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| |  | Featuring Diverse Sources, Guiding Questions, and Relevant Halachic Topics | | |  From Downtrodden to Dignity | Bechukotai/Yom Yerushalayim 5784
Rav Doron Perez
Executive Chairman of Mizrachi World Movement
The greatest Jewish month of the modern era is undoubtedly Iyar – with two incredible days: The 5th of Iyar, the return of a sovereign Jewish state for the first time in almost 2,000 years in 1948, and the 28th of Iyar, the reunification of Jerusalem.
What these days have done for the Jewish people, for our psyche, is a sense of self-worth, pride, belief in ourselves, vindication after so much suffering for the Jewish people.
So many people made Aliyah in the wake of the Six-Day War in 1967, something changed in world and Jewish history. Famously, Natan Sharansky wrote that when he was in the Russian gulag and heard that the Jewish people returned against all odds to Yerushalayim in six days, he believed he could also transform his own life and the leadership of Soviet Jewry to do the impossible against all odds.
The key word in all of this appears only once in the Torah at the pinnacle of the blessings in Bechukotai – "kommemiyut." Rashi says this means uprightness, a sense of freedom, a belief in ourselves. The Netziv says this is the opposite of the yoke of an animal, which is downtrodden. Out of the depths of despair, we are now able to come forth with confidence and dignity.
As we celebrate Yom Yerushalayim, we celebrate the miracles of 1967, and that today we life in a time of self-dignity, self-belief, pride in being Jewish, which should ultimately bring hope for the Jewish people and all of humanity. | | Bechukotai 5784 Rabbi Moshe Gordon,
Faculty member at Midreshet Harova | | | Welcome to World War III Rabbi Stewart Weiss  "But you tell me, over and over and over again, my friend; how you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction." (Barry McGuire, 1965)
Let me begin by saying, unequivocally, I am not an alarmist by nature. In fact, I am a confirmed optimist, especially when it comes to Israel and the Jewish People. We have a mandate from the Almighty that we are an eternal nation that can never be expunged; we have gone head-to-head against the great empires of history and watched them fade into oblivion while we survive, against all odds. And, as far as our presence in Israel goes, despite having twice been exiled from our land, we believe that this time we are here to stay and will not be expelled again.
Having said that, I fear that the road ahead is a treacherous one, and the fight for survival will test us to the limit. In fact, I believe that we have already entered a Third World War. But, like old age and credit-card debt, it creeps up on you in increments, barely noticeable, until suddenly you are overwhelmed and shocked by it. You may deny it, pooh-pooh it, or close your mind to it, but face the facts, this is war. A global war that extends far beyond the Middle East, though that is its epicenter.
Like most wars – World War II is a perfect example – it is fought on two fronts. The first arena of combat is the physical one, whereby nations seek to overwhelm their neighbors and swallow their land. Hitler whetted his appetite with the Sudetenland, and then went on conquer most of Europe, even as his Japanese allies feasted on the nations of the Pacific.
At the same time, an ideological battle is also being waged. The Nazis sought to impose their vision of a supremacist, all-powerful Third Reich upon the entire world, fashioning a brutal system that would create a hierarchy of rulers and subjects, comprising super-human, human and sub-human divisions, with Germany at the top of the pyramid and Jews at the bottom. The Fuhrer would displace God, in order to determine what was right, what was moral, what was justified. This helps to explain Hitler's obsession with wiping out the Jews, for the Jews, as God's chosen people, represent the primacy of God on earth and thereby threatened the Nazi's plan to create a new world order. As long as the Jews existed, that plan would be frustrated.
In our current war as well, there is the issue of land. In the limited scope and the short term, the Islamic radicals of Hamas, Iran, Hezbollah and "Palestine" seek to devour Israel, the wondrous country that we have developed. Backed by almost an entire world that is one part evil and one part ignorant, they fabricate history by denying our ancient, ongoing connection to the Holy Land, seeking to displace us with yet another fundamentalist, racist totalitarian state that enriches the leaders while oppressing the majority of its members.
On a larger scale, however, this is just one small skirmish in a global battle that would see Islamic dominion spread across the entire planet, with some allowance – perhaps temporarily – for other, similar totalitarian regimes like Russia and China, who have their own ravenous appetites for swallowing up their neighbors and spreading their own ideologies.
While this world war revolves around the acquisition of land, and partisan belief systems, it is also a War on Freedom, a War on Justice and a War on Truth. In this conflict, universal human rights are flippantly cast aside as they are deemed, at best, a distraction, and at worst, an impediment to world progress. While much lip service is spent glorifying the role of women, for example, they can also be raped at random by the real powers, when the situation calls for it. Diversity is a holy virtue, they crow, but only as far as it extends to those deemed worthy; whites, Jews and intellectuals need not apply.
In this war, as in most wars, Truth is the first casualty. For the forces of darkness to succeed, they must prevent the light of truth from shining on their agenda and exposing its demonic nature. And so, they invoke the Woke rule that there is no abstract Truth, no baseline of what is right and what is wrong; after all, "you have your truth, and I have mine." And so, the savage behavior of Hamas terrorists can simply be denied – despite the evidence and testimony that even the terrorists themselves have provided – and the so-called courts of justice can pompously focus only on the side that they pre-determine is guilty. And they will be eagerly assisted by all manner of accomplices, from the useful idiots of world campuses, who mindlessly mouth their mantras of "Free Palestine," to the editors of the New York Times, who despicably focus almost all their attention on the suffering of the victimizers and precious little on that of the victims.
Sadly, but not completely unexpectedly, even fellow Jews are caught up in the war frenzy, either due to misplaced mercy, or, more likely, because of their desire to jump on a beckoning bandwagon that thinks it has discovered the coolest cause of the century. But these misguided ignoramuses – including those vile neo-Nazis who masquerade in Jewish costumes and travel to Iran to praise the fallen Raisi and participate in Holocaust-denial conventions – will be among the first victims if their mentors succeed in their devilish plans. We have seen their type before – the Datans of Egypt who supported Pharaoh, the Hellenists who fought the Maccabees, the Leon Trotskys (born Lev Bronstein) who helped lead the Communist revolution, et al; they were all doomed to eventually be disgraced and discarded in the dust-bin of history.
As the worldwide insanity proliferates, Jews – and our courageous supporters – are going to be under increasingly greater pressure. The success of anti-Israel zealots in enflaming the public will energize them to passionately push the envelope even more. More and more countries will abdicate their previous commitments and support a "Palestinian state," despite – or perhaps because of – the growing Islamization that is rapidly decimating their own particular culture and ultimately threatening to control them. After the U.S. elections in November – which will provide whoever prevails with a four-year cushion of unhampered mobility - there is no telling what policies may be enacted. And on the street, anti-Jewish actions – or "Aktions" - will proliferate. As we have seen so vividly, there are no distinctions between "Zionists" and "Jews," and so no Jewish institution can be assumed to be safe. Jewish day schools, synagogues, kosher restaurants, Chabad houses, etc. will all come under increasingly violent attack. It will not surprise me if Jewish ritual observance – Brit Mila, kosher shechita, Eruvin enabling Shabbat observance and more will come under fire – literally. After all, war is war.
What, then, can be done? What does the future hold? Who will win this Third World War?
One scenario sees the world descending further into continual chaos, with Europe and America capitulating to the growing masses of false liberation, led by Iran, Russia, China and the Islamists. Another scenario is that sanity will ultimately prevail, and – as happened in WW II – the free nations of the world will recognize the threat to their way of life and rise up against the enemy both without and within. That will entail no small amount of blood-letting – even, perhaps, civil wars – but in the end, society will be saved.
A third scenario is put forward by the Yalkut Shimoni, a 13th century commentary on the Talmud by Rabbi Shimon Ashkenazi HaDarshan of Frankfurt. He paints a prophetic picture of what will happen in the "end of days," a picture that is chillingly relevant. He writes:
"There will come a time when the nations of the world – led by the king of Persia and the nations of Edom (Europe) - and including the former friends of Israel – will combine to fight us. Many will flee from Israel in panic. The initial battles will go against us, causing many more to run away from Israel. But the brave of heart will remain, and just when things appear the darkest, God will cause the other nations to turn on one another & God will send us the message: "Do not fear; everything that I have done is for your benefit, to destroy the evil kingdoms and eradicate evil from this world so that the final Redemption can come."
No one alive today is a prophet; no one has Divine inspiration, there are no Heavenly voices to guide us, and so we cannot know the future. But what we do know is that life in Israel, each & every day, is a Nes, a miracle. Yet at the same time, it is a Nisayon, a test. We are all being tested, and we must be up to that test. We will have hard times with much suffering, we will have our doubts, but we will persevere in this latest war, so long as we hold on to the truth that, in the words of the prophet Samuel, "Netzach Yisrael Lo Yishaker," the eternity of Israel can never be false.
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Renewal vs Change Rabbi Shalom Rosner
 If you follow My statutes and observe My commandments and perform them. (Vayikra 26:3)
Much ink has been spilled explaining this pasuk. The Ohr HaChaim HaKadosh has 42 different interpretations of this pasuk. We will highlight an important and relevant lesson derived from this pasuk by the Menachem Tzion, Rav Menachem Sacks, the son-in law of Rav Tzvi Pesach Frank.
In every generation there are movements among even observant Jews to "modernize" Judaism in an unhealthy way. Such individuals desire to maintain the "logical" principles of the Torah and they claim that in order to preserve our religion in a modern society, we should relinquish the irrational mitzvot, known as "chukim." In an advanced society, we need to adapt our religion to the times.
The Gemara (Shabbat 31b) states that when a person passes away, one of the questions that Hashem will ask of them is: "Kavata itim laTorah? Did you set aside time to study Torah?" But we have, on occasion, suggested another interpretation. "Did you adjust the times – the norms and influences of the day – to the precepts of the Torah rather than trying to adjust the Torah to fit with the times? (the latter would reflect: kavata Torah la'itim). The influence should be from within the Torah environment to the outside world and not the opposite. Some people try to adapt the Torah to modern times. They suggest that we be "open-minded" about contemporary norms and values. We say that, on the contrary, we need to open our minds to accept the Torah and adapt our lives to it.
History testifies that once change is instituted at the "chukim" level, it eventually leads to the demise of the observance of rational mitzvot as well. Trying to modernize the Torah leads one down a slippery slope. Torat Hashem temima meshivat nafesh – only when Torah is complete does it restore the soul.
Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik distinguished between a "mechadesh" (renewal) and a "mesahane" (change). It is important to constantly evaluate how to perform mitzvot properly in different situations. During the COVID period gedolei hador were challenged with many new halachic questions that arose and many treatises were written to address those issues. As Chazal tell us "ein bet midrash b'li chidush." However, to be "mesahane" – change halacha to adapt to modern times is prohibited.
The Menachem Tzion interprets our pasuk as follows. If you follow my statutes ("im b'chukotai telechu"), only if you keep the mitzvot, the chukim that may be difficult to comprehend, only then will you continue to observe the rational mitzvot. Once chukim are ignored, other mitzvot are later disregarded as well.
During this period between Pesach and Shavuot as we prepare for our celebration of Matan Torah, may we strengthen our learning and observance of Torah and mitzvot, both chukim and mishaptim and transmit the full mesorah to future generations. Only then we will be worthy of the blessings that are promised in the following pesukim – peace and prosperity in the Land of Israel!
Rabbi Shalom Rosner is a Rebbe at Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh and Rabbi of the Nofei HaShemesh community. He is also the new Tzurba Maggid Shiur, giving a weekly shiur on Tzurba Hilchot Shabbat. 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
Iyar 5784
have been sponsored
in memory of
Sarah bat Yaakov Dov Ber v'Henya, z"l
by her family
| | | 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 | | | Two wounded in ramming attack near Shechem Two Israelis were critically wounded in a ramming attack near Shechem (Nablus). The perpetrator fled the scene.  Two Israelis were critically wounded in a ramming attack on Wednesday in the Shechem (Nablus) area on Route 5077 near the Jewish town of Itamar. The perpetrator fled the scene.
Following the attack, the terrorist made a U-turn and escaped back to Shechem.
The IDF stated: "IDF soldiers are pursuing the terrorist who carried out a ramming attack at one of the entrances to Nablus and fled the scene."
Aircraft, intelligence collection forces, and special forces are participating in the efforts to search for the terrorist.
Sometime later, the terrorist turned himself in to the security forces.
Rescue teams from Rescuers Without Borders and IDF medical teams tended to the wounded and evacuated them to a hospital.
United Hatzalah EMTs Itiel and Ayala Levi stated: "We were told at the scene that two pedestrians were hit and as a result, they were critically and seriously wounded. We tended to one of the victims whose condition at the moment is critical. An additional victim was evacuated by helicopter and we were told that his condition was severe."
Binyamin Regional Council Head and Yesha Council Chairman Israel Ganz said in response to the attack, "This evening we once again saw how the enemy here in Judea and Samaria seeks our destruction – everywhere, whether in Samaria or in Bat Hefer."
"The answer should be through actions - the government and the IDF must act in the field targeting the foundations of the enemy and against those who support them. We strengthen the hands of the IDF soldiers who work with dedication for the security of the country," he added. israelnationalnews.com | | | IDF says it controls Philadelphi corridor on Gaza-Egypt border Military locates dozens of loaded rocket launchers close to the border, placed there under the assumption that the IDF would not bomb an area so close to Egyptian territory; 'Hamas lifeline cut,' military says Yoav Zitun, Einav Halabi  The IDF has full control over the Philadelphi corridor, it announced on Wednesday, adding that the military can now "cut off Hamas' lifeline for supplies coming in from the Sinai." At least 20 tunnels were found and the military was investigating how many of them were dug under the border and used by the terror group to transport weapons, cash and perhaps people in and out of the Strip. At least 82 tunnel shafts also were found and were expected to be destroyed after they are examined. Israel relayed the information on the tunnels to Egypt. The military also said its forces had located structures and dugouts housing dozens of loaded rocket launchers. Their positioning only meters away from the border itself was likely in the belief that the IDF would not strike an area so close to Egypt. "Hamas has now lost an important asset for the transport of weapons," the IDF said in a statement. Israel's control of the strategically important corridor, which runs along the Gaza-Egypt border, could be used as leverage against Hamas to bring it back to the negotiation table in efforts to reach a deal for the release of the Israeli hostages held since October 7 in exchange for a cease-fire.  Meanwhile, Egypt claims that there is "no truth" in the reports about the existence of tunnels on the border between Egypt and Gaza. "Israel is using these claims to justify continued activity in Rafah and to prolong the war for political purposes," a senior Egyptian source told Al-Qahara Al-Ahbariya. Another source told the Egyptian newspaper that "Israel continues to publish lies regarding the situation on the ground of its forces in Rafah. There is no truth in what has been published about tunnels on the Egypt-Gaza border, the lies express the magnitude of the Israeli government's crisis." Meanwhile, Egypt claims that there is "no truth" in the reports about the existence of tunnels on the border between Egypt and Gaza. "Israel is using these claims to justify continued activity in Rafah and to prolong the war for political purposes," a senior Egyptian source told Al-Qahara Al-Ahbariya. Another source told the Egyptian newspaper that "Israel continues to publish lies regarding the situation on the ground of its forces in Rafah. There is no truth in what has been published about tunnels on the Egypt-Gaza border, the lies express the magnitude of the Israeli government's crisis." ynetnews.com | | | Three IDF soldiers killed, seven wounded in Gaza Strip The soldiers were busy scanning tunnels in Rafah, when an explosive device detonated causing a building with soldiers in it to collapse.  Three IDF soldiers, St.-Sgt. Amir Galilove, 20, from Shimshit, St.-Sgt. Uri Bar Or, 21, from kibbutz Midreshet Ben-Gurion, and St.-Sgt Ido Appel, 21, from Tzofer, were killed in combat in the Gaza Strip, the IDF confirmed on Wednesday.
Israeli media reported that the soldiers were busy scanning tunnels in Rafah, when an explosive device detonated causing a building with soldiers in it to collapse.
Reports also claimed that rescue operations continued for minutes, until they finally determined the deaths of the three soldiers.
 In the same incident, the medical corps personnel managed to stabilize the condition of two initially critically injured soldiers, and were able to transfer them to a hospital.
Mutiple injury incidents throughout Gaza
In another incident yesterday, a combat officer from the 614th Battalion of the Combat Engineering corps, and another soldier were seriously injured in a battle in the northern Gaza Strip after encountering terrorists at close range. Additionally, a fighter from the Yahalom unit of the Combat Engineering Corps was seriously injured in a battle in the southern Gaza Strip. The IDF confirmed that a total of seven soldiers from different units were injured in separate incidents across the strip over the past day, and were classified as heavily injured. jpost.com | |  Moving video: Haredi soldiers sing by the grave of their fallen friend
Dozens of soldiers from the haredi Netzah Yehuda Battalion parted from their friend Staff Sergeant Betzalel Zvi Kovach, who succumbed to wounds sustained in battle in the Gaza Strip. Ohevya Sharabi Dozens of soldiers from the haredi Netzah Yehuda Battalion parted from their friend Staff Sergeant Betzalel Zvi Kovach, who succumbed to wounds sustained in battle in the Gaza Strip.
The friends stood next to their fallen friend's grave and sang heartful songs. Per his family's request, Kovach was laid to rest on Sunday in a civilian funeral and not a military one.
israelnationalnews.com | | IDF says hidden store of terror munitions may have caused deadly Rafah blaze Military probing if stockpile of weapons, other combustibles, caused secondary blasts leading to dozens of deaths, says airstrike was almost a mile from designated Gaza safe zone Emanuel Fabian  The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday that a hidden store of weapons may have been the actual cause of a deadly blaze in southern Gaza's Rafah, and that an airstrike that targeted an adjacent area had used small munitions that would not ignite such a fire on their own.
The military suspects that the munitions or some other combustible substance it was unaware of caused a secondary explosion and a fire to spread in a complex housing displaced Gazans in Rafah, killing dozens of Palestinian civilians, following an airstrike targeting two top Hamas terrorists in the area.
The attack and deaths prompted a wave of international condemnation, with Palestinians and many Arab countries calling it a "massacre." The United Nations Security Council was set to convene an emergency meeting later on Tuesday regarding the incident, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said was a "tragic mishap." It came as Israel pressed ahead with its controversial offensive in the Rafah that even before it started faced strong opposition, including from the United States, over the risk to non-combatants, with over 1 million people having sought shelter in the area amid the ongoing war. In an effort to keep civilians out of danger, the IDF has instructed them to move to designated safe zones, where many of the people displaced by the war are living in tents. In an update on its investigation of the incident, the IDF said it had been tracking Hamas commanders Yassin Rabia and Khaled Najjar ahead of the strike on a compound they were in on Sunday night, in the Tel Sultan neighborhood in western Rafah. According to the IDF's intelligence, the area had been used for Hamas activity, with a rocket launcher located just a few dozen meters away from where the two commanders were killed.
According to the IDF, the strike was not intended to harm any civilians and it had carried out steps ahead of the attack to ensure that no women or children were in the Hamas compound. Israeli fighter jets also used two small munitions in the strike, each with a 17-kilogram warhead (37-pound), in an attempt to prevent any civilian casualties, given the close proximity to the camp for displaced Palestinians, the military said. Still, following the strike, a fire spread in the adjacent complex where Palestinian civilians were sheltering. According to Hamas health authorities in Gaza, 45 people were killed and dozens more were wounded.
The two small missiles on their own would not have been enough to spark the fire, according to the IDF's initial probe.
The military was further investigating what exactly had sparked the fire. The IDF's initial probe suspects ammunition, weapons or some other material was stored in the area of the strike, causing a secondary blast and the fire that spread and killed the Palestinian civilians.  An independent military body responsible for investigating unusual incidents amid the war is investigating the Rafah strike.
IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, in an English-language press conference Tuesday, said the military is still probing the tragedy, while also providing evidence that the fire was caused by something else in the area. "On Sunday, we eliminated senior Hamas terrorists in a targeted strike, on a compound used by Hamas in Rafah. The strike was based on precise intelligence that indicated that these terrorists, who were responsible for orchestrating and executing terror attacks against Israelis, were meeting inside this structure we targeted," Hagari said. "We took a number of steps prior to the strike to avoid civilian casualties. Aerial surveillance, using specific munitions to minimize collateral damage, delaying the attack to further assess the expected civilian presence, and other means," the spokesman said.
"Sadly, following the strike, due to unforeseen circumstances, a fire ignited, taking the lives of Gazan civilians nearby. Despite our efforts to minimize civilian casualties during the strike, the fire that broke out was unexpected and unintended," he continued.
Hagari said the deaths of the civilians in the strike were a "devastating incident, which we did not expect."
Showing imagery from the site, Hagari said the IDF "targeted a closed structure away from the tent area. There are no tents in the immediate vicinity."
 "Contrary to reports, we conducted the strike outside the area that we designated as a humanitarian area and called civilians to evacuate to. Our strike was over a kilometer and a half (0.9 miles) away from the al-Mawasi humanitarian area, what we call the safer zone," he stressed.
"The strike was conducted using two munitions with small warheads, suited for this targeted strike," Hagari said, adding that the 17-kilogram weapons are "the smallest munitions that our jets can use." "Following this strike, a large fire ignited, for reasons still being investigated. Our munition alone could not have ignited a fire of this size," he said. "Our investigation seeks to determine what may have caused such a large fire to ignite. We are looking into all possibilities, including the possibility that weapons stored in a compound next to our target, which we did not know of, may have ignited as a result of the strike," added Hagari. He said the IDF is also looking at "footage, documented by Gazans on the night of the strike, posted on social media, which appeared to show secondary explosions, indicating that there may have been weapons in the area." Further evidence came from phone conversations between Gazans in which they were heard asserting that there were weapons in the area. "Signals intelligence intercepted some phone calls that reinforce this concern, raising the possibility that weapons stored in a nearby comp ound caught fire," he said, before airing one such call in which Gazans discussed the blast and "ammunition that started exploding." "Yes, this is an ammunition warehouse. I tell you it exploded. The Jewish bombing wasn't strong, it was a small missile, because it didn't create a large hole. And afterward a lot of secondary explosions," one of the Palestinians is heard saying in the call. "We are working to verify the cause of the fire. It is still too early to be determined. Even when we do find the cause of the fire that erupted, it won't make the situation any less tragic," Hagari said, and vowed that the investigation will be "swift, comprehensive, and transparent." Hagari pointed out that Hamas has been operating in the area since the start of the war on October 7 and presented an image showing the terror group's rocket launchers 43 meters from the targeted site. "Hamas fired rockets from these launchers at Israel during the massacre on October 7," Hagari said. On Tuesday, Hamas claimed that at least another 21 people were killed in a separate strike on the al-Mawasi safe zone. A civil defense official in the Hamas-run Strip, Mohammad al-Mughayyir, said they were killed in an "occupation strike targeting the tents of displaced people west of Rafah." Hamas said an Israeli strike had caused "dozens of martyrs and wounded" in the area.  The IDF issued a denial, saying in a statement, "Contrary to the reports from the last few hours, the IDF did not strike in the Humanitarian Area in al-Mawasi."
The war in Gaza started with Hamas's October 7 attack on southern Israel, in which some 1,200 people were killed and 252 were taken hostage. Israel has vowed to topple the terror group's regime in Gaza and secure the release of the hostages. Eight months of fighting have caused enormous damage to Gaza's infrastructure and led to a humanitarian crisis that aid groups and the UN say is plunging areas of the coastal enclave into famine. In a further setback, part of a US military's pier off Gaza broke off, rendering it temporarily inoperable, two US officials said, the latest blow to efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Gazans. The US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said bad weather was believed to be the reason that the part had broken off. They did not say how big the part was or speculate on how long it would take for the pier to resume operations. It came after over the weekend, four vessels involved in operating the pier drifted away and ran aground on Israeli beaches. The pier was announced by US President Joe Biden in March and involved the military assembling the floating structure off the coast. Estimated to cost $320 million for the first 90 days and involve about 1,000 US service members, it went into operation two weeks ago. Since the pier began operations, the UN has transported 137 trucks of aid from the pier — the equivalent of 900 metric tons — said a UN World Food Programme spokesperson. timesofisrael.com | | Nikki Haley signs artillery shell with 'America loves Israel' "Don't listen to what the media says. The majority of Americans are with the people of Israel," said Nikki Haley.  Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley signed artillery shells on the northern and southern borders of Israel and expressed her deep commitment to Israel's security during a visit to the Jewish state.
Haley, a Republican who once served as the governor of South Carolina and is rumored to be a possible running mate for Donald Trump, has been touring the country in recent days and meeting with Israeli victims of the October 7th massacres.
During a visit to the Golan Heights on Tuesday, Haley told reporters that the mainstream narrative around American support for Israel is distorted. "We're here today in this beautiful spot to really show our solidarity with Israel. What I will tell you is: Don't listen to what the media says. The majority of Americans are with the people of Israel. This war is personal for Israelis, but this war is personal for Americans," she said.
"We need Israel to be strong, and the only way Israel will be strong is when America supports Israel completely, unapologetically," Haley added.
"There are two things we need to do: We need to make sure we get our hostages home, and we need to make sure that Israel is secure once and for all. And we will always be a friend to you, so stay strong, stay hopeful, keep the faith, and let's continue to be partners together."
While on the northern border, Haley signed an artillery shell with the words "Finish them! America loves Israel!" Haley said that she had previously visited the northern border region in 2017 "with my friend [former Israeli ambassador the UN] Danny Danon and I warned against the strengthening of Hezbollah." "I want to say in the clearest way: America stands by Israel. Israel is fighting the enemies of the U.S. today. Don't stop until you win." worldisraelnews.com | |  | WATCH: Triumph Over Tragedy – How Two Sisters Overcame the Loss of Three Family Members to Terrorism Everything changed for the Dee family last Passover when a family trip up north turned into a nightmare. As they traveled in two separate cars, a terrorist ambushed them, killing sisters Maia and Rina Dee and fatally wounding their mother, Lucy, who later succumbed to her injuries.
In this compelling interview, 18-year-old Tali and 19-year-old Keren Dee share their journey of processing unimaginable loss and finding hope for the future. Enduring the profound grief of losing loved ones to terrorism amid a time of conflict is an extraordinary challenge.
Keren and Tali embody resilience and strength, rising from the shadows of tragedy. Their unwavering dedication to life and the future of the Jewish people inspires us all. uniteswithisrael.org | | Israeli captive appears in new hostage video Islamic Jihad releases 30-second clip featuring 27-year-old Israeli man taken into captivity on October 7th.  The Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror organization released a hostage video on Tuesday featuring footage of an Israeli man taken hostage during the invasion of southern Israel on October 7th.
The man, 27-year-old Alexander "Sasha" Trufanov, was abducted from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7th alongside his mother, Yelena Trufanov, grandmother, Irena Tati, and his girlfriend, Sapir Cohen.
The undated video is the first sign of life released by Islamic Jihad of Trufanov since his abduction.
In the 30-second video clip, Trufanov provides his identity and vows to provide details in the coming days of what has happened to him and other hostages in captivity in the Gaza Strip.
Trufanov's mother and grandmother, 50-year-old Yelena Trufanov and 73-year-old Irena Tati, were released by Hamas on November 29th, as a gesture to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Trufanov family immigrated to Israel from Russia in 1998. Cohen, an Israeli citizen without ties to Russia, was freed from Gaza as part of the November ceasefire deal and hostage release. Trufanov's father, Vitaly Trufanov, was murdered by terrorists during the October 7th invasion. worldisraelnews.com | |  | Emotional Seinfeld says wartime trip to Israel 'the most powerful experience of my life' Comedian struggles to speak when asked about his solidarity visit in December, which included trip to devastated kibbutz, meetings with Oct. 7 survivors and freed hostages  Comedian Jerry Seinfeld said his visit to Israel last year in the wake of Hamas's October 7 massacre was "the most powerful experience" in his life.
In a newly released interview with Bari Weiss for The Free Press, Seinfeld described his visit as "the most powerful experience of my life, I'm sure."
Pressed by Weiss to elaborate, Seinfeld grew visibly emotional and struggled to speak.
Asked if he was thinking of someone in particular, the Jewish comedian nodded his head in the affirmative. "Sorry," he then said while taking out a tissue before they moved on to another topic.
During the solidarity trip in December, Seinfeld and his wife Jessica Sklar visited the devastated border community of Kibbutz Be'eri. He also met with freed hostages and survivors of the devastating October 7 onslaught, in which terrorists killed some 1,200 people and took 252 hostages.  While in Be'eri, the celebrity couple met with Yuval Haran, whose father Avshalom was murdered in the vicious Hamas terror onslaught which claimed the lives of more than 100 residents of their small community, and in which multiple members of Haran's extended family were taken hostage to Gaza.
Haran hosted Seinfeld and his wife in the ruins of his family's home in the kibbutz and the two discussed Haran's father's love for the comedian's sitcom "Seinfeld," in which he played a semi-fictionalized version of himself. "When I heard that Seinfeld was coming to the kibbutz, it really moved me," Haran said. "He is one of the characters that my father really appreciated, and I can't count the number of times we would sit together and watch Seinfeld." In the interview released Tuesday, Seinfeld commented on the pro-Palestinian protesters who have heckled him several times in recent months, calling the demonstrations "so dumb." "It's so dumb. When we get protesters occasionally, I love to say to the audience, 'you know I love that these young people are trying to get engaged with politics, we just have to correct their aim a little bit.'" "They don't seem to understand as comedians we really don't control anything," he added. timesofisrael.com | | | | |
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