspired us and strengthened us as we have sought to strengthen them. The global tefillot (prayers) for his wellbeing will now become global wishes of comfort." He added: "This news came to the family on 7 Adar, the yahrzeit (death anniversary) of Moshe Rabbeinu (Moses) whose burial place is unknown, and has such become a date associated with mourning for all those whose burial places are unknown. As we have prayed and hoped for Daniel's return until now, we continue to pray and hope for his return to a Kever Yisrael. "May Hashem comfort Rav Doron, Shelley, and the entire family amongst all mourners of Zion and Yerushalayim, and may we see every single hostage return home." Chairman of the World Zionist Organization Yaakov Hagoel stated: "It was with great sadness that I received the bitter news about Cpt. Daniel Perez, son of Rabbi Doron Perez, member of the World Zionist Organization's management and head of the organization for spiritual services in the Diaspora. Daniel was declared an IDF casualty today who fell during the battle on October 7th. I send my condolences to my friend Rabbi Doron Perez and his family, who, even in the most difficult hours, did not lose hope." On Saturday night, Rabbi Perez addressed a rally in Tel Aviv, stating: "I appeal to the Government of Israel: There is no contract simpler and clearer between a government and leaders and its citizens. 164 days and still 134 hostages. They are all humanitarian cases - return them all now!" He added: "I appeal to the President of the United States: I appreciate you standing by our side during the most difficult moments for us since the Holocaust, but I appeal to you regarding the humanitarian effort. The humanitarian effort is the most important - 134 of the children, parents, and grandparents are in Gaza and must return without conditions. There should be no conditions placed on human trafficking and abduction; this is something that we as Jews are obligated to return them through a humanitarian effort. Every one of the hostages who was taken from their cribs, from their beds, in defense of their people, must return without conditions." Shira Perez, Daniel's sister added: "In a box of his belongings that were returned, we found my brother's personal diary and were exposed to a side of Daniel that we knew less about. He writes that after visiting the extermination camps in Poland, he understood the importance of a Jewish state and the duty to defend the family and the homeland, and he writes, 'If not me, then who?' Daniel, I love you so much, I miss you endlessly, and I await the Government of Israel to bring you home immediately, together with all the hostages without exception." israelnationalnews.com | | Reflections From Har Hertzl: The Funeral Of Captain Daniel Perez Rabbi Reuven Taragin Most Yerushalmim visit Har Hertzl once a year – on Yom HaZikaron. Sadly, we have all been there many more times this year. Over the last seventy-five years, over three thousand soldiers have been buried on Har Hertzl. Their graves are neatly laid out in rows that comprise sections commemorating the many wars we have fought to establish and defend the state. For thousands of years, Jews have died and been buried around the world. When we moved on to other lands, their graves were forgotten. A Jew buried in Eretz Yisrael, in our final station, is forever linked to our people. Burial in the military cemetery on Har Hertzl means even more. It signifies and eternalizes commitment to and sacrifice for the Jewish people and Eretz Yisrael. Those buried here are holy martyrs, the tzaddikim by whose gravesides Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, zt"l, prayed. Their burial plots on Har Hertzl reflect their special place in the next world. Since Simchat Torah, hundreds of new graves have been dug – so many that a new section was needed. In the past, soldiers were buried on the center of the hill. They are now being buried on the right flank. It is Chodesh Adar, a few days away from Purim, a time when we are supposed to increase simcha. How can we be happy this year? How can we celebrate while mourning the loss of hundreds of lives, crying for over one hundred hostages, suffering together with thousands of wounded, and davening for tens of thousands on the front? On Monday, we honored Captain Daniel Perez. Daniel was kidnapped from the front on October 7. His family went 163 days without any word from him, without knowing whether he was alive or dead. Last night, they finally received word; today, we were at Har Hertzl. It was a strange funeral, even for a soldier and even during this war. As Hamas holds Daniel's body, we buried only his blood – the blood found in and around his tank and on his shirt left behind by the kidnappers. We had hoped that his soul still resided in his body in Gaza. We now know that it exited together with the blood we buried today. Every soldier and civilian is precious, and each death and funeral is painful, but Daniel's hit home harder. He and his family, like me and mine, are olim. They made aliyah ten years ago from South Africa in order to join the Jewish people in Eretz Yisrael. Their connection now runs deeper. They join the many families who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our people and our land. Additionally, Daniel is the son of Rav Doron and Shelly Perez. As executive director of World Mizrachi, Rav Doron is a colleague and close personal friend of mine and many other Jewish professionals and laypeople worldwide. Over the past months, news of Rav Doron's kidnapped son has spread around the Jewish world. Rav Doron has become a spokesperson for the hostages and their families, and Daniel has been the focus of prayers around the world. From America to Australia and South Africa to South America, prayerful hearts now mourn with the Perez family. World Jewry was well represented at the funeral. Family, friends, and comrades in arms were joined by Jews from tens of countries. Staff and students from tens of yeshivot and seminaries stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the directors of tens of Israeli and international Jewish organizations. The skies cried with us as well. Though the day started sunny, when the funeral began, the skies opened and cried along with the crowd. After more than a week without rain, more than half an inch fell during the funeral. Like so many of our soldiers, Daniel was a true hero. His tank's treads tell us that he and his crew fought off streams of terrorists on their way to murder civilians in Nachal Oz, Sa'ad, Kfar Aza, and beyond. Instead of firing from safe cover, Daniel sought out, engaged, and neutralized dozens of terrorists over a period of two hours. Even after he was injured, Daniel continued fighting until he died of loss of blood. Daniel and his crew were part of the heroic first line of defense. Though facing a surprise attack and outnumbered by thousands of terrorists, they fought (literally) till the last drop of blood and the last bullet and gave reinforcements time to arrive, preventing a greater tragedy. Daniel was deeply committed to defending the Jewish people and the Land of Israel. He sacrificed his life doing so. He died as he lived – as one who was moser nefesh for Am Yisrael in Eretz Yisrael. Daniel modeled himself after his heroic parents, Rabbi Doron and Shelly Perez, who have devoted their lives to these same values. After making aliyah from South Africa and serving in the IDF, Rav Doron and Shelley embarked on a fifteen-year shelichut to the South African Mizrachi community. Rav Perez simultaneously filled multiple leadership roles, including executive director of Mizrachi South Africa, senior rabbi of the Mizrachi Shul, and head of the Yeshiva College, the first and largest Torah school in Southern Africa. Ten years ago, after fifteen years of community building, Rav Doron and Shelley gave it all up to raise their family in Israel. Upon returning to Eretz Yisrael ten years ago, they committed themselves to rejuvenating Religious Zionism worldwide. Rav Doron revitalized World Mizrachi, which has now expanded to over fifty countries. His passion, commitment, and hard work have returned the hashkafa that integrates Torat Yisrael with Am Yisrael and Eretz Yisrael to a central place within the global Jewish community. Daniel and his family represent the best of our values. They remind us that we are part of a people who care deeply about and commit themselves wholly to what truly matters. We mourn the loss of Daniel – but we celebrate families like the Perezes, whose commitment to our values enables them to raise children like Daniel. Our people have always shown mesirut nefesh, including the willingness to die for our principles. Thankfully, today, our martyrs die for more than just principles. They sacrifice their lives to defend our people and our land. They die as part of our return to and rebuilding of Eretz Yisrael. Though we have much to mourn, we also have much to celebrate. The simcha that begins in Chodesh Adar is rooted in Hashem's miraculous salvation of the Jewish people in Persia and Mitzrayim. This year, we celebrate the fact that Hashem continues foiling the plans of our evil enemies and ensuring our survival: ba'yamim ha'heim, ba'zman ha'zeh. We thank Hashem for allowing us to be part of the Jewish people in His Land. Though we still face yisurim (challenges), they are birth pangs of redemption, not exilic persecution. We thank Hashem for helping us raise children who can both study His Torah and defend His land and people, children who can be moser nefesh in both the beit midrash and the battlefield. In the words of Chief Rabbi Lau at the funeral: "The two are not a contradiction." Daniel's blood, which we buried today, is a continuation of a long history of blood we have sacrificed in Hashem's name. It began with the blood of the brit milah performed by our Avot and the blood of the Korban Pesach sacrificed by the first generation of our people in Mitzrayim, and it continued with the mesirut nefesh of generations of our ancestors. Daniel's blood reflects our commitment to Hashem's people and land. It expresses our recognition that Hashem has returned us to His land and our appreciation of the opportunity to return to and defend it and His people. We may have buried Daniel's blood, but we know that, inspired by his and his family's commitment and values, we will b'ezrat Hashem continue to live and thrive as a people in His land. "And I said to you, 'In your blood, live!…" (Yechezkel 16:6). jewishpress.com | | Netanyahu's wife pleads with Qatari emir's mother to secure Ramadan release of Israeli hostages '19 women are enduring unimaginable hardships.' Sara Netanyahu pens open letter to the mother of Qatar's emir.  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife, Sara Netanyahu, is calling on the mother of the emir of Qatar to intervene on behalf of Israeli women held captive in the Gaza Strip.
On Monday, hours after the beginning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, Mrs. Netanyahu penned an open letter to Sheika Moza Bint Nasser Al Misnad, mother of the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and wife of his predecessor, Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. In her letter, Sara Netanyahu lamented "the plight" of Israelis abducted on October 7th and held captive in the Gaza Strip, and urged the Sheika to intervene on their behalf to help secure their release "in the spirit of Ramadan." "As the holy month of Ramadan approaches, I reach out to you with a heart full of hope and a plea for your invaluable support," Mrs. Netanyahu wrote.
"Ramadan, a time for compassion and generosity, reminds us of the strength we hold when we come together to uphold the values of peace and humanity." "It is in this spirit of unity and shared human values that I wish to address a matter of great urgency and importance – the plight of the Israelis abducted and held by Hamas in Gaza." Qatar, which hosts much of Hamas' leadership in exile, has been a major patron of the terror group since 2008, transferring some $2 billion to Hamas over the past decade and a half. Following the October 7th invasion of southwestern Israel and abduction of over 250 Israelis, Qatar has served as a mediator, alongside Egypt and the U.S., between Israel and Hamas in efforts to secure a hostage deal and accompanying ceasefire. The Israeli premier's wife highlight the "hardships" faced by the 19 women still in captivity in Gaza, citing reports of "sexual abuse and rape." "Woman to woman, it's imperative to address that among the hostages, 19 women are enduring unimaginable hardships. Reports of sexual abuse and rape are horrifying, and such acts against women cannot be ignored or tolerated. It is a call to action that transcends political boundaries and speaks to our shared humanity and values." "I urge you, in the spirit of Ramadan, to leverage your significant influence to work towards the release of the Israeli hostages." worldisraelnews.com | | | Here is a direct link to join the group - | | 
Here is a direct link to join the group - | | | Catching Grenades: Aner Shapiro's Heroism On October 7, Aner hurled back seven grenades from inside a shelter, saving many lives before being mortally wounded by the eighth. Yehudis Litvak After a festive Simchat Torah meal with his family, 22-year-old Aner Shapiro went to  an all-night dance party at the Nova music festival at Kibbutz Reim together with his best friend, American-born Hersh Goldberg-Polin. Aner, on leave from his elite Nahal Brigade of the IDF, did not expect to find himself in a situation more dangerous than he'd ever faced in the army. When the sirens sounded and missiles were beginning to fall, Aner and Hersh ran into a small roadside shelter, where about 30 young men and women had already been squeezed into the tiny space in an attempt to escape the bombing. Survivors recall that when Aner saw the panic in people's eyes, he immediately tried to calm everyone down. "Guys, don't worry!" he called out. "I'm a soldier, my comrades are nearby, I'm here. Everything will be all right!" From the shelter, Aner heard gunfire and understood that terrorists infiltrated into Israeli territory. As the sound of gunfire came closer, he resolved to fight back. He positioned  himself next to the entrance of the shelter, together with Hersh and several other young people who offered to help. Realizing that the Hamas terrorists were about to throw grenades into the shelter, Aner told his newly formed team, "I'm going to catch the grenades and throw them back. Watch me! If anything happens to me, take over and continue what I am doing." When a terrorist threw the first grenade, Aner caught it and threw it right back. It exploded outside the shelter. The terrorist threw another grenade, but Aner again caught it and threw it back outside where it exploded. This continued for some time. Aner threw a total of seven grenades back at the terrorists. He was killed by the eighth grenade. When the terrorists eventually managed to enter the shelter, Hersh, whose arm was blown off by a Hamas grenade and who fashioned his own tourniquet, was taken as a hostage to Gaza, along with three other young people. Hersh's parents, Rachel and Jon Polin, are currently leading a worldwide campaign, @BringHershHome, advocating for his release. Seven of the young people in the shelter managed to escape. Thanks to Aner's bravery, they survived and returned home. Aner's Life, Music, and Art  Aner was the eldest of the seven children of Shira and Moshe Shapiro. A talented musician and artist, Aner grew up in the Arnona neighborhood in Jerusalem. "Aner's connection to Jerusalem was very deep," says Shira, his mother. "He loved music, he loved art, and he loved Jerusalem. Many of his songs are about Jerusalem. He was exploring the unique atmosphere of the city: Jews, Arabs, orthodox, secular, religious, the mix in Jerusalem, the vibe of the street. He liked Hapoel, Jerusalem's soccer team."
Aner would spend time with his friends in the Ben Sira bar in Jerusalem, which boasts "a unique atmosphere," says Shira. "It's people who love peace, love music, care about justice. Very special people. It's a specific part of Jerusalem, but they feel that Jerusalem is part of their identity." Aner's love of music began at an early age. As a child, he played piano and enjoyed classical music. As a teenager, he became interested in hip-hop and rap music. He began composing his own music and lyrics in high school. After high school, Aner attended an army preparatory program for candidates for elite IDF units. At the program's completion, the army holds field exercises, where the candidates are assigned to their units. During these exercises, Aner was injured and required surgery. While recovering from surgery at home, Aner set up a home studio and began recording his music. His second attempt to join an elite army unit also resulted in an injury. Aner waited 15 months until he was finally able to begin his army service. During this time, he continued writing and recording music. Finally, Aner achieved his goal of joining the Nahal Brigade. "Aner believed in taking a stand," says Shira. "He believed very deeply in the good of people, in the importance of making peace and trying to talk to each other rather than fighting each other. He believed that human nature is good and that if you don't put people into a regime of power, they will do good." Shira explains, "It sounds like a contradiction, but for Aner it wasn't. He believed that in an ideal world, you don't need the army. But as long as we have the army and we need to defend ourselves, he must do his best to defend people. This is the combination that worked for him." Aner's music and art reflect his values and his deep caring for the good of humanity and his desire to relieve human suffering. One of his songs, written three years ago, long before the current war, is about people getting killed in the Gaza Envelope. The song is about children near Gaza sitting in bomb shelters, the rockets in the sky, the fear, the deaths. Another theme is truth, honesty, and standing up for what you believe in. A song Aner wrote last year, during the political protests in Israel, is about fighting brotherly hatred. "It was very important to him," says Shira. "It's an amazing song and a very important message to everyone, even now, to remember that we are not supposed to fight each other or hate each other." Aner's Musical Legacy After Aner's death, his family and friends resolved to release an album with Aner's songs, fulfilling his dream. They looked through his recordings and found about 60 projects. After a closer examination, they decided that about 30 of the songs were complete enough to be released. One of Aner's songs, Jerusalem, is already on YouTube. The family just released an Extended Play short album with five songs. By the end of the year, they hope to release a double album with the remaining 24 songs. The albums will be available on YouTube and Spotify.  On March 28th, a special evening in honor of the first album's release will take place at the Hansen House in Jerusalem. The event will include an exhibit of Aner's art.
The work on the album has brought Aner's family, his girlfriend Shelly, and his friends closer together. In addition, people who did not know Aner personally joined this project. "They came and said that they wanted to help," says Shira. "We are working together, and it's very moving to see. We feel like we're continuing, making art from his art." About 15 to 20 people are involved in the production of the album. But Aner's story brought together even more people who had nothing to do with each other before the war. People from all walks of Israeli life reached out to the Shapiros. Shira tells of a group of Orthodox women who were so moved by Aner's story that they held a song-writing workshop in Aner's memory. They collected the songs written at the workshop and presented them to Aner's family. Rabbis also called the family, expressing their care and support. On the other side of the religious and political spectrum, the Jerusalem Poel soccer team hosted a special soccer game in Aner's honor. During the game, they spoke about Aner and displayed his art and songs at the stadium. The Israeli Symphonic Orchestra performed one of Aner's songs at a classical music concert. Graphic artists are creating graphics with Aner's art. A city in southern France dedicated a square to Aner. The family finds all these gestures beautiful and meaningful. Aner's Ethical Legacy Besides art and  music, Aner left his family and friends with an ethical legacy, which they would like to share with the world. Moshe, Aner's father, says that on the last day of his life, Aner saw the situation he found himself in as his mission. He did not choose to be attacked by terrorists, but once he was attacked, he consciously chose to fight back and to save lives. Shira adds, "It's a very special message that he left us, that you can choose, until the very last minute of your life, to do good. It's in your hands! Literally, it was in his hands when he used his hands to throw the grenades back."  Another important message, says Shira, is "to take a stand. It's something we can learn from his songs and his attitude towards life. You don't sit and wait for things to happen. You take a stand. And lastly, the message that I am trying to learn from him is to live in a meaningful way every minute of life." Aner did not waste a minute. He never slept in, he never watched TV. He was always busy with something productive.
"At first, I was angry," says Shira. "Why did he have to stand at the entrance? Why did he have to be a hero? My children also said that they would rather have a brother who is alive than a brother who is hero. But then my father said to us, 'Listen, a weak person can't be a hero, but a hero can't be weak! That's the only thing Aner could have done. That's who he was.'" How did Aner's parents raise such a special son? "It's not us," Shira says, "it's only him. I didn't raise a hero. If he were here now, he would really hate all this talking about him. He would say, 'I don't know what the big deal is. I did what I had to do.'" aish.com | |  | ענר - שנאת אחים | | Senator Fetterman blasts Hamas 'cowards' hiding behind Ramadan Pennsylvania Democrat says Hamas 'must be destroyed,' gives backing to Israel's counter-terror campaign. Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on a Jewish holiday on Oct. 7—50 years and a day after a group of Arab nations launched a surprise attack on the Jewish state during the High Holiday of Yom Kippur.  Many world leaders, including in Washington, are saying that Israel should halt attacks during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) is not one of them.
Sharing a Wall Street Journal article titled "Hamas bets on Ramadan to help it survive Israel's assault," Fetterman wrote, "Of course. Hamas cowards hide in tunnels, hospitals, schools and refugee camps. Now, behind a holy time." "Hamas must be destroyed, and Sinwar brought to justice or eliminated," he added, of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. "I fully support Israel's campaign to achieve this." David McCormick, a Republican candidate for the other Pennsylvania senate seat, agreed with Fetterman. "He's right," McCormick wrote. He added of his opponent, "It's past time for Bob Casey to agree." Mark Dubowitz, CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, also responded to Fetterman's post.
"If President Biden followed John Fetterman, he would win sensible centrists, independents and the election," Dubowitz wrote. "If he keeps kowtowing to the pro-Hamas left, he will lose." worldisraelnews.com | | The father who shut himself off from the world: Israeli whose grown-up children were kidnapped by Hamas has avoided TV, newspaper or social media ever since… to avoid having his hopes raised they will be freed Ian Gallagher  All the speculation about hostage swaps and possible ceasefire eludes Yechi Yehud.
Since October 7 when Hamas snatched his son Dolev, 35, and 28-year-old daughter Arbel, marketing manager Yechi, 64, has not watched a single TV news bulletin nor read a newspaper or sought information about the war from social media. Existing in a protective cocoon, he refuses to allow his hopes to rise with every promising lead only to be cruelly extinguished.
Instead he waits for briefing visits from the Israeli army officers assigned to his family. Not that they were able to tell him much. Until two weeks ago they came to his home daily. 'Right at the start I asked them to come so that I could see their faces and their body language,' says Yechi. 'Now there is not so much they can say, so they come just twice a week.'
He dreads waking up and the days stretch interminably. But on he goes, refusing to give up hope. He arranges meeting after meeting with politicians and anyone else he thinks might help, though he concedes there is no way of knowing if anything he does makes the slightest difference. Still, he tries. 'What else can I do? That's how I fill the days,' he says. His wife Yael, 57, is 'so broken' that she is barely able to talk about what happened. Work offers scant respite. She is an artist and shows us filigree flowers she made and glass grapes which hang from a tree in the couple's secluded garden at their home south of Tel Aviv. Does it help take her mind off it? 'A little but not for long,' she shrugs, falling silent. Suddenly she says: 'I just keep imagining them walking through the door…' Her words trail away.  Her husband reappears with coffee and pastries, which he carefully arranges on a plate. Somehow even this mundane act seems sorrowful. From her mobile phone, Yael, composing herself, shows us a clip of one of their granddaughters, Raz, aged eight.
Along with the children of other hostages, Raz was at a special concert by an Israeli pop star. Holding placards bearing the faces of their missing parents, the children sway numbly to the music. But it is to Raz, wearing a red T-shirt, that the eye is drawn. She holds her father Dolev's picture above her head, her arms outstretched to their furthest limit. She is sobbing. Seeing her distress, an older boy, no more than 13 and no doubt harbouring his own pain, puts his arm around her shoulder. Sadness is never far away in this land – at this time - but Raz's video delivers a rare emotional punch. Dolev, a medic, was taken hostage from Kibbutz Nir Oz on when Hamas terrorists launched their attack, killing and kidnapping a quarter of the kibbutz residents. His wife Sigi, heavily pregnant at the time, hid all day long with their three children in their safe room, and were evacuated late afternoon. She has not seen her husband since and talks now of missing half of her life. She gave birth on October 16. Dolev's sister Arbel, a guide at a space and technology centre, was taken around the same time. 'We worry so much about Arbel. She is a sensitive woman and we worry about her being with these men, terrorists,' says Yechi. 'We worry about sexual abuse. Then there is the fear of what state Dolev might be in. He has a thyroid problem and needs daily medicine which he hasn't been getting.' The Yehuds are joined by another couple, Luis and Silvia Cunio. Two of their grown up children – David, 34, and Ariel, 26 – are missing too, snatched from the same kibbutz. Ariel is engaged to Arbel and 'were planning their future together when they were taken' says Silvia. 'We have known each other for years and years and we are very close. So for each of us it's as though four of our children have been taken from us.' All worry about the 'psychological effects' on the grandchildren. Yechi talks of seeing another granddaughter, four-year-old Ron, running towards him wearing a T-shirt with her father's face and the now ubiquitous demand: 'Bring them home now'. He says: 'She cried out, 'Hello grandpa'. I was so overwhelmed. 'When I saw her wearing this T-shirt – a silent scream to release her father and aunt – I collapsed with the sadness of it all. Now I take these T-shirts to every minister I meet and get them to hang it in their office as a reminder ever morning to remember the silent scream of Ron to release her father. 'The rest of us never give up hope. We have to believe that they are coming home to us soon to us. Without this faith we couldn't sit here and talk to you now. It keeps us alive and focused.' dailymail.co.uk | | More than 450 Jewish Hollywooders repudiate director's anti-Israel Oscar remarks Actors, producers, writers and other movie professionals said blame for the Israel-Hamas war belongs solely to Hamas. Batya Jerenberg More than 450 Jewish Hollywooders repudiated Jonathan Glazer's anti-Israel remarks at the Oscars ceremony, saying that he did not speak for them, Variety reported Monday.
In an open letter sent to the entertainment magazine, the group wrote, "We refute our Jewishness being hijacked for the purpose of drawing a moral equivalence between a Nazi regime that sought to exterminate a race of people, and an Israeli nation that seeks to avert its own extermination."
"Every civilian death in Gaza is tragic," the letter continues. "Israel is not targeting civilians. It is targeting Hamas. The moment Hamas releases the hostages and surrenders is the moment this heartbreaking war ends. This has been true since the Hamas attacks of October 7th."
"The use of words like 'occupation' to describe an indigenous Jewish people defending a homeland that dates back thousands of years, and has been recognized as a state by the United  Nations, distorts history," the group added. "It gives credence to the modern blood libel that fuels a growing anti-Jewish hatred around the world, in the United States, and in Hollywood." "The current climate of growing antisemitism only underscores the need for the Jewish state of Israel, a place which will always take us in, as no state did during the Holocaust depicted in Mr. Glazer's film." Those signing the letter included respected actors such as Debra Messing, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brett Gelman, Tovah Feldshuh and Julianna Margulies. Producer Amy Pascal, director Eli Roth, and writer Amy Sherman-Palladino were some of the other creatives who joined them. Glazer had taken the stage after winning the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film for "Zone of Interest." The director took the opportunity to denounce the Israeli war against Hamas in Gaza, sparked by the terrorists' October 7 invasion of Israel when they massacred 1,200 people and took 253 hostages. Sharing the stage with producer James Wilson and executive producer Len Blavatnik, he said, in part, "All our choices are made to reflect and confront us in the present. Not to say, 'Look what they did then,' rather 'Look what we do now…. Right now, we stand here as men who refute their Jewishness and the Holocaust being hijacked by an occupation which has led to conflict for so many innocent people." His movie is about how the family of Auschwitz commandant, Rudolf Hess, lived right outside the concentration camp without acknowledging what was happening. It was slammed by some critics for barely showing a Jewish victim, even if the point was to portray the banality of evil. Blavatnik later said that Glazer had not told him what he was going to say, but did not criticize his colleague. His fellow executive producer, Danny Cohen, was the first to reject Glazer's statement. Interviewed on the Unholy podcast Friday, the president of Access Entertainment said, "It's really important to recognize it's upset a lot of people and a lot of people feel upset and angry about it. And I understand that anger frankly." "I just fundamentally disagree with Jonathan on this," he added. "The war and the continuation of the war is the responsibility of Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organization which continues to hold and abuse the hostages, which doesn't use its tunnels to protect the innocent civilians of Gaza but uses it to hide themselves and allow Palestinians to die. I think the war is tragic and awful and the loss of civilian life is awful, but I blame Hamas for that." israelnationalnews.com | | | | |
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