| Erev Shabbat - Parashat Lech Lecha 5784 | 12 Cheshvan 5784 - October 27, 2023 | | We at Mizrachi - Religious Zionists of Chicago
send our love, tefillot and gratitude to Chayalei Tzahal
as they defend our beautiful homeland.
We are so proud of the many of our own current and past
Chicago Chayalim Bodedim who have been called up,
or voluntarily returned to Eretz Yisrael,
to defend and protect our Medina.
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Help raise life-saving funds to protect and care for our soldiers, for the merit of the speedy return of Daniel Shimon ben Sharon and the members of his tank crew.
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The Promise of the Impossible
Rabbi Yehoshua Fass  The narrative of Parashat Lech Lecha follows Avraham's journey as he follows G-d's directive, travels from his home in Haran and establishes a new life in Eretz Yisrael. The story reaches its climax when Avraham receives the promise that he will have children who will inherit the Land. With wonderful imagery, the pasuk describes Hashem's words to Avraham:
"And He [Hashem] took him out and He said: 'Look at the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them;' and He said to him, 'Your children will be like this.'"
(Bereishit 15:5)
This pasuk poses two difficulties. Firstly, Hashem promises Avraham that his family will grow to become a large nation, but we have yet to see this promise fulfilled. The Jewish nation, having been persecuted throughout the generations, remains small (and very countable). Is it possible that this promise – unlike the other patriarchal promises in Bereishit – was never fulfilled?
Secondly, there seems to be syntactical repetition in the verse. "And He took him outside and He said… count the stars; and He said…" Why did Hashem start 'speaking' two distinct times? It seems as if Hashem needed to re-engage Avraham after making His initial request to "count the stars." Looking closely, it is the precisely the grammatically anomaly of the second difficulty that explains and properly interprets the first one.
Rav Meir Shapira of Lublin addresses the question of syntax and explains that the reason why Hashem needed to re-engage Avraham was because Avraham actually stood up, looked skyward, and started to count, star by star. Hashem needed to interrupt Avraham's counting in order to continue their dialogue.
Continuing this spectacular explanation, Rav Shapira explains that the word "this", refers not to a quantitative blessing (regarding the Israelites being as numerous as the stars), but rather to Avraham's act of counting. Counting the stars – the ability to achieve an impossible task – will be the qualitative blessing given to Avraham's descendents. The prophecy is that of a nation that strives to achieve the impossible and implausible.
In a similar vein, Rashi comments: "And He [Hashem] took him out – He took Avraham out from his astrological definitions." We all have natural powers and capabilities; but what Hashem demanded here of Avraham was that he move beyond his natural abilities, to exceed his own expectations and perceived limitations. It is this very capability that Hashem promised and interwove within our spiritual genetic code.
Looking at the accomplishments of Jewish history and the challenges that have been overcome, this is certainly a promise that is – and continues to be – fulfilled.
Shabbat Shalom!
Rabbi Yehoshua Fass is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Nefesh B'Nefesh. He is a member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau (www.mizrachi.org/speakers). | |  | The Triumph of Life over Death Rav Doron Perez
Executive Chairman of Mizrachi World Movement
An uplifting shiur by Rabbi Doron Perez, telling his story of how he married off one son while the whereabouts of the other is unknown, as well as some Divrei Torah and chizuk.
Continuing to pray for the safe return of Daniel Shimon ben Sharon.
Recorded at Midreshet HaRova on 25 October 2023. | |  Acheinu – We Are All Brothers | Lech Lecha 5784
Rav Doron Perez
Executive Chairman of Mizrachi World Movement On that terrible day of Shabbat-Simchat Torah, the heroism and brotherhood – of soldiers, officers, and civilians who came from all around the center and south to go and do everything to save their brothers and sisters – was nothing short of remarkable.
When Avraham Avinu hear that his errant nephew Lot has been taken captive, the pasuk says that his brother has been taken captive. But it isn't his brother, it is his nephew!
Watch as Rabbi Perez tells the story of the father who lost two sons and who came this week to give him chizuk and a hug, and how this and the story of our modern captives links to the story of Avraham in the parasha. | |
Lech Lecha 5784
Rabbi Bentzi Mann,
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| | A message from Rabbi Yogi and Shu Rimel
Dear friends and family,
 Hard and terrible days like we have never known until now are passing over the people of Israel. The immense pain, the terrible news that doesn't stop pouring in.
The IDF recruited many reserve soldiers: to the north, to the south, and to the whole country. Fathers, sons, and brothers - nearly everyone was called to serve and showed up quickly, with a fighting spirit and a desire to defend the homeland.
We, in Neve Tsuf, are taking care of our soldiers that are here to protect us. There are soldiers here from all over the country. They all left their jobs, their homes, their children and wives at a moment's notice. They came to protect all the residents and to ensure our safety.
The residents here in Neve Tsuf have stepped up to cook meals, bake cakes, and make sure our fighters have everything that they need while here. It is important to us that our soldiers receive all the best conditions.
Many people have been asking how can I help and contribute? We started this fundraising campaign. 100% of the donations here will go towards helping fund meals for the soldiers, buying them supplies that they might be missing, and ensuring that they get everything that they need while they are serving and protecting our country.
| | | Prime Minister Netanyahu: 'All Hamas men are dead men walking - in Gaza and abroad'  Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the press following a meeting of the war cabinet at the IDF central headquarters. "All Hamas men are dead men walking, above ground, below it, in Gaza and abroad," Netanyahu opened.
"Together with Defense Minister Gallant, Minister Benny Gantz, the Chief of Staff, and the heads of the Defense Branches, we are working around the clock to reach the goals of the war, until victory, without political considerations," he added.
"We eliminated thousands of terrorists, and that's only the beginning. We are preparing for a ground incursion. I will not specify how and how much, and what the considerations, most of which are not known to the public at all, are" Netanyahu stated.
"When we enter Gaza, we will take the full price from the Hamas-ISIS murders," he emphasized.
For the first time, Netanyahu mentioned his responsibility for the failures that led to the war. "Citizens of Israel, we will investigate what happened thoroughly. The failures will be checked thoroughly. Everyone will have to give answers. Myself included. But that will happen afterward. As Prime Minister, I am responsible for ensuring the state's future."
Regarding recompensation for Gaza envelope residents whose homes were destroyed by the terrorists, he stated: "We will not leave anyone behind financially; we will raise the villages from the dust, and we will rehabilitate the communities."
Netanyahu declared that national days of mourning for the victims of the Hamas massacre will be set in the future. "The soul of the nation is bleeding. The destruction of the lives of 1,400 murdered is like a barrage of arrows in our hearts. The government will set national days of mourning for this terrible tragedy."
israelnationalnews.com | | Israeli Regional Council head saves lives amid Hamas terror attack Itamar Revivo, Hof Ashkelon Regional Council head, leads heroic evacuations during a Hamas assault, witnessing devastation and saving lives amid the chaos.  In the early morning of October 7, Hof Ashkelon Regional Council head Itamar Revivo woke up to the sound of sirens, and out of habit, went to the communities he's responsible for. Until security official Amnon Ziv said there was a shooting in a town under his jurisdiction, Netiv Ha'asara.
He quickly worked to evacuate the wounded, including IDF soldiers, who were under fire, just as he did back in 2021 during Operation Guardians of the Wall.
"We went from house to house and evacuated the wounded," Revivo told Walla. "Without our intervention, the outcome could have been far more tragic."
Rescuing the wounded from Hamas gunfire
As they arrived at Nativ Ha'asara, gunfire erupted. Undeterred, Revivo donned a protective vest and entered the police station, where an emergency room had been set up. Soon after, a terrorist convoy approached the town, and the emergency standby squad engaged in a fierce firefight.
While the IDF battled the terrorists, Revivo observed that they had thwarted a group of 30 Hamas motorcycles en route to Ashkelon. Utilizing an armored vehicle, they breached a closed gate and proceeded to assist in the rescue efforts. Despite ongoing rocket attacks and the terrorists' gunfire, Revivo, alongside Itai Levy from Netiv Ha'asara, courageously evacuated wounded individuals from the town.
 "We received distress calls from people in the town, pleading for help," said Revivo. "Rescue forces couldn't enter the area due to the ongoing danger. We entered homes and transported the wounded to safe locations." Revivo returned to the scene multiple times, successfully rescuing 15 wounded victims.
One particular incident stood out.
"We entered a house where children were crying for help. Their father was tragically murdered, but we managed to save the seriously injured child. Doctors later confirmed that our timely intervention likely altered the outcome," Revivo recounted. The scale of the devastation became apparent as military forces arrived, revealing bodies strewn throughout and wounded individuals desperately seeking assistance.
Throughout the harrowing ordeal, Itamar Revivo's heroism shone as he selflessly maneuvered through danger, evacuating the wounded and providing a glimmer of hope amid the chaos. His actions embody the true spirit of resilience in the face of relentless adversity. jpost.com | |  | WATCH: Anderson Cooper had a realization about a hostage during a live interview with his parents CNN's Anderson Cooper speaks with the parents of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a 23-year-old American who was wounded and kidnapped by Hamas at an Israeli music festival. Cooper discovered he had unknowingly obtained footage from an Israeli soldier of their son being put into a truck by Hamas militants after he interviewed Goldberg-Polin's parents the first time. cnn.com | | Freed Israeli hostage Yocheved Lifshitz: Hamas beat me with a wooden pole Lifshitz, 85, was released from Gaza on Sunday night. She told reporters that she was beaten by her kidnappers, but treated by doctors and fed while in the enclave. Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman  An elderly Israeli hostage who was released by Hamas overnight said she was beaten by terrorists as she was taken into Gaza on October 7, but was then well-treated during her two-week captivity in the Palestinian enclave.
Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, was one of two women freed late Monday, leaving around 220 hostages still in the hands of Hamas.
Seated in a wheelchair, a frail-looking Lifshitz told reporters that a doctor had visited her while she was held in a network of tunnels within Gaza and that all her needs had been taken care of.
 "I didn't think we would reach this situation. They went wild," the former captive told reporters. "They blew up the fence we built for two and a half billion dollars. They attacked our houses. They killed and kidnapped both old and young with no distinction."
Lifshitz described the situation as a "nightmare we couldn't have imagined" and one that she keeps "repeating in my mind."
When they captured her, she said, they put her on a motorcycle with her legs tied on one side and her head on the other and then raced her through the fields. There were motorcycles on either side and also one behind.
"As we rode, the motorcycle rider hit me with a wooden pole," Lifshitz recalled. "They didn't break my ribs, but it hurt me a lot in that area, making it difficult to breathe. They stole my watch and jewelry while I was on the motorcycle."
She was at first held in Abasan al-Kabira, near Kibbutz Be'eri and Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip. After that, she did not know to where she was taken.
"Eventually, we went underground and walked for kilometers in wet tunnels, for two or three hours in a spider web of tunnels," she recalled. "We went through the tunnels until we reached a large hall. We were a group of 25 people, and they separated us according to which Kibbutz we were from. There were five of us from Kibbutz Nir Oz."
Hamas assigned a guard for each prisoner, according to Lifshitz. The guards spoke with their prisoners and ate with them. They said they did not want to talk about what happened. In addition, a doctor would come each day and examine the hostages, as well as provide them with medications as needed. She said they took good care of the wounded.
"There was a person with us who was injured in the hands and legs when they brought him on the motorcycle; it was heartbreaking to see that," Lifshitz recalled.
It is unclear if people from other kibbutzim are receiving the same treatment as those in Lifshitz's cell.
"They were very concerned with hygiene and were worried about an outbreak of something. We had toilets which they cleaned every day," she continued.
Lifshitz said the IDF was not prepared for the events of October 7.
"Three weeks ago, masses arrived at the fence. The IDF did not take it seriously," she charged. "We were left to fend for ourselves. The lack of knowledge in the IDF and the Shin Bet severely affected us."
She said, in contrast, that Hamas seemed prepared for the massacre it carried out.
"They prepared for this for a long time," she said.
Husband still being held captive
Hamas said on Sunday that it released Lifshitz, and a second woman, Nurit Cooper, 79, on health grounds, after taking them and more than 200 others hostage during Hamas's October 7 massacre, in which terrorists killed at least 1,400 people.
Lifshitz and her 83-year-old husband, Oded, were kidnapped from their home in Kibbutz Nir Oz, close to the border with Gaza in southern Israel. Oded is still in captivity.
The just released former hostage is a peace activist who together with her husband helped sick Palestinians in Gaza get to hospital for years.
"They are human rights activists, peace activists for all their life," grandson Daniel Lifshitz told Reuters in Tel Aviv shortly before the release of his grandmother was confirmed. "For more than a decade, they took... sick Palestinians from the Gaza Strip – not from the West Bank, from the Gaza Strip – every week from the Erez border to the hospitals in Israel to get treatment for their disease, for cancer, for anything." jpost.com | | The Paramedic Who Was Murdered While Saving Others Shanna Fuld  Amit Man was an exceptional paramedic whose last hours were heroically dedicated to tending to the wounded during the Hamas massacre.
Amit Man, a 22-year-old paramedic, saved lives up until her last breath. She was murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7th, 2023. Amit loved healing people with her medical expertise, as well as with her own voice. The singer/actress decided to put her talents to the side in order to focus on learning the art of life-saving. Her family was the last to hear her voice as she screamed into her cell phone.
Amit's sister Haliva was with her by phone until the last moment, when Amit said Hamas terrorists had broken into the clinic where she was operating. One voice message was recovered and shared with Aish.com. In the 14 second clip, Amit screams, pleads for her life and you can hear rapid gunfire sounding off around her.
 Assigned to the Be'eri Magen David Adom (MDA) team, Amit found comfort in a small house provided by the kibbutz she worked on. She fell in love with the place and forged a deep connection to the community. On Saturday, October 7th, she and her boyfriend awoke to sirens blaring. He was also an emergency responder, working just a few kilometers away in Netzibot. He offered Amit to join him where he was stationed, but she had been on call that day and decided to man her post. Despite the danger, her dedication took her to the dental clinic where Be'eri's MDA team operates.
When the attack began, Amit, according to her colleagues, acted with unwavering competence. For six and a half hours, she worked tirelessly alongside a doctor, doing her utmost to save lives as countless victims poured into the clinic in need of emergency services. She stopped many from bleeding to death using a tourniquet, all while relaying the horrors to her superiors via phone. She described the chaos and violence unfolding around them, just beyond the clinic door, where two soldiers stood guard.
 As the hours wore on, Hamas terrorists continued their assault on the community and eventually breached the clinic. She staunchly aided a wounded soldier, who had been outside protecting her grounds. He was shot. She stopped his bleeding and rested him under an air conditioning unit, soothing him with her words and assuring him it would be okay.
Amit's cousin Iftach Ophir relayed the story to Aish.com.
"It's always hard when you lose someone close. But when that person cares about saving other people. Standing up to immense darkness and evil. It is bitter. It is more unfair," Ophir said.
Amit's family was left in agonizing uncertainty for more than two days after the event. They did not know if she was dead, alive or if she had been taken to Gaza. Some 60 hours after the final contact with Amit, news came that her body had been identified in the dental clinic where she had stood her ground. The weight of the loss reverberated through the community.
Her funeral was attended by two hundred, with 70 of them representing MDA.
Her body came out for burial wrapped in a shroud with the Israeli flag depicted with different coloring. The star and stripes were red and white, representing the colors of MDA. Her mother approached the stretcher and begged her to wake up. Her boyfriend spoke, referring to her as an angel flying in the night sky and said she seemed to be able to make sense out of everything.
Just two days prior to Amit's burial, the anxious Man family dealt with another blow – the passing of Amit's uncle who died of lung cancer. Due to rocket fire, a small funeral of ten was pulled together. The cemetery security staff asked the family to do as much as possible outside of the grounds for safety concerns.
Amit's family says her journey to medicine was inspired by the death of her father. He was diagnosed with lung cancer when Amit was 11 and succumbed to the spread of the deadly disease some four years later. Ophir says Amit, the youngest daughter, was his favorite out of his five girls. She watched him go in and out of the hospital at an impressionable age.
"She bore witness to all his strife and struggle. A year later, she decided she would partake in emergency services," Ophir said. "And that is what she put her heart and soul into."
Her family understood her desire to save lives came from her desire to save her dad.
Amit's trajectory to paramedic excellence did not come without its challenges. A medical issue prevented her from joining the IDF, yet she remained undeterred. Volunteering was her way of serving. She enrolled in Sherut Leumi and then moved over to MDA. By age 21, she became the youngest instructor for paramedic services throughout the country, imparting vital skills to 18-year-olds entering the special services.
"She is the epitome of a life saver. She is the best of us," Ophir stated proudly.
During the Hamas attack, Amit displayed exceptional professionalism. Despite the chaos and danger, she communicated the situation accurately and efficiently. Recordings of her calls have been presented to the president, and he has commended her posthumously.
Amit's funeral was a testament to the lives she touched. Hundreds gathered to pay their respects, their hearts heavy with grief and admiration. Amit leaves us with a moving video of herself beautifully singing "The Only Exception" by Paramore. At the very least, her loved ones can be comforted by the sounds of her melody instead of the sounds of her pain.
As Israel grapples with the aftermath of this senseless violence, Amit Man's legacy stands as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by those on the frontlines of emergency response. In the face of darkness, she shone brightly, illuminating the path of compassion and courage for others to follow. aish.com | | Three generations wiped out by Hamas in Kibbutz Be'eri An estimated 10% of Kibbutz Be'eri's 1,100 residents were killed and an equal number kidnapped during Hamas's Oct. 7 assault on southern Israel. Etgar Lefkovits  A 73-year-old grandmother, her 43-year-old son and barely 10-month granddaughter. Three generations of one Israeli family brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7 were laid to rest Sunday side by side, the infant sharing the same coffin as her father.
In ceremonies across the country, a nation in mourning was burying its dead from the worst assault on Israel in half a century, and the most deadly one-day attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust. In many cases, the cemeteries were only temporary resting places, as ongoing fighting with Hamas made burial in their home communities impossible. On Sunday alone, there were 17 funerals for residents of a single kibbutz.
Sandra and Ohad Cohen together with their three children, ages 9, 3 and 10 months, were awakened on Saturday, Oct. 7 in their home in Kibbutz Be'eri by the sirens warning of incoming missiles from the Hamas-run Gaza Strip. Like millions of other Israelis, they rushed into their safe room to take cover.
The rockets were just the beginning of a national nightmare. Though the Cohens didn't know it, thousands of Hamas terrorists had broken through the Gaza security fence in multiple locations and were converging on more than two dozen locations in southern Israel.
From their sealed room, they heard the attackers shouting "get out, get out" in English as they broke into their home, Ohad Cohen's cousin Shir Druker, 42,of Tel Aviv, recounted on Sunday ahead of the funeral procession.
He began frantically messaging his brother and friends for help.
"Save us," he pleaded in a Whatsapp message sent at 11:29 a.m. "Where is the army?"
"Are you at home?" his friend asked. "At home, locked in the safe room," Cohen answered, followed by, "There is no army here."
Both he and his brother had already lost contact with their mother, Yona Cohen, who lived at the edge of the kibbutz, and whose house, it would later emerge, had already been overtaken by the attackers.
"Take care of yourself," his friend texted back at 11:31. "We are pressuring the army [to get there]."
"They are massacring residents," Cohen replied at 11:47, followed by "they are burning homes" and "they are breaking into safe rooms" a minute later.
"They are breaking into my safe room. Save us," was his last message, at 12:49 p.m.
Mass murder
In those terrifying last moments, the family huddled together in their safe room as terrorists shot at the door, killing their 10-month-old daughter, Mila. Her nine-year-old brother was grazed in the head by shrapnel, and the three-year old began vomiting, his cousin recounted. They put the baby on the rug in the safe room.
"He said they were going to die either way and better to die outside than inside," said Druker. In a fateful decision, Cohen opened the window of the safe room to let fresh air in and went out to the porch, only to be captured and bound by the terrorists, and then shot dead.
The terrorists took the mother, the two remaining kids, along with an elderly woman in a wheelchair and her Filipino caretaker Gracie, and started to walk them to the kibbutz gate, she said.
Suddenly, Israeli security forces appeared and the old woman shouted "soldiers, soldiers!" In the ensuing shootout Sandra Cohen was hit four times in the lung and once each in the arm and leg, but called on her two kids to escape together to a neighboring house. The nine-year-old also wheeled the elderly woman into the house; her caretaker was taken captive by the terrorists.
Later they would find the bound body of the grandmother at her home, shot dead.
Temporary resting place
On an unseasonably warm and sunny late October afternoon, the two coffins, draped with Israeli flags and covered with bouquets and wreaths, moved slowly along the processions of hundreds of mourners at the Yarkon cemetery near the central Israeli city of Petah Tikva. Minutes before, another bereaved family had just recited eulogies for their dead.
This well-kept cemetery with its towering trees was to be only a temporary resting place until reburial was possible at the kibbutz, which is currently vacated and a closed military zone amid the war against Hamas in nearby Gaza. Before the ceremony got underway, an announcement was made that in the event of a rocket attack during the funeral, mourners were to lay on the ground and cover their heads in keeping with the instructions of the Israel Defense Forces' Homefront Command.
Among the crowd of mourners was 79-year old Yitzhak Miles, whose 81-year-old brother, Albert Ablume Miles, was murdered in the very same kibbutz—an estimated 10% of Be'eri's 1,100 residents were killed and an equal number kidnapped—but who had not been buried yet.
"I'm trembling all over," he said, recounting how his brother, who moved to the kibbutz at age 13, had bled to death from gunshot wounds during the initial attacks, before medics could arrive. Although he did not know the Cohen family, he said he felt a need to be connected with members of his brother's community.
"I live not far from here and heard that they were from the kibbutz so I wanted to come," he said.
Amid a sea of tears, Israeli singer Ehud Banai sang two heart-wrenching songs as Sandra Cohen, who saved her remaining children, looked on from a wheelchair surrounded by loved ones. Family and friends delivered three eulogies—one each for the grandmother, son and grandchild.
One recalled the matriarch's words: "You once told me, 'If I die, it will be here in my house and not in any other place.'" jns.org | | Squad of female IDF combat troops eliminated nearly 100 Hamas terrorists Lt.-Col. Or Ben Yehuda, Caracal Battalion, praises her troops' bravery against Hamas, silencing doubts about female combat soldiers with their training, heroism, and life-saving actions.  Only a few have had the chance to witness the extraordinary actions of the Caracal Battalion during their battle against Hamas terrorists.
Lt.-Col. Or Ben-Yehuda, the commander of this unit, now recounts her experiences in the southern Gaza Strip, where her battalion eliminated approximately 100 terrorists. She also has a clear message for those who question the capabilities of female fighters in the Caracal (Desert Lynx) and Tank Battalion.
As the assault on the Gaza border area began, Ben-Yehuda swiftly moved from the battalion headquarters in Nahal Raviv to a post on the Egyptian border with armored personnel carriers. Rockets were raining down, and warnings arrived regarding potential terrorist infiltration in the Shlomit and Bnei Netzer towns.
In the midst of this chaos, she received a message from Lt.-Col. Yonatan Tzur, the commander of the Nahal Brigade's patrol battalion, who was later tragically killed in an encounter with terrorists. He reported an infiltration near Sufa and Nirim, saying, "There are several terrorists there... They're heavily armed!"
Female IDF combat soldiers fight off Hamas terrorists
Ben-Yehuda summoned troops from the mixed-gender, infantry combat Caracal Battalion and made her intentions clear: "We are going out to eliminate terrorists. Infiltration into Israel is happening, and it's spreading. Stay alert. We might cross paths. We are a strong squad."
During the fast-paced journey, Ben-Yehuda began to understand the scale of the terrorist incidents in the region. Arriving at Sufa, she received a report from a sergeant from the guards at the entrance to the military base, indicating that terrorists were inside with at least three wounded.
 Information revealed that the military post contained around 40 combat soldiers from the Nahal patrol, a mix of Nahal, mortar soldiers from the 50th battalion, other soldiers, military drivers operating in high-risk areas, and numerous terrorists. It was apparent that most of the combatants were in the dining room, armed with anti-tank missiles. It became clear that this was not a typical terrorist infiltration.
Approaching the base from all angles, they identified at least seven terrorists, and more from the nearby dirt embankment were starting to climb up. Suddenly, a convoy with almost 50 terrorists and snipers charged toward the squad of 12 at breakneck speed. They responded with gunfire. Terrorists were eliminated, and the others dispersed.
In a harrowing moment, a terrorist advanced on Ben-Yehuda at point-blank range, but her quick reaction saved her from harm.
Lt.-Col. A from the Magic Touch Squadron (190) arrived and identified the terrorists inside the base. He suggested taking action but Ben-Yehuda insisted on avoiding harm to the soldiers inside. Instead, bursts of fire were directed at the surrounding earthen embankments, killing terrorists and preventing further attacks on the squad.
For nearly four hours, terrorists attempted to outflank Ben-Yehuda and her team, engaging them in firefights. More vans arrived, but the Caracal Battalion commander effectively thwarted them. Additional Light Anti-Armor Weapon (LAW) missiles were launched, further eliminating terrorists: Some were killed, and others retreated.
Despite wounds to some of her soldiers, they persevered.
After hours of intense combat, soldiers from the Shayetet (flotilla) 13 Navy Special Forces unit arrived to clear the base of terrorists. Drones were launched to assist them. The firefights continued, and wounded soldiers were evacuated. They remained at the base for a total of 14 hours until it was fully secured.
Ben-Yehuda emphasized the significant contributions of the female soldiers under her command, who saved many lives through medical care and even daring helicopter landings under fire. Their remarkable performance under the extreme pressure of war highlighted their capabilities.
She also acknowledged the tank soldiers under her command, who played a vital role in defending towns and decisively impacting the battle in Holit, a kibbutz near the southwestern-most border of the Gaza Strip where at least 11 of its members were killed along with two migrant workers.
In total, her battalion eliminated around 100 terrorists. She hopes this serves as proof that there should be no more doubts about female combat soldiers. "Their training and performance on the battlefield have erased any doubts. They fought bravely, saved lives, and emerged as heroes," she said.
Ben-Yehuda also highlighted the dedication of the commanders who rushed from home to join the fight.
She concluded: "There are no more doubts about female combat soldiers, who have triumphed in every encounter with terrorists. At present, we are responsible for 11 towns and are preparing for any potential ground maneuvers to ensure the safety of the southern Gaza border area and the Egyptian border." jpost.com | |  | WATCH: Heartbreaking Story from a Hero Who Saved his Kibbutz in Southern Israel from Hamas Phil Schneider  Kerem Shalom is a small Kibbutz at the very tip end of Israel, right next to the border with the Gaza Strip. They, like 20 other locations next to the wall near the Gaza Strip, were invaded by around 100 Arab terrorists from the Gaza Strip. The goal was clear – kill, rape, kidnap, and burn down the Kibbutz. They were very close to achieving their goals. But a few brave men – less than ten brave men – held them at bay for more than 6 hours despite depleting ammunition. Then, finally the Israeli Army came in and rescued them.
There were 2 members of the Kibbutz, young fathers in the first response unit, who were killed in the battle. But, somehow, through a mixture of bravery, luck, and a bunch of miracles, the others managed to withstand droves of terrorists and saved the lives of all of the members of the Kibbutz.
It must be noted that the young men who fought were largely young religious men who moved down to the non-religious Kibbutz with their wives and young children, for pure idealistic reasons. Their decision ultimately saved the lives of hundreds of people.
One would think that following the trauma of what they endured and what their neighbors endured, they would do anything to leave the area. But lo and behold, these heroes have every intention to go back, rebuild, resettle and deepen the connection to this part of the Land of Israel. It is exactly heroic people like this that will lead us to the redemption.
israelunwired.com | | 21 kids from 13 families without parents after Hamas attack; one is 4-year-old hostage Welfare Ministry figure includes 16 cases in which both parents were murdered by terrorists; remaining kids had one parent killed while other was kidnapped or is missing  The Welfare Ministry on Sunday announced that at least 21 children in 13 families were left without parents due to Hamas's devastating onslaught against southern Israel on October 7.
The figure includes 16 cases in which both parents were killed, while the remaining children had one parent killed while the other was taken captive or has been missing since the deadly assault two weeks ago.
The children include a 4-year-old girl held hostage in Gaza. Another young girl's mother was murdered and her father is being held captive, the ministry added.
Social workers with the ministry were working to identify all such children and provide them and their guardians with all the resources necessary.
 "The fact that so many children are victims of the brutal Hamas attack turns the stomach," Welfare Minister Yaakov Margi said in a statement.
He pledged the state would look out for these children "for their entire lives and will not spare any resource in helping them rehabilitate."
Since the October 7 massacre by Hamas, some 200,000 Israelis have been internally displaced. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office said Sunday that about half of the 200,000 were instructed to evacuate from 105 communities near the Gaza and Lebanon borders in the south and north, while half left areas close to the front of their own volition.
Israel is more than two weeks into a war with Hamas after the Iran-backed terror group's murderous assault on the country, in which some 2,500 terrorists streamed into Israel by land, sea, and air, killing some 1,400 people, mostly civilians, and injuring thousands more. The terror group and other factions dragged at least 212 of all ages into Gaza.
 Israel says its campaign in Gaza is aimed at destroying Hamas's infrastructure, and has vowed to eliminate the entire terror group, which rules the Strip. It says it is targeting all areas where Hamas operates, while seeking to minimize civilian casualties.
In the north, Hamas ally Hezbollah, also an Iranian proxy, has fired dozens of anti-tank guided missiles, rockets, and mortars at Israeli military positions and Israeli towns since the October 7 Hamas onslaught, while also sending gunmen — some affiliated with Palestinian terror groups — to infiltrate into northern Israel.
Several drones have also been intercepted over northern Israel.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hezbollah on Sunday that it would be "making the mistake of its life" if it decided to enter the war. timesofisrael.com | | Israeli hero Yaron Maor defends kibbutz against Hamas alone Yaron Maor, a Kibbutz Nir Oz resident, fought valiantly against terrorists who infiltrated his community, protecting his family for hours until help finally arrived.  Yaron Maor, a resident of Kibbutz Nir Oz, woke up at 6:30 a.m. to discover that Hamas terrorists had infiltrated the kibbutz. Initially, he sought refuge with his wife and children in the shelter. However, he soon realized that he had to confront the threat.
Yaron courageously left the shelter, set up an ambush, and bravely faced grenade attacks while eliminating the terrorists. He later returned to the shelter to find his family safe, but their house had been engulfed in flames.
In a conversation with Radio 103FM, he claimed that the IDF had abandoned the town, forcing the residents to defend themselves, as no terrorists were eliminated by the military.
"How severely was your community affected?"
"It's essential to emphasize that we are Kibbutz Nir Oz, sitting precisely between Kibbutz Magen and Kibbutz Nirim."
"Can you describe the events that unfolded?"
"In Kibbutz Nir Oz, the IDF did not engage the terrorists; they failed to eliminate a single one, even though there were hundreds. Other kibbutzim may have faced a similar ordeal, but at least they had IDF troops that took action. The only ones who fought valiantly were the emergency standby squad and individuals with personal firearms or other means."
"Tell us about your experience."
 "At 6:30 a.m., my wife and I dropped off our children at the kindergarten. Simultaneously, our elder daughter was staying with her grandmother in the kibbutz, along with her younger sister. At 7:15 a.m., we received a message about terrorists in the kibbutz wearing disguises near the clinic. Initially, we thought it was just another minor threat, and we were planning to leave the shelter in a few minutes. However, my wife urged me to fetch a firearm."
"At 9:00 a.m., messages started pouring in, pleading for help as the terrorists reached their homes. Some were injured, desperate for assistance, and there was no one to send. Many felt they had no choice but to leave to ensure their own survival. I decided to leave the shelter and, from the bathroom window, I spotted between 10 and 15 terrorists on our balcony. My instinct was to open fire, but I held back at the last moment, choosing instead to set up an ambush inside the house to confront anyone entering. Fortunately, I had a barricade, and they couldn't breach it. When one of the terrorists entered through a window and exposed himself, I approached and shot him twice at close range."
"Did you shoot him in the head?"
"Yes, and after that, the others yelled in Arabic - likely calling for another terrorist. Another fighter arrived, sprayed my house with gunfire while throwing a grenade at me. I swiftly moved into an inner room, the parents' room, which had a shower. I took cover there as the grenade detonated. It took some time for me to recover, and then, after a few minutes, I ventured out of the corridor. I saw another terrorist inside my kitchen, and as he raised his head and noticed me, I advanced, firing two shots into his upper body. He fell, and the chaos continued outside. More fighters arrived, shooting at my house and launching another grenade in my direction. Once again, I sought refuge in the same spot, this time escaping the explosion. I emerged after some time, approximately an hour and a half later."
"So, you endured an hour and a half of constant attacks, including grenade explosions?"
"Yes, that's correct. Initially, when I peeked out of the window, after leaving the school, I noticed that they had vandalized my sukkah. It seemed important to them to destroy it. After the third grenade exploded in my vicinity and I sought refuge in the bathroom, they changed their tactics. They started approaching me from behind, and I didn't wait for them to enter the room this time. I emptied the last two rounds I had, which amounted to all my remaining ammunition."
"Did you manage to injure any of them?"
 "Yes, I heard voices after the shots. That's when they came at me from behind. They believed I was already dead. Subsequently, a grenade was thrown into my room, and I quickly moved to the hallway of the shelter. The grenade exploded, and it took me a while to recover. Somehow, I ventured out towards the room, only to see a Molotov cocktail thrown at me. The mattress ignited, and I began to panic. At one point, I managed to regain control and thought, 'It's better if the house burns down, and I reach the shelter.' I returned to the shelter and shouted to my wife to open the door. She couldn't believe I was alive. After several minutes, she finally opened the door, and fortunately, the fire had been extinguished. An hour or two later, they returned to my house, fired shots at the shelter door from a distance, likely retrieved the terrorist's body, and then set the house ablaze."
"Weren't you affected by the fire while in the shelter?"
"I told my wife, 'We'll wait as long as we can.' We placed a towel at the door and decided to hold out as long as possible, fearing that if we tried to escape through a window, we'd be targeted. We endured until we could no longer stay inside. My wife told me, 'We have to leave.' I opened a window, and she helped our children out. As I stood on the windowsill, the police arrived."
"What time was it when the police arrived?"
"It was 1:40 p.m."
"At 6:30 a.m., you received the warning, and at 9:30 a.m., you left the shelter. You led the battle for an hour and a half until 11:00 a.m. Until 1:30 p.m., you were in the shelter when they were burning the house from the outside, and then you left."
"That's right. As I stood on the windowsill with the gun, the Israel Border Police unit approached me, heading towards the main door. He was convinced that I was a terrorist. All the laser sights were on me. I shouted, 'Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One,' [the Shema prayer] so that they would know I am Jewish. They still didn't believe it. The force commander grabbed my wife's hand and asked, 'Who is this?' She replied, 'My husband.' He inquired, 'What's his name?' She said, 'Yaron, leave him alone.' Only then was he convinced. He told me, 'Take us to Haim Perry; there's a terrorist there.' I said, 'Do you want me to take you? Leave two warriors here to protect my family, and I will guide you.' I then led them to safety. We reached Haim Perry's location, and there was a woman inside the shelter who reported that her husband had been abducted. At that time, they found my phone and sent a message asking for anyone hearing noises to let them know, but there were no terrorists left in the kibbutz."
"Were you in a combat unit?"
"I was in Givati. There are many other stories from the same time. My daughter was at my grandmother's, and my 70-year-old grandmother battled the terrorists for hours at the door. They shot at her, and the bullet penetrated the shelter, miraculously missing her. She confronted them, and my daughter told me, 'Come save us; Grandma can't hold on.' I replied, 'Those who leave get killed.' We were under attack, and our standby squad fought like lions. These were swarms of people."
"Will you return home?"
"It's a difficult question. I wish for Kibbutz Nir Oz to be rebuilt on the Gaza beach. This is the only compensation that would make me consider returning home."
"How many years have you lived in the kibbutz?"
"About 12 to 14 years."
"The part with 'Shema' is remarkable."
"That's what saved me. He recognized that I was Jewish. The timing was perfect. I felt like I had divine protection.
"Our fear isn't for now but for the weeks, months, even years to come. The kibbutz is scarred, and more than that, our spirits are scarred. If you haven't experienced it, you can't truly understand. We went through a massacre, and we were left to fend for ourselves. The IDF didn't come to our aid. Every morning, I tell my children, 'We were privileged to be soldiers, to grow up in the Land of Israel, with a country that will protect us.' That's how I was raised, and it was something taken for granted, but they abandoned us." jpost.com | | Bedouin bus driver saves 30 people from the Negev rave massacre "I would never wish on anyone to see what I saw," Ziadna told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. "This is trauma for my whole life. When I sit alone and recollect, I can't help the tears." Deborah Danan  Every day at 4 p.m., Youssef Ziadna receives a phone call from a psychologist. Every evening, he sits on his balcony drinking coffee, smoking, and replaying in his mind the worst things he has ever seen.
The daily routine would have been unimaginable for Ziadna, a 47-year-old Bedouin Israeli resident of Rahat, just two weeks ago. A minibus driver, he filled his days ferrying passengers around Israel's southern region.
But on Oct. 7, he was called to pick up one of his regular customers and raced headlong in Hamas' brutal attack on Israel. He ended up rescuing 30 people, all Jewish Israelis, from the massacre at the outdoor party near Israel's southern border, dodging bullets and veering off-road to bring them to safety.
Ziadna is "a larger-than-life man to whom we will forever be indebted," Amit Hadar wrote in Hebrew in a post that was shared widely starting on Oct. 7. "When, with God's help, we reach better days, save the number for the next time you need a ride — if anyone deserves it, this person does."
Yet at the same time, Ziadna is grieving a cousin who was murdered during the attack and worrying about four other family members who remain missing. He also received a threat from someone who claimed to be affiliated with Hamas, vowing retaliation for Ziadna's efforts to save Jews after they were recounted in a local newspaper. And he is concerned that his fellow Bedouins, a minority that remains marginalized in many ways within Israeli society, are at risk given the lack of bomb shelters in Rahat.
The stress of it all has already sent him to the emergency room with chest pains — but he is determined to press on.
"When I think about it, I ask how did we get out of there," Ziadna recalled Monday, 10 days after the massacre. "I guess it's fate that we're meant to live longer in this world."
Ziadna started Oct. 7 early, driving Hadar and eight of his friends from the town of Omer to the rave at Kibbutz Re'im at 1 a.m. He left with the instruction to pick them up the following day at 3 p.m.
But at 6 a.m. he received a call for help from Hadar. Believing that the call for help was due to a code red for incoming rockets fired from Gaza, Ziadna raced to his bus.
"I didn't wash my face, I didn't even get dressed," Ziadna said. "This is standard over here in the south."
But as soon as he reached the Sa'ad junction, a mile away from Kfar Aza, one of the Gaza border communities that experienced some of the worst horrors of the Oct. 7 massacre, a new picture began to emerge. A man who had escaped from the party ran towards him, furiously signaling to Ziadna to make a U-turn. Ziadna, not comprehending, exited the minibus to speak to him. Moments later, Ziadna, the man and a woman who accompanied him were caught in gunfire.
"Bullets were flying everywhere," Ziadna said, adding that the three dived into a ditch on the side of the road. He said, "I raised my head and the guy told me, 'Why are you doing that? You'll get a bullet in your brain!'"
Ziadna told the disbelieving couple that he would continue on to the site of the party. "I stared death in the face," he said. "But I knew I couldn't give up on my missions. I will go and rescue them."
Navigating through bullet fire, Ziadna managed to reach his passengers at the scene of the party in Re'im where an inferno of bodies, blood and bullets reigned. "I told them to bring as many as possible," he said. Twenty-four additional people crammed into the 14-seater vehicle, and on the way, they rescued another couple, one of whom had been shot in the leg. Ziadna says he also caught sight of a motorized Hamas paraglider hovering above, spraying bullets with a machine gun at revelers.
Under constant gunfire, the minibus sped away. Ziadna's intimate knowledge of the terrain proved lifesaving, and he was able to cut a route through dirt roads, avoiding the main thoroughfare where terrorists were ambushing escapees. Many other cars took his lead and followed the minibus, he said.
Cries of terror and anguish filled his minibus as its occupants nursed their wounds and tried desperately to call loved ones amid jammed cellular signals. They arrived at a roadblock manned by police. Saying there was no way of getting to the hospital to treat the wounded woman because the route was overrun with terrorists, an officer directed them to a nearby kibbutz, Tze'elim, where they remained until the late afternoon when the Home Front Command finally said it was safe to leave.
Hadar confirmed Ziadna's account but declined to speak further to JTA.
Four hundred people from the party took refuge in the kibbutz and, according to Ziadna, were looked after well. "They gave us everything we needed, food, chargers and even cigarettes," he said.
"I had an option to go back. A weaker man may have done a U-turn at that junction," Ziadna said. "But I said no way, I will throw myself at death if it means I can save lives." jpost.com | | | | |
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